Factory car audio has gone backwards. As dashboards gained screens and connectivity, manufacturers quietly cut back on speaker quality, and many cars now leave the factory with paper cones, no tweeters and an amplifier the size of a matchbox. The good news is that it doesn't take much to make a real difference.
Four ways to improve it
Replace the speakers
The single biggest improvement per pound. Component sets from Morel, Focal and JL Audio drop into the factory locations, and we add sound deadening to the door while it's apart.
Add an amplifier
Gives the new speakers what they need and takes the strain off the head unit. Compact DSP amplifiers tune the system to your car's cabin, not a generic one.
Add a subwoofer
Not for shaking the street — for the bottom octave that door speakers can't reach. Under-seat and boot-corner enclosures keep the space you use.
Change the head unit
Where the car allows it, a modern Alpine or Pioneer unit adds wireless CarPlay, Android Auto and DAB+ as well as a much better amplifier section.
Send us the car and what you listen to, and we'll suggest a system at two or three price points. We also keep factory-look upgrades for cars whose owners don't want anything visible to change.
Head units we recommend
Alpine iLX-705D
A 7" unit with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB+, hi-res audio playback and a proper time-alignment and EQ section for tuning. It's the unit we'd choose for our own cars.
Alpine's two-year warranty applies when supplied and fitted by an authorised installer.
- Wireless and wired CarPlay and Android Auto
- DAB+ digital radio
- Hi-res audio (FLAC, WAV)
- 4 × 50 W with 3 preouts for amplifiers
- 13-band EQ and time alignment
Pioneer SPH-DA77DAB
The value pick: a 6.8" touchscreen with wired CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB+ and Bluetooth. Straightforward, reliable and a big step up from most factory units.
Pioneer's SPH-DA160DAB and SPH-DA250DAB sit either side of it in the range if you need a smaller or a wireless unit.
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- DAB+ with service following
- Bluetooth calls and streaming
- 4 × 50 W, 3 preouts
- Customisable key illumination