Aftermarket Radio & Speakers Specific Advice.

Hi everyone, I have seen numerous posts on the radio replacement my question is Will this setup work?

Here is what I intend to buy:

Citroen ISO adapter

Sony Radio

Advice on what is better out of these two. (Front Speakers)

Pioneer https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150724780273
or
Vibe https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330605273745

I understand the vibe is not slim, will it interfeir with the windows?

I dont need an amp for this setup? thanks so much for your time

Hi extinctionjet,

I will add a few more links to expand the ones you have already submitted as eBay links have a habit of disappearing over time.

There is a useful post in the tip and tricks - audio section that helps provide information on the speaker sizes for a Citroen C3 here.

The problem with the wiring on the C3 is discussed here and shows that the Citroen C3 wiring for Power and Memory Backup don't quite match the ISO spec.
I am not sure if that particular adaptor you mention is going to do the job, but I am sure the seller can advise you about its suitability for your year.

The suggested lead is Autoleads PC2-32-4 Car Audio Harness Adaptor Lead - ISO IGNITION HARNESS its got a flying lead to connect to the ignition live wire. Or its a question of modifying the Autoleads PC2-36-4 Car Audio Harness Adaptor Lead Female ISO Male ISO but it all depends on the year of your car, the level of modifying you want to do, how confident you are, which after market radio you are fitting etc...

Sony Radio

Sony CDX-GT252MP on eBay.

You won't have any problems with the Sony if you can get the ISO power sorted. The Sony CDX-GT252MP (here) comes with a Sony 16 way to ISO connector in the box (just remember the C3 ISO power plug has slightly different wiring than the Sony supplied ISO connector).

Advice on what is better out of these two. (Front Speakers)

Pioneer https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150724780273
or
Vibe https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330605273745

The Pioneer TS-E1702i 17cm 2-Way Co-Axial Speakers are SLIM and SLIM is what you need, otherwise the front windows don't open fully



The Pioneer Pioneer TS-E1702i is 54.5mm deep and clears the front window, the Vibe BLACKAIR 6 360W 16.5cm component speaker system are 62mm deep and may need some work to miss the windows (pad them out to move them further into the car to allow the window to pass behind the speaker magnet).

The Pioneers will sound great, with the least amount of work.

But, if you don't have the C3 with the existing 6 speaker set-up (its got tweeters in the corners of the dashboard), then adding 2 tweeters of the Vibe BLACKAIR 6s (here) high up (like on the dash) will make a difference to the clarity of the sound compared to having the tweets low down in the door. As always its a balance of time or time and money versus quality of the finished job.

I dont need an amp for this setup?

An amp is not required as the Sony CDX-GT252MP will quite happily run the Pioneer TS-E1702i speakers or the Vibe BLACKAIR 6s But adding an AMP will give you the option for more volume and potentially better quality sound but with the added time and expense of fitting (not to mention where to locate it).



Hope this helps!
If you go ahead with the upgrade please do report back and include some pictures of your handy work (you can host them on this forum).
Good luck!

Hi ARFUR DENT! thanks for the reply.

I bought this one.

I installed it but it did not need this.

It played the radio through the speakers and saved them to memory. but when i restarted the car it did not remember 1=Radio one. ect.

Do i need the ISO ignition harness for it to remember and turn on everytime i start the car and switch of when i turn the engine off? How do i find the ignition and harness it with this item? thanks

but when i restarted the car it did not remeber 1=Radio one

You have come up against the C3 ISO wiring not being 100% to ISO spec.

There is some background here: After market Radio not powering down

My suggestion (yet to be tested fully) is this lead:
Autoleads PC2-32-4 Car Audio Harness Adaptor Lead - ISO IGNITION HARNESS

This should allow you to switch over the pin4 and pin7 on the ISO wires by crossing over the yellow and red wires, or at least being able to pick up the correct voltages for the pin4 and pin7

There is lots of information on the lead here: Fitting aftermarket CD Stereo/Radio


How does the Sony sound with the factory (blaupunkt) speakers?

Arfur Dent wrote:

but when i restarted the car it did not remeber 1=Radio one

My suggestion (yet to be tested fully) is this lead:

This should allow you to switch over the pin4 and pin7 on the ISO wires by crossing over the yellow and red wires, or at least being able to pick up the correct voltages for the pin4 and pin7

How does the Sony sound with the factory (blaupunkt) speakers?

Arfur! Ill head to the Citroen dealership to see if they have the ignition lead tomorrow, and any further advice.
I got the ISO wire you originaly sugested (so i dont loose dash display.)

I have fitted it onto the radio ready to be installed. i didnt keep the new radio in, i want to be sure its 100% perfect upon final instal (with speakers i havent bought yet)

The sony radio... I COULD have sworn that it sounded clearer... but i didnt think it could have any impact in making it sound better? ....could it?!

I read the link you sent, that guy's Girlfriends car had a dead battery in the morning, due to power theft by the radio.

exactly what i want to avoid. the 4 pin - 7 pin thing, can you explain it a little more? thanks a bunch

Hi extinctionjet

This lead (unlikely you will get one at citroen dealership) Autoleads PC2-32-4 Car Audio Harness Adaptor Lead - ISO IGNITION HARNESS is NOT designed to stop 'loose dash display'. It's to get the Citroen C3 radio power wiring to match that of an aftermarket radio. They look similar, but are different.

The problem with the C3 is that pin 4 and pin 7 of the ISO power connector have their roles reversed, which work perfectly well with the standard clarion C3 CD/Radio. But you have memory loss/power issues, (not switching off with the ignition) when you try to fit an aftermarket system like you have done.

The problem is:
Pin 4 and Pin 7 in the power plug (socket on the back of the radio) are reversed.

there is a forum post about pin 4 and pin 7 reversed on the ISO connector for the citroen C3

Pin4 should be permanent live with 12v for an aftermarket radio, but its switched by the computer on the C3 and pin7 should be switched on with the 'ignition' or accessories switch position for an aftermarket radio, but its a permanent 12v on the C3.

This causes the radio to stay on when it should go off.

The solution is:
To swap pin4 and pin7 over, either in the plug or by cutting the cables and re-joining them or finding an adaptor that switches the two cables over.

The adaptor will be the best solution as its easily reverted in case of fitting the original radio back. I will find which adaptor will work.

(from After market Radio not powering down)

The Autoleads PC2-32-4 Car Audio Harness Adaptor Lead - ISO IGNITION HARNESS should give you the chance to swap pin4 and pin7 (red wire and yellow wire) or to pick up +12v from the cigarette lighter if you need lots of power to run the radio.

I think the Sony could sound better, and changing the speakers will make the most difference, you should really hear that.

Arfur!! Sound setup is awesome now, its how i wanted. but i would like a sub now hahah! Any recomendeed good subs & Amps.

My buget for SUB & AMP(to power it?) is £100 MAX. ($190)

Let me know whts good as your help was so good for speakers.
Samuel

Hello extinctionjet, glad the sound is what you wanted!

Trouble with subs is their size compared to the relatively small size of the C3 boot space (even with the useful moduboard option).

My suggestion would be to try an active sub (sub with built in amp) which tend to be smaller in size, but give plenty of bass, but requires a 12v ignition (cigarette lighter socket) power to it.

One like this:
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T1 Audio - Beat 8 inch 180 Watts Amplified Under Seat Car Subwoofer with Bass Controller. Includes Complete Wiring Kit (click)

Its 230mm x 340mm x 70mm, so not as boxy as a classic sub and only one box to hide as opposed to a AMP and SUB. The design is to fit under the front seat, but I would think that may just be a bit too tight. Its worth a look under your passengers seat if it will fit.

At £70 it comes in under budget and comes with a fitting kit and variable level of bass

Arfur Dent wrote: ...but requires a 12v ignition (cigarette lighter socket) power to it.

Arfur Dent wrote: One like this:

Citroen C3 amplifier

The only thing I would comment on in relation to Arfur Dent's advice is that, generally speaking, I'd be very wary of wiring a sub to plug into a cigarette lighter socket - the C3's cigarette lighter sockets are limited in terms of the power you can draw from them without blowing a fuse (my '02 C3 has a maximum power of 180W exactly - see your manual for the maximum power consumption).

If you wish to install a sub on a permanent basis, you should make a direct connection to the battery, ensuring that your wiring kit has an inline fuse of the appropriate rating. Unfortunately, this is slightly more complicated to do on the C3 than on other makes of car, as the bulkhead (the metal "wall" separating the engine bay from the passenger compartment) is sealed, with no factory-built holes for you to run your power line through.
For this reason, the only practical method is to drill a hole in a safe place through the bulkhead and then run your power through this - make sure you seal the hole with silicone (or similar) sealant to keep the bulkhead watertight.

One last tip when wiring your sub is to run your power line physically separate from the audio cables between the head unit and amp -this prevents unwanted noise/hum from being heard through the sub. Most installers do this by running the power and audio cables down opposite sides of the car.

Hope all this info helps - feel free to reply with any questions!