IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SC 810 RADIO AND THE SC 811 RADIO.
ALL I KNOW IS THAT THE SC 811 SAYS "PREMIUM SOUND SYSTEM" ON THE FACE

All of the SC-8xx series stereos have the amplifier built in to the head unit. There is a provision for an optional external amp, as well. The SC-900/901, on the other hand, did not have a built-in amplifier for the main (non-center) channels, so they would have been ordered with a separate amp as part of the package.

All of the above, I'm quite sure of.

As for the following, I can only offer my vague recollection of the matter: I *think* that the difference between the SC-810 and -811 (as well as the CD-equipped SC-815 and -816) was the provision for the dual diversity antenna system in the later model cars. In those models, a second antenna was mounted within the rear bumper, to aid FM reception under certain poor-signal conditions.



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James Rothe, '99 S70 T5M, http://www.monmouth.com/~rothe/carstuff.html#Volvo

SO THE SC 811 IS NOT MORE POWERFUL THAN THE SC 810 ?
THE SC 811 SAYS 'PREMIUM SOUND SYSTEM ON THE FACE....WHATEVER THAT MAY MEAN?

I wasn't sure, so I had to look. Owners Manuals for the various models and years are available in the Volvo Owner's Circle (http://new.volvocars.com/ownerscircle/). The following was compiled by comparing various model years' owner's manuals:

SC-710 Output: 4 x 20 W (10% dist.)

SC-810 Output: 4 x 20 W (10% dist.)

SC-811 Output: 4 x 25 W (10% dist.)

SC-813 Output: 4 x 25 W (10% dist.)

SC-816 Power output: 4 x 25 W (10% dist.)

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James Rothe, '99 S70 T5M, http://www.monmouth.com/~rothe/carstuff.html#Volvo

great..........it looks like i found my answer.......thanks for your help!

Amplifier is separate, not a part of the head unit

SO DOES THE SC 811 HAVE A BETTER AMP THAN THE 810 OR DOES IT HAVE A BETTER HEAD UNIT.....OR NEITHER ?

As far as I know the SC-811 is CD ready (factory or aftermarket changer compatible) and I believe it pumps out a few more watts than the 810.

THANKS......THE 810 IS ALSO CD READY.......DO YOU KNOW IF THE AMP IS IN THE RADIO OR IS IT SEPERATE

I beleive the amp is in the radio. I have never noticed one elsewhere on the car and the radio itself as a whole is rather large. Not 100% sure though.
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96 850 GLT 5-Speed

I have a '95 850 GLT that has the SC-811 radio - i was told that it has a separate amp that powers the rear speakers. The dealers want over $400 for just the amp alone.