Gransport Focal upgrades

[Chimaera500]

What started out as a simple plan to fix an occasional issue with the stereo in my Gransport seems to have snowballed a bit over lockdown!

All finished now, but the end result was every single component of the original Auditorium system being replaced. Everything is Focal, and I have to say I'm completely blown away by how this system sounds now!

All six speakers replaced with Focal Access series.

Access line - Focal

With Access, Focal’s innovations and audio quality is accessible to all drivers.

www.focal.com

Focal 8" band pass active sub in the boot.

Active subwoofer enclosure BombA BP20 - Focal

BombA BP20 subwoofer by Focal is a very compact two-in-one enclosure which will perfectly complete your Access installation.

www.focal.com

Pioneer competition grade head unit.

DEH-80PRS - Car Receivers

Discover the Pioneer DEH-80PRS Car Receivers. Providing High-grade Reference Series CD Tuner with Dual USB, Auto-EQ, Time Alignment and Amp Off Mode. Click Here for More Info!

www.pioneer-car.eu

Dynamat to all door and wing internals.

Everything is fitted in standard locations and with no cutting required.

The best bit. Look what fits perfectly in the factory location! 120W RMS class D amp!! (with very minor modification to the carrier required)

amplifiers power and musicality FPX 4.800

The FPX 4.800 is a very compact 4-channel amplifier with a power of 4x120 Watts RMS at 4 Ohms. Offering a 4-/3-/2-channel mode, stable at 2 Ohms and equipped with an active crossover for each pair of channels, the FPX 4.800 is the most versatile model in this range.

www.focal.com

Anyone planning on doing something similar then feel free to give me a shout. I have become quite familiar with the ins and outs after this little project.

I also now have a new old stock Becker Infotainment head unit (Standard for the Gransport) also has additional pre out cable for front, rear and sub and the standard Auditorium ASK amplifier that has just been serviced. Let me know if anyone needs these items before I put them up on ebay.

Cheers,

Matt.

 

[Oneball]

Well done. Did you use the existing loom?

When I replaced my amp the wiring didn’t tie in with the wiring diagram in the factory manual.

Who serviced the Auditorium unit? I couldn’t get anyone to look at mine hence the change.

 

[JonW]

What started out as a simple plan to fix an occasional issue with the stereo in my Gransport seems to have snowballed a bit over lockdown!

All finished now, but the end result was every single component of the original Auditorium system being replaced. Everything is Focal, and I have to say I'm completely blown away by how this system sounds now!

All six speakers replaced with Focal Access series.

Access line - Focal

With Access, Focal’s innovations and audio quality is accessible to all drivers.

www.focal.com

Focal 8" band pass active sub in the boot.

Active subwoofer enclosure BombA BP20 - Focal

BombA BP20 subwoofer by Focal is a very compact two-in-one enclosure which will perfectly complete your Access installation.

www.focal.com

Pioneer competition grade head unit.

DEH-80PRS - Car Receivers

Discover the Pioneer DEH-80PRS Car Receivers. Providing High-grade Reference Series CD Tuner with Dual USB, Auto-EQ, Time Alignment and Amp Off Mode. Click Here for More Info!

www.pioneer-car.eu

Dynamat to all door and wing internals.

Everything is fitted in standard locations and with no cutting required.

The best bit. Look what fits perfectly in the factory location! 120W RMS class D amp!! (with very minor modification to the carrier required)

amplifiers power and musicality FPX 4.800

The FPX 4.800 is a very compact 4-channel amplifier with a power of 4x120 Watts RMS at 4 Ohms. Offering a 4-/3-/2-channel mode, stable at 2 Ohms and equipped with an active crossover for each pair of channels, the FPX 4.800 is the most versatile model in this range.

www.focal.com

View attachment 78724


Anyone planning on doing something similar then feel free to give me a shout. I have become quite familiar with the ins and outs after this little project.

I also now have a new old stock Becker Infotainment head unit (Standard for the Gransport) also has additional pre out cable for front, rear and sub and the standard Auditorium ASK amplifier that has just been serviced. Let me know if anyone needs these items before I put them up on ebay.

Cheers,

Matt.

well done - I need to do this to mine and may well be in touch...

 

[Twinspark]

I have these from the previous owner, they sound good, but somethings rattling inside the door card.

 

[Chimaera500]

Well done. Did you use the existing loom?

When I replaced my amp the wiring didn’t tie in with the wiring diagram in the factory manual.

Who serviced the Auditorium unit? I couldn’t get anyone to look at mine hence the change.

I didnt pay too much attention to the factory diagram. I did use the Becker pin outs to help, then just traced the rest out as I went. As the new amp is so close to the battery (and requires much bigger cable!) I replaced all power and grounds with Rockford Fosgate OFC cable in 4 AWG. The only part of the original loom used is the original amplifier output to the speakers. The rest is still there, but tucked away in case things need to be returned to standard one day.

The sub has been fitted with a quick release connector so It can be removed in a second if boot space is required. Its a pretty compact sub anyway to be fair.

I used A&J Audio to repair my amplifier. This chap repaired a couple of Mordant Short home cinema subs for me a while back so thought I would give him a go on the ASK amp. Issue was intermittent pops and screeches/ sound dropping out. Replaced a defective op amp and a couple of caps that measured out of tolerance. Cost about £60 to bring back to perfect.

A&J AUDIO VISUAL

www.ajaudio.co.uk

Highly recommend Alex for any audio electronics repairs. Great price/ service too.

 

[Chimaera500]

well done - I need to do this to mine and may well be in touch...

Feel free to drop me a note! It takes a little while to do well, but its fairly easy.

 

[Chimaera500]

I have these from the previous owner, they sound good, but somethings rattling inside the door card.

Quick look behind the door card will probably show the culprit. Might even be the crossover that has come loose and is rattling around. Dynamat made a big difference to the sound and well worth doing while you are in there.

 

[Twinspark]

Quick look behind the door card will probably show the culprit. Might even be the crossover that has come loose and is rattling around. Dynamat made a big difference to the sound and well worth doing while you are in there.

I've tried banging it to see where the sound is coming from, might be something with the window mechanism as well. Either way I've got to open it to fix the window dip issue.

 

[Danny]

What exact speakers from the Focal Access line did you use for each of the positions?

 

[Chimaera500]

What exact speakers from the Focal Access line did you use for each of the positions?

Front components:

Component kit 165 AS - Focal

165 AS kit by Focal, flagship of Access line, will make you discover new musical sensations thanks to its numerous possible configurations.

www.focal.com

Rear sides:

Coaxial kit 570 AC - Focal

Do you want to change the sound system of your Ford®, Jaguar® or Mazda® vehicle? 570 AC coaxial kit by Focal is the ideal solution.

www.focal.com

Rear decks:

Coaxial kit 130 AC - Focal

Power handling, deep bass and extremely dynamic sound, here are the main assets of the 130 AC coaxial kit by Focal.

www.focal.com

Sub:

Active subwoofer enclosure BombA BP20 - Focal

BombA BP20 subwoofer by Focal is a very compact two-in-one enclosure which will perfectly complete your Access installation.

www.focal.com

 

[Danny]

Thanks a lot. Could you post some pics of your doorcard? I assume you used the existing speaker wiring in the doors? Did you use the factory speaker covers or the ones that came with the 165 AS?

 

[Chimaera500]

Thanks a lot. Could you post some pics of your doorcard? I assume you used the existing speaker wiring in the doors? Did you use the factory speaker covers or the ones that came with the 165 AS?

Hi Danny,

I don't have any pics I'm afraid but the door cards come off pretty easily. I think there are a few posts describing how to do this already but drop me a note if you want me to go through it step by step. Just a crosshead screwdriver and 5 mins of time required.

To fit the rear sides and rear deck speakers is a little more involved as you have to remove the rear seat, rear deck and side panels. Still very straightforward, but helps if you are flexible as not much room to move about in the back!

I used the factory speaker wiring, and I used the cars original speaker grilles. No sign of anything being non standard on display (apart from the new head unit)

 

[Danny]

Hi Matt, in the meantime I bought myself a set of the Focal 165 AS front speakers + some dynamat. Still hesitating about the rear speakers, since in another thread I read that the rears do not make a huge difference to the sound quality in the car.

How much of a difference does the BP20 make? Do you have a pic of it sitting in the boot? Would it fit in the closed area (behind the lid) were the CD changer is located = opposite the battery (i.e. after the CD changer is removed?). I’m just assuming the boot of the GS to be more or less similar to the 3200...

 

[Chimaera500]

Hi Danny,

Couple of pics taken just now. No chance the BP 20 sub will fit anywhere that is hidden, even though its not a big box.

I have read the same regarding the rears, certainly the rear shelf speakers that are piggybacked off the rear sides anyway. I didn't try my system without them, but noticed that the auto EQ function of my new head unit cut the rear levels a fair bit, so at best they are just offering some in fill to the sound.

The sub makes a really big difference! Its 300w and 8" but certainly not a unit that is going to shake the car to bits! (too old for that now It does allow you to take a fair bit of the low frequency work away from the rest of the speakers, and it adds quite a lot of punch to the lower frequencies. Whole thing now sounds really clear and very well balanced.

It does take up a bit of boot space. If you dont mind that, for the money this sub is worth it all day long.
Actually, I also installed a quick release connector as per the pic, so if I do need a bit more room, it comes out in a second.


Last pic is of the new power and grounds setup for both the sub and the new amp which you can just see behind the battery. Pretty neat and convenient as both amps are so close to the power source.

 

[MrJoshua]

Hi Danny,

Couple of pics taken just now. No chance the BP 20 sub will fit anywhere that is hidden, even though its not a big box.

I have read the same regarding the rears, certainly the rear shelf speakers that are piggybacked off the rear sides anyway. I didn't try my system without them, but noticed that the auto EQ function of my new head unit cut the rear levels a fair bit, so at best they are just offering some in fill to the sound.

The sub makes a really big difference! Its 300w and 8" but certainly not a unit that is going to shake the car to bits! (too old for that now It does allow you to take a fair bit of the low frequency work away from the rest of the speakers, and it adds quite a lot of punch to the lower frequencies. Whole thing now sounds really clear and very well balanced.

It does take up a bit of boot space. If you dont mind that, for the money this sub is worth it all day long.
Actually, I also installed a quick release connector as per the pic, so if I do need a bit more room, it comes out in a second.


Last pic is of the new power and grounds setup for both the sub and the new amp which you can just see behind the battery. Pretty neat and convenient as both amps are so close to the power source.

View attachment 79158View attachment 79160View attachment 79161

I have the same quick-release on mine

 

[Danny]

Hi Matt, quick update:

Apart from the front speakers (165AS), I decided to also upgrade the rears (130AC) and rear mids (570AC). Furthermore, I purchased some dynamat and a small amplifier (Focal impulse 4.320) to help my Becker head unit a little bit. I didn’t want an amp in the boot of the car or under the seat. The impulse 4.320 is small so it will not create huge sound levels, but at least it is so compact that it can be tucked away somewhere under the dashboard. My mechanic is looking for a good spot a the moment.

Replacing the rears was easy, as it is a straight swap:

Look at the difference in size of the magnets

However, the rear mid speakers (570AC) appeared to be a little bit larger than the holes in the frame of the 3200. Did you experience the same with the GS? We are currently looking at a solution where we don’t have to cut in the frame of the car.

 

[Wattie]

Great job, you’ve got some skills.

 

[Chimaera500]

Looking good Danny! The originals really do look quite poor when next to the new Focals don't they! Wait till you hear them with the new amp!

As for the rear mid fitment. I too found that the original hole was very slightly too small, but all the mounting points lined up perfectly. As the difference was was so small (and I didn't want to cut anything either) I used the following stuff to make a gasket to mount them . A ring of this butyl chord around the edge of the hole gives a great flexible mounting surface for the speaker. When secured, you get a solid air tight fit.

Here is the material I used. Used also around the fronts to seal the air gaps.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Butyl-round-cord-black/dp/B00VZTBW8E/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=butyl+cord&qid=1616329971&sr=8-3

Butyl is I think the same stuff that Dynamat is made from. Its firm, but flexible and sticky. Useful for all sorts of jobs and great for getting rid of rattles!

 

[Chimaera500]

by the way, red stripe is positive on the tweeters to the crossovers. I couldn't see anything in the instructions to tell me.

 

[Mr S]

Do you need the amp to power the speakers? I have an Alpine HU, and that on its own made a big difference. Also, how did you fit the tweeters into the original location?