What would you do? Audio discussion.

[ean611]

Originally Posted by thill

Just to be clear, I am just talking about running wires from the existing holes where the stock 3.5 mids reside in the dash to the new dedicated 5 channel amp in case I want to add Hybrid Audio 3.5 mids down the road to the dash to go to a 3 way setup vs 2 way.

Running extra wires? Good idea. You may want to add midrange later.

L3V2 is a good midrange.

If you're comfortable with REW, use the RTA function, a good mic/preamp, and you can use an EQ like the 3Sixty.3, PS8 etc and set it up correctly.

EDIT: If you need more channels, [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fosgate-T400-4-Multi-Channel-Amplifier/dp/B0012Q9976/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375469927&sr=8-1&keywords=t400-4"]Amazon.com: Rockford Fosgate Power T400-4 400-Watt Multi-Channel Amplifier: Car Electronics[/ame]
Shocking how cheap the power series has become. Nice reliable class AB amps.

[thill]

Originally Posted by ean611

Running extra wires? Good idea. You may want to add midrange later.

L3V2 is a good midrange.

If you're comfortable with REW, use the RTA function, a good mic/preamp, and you can use an EQ like the 3Sixty.3, PS8 etc and set it up correctly.

EDIT: If you need more channels, Amazon.com: Rockford Fosgate Power T400-4 400-Watt Multi-Channel Amplifier: Car Electronics
Shocking how cheap the power series has become. Nice reliable class AB amps.

Thanks, all of that makes sense.

I figured since the installer will have everything pulled apart, he should not charge me too much to run a few extra wires for the midrange...

[ean611]

Originally Posted by thill

Thanks, all of that makes sense.

I figured since the installer will have everything pulled apart, he should not charge me too much to run a few extra wires for the midrange...

Smart thinking. Especially since he'll have to run wires for your tweeters.

FYI. If you didn't know, the doors have dedicated speaker wire run to the trunk already. (Factory amp). You can intercept that and not have to re-wire that. Will save you ton of time.

[thill]

Hybrid audio speakers should be here today. Install is tomorrow

I did get my subwoofer box built yesterday. I was originally going to go with a wedge sub that would fit in the back, but after thinking it through, I decided to go with more of a thin flat box design. This would allow me to maximize placement in terms of firing to the back, top, or bottom. So I can move the woofer around to determine where it sounds the best. The Pioneer SSW251 driver is a 10" shallow driver and specs show that the ideal size box is about .46 cu sq ft, and it can be as small as about .35 cu sq ft. My target was the .46 cu sq ft range, and accounting for the driver volume (these shallow drivers are really cool in that you can really fit them in a smaller box) and material thickness, I ended up with a 19" wide box that is 13" tall, and 6" deep. So pretty small and it will not take up much space.

I like this subwoofer enclosure volume calculator:
http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...me-calculator/

I did go with baltic birch wood due to the fact that it is lighter than MDF and has excellent properties for good sound and is not as soft as MDF or nearly as messy to work with. The trick is getting good 13 ply birch that is void free, but I was lucky in that Mendards carries some and I had lots left over from a previous project. All I needed was a single 2x2 sheet that was $9.

Some tips I will share. I highly recommend one of these for cutting the woofer holes:


It is a Jasper Jig 200, and makes cutting holes effortless and much more professional looking versus using a jig. I already owned one from my home theater subwoofer builds.

Another tip. When gluing the box together I recommend PL Premium adhesive. Why? Because as it dries, it expands and you are much less likely to have any air leaks, I also run a bead on all the inside seams as well to ensure no air leaks. Definitely buy some cheap disposable rubber or vinyl gloves though because this stuff sucks if it gets on your hands and it is messier than wood glue. You can usually find it for under $5 or so:



To finish the box, I am going to sand it and then apply Duratex (this is designed specifically for speaker cabinets) with a smooth roller. I still have half a can and I prefer it to carpet:



I will get some pictures tonight with the woofer installed in the box. I am not going to have time to sand and paint the box before tomorrow AM (Duratex has a pretty long cure time), but I wanted to have the box ready for tomorrow for the installer.

Cost so far for the sub.. $65 for the driver. $9 for wood (had scraps already). $5 for PL Premium. $5 for industrial strength Velcro straps. $4 for 4" smooth texture rollers.

$88 dollars so far. I already had a terminal cap and speaker wire. See how it sounds and I like it, but I think this will do the trick. Again, I am not looking for overpowering bass in my car, just something to smooth frequency response.

Pictures to come... Looking forward to the install tomorrow..

[kmbkk]

Congrats! I look forward to seeing your install. I finally got my PHD tweeters in the mail and I must say they look damn sexy!

[kmbkk]

BTW, where did you get that jig? I gotta get one.

[kmbkk]

Nevermind, found it at parts-express.

[thill]

Originally Posted by kmbkk

Nevermind, found it at parts-express.

Yep, Parts Express rocks. Love that place Congrats on getting your new tweeters..

[butdamnbrian]

this thread is excellent, thanks guys.

[thill]

Speaker porn



Hybrid Audio Imagine l61-2V2 6.5 vs JL Audio C5-650

The Hybrid Audio speakers are considerably heavier. I went ahead and converted the Hybrid Audio speakers from coax to component. Easy peasy. There is a great Youtube video out there on how to do this by the manufacturer. Phase plugs are now installed.

Here is a pic of the unfinished sub:



Should have the sub finished by the end of the week.

[thill]

System was installed today. Talked to the installer and we decided to keep the 3.5" stock midrange speakers and power those as well as the tweeters and the 6.5 door speakers off the amp. I kept the rear speakers for now and they are hooked up to the head unit.

Trying to be impartial, my initial impressions are as follows:
- Bass! Finally I have some real punch. The Imagine 6.5's are everything I hoped for. Very great sound coming from them, and without the sub in the mix, they are a big upgrade being powered off the new amp vs the old stock 6.5's and old amp. Pretty happy with the response out of these speakers.

- The subwoofer really fills out the lower end and frees up the speakers. Again, for the price I paid, the subwoofer was everything I hoped it would be. Good accurate bass. This is not a bass monster, nor will it play ultra low frequency bass, but that was not my goal.

- I was initially disappointed with the Hybrid Audio Imagine tweeter. Highs were overpowering, bright, and thin sounding. I tried a number of different songs from Foo Fighters, to Imagine Dragons, to ColdPlay, to Green Day. Songs that I am very familiar with. No question everything sounded better, but the tweeters were still the weak link and, frankly, disappointing.

- I went into the EQ, and realized one of the factory defaults had been selected which boosted the upper frequencies. A sense of relief I spent about 15 minutes manually listening and tweaking and it sounds considerably better. It still needs more work, but it is a huge improvement over the stock system.

I am pretty convinced I will be upgrading the stock midrange speakers to HAT's midrange speakers. Will look for a deal. I also need a DSP. The stock head unit just does not have enough EQ options to get the sound I know the system is capable of putting out. I talked to the installer and he recommended either the Audisson Bit10 (which is what he has in his car) or the Rockford Fosgate 363. The more we talked the more he thought, on my budget, the Rockford Fosgate would be the better fit for me, and he has had great success with the system and has been happy with it.

So, I will save up and have one installed down the road when the time is right. For now, I will be enjoying the system. Very happy with everything and I accomplished my initial goals.

[thill]

Total cost to date (including tax and installation) is around $960.

[Skippman]

I wish there was a local vendor here in the STL that sold HAT. I've always wanted to hear them and compare them to the Audison Voce and the Hertz MK163's. I know they have an excellent reputation.

[ean611]

Originally Posted by thill

System was installed today. Talked to the installer and we decided to keep the 3.5" stock midrange speakers and power those as well as the tweeters and the 6.5 door speakers off the amp. I kept the rear speakers for now and they are hooked up to the head unit.

Trying to be impartial, my initial impressions are as follows:
- Bass! Finally I have some real punch. The Imagine 6.5's are everything I hoped for. Very great sound coming from them, and without the sub in the mix, they are a big upgrade being powered off the new amp vs the old stock 6.5's and old amp. Pretty happy with the response out of these speakers.

- The subwoofer really fills out the lower end and frees up the speakers. Again, for the price I paid, the subwoofer was everything I hoped it would be. Good accurate bass. This is not a bass monster, nor will it play ultra low frequency bass, but that was not my goal.

- I was initially disappointed with the Hybrid Audio Imagine tweeter. Highs were overpowering, bright, and thin sounding. I tried a number of different songs from Foo Fighters, to Imagine Dragons, to ColdPlay, to Green Day. Songs that I am very familiar with. No question everything sounded better, but the tweeters were still the weak link and, frankly, disappointing.

- I went into the EQ, and realized one of the factory defaults had been selected which boosted the upper frequencies. A sense of relief I spent about 15 minutes manually listening and tweaking and it sounds considerably better. It still needs more work, but it is a huge improvement over the stock system.

I am pretty convinced I will be upgrading the stock midrange speakers to HAT's midrange speakers. Will look for a deal. I also need a DSP. The stock head unit just does not have enough EQ options to get the sound I know the system is capable of putting out. I talked to the installer and he recommended either the Audisson Bit10 (which is what he has in his car) or the Rockford Fosgate 363. The more we talked the more he thought, on my budget, the Rockford Fosgate would be the better fit for me, and he has had great success with the system and has been happy with it.

So, I will save up and have one installed down the road when the time is right. For now, I will be enjoying the system. Very happy with everything and I accomplished my initial goals.

FYI. I would recommend NOT keeping the stock HU if you add EQ / DSP into the car. The stock Fujistu HU works ok the way you're using it, but I would not recommend running it through another DSP due to some of the processing the HU adds.

If you're going to spring for a 3Sixty.3 or Audison Bit1/10, You're going to want a new HU. I've run the stock Fujitsu HU into processors, and the results were less than adequate.

EDIT: To be explicitly clear, this is BRZ only with the Fujitsu HU. I have not used any of the Pioneer HU's from the Toyota/Scion side.