Series 3 stereo and speakers?

Good morning Landy Lovers!

I was going to fit a stereo in the S3 and of course some speakers to accompany. I don't want a big rude boy ICE installation but something to listen too when it's raining and the surf is flat would be nice.

Does anyone have any clever ideas for a solution or experience they would like to share? I was thinking marine speakers might be a good shout for their waterproof qualities.

I haven't begun to think about wiring yet but wasn't expecting it to be too much of a headache. If there are complications or considerations you think I may not be aware of though please share those too.

Thanks,

Andy.

Depends how complex you want to go, but, i got a pair of wedge shaped parcel shelf speakers years ago for my defender, and they now live in my series 2a. Stereo is in a custom wooden housing in the centre of the dash (mainly created to hold the tablet pc) along with a seperate 12v system off a second battery and plenty of 12v sockets and other useful things.

You can either build your own box for normal speakers or buy something like these:

Pyramid 3 Way Mini Box Speakers Car Truck Van Dash 200w on eBay (end time 29-Aug-10 12:10:57 BST)

Stereo needs at least a 12v supply, if you are going fancy an ignition 12v (i.e. only powered when ignition is on) but if you're not too bothered connect the permanent live (for radio memory) and normal 12v together - just remember to turn it off when you leave the landie!

Dead easy to install and should be dirt cheap (the speakers probably aren't the cheapest available, just the first i found on ebay)

Thanks Mike,

Just thought, have you mounted an aerial for radio? If so whereabouts?

Be interested to know where you have second battery also and how you have displayed all the other sockets and useful things! Do you have a photo?

Cheers,

Andy.

Hi Andy,

I'll take a photo tonight for you

I have a short fleixble aerial mounted on the n/s wing with the wire coming through the bulk head grommets.

The spare battery is located in the passenger footwell against the gear box and is connected to the main battery on a relay and also on a switch so i can choose whether it is used at start up or not (in winter the extra power is useful!)

I've mounted the 12v sockets along the bulk head (the storage channel thing), the middle of the bulk head area i took an angle grinder to and put in my custom wooden housing which has the stereo and 2 x 12v sockets either side and the for-mentioned tablet pc sitting above it. - I'm not that good with metal work yet else it would have all been metal.

My land rover is a toy, mainly for green-laning, it was already hacked about a lot when i got it so i didn't mind continuing to hack it a bit more - if you have a nice original S3 you probably won't want to do what i did

Mike

get an ipod....

you might be able to hear that..ha ha ha

get an ipod....

you might be able to hear that..ha ha ha

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Cheeky bugger. I have you know if you do it properley, you can easily hear the stereo, even at full speed off road!

My setup...





I have 2 speaker boxes with some decent 6X9 speakers in. Mounted them on the guard (which is quite substantial and mounted well so it doesnt flop about). They are pretty much next to your head so you deffo hear it . As they are high up they won't get wet...well...if they do then I am either being too advenurous or something has gone wrong! Toyed with the idea in fitting another air of speakers, but once tested realised there is no need a it is plenty loud enough.

The head unit is mounted in a plastic cage (5.99 on ebay) on the rear bulkead (or whatever you call it). I don't use CDs too much...on longer trips I have the MP3 player plugged in, which sits convieniently in the front of the cubby box (mounted between the 2 front seats). The aerial (small rubber type so wont get knocked off) is mounted on slanted bit on the roof.

Next to the radio I have a 4-way 12V socket (for charging MP3, cameras, batteries, phones etc) which has the cig lghter socket chopped off and instead wired to the auxilliary battery via a switch and fuse. Handy everything being in the same place as it means I can have te MP3s playing while on charge, and everything can sit in the cubby while its charging away.

Good work Rhino - and your aux. battery is .....?

Just to close this one off... I bought two very cheap pod speakers off ebay (£20 inc p&p) and just sat them in the front shelf with a cheap stereo (from a Saxo) bolted in the center.

I can hear it just fine. Might need to crank the volume on the motorways but it really is very adequate.

Cheers.

when i had my series it had a large gas tank behind the seats so i boxed that in with a 15"sub in the middle and 2 6x9 speakers either side with a 1000 watt amp running all this from an old clarion out of a pug 205 covered the box with bathroom grade carpet as did the cab and it was so loud my party trick was being able to rattle a pint of lager from one end of the roof to the other then itll tip over the windscreen (could hear the begger from 3/4 mile away

hi all, i have a series IIA and the other half bought me a nice kenwood cd player for christmas, would like to get her wiped in properly, anyone know what wiper go where so to speak?

sorry, what WIRE'S go where!
Many thanks
owen

Water247 said:

Good work Rhino - and your aux. battery is .....?

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Just noticed this reply so thought I may as well chip in...it's under the bonnet

Not that you would need an aux battery for a set of 6X9s...but anyways

I have a pair of these:

Tidy!

I like that a lot, I really don't like the many suggestions I've had to put it under the seat My air filter is in the way on my '72 though. Think you have inspired me to go and look see what I can get rid of from him lol

newlad said:

sorry, what WIRE'S go where!
Many thanks
owen

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Mate, what wires do you have so far? I guess the stereo is new? In which case it will have a standardised ISO connection at the rear. Do you have the ISO adapter for this with the coloured wires then coming out of that or do you JUST have the stereo? You will need the ISO cable in any case (about 5 quid from anywhere that does car audio kit). Then you just need to connect relevant wires up to the ISO cable from the car. The main ones being 12V+ Perm (for memory), 12V+ with ignition (for on/off with engine), Illumination (wired to your lights for operating in the dark) and then an earth connected to a nice clean bit of metal somewhere. How much do you have/know so far?

hi, yea the stereo is brand new, had the lead with it, i have 4 wires, and a rough idea, in the book they are labelled as -

* red - ignition wire.
* black - earth
* yellow - battery
* blue/white - power control

i understand the earth fine, i asume yellow is direct to live power? not sure on the others sorry!

red - ignition wire.
black - earth
yellow - battery
blue/white - power control


OK...someone correct me if I am wrong but I have done quite a few stereos so from memory - the Red ignition wire is a power supply feed which is only live when the ignition is live. The idea the stereo will only turn on when the ignition is on. Obviosuly I dont know what your wiring is like, but find an ignitioned(?) 12V feed using a voltmeter and tack into that...or perhaps you have a fusebox with a 12V feed...or you could perhaps go onto the back of the ignition switch, depending on what type it is (mine has extra spade connectors on for example).

Yellow - battery - yes - connect to a permanent 12V feed to the battery - you could either find a constant 12V feed on your fusebox/etc, or as you say, direct to battery (I would do it on a 10A or so fuse though). The idea of a permanent feed being it stores your settings, radio channels, etc.

Blue/white - Power control...the idea of this is for something like an electric aerial...I am guessing you will not be using this!

I have these for sale if your interested?

Land Rover Series Doors on eBay (end time 14-Jan-11 10:09:22 GMT)

I could do you the speakers only for a good deal as long as you can collect....

thats brilliant, thanks ever so much, been looking forward to a bit of music for a while now, best deals with my swivel bushes and para's before doing this one thou!! thanks

Yannis said:

I have these for sale if your interested?

Land Rover Series Doors on eBay (end time 14-Jan-11 10:09:22 GMT)

I could do you the speakers only for a good deal as long as you can collect....

Click to expand...

Inspired!