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PERFECT underseat sub +stereo and speaker install



Gus

ClioSport Moderator
  182Turbo,DCi90
EDIT title above is meant to say perfect fitting underseat sub....
I bought my 3rd clio 182 a couple of months ago and in previous cars I had an Alpine stereo with Bluetooth hands free integrated. I was now back to the standard crappy cabasse stereo and sorely missed having a decent stereo but more so not being able to use my phone in the car as I drive around a lot in my job.

I thought Id treat myself and spend a bit more than usual to get a nice audio system. I had been keeping an eye on @chaski and his thread: http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?749188-Headunit . This inspired me to partly copy what he had done but make a few changes to the speaker choices.

These are the bits I chose after doing a hell of a lot of investigating. I needed to make sure everything would fit together and install without any modification to my clio, wanted an as OEM install as possible. Everything was from caraudiodirect.com


Alpine CDE -178BT head unit - this is Alpines flagship model, its quite cheap though at only £179 .
Alpine KTP -445A power pack - inline amplifier that plugs between the headunit and renault iso loom. plug and play !
Alpine Type-R SPR50C component front speakers. - this comes with tweeters and a crossover for just the tweeters.
Alpine Type-R SPR50 rear speakers. These have the tweeters built in to the speaker.
Apline SWE 1200 underseat sub.
Connects2 CTSRN003 Stalk adapter + alpine lead - this was a pile of poo and didnt work, more on this later.
Connects2 CT27AA01 aerial adapter
Connects2 Renault speaker connector wires x 4

I had originally bought the Pioneer TS Q131C speakers as a lot of people on here had said they are easy to install and a direct replacement for Clios. When they turned up the box was so light and small. I was really worried as they are lighter than the standard speakers. I sent them straight back without even opening the box.

boxes.jpg

I spent The whole of Saturday just gone and half of Sunday fitting all of this. I went slowly and double checked everything as I went. It was all fairly straight forward. There is a s**t load of cables from the headunit aswell as the powerpack to hide but managed to hide the cables to the left of the stereo. The power pack was located behind the climate control (thanks chaski) using numberplate stickypads and cable ties.

Had troubles with the Connects2 stalk adapter. The instructions are rubbish and the unit I had didnt work. I spent a good 2 -3 hours trying everything I could and searching the net high and low and it just wouldnt work - I didnt even get the renault message on the display. So off I went to my local oxford car audio shop and they sold me a different brand stalk adapter for just over £60 which I felt done over paying but, was in a pinch and didnt want to wait for a replacement from caraudiodirect.

The other pain the ass was the sub power cable , this has to go through the bulk head through the TIGHTEST bung. Was contorted on my back for a good 45 minutes with countless tools but used the cut up biro method @chaski told me about. If I ever have to do this again would drill through the bulkhead for sure.

The tweeters were a bit of a pain as they dont just slot in and I had to araldite them to the platform the old ones were on. They have a cross over which mean you have to hide this and chose to hide the right one behind the dash clocks - there is loads of space here. This is also where I hid the sub amp.

The front SPR50 speakers are an amazing fit. They fit really well and use the existing screw holes. I was worried about the fit and was relieved when they went in so easily. Same with the rear SPR50 speakers , they fit really easily but if im honest the plastic rear doorcard you screw them into isnt as sturdy as I had hoped and will be reinforcing this later.

Now.. the best part of this project was the underseat sub. Its as if Alpine made this especially for a clio !! The amp fits perfectly behind the dash clocks. The adjustment box with the knobs for adjusting the mass level and something else ive forgotten sits perfectly (cant stress how good the fit it is)in the cubby hole under the traction control buttons. you have to drill a small hole for the cable but that is minor. Now the sub itself..... It slots into the little gap under the seat like a glove the measurements are so perfect. Under the passenger seat there is 2 raised parts (guess this is the chassis) with a gap between. The sub lowers itself into this and barely protrudes. Because of the fit on all sides of the sub it doesnt move at all it doesnt foul on the seats movement, rear passengers wont be kicking it with their feet etc. have a look at this pic:
sub2.jpg

sub1.jpg

bassbox.jpg

Im really impressed with this setup. The sound is amazing and goes much much louder than the standard stereo without distorting at all. Im tempted to get another SWE1200 underseat sub for the drivers seat as the fit is perfect there too.

Got to give thanks to @chaski and @Steven103 for their input and ideas.
 
Looks great mate!

Might sell my sub and get the same model as your own as that is a nice fit! Like the dial control panel too.

That picture of the sub.. the bulge to the left is what fouls the fit of the PWE-V80!
 

Gus

ClioSport Moderator
  182Turbo,DCi90
Thanks guys, would have taken more pics but its so dark and the headunit didnt come out with the flash.

[h=3]CT27AA01 Aerial/Antenna ISO to DIN Adaptor[/h]CON-CT27AA01£1.99
Ordered: 1
Shipped: 1
£1.99
[h=3]Alpine CDE-178BT - CD/MP3/USB with Bluetooth[/h]ALP-CDE178BT-ALPINE-PROMO£179.99
Ordered: 1
Shipped: 1
£179.99
[h=3][/h]
[h=3]Alpine SWE-1200 - Compact Active Bass Tube[/h]ALP-SWE1200£149.99
Ordered: 1
Shipped: 1
£149.99

stalk adapter - £67
spr50c - £139
Spr 50 - £110

numberplate sticky pads - £5
renault speaker connectors £12 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Renault-C...tem19f2da0ae8&clk_rvr_id=701533411692&afsrc=1

Around £664 in total which is more than i had intended on spending.
 
  172
Must be exciting to start from scratch with a big pile of well-matched stuff turning up on your doorstep! Some good info in the thread for people thinking of a discreet upgrade too :)

I think the SWE1200 is a bit of a break through tbh. AFAIK it's the smallest 8" underseat sub - the rest are all funny compromised sizes (7 3/4 * 5 1/2 etc) which presumably don't work as well. Did you have to remove/loosen-the-bolts-to the seat or did it just slide in? Might consider upgrading from my funny-size Pioneer when I get bored.

Sorry to hear the stalk adaptor was £70 (having recommended the shop you got it from). There are two connects2 adaptors: a £20 one (003) for normal Clios and a £40 one (005) for "update list" cars e.g. a non-cup 182.
 
  172, Eunos Rs Turbo
That looks a very neat stealthy install, how are you finding the 178BT?

I'm about to make a start on my own set up using the same Alpine CDE-178BT, I've also gone for an active Alpine sub but in the shape of the SWE-815, My front end comps arrived today some Morel Dotech Ovation 5's which will be running of a tweaked Genesis profile 2 and I've just ordered 3sqm of 2.5mm sound deadening, I cannot wait to get cracking.

What I'd like to know is what stalk adaptor you ended up getting after finding the connect2 one didn't work?
 

Gus

ClioSport Moderator
  182Turbo,DCi90
Must be exciting to start from scratch with a big pile of well-matched stuff turning up on your doorstep! Some good info in the thread for people thinking of a discreet upgrade too :)

I think the SWE1200 is a bit of a break through tbh. AFAIK it's the smallest 8" underseat sub - the rest are all funny compromised sizes (7 3/4 * 5 1/2 etc) which presumably don't work as well. Did you have to remove/loosen-the-bolts-to the seat or did it just slide in? Might consider upgrading from my funny-size Pioneer when I get bored.

Sorry to hear the stalk adaptor was £70 (having recommended the shop you got it from). There are two connects2 adaptors: a £20 one (003) for normal Clios and a £40 one (005) for "update list" cars e.g. a non-cup 182.

The sub just lowers into the space under the seat, no need to remove it or anything. Once in there it doesnt slide around, I havent however bolted it to the car which im definitely going to do as it vibrates a lot when the bass is going and sound will be improved once bolted. Ive got a feeling this will involve welding or drilling neither of which im happy about. In your opinion would it affect the sound much if it isnt bolted to the car?

Yeah the stalk adapter I chose was wrong. I went with the 003 and didnt even know there was a 005. I had the update list stereo. Funny thing i just chuckled at, googled ctsrn005 and google suggestions was ctsrn005 cannabis adapter, obviously meant to be canbus but lolz.


Im getting on well with the 178BT it has a few things I need to iron out, one of which is that I always listen to songs streamed through bluetooth from my android phone and everytime i start my car it never resumes what i was listening to and decides to play some rubbish song ....every damn time. It takes 20 seconds to pair with the bluetooth everytime you start the car so music isnt instant, but hardly that annoying. The phone integration is really good, you can push a button and say "call Kate" and it calls, sound quality on calls is really good too. Sound quality is really good though. There is an app called TuneIt from alpine which is quite nifty, allows you to tune the stereo, its a bit above my head but you can download tunes from other people with the same setup or car as you which is good.

Cant remember what the stalk adapter I got but double check what current renault head unit you have and go from there.
 
  Ph1 172 and Ph1 225
Are all the speakers in the front and back still hidden for stealth. I'm looking into an install next but don't want anything on show
 

Gus

ClioSport Moderator
  182Turbo,DCi90
Yeah, the speakers are hidden. looks just like standard.
 

Gus

ClioSport Moderator
  182Turbo,DCi90
Im looking to get another identical underseat sub for the drivers side. I was wondering if anyone knows how to do this bearing in mind the headunit only has one sub rca output. Is it possible to get an rca splitter and use that. If that is possible would it be a waste of time as the output would be halved between the subs.
 
Im looking to get another identical underseat sub for the drivers side. I was wondering if anyone knows how to do this bearing in mind the headunit only has one sub rca output. Is it possible to get an rca splitter and use that. If that is possible would it be a waste of time as the output would be halved between the subs.

RCA splitter is fine, you will just need to turn up the gain on the amps to make up for the weaker signal.
 
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Jon46

ClioSport Club Member
  BG FF 182
Really good read, with lots of good useful info, thanks for collating it all and sharing :)

I’m picking up an Alpine IDE-178BT meshless tomorrow, to replace my crappy old Alpine unit from when I got the car.

I’ve replaced the std front speakers with some JBL and they didn’t make much difference, hopefully the new headunit, and an under seat sub will remedy the current crap set up :)
 

Typhoon

Gangsta
ClioSport Moderator
Really good read, with lots of good useful info, thanks for collating it all and sharing :)

I’m picking up an Alpine IDE-178BT meshless tomorrow, to replace my crappy old Alpine unit from when I got the car.

I’ve replaced the std front speakers with some JBL and they didn’t make much difference, hopefully the new headunit, and an under seat sub will remedy the current crap set up :)
I’ve got a new underseat sub for sale ;)
 

Jon46

ClioSport Club Member
  BG FF 182
Well I’ve finally got off my backside, and fitted the sub (Alpine SWE 1200) to go with the Alpine ide-178bt headunit

All went well after reading from your experiences @Gus but then I came to the power lead through the bulkhead-to- battery! What a bar steward!!!!

I’ve given up for today, with the nice weather and the temptation of a beer in the sun ?

Thanks for writing up your experiences, it does fit very snuggly under the passenger seat, and I placed the amplifier behind the centre console ??

I’m going to remove the steering fluid reservoir, and use the bonnet release grommet tomorrow :)
 

Louis

I Park Like a C**t
ClioSport Club Member
Well I’ve finally got off my backside, and fitted the sub (Alpine SWE 1200) to go with the Alpine ide-178bt headunit

All went well after reading from your experiences @Gus but then I came to the power lead through the bulkhead-to- battery! What a bar steward!!!!

I’ve given up for today, with the nice weather and the temptation of a beer in the sun ?

Thanks for writing up your experiences, it does fit very snuggly under the passenger seat, and I placed the amplifier behind the centre console ??

I’m going to remove the steering fluid reservoir, and use the bonnet release grommet tomorrow :)
Definitely need to remove that bottle. It's a pain but you get there.

Empty biro is the best thing to use as gus recommended!
 
  Clio II dci
Just did this in my clio the other day!

Went for the small upgrade option;

Did not buy an ALPINE UTE-92BT or CDE-178BT because i could literally not find them anywhere, even remote places internationally, nobody has them on stock, sadly? or not i guess.

Pioneer S520DAB (155€), great little HU and much better than what i had.
Alpine SWE-1200 (189€) , the must for a Clio II , so tight fit.
CTSRN004.2 (cheap on amazon at 38€ + 8€ for Pioneer lead (universal) for the steering wheel controls and it's working finally !!! :D
RCA-RCA M/M (you have to buy it separately to connect the HU to the SUB as they are F/F connectors)

I have a 04 plate dci 65cv with remap , everything above was plug and play ! except i forgot you had to buy a RCA-RCA M/M cable (see above) to connect the F/F from HU and SUB, wasted another half hour to buy it at late hours.

Did not change speakers nor external amp amplifier.

Spent the whole day starting at 11am through 11pm fitting everything and cleaning the seats that had never been off the car.
Fed the battery cable through the bonnet grommet (drill'd through the rubber) , alongside the cable that opens the hood, thoughest part to not f' up the grommet entirely.

Overall pretty good with the result, will test extensively the sound to check if i need speakers + amp, although the space behind the HU is tight AF.

Now i got again the SERV & airbag lights on, got tired of fiddling with the f underseat connectors (left them unplugged on each seat except the grey connector on the drivers side which is the only one that doesn't f up, gonna get some industrial grade connectors with cable ends on each side, then i just solder or use a regular eletrical connector and whenever i need to take the seats off again, it's just disconnecting 2 connectors beneath each seat instead of always messing with the cables.

Also got the gearbox how do you call it sleeve? with one broken plastic support (it was glued) and i'm gonna replace it soon.

It's really nice to finally have a decent HU + sub, it fits so tight i did not even try to secure it more.
Gonna spent time configuring everything to see if i'm pleased with the sound.

Further ideas / improvements are welcome.

Sorry to rush through this thread but it was appropriate i guess :p
 

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