Hello Everyone,

I have had a 96' Volvo 960 Station Wagon for over 10 years now and it is running strong, however my speakers have finally given way.
So I have decided to install my own sound system and wanted to know if you all could help me on that.

1. Is there a factory amp installed (and if so where is it), or are the speakers powered from the Volvo Deck?
2. What size speakers am I able to install?

I'll probably have some more questions, but this is what I can think of so far.
I am excited for this project, just trying to get the info from the experts.
Thanks!
- Don

 

I guess this question was a bit complex.
I'll ask generally, how did you put a system in your Volvo,
what speakers, and does your volvo come with an amp or is it powered some other way?

My 960 is from 96'

 

Not many if any 960's have an amp.
It will take you about 2.5 minutes to find out for sure.
Push the tabs to release the radio from the dash. Slide it out and see if it has a Din plug in the amp slot. If it does it has an amp. If not then no it doesn't.

If you want to just swap the head unit be sure to get the harness adapter for the aftermarket HU.

I think the speakers in there might be made by alpine but not 100% sure.

I think the doors are 5 inch speakers stock.

What else do you need to know?

Not everyone sees every post everyday. It might take a little while sometimes for someone to see a post.

I go through an average of 3 pages of posts a day. I might miss one hear and there. So forgive me if it gets missed that day.

Also have you checked Crutchfield.com yet?

 

Installing your own system alows you to do anything you can think of. The size of speakers is truly your choice depending on how motivated you are. If your looking for an easy install go to cruchfield, they have all the info for factory replacement otherwise let you imagination run wild within your budget.

 

I have checked out crutchfield but unfortunately they do not have much on the 960, speaker size etc.
If the speakers are 5inch stock, can I put 5.25" speakers in here or can I go even bigger (I don't want to tear apart the door, just want to put the speakers where they are now)
And is there anyway to find out if the 960 has an amp other than taking it out (calling a dealership maybe).

My plan is to put tweeters on the top (where the stock speaker are above the dashboard near the front window), mids in the door, and some decent speakers in the back.

I didn't know if I needed an Amp of if the 960 had one yet, but if it doesn't, I was planning on putting an amp in the back (I have a station wagon, which has one compartment for a 6 cd changer, and the other is empty so i will put an amp in there). I would like to put it closer to the front though but still hidden.

Can I use the stock deck with the 6 cd changer, and connect that to an amp to still have that stock look to it?

As for speakers, and the full set up, I will post what I plan on putting in, and please let me know if this is feasible.
Its my first system, I am not adding a sub, just replacing speakers and the amp (and maybe the deck and cd changer)

I appreciate your help so far. I'm really excited, and want to know what moves to make before I buy anything.

Any speaker systems you would recommend (I am a bit of an audiphile and like a good but of lowend and sound clarity is key)!

Thanks again and rep!

 

From what Volvo says about your 960, it should have and eight speaker sound system, factory amp and a disc changer option. Now you might have 6.5" in each door with a set of tweeters in the rear pillars and a small set of mids in the dash. They are really tweets but look more like mids, probably two inches in diameter. Your best bet is to yank a door panel offto verify the speaker size and go with component sets for front and rear.Your factory ampmay not be able topower convetional components due to the fact that Volvo speaker systemsoperate at different impedances.This can get complicated and expensive. Youshould know how far you can go with time and money before you purchase anything.
Thereare ways you can keep you factory head unit and runaftermarket amps and speakers. Its a project.

As far as a speaker recomemdation,I am also an audiophile and am currently running all DLS components in my V70.

http://www.dls.se/en/car

Check it out.

 

8 Speakers, where is the 7th & 8th? I see 2 near the front window, 2 in the front doors, and 2 in the back doors. I hope I have 6.5", I can get some more boom from the speakers without a sub. I was thinking of going with a component system versus 2 way, but do you reccomend otherwise.

Also, where is the factory amp?, In any case I will buy a separate amp to power all my speakers.
My budget was no more than $5-700 for everything (speakers, amp, a deck, and would like to continue using volovos 6 cd changer).

I plan on taking the panels off this week but also buying this weekend.
If you know any systems that can be put together for that price, that really does sound good, please do let me know.
Appreciate the help and repped!!

 

You may find speakers 7 and 8 in the rear pillars or as coaxls in the rear doors. The amp should be behind the factory HU in the dash. However if you run an aftermarket amp you will need to run your own speaker wires to all doors and dash. Check your door connections and make sure you can run wire thru the factory connections without poking holes. I had to make my own seperate holes for my front doors.

Components would be my choice in the front at least. Mid-grade components run $150-$300. A 4 channel amp will be cheap for your needs (about $150-$200). If you can get away with it try to find an amp with high level inputs. You can use the factory speaker output wires as inputs from your factory HU and keep your disc changer.The alternative is hi/lo line level interfaces which can be noisy if not installed correctly. Plus the take away from the overall sound quality. The ideal gear is interactive signalprocessors which have hi level inputs and allow you to control crossover points and curves. They can be expensive. Look for speakers and amps packaged together. you may get lucky.

Hope youfindwhat you need.

 

Hey Goldgoblin
Ive got a '94 960, your 7th and 8th speakers are right behind the rear headrests up against the far corners of the back windshield. Youve got 4' speakers in your front doors and 5 1/4' in the rear doors. I bought the Blaupunkt Hamburg unit, it takes a little work to get it in but it works with the car. Also on top of the amp already in the 960(which is pretty weak honestly) the Hamburg helps because it has a 25 watt amp built in. And the sound with the stock speakers is pretty nice, just like what it sounds like you want, no distortion or any static at all even at high volume.