Alpine Stereo & Speakers with iPod link plus sound deadening

[The Citrus Smoothie]

Just thought I would share with you that I have upgraded my Insight stereo to an Alpine unit (CDE-111R) with an iPod link, please see attached photos. The iPod cable has been fed through to the cubby hole just below the stereo so it stays out of sight. I bought the whole set from Hellfrauds for £143.

I also upgraded all 4 speakers to Alpine 40W RMS units. I discovered that the stock speakers are 20W RMS - this is higher than my previous Insight speakers at 15W - presumably part of the 2003 facelift along with the cream interior and clear side indicators.

While I was waiting for the audio guy to fit the stereo, I also took the opportunity to fit some 'Skinz' sound deadening material to the rear shelf and boot space myself (hence it not looking particularly professional). This should reduce help reduce noise from the rear wheels and the engines of vehicles queuing immediately behind. For information I used 8 standard sheets on the rear shelf and had to cut around the numerous nuts on the shelf surface to allow future access to the battery compartment.

I hope this helps someone else in the future.


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[red1dr]

I put in an Alpine too - a CDA9857 - but with Infiniti 6012Si speakers because they are thin and someone here said they fit well in the Insight doors. I ran the iPod cable into the glovebox. I like your location better, but my old nano is long-ish and may not fit in there. The setup sounds far better than stock to me. After looking at the stock "squeakers" I realized that almost anything would sound better! But I do realize that it's not the ultimate sound system.

The main reason I upgraded was to get a good iPod link. Funny thing is I have so much fun driving the Insight that I rarely use the sound system any more. Plus I use the iPod for long workouts and hear the music that's on the iPod quite enough as it is.

Maybe things have changed in the 5 years since I bought mine, but I found the control of the iPod from the Alpine klunky. I don't have the full functionality of the clickwheel from the Alpine; it's necessary to mess with the iPod to put it into the mode I want. Finally I just gave up and set it to shuffle everything and then skip songs I'm not in the mood for. I'd recommend checking out this aspect carefully before getting an iPod-capable car stereo.

Also, my Alpine unit came with a remote, which was really amusing. The radio is within inches of my hand, so why would I want to use a remote??

[The Citrus Smoothie]

Thanks for the post. I do have full command of my iPod through the Alpine stereo. Although I like listening to the engine note whilst driving, it is only while I am driving that I actually get the opportunity to listen to music. I agree a remote control is a waste of time!

[Cicerone]

Hiya,

I just got my Insight and the driver's door speaker sounds really duff. No big deal as I had read they'd probably need replacing anyway. I listen to all my music via an iPod Classic and Halfords is my local audio place. I'm not sure I trust myself to install things?!

They've got a few deals on at the moment, any chance you could link to the exact speakers you bought? I'm a little confused about the correct size needed. IC mods section says 6.5" but 16.5/17cm seems interchangeable? Is that right?

How do you rate them for sound? I've read that they need to be fairly slim/shallow speakers, are they? Did you look at any alternatives?

JVC seem to do a head unit for £60 with a front aux in (which is what I'd prefer for the iPod). Can't be bad, can it?

By the way, my car has the optional Honda-fitted rear speakers, with a tweeter on the a-pillar (I think?!). Haven't got much money at the mo' so was going to upgrade the rears later - anything I need to know about having those already fitted or the tweeters?

So many options, it's confusing! Thanks in advance for answering silly questions.

[Mark Elvin]

What size speakers are those as they look like a perfect fit.

I'll be popping in separates when I do mine, need a head unit with ipod control cable into the rear, use in the,front, and Bluetooth.

[The Citrus Smoothie]

The Alpine speakers are 6.5" or 16.5cm diameter. 17cm would probably be a little too big. The Alpines are currently on offer at Halfords at £31 per pair:

Halfords | Alpine SXE-1725S - 6.5" (16.5cm) Coaxial 2-Way Speakers

The speakers are quite shallow and the speaker cradles did not need to be cut, unlike one of my previous Insights when I installed Focal Access CA1 speakers. However they are 'only' 40W RMS and I went for them because they were good value (I paid £28 per pair) - if I had more money to burn I would go for 50 or 60W RMS speakers, such as my previous Focals below, which do have a better sound.

Halfords | Focal Access CA1 165mm 6.25" Speakers

Cicerone - not heard of any Insights having A-pillar tweeters fitted, if you have them they must be after-market. Please feel free to ask more questions! Cheers

[Cicerone]

I was also looking at those Focals - they seem like good value and I trust Focal as a brand. They make amazing home hifi. How much cutting did the cradles require and did you do it yourself?

I'll take a pic of the a-pillars, I'm sure they're tweeters but I may just be being a bit stupid!

[The Citrus Smoothie]

Yes, in short the Alpines are 'satisfactory' but struggle slightly with a 50W per channel head unit; the Focals have a great sound but are deeper and you will need to cut the basket. I did it myself (years ago) with a junior hacksaw. Some people have had problems with water leakage afterwards but I think that is coincidence as I can't see how it would affect water tightness. Hope this helps

[Cicerone]

I went and had a look round my Halfords earlier and I like the look of a Pioneer 4x50w head unit, with front aux-in (which is what I'd use for my iPod). (It's the £69.99 one.)

I'm perhaps more keen on paying a little extra for the Focals as I want it to be a long-term upgrade and they are still pretty decently priced. I'm used to a Volvo V70's hifi so don't want a huge downgrade. However, I'm wondering if it's worth saving money by fitting the speakers myself. I'm not great at DIY so should I just pay for fitting if they require cutting?

[The Citrus Smoothie]

For the longer term solution you are right to go for the Focals. In theory fitting speakers is a straight forward job or unscrewing the old and putting the new in, plus hacksaw if necessary. One catch is that all Insights have Japanese speaker connectors and you need to strip this off to connect the usual contact spades; plus if you don't already have rear speakers it may need to be wired. Hmmm...in that case I suggest that if you are forking out £220 on head unit and speakers with a head unit install on top, then you may as well save the hassle for yourself and pay a good independent fitter to do the whole thing for you.