Sound system upgrade GQ (head unit, speakers, aplifier)

[Flo-w]

I thought I share a bit of a how-to. This information is available over the internet and partly on this forum but I thought I put it into context of the Patrol GQ and my experience.

Recommended sites:

• Jaycar
• Amazon
• eBay

Front door speaker upgrade:
Price: $28 + shipping

The main problem is to find speakers which fit into the doors. You can always use a spacer of course but that's more work and looks more modified. I found that the Lanzar VX50S VX 5.25-Inch Two-Way Slim Mount Speaker System fit surprisingly well, are cheap and make some decent medium-high frequency speakers. With a 6mm spacer they fit under the existing door cover very neatly (see photos). There's quite a discussion on the web if speaker cables need to be upgraded as well. I recommend to give it a try with the existing cables since it appears that putting in new cables is a bit of a mission. My speakers sound great; it's not a sound lab in a rattling GQ anyway. Make sure that negative is wired to negative on the speakers (usually the cable with the line). Remember that if you also want to change the head unit.

Head unit:
Head unit: $84
RCA Cable: $19

Choose any head unit that you fancy. I prefer mp3 playback and front aux as a minimum. They're cheap to get and with 4x50W (max) are good enough to power the speakers mentioned before.
In the GQ you might not have an easy way to remove the existing (3rd party) unit. They don't come with DIN cradles common in other cars but instead with a double DIN "cage". But first you need to remove the centre console cover. 2 screws on each side in the leg room, one screw behind the ash tray and 4 screws above the air vents (screwed upwards). Put your car into second gear and low range to get more space. Now carefully pull the cover away without ripping any cables off. All standard cabling is easy to disconnect (they have little nooks to press before pulling) and can not be mismatched.
It can get tricky if there are some electric gremlins from previous owners lurking for you. If you disconnect an LPG switch your car most likely won't start without it being connected again (keep that in mind before you start in the late afternoon). If it looks too bad you might want to consider re-doing some of the wiring.
The head unit is attached to two metal brackets which you need to remove by removing 4 further screws. Now that you dug your way to your goal you can see how it's wired to the car. If you're lucky it's via a bought harness, otherwise it's via luster terminals or similar. Cables should be color coded, the one with the line should be negative. Make sure that's the case. If you want to install an amplifier this is a good time to connect a RCA cable to your head unit and to connect a wire to the (usually blue) "remote" cable (this can be a thin cable as it only carries low amps to switch the amplifier on and off).
Test the unit once it's all connected. If it's all working put everything back together taking care not to squeeze any cables in the process.

Amplifier:
Amplifier: $82 + shipping
Subwoofer: $38 + shipping
Subwoofer box: $10-15 for MDF, glue, screws
4GA cable: $6.90 / m (5-6 meter depending on where your battery is located more)
Circuit breaker: $15 + shipping

And amplifier needs 3 things: power input (from battery), signal (from head unit via RCA and remote cable) and power output (to speakers).
Make sure to use heavy duty car wiring; depending on your power consumption but also possible voltage drop I would use at least a 4GA cable. You can connect minus to the chassis somewhere close to the amplifier (seat screws, cargo barrier screws). Also make sure to fuse the positive wire like any other device; I'd recommend a circuit breaker because it saves you from buying new fuses and it works as a switch as well. Choose a circuit breaker with less amp rating than your cables.
Make sure to hide power and data cables separated. You might get noise otherwise. Cables fit in nicely under the plastic door steps and under carpet and panels on both sides of the car. I found a very helpful hole in the firewall right above the passenger's foot space. Connect all cables tidy, away from heat sources and away from anything you could squeeze tight with a cable tie. Keep the positive cable disconnected until everything is connected correctly.
Connect positive, negative and remote. Connect speakers. Switch your head unit on and check that the amplifier gets power. Make sure it powers down once the head unit is switched of (they usually have a LED) otherwise you will drain your battery. Adjust the volume of your head unit to your normal level. Adjust the amplifier so that it doesn't bottom out your speakers and so that everything sounds good. I would set my head unit to focus on mid and high frequencies (vocal or dynamic or something) if you are powering a subwoofer which will do the bass work. A last tip: I found that my head unit (Pioneer) only sends signals to the amplifier if it sends signals to the rear speakers. Took me a while to figure out why I hear nothing from the speakers connected to my amplifier...

Remember to be considerate around camp sites and in built-up areas. I enjoy my music loud and with some oompf but only if I don't annoy anyone else; usually while longer drives. At camp it's much nicer to listen to the birds and enjoy the peacefulness.

[GU_Nemesis]

Thanks for posting mate, very informative

[taslucas]

Thanks mate. I have had some new speakers sitting in the box for a while now..... i cant bring myself start lol i HATE electricals lmao. But my appreciation of loud music may finally win the battle and ill have a crack at an upgrade.... Brace yourself for many PMs lol

[Flo-w]

I wouldn't call myself very good with electrics but so far it does the job (and is safe). I just enjoy improving and fixing things.
Feel free to send PMs or post here. Maybe question and answer help others as well.

[Winnie]

It's all pretty simple, done it many times myself, so I can give a hand if anybody needs it.

[taslucas]

It's all pretty simple, done it many times myself, so I can give a hand if anybody needs it.

So when ya coming down this way to fit it for me?

Tap, crackle, pop

[Winnie]

When you pay for my boat trip!

[Irvs]

I need to do my front door speakers, they're stock at the moment and you cant even hear them over the 6x9's and the sub, at the moment its all bass and mids, it even makes michael jacksons voice sound like hes got plums

[taslucas]

When you pay for my boat trip!

Oh the shoes on the other foot now hey?

Tap, crackle, pop

[Flo-w]

I need to do my front door speakers, they're stock at the moment and you cant even hear them over the 6x9's and the sub, at the moment its all bass and mids, it even makes michael jacksons voice sound like hes got plums

Three options I can think of:
Mid-highs in the doors as I did.
Mids in the doors and tweeters on the dash.
Adjust your head unit output to produce more mids and highs. It doesn't help if you have the "bass boost" option activated and flood all speakers with lows if you have a sub connected.