The glory of a well put-together mobile audio system

[Symbiont]

I would love to describe myself as an audiophile, but that would be presumptuous. Rather, I know what I like, and I can tell the difference between a good system and a great system, without describing the intangibles that make it thus. As such, I decided to put the best affordable system I could into my new BRZ and have it professionally tuned.

Now, the first caveat I'd like to make is that I said 'affordable'. I haven't yet upgraded the deck, although that will be coming right after the Injen intake and (not sure which manufacturer yet) exhaust I'm putting on the car, and I didn't touch the rear fill speakers. Frankly, the rear fill accounts for less than 10% of the actual audio that your ears assimilate, so that was low priority. Instead, I focused on the front soundstage and the low end, as well as making it both an easily removable and space-saving 'stealth' install.

Originally I wanted to put one sub into the spare wheel well, but that would have involved either building up the trunk floor extensively or cutting the metal substructure, so I settled for mounting the two amps in there, using a custom rack. I was also going to go with a fiberglass box, but MDF ended up working fine for the dual sub array I chose. If I had gone with a single sub, I would have built it along side the passenger side, but I much prefer a rear facing setup for both balance and sound quality. Personally, I believe I can tell the difference in how subs sound depending on how they are mounted, so I went with a sealed enclosure with a rear-firing setup. This is probably me just fooling myself, but it's my car, so I'll do that if I want to.

I went down to the guys at Gold Star Audio in Orange County, CA, and asked them to hook me up with an excellent system that wouldn't completely break the bank. They had done my Nissan Maxima for me, before, so I trusted their expertise and workmanship.

Front sound stage:
There is a lot of truth in the saying that the audio is only as good as the mounting positions provide, and that's why custom kickpanels were so popular in the past. Separating the tweets from the upper-midbass can cause a bit of distortion in how the track was originally recorded, so that was always a consideration. However, the 86 platform isn't too friendly with how much room you get for your feet, and so I didn't want to jeopardize driving comfort and performance just for sound quality, so those were never in consideration.

The default mounting locations have a lot going for them, thankfully. The 6.5" drivers in the door are in a fairly solid location, and there is a separate 3.5" midrange in the dash to handle the vocals effectively. The dash mounted tweeters are right next to the high-mids, so there is no effective separation in the audio source, and the full range is fairly well presented. Even the stock 3.5s and tweets do an adequate job of playing many different music styles. The door mounted 6.5s, however, are extremely substandard. In particular, they have a hard time handling any drum kicks, and many people have intimated that it sounds like the speakers are blown right from the dealer. This is especially a problem at higher decibel levels.

The one thing I have always been leery of with dash-mounted tweets is how 'tinny' or 'glassy' the highs can sound when being reflected off of a windshield. This is extremely apparent with metal-domed tweeters, and is something to be considered when looking at your aftermarket speaker choice.

In the past, I've always gone with Focal components and JL amps and subs, but I decided to mix it up a bit for the BRZ, due largely in part to the mounting locations and the car size.

The JL w7 series is an excellent subwoofer range, but has massive power requirements, necessitating a large 1 farad capacitor and backup battery. Even with these in place, they still make the headlights dim and pulse with hard hits. In addition, they are extremely heavy and require a very deep mounting solution, two things I wanted to stay away from. The w3 series always felt weak, to me, in comparison, and I was determined to find a better answer to my low-end needs.

Focal has always been an innovator, and their Kevlar drivers and inverted dome tweeters have long been recognized as some of the best in the mobile audio market. The Utopia Be series steps it up a bit with their Beryllium tweeters and amazing crossover, but are a bit expensive. Unfortunately, I had set myself a cap on the amount I was going to spend on the audio for this car to allow myself room to upgrade the performance, as well, so I went with a slightly different solution.

Components:
Starting with the subwoofers, I decided to stay with a brand I knew and loved. The Focal 10" P 25 DB subwoofers are both extremely powerful and cost-efficient. I was leaning heavily towards a single Focal Polyglass 11" 27v2, but decided that for the same price, I could get a MDF sealed box filled with two Focal Performance series subs. This would allow me to dial in exactly how much bass I wanted, and never feel as though the subs were straining or reaching to achieve the exact amount of power that I wanted to feel. I was initially going to power them with the JL Audio a1800 I had, but knew that the lack of venting below the trunk floor may cause heat issues under extensive load, so I went with the ARC Audio XDi 1000.1 amplifier.

This amp has received excellent reviews for how transparent its amplified signals are, and I am extremely happy with how well it pushes those two subs. They can hit hard enough to shake the entire car, but the separation in the audio signal is obvious. For example, with Cake's "Friend is a Four Letter Word', there is a very heavy bass line, coupled with a steady kick drum. The kicks do not cause any detectable distortion in the smooth bass guitar line, and the front stage easily rises to meet the occasion.

Morel Audio has a long history of audio excellence. Founded in 1975 in Israel, Morel has consistently received strong critic reviews, and are also considered one of the strongest mobile audio brands you can get. I debated for awhile as to which set to get (between the Elate 6 3w and the Hybrid 6 3w), but ended up going with the Hybrid Ovation 6 3w set (similar to this, but with a couple different components). This isn't a set that's normally assembled as such, so Morel shipped their brand new tweeter (MT250 Acuflex Silk dome) and MXR380 crossover out with the CDM-4 4" (100mm) high-mid and the standard Hybrid Ovation 6.5" (165mm) midrange. The CDM-4 has a very shallow mounting depth for a 4", so I was able to fit the 4" into the dash along with the Morel grill, underneath the stock speaker covers. A custom MDF baffle sealed the mounting location off to provide the mids with as tight of response as possible. The stock install uses a foam surround sealing the driver to the grill, but most aftermarket setups won't be able to use this. The Morels are bi-amped through an ARC Audio KS 300.4, with 2 channels being used by the 6.5s and 2 being used by the 4s and tweets. I am extremely happy with how the Morels handle the extra power. Even at high volume, the mids and highs are clear and undistorted, and easily separated from the bass.

The factory deck still controls the sound, all routed through an Audiocontrol EQS (mounted to the rear of the back seat for ease of tuning). Ultimately, adding another 500 dollars to the install for a new deck would have precluded the Escort Passport 9500ix I installed to handle the overzealous local traffic enforcement. I'll add an aftermarket deck in for enhanced control and signal quality to the amps in the future.

Results and a few pictures:
After a 2 week break-in period, I brought the car back to Gold Star for a tune. The mids were a little weak, prior, but tweaking the EQS brought them into play quickly and efficiently.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with how the system sounds. The soft dome tweeter makes the highs sound spacious and smooth, even reflected off the glass, and the mids have excellent separation between guitars and vocals. The 6.5s do an amazing job of filling in the low-mids, while the audio offers complete immersion. There are no 'hot spots' in the car, which I found to be amazing. The small ****pit and front seat positions cause the signals to be almost perfectly aligned without having to resort to time-delay trickery, and the car is almost completely rattle free. I highly recommend investing in a tiny bit of Dynamat for the rear brake light surround and the rear license plate, but other than that, I can hear nothing from the interior of the car that detracts from the listening experience. There have been times where I will drive my car up to a remote parking space at night to relax and listen to some music, rather than through my McIntosh + Sennheiser setup at home. Being able to look out over the cityscape while enjoying some relaxing music is extremely cathartic.

Comparing this to my last install (Focal 165 VR3s), the difference is night and day. The mids are more accurate and tight, and the highs do not fatigue my ears the same way the Focal tweeter did. After extended listening in my last car, the highs would deflate a bit, and begin to sound muddy. This was largely due to how bright the metal-domed tweeter is. The bass hits just as hard, but feels a lot less tiring, as well. The Focals are superior for this environment to the JL 10w7 I had. I can't imagine what a w7 would even sound like in the small BRZ trunk.

After all is said and done, the components plus install set me back approximately 1800-2200USD, which was to be expected. The work was top-notch, and aside from the remote bass control knob, you couldn't even tell the installers had ever been inside the car without popping the trunk. The Morels alone cost me around 1200-1400USD, and are worth every penny.

Trunk w/ subs:



Bass remote control:



Amps and EQS (poor quality)

Amp block and riser, with wiring:



Close up of the speaker outs and power block:



Shot to give you an idea of the amount of space left over in the wheel well:


Line inputs from the EQS:




Speaker in/line outs from the EQS (mounted to the back of the sub box):


Future:
I like the look of the Kenwood Excelon DNX6990HD double DIN deck, as I LOVE volume knobs, and I hear good things about the speed of the interface on that deck, but I am currently leaning toward the Pioneer AVH-P8400BH deck. I've had good luck with Pioneer decks in the past, and my installer can get it for me for around 400-425, installed, which is a huge plus.

I'll probably post any updates in my journal thread here.

[Chewie4299]

Focal are amazing speakers. I used to work in a high end home theater store that also was well known for quality mobile audio. The higher end Focals were the most crisp components we carried.

Pronounced - Fo Kal in case anyone was curious. I think I'll be using them for my interior speakers and run them off one of my JL amps.

[Chewie4299]

Originally Posted by Symbiont

The JL w7 series is an excellent subwoofer range, but has massive power requirements, necessitating a large 1 farad capacitor and backup battery. Even with these in place, they still make the headlights dim and pulse with hard hits. In addition, they are extremely heavy and require a very deep mounting solution, two things I wanted to stay away from. The w3 series always felt weak, to me, in comparison, and I was determined to find a better answer to my low-end needs.

What about the W6? I've always thought the 6 was the best of both worlds. Solid bass without being overpowering and power hungry.

[Symbiont]

Originally Posted by Chewie4299

Focal are amazing speakers. I used to work in a high end home theater store that also was well known for quality mobile audio. The higher end Focals were the most crisp components we carried.

Pronounced - Fo Kal in case anyone was curious. I think I'll be using them for my interior speakers and run them off one of my JL amps.

That's exactly what I was going to do (K2 Powers), but I was really concerned about how the tweets would sound reflecting off the glass. Ultimately, however, I think most people probably won't notice any issues, and they are an extremely good choice.

[Symbiont]

Originally Posted by Chewie4299

What about the W6? I've always thought the 6 was the best of both worlds. Solid bass without being overpowering and power hungry.

I had 3 8w6s in one of my previous cars (wired series/parallel). They were amazing, and I highly recommend them. The solution would have been a bit more expensive than the 2 Focals, however, and they still required a deeper mounting enclosure. This would have sounded great, but I would have lost another inch or two of trunk space.

I absolutely love that the w6s sound excellent in small sealed enclosures. They'll probably be a great choice for this car, as well.

If someone is interested, these /should/ fit nicely into the trunk, rear-firing: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/CVS110RG-W6V2-Single-10W6V2-D4-Suwoofer-Enclosure/dp/B001UDQ2YE"]Amazon.com: CVS110RG-W6V2 - JL Audio Single 10W6V2-D4 Suwoofer Box Enclosure: Car Electronics[/ame]

http://www.jlaudio.com/cvs110rg-w6v2...-systems-93061

[Chewie4299]

Originally Posted by Symbiont

I had 3 8w6s in one of my previous cars (wired series/parallel). They were amazing, and I highly recommend them. The solution would have been a bit more expensive than the 2 Focals, however, and they still required a deeper mounting enclosure. This would have sounded great, but I would have lost another inch or two of trunk space.

I absolutely love that the w6s sound excellent in small sealed enclosures. They'll probably be a great choice for this car, as well.

I've always preferred sealed enclosures I'm going to explore a single 10" W6 as the 500/1 I have from JL would power it perfectly.

I LOVE my slash series amps and will never get rid of them. I need to find the right speakers to pair with my 300/4.

I prefer a tighter cleaner bass note as I do not listen to bass heavy music for the most part. I MOSTLY listen to various types of rock but I do venture into other genres frequently.

I tried to get my audiophile on in my Jeep as that's been my only car for a few years but there's only so much you can do w/ a Jeep.


(this is probably the fourth thread I've linked this pic in)

[Chewie4299]

Originally Posted by Symbiont

I absolutely love that the w6s sound excellent in small sealed enclosures. They'll probably be a great choice for this car, as well.

If someone is interested, these /should/ fit nicely into the trunk, rear-firing: Amazon.com: CVS110RG-W6V2 - JL Audio Single 10W6V2-D4 Suwoofer Box Enclosure: Car Electronics

http://www.jlaudio.com/cvs110rg-w6v2...-systems-93061

Oooh... I may just do that depending on the size. I was thinking of a FG enclosure tucked into the rear passenger corner angles up and forwards.

[Symbiont]

I love fiberglass enclosures, when done right. I was initially going to go with a custom solution built up out of the floor of the spare tire wheel well, but ended up deciding to save around 400USD by going with the standard MDF. Also, I honestly think that sealed enclosures sound best when rear-firing, especially with smaller subs (<=10") in smaller trunks. That could be personal preference, but that's always how it seemed to me.

I currently have a 10w7, a1800, and a e4300 that I need to get rid of. They all should work fine, but I need to get them benched and tested before I do that.

[Chewie4299]

Whatever I do I want to maintain my spare and I also want to be able to fit a golf bag in there (seat down is ok).

I'm really liking that w6 you linked. It would be cake to remove when necessary.

Those three 8" w3v2s in my jeep were the best I could have hoped for while retaining the back seat. I've got the whole thing (enclosure and subs) up for sale on the jeepforums right now.

[Symbiont]

Originally Posted by Chewie4299

Whatever I do I want to maintain my spare and I also want to be able to fit a golf bag in there (seat down is ok).

I'm really liking that w6 you linked. It would be cake to remove when necessary.

Those three 8" w3v2s in my jeep were the best I could have hoped for while retaining the back seat. I've got the whole thing (enclosure and subs) up for sale on the jeepforums right now.

I would have loved to keep the spare, but the delete was about the same as the weight of the amps and subs, so the balance wasn't affected, and I have AAA (and am rarely out of the Orange County urban area).

As far as toting anything around goes, that's why I kept the Mazda CX-7.

[michaelahess]

Got any pics of the amp and crossover installs? What did you use for power distribution?

[Filipino Royale]

Morels are really one my top choices, but I'm a focal guy. Been running my 165v30 running on JL's solid 4. Still sounds superb.

Well on the brz the motel elates matches the car because of the fixed 3 way set up of the car without cutting or modifying the house of the speakers.

[mashal]

Subscribed, can't wait to see some pictures .

[Symbiont]

Here are some pictures. I don't have the pics from the actual install process, as they are on another computer that I don't currently have access to, but here are some I just snapped while crawling around my car in my garage.

A couple are a bit fuzzy, but I'll try to put up some more detailed shots when I have greater leisure. I added them to the original post, as well, for clarity's sake.

Amp block and riser, with wiring:



Close up of the speaker outs and power block:



Shot to give you an idea of the amount of space left over in the wheel well:


Line inputs from the EQS:




Speaker in/line outs from the EQS (mounted to the back of the sub box):