I've put a few FAQs together. Check it out and let me know what you think, please?

<A Href=http://www.chiark.com/scooby/icefaq.htm>The Prototype ICE FAQ</A> has just two pages, but it's a start. Let me know if you can think of a good way of presenting this...

 

Hello,

looks good, there is a great place to get HTML resources from

 

Chiark,

Great FAQ pages, highly informal and informative too!
When I got my MY96 back in April first thing I ditched was the original head unit. Replaced it with a 'flash' Pioneer thingy. Results still not as good as my old GTE16V which was pretty standard except for shelf mounted rear speakers.
What I really miss are the high level tweaters (adjacent to door mirrors). Currently everything sounds a tad dull even after excessive fiddling (!).

Basically the question is this - can replacing the standard front speakers make a big difference top end wise ?? Any recommendations on speakers to achieve this ??

Cheers
Neil.

 

Wotcha Neil,

A definite yes to that one. The standard speakers are dull and can't reproduce much bass, let alone any high end to speak of. No matter how much you boost the treble, if the speakers just can't reproduce the noise, it won't make any difference.

The "cheap" option is to get a tweeter kit, though I'm not sure if they're available for MY96 - do you have grilles next to the door handle like in the pictures on the FAQ?

Best route is to fit a decent-ish set of components in the door. It doesn't have to be expensive, and will certainly brighten up the sound.

Speakers are very subjective and to me make the most difference in a system. Pick a maximum amount to spend, then take it from there. There's loads of options and whilst I generally don't rate the offerings of the big car stereo names (Sony, Kenwood, Pioneer, Alpine) you can get good stuff cheap...

I don't know what size the speakers are in MY96s. I think that they're 5": anyone know?

Cheers,

Nick.

 

Good plan. I'll start having a play... Especially like the idea of having an upgrade path mapped out, though people may get worried at the levels you can take this to.

I can cover the different types of sub, but once people start talking 6th order band-pass with **** vexator and resonance tickler then I tend to go a bit blank. I'll point 'em at another resource on the web for that

Which reminds me that I must put an obligatory "links" page in.

 

Chiark,

That's a superb start. As said above, informative but informal. I love the comments re:Novas

What might be cool is some sort of simplistic schematic diagrams showing decent set-ups that work well in Scoobies, eg. basic setup, basic + amp, basic +amp+sub, 2 amps, etc,etc as I really wouldn't be sure on the best way to go and this will allow you to upgrade your ICE with a view to further upgrades without then needing to replace your kit again. I mean do I amp the fronts the backs, the sub(s)... see where I'm coming from?

Also on the subs front, an explanation of the different kinds would be good - Active yuk stuff from Halfords, plain woofers, enclosed subs, type of enclosure and what effect this may have on sound (ie. do we really want our windows to explode

Hope this helps and keep up the good work.
Joolz

 

As I understand it, they're the aircon pipes which don't get hot. I hope.

They're tied using Maplins run of the mill cable ties.

Good points though, and I will check and confirm later....

 

Great FAQ which you've clearly put a lot of work into.

One question about the power lead - zooming in on your under-bonnet picture I can't tell if the power cable is tied down to anything - there are a lot of mysterious looking pipey things (technical term!) that look as though they could get quite hot. Any to avoid, and suggestions on what sort of ties to use if any? Are the power cables heat resistant?

Thanks.