2003 S40 amp location? Bypass or remove it? Speaker sizes?

[foole]

Hi all, first time poster. I searched this forum and other forums but I couldn't find the answers, so here goes.

I have a 2003 S40 built for the Japanese market (right hand drive). I want to replace as much of the audio system as possible, including the stock head unit (HU-735) and all speakers.

Is there a Volvo amp buried somewhere in this car? How can I access it? I wasn't planning to use an aftermarket amp, so what should I do with the Volvo amp? Bypass it, remove it or leave it in place and use it?


Also in Japan, speaker sizes are all sold in metric. I measured the dash speakers and I believe they are about 10cm, so would a 3.5" work there? The front doors are about 12 or 13cm (5.25" I believe). The rear deck is either 16 or 17cm. What are the tolerances for the speaker openings? Could I squeeze in a 17cm speaker into the rear deck (normally 6.5", correct?)

Thanks in advance for any insight.

[gatos]

The amp was only an option with some S40 cars. It is normally mounted on a metal frame behind the boot carpet on the right hand side.

If you do have an amp and remove it, then you will have to run the wiring from the front stereo connector to the two rear ones. The signal for the rear two speakers on a car with a sub comes from the AUX cable, to the amp and then to the speakers. Can't remember if the two front door speakers are powered from the AMP or the stereo directly

[baldmosher]

I always say this, but the stock system in the S/V40 (with the boot amp) is just about as good quality as any OEM or aftermarket system that I've had in any car. Don't forget it was built by Volvo as a full system so all the components are matched together.

I really wouldn't bother replacing it unless it's faulty, or you have some grand design in mind, or you need a new HU with different features (Bluetooth/DAB etc.)

YMMV, as ever

[baldmosher]

Originally Posted by foole

Also in Japan, speaker sizes are all sold in metric. I measured the dash speakers and I believe they are about 10cm, so would a 3.5" work there? The front doors are about 12 or 13cm (5.25" I believe). The rear deck is either 16 or 17cm. What are the tolerances for the speaker openings? Could I squeeze in a 17cm speaker into the rear deck (normally 6.5", correct?)

The dash speakers are actually tiny 4cm component tweeters mounted beneath a big mounting piece of plastic. You could of course swap them for 10cm(?) coaxials but IMO coaxials in the dash sound horrendous, and you'll also get loads of crossover wash with the door speakers. Not recommended

You could perhaps upgrade the door speakers but unless you can find some Kenwood 1666 second hand somewhere, and increase the aperture size (which you can't without some extreme carving) I really wouldn't bother. I've listened to a wide range of sub-16cm speakers in my time, and they're all basically the same.... it's the tweets where you get all the sound quality.

You could perhaps mount some tweets in the B pillar side curtain next to your ears but I don't think it'd sound great.

No opinion about the rears, but I don't sit there Just don't forget that the subwoofer in the boot chucks a pile of air through the holes in the rear shelf, so if you mount bigger speakers in there it'll just fight against the sub and sound terrible.

The cheapest bang-for-buck improvement you could make is to get a second power amp for the front speakers, to take some of the strain off the HU, but that'd take a lot of trial & error to get the sound levelling right.

Or, if you don't have the rear amp, that'd be the first thing to get.

[foole]

I found the amp (it was in the right side trunk area).

Volvo 30630168

It's one of these:

http://www.volvopartswarehouse.com/p.../30630168.html

They are sold on eBay too: http://tinyurl.com/kfkbm4a

Perhaps I won't bother removing it. If I keep it in place, what aftermarket speakers would work best with it? At the very least I'd like to upgrade the dash and door speakers (and maybe leave the rears as is) but I'm not sure yet. I don't have a subwoofer and I'm not looking to put one in.

And my budget is pretty low for the speakers because most of my money will go to a new head unit with a Japanese navigation system. So at least the new HU will help, no?

[baldmosher]

Given that the satnav will then be almost a metre below your line of sight, that's not very safe. I could never recommend a HU satnav system. I've got the HU1205 but I wouldn't use it for navigation. Invest in a TomTom, or even a cradle for your Android phone* -- it's far cheaper than fiddling around with the sound system and if you've got the amp then it's even more messing around to fit aftermarket HU.

*be warned that Google Maps destroys your phone's battery life. Buy a spare battery, or even think about buying a small tablet with a big battery instead. You can buy 12V USB 1A chargers, but they do vary wildly in quality -- Belkin ones are pretty good, but it'll still probably drain the battery. I get -27mA drain with just the speedo app running and the screen on, with Google Maps running in satnav mode, I get -411mA drain which gives about 4-5 hours from full charge before it's flat. You can always turn off the screen to save battery and it'll still be running in the background with audio.

Buy a Grom USB unit (about £80 in GB, or $100 in US), and you can even connect to & control your Volvo HU with Bluetooth or aux or USB cable. That said, the Parrot kits also work well but they're not as "seamless".

[baldmosher]

As regards speakers, if you change like for like you could always upgrade to get better sound quality from high end ICE gear, but given the noise from the road, and the terrible soundstage that a cabin gives, will you really notice much difference?

I concluded that I wouldn't.

Adding the subwoofer would probably be the best upgrade for least money. Taking the strain off the speakers, and chucking a load of air into the boot in time to the music, is the single best thing you can do with any sound system, car or home! I couldn't have a hifi without one, and now I've driven the V40, I couldn't have a car without one either.

[Tickingcrow]

Hi there Foole, jnteresting that you're keeping an S40 in Japan, it must be a rare car.
Volvo did have an excellent standard bespoke system made for the phase 2 S/V70 and the Premium system was truly awesome, if you can, see what can be done with an amplifier and speakers from a breakers/Ebay. If not, why not try that great Japanese institution, UpGarage and see what they have that will fit.
Can you post some photo's of your car? I've never seen a JDM S40.