Audio - upgrade speakers or head-unit?

[guest4545]

To anyone who has upgraded either (or both) on the pre-2008 Jazz, which gave the greatest improvement? I know the standard head unit doesn't look great, but years of being an audiophile with domestic hifi has taught me looks mean nothing in hifi land. Does this unit sound better with upgraded speakers, or should I look at butchering the fascia to get a decent Alpine unit in there first? 

[philskynet]

PERSONALLY  I like the head unit that's in and it seems too much of a chew and way too expensive to replace so if I was to I would go with upgrading the speakers

[Eddie Honda]

I always go speakers first. In one of my old cars I had just a ancient Pye cassette player hooked up to some Kenwood 3-way 6x9s It sound quite good, relatively speaking

(Audio is never going to be all that fantastic in a tin box with windows)

Having said that, given that speakers in a car are generally only good if you have ears up your trouser leg, perhaps some component speakers swapped in at the front with the tweeters in the a-pillar more at ear height might be of benefit to improving the sound?

[degzi]

I'd go speakers, then if you want more - wire an amp in somehow with original headunit, but use aux for your audio input.

I have a small dab radio plugged into aux unit. Sound is great, only speakers let it down. If they are run off a separate amp it's a different world.

Apparently I'm not allowed to mess with my audio in this car  - the wife's rules... 

[philiph]

I'm thinking of replacing the speakers.
These will probably fit easily.
https://www.amazon.com/HERTZ-170-3-DCX170-3-Coaxial-Speakers/dp/B008B5FPYC

Do you reckon this will be an upgrade?

Or shall I just try to install one and see how they compare to the original?

[ColinS]

At my age, I would upgrade my ears first 

[culzean]

As long as you remember people outside your car may not like your music, so don't go too loud, and as Eddie Honda says acoustics of a car interior are not that good.

I used to work with a young bloke who had a VW Golf and was going to spend a wad of money on upgrading the speakers and fit an amp with huge (200 or 400 watt) speakers in the car,  he said he would have some money left over and what else should he get - I suggested saving it a few years for when he would need hearing aids and he could get some decent ones. 

[philiph]

Yeah, thats a good advice.

For me, I don't want louder, just a bit clearer/nicer.

[guest5079]

I think the advice about EARS is a very valid one. I am at the latter end of the age spectrum and have a need for hearing aids. I have just had them renewed and the FIRST question was have you at any time been subjected to loud noise. In my case the answer was no. If the sound can be heard outside a car then logic says the sound must be too loud inside the car.
Perhaps a check by the nurse for ear wax might be a start if you are having problems hearing.

[philiph]

Does anyone know where to buy a speaker connector adapter for a 2005 Jazz?