High Quality SQ build by Simplicity In Sound
 

I love great audio, but the FT86 is not the best build of a car for high definition audio. Going from my old "so-so" system to a stock BRZ was disappointing. The stock audio was terrible and the rattles were awful. This time around I didn't want to trust any random shop to do my system; I wanted it done right.

After tons of research I came upon a local shop by a well respected builder named Bing. The place: Simplicity In Sound. After careful studying of their work I decided to reach out to Bing to see what they had to offer. Hands down the best customer service I have ever gotten anywhere for basically anything. Definition of cut out the middle-man. An absolute expert in the car audio field and with Joe Knapp the two make an incredible custom car building team. Excellent customer service, communication, friendly, a totally no nonsense approach to business (I had a ton of totally nonsense questions, and was met with unprejudiced honesty) and best of all the rates are as fair for the amount of work you are going to find anywhere.

Here is a build log of my current system and I will tell you it sounds like some of the best audio I have ever experienced car or not by Bing.

Written by Bing and posted on the DIYMA forums:



Someone asked if i get bored doing the same car over again, and the answer is, not really, especially when i can change things up a little bit here and there...tho that theory was dearly tested years ago after the 40th or so G35 or 350z :D...

this brand new 2014 Subaru BRZ is probably the 12th or 13th FT86 we have worked on, but this time, is a little different...namely, for the midrange and tweeters, we went with a non stock location set up and moved them up to the A pillars...

the goals:

1. to obtain a nice level of SQ

2. integrate the midrange and tweeter into the A pillars but still keep them relatively subdued looking

3. keep as much trunk space as possible and build a durable fake floor

lets get started:

the signal source starts with a Pioneer AVIC 8000NEX headunit, installed via a beatsonic dash kit:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/FTP/tribrz/tri1.JPG

we also installed a pioneer rear view camera:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/FTP/tribrz/tri2.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/FTP/tribrz/tri3.JPG

for the front stage, we went with one of my favorite set of speakers, a Morel Elate 603, the 6.5" midbass went into the stock lower door location

first, the door was sound proofed with CLD on the inner door panel and blackhole tiles on the outter door panel, and new speaker wires were run into the door:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/FTP/tribrz/tri4.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/FTP/tribrz/tri5.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/FTP/tribrz/tri6.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/FTP/tribrz/tri7.JPG

then Jesse fabricated a set of Spacers baffles and coated them with several layers of truck bedliner:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/FTP/tribrz/tri8.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/FTP/tribrz/tri9.JPG

then the baffle was bolted to the door using oem hardware, and at the same time, the rest of the door was covered with a layer of stringer foam barrier:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri10.JPG

the Morel Elate MW6 midbass was then installed:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri11.JPG

special attention was put on the door card of the car, and a lot of STP CLD damper went on the door card:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri12.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri13.JPG

and then the whole process was repeated on the passenger side:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri14.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri15.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri16.JPG

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http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri19.JPG

a tidbit on the midrange and tweeter location. this is the third 3 way FT86 we have done, previously, we have always put at least the midrange, if not both, in the stock location firing up at the dash, and for me, there was something always kind weird about the response and imaging. the last time we actually used this same exact midrange, the CD880, and it produced some interesting responses on the RTA that took a long while to sort out, so this time, with the right customer who was interested in moving them into the A pillars, we decided on this course of action.

being that its a sleek sports car, i wanted to make sure that i didnt build some monster pods that obstructed his vision or took away from the interior too much, so here are the final results, wrapped in oem matching black vinyl:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri20.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri21.JPG

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http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri26.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri27.JPG

a few quick build pics of the pillars, first i aimed and attached the ring baffles for the speakers:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri28.JPG

then mold cloth was pulled, resin applied, and the pods were reinforced from the inside via a filler/resin mixture:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri29.JPG

when that cured, the pods received filler and were sanded smooth and blended in:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri30.JPG

then they were wrapped in black vinyl:, the tweeter installed, and ready to go back into the car:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri31.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri32.JPG

Jesse then added an arc audio remote bass knob in a blank spot on the switch panel to the left of the steering wheel:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri33.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri34.JPG

he also ran the wires back, neatly bundled but forgot to take any pics of it :D

the only thing left to do on the interior was to treat the rear deck, which is known to be a rattle trap. first, the metal deck received a bit of CLD coverage:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri35.JPG

then the underside of the deck cover got a lot of soft thick foam to act as a barrier:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri36.JPG

and finally, some "simpliciflock" soft felt like material went on the outter edge of the third brake light to help with the light bouncing off the rear window:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri37.JPG

the trunk lid also got some CLD attention:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri38.JPG


so moving onto the trunk...as mentioned in the goal, the idea was to be stealthy and durable. so here is the normal view, as you can see, virtually no trunk space was lost, the entire floor came up by about half an inch. a single cutout is in the middle, but other wise, nothing really visible:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri39.JPG

remove the breathable grille and here is what you see, two arc audio XDiv2 amps run the entire system, a 600.4 is bridged sending 300 watts rms to each mid, while a 1200.6 powers the midrange and tweeter actively with 150 watts a piece, and sends 600 watts to an Illusion audio C10 subwoofer. everything is trimmed in white vinyl, with the top baffle having some subtle lines to break it up visually:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri40.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri41.JPG

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http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri43.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri44.JPG

pretty simple and effective. :) onto some build pics of the trunk.

first, the spare well was fully sound proofed with STP CLD damper:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri45.JPG

then i laid down a mold and added a top baffle and secured the two together, forming a sealed enclosure of about .5 cubic foot:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri46.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri47.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri48.JPG

then i made a top portion to space the sub up to the level of the amps:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri49.JPG

and then build a whole amp rack with spacers and secured it to the box:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri50.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri51.JPG

this was then secured to the vehicle using the spare tire retaining bolt:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri52.JPG

here are the two cosmetic trim panels before and after vhite vinyl:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri53.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri54.JPG

and here is the top floor pieces before and after carpet:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri55.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri56.JPG

and the top breathable grille before and after carpet:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri57.JPG

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri58.JPG

and finally a shot of the wiring underneath the floor:

http://simplicityinsound.com/images/...ibrz/tri60.JPG

so thats it...compared to previous iterations of the 3 way setups, one thing right away ist hat this car was a lot more natural right out of the box...tonally its quite good, wtih very solid midbass the MW6 is known for with nice and warm mids and highs while retaining good detail. the C10 does a great job of filling the cabin with bass and can go low when asked. imaging wise, the car has good center image and width is pillar to pillar, with depth that is actually better than the stock location installs we have done. stage is high with no rainbowing compared to the stock location as well. A very nice sounding package overall.

until next time :)

Bing

very nice.

glad to see another member joining the SiS build =)
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73868 << my build thread a while back.

Looks great! I love clean audio builds.

:w00t:

Bing mentioned that you had a custom setup with your android phone. Something about being able to interface onto the headunit? Currently plugging my phone directly into the HDMI microusb shows my phone on the headunit, but is there any way to control the phone from the headunit?

I can control it but you risk bricking your phone if you have no idea what to do. Its also not micro usb, its an mhl connection.

There are a lot of patches for this, but most of them crash your phone.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

Look up AppRadio mode from Pioneer. With an Andriod and the MHL adapter you can use certain apps through the Pioneer 8000NEX. I dont think its quite what your looking for with full control of the phone, but It will get you some.

This he already knows..., but thanks for the info heh



Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

Awesome build! Looks very OEM! How do you like the 8000NEX? Had you compared against the Dashlinq4 at all? Out of curiosity how much do you have into the build thus far?

Very nice build! What Mosconi unit is that in the rear with the amps?

I currently have a set of morel virtus 602s. Hows the mid bass with the Elates? I've been thinking about swapping the midrange to try and get some more kick. I've thought about just using the set of ADS 345is I have instead. Only a 5.25 driver but they have more grunt and the tweeter seems less harsh and more natural.

that is a mosconi 6to8v8 digital signal processor :)

the virtus does have a pretty hot tweeter for a morel, the elates on the other hand, are smoother and to me, one of the strongest midbass drivers out there... of course, it also costs more than double what the virtus costs :)

the stock location, reflectingoff the windshield, if untamed with some eq on it, can also cause a speaker to sound harsher than it is :)

b

Absolutely. What phone do you have? You need it rooted and you need a free app call ARUnchained (AppRadio Unchained - written by a hacker, using the original source code for AppRadio). I have a rooted Verizon Galaxy S4. For short trips I just let it connect via Bluetooth for pandora and Google Play Music, but for anything long I connect the MHL connector (same plug as the microUSB) and fire up ARUnchained. Using Tasker you can set up automatic protocols so that you don't have to do anything except plug the phone in. After about 20 seconds the phone's screen is mirrored on the stereo and the phone goes in the center console. FULL control of everything on your phone. Full screen Google Maps, read your text messages, use voice control for navigating or even responding to texts. It really is fantastic. And I don't have the awesome screen that you do, I'm on an older model that only has a TFT screen. I think the 8000NEX supports multitouch so you can zoom and everything a lot easier.

I love your A pillars, but that trunk unit is a deal killer for me. Everything in it, even the spacers look like they are built out of 3/4" MDF? Thing must weigh a hundred pounds, all behind the rear wheels.