Citroen C3 Owners

Hi everyone!

I am looking to upgrade my stereo system in my 2014 Citroen c3 but am wanting to keep my stock head unit as I would like to be able to still use the steering wheel controls.

I am unsure of what speakers I can actually fit into the car.
But this is the subwoofer I am looking at (https://www.halfords.com/technology/car ... 31097.html) it has an amp pre-built into it.

If anyone has done this before could they give me some pointers iv never dealt with car audio before.

Many thanks, Daniel.

DanielE0402 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 8:31 pm Hi everyone!

I am looking to upgrade my stereo system in my 2014 Citroen c3 but am wanting to keep my stock head unit as I would like to be able to still use the steering wheel controls.

I am unsure of what speakers I can actually fit into the car.
But this is the subwoofer I am looking at (https://www.halfords.com/technology/car ... 31097.html) it has an amp pre-built into it.

If anyone has done this before could they give me some pointers iv never dealt with car audio before.

Many thanks, Daniel.

If you don't know what you are doing/never done it before, it may be worth getting someone who has done it before to do the job for you.

Changing speakers requires a fair amount of disassembly of the door cards, not changing the headunit may be a mistake and the SWC usually have an adaptor available to keep the functions.

An active sub needs a fused 12v supply and this will need to be done properly to avoid damage to the electronics in the car.


If you want to see which aftermarket speakers will fit your C3, you should look at the websites of the manufacturers you are interested in to see if they make any that are made to fit, specifically the 2014 C3.

Pioneer would have been my suggestion but their speaker to car checker comes up as nothing available for the 2014 C3. So it doesn't sound like there will be much available.

Arfur Dent wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 9:42 pm

DanielE0402 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 8:31 pm Hi everyone!

I am looking to upgrade my stereo system in my 2014 Citroen c3 but am wanting to keep my stock head unit as I would like to be able to still use the steering wheel controls.

I am unsure of what speakers I can actually fit into the car.
But this is the subwoofer I am looking at (https://www.halfords.com/technology/car ... 31097.html) it has an amp pre-built into it.

If anyone has done this before could they give me some pointers iv never dealt with car audio before.

Many thanks, Daniel.

If you don't know what you are doing/never done it before, it may be worth getting someone who has done it before to do the job for you.

Changing speakers requires a fair amount of disassembly of the door cards, not changing the headunit may be a mistake and the SWC usually have an adaptor available to keep the functions.

An active sub needs a fused 12v supply and this will need to be done properly to avoid damage to the electronics in the car.


If you want to see which aftermarket speakers will fit your C3, you should look at the websites of the manufacturers you are interested in to see if they make any that are made to fit, specifically the 2014 C3.

Pioneer would have been my suggestion but their speaker to car checker comes up as nothing available for the 2014 C3. So it doesn't sound like there will be much available.

I have my dad that can / has dismantled cars before. He says that he's changed head units before but never speakers or subs as its not something he's ever been Intrested in.

I'm regards to wiring the fuse that's not an issue my dad works with electricals a lot and we have already wired a few extra fuzes in for other bit that I have added to the car (rear USB chaging ports, lights, ect).

As for not changing the head unit and you thinking it's a mistake am I better off looking for an aftermarket head unit? I had been left under the impression that I loose most of the functinality of the screen on the car if I swap out the head unit.

Thank you for the advice though I'm going to have a look around and see if I can see some speakers made spesificaly for the c3

DanielE0402 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 10:40 pm As for not changing the head unit and you thinking it's a mistake am I better off looking for an aftermarket head unit? I had been left under the impression that I loose most of the functinality of the screen on the car if I swap out the head unit.

If you are upgrading the speakers, you would most probably want to match the performance of the speakers with a headunit capable of bringing out their best. That's why it would be an odd job to do and just upgrade the speakers.

As for loosing the functions, a connect2 may well give you back what you loose, but without knowing exactly what display and radio you already have fitted, it is just that, a guess. Connects2 works for most, but not the infotainment units.

"Head units" tend to have rudimentary (if any) speaker outputs. For the most part they run line level outputs to drive AMP's of some description, for the speakers and subwoofer. They also tend to have more to offer in facilities than the stock radio. A stock radio is, well, a stock radio.

Your car runs a network between all of the ECU's called 'CAN' (Controller Area Network). It is popular and you will find lots of audio manufactures support it. This means you should be able to find an after market head unit that will be compatible with the steering radio controls and the central screen.

If you retain your original radio, you will need to splice into the speaker cables to supply an audio in to the subwoofer amp.
While most AMP's run on line level, some will have speaker level inputs (particularly subwoofer AMP's). You can not connect the speaker outputs of your radio to the line level input of an AMP! So see if this subwoofer accepts speaker level inputs (it most likely will).

Ok, the crux is; you are embarking on a project that is beyond the scope of this site BUT there is a lot of info on car audio sites and Youtube.
There is nothing special about the C3 that wont be covered in far more depth than we can, on those sites.
If there is a specific piece of information that you might need we will try and help you.

If you are going to stick with your stock radio; find out "how to connect a subwoofer to the existing speakers of my car".
If you are upgrading to a head unit; find out about "connecting your head unit to a CAN BUS network".

Up grading the speakers can make a slight difference to the performance of the (stock) audio but don't expect an amazing difference!
The stock speakers are paper cones so you can't make it any worse. However, the difference tends to be in the base area but if you are going to put in a sub woofer that sort of defeats the exercise.
After market speaker will be manufactured to a better quality and so will last a longer time than the stock speakers.
If you are not going to upgrade the audio system later I wouldn't spend too much money on speakers. I spent about 60 pound to upgraded the 4 speakers and I thought I got my moneys worth. Don't spend too much money on speakers for the stock system it's not worth it. If you are going to upgrade later, installing better speakers now wont hurt. However the cars stock wiring might not handle high power if that's the direction you are thinking of going. Quality and loud are two different things.
Pull the door card off the door or the speaker grill off, if it has a separate grill, and measure the speaker cone and the mounting points. Typically the speakers are pop riveted in, but don't let that frighten you.
Most speakers are described by the diameter of the cone. E.g. 6" 6.25" 6.5" and so on. HOWEVER you must check that the speaker you chose will physically fit and mount in the door cavity. One thing buyers forget is the depth of the cavity. If the speaker is too deep the window glass will foul on the speaker!
Most speakers will not plug straight into the cars speaker connectors. But you can get adapters, or buy speakers that will plug in directly or cut the connectors off and replace them.

Ozvtr wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 12:47 am Most speakers will not plug straight into the cars speaker connectors. But you can get adapters, or buy speakers that will plug in directly or cut the connectors off and replace them.

Thank you so much for the information I am going to look and see if I can get a suposted head unit before upgrading anything else