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85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by Eric Tarasoff on
Friday, 20 February 1998, at 4:53 a.m.
I have an 85 240 wagon with the stock stereo. It has the stock 4 in. speakers. it seems like there might be room to stick 5.5 or 6.5 in. speakers in the panels where the rear 4-inchers are. Has anyone here put a stereo system in a 240 series of this vintage? Any suggestions?
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by Stoney on
Friday, 20 February 1998, at 9:27 a.m.
The problens are as follows:
Limited door interior room and interference with window glass.
Window crank interference when using speaker grill spacers that bring the face of the speaker out from door panel to clear glass inside.
Best ,ounting area is lower door panel but if you use upper panel and have door panel that have the padding on them the area available for grille mounting is not level, there is a 4.5 inch area then a slope up to the padded area so when you mount the grilles there is a 1/4-1/2 inch gap between the grille and the door panel in the 4.5 incha area. Also you may have problems clearing the armrest , I tried notching the plastic grille surround and it compromised the grille securing area so much the grille would not stay mounted.
I ended up using Boston Acoustics square frames and grilles, available from BA they are for the BA 851 component set and fit well with a 1/3rd inch spacer behind the lower 4.5 inch "vallley" area.
If you have flat door panels and no power windows then try a few brands and see what fits, depth wise. As a drop in 4 inch replacement the Blaupunkt 402's fit real nice but again need a squaregrille. But you don't have to butcher the door panels to make them fit.
The Volvo grilles are pop off covers and the speakers are RIVETED to the door paels, use a Dremel and cut off the heads and tails CAREFULLY otherwise you end up with huge dime sized holes as the rivets tear out big chunks of the door panel material when you try and pull them out.
Also while you are inside the door make sure the watershield is in place and that you have a flap covering the speaker rear, the bafle covers and water shields supplied with speakers will increase the chance of speaker to glass interference, I just use Visgueen or any other decent plastic for the new water barrier.
Dump the OEM speaker wiring as well, its 18 or 20 ga and can't do justice to anything over 30 watts.
Also DO NOT BELIEVE CRUTCHFIELD'S INSTALL ADVICE!!!They frequently recommend speakers that will not fit(depth problems) and don't know diddly about Volvos, their present "advice sheet" doesn't list a Volvo after the 740 and 240, they have no clue for 940, 960,850, S70(they don't even know what one is!) and cannot supply a wairing harness adapter for any model (even though it's supposed to be included in the price and they don't allow anything against the order-the he\arness costs $15-20 from METRA or SCOSCHE)!
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by Topi on
Friday, 20 February 1998, at 10:03 a.m.
I found Jensen speakers at K-Mart ! They're bolt-on, flat grill and sound great. $ 30/pair. They fit front & rear. (Sorry - don't remember the model nor # )240 has lousy OEM speakers and they brake all the time...
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by allan on
Friday, 20 February 1998, at 12:09 p.m.
>240 has lousy OEM speakers and they brake all the time...
wow...and you replaced them with Jensens???
well...to each his own, I suppose. I personally would not recommend Jensens to anyone.
allan
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers.../frends don't let friends .listen to Jensen...[ALL/1988] posted by Stoney on
Friday, 20 February 1998, at 1:33 p.m.
Well put Allan! I'd recommend Boston Acoustics, Infility, Kicker components, and MB Quart myself but even Pioneers sound better than Jensen, and so does a Makita Screw Gun at full throttle and/or heat shield rattle!
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers.../frends don't let friends .listen to Jensen...[ALL/1988] posted by Topi on
Saturday, 21 February 1998, at 11:11 p.m.
I didn't know Jensen was a dirty word ! The only reason I used Jensen was it was the only one that fit, and they're cheap AND better than Swedish crap. Anyway, you guys like name dropping but I bet your Hi Line speakers are made by the same folk as Jensen in Mexico and Taiwan. Even Sony's made there. "Boston Acustics - Made in Mexico" , NAFTA works
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers.../frends don't let friends .listen to Jensen...[ALL/1988] posted by Goran Haijenhjelm on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 10:22 a.m.
Wow !
Hi guys! Too bad that you live half a planet away. I have found a guy
here in Sweden who makes a living manufacturing wooden (MDF)
doorpanels for all sorts of cars.
I paid 300 $ for my doorpanels (940). And they fit ! These are for 6",4"
and tweeter. My choice was Infinity. The best thing: the panels can be fitted
in existing mounting holes.
BR/Göran Haijenhjelm
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers.../frends don't let friends .listen to Jensen...[ALL/1988] posted by kaiyen on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 3:38 p.m.
Actually, the fabrication of MDF doorpanels as an aftermarket item to facilitate the implementation of non-stock-sized speakers is a pretty common technique. Any decent, reputable shop should be able to do them. However, one should keep in mind that the amount of money and work put into that kind of job isn't all that much different than having speaker kick-pods built into the kickpanel areas of cars. This method will equalize the path-length difference of right and left speakers significantly and will produce superior imaging and staging.
Sure, I could've had my installer build new door pods, but then I still have speakers mounted low and aimed off-axis in relation to my listening position. For about the same price, he was able to place my speakers in the kickpanels, without obstructing legroom, and yielding near perfect imaging.
E-mail if you want some pictures of the install,
allan chen
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers.../frends don't let friends .listen to Jensen...[ALL/1988] posted by james johnson on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 10:29 a.m.
Just replaced the stock speakers in the front door with RockFosgates (made in china!) 5 1/4 two ways. Fit is semi ok: I could get them into the stock spacer (I did fashion a plywood spacer for driverside--took too many hours) but grill presents real challenge: the tweeter is rather proud, so much custom thinking is needed. The real effort is to repladce the stock radio/tape head unit: I have an Alpine Units from my old Golf; does anybody know the pin out on the stock volvo (mitsu?) including the amp out? The Bently is shy of this topic.Thanks JJ
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers.../BA Square Grilles[ALL/1988] posted by Stoney on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 11:30 a.m.
I have had a lot of luck fitting 5.25" speakers in the front door upper position using the Boston Acoustics square grilles and frames from the BA 851 component system-the 5.25" mid/woofer frame and grilles will hold almost any make of speaker and the only logo is a tiny red lateral BA logo that can be removed or painted over. They fit between the armrest and the front edge and the forward part doesn't get too squeezed by the dash end panel. Use a couple of small black trim screws 8/32x1" to secure the grilles to the feames from the blind edges and that will hold it.
The round grilles/frames used by almost every speaker maker need to me "notched" to clear the armrest on Power Window 240's and the fact that the door panel is not level (the padding at top/bottom allows for a 4.5" "valley")the round shape and the notch allow the frame to warpm and the grilles don't stay put. Use of a spacer of ABS or MDF [painted black will take up the 1/4" to 1/3" gap between the frasme and the "valley" in the upholstry.
The frames and grilles can be ordered from any Boston Acoustics dealer/installer.
The Alpine should work and if you have the correct DIN plug and a test wire set and headphones you can figger out the pin assignments easily-but be careful if you try and hook up a CD changer as some OEM units have different set ups, and the chips in the changers "fry" real easy.
BTW Almost all speakers are made in "low cost" manufacturing environments and it's not the folks building them it's the design and parts used.
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers.../frends don't let friends .listen to Jensen...[ALL/1988] posted by Mark Klein on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 5:30 p.m.
I've got some JBLs in my Nissan which are quite impressive for 6" round speakers.
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers.../frends don't let friends .listen to Jensen...[ALL/1988] posted by allan on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 9:29 p.m.
>I've got some JBLs in my Nissan which are quite impressive for 6" round >speakers.
I second that - JBL's are great speakers for the price. I'm pretty sure that the 622 model has been called the best 6" speaker around for the $$. Very good value. Not top of the line, and you'll hear the difference if double-blind tested against them, but they're still pretty damn fine speakers.
allan chen
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers.../frends don't let friends .listen to Jensen...[ALL/1988] posted by Henry T. Mui on
Friday, 27 February 1998, at 1:31 p.m.
I've got a set of the JBL GT-82 8" Sub-woofers in the back of my 84' 240 and are great!
All I need now is a power amp. On the 940 92' I've got a set of those Jensen speakers but, they are not great but, at least they work!
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers.../frends don't let friends .listen to Jensen...[ALL/1988] posted by allan on
Friday, 27 February 1998, at 1:35 p.m.
>I've got a set of those Jensen speakers but, they are not great but, at
> least they work!
I'm sure they do, and, if you're happy with them, that's what counts. I just wonder how _long_ they'll work...:-) they're not the best speakers around, and probably not even that good of a value...
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by Justin on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 7:58 p.m.
I have an '86 240.. Hand-me-down..
I ripped out the stock stereo, chintzy paper cones and all, and put something a little better in..
Interesting though, you say you have 4" speakers on the rear deck, I had 5 1/4"s.. It would be easy to fit a 6 or 6 1/2" in there, as well as anything up to a 6x9" - unless you have some sort of carpet-cutting phobia..
As far as brands go.. Don't even bother with anything really high-end, the sound is wasted in the Volvo - you won't even hear it, it's not a well designed car as far as acoustics go. Certainly, buy something of moderate quality, I find Pioneers to have great sound for the cash, and are easy to find.. I have a pair of TS-G1340's in the back and TS-G1040's in the front. Sound clarity, power handling, all nice - just not a lot of bass response.. Which is okay, since I have a 300w 10" Kicker Solo-Baric in the trunk.. But that's another segment.. :)
(I would ditch the stock head unit as well, mine crapped out on me at 70k - Weakest thing on the car, I expect more from Volvo.)
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by allan on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 9:28 p.m.
> As far as brands go.. Don't even bother with anything really high-end, the >sound is wasted in the Volvo - you won't
> even hear it, it's not a well designed car as far as acoustics go.
Damn, Justin, you and I are really disagreeing tonight...
Let's see. I have a 1989 740 GL. Dynaudio System 220 in the kickpanels up front. Sony Mobile ES CDX-C910 head unit in the dash. Kicker ZR amps. JL Audio 10W4 subs (2) in the trunk firing through the back seat arm rest. I don't think anyone would disagree that this is the very high-end.
sounds pretty damn good to me. No, it's not a car designed with acoustics in mind, but a little effort will make any install shine - in no way is high-end gear wasted on a Volvo.
allan chen
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by james johnson on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 9:57 p.m.
Is there any middle ground? Like real audio without the break the bank price. I have been working to improve my wife's ride with 5.25 RockfordFosgate speakers front & 4's rear & today, I bit the bullet & bought an Alpine CD reciever. I's just a 245: the only acouctic design I sense is nightmarish hellish like only slightly better than chevy van of late 60s. 200 watts seems like overkill. Its seems all or nothing. James J.
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by allan on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 10:07 p.m.
of course there is a middle ground. I was just disagreeing with Justin's comment that high-end gear is 'wasted". High-end gear, with some effort to find a equivalently-meticulous install, will sound great.
If you decide to stick with the stock locations, you're going to need some speakers with good off-axis response. For the value-minded set, I'd look at some JBL's. they make very nice speakers (by the way, a smaller driver usually tends to have better off-axis response, though biggers ones have better bass output). Also, you could try some Boston Acoustics or Eclipses. These are both a bit more expensive, and I don't even know if the Eclipses make a small enough driver to fit in the stock locations, but you can check them out if you want.
These can all be driven off of that Alpine head unit you got. For great clarity and some better sound reproduction, you can get a basic, 25x2 or 25x4 amp from a reliable, honestly-rated company like Pioneer, Kenwood, or Sony for...$200, maybe a bit less if you look.
It's all about how far you want to take it. But, at the same time, you dont' have to settle for crap if you don't want to spend money. There's the good shit, then there's just shit.
allan
ps-if you want any help finding good places to buy stuff online, let me know. also, i can help if you're in the california bay area, too.
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers...And more![ALL/1988] posted by Topi on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 10:43 p.m.
Okey, you specialists: My '91 244 has typical Volvo crap. No power, speaker grills are popping out and they are lousy quality. I want to spend max. $ 300 for stereo (w/o CD, just a tape) and 4 speakers that fit to OEM openings. What should I buy? I do installation. Thanks!
PS. I had a Mercedes with $ 1700 in components (bought by it's previous owner) and a Toyota Celica Turbo with OEM stereo. Couldn't tell the difference. Either I'm not HiFi kind or they both were as good! That's why $ 300 should be enough for me.
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers...And more![ALL/1988] posted by allan on
Sunday, 22 February 1998, at 11:07 p.m.
Okay. First, let me apologize if I have at all come off as sounding arrogant or as if I knew everything. I have my own opinions on car audio, opinions culled from going to every car stereo shop within an hour of my home in NJ as well as my dorm in CA. It's culled from reading every possible publication I can find, the technical ones as well as the magazines. It's culled from my own personal biases and feelings; to each his own, and if I have made it sound like my own should be yours, I apologize.
I do have an idea why that Toyota system sounded as good as the Mercedes one, though. First, the acoustic environments are totally different. Second, I have no idea of the quality of install - if I were mindless, I could spend $1000 on a head unit alone but use the stock speakers, so telling me how much was spent doesn't give me the whole picture. Finally, it was bought by someone else. Your ears are different than the previous owner's...
Okay. you offer me a challenge, and I will try to help you out here. You say tape, 4 speakers that fit OEM, $300. Do you want an amp? probably not. what about dolby NR? do you have an opinion on whether you like having it all? B,C, or maybe S? You're going to have to have coaxials in the doors.
As you can see, I need a bit more info. For your information, you can get the Sony XRC-5100 for $106. That leaves you $294 for the Boston Acoustic coaxs that drop in. Oh, and they retail for $140. which means you can get them for a lot less.
I can help more if you give me more info, but the final decision has to be yours and your ears.
allan
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers...And more![ALL/1988] posted by Justin on
Monday, 23 February 1998, at 7:26 p.m.
As you can see, I need a bit more info. For your information, you can get the Sony XRC-5100 for $106. That leaves you $294 for the Boston Acoustic coaxs that drop in. Oh, and they retail for $140. which means you can get them for a lot less.
_)_)_)
That's good.. It's hard to beat Boston Acoustics for quality..
I don't know about the Sony deck, though.. I've got problems with their quality as of late..
I believe that you would be better off with a Blaupunkt Savannah - It's about $130 and does 13wx4 RMS/30w peak - which should be enough, it won't be amazingly loud, though.. It's got a 1/4" mini plug on the face, so you can plug a CD-player in - should you so desire..
The Panasonic CQ-R115U wouldn't be a bad choice either, it's got similar stats and costs $10 more..
Both have a detachable face, which is a great theft deturrent..
Speakers... Assuming you have stock 4" cutouts in the front doors (like I do) and 5 1/4" cutouts on the rear deck (like I do) then I think you would be happy with the oft on sale Pioneer TS-G1040, I have them, they work just fine, and can be found for about $20 on sale (if you get lucky) and about $45 retail..
Other options include JBL GTC-4210 ($50)
or Blaupunkt PCx402 ($54)
The JBL may actually be your best bet, they are very durable, sound great, and don't need much power..
For the rear you can do the same series of Pioneer (TS-G1340), or the same seires of JBL (GTC-5210) they retail for about $59 and $55 respectively..
Assuming that you go with the JBL's (and that you find them at that price, Crutchfield has them on sale, and it's a great deal) and the Blaupunkt, you end up at $239. That's well within your price range, and it'll sound great.. Crutchfield includes the price of the wiring harness (should there even be one, there wasn't for my 240..) so wiring the whole thing up should be a snap..
Goold luck, if you need any more help, feel free to email me..
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers...And more![ALL/1988] posted by Stoney on
Monday, 23 February 1998, at 9:26 p.m.
Problem is the last customer I know of who ordered from Crutchfield said they had no Volvo harness wiring kits so tack on $30 or so for the METRA Volvo Harness adapter.
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers...And more![ALL/1988] posted by Justin on
Monday, 23 February 1998, at 9:34 p.m.
If you have an older 200 series (maybe many others) don't even bother looking for a harness. Mine had an awful common-ground system which will easily fry most decks.. Here's what you salvage: Black - ground, Red - Positive(+), Orange -switched power (from ignition), Green w/stripe - Power antenna/remote turn-on. rewire the speakers.
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers...And more![ALL/1988] posted by Stoney on
Monday, 23 February 1998, at 9:46 p.m.
Well, I've done about 50 or so Volvo installs and have only had problems with the 1975 model year, due to funky 140 style wiring. This includes CD players, Tape decks, CB's, SSB radios, Cell phones, GPS units, yadda, yadda, yadda...
and no I never worked at the Shack, Circuit City, Monkey Wards, or Merde City...
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers...And more![ALL/1988] posted by Topi on
Tuesday, 24 February 1998, at 9:39 a.m.
Justin - '91 has rear speakers on lower part of door, no more on the deck. Stereo is high up and need a special face plate, too. Blaupunkt tape deck is junk, a tape cutter! I always got rid-off it on the Mercedes. I'll check those JBL speakers. Question: Some cars come with speakers wired to the ground (-). Is it bad for performance? If so, why does it need to go back to the stereo? Stoney - where's this "Metra"? I may need to order a face plate if I can't find it here. Local CircuitCity boys are $ 4/h, don't know much. They do know how to cut an interior to install a $ 200 "complet" stereo to $ 30 000 car. All wires are cut and finger-twisted and works almost all the way to home. I wouldn't give a Pinto to them.
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers...And more![ALL/1988] posted by Justin on
Tuesday, 24 February 1998, at 6:32 p.m.
I wouldn't trust a pinto to them either - You are usually much better off looking for a smaller dealer - one who only deals in car stereo, chances are that you'll get a quality job there.
Interesting about the Blaupunkt though, I've always thought they were pretty high quality - but that's only what I've heard, if you have experience otherwise, then I'll take your word for it..
So you have 4"s in the rear doors, and 4"s in the front doors as well? Interesting.. Well - I'll tell you right now that you aren't going to get much bass response from anything that size.. But you will probable fare just fine with a set of four JBL GTC-4210's.. Right now, Crutchfield has them for $49.99 a pair, on sale from $90 a pair - I would grab them while they still have them.. Make sure they come with the grilles, you might not be able to use the stock Volvo ones, I haven't seen what Volvo does for your car as far as grilles go..
So, now that you'll be spending only $100 on speakers, You've got that $200 for a deck- good...
Kenwood KRC-S400, $180 - 20x4 RMS, and 35x4 peak - plenty of power for the JBL's, and a 6 or 10 disc CD-changer control (6-disc is $279, 10 is $329). Kenwood makes good stuff as well, and I do have experience on this one.. It's a safe bet.
Clarion RAX331D, $170 - 14x4 RMS and 30x4 peak - less power, but still enough. This also has the 6/10 disc CD-changer controls, Clarion's 6-disc costs $279, and I can't find the 10-disc price..
But beyond those - the Panasonic CQ-R115U ($139) has an 8-disc control (I'm not looking for this, since you say you don't want it, but it just happens to be on most cassette decks), 15w RMS and 25w peak. It's brother, the CQ-R825 has the same features, costs $199, and has a couple sound-enhancing features, and a more colorful display - as well as a 1/4" mini-plug on the face for plugging in a portable CD-player - the 8-disc changer from Panasonic costs $279 as well. Crutchfield will take $30-50 off the price of the reciever if you buy the changer with it, as well.
Ahh.. so there - anything else? Just ask. .:)
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by Justin on
Monday, 23 February 1998, at 6:29 p.m.
of course there is a middle ground. I was just disagreeing with Justin's comment that high-end gear is 'wasted". High-end gear, with some effort to find a equivalently-meticulous install, will sound great.
_)_)_)
I said that with the stock locations in mind.. If you want a custom job, like Allan's, then you can drastically improve the sound.. If not, you can only go so far..
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by Justin on
Monday, 23 February 1998, at 6:10 p.m.
Dynaudio System 220 in the kickpanels
up front.
_)_)_)
Well - from a custom standpoint, any car can be made great - it's a matter of cash.. I doubt that you had speakers in the kickpanels to begin with.. In my '86 *240* they are about knee-level in the doors, hardly optimum placement. The speakers on the rear deck fire directly up at the rear window, and reflect down at the floor - they have to really work to get any amount of sound up front.
Looking at your webpage (through Four11)- I can tell you right now that your system could easily kick my system's ass.. But that's not the point.. I spent $0 on installiation, and you spent..? A helluva lot more than that, with custom kickpanels and all.. Had I the money - I would have taken your route.. Since I don't.. I'm happy with what I could get.. I'd rather spend what little money I have on other improvements..
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by allan on
Monday, 23 February 1998, at 6:19 p.m.
Justin and I have concluded our little debate/argument, but I have to clear this up.
now hold on a second here Justin. You're completely twisting my post around - you make me sound like I'm some rich bastard or something. That's really not very fair. Your comment said that high-end gear was wasted in a volvo. You never said whether that meant using stock locations or not. Just that it was a waste.
All I was doing was refuting it.
Now, I'm sure that, if people were to look at my web page and the install job on my car, they'd think I was nuts. Music is important to me. It helps me stay sane, to keep things in perspective. Therefore, it is logical that I put my efforts into having a nice car stereo system. If that means I have to save up for five years to get the car and put in the system that I want, the way I want, so I can enjoy my music, then that's what I'm going to do (uh...that's also what I did). Is it any different than those people who spend money on a good home audio or home theater system? In my eyes, not at all.
Just wanted to make that statement before I'm branded as a spoiled-rich mindless idiot wasting his money on something. Been there before, and it would really hurt to be labeled that way here.
allan
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by Topi on
Monday, 23 February 1998, at 7:35 p.m.
Allan, I think you're over qualified to design my $ 300 system. I just want to go to K-mart, MonkeyWard or Circiut City and buy a streo and 4 speakers that fit to ORIGINAL opening. That's it. Anything should be better than Volvo junk, I just wanted to save leg work and I don't want to modify openings nor dash. I keep looking. PS. About your stereo: It's your money, spend it as you please! It's nobody's business. I think a stereo is more important for City guys, suffering in traffic jam, than open country people. Here, it's either that or going Postal !
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by allan on
Monday, 23 February 1998, at 7:54 p.m.
did you see Justin's post? He had some very good recommendations. My limitations are really that 1) I don't listen to tapes so I don't know good tape decks and 2) I'm only familiar with my 740 GL. I've helped my friends do basic installs (deck + four speakers) in price ranges from $200 - $1000...it's just that a tape deck _and_ a Volvo I dont' know too well is going to limit me.
But Justin had some good ideas. I really do like the JBL speakers - I just didn't know if they would fit in the Volvo shallow openings.
allan
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by Justin on
Monday, 23 February 1998, at 8:35 p.m.
The JBLs actually are shallower than the Pioneers that I have. Depending on your door panel, you may have mounting problems which are unavoidable. I had to raise my speakers 1/4" above the panel in order to get around the raised vinyl portion of the door which is square grille friendly, but the enemy of all round grilles. That may be your only problem.
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers....[ALL/1988] posted by Mark on
Tuesday, 24 February 1998, at 10:42 a.m.
How about the rear speakers in the wagon? Any suggestions on where to mount or what kind???
Thanks
Re: 85 240 needs better speakers..../here are some options/ideas[ALL/1988] posted by Stoney on
Tuesday, 24 February 1998, at 3:47 p.m.
Well the choices are as follows:
1)Rear Doors in Volvo supplied holes in door panels-so so sound but when seat is flat ya can't hear 'em
2)Mid Rear Pillar-room for 3.5" speakers or tweeters but decent 4" are tough Blaupunkt 402's will fit but ya need square grilles BA or Winks style
3)Rear Cargo Compartment side panels-lots of room-I've mounted a number of Component sets here-there is room for 6" or better Bass/Mids and also room for the crossover. 6x9's will also fit. You have to keep them foward of the spare on the left side and be sure to have the spare security stap in place or it will FUBAR your speakers on the first short stop.
4)Sub Woofer in Spare compartment-I've seen a few install that have had a custom fibreglass cover made to replace the std. spare tire cover and hold an 8" or 10" sub woofer. Sound was good-but where do ya put the spare?
5)Sub-woofer in floor storage compartment-I have seen 2 installs where there were two small 6" or one 8" sub mounted in this compartment. The depth doesn't allow for a lot of bass and the spae is better used to mount the amps th\o drive the system.
6)Tailgate panel-Nice place, lots of room-wiring is a bitch unless you like having a wire loom exposed on left or right side and you are careful when t\you close the tailgate! Slam it and your speakers are now in the back seat-I would recommend replacing the panel with 1/4" Plywood or MDF havimng routed out the holes and upholstered to match the interior.
7)Sub under the back seat-can work but when the seat is folded down the doun\ble layer can swallow (shades of Monica) a lot of the sound. Ther are several sub set ups for trucks that are designed to fit under the seat that could be used in this configuration.
There is a guy on Swedishbricks who has a custom sub bx designed for the spaer tire compartment of a 245 wagon-he wants $150 without a sub - it will fit a 10" sub. Check there if you are interested.
Now if ya put in an amp, don't try and run it off the fusebox or power pickup behind the battery-do it right and come off the + side of the battery, fuse it within 18" of that point and run the cable (10ga min) thru firewall and to the spot where ya will ount the amp(s). If ya have 2 amps then split the power there with a good quality power connection box that has fuses for each line, ground each amp within 12" of the amp and if ya run a biggie then spend the bucks and get a capacitor so ya don't dim all the electrics when the bass hits hard.
Thus endeth the lesson....