[968kid]

Went for a cruise this past weekend and was very disappointed with my sound system. Sounded weak, thin and with the window rolled down turned it up and speakers were cracking. Can only imagine what it would be like with the top down this summer! Car came with an Eclipse CD3404 (4x35w) and an Alpine F250 (4x40w). I figure it's the speakers. Will be pulling my door panels for another project and thought it be a good time to replace. My budget is $300. Can I get something decent in this range? If so any recommendations?

If not, know it's a long shot, anyone out there with decent setup plan on upgrading and want to sell their currents?

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[rxter]

Many threads here regarding audio systems. You'll find a lot of discussion centering on the amplifier and equalizer as key culprits. To my surprise a new head unit with a decent EQ was the fix. We were ready to put new speakers in, but found that we really did not need them. The original Nokia paper cones were in good shape and sounded very good. If the paper or surround has deteriorated then of course you would want to replace them. You might want to inspect the speakers for damage before you replace them.

Lows in the cab are very difficult to do well, and you'll also find a plethora of previous work devoted to that subject. If you type "subwoofer" in the serach box you'll find several very helpful threads on that topic.

FWIW the head unit that we intalled in my cab was $300 to $400 as I recall. Sounds prettty good for that little amount of $.

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[flash]

the factory speakers really aren't all that bad - the installation they did on them absolutely sucks - a LOT can be done by reworking that - not a lot of expense either - do some reading here - i did a couple of cars with dynamat extreme in the doors and the result was nothing short of amazing

also, you would need to figure out how they hooked up the deck and amp - they shouldn't have run the amp of the deck into another amp

what speakers are in the rear? the cabs had a couple of different setups, which are not documented (lol - just ask rxter), and so the option code is useless for that - you'll need to pull the rear panel to see

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[Ryan]

Hey Kid, I know what you mean with the factory "thin" sound. I added an Infinity Basslink to my factory system in my truck with some bass-blockers on the factory speakers and it now rocks. Just adding that bottom end really fills out the sound and the blockers keep the factory speakers free to make the sound they are capable of.

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[flash]

it is truly amazing at how you can cure that "thin" sound of the factory speakers with the strategic application of the dynamat extreme - i'm not saying that suddenly your 5" speakers will reproduce tons of 40hz sound, but you will immediately get all they are capable of, which is a lot more than you might think

it's a time consuming job, and you'll scrape up your hands a bit, and the dynamat isn't cheap, but it is the single best thing i have done for sound in all 4 of my cars, and they all got new systems

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[968kid]

Yeah, I got to do something. I guess I start with the Dynamat Extreme. If that doesn't get the desired results I'll go the sub route. If those don't work I'll just have my wife sing to me.

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[flash]

feel free to contact me for tips on doing the job - it really has been an amazing transformation, both in audio improvement, and in noise reduction in the car, which inherently allows the speakers to do their job better, as they are no longer competing with road noise - i was very skeptical at first, and i'm an audio engineer who understand the physics involved, and doesn't easily buy into things, but silvy968 persuaded me to give it a try - now i wish i had stock in the company

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[PorscheDude]

Flash didn't you post some pics of the dynomat installed in some spots?

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[flash]

yeah - i thought so too, but i can't find them - but i'm also pretty sure i failed to show the doors and stuff, where it is really where it helps the speakers

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[PorscheDude]

I'd be interested in the door pics. I have my panels off and I am installing speakers.
If you get a chance, could you see if you can find them?

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[flash]

i looked and couldn't find them - really bugs me too - it would have made a good addition to the rear speaker enclosure mod

i'm not sure i took any - i could direct you though, and then you could take shots and post a DIY

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[Johannvb]

Don't now if this is of any help but if I remember correctly you took pictures of DS968s car...including the dynamat in the trunk.

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[flash]

i looked at those - i didn't take shots of the door and door panel work - that is the key to the front speakers

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[Milton-Adamou]

I'm thinking exactly along these lines - not only for better performance from the speakers but also because I'm going to be adding the Bluetooth mic to my Alpine setup and figured I would get better results if I 'sound proofed' the car.

I was thinking of starting with the doors, so any tips would be much appreciated.

Kind regards,


milton

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[rxter]

Ryan,

Can you post a couple of pics of your basslink install please? I have one in my RX8 and love it. I tried to place it in the cab in every conceivable spot and just could not find a way to install it well. The best place I found was right behind the driver's chair. Went for a test drive, turned it up and actually had to pull over because I thought my brain was going to cook [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

But I would like it in the trunk if at all possible.

EDIT: shoot I reread your post and you noted that the basslink is in your truck. You still have the 10" zook in your cab?

Thanks

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