[dinu2506]

Originally Posted by mav3r1ckblu3

Thank you for providing a very useful insight. While waiting for the replies, I did a little bit of research myself on this treasure trove of a forum, and found out that there's indeed something called front staging and that could be the reason why even the branded speakers don't sound better than the OEM at the rear.

Do you think upgrading the Headunit would bring life to the rear setup? I can save and go for a Pioneer in that case. I don't want to do any additional wiring and install a woofer etc. Just want a direct fit of all the required equipments to make the cabin experience better in terms of audio output.

TIA

The concept as per me is simple. When you listen to a live music performance you sit listening to the band playing in front. This is the kind of experience you are trying to recreate by front staging. Ideally the right staging would be to make the sound feel like coming from the centre of the dashboard and from a height which sort of mimics a live performance. The rear should only be a fill, something similar to a reflected sound coming from behind in a hall. So, never try to jack up the rear to an extent that it overpowers the front stage. You lose the full experience. Thats why I would say, if the rear is just about enough, just leave it the way it is - as a fill.

Since you said you have already gone through the ICE threads, you must have got an idea that this journey is never ending. The possibilities are limitless, limited just by your budget. So, you need to take a call on that. I'm nowhere near any of the audiophiles here, but for me the journey would be like this one at a time spacing it out after seeing each step
1) Upgrade the front speakers to component speakers (assuming you will drive them in future using amps)
2) Go for damping the front doors
3) I'm not sure of the stock Head Unit, but upgrading this to something that has pre-outs, sub-outs etc makes it future proof. While you are at it, try and get something which has features like responsive touch, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, integration with steering controls, Parking camera control, Time delay features that can alter the staging as per need etc etc
4) 4 channel amp to drive the speakers
5) A sub-woofer either driven by a separate monobloc amp or bridging 2 channels of the 4 channel amp to drive the sub and the other two channels driving the front speakers. In this case the rear speakers can be driven by the headunit speaker outs.

What you use for each of these steps is also fully based on your budget.

Happy upgrade

[damanbir]

I have a the Stock MediaNAV Head unit on my 2015 Duster RXZ+, My Left front speaker has torn, sounds very distorted. So Planning on replacing the front speakers, additionally I have a spare Focal 4340 4 Channel Amplifier and a Rockford Fosgate Subwoofer lying around which i thought of adding to the setup.

My plan is to do a DIY installation without splicing any wires, is there any place I can get the plug and play connector for the Stock HU?

[C300]

Upgraded the stock speakers on my Duster to Morel Maximo components and coaxials. Dr Artex Gold HD sheets used for Damping all four doors. This has reduced NVH levels and improved sound quality significantly. A simple upgrade worth every penny.

[Saurabh Saini]

Dissappointed with my new upgrade worth 27000

Got the stock duster speakers replaced like many in the thread. Four Rockford punch 6.5 inches 55Watts Rms coaxials and an infinity 4 channel amplifier 70 watts RMS per channel.

The only upgrade I feel is mids and highs. Since I am a bass lover, speakers are not performing as per my expectations even though the response is from 45 Hz. I guess I am spoiled by the sound quality in my Skoda Rapid and VW Polo. Even my Figo sounds better with Blaupunkt coax installed 10 years ago for just 2500 a pair.

I don't want to restrict my luggage carrying capacity for my sound requirements. I feel the speakers are trying to produce good bass but the issue seems to be the mounting style in which most of the shops are mounting the oversized 6.25 or 6.5-inch speakers. The only difference in Ford/VW is that the speakers are factory mounted inside directly on door metal and the plastic cover is attached to the door.

Renault has mounted the speakers on the plastic and that's what I feel is the issue for low bass quality. Came across a video of an upgrade done by a Duster 1.3 turbo CVT owner where speakers are mounted onto door metal directly by cutting a little bit of door plastic:

https://youtu.be/YMZQeidzHoo?si=10uKG4OncHBpw_Dt

The video also mentions that mounting speakers on plastic degrades bass quality. What do you guys think? Shall I go for this setup......?

[flipflop]

Tuning is a critical aspect in car audio and what most installers miss. You should try to find a good team that tunes well. If you like bass, you will need a sub woofer. Why not explore under seat sub woofers?