Seriously considering a VR Calais now, price-wise probably better than a Berlina for features .. I'd get everything I want that way .. worth a little extra .. Anyway, Exec -> Berlina has 6 speaker setup factory .. I'm assuming thats front doors, rear doors and parcel shelf, right? Apparntly, Calais, and upwards, have an 8 speaker setup .. Anyone know where the extra 2 are located? (assuming the spots mentioned above for the 6 are right?) Also, the calais has steering wheel stereo controls .. how many aftermarket stereos are compatible? (If any ...) Thanks!

I think by 6 speaker setup they mean the stock splits in the front. Which have the tweeters in the dash up near the windscreen. I don't think any model came with speakers in the rear doors... although correct me if i'm wrong.

Yeah your right. I have a VS Berlina and the speakers are on the dash, the front doors, and the parcel shelf

VR/VS Calais do have 8 speakers as lord data said, Im not sure where the other two are located, but a guess would be in the rear doors.

just to confirm Sypher's post. its a 6 speaker system consisting of a pair of splits in the front (ie. woofers on the door pods and tweeters on the dash) and another 2 speakers on the parcel shelf. these speakers are 6inch.

Autospeed also have an article somewhere about keeping your factory HU and steering wheel controls.

Shall go track down the autospeed article now if i can .. My guess would be the calais have the rear door speakers then .. makes sence .. Whats the stock speakers sound like? WIll be upgrading eventually anyway, but wondering how theyd hold up for a while?

Stocko splits go ok for what they are.. as for the rears, i can't really say cos i've never heard them but i can only assume they're reasonable.

nah upgrade them dude. i don't think they are good enough, depends how much you like music though. they have hardly any power.

I will anyway . just wondering how long theyd last me .. got a set of 10x7 kenwood's, 12" kenwood amp and a mp3 kenwood headunit from my VL that will be going into it .. will leave the 4" and the amp with the car .. get new 6" speakers and splits and amps to suit when i get the VR damn i want a calais .. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

where you going to put the 10x7 kenwoods? u gotta make some kinda pod for it. dont think you can cut them stock 6 inch holes on the parcel, they are metal.

Quote: Originally Posted by pHiLix dont think you can cut them stock 6 inch holes on the parcel, they are metal. The angle grinder is your friend I wouldnt chop the rear parcel shelf of a semi late model car anyway, they are depreciating enough in value without 'fully sik' mods. Lord Data I will PM you with a VR Calais that is close to 2k cheaper than what Sypher D paid for his VS Berlina. You could get a manual supercharged VS Cal. Gertag 5 speeds aswell. Very hard to find and I'd say one would be a little out of budget. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

I couldnt cut the parcel shelf in the VL either .. LPG tank directly below it .. and im talking milimeters clearance .. wasnt game enough to take a grinder in there .. used a thick MDF sheet to replace the existing shelf and mounted pods onto it for the 10x7's .. would do a similar trick in the VR i'd imagine .. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

I have 6x9's in fiberglass pods and they only JUST go in there. You'll be better off making a new parcel shelf for it for sure.

Finally got the calais .. 8 speaker setup is what its supposed to have, but I can only find 4 obvious speakers, 6 if there is indeed splits in the dash (i assume there is) .. so where is the extra 2 speakers for the calais sytem? anyone here own/know someone with a VR/VS Calais?

Quote: Originally Posted by Lord-Data Seriously considering a VR Calais now, price-wise probably better than a Berlina for features .. I'd get everything I want that way .. worth a little extra .. Anyway, Exec -> Berlina has 6 speaker setup factory .. I'm assuming thats front doors, rear doors and parcel shelf, right? Apparntly, Calais, and upwards, have an 8 speaker setup .. Anyone know where the extra 2 are located? (assuming the spots mentioned above for the 6 are right?) Also, the calais has steering wheel stereo controls .. how many aftermarket stereos are compatible? (If any ...) Thanks! 8 speakers? My VR Calais doesn't definitely has only 6 - I don't have speakers on the back doors (although I am about to custom fit some to my back doors including a modified setup using the standard front-door speaker surround/map pocket, but cut and shortened, etc.). I know no VR or VS Calais ever had rear door speakers from the factory, VT Calais and onward do though. VR and VS Statesmans never had them either - they only had a small map pocket attached to the rear dor trims (same as the old VL Calais front door ones!) but no speaker. Maybe a VR and/or VS Caprice may have rear door speakers as they supposedly have 10 speakers don't they? I know the Caprice had speakers on the roof lining in the back, so with the dash, front doors, rear parcel shelf and these roof speakers, where were the other two? If I'm ever lucky enough to sit in a VR/VS Caprice I'll find out!

Quote: Originally Posted by Lord-Data Seriously considering a VR Calais now, price-wise probably better than a Berlina for features .. I'd get everything I want that way .. worth a little extra .. Anyway, Exec -> Berlina has 6 speaker setup factory .. I'm assuming thats front doors, rear doors and parcel shelf, right? Apparntly, Calais, and upwards, have an 8 speaker setup .. Anyone know where the extra 2 are located? (assuming the spots mentioned above for the 6 are right?) Also, the calais has steering wheel stereo controls .. how many aftermarket stereos are compatible? (If any ...) Thanks! btw Lord-Data I almost forgot - the steering wheel controls and stock h/u on the VR and VS Calais. You can't use them on ANY head unit - trust me. BUT if you did have a VT/VX Calais or WH/WK Statesman with these contols, Blaupunkt make an adapter (for about $50 thru Autobahn - at least that's how must it cost me two years ago) so you can keep your existing steering wheel controls, and use one of their head units. No other brand I know does this. I used to have this sort of setup using an adapter and a Blaupunkt "Dakota CD31" h/u until I changed the h/u again. Unfortunately though I asked Blaupunkt myself if they make an adapter for VR/VS models, and they said NO. Their poor excuse was "Due to technical difficulties we have not attempted to make an interface for these vehicles. If however there is such a demand for it, we will consider allocating the time and money to get it done." THIS SUCKS! By the time they get off their ar%#es and do it it'll be time to update my car anyway. Believe me though, I tried for many weeks without success to get my existing VR controls working with my Blaupunkt h/u (with or without using the VT/VX adapter). The reason it wouldn't work is because (1) the wiring inside the switches themselves is different (VR/VS compared to VT/VX - that is why VR/VS have "AM/FM" on the left switch whereas VT/VX have "mode"). And (2) the steering wheel controls' circuitry goes thru the BCM - VR, VS, VT and VX each have completely different BCM's. Trust me it is impossible, unless you wired up a high-series VT/VX Calais BCM just so you can use the controls (i.e. you would wire up the 12V power and ground as well as the wiring for the controls). Where you you fit it, under the driver's seat? Stuff that! Take my tip - just get a brand of h/u that has it's own steering wheel controls (such as Blaupunkt, Pioneer and who knows what other brands) and ditch the factory controls, or should I say take 'em out but keep them until it's time to update your car. Or if your'e determined, get your mates together and send Blaupunkt an email telling them to pull their fingers out and make us VR/VS lovers an adapter (good luck, though). I'm off to write another essay now (yeah right. Pigs ar#e!)

LOl .. thanks for the replies I've read on a number of VR/VS spec sites now that the calais had 8 speakers .. but I am now the proud owner of a VS I Calais .. and i can only find 6 .. front doors, dash tweets and rear shelf speakers .. ah well .. i dont care .. getting new stuff in soon .. As for the steering wheel controls, apparntly it can be done .. but its not cheap .. i've read on another forum (justcommodores, i think .. or LS1.com.au) that there is a company in america that makes a Learning IR device, that connects to, and is compatible with, the VR/VS/VT/VX (all of em) steering wheel controls .. basically, it gets wired into your buttons directly (by passes the BCM) and understands signals from them (apparntly a few US GM cars used the same system), and the other part is a small IR LED that you mount subtly on your center console somewhere pointing at your HU (apparntly above the gear selector is the best spot, with wiring run inside the console) .. you then program it with your HU's hand held remote's IR controls, and it will simply re-produce those IR signals when you push certain buttons on the wheel .. apparntly there *IS* an aussie importer of em too, but I can't recall who .. apparntly worth about $150, before installation .. not cheap, but might be worth it to use ANY remote capable HU with your wheel controls .. I know i'm definitly interested .. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

That's great I'll most definitely take a look in the places you suggested. I wouldn't consider $150 to be a lot (I'm not wealthy but $150 is not alot in cars today!) If you can set it up using IR that'll be better - I'll buy a pair of VT/VX steering wheel switches so I can change CD tracks on the left switch too (unlike the VR/VR switches of course which only change the radio station on the left). I can buy a pair of these switches at Just Commodore Wreckers (Fallon Street, Albury ph. 02 6040 1033) for about $50 last time I looked. Thanks for your advice Lord-Data!

Thats ok .. if you get to it before me (might be a while before my budget allows me to do such things .. scraping to get the stereo installed and complete then lemme know how it all goes .. Will be good for me .. my HU (kenwood) doesnt even support a wired remote .. only the IR one .. And considering the buttons are programmed to whatever function you like, you dont have to have the AM/FM buttons doing nothing .. you can program those to be next/back track .. infact, on the eurovox with stacker, wernt they anyway? Some original photos have not been recovered yet.