411 audio systems

[Richardmulcaster]

Hi All,

Ok- so our Bristol 411 S2 renovation is going well- lots happening and thanks to everyone for your contributions on the REAR END VIEW thread.

May I ask a new question....

I’m considering audio systems, the original is still in it- a “Motorola” AM/MW and a single speaker located in front of the gear shifter.

I think I have found a head unit I like:
https://www.classiccarstereo.co.uk/c...unt-dab-radio/

But my main question to the knowledgable and willing Bristol Car Community is this: where have you managed to mount speakers in a 4 speaker system?
And- what have you learned from this? What compromises have you had to make and what would you do differently if you could do it again?
What did people do with the chrome grill space in front of the shifter if not used for a speaker? Anything interesting?
Once again- I welcome loads of pics of where you have mounted your speakers and what the finish looked like.

Thanks again to everyone.
Best wishes
Richard

[peter dowdle]

RICHARD I LIKE THE STYLE OF THE RADIO YOU ARE FITTING, THE MODERN UNITS ARE USUALLY FLASH AND OUT OF CHARACTER WITH AN EARLY 70s CAR.

REGARDING THE SPEAKER PRIOR TO ME OWNING THE CAR SOMEONE MOUNTED 2 SPEAKER AT THE REAR PARCEL SHELF. BUT RATHER THAN SIT THEM ON THE SHELF HE FITTED THEM BELOW THE TRIM BY CUTTING HOLES IN THE REAR PANEL BETWEEN THE SHELF AND THE FUEL TANK. HE USED A FLAT WIRE MESH PLATE DIRECTLY UNDER THE PARCEL SHELF TRIM. ALL YOU SEE IS TWO HOLES AND THE WIRE MESH.

MY 412 ON THE OTHER HAND CAME WITH TWO HUGE SPEAKER BOXES MOUNTED ON THE SHELF. (UGLY) SO I DID AS PER THE 411.

MY FINAL THOUGHT RE SPEAKERS IN THE DOOR . I HATE THE IDEA . YOU COULD LOOK AT MOUNTING THEM UNDER THE DASH POINTING DOWN.

[Hillman]

Have you considered having your existing radio upgraded? I've come across this company who offer that service I don't know anything about them other than having found the website and I have no connection with them.

https://www.radiorescue.co.uk/fm-and-dab-upgrades/

I'm thinking about using them to update the radio in my AC. The best option I've seen would be a Becker Mexico (retro) which has navigation as well as everything else but even if you could get it second hand it would still be in excess of £2000.

[John Keighley]

Richard,
I concur with Peter Dowdle. I still have the original unit out of my 410 stored in a caboard box. To replace it, I looked for something that fitted nicely in with the area where it mounts and generally, I am happy with the system (a JVC) although it was fitted in 2008 or 2009. If I were to replace it today (and an upgrade is in the pipeline), I would be looking for something with bluetooth.
My 410 has speakers mounted on the rear shelf and the front speakers are under the dash facing downwards. It's not perfect but I can live with it.
My biggest issue is electrical signal/interferrence from the car's electrical system and I have never been able to find the origin of this. I had initially thought of putting speakers in the insides of the doors but Peter D has just convinced me why I shouldn't.
Get a good really superior quality system with high grade speakers and you shouldn't go wrong - the right sounds in a Bristol should be music to your ears!

[peter dowdle]

The photos of my 412 speaker installation. I have used small 4 inch speakers as I had them in stock. I remade the parcel shelf trim/ The 411 speakers are larger.

[jalli]

Richard

I may be just the person to help


I have just finished my series 3 apart from bumper which is going on on Friday and seat trimming


I put in one of these units. Sam Diego which has blue tooth , dab and phone . I put 4 of their 5.5cm speakers in. 2 in rear parcel shelf which I sound damped and 2 under dash . I also put subwoofer under rear seat which works well .

Over the top probably but also put in amp although the head unit one probably adequate .

The amp sits nicely in front of gear lever under the cover .

I also took their adaptor so that DAB can be fed from the normal aerial

So on plus side . I think it looks good. And sounds good

Not so good. As multifunctional device there are multiple functions for each knob and multiple sub menus but just a question of getting used to it

Beware . You have to assemble he head unit

More importantly fader not quite right !!. Doesn't fade front to back properly on one channel . Have tried rewiring but no joy so assume that it is the head unit . I have tried ringing but no answer and no response to email yet. Clearly closed for lockdown.


So unless they have a solution , I will need to swap it for a replacement

I suggest that before you commit, you make sure that at you have spoken to
Someone there. I spoke to them before buying and they were v helpful

I can send you pics if you like or speak to you if that helps

Bw

James

[Sam410]

I think the Blenheims had rear speakers in the rear footwells, mounted under the rear seats in the kickboards. I've seen other Bristols with speakers so fitted as well.

[Philip]

The 603-series cars had them below the rear seat squab from the beginning.

[Richardmulcaster]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your messages, I've been watching them come in over the last couple of days via phone, but not had chance to properly get back to the computer and get replying. I love all the knowledge that's out there in our community, and everyone so helpful to share.

I will go back to each post now and reply.
thanks again, keep those ideas and comments flowing!

[Richardmulcaster]

Originally Posted by peter dowdle

RICHARD I LIKE THE STYLE OF THE RADIO YOU ARE FITTING, THE MODERN UNITS ARE USUALLY FLASH AND OUT OF CHARACTER WITH AN EARLY 70s CAR.

REGARDING THE SPEAKER PRIOR TO ME OWNING THE CAR SOMEONE MOUNTED 2 SPEAKER AT THE REAR PARCEL SHELF. BUT RATHER THAN SIT THEM ON THE SHELF HE FITTED THEM BELOW THE TRIM BY CUTTING HOLES IN THE REAR PANEL BETWEEN THE SHELF AND THE FUEL TANK. HE USED A FLAT WIRE MESH PLATE DIRECTLY UNDER THE PARCEL SHELF TRIM. ALL YOU SEE IS TWO HOLES AND THE WIRE MESH.

MY 412 ON THE OTHER HAND CAME WITH TWO HUGE SPEAKER BOXES MOUNTED ON THE SHELF. (UGLY) SO I DID AS PER THE 411.

MY FINAL THOUGHT RE SPEAKERS IN THE DOOR . I HATE THE IDEA . YOU COULD LOOK AT MOUNTING THEM UNDER THE DASH POINTING DOWN.

Thanks Peter,

I spent quite a bit of time comparing radios to come up with that one, and i think it has all the modern function and facility but have tried hard to keep it classic looking - AND at a reasonable price. I also liked the Retro Car sound head units from America, like the San Diego, and others in the same family, arguably better looking, but quite a lot more expensive with the same features.

Its also the case that I basically have no idea when it comes to car audio; i spent 20 mins on the phone this morning the the guy at the end of the link i posted, pumping him for information on how watts on speakers add up to watts in the head unit; and like where does a Subwoofer wire to if limited to 4 speaker outputs, and - what is a subwoofer!

I basically just want it to sound good. Better than my bog-standard, entry level radio in my 320D. A good target is the Volvo "Premium" radio in my wife's XC60 - that sounds as good as I would need.

I agree with parcel shelf as the obvious place and recessed behind mess by far the most preferable - but I have been stressing a little over those airflow vent things; having just sorted the new exhaust and "exhausted" all avenues of options and learnt all about the pitfalls of fume drawback if the exhaust isn't quite right (see another post on here somewhere) - and in that there are those air vents, which look purely decorative from the outside, but on reading the thread and peering under the parcel shelf to find a perfectly formed air chute.... then with all of that, its got me worried that if I put a speaker in the way, am I then blocking air flow??? Interesting that no one has mentioned anything like this so far, so maybe the worries are unfounded.

Front speakers - I have saved a pic from a sales advert I found of a 411 with an open door so showing the card; it had retrofit speakers, and they had almost completely hidden the speaker behind the card, save only for a pattern of very small holes they had cut out, there was no visible speaker or plastic - which looked impressive, otherwise I would have been right with you on avoiding door speakers for the unsightly grill that is usually necessary.

Thanks for your comments.
PS - On this day 3 years ago, I had just landed in Australia for a 3 month employment contract at the 2018 Gold Coast Comm Games; I had the BEST 12 weeks of my life living and working out there, and was whole heartedly ready to emigrate after only 3 short months. Small matter of a whole life of commitment back in the UK, otherwise I never would have returned.

[Richardmulcaster]

Originally Posted by Hillman

Have you considered having your existing radio upgraded? I've come across this company who offer that service I don't know anything about them other than having found the website and I have no connection with them.

https://www.radiorescue.co.uk/fm-and-dab-upgrades/

I'm thinking about using them to update the radio in my AC. The best option I've seen would be a Becker Mexico (retro) which has navigation as well as everything else but even if you could get it second hand it would still be in excess of £2000.

Thanks Hillman -

You know, I've never considered this, or never even knew about it. I followed the link to a UK company, and then their link to a UK company, presumably where they import from, and from there watched 3 videos on YouTube about the product. I have to say, it looks impressive, and can't help but be tempted!
So now I am faced with a dilemma between a new CCS200 and having my old Motorola re vamped. If anything I think the latter will cost more, maybe £100+ more, but that's not too much in the grand scheme of things. The questions are:

Are these conversions reliable?
What it is that i prefer????

thanks so much for bringing to my attention.

Best wishes

[Richardmulcaster]

Originally Posted by John Keighley

Richard,
I concur with Peter Dowdle. I still have the original unit out of my 410 stored in a caboard box. To replace it, I looked for something that fitted nicely in with the area where it mounts and generally, I am happy with the system (a JVC) although it was fitted in 2008 or 2009. If I were to replace it today (and an upgrade is in the pipeline), I would be looking for something with bluetooth.
My 410 has speakers mounted on the rear shelf and the front speakers are under the dash facing downwards. It's not perfect but I can live with it.
My biggest issue is electrical signal/interferrence from the car's electrical system and I have never been able to find the origin of this. I had initially thought of putting speakers in the insides of the doors but Peter D has just convinced me why I shouldn't.
Get a good really superior quality system with high grade speakers and you shouldn't go wrong - the right sounds in a Bristol should be music to your ears!

Thanks John

I am dreaming of that summer day, when we're driving the #NorthCoast500 and seeing the best scenery in the UK - and the audio is playing perfectly - maybe not FM, AM or any radio when you're that far north, but that's why I want the bluetooth, ipod connectivity etc...

I remember interference issues on my very first car (Vauxhall Chevette!) and my Dad telling me to fit Suppressors on the line! I hadn't thought of that for at least 28 years!!

Re - under dash speakers - I had a conversation today with a car audio guy (from the link i originally posted), and he pointed me to a speaker in their range called a DVC (dual voice control), and basically is two speakers in one, and designed to go in the front, in the original spot in front of the gear shifter and does the same as two speakers, OK - so I get it that music audio purists may disagree with that statement, but maybe that will be fine for my needs....

[Richardmulcaster]

Originally Posted by peter dowdle

The photos of my 412 speaker installation. I have used small 4 inch speakers as I had them in stock. I remade the parcel shelf trim/ The 411 speakers are larger.

Lovely pics, thanks Peter - lovely car too.
Perfect location, but as I said earlier - I am just a little worried about interrupting the air flow through the vent and out the side exterior vent - especially as we don't have the benefit of a convertible

[Richardmulcaster]

Originally Posted by jalli

Richard

I may be just the person to help


I have just finished my series 3 apart from bumper which is going on on Friday and seat trimming


I put in one of these units. Sam Diego which has blue tooth , dab and phone . I put 4 of their 5.5cm speakers in. 2 in rear parcel shelf which I sound damped and 2 under dash . I also put subwoofer under rear seat which works well .

Over the top probably but also put in amp although the head unit one probably adequate .

The amp sits nicely in front of gear lever under the cover .

I also took their adaptor so that DAB can be fed from the normal aerial

So on plus side . I think it looks good. And sounds good

Not so good. As multifunctional device there are multiple functions for each knob and multiple sub menus but just a question of getting used to it

Beware . You have to assemble he head unit

More importantly fader not quite right !!. Doesn't fade front to back properly on one channel . Have tried rewiring but no joy so assume that it is the head unit . I have tried ringing but no answer and no response to email yet. Clearly closed for lockdown.


So unless they have a solution , I will need to swap it for a replacement

I suggest that before you commit, you make sure that at you have spoken to
Someone there. I spoke to them before buying and they were v helpful

I can send you pics if you like or speak to you if that helps

Bw

James

Hi James,

thanks so much for getting in touch, will DM you with contact details. Clearly you are at the end of the journey we are embarking on, and would love to have a more in depth chat about it.

Speak soon, thanks again

[Richardmulcaster]

Originally Posted by Sam410

I think the Blenheims had rear speakers in the rear footwells, mounted under the rear seats in the kickboards. I've seen other Bristols with speakers so fitted as well.

Thanks Sam,

yeah, I saw one advert of a 411 with speakers under the back seats, think it was listed on TheHairpinCompany.

Not sure what I think about that, the job was well done and looked professional enough, but maybe i was cautious simply as it was a new idea. I didn't know this was standard on the Blenheims, so thanks for sharing that.

Cheers
Richard

[RogerR]

Instead of having a radio, has anyone thought of using say, an iphone radio app and a bluetooth speaker like 'Ultimate Ears'? That way you can remove the radio from the dash completely and use the iphone as a radio, GPS etc. An iphone dock could be housed in an open/close panel in the dash and you can take the iphone from the car when you leave.

Just a thought.

[AndrewA]

For what it's worth I went through a similar mental process. I've got a 410 which from the factory has an overhead speaker between the driver and passenger and one speaker on RHS of parcel shelf. I considered putting speakers in the front door cards, in the kick panel under the rear seat squab and the parcel shelf. I also looked at the retro head units. In the end I went with getting the best sound I could from new speakers in the original locations and the most discreet modern head unit so I had all the connectivity for the rare occasions I might use it. My reasoning was I didn't really want to start cutting additional holes and if I'm honest with myself, most of the time I prefer listening to the car. If not that then Radio 4 and it's only on long motorway treks (remember them!) on my own that I'll use it to listen to music that the rest of the family can't stand!
I got the head unit sorted first (I went for a very plain modern Sony unit in the end) then spent quite a while trying different speakers in different price ranges until I got the sound that I was happy with. The dual voice option sounds a good place to start IMHO. In terms of the sound quality, it's now miles better than original but it's no concert hall. I also wondered about suppressors as the old radio would rev in time with the engine (!) but modern unit needed no suppressing and is crystal clear.
Good luck!
Andrew

[Richardmulcaster]

Originally Posted by RogerR

Instead of having a radio, has anyone thought of using say, an iphone radio app and a bluetooth speaker like 'Ultimate Ears'? That way you can remove the radio from the dash completely and use the iphone as a radio, GPS etc. An iphone dock could be housed in an open/close panel in the dash and you can take the iphone from the car when you leave.

Just a thought.

So true! I've been using the phone app to get DAB radio for a couple of years now in my own runabout.
I guess with a car as classic as the Bristol, I was thinking of trying to up the game a little. but actually maybe you are right and the whole audio system is something of an accessory anyway, hummmm.

Thanks for the advice!

[Richardmulcaster]

Originally Posted by AndrewA

For what it's worth I went through a similar mental process. I've got a 410 which from the factory has an overhead speaker between the driver and passenger and one speaker on RHS of parcel shelf. I considered putting speakers in the front door cards, in the kick panel under the rear seat squab and the parcel shelf. I also looked at the retro head units. In the end I went with getting the best sound I could from new speakers in the original locations and the most discreet modern head unit so I had all the connectivity for the rare occasions I might use it. My reasoning was I didn't really want to start cutting additional holes and if I'm honest with myself, most of the time I prefer listening to the car. If not that then Radio 4 and it's only on long motorway treks (remember them!) on my own that I'll use it to listen to music that the rest of the family can't stand!
I got the head unit sorted first (I went for a very plain modern Sony unit in the end) then spent quite a while trying different speakers in different price ranges until I got the sound that I was happy with. The dual voice option sounds a good place to start IMHO. In terms of the sound quality, it's now miles better than original but it's no concert hall. I also wondered about suppressors as the old radio would rev in time with the engine (!) but modern unit needed no suppressing and is crystal clear.
Good luck!
Andrew

Thanks Andrew,
very interesting, and thanks for contributing. Having slept on it, I am favouring the idea of the single DVC speaker in the front for simplicity, a new pair of recessed speakers in the parcel shelf, and a restoration of my original Motorola - I just can't get that idea out of my head, it looks so cool.

So I don't have wires running into the door, and don't need to cut the door cards.
On a slightly separate but related note - I have just sourced and paid for a pair of XJ6 s3 chrome wing mirrors - manual ones with the mini joystick for adjustment; originally only have 1 mirror on drivers side and want two mirrors for modern driving , but the manual option although rare as hens teeth to find again means I get to keep away from needing to put wires into the doors. I saw a 411 s2 for sale on TheHairPinCompany and it had been fitted with these same mirrors, and I think they suit the car really well, but I guess this is not for this thread!

[AndrewA]

Sounds like the perfect solution to me and you can get the more "period" chrome and mesh covers for the parcel shelf - if that's your thing.
Cheers
Andrew