[Ryan]

I am using an Alpine V45 amp (4x45) I think.. with 6.5" in the front. I am not using the rears. The fronts are JL Audio separates and I use the second 2 channels of the amp for a 10" tube sub and they sound great together.



6.5" will work with a cab, but like Flash said, I don't think in a coupe.

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[dry664]

Cheers Ryan, where are your 6.5's mounted? Did you modify the door panels the same as Flash? Where do you put your tube? What brand and model? Thx

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[Ryan]

My car is a cab, but the 6.5" speakers are down low as far forward as possible. The parcel pouch partially cover them, but the sound is not affected in a negative way. The panels had to be modified, but it was done by the <acronym title='previous owner'>PO</acronym> for another set of drivers before me.



I have a 10" Bazooka tube (passive) and use 2 of the amps channels mono to drive it. The system rocks! My tube is in the trunk and takes up a fair amount of space, but thats life.



I have an infinity bass-link in my truck that may be great for a coupe as it takes little space and really puts out the sound for such a small size. Worth a look.

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[flash]

i just got the pockets out of the way. it is amazing at how much sound was actually blocked.

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[bombfactory]

Flash is correct, a 6.5" driver will not fit in the forward map pocket position in a coupe. The front window channel runs right behind where the speaker is, so there is not enough depth for a larger speaker. You can fit a 5.25" speaker in the under-armrest location, which isn't ideal position-wise as Flash stated, but there are virtually no 3-way systems available that include a 4" mid (for those of us with the 10 speaker option).

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[flash]

tweaking crossovers in a 3 way system in a car is a bear anyway. i prefer 2 way, even though it usually means you are fighting position and the limitations of that crossover point.



i'm much happier now that i abandoned the OEM woofer location.

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[dry664]

I finally got round to installing the amp today, on the driveway with snow still on the ground! Neighbours must think Im a bit mad! The install went without any hiccups although I havent hidden wires yet, I just wanted to make sure everything worked. I listen to lots of different types of music depending on mood so the system has its work cut out.



The orignal plan was to HPF the fronts at 100hz and LPF the rears at 100hz in order to give the fronts a good chance to do what they do best and keep the staging upfront, while getting all bass from the rears.

Great in theory but this was a bad idea as when amped, the rears resonated terribly when trying to do the low frequencies and actually, you do miss what they have to give in the higher frequencies because the 968's speaker positions are so flawed. Amping the front speakers accentuates that they are aimed at your legs so the concept of staging just goes out of the window! Now I appreciate why Flash took the risk of cutting up door panels to move speakers.

After lots of fiddling round including an hour long drive tuning things up I've settled on HPFing the fronts at around 90hz (could comfortably get away with 80 but just wanted to make their lives even easier) and HPFing the rears at 65hz (any lower and they resonate). The speakers sound clear and warm and do a great job with music like Bowie, The Cure or some live DMB. Any music that relies more heavily on bass like hard rock/hip hop recorded in a studio sounds clear and perfectly acceptable, but its not going to make hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Its obvious that some tracks are missing some proper bass and I think at 65hz HPF im probably losing quite a lot. Better this though than be distracted by some really heavy resonance.

Ive still got to dynamat the doors which I hope will reduce the road noise a little and improve sound quality. After that Im not sure where to go.

I think that the speaker enclosure mod is a good option (would be interested to know from Flash how low his rear speakers can go with the mod??) but I'm a bit scared of making a mess of my baby! Another option is a small sub, something like a 8" in a KLA box or a DLS RXT6 under the dash, but that would mean losing the amped rears and the one thing I learned today is the fronts need all the help they can get! Last option is a 5 channel amp + a sub. Some thinking for me to do!

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[bombfactory]

I'm running a 5-channel amp with the KLA sub box in the passenger side cubby. It's definitely not enough. Next step is to try the JL 8" sub that Flash recommends, as it's supposed to go quite a bit lower than the Polk unit I currently have. If that doesn't work I'm going to ditch the KLA box and seal up the entire cubby with dynamat and a 3/4" <acronym title='dual mass flywheel'>DMF</acronym> lid to gain air volume. If that doesn't work I guess I'll abandon my 'it must be out of sight' rule and try a sealed bass tube.



I also have the boomy resonance from the rear speakers. The cure for this is Flash's foam fill mod along with some dynamat. I'll definitely be getting to this as soon as the sound from my current system sufficiently pisses me off!

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[DaveN]

I am changing my 8" sub to the one Flash has as well. I have the whole cubby filled in but the cheaper Cerwin Vega sub in there can't take too much power plus the volume is probably too small. The JL is just about right for the left cubby.

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[dry664]

Anyone looked at the RXT6? Don't comapre it with an underseat, its 300WRMS, in a purpose built box and in the front of the cabin. Cant help but think it has to compare favourably with a funny shaped box (KLA) and a mismatched 8" sub placed in a position its not designed to be in. Maybe I will have to be to be the guinea pig!



Now if I can just find a reliable DLS distributor in the UK......

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[flash]

how the heck is that supposed to be in the front of the cabin? it's a 13" long by 7" diameter tube. i'm not sure it would fit even if you deleted the glove box



i think you will be hard pressed to get that anywhere in the car where it will not be in your way



if i had a hardtop, i would do the rear speaker enclosure mod, and use the JL 6.5" woofers, and concentrically mounting the tweeters. those are designed to be able to be used free-air, so complete seal is not an issue, but the mod will help lower frequencies.



i would leave the system 4 channel, and dip the rear tweeters 4db at the crossover. if you have time alignment, i would delay the rears just a bit. if you have a front crossover, and are running any sort of 5.25", i would cut the bottom of that at about 90hz



if i really needed more, then a single 8" JL or similar responding speaker in the rear wheelwell, doing a similar sealing job back there, and i am certain that the low frequencies would be supported.

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[dry664]

[quote name='flash' timestamp='1359041593' post='137894']how the heck is that supposed to be in the front of the cabin? it's a 13" long by 7" diameter tube. i'm not sure it would fit even if you deleted the glove box[/quote]



I see the error of my ways. I will go and stand in the corner now (straight after I get back from the diy store with some expanding foam and dryer hose).



I'm sure it would fit if I went for the 'passenger leg delete mod'

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[flash]

roflmao - no worries - been there done that. i'm on my 5th system in this car, and only now think i have it nailed. i'm really picky though, as audio is a large part of what i do for a living (in fact, i mixed a show last night).

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[bombfactory]

I agree, Flash. I'm going to basically do what you suggested and then hopefully leave it alone. Forever. And get back to getting the car off the DL.

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[dry664]

[quote name='flash' timestamp='1359045370' post='137901']

I'm on my 5th system in this car, and only now think i have it nailed[/quote]



I really hope it doesnt go that far :-)



I WILL have the audio at a good level by spring! After that my focus will move to the exterior and perhaps a few mechanicals, although the car was given a clean bill of health only a few weeks ago.

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[tamathumper]

If at first you don't succeed, lower your standards. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[DaveN]

There's a joke in there somewhere about multiple marriages but I can't find my 10 foot pole anywhere <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[tamathumper]

No, you're thinking "If at first you don't succeed, learn to aim better."

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[dry664]

I need more help!!



To update I've hidden wires and dynamatted doors (this makes a HUGE difference in sound quality). I MAY have over extended the tweeters with a little too much gain :-) although the passenger side was buzzing with the stock HU when I got the car. So of course this means I must replace speakers :-)

I have sourced a set of 5.25" Alpine Type R's (100W RMS) and a DLS CA51 amp. The DLS is a 5 channel amp so I have a separate Sub channel in case I need it later.

I havent done the rear speaker enclosure mod yet.



Regarding replacing the stock speakers upfront, I was surprised not to see some kind of crossover in the door panel. Is there a crossover in the standard setup? Is it somewhere in the cabin? Am I better off just bypassing all the stock wiring and running some fresh speaker cable from the amp? Where is the best place to put the crossovers? Thanks.

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[tamathumper]

I seem to recall the crossover being wired in near the large speaker in the lower door panel.

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