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[mardibloke]

Read some great information here and just started pulling my recently acquired Omega apart. Before I start installing a new head unit and amp, couple of bits of guidance would am sure speed me along.

Routing 12+ve from battery to boot, think I see the two large bundles of cables behind the pollen filter, do I just try and push my new 12v feed cable down the side of one of those?

Mounting the amp - I see a big space behind the spare wheel, has anyone tried to mount an amp there, and if so how. If not I plan to try and bolt amp under the rear parcel shelf, which I assume is what most people do?

Loom/Wiring Speakers - I assume I need to run new cables from each speaker to my amp in the boot.  Unless there might be anything already in the loom I can use?  I see there looks to be a wire to power the amp in the loom, on the big Blue plugs for the head unit - I wonder where that ends up for example.

[Dave DND]

Routing 12+ve from battery to boot, think I see the two large bundles of cables behind the pollen filter, do I just try and push my new 12v feed cable down the side of one of those?

Yep 

Mounting the amp - I see a big space behind the spare wheel, has anyone tried to mount an amp there, and if so how. If not I plan to try and bolt amp under the rear parcel shelf, which I assume is what most people do?

Mounting the amp will really depend on the physical shape and size of the thing. I always make up an MDF panel and bolt it in place, although I have seen others gripseal a panel in place also. But make sure to paint or seal the mdf panel so it does not get affected by moisture / damp in the boot. Upside down is really a last resort, as with hot air from the components inside rising, the heatsink being underneath them is not ideal - it will still work, just not 1st choice.

Loom/Wiring Speakers - I assume I need to run new cables from each speaker to my amp in the boot.  Unless there might be anything already in the loom I can use?  I see there looks to be a wire to power the amp in the loom, on the big Blue plugs for the head unit - I wonder where that ends up for example.

Depends what power you are running to the speakers. The original wiring is good enough for around 100W per channel - so easiest place to pick up speakers is the ISO block at the rear of the head unit, just run 4 pairs of wires back from the amp. If higher power, then best to run new cables to the speakers directly.

Unsure what this blue plug is that you speak of?

[Andy B]

....
Routing 12+ve from battery to boot, think I see the two large bundles of cables behind the pollen filter, do I just try and push my new 12v feed cable down the side of one of those? .....

I've recently needed to run a 12v supply to boot and found a blanked off hole about 3/8" dia, just above the 2 large sections of loom.

[mardibloke]

Thanks Dave, all sounds sensible.

"Blue" plug is the on the loom that plugs into back of CDR2005.  But will just run speaker wire from a connection to that, to the amp outputs.

[mardibloke]

I've recently needed to run a 12v supply to boot and found a blanked off hole about 3/8" dia, just above the 2 large sections of loom.

over on the passenger side behind the pollen filter too :/

[Andy B]

I've recently needed to run a 12v supply to boot and found a blanked off hole about 3/8" dia, just above the 2 large sections of loom.

over on the passenger side behind the pollen filter too :/

Yes. Just above the cables you described ..... unless they filled it in on face lift cars.    
I didn't see it to start with though, it's dark in there!   

[mardibloke]

Found it Andy - thanks

Will post a photo later.

[Andy B]

Found it Andy - thanks

Will post a photo later.

     It's not obvious is it!   

[mardibloke]

Small rubber bung was blending in with the darkness, muck and water in mine ( great guide to clearing out drain holes on this site  - which mind badly needed ).

Pulled the rubber bung with some pliers and neat little hole. Ok for my use as just running a small amp, may not be big enough for monster thick cable.  Made a 20 minute job take 5 minutes.

Need to add something around the wire to avoid it chaffing on the metal - will have a think about that tomorrow.



The white one is the top of the two that are behind the pollen filter, and just as you said this spare one is just a tad up from it.

[mardibloke]

Mounting the amp will really depend on the physical shape and size of the thing. I always make up an MDF panel and bolt it in place, although I have seen others gripseal a panel in place also. But make sure to paint or seal the mdf panel so it does not get affected by moisture / damp in the boot. Upside down is really a last resort, as with hot air from the components inside rising, the heatsink being underneath them is not ideal - it will still work, just not 1st choice.

Amp bolted in under rear shelf, getting rear parcel shelf out was a bigger job than expected, as the guides/posts on this site suggest, must have been an excess of glue holding it in.

Depends what power you are running to the speakers. The original wiring is good enough for around 100W per channel - so easiest place to pick up speakers is the ISO block at the rear of the head unit, just run 4 pairs of wires back from the amp. If higher power, then best to run new cables to the speakers directly.

Cheers for that tip, did as you suggested. Not sure if they best thing to do, but ran those speaker cables down passenger side with the power feed. Ran the phonos down the drivers side.

Just got it all connected up, and working as started to get dark. I'm not after an expensive/loud system (just using spare bits of kit I already had), but the speakers sound woeful  :-/ on my first quick test. Amp has variable controls for low and high pass - should I be messing with those - or are the speakers in the CD really that bad?

Oh, and I have a dining room full of Omega interior that may take a while to put back. 

[mardibloke]

Didn't see it mentioned in other posts I read, but its a very tight squeeze to get another head unit it. Arranging the cables at the back of my single din cage is going to be tough.

Plus made life much easier to feed cables in, by removing the complete surround (incl. climate controls), and then the large plastic frame that makes the double din  support



Also the channel down passenger side of car is much neater for running cables and keeping them tidy. The cables running down drivers side don't have the plastic conduit for some of the way, so just tapped my phono cables to the existing cable run.

[Dave DND]

You are not connecting an amp to the standard Omega speakers are you?

 :-?

Check the polarity of all the cables you have run to ensure that +ve and -ve do not change over anywhere or you will end up with a phase imbalance, and yes, that can sound awful.

 

[mardibloke]

Check the polarity of all the cables you have run to ensure that +ve and -ve do not change over anywhere or you will end up with a phase imbalance, and yes, that can sound awful.

 

Doh! It was getting dark, and I was sitting in the boot wiring the speaker cables to the amp.  /excuse #9872376

That would certainly explain the nasty sound.

I'm starting to think you already know what my next mistake will be and have the answer ready 

And yes, I was hoping to leave the speakers as standard.  Only having to run an amp as the head unit, I had spare in the garage and I want to use *only* has phono out.

Don't expect it to sound stunning, and wanted this to be cheap and look standard.

[Dave DND]

Speakers are rated at around 20W from new, and only just cope with the standard head unit - do not use them on your amp at all, or it will get VERY expensive as things rapidly start going bang.

 

[Dave DND]

New speakers and tweeters all round then

 

[mardibloke]

Speakers are rated at around 20W from new, and only just cope with the standard head unit - do not use them on your amp at all, or it will get VERY expensive as things rapidly start going bang.

 

I guessed that

Amp levels set to 1/5th power, and will stay that way.

[mardibloke]

Check the polarity of all the cables you have run to ensure that +ve and -ve do not change over anywhere or you will end up with a phase imbalance, and yes, that can sound awful.

 

Checked 

For the Rear speakers made bugger all difference if I swapped the +ve and -ve speaker wires.  They just sound nasty.  Surprised it made no difference in the sound at all swapping them over,  your post implies something bad would happen if wrong way round  :-/

[mardibloke]

New speakers and tweeters all round then

 

you really do have a crystal ball

I have wound the amp up for the rears to 1/2, leaving amp for fronts set at ~1/6th,  its the only way the rears sound anything other than nasty.

This will result in you being right again as

a) rear speakers will blow

or

b) I will get hacked off with the sound, and itch to change the rears.

You are a wise man.

[Dave DND]

you really do have a crystal ball

You are a wise man

Please dont start spreading rumours like that 

[Dave DND]

Check the polarity of all the cables you have run to ensure that +ve and -ve do not change over anywhere or you will end up with a phase imbalance, and yes, that can sound awful.

 

Checked 

For the Rear speakers made bugger all difference if I swapped the +ve and -ve speaker wires.  They just sound nasty.  Surprised it made no difference in the sound at all swapping them over,  your post implies something bad would happen if wrong way round  :-/

As you are not running the speakers properly in terms of power, its unlikely you will notice a difference - but phase imbablance of one speaker pushing whilst another pulling can sound awfull, and definately worth spending the time to get correct.

 

[mardibloke]

New speakers and tweeters all round then

 

Damn you and that ball.

So while I still have the car in bits, what can I replace the rear speakers with in a mid-price range:

http://www.dndservices.co.uk/speakers/

More interested in something that will look stock and not need modifications to the car.  So either a direct replacement for the rear door speakers (assuming its not a big job to strip the door), or rear shelf speakers that will fit under the parcel shelf I have removed, but somehow clear the metal underneath.

[Dave DND]

New speakers and tweeters all round then

 

what make / model / power amp are you running?

What music do you listen to most?
(don`t answer that with "anything" - whats in your CD player at the moemnt)?

Damn you and that ball.

So while I still have the car in bits, what can I replace the rear speakers with in a mid-price range:

http://www.dndservices.co.uk/speakers/

More interested in something that will look stock and not need modifications to the car.  So either a direct replacement for the rear door speakers (assuming its not a big job to strip the door), or rear shelf speakers that will fit under the parcel shelf I have removed, but somehow clear the metal underneath.

[mardibloke]

Rally Caliber CA-4520
Box says 520W, 4x130W @ 2 ohms

Click on model number on this page if you want full specification:

http://www.caliber.nl/info_pages.php?pages_id=2&language=en

In no way going for volume, the phonos/speaker wire won't that anywhere near what the amp might claim it can do.

Majority will be whatever is on Radio 1 playlist, and top 10 albums at the time.  Mixed with Bad Company/Free/Lynard Skynard, and more recent USA stuff like Matchbox20/Live.

[Dave DND]

Rally Caliber CA-4520
Box says 520W, 4x130W @ 2 ohms

Click on model number on this page if you want full specification:

http://www.caliber.nl/info_pages.php?pages_id=2&language=en

In no way going for volume, the phonos/speaker wire won't that anywhere near what the amp might claim it can do.

Majority will be whatever is on Radio 1 playlist, and top 10 albums at the time.  Mixed with Bad Company/Free/Lynard Skynard, and more recent USA stuff like Matchbox20/Live.

Good amp ! - Needs a good set of speakers to do it justice though.

Most brands will have several "ranges" of speakers - Entry level, mid lever, high level, pro level, or something along those lines. Avoid the lower entry level ones, as despite the spec, they will probably not handle that amp particularly well - look for the next level up at least.

I`ve had good results with Focal and MTX speakers on Caliber amps with chart pop and heavy rock music. I would avoid Infinity or JBL with that amp.

Suggest to nip down to your local car audio store to hear a few and get some model numbers of those within the budget and that you like the sound of. Once you have some model numbers, we can start to look at some good prices for you.

 

[mardibloke]

I`ve had good results with Focal and MTX speakers on Caliber amps with chart pop and heavy rock music. I would avoid Infinity or JBL with that amp.

Suggest to nip down to your local car audio store to hear a few and get some model numbers of those within the budget and that you like the sound of.

What size (diameter and depth?) would be direct replacements for the current door speakers,  or a fit for the rear shelf?  Or is there an FAQ on this site with those details - not noticed one yet, but there is a lot to get through 

[Dave DND]

I`ve had good results with Focal and MTX speakers on Caliber amps with chart pop and heavy rock music. I would avoid Infinity or JBL with that amp.

Suggest to nip down to your local car audio store to hear a few and get some model numbers of those within the budget and that you like the sound of.

What size (diameter and depth?) would be direct replacements for the current door speakers,  or a fit for the rear shelf?  Or is there an FAQ on this site with those details - not noticed one yet, but there is a lot to get through 

Can someone else assist with speaker sizes and any adaptor rings that are required please?

Not info I have here.