Hi guys. My Disco is new to me and I haven't been in another Disco to compare audio quality. I wasn't expecting anything super great, but my setup sounds pretty terrible. I don't have mids or lows to speak of. It seems that all I really have are hi and mid high frequencies. I have the stock stereo with the cassette deck and disk changer. I don't think it's a HK system, which sounded great in my other car with HK. I have adjusted the levels and balance without any real improvement. I can feel the rear door speakers vibrating "working" without any rattle, but the overall tone is really almost ear piercing and headache inducing. Is there an adjustable amp for this system, or do I need to do a total speaker overhaul? I've read that people are somewhat happy with their audio, so I'm thinking something isn't right here. Thanks for any advice.

 

1st the speaker wire they use on the originals is basickly 20 gauge wire. It is not Audio wire at all. The speakers tend to were out over time. You are talking about a 10 to 15 year old original system.

All can be replaced fairly easily if you want to use the existing wire. Amp can be switched out to aftermarket but you would need to splice into the amp connector under the seat.

My advice replace all the speakers, wiring, stereo, and amp. You can get a decent setup for couple of hundred bucks.

 

I had the low end stock system when purchased, sounded similar, replaced the in dash head with an aftermarket model and the same speakers sounded 100% better.

Start with the head unit/amp. If you still aren't happy change the speakers.

That being said in my case the speakers are now 11 years old and in need of changing.

 

Thanks for the reply guys. I'll do some searching on the amp and speaker swaps. I was hoping to not change the stereo since I don't like the look of aftermarket units placed in dashes that are kind of dated like ours (they just seem out of place). On the other hand, it would be nice to have the modern amenities that I miss like mp3 and bluetooth. I've use my Motorola Roadster device that works over FM, but that sounds even worse than the terrestrial radio stations.

 

I hate most modern stereos - terrible ergonomics, tiny unclear controls, flashing displays. I did however find one option that appears to buck the trend - Blaupunkt. I just bought a Blaupunkt 420 BT for the LR - has everything - Bluetooth, ipod integration, but fairly simple controls. Also it connects straight into existing connectors - no adapters required.

 

If you want to keep your steering wheel radio functions working, you might just want to send your head unit off to GB4X4Radios.com and have them go through it and add an aux input to the face. Costs about $150, I did it last year and I think the Highline system in my 01 sounds pretty good.

 

Mark, how does that model sound? I checked it out and the look of it seems like it wouldn't be a bad fit. I don't need nav, since I just bluetooth my phone's navigation over FM currently anyway.

 

I have the HK system and it will randomly change the volume while I am driving.

 

My Alpine wouldn't change volume at all....

 

Don't expect a change is sound quality just from changing the head unit. I would suggest new speakers/amp and head unit. You can piece together a pretty good sounding system without spending a lot of money. You can also get a PAC controller so you can use your existing steering wheel controls with whatever head unit you choose.