# 2012 Nissan Altima Coupe (Commuter Car) Build



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Well, I finally got a new commuter/everyday car which is a 2012 Nissan Altima Coupe. 

Unlike the stereo install in my BMW, this system will be a modest (relatively speaking) two-way setup with an emphasis on being very stealthy, OEM-like, and keeping things as functional as much as possible. Basically, if someone looks in the interior or opens the trunk, then the goal is for everything to look stock or very close to it.

The stereo will be installed by Sound Innovations in Hayward, CA:

Sound Innovations

Ernie Onate is the shop owner and James "Junior" Ngim will be the installer. They are the ones who did the system in my BMW [go to gallery (menu) > click on the BMW logo > select the silver BMW 540i]. Peter Lufrano will also be graciously helping out with the install planning and tuning. 

The following is a list of what equipment will be going into the car:

Source Unit(s):

- stock factory CD player (non-Bose)
- Logitech Squeezebox Touch (media player)
- CI Audio VDC•SB High Current Power Supply

Processor:

- Audison Bit One

Amplification:

- Audison Thesis TH Quattro
- Audison Thesis TH Uno

Front Stage:

- Genesis Absolute R1 Ring Radiators (tweeters)
- Audio Technology C-Quenze 18 H's (midranges)

Subwoofers:

- Audio Technology Flex Unit 12's

Signal/Power Cable:

- Audison 

Since the stereo will be hidden after the installation is complete, I am planning on posting pictures (if possible) as the install progresses. Pictures to follow...

Thanks for looking and I hope this will help others with ideas if they are planning on doing something similar in their cars.

In addition to those mentioned, I would like to thank very much Kirk Proffitt, Kevin K., and Per Skanning for their help and advice.

Regards,

George


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Junior fabricating the subwoofer enclosures in the rear seat locations of the car:


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

I LOVE putting subs in side panels like that. I look forward to seeing the results!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> I LOVE putting subs in side panels like that. I look forward to seeing the results!


Thanks! The Altima Coupe is extremely tight on trunk space so we chose this alternative for the sub enclosure location(s).


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## nautic70 (Oct 20, 2010)

I work at a Nissan store and love these cars. The one mistake I think they made when chopping 9 inches of the sedan to make the coupe is that it seemed to all come out of the trunk. The trunk of a convertable Z is only slightly smaller. Looking forward to more pics. One question wouldn't ib be a viable option over the custom work of side panel subs?


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

nautic70 said:


> I work at a Nissan store and love these cars. The one mistake I think they made when chopping 9 inches of the sedan to make the coupe is that it seemed to all come out of the trunk. The trunk of a convertable Z is only slightly smaller. Looking forward to more pics. One question wouldn't ib be a viable option over the custom work of side panel subs?


Yes, IB was definitely considered as they would work with the AT Flex 12 subs. Fiberglass enclosures in the rear corners of the trunk were also considered, but they may have encroached upon the current trunk space (given the enclosure requirements of the AT Flex 12's). 

As of now, I can fit a fit regular sized piece of luggage and a carry-on in the trunk, and that was one of the parameters for the install (to preserve this space).

However, the side panel sub enclosures would provide the most stealth so that is why we finally decided upon that location


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Wow. That looks amazing. Looks like they put alot of effort into deleting all the factory locations. Do you compete with the BMW? I mean, it's a subtle mod, but seems like alot of work. What it the component on the right side of the trunk? Looks like a bunch of capacitors and maybe some tubes or something?

Jay


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

Looking forward to seeing this build progress George.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

JayinMI said:


> Wow. That looks amazing. Looks like they put alot of effort into deleting all the factory locations. Do you compete with the BMW? I mean, it's a subtle mod, but seems like alot of work. What it the component on the right side of the trunk? Looks like a bunch of capacitors and maybe some tubes or something?
> 
> Jay


JayinMI,

Thanks! 

Yes, Sound Innovations put in a lot of work into the BMW to make things look OEM/stock. There was a lot of behind-the-scenes work, as you can tell/mentioned, from the build pics that are not readily apparent and are often over-looked.

No, I do not compete with the BMW. However, people who have listened to and seen the system in person, have mentioned that the system would be competitive and has potential, which is nice to know. 

The component on the right-hand side of the trunk is an HSS Fidelity tube preamp. 

George


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

chefhow said:


> Looking forward to seeing this build progress George.


Howard,

Thanks! Likewise, I really want to see what you and Mic come up with in your E39. 

George

P.S.

Don't forget about the "trunk monkey"!!! No one will mess with your car if you have one of those !!!

Or, stick the DIYMA mascot into your new ride for protection:


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## chevbowtie22 (Nov 23, 2008)

I'm definitely looking forward to this build. My girlfriend has the very same car and I've been scratching my head on what to do about the sub placement. The trunk is rediculously small.


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## nautic70 (Oct 20, 2010)

chevbowtie22 said:


> I'm definitely looking forward to this build. My girlfriend has the very same car and I've been scratching my head on what to do about the sub placement. The trunk is rediculously small.


One of my customers had good success glassing a 12w6 into the passenger side of the trunk. It sounded very nice, had good punch and didn't take up much room.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

chevbowtie22 said:


> I'm definitely looking forward to this build. My girlfriend has the very same car and I've been scratching my head on what to do about the sub placement. The trunk is rediculously small.


Yes, the trunk is beyond small! 

Initially, I was thinking about doing an IB setup, however, the magnets would have stuck out a little too much. I can barely fit a regular size piece of luggage and a carry on as it is.


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## Se7en (Mar 28, 2007)

Sub'd! Very nice equipment choices!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

nautic70 said:


> One of my customers had good success glassing a 12w6 into the passenger side of the trunk. It sounded very nice, had good punch and didn't take up much room.


Yes, a single 12" sub is definitely more than adequate for this size of a car depending on your tastes/needs. 

I just wanted a bit more low-end than what I currently have in my BMW.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Se7en said:


> Sub'd! Very nice equipment choices!


Thanks! I have been following your install pretty closely and it is definitely nice!


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## Se7en (Mar 28, 2007)

d5sc said:


> Thanks! I have been following your install pretty closely and it is definitely nice!


Thank you sir... Seeing your BMW at Marvs BBQ a few years back was a major point of inspiration for me on many fronts, as was Peter's Audi. My car was only inches away from having Genesis in the trunk.


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

Glad to see Ernie's still plugging away. Having had him do work for me in the past, I eagerly await the install. One thing that I like about their shop is that they seem to treat everyone's car with the same service and respect, whether they are some young kid (like me) or a guy rolling through with a limited edition Porsche.


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## bigaudiofanatic (Mar 1, 2009)

Very much looking forward to this build, as I have a 2011 nissan altima coupe.

Please take plenty of pics of the doors with the panels removed.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

ReloadedSS said:


> Glad to see Ernie's still plugging away. Having had him do work for me in the past, I eagerly await the install. One thing that I like about their shop is that they seem to treat everyone's car with the same service and respect, whether they are some young kid (like me) or a guy rolling through with a limited edition Porsche.


Ernie, Junior, Daniel, and Sound Innovations are doing well. And yes, they treat everyone equally regardless of who they are and what they drive. Their customer service and attention to detail is amongst the best and this is why they have stayed in business for the past 23 years.

Unfortunately, I can't say that for many shops I have visited. All of the brand bashing and holier-than-thou, arrogant attitudes does get very tiring after awhile. 

George


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

bigaudiofanatic said:


> Very much looking forward to this build, as I have a 2011 nissan altima coupe.
> 
> Please take plenty of pics of the doors with the panels removed.


Will do. Even though this is not one of their show installs, they are going to take a lot of pictures based on my request to do so.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Speaking of limited edition Porsches, here is one of Monster Cable's 911s they are working on (1997 Turbo S; ~5K total miles; only 183 were sold throughout the world for this production run):


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## bitperfect (Oct 1, 2010)

Subs in the rear panels! cant wait to see more. Nice work!


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## adamand (Apr 19, 2009)

Sub'd - nice equipment list. 

Looking forward to see how the Squeezebox will be integrated...


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

It could be any number of ways. It has optical, coax, and line level outputs. All can be fed into the B1.1.


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## autofile (Oct 25, 2005)

We need more pics George!


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## adamand (Apr 19, 2009)

quality_sound said:


> It could be any number of ways. It has optical, coax, and line level outputs. All can be fed into the B1.1.


^^ figured as much... I found the analog outs to be pretty bad :laugh:

I was thinking along the lines of how it'll be physically built in - keeping it as one piece, taking the display apart and moving it somewhere?

Nice move with the CI power supply. I used a Boulder Cables PS with my Squeezebox and found that it significantly inproved the sound quality. Changed it out for a Linn Akurate DS though - now that would be interesting to see in an install!! 

Since the CI unit is 120v, how will they be converting it to 12v? I imagine there might be something right in the PS that would make for a shortcut?


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

autofile said:


> We need more pics George!


Hey Peter,

Yikes, tough crowd!

Might be leaving work a bit early today if it's not too busy to visit the shop. If so, I will try to snap some pictures or ask Junior or Ernie if they have any more updates, and will post them later.

George


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## brett.b10 (Dec 1, 2008)

Hi George
I saw your 5 series install in a certain online magazine all I can say is awsome
only wish I had the town halls to chop the kick panels on my e39 !!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

brett.b10 said:


> Hi George
> I saw your 5 series install in a certain online magazine all I can say is awsome
> only wish I had the town halls to chop the kick panels on my e39 !!


Gosh, I totally understand where you are coming from in regard to cutting metal in a car. It doesn't make it any easier when you see that the dash has been removed, the trunk is in pieces, and other pieces have been removed...


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

Please, post a link to your 5, I couldn't find it.
That Porsche is .... droool
Thanks!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Mless5 said:


> Please, post a link to your 5, I couldn't find it.
> That Porsche is .... droool
> Thanks!


The install pictures of my BMW 540 can be found on Sound Innovations' site:

Sound Innovations

On the bottom menu, select the Gallery tab, and then select the BMW logo. My car is the silver 540 in this particular install gallery. And yes, my BMW is probably one of the most boring cars look-wise on their site ...


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

d5sc said:


> The install pictures of my BMW 540 can be found on Sound Innovations' site:
> 
> Sound Innovations
> 
> On the bottom menu, select the Gallery tab, and then select the BMW logo. My car is the silver 540 in this particular install gallery. And yes, my BMW is probably one of the most boring cars look-wise on their site ...



But I bet it sounds better than most others...


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

chefhow said:


> But I bet it sounds better than most others...


Still needs work (tuning-wise) but it sounds somewhat decent compared to some of the cars there that I have heard in person. 

They cater to a wide variety of customers so you can pretty much get everything under the sun...


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Some updates:

Additional work will be required to increase the internal volume of the sub enclosures by building out the front panels (speaker baffles) more so. This will also require custom contouring and tapering to accommodate the flow of the OEM side panels. 

As such, the OEM side panels (covers) will be modified to accommodate the sub enclosures, the side arm rests, and to follow the flow of the interior/seats without too much protuberance. 

Here are some pictures of the work involved as well some other random ones (my apologies as these were taken with an iPhone):


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)




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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)




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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

And, some good memories from Marv's BBQ in 2007:


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

That was a GREAT day.


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## perfecxionx (Sep 4, 2009)

do you guys have a website?


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

perfecxionx said:


> do you guys have a website?


Sound Innovations

BTW, I am just a customer of the shop (Sound Innovations).


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> That was a GREAT day.


Yes, it sure was a great day and meeting people from near and far made it that more memorable!

The man himself, Mr. Marv:

















The Tri-Tip Melee: Zack "Don't Call Me Efron" vs. Luke "The Limey" Boa with Peter "The Hitman" Lufrano officiating:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

i dont even need to look at the pics from SI to know its gonna be badass  looks great george!

we have to do a bay area meet soon! maybe i can put one together?


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> i dont even need to look at the pics from SI to know its gonna be badass  looks great george!
> 
> we have to do a bay area meet soon! maybe i can put one together?


Hey Bing,

Thanks, that would be great! 

You have been doing some crazy/awesome installs as of late and I bet many, like myself, would like to see and hear them in person!

George


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

adamand said:


> ^^ figured as much... I found the analog outs to be pretty bad :laugh:
> 
> I was thinking along the lines of how it'll be physically built in - keeping it as one piece, taking the display apart and moving it somewhere?
> 
> ...


My apologies as I overlooked the questions you had regarding the Logitech Squeezebox.

"I was thinking along the lines of how it'll be physically built in - keeping it as one piece, taking the display apart and moving it somewhere?"

The plan is to keep the Squeezebox as is without modifying it. For security purposes, I would like to be able to remove it from the car. Not sure yet as to how it will be mounted, however, it will be going into the covered bin just below the factory CD player. There is a door that covers the bin.

"Since the CI unit is 120v, how will they be converting it to 12v? I imagine there might be something right in the PS that would make for a shortcut?"

Not exactly sure about the details but I believe a 12V power inverter will be used in this application.

And yes, the connection will be optical. The Squeezebox is WiFi enabled so we might use that later on if there is a device that allows us to connect to it and the Bit One that way.

BTW, I was told by Ernie, the shop owner, about Focal's new WiFi streaming device for iPads and iPhones that has a high-end DAC built-in and optical outs as well as analog (RCAs):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ-ahLeIM4w

It's a bit pricey, however.


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## bigaudiofanatic (Mar 1, 2009)

Awesome pics keep them coming!!!


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## funkalicious (Oct 8, 2007)

I too really prefer the stealth installs, especially in daily drivers. Will be following this closely. Fantastic equipment list!


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## shinjohn (Feb 8, 2006)

Nice install, George! I'm sure this one is going to turn out awesome. Junior's work is amazing......



simplicityinsound said:


> i dont even need to look at the pics from SI to know its gonna be badass  looks great george!
> 
> we have to do a bay area meet soon! maybe i can put one together?


Do it!
I'm sure lots of folks have been working on cool things and we haven't had a meet/get together in a LONG time.

Marv's BBQs were the best too.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

shinjohn said:


> Nice install, George! I'm sure this one is going to turn out awesome. Junior's work is amazing......
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hey Shinjohn,

Thanks! Yes, Junior does some amazing work and is truly a nice guy too! 

I'm always amazed by the quality work that Sound Innovations does and how humble they are about things, especially with all of the high-end cars that they work on. They're always trying to raise the bar on their installs/skills as well...

Definitely want to hear the system in your Pilot!

George


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

funkalicious said:


> I too really prefer the stealth installs, especially in daily drivers. Will be following this closely. Fantastic equipment list!


Thanks! A lot of work went into my BMW to make things look stealth or as OEM as possible, which, by the way, took more work than one would think/expect. Pretty much no one notices the work that has been completed in the car.

However, when someone is familiar with E39s (5 series), then they are usually surprised by the work that has been done and the level of detail involved (especially with the small touches).


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Junior sent some photo updates today of the sub enclosure(s) build:


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## ousooner2 (Jan 6, 2011)

^ VERY cool! Sub'd


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

Looking AWESOME George.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

^^

Thanks, guys!


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## jorgegarcia (Mar 8, 2008)

Thanks for sharing.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Sub enclosure updates:


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

So the armrests for the rear passengers is going away, then?
I'm guessing you don't use the rear seat much.

Jay


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

JayinMI said:


> So the armrests for the rear passengers is going away, then?
> I'm guessing you don't use the rear seat much.
> 
> Jay


They are still are planning on what to do with the side panel design. The original install design plan was to keep and/or modify the arm rest, so I am not sure exactly how it will turn out just yet.

Regardless, the rear seats will not be used that often unless there are people in town who are visiting. I can also use my BMW 540i and that's one of the reasons I purchased a two door coupe.


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Two doors two people, that is all lol...


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

That's how my current setup is...2 doors and back seats too small for adults. 
On the upside, no one ever asks me to drive when we go out.

Jay


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## chevbowtie22 (Nov 23, 2008)

Wow. Its looking great so far. Any rough idea on how much air space your going to have per side?


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

chevbowtie22 said:


> Wow. Its looking great so far. Any rough idea on how much air space your going to have per side?


Thanks!

As of now, I am not sure how air space is in each sub enclosure. I am planning on going to shop this coming Friday and will ask. 

Kirk Proffitt was running approximately 1.75 cubic feet of air space for each AT Flex 12 in a sealed enclosure configuration. Hopefully, we can get close to that figure.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Side panel (cover) update:


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Side panel (cover) finish update:


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## autofile (Oct 25, 2005)

Looking good George!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

autofile said:


> Looking good George!


For Pete's sake, Sankyu!!!

How's the Chevelle and are you going to the Good Guy's show this weekend?


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## autofile (Oct 25, 2005)

"Barbie" is running good and strong!
Except that the wipers gave up the ghost a couple days ago LOL!

Oh yes, Rounal and I are going on Sunday.
Are you gonna come out to the show?


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

autofile said:


> "Barbie" is running good and strong!
> Except that the wipers gave up the ghost a couple days ago LOL!
> 
> Oh yes, Rounal and I are going on Sunday.
> Are you gonna come out to the show?


Barbie is pretty much going to be as good as new since you will have just about changed every part on her! 

Most like won't be going to the Good Guys show. My sister's birthday is today so we might be doing something for her this weekend.


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## autofile (Oct 25, 2005)

Ah, well la familia has got to come first!

Yep, she is 46 years old, and many of the original parts are tired.
That's fine, I expected that. Besides, the parts are relatively cheap, and I don't have to pay anyone else to do the work, so I am good with it! That's comes with the territory!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

autofile said:


> Ah, well la familia has got to come first!
> 
> Yep, she is 46 years old, and many of the original parts are tired.
> That's fine, I expected that. Besides, the parts are relatively cheap, and I don't have to pay anyone else to do the work, so I am good with it! That's comes with the territory!


That's what's great about the old (muscle) cars...you can actually work on them !

So, the crate motor or supercharger is next, right ?!?!

BTW, I have been driving my BMW around and I have already gone through a full tank of gas in less than a half a week:worried:! It only gets about 9-12 MPG in the city with the supercharger. However, it definitely is more fun to drive compared to the four banger Altima!


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## autofile (Oct 25, 2005)

Gotta pay to play my friend!
Oh, if I had the funds, I'd probably go for the crate motor. Although there's nothing wrong with the lt1 that's in there. 
I'd do the motor first, just so I would know exactly what's inside there. Build it up with the SC addition in mind.
So far, everything I've done to the car has been with long term reliability and serviceability first and foremost.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Some new pictures:


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## bigaudiofanatic (Mar 1, 2009)

Nice!!


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

The amount of CA glue being used make me smile.

Side note...what happened to Marv?


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

george how are the boxes mounted to the car? or maybe i should just call them up and ask


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

thehatedguy said:


> The amount of CA glue being used make me smile.
> 
> Side note...what happened to Marv?


I am not sure what happened to Marv. Maybe he's on car audio hiatus or just it taking easy...


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> george how are the boxes mounted to the car? or maybe i should just call them up and ask


Bing,

The sub enclosures were fabbed/formed around the side well cavities and the contours in and around hem. As a result, tolerances are pretty tight. The subwoofer enclosures will also be finished with black carpeting on the front and sides so the fittment will be even snugger. Junior wanted the sub enclosures to be serviceable so they are removable.

I am not sure what the final method will be to lock the subwoofer enclosures in place, however. 

Will let you know after I follow-up with Junior sometime next week.

George


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## 11blueGTI (Apr 24, 2011)

Sweet setup. I need to start buying equipment and setting up some time with Sound Innovations. My new car is the first car that I am going to completly turn over to someone else simply because I don't have the space or time to do it this time and it is a nice enough car I want an actual pro level install.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

11blueGTI said:


> Sweet setup. I need to start buying equipment and setting up some time with Sound Innovations. My new car is the first car that I am going to completly turn over to someone else simply because I don't have the space or time to do it this time and it is a nice enough car I want an actual pro level install.


Thanks!

Sound Innovations has worked on quite a few VWs and Audis, so your car will be in good hands if you happen to use them for your install. 

Ernie is the shop owner and he is very helpful and knowledgeable. They can get very busy at times so I would recommend giving Ernie a call beforehand to set up some time to look at your car and to discuss the install options. 

Also, Bing (SimplicityInSound) is another person/shop in the area that I would recommend highly. 

Hope this helps a little...

George


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> george how are the boxes mounted to the car? or maybe i should just call them up and ask


Bing,

I followed up with Junior today regarding how the sub enclosures will be held in place:

1) four bent metal brackets will attached to each sub enclosure:


















2) holes will be drilled into the car's sheet metal to accommodate the thread inserts:


























3) Allen head bolts will be used to secure the brackets to the thread inserts


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Another Porsche 911 at the shop (not one of Monster Cable's cars):


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Junior has been really busy juggling other projects so not too many more updates to report:


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Another customer's car they're working on:


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Sub enclosure updates:


































Although the sub enclosures will not be seen once covered, Junior still went the extra mile and made sure that all of the surfaces were finished.


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## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

^^

I Love the way they turned out. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to hear it one day.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

wdemetrius1 said:


> ^^
> 
> I Love the way they turned out. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to hear it one day.


Thanks! 

Likewise, I hope that one day I can visit the East Coast and South (East) to meet some of the DIYMA members and listen to their cars, like yourself. Met Matt R. and Bertholomey at Marv's BBQ and they were some cool dudes/peeps


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## Thrill_House (Nov 20, 2008)

You got me thinking about building enclosures like that for the rear side panels in my civic.


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## metalball (Sep 8, 2010)

Great attention to detail on the sub enclosures. Definitely has me reconsidering the box in the hatch of my RSX!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Amp rack updates (Audison Thesis TH Quattro and Uno):


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## vinicius costa (Jun 13, 2010)

Nice !!!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

^^

Appreciate all of the positive comments on the work by Sound Innovations! Swinging by the shop tomorrow and will let them know. 

Thanks,

George


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## Thrill_House (Nov 20, 2008)

I want to see how you mount the original interior side panels around the new sub enclosures.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Thrill_House said:


> I want to see how you mount the original interior side panels around the new sub enclosures.


The sub enclosure sits in the cavity behind the interior side panel. Post number 64 in this thread shows this (somewhat):










The side panel will still be utilizing the stock mounting points. The speaker grill material and trim ring is still being decided upon. Junior was contemplating doing a pressed and contoured grill. However, this would require making a mold and plug, which would take some amount of time. There was also some ideas of making the trim ring out of aluminum or perhaps ABS.


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## Thrill_House (Nov 20, 2008)

d5sc said:


> The sub enclosure sits in the cavity behind the interior side panel. Post number 64 in this thread shows this (somewhat):
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow, that looks amazing and its not even finished yet! I deff feel I will have to do the same thing to my civic when I rebuild the system again in the fall, I have always wanted to do sub in those big empty rear quarter panels anyway! :laugh:


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Visited the shop today and the following are some updates of the install:

Test fit of the Logitech Squeezebox Touch in the center bin location, which will be modified so that it can be flushed in:










This is the port for the Nissan Smart Key which will be moved to accommodate the Audison DRC:










The Audison DRC face and knob will be sent out and anodized in black:










Door card with sound dampening installed:










Cascade felt lining installed for the door card mounting holes to further prevent vibration of the plastic inserts:










Audio Technology 18H mids installed:


























The speaker mounting holes were cut to accommodate the larger basket and magnet of the AT 18Hs. A custom mounting ring was fabricated and placed over the speaker opening. Afterwards, a spacer ring was fabricated and mounted to the mounting ring.


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

More pictures of the amplifier rack which is made out of PVC material:


































A frosted Plexiglass trim ring and LEDs will be used to finish the top of the amplifier rack. A structurally protective cover will be made to go over this and another cover will be made that follows the contours of the trunk, which will then cover everything for a factory look.

A center support structure for the amp rack may also be needed depending on how things work out. If so, some type of decorative structure will be used to tie things in. Either Hello Kitty, hot pink "go fast" stripes, or something else, although I definitely prefer the latter, latter solution ...

The CI Audio upgraded power supply for the Logitech Squeezebox Touch will no longer be used. Ernie contacted Larry Penn (Elettromedia), who is running a Squeezebox Touch in his demo car, to source a new 12V/5V upgraded power supply that is currently produced in Canada. This will make the installation much easier/simpler and will reduce the possibility of induced noise.


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

The Squeezbox Touch uses a 32 GB SD card for media. We are also thinking about using an SSD hard drive for additional storage.

Also, the Genesis/Scanspeak ring radiators are going to be test fit in the factory corner locations on the dash. The Genesis mounting flange will either be cut down to fit in this particular location or removed altogether for a custom made mounting flange. The Genesis mounting flanges which have a highly polished finish will either be anodized, painted, or power coated in black if they are, indeed, used. There is also concern that the tip of the ring radiators may contact the top of the factory grill covers, so these may be modified or new ones built to accommodate this.

This may not be the final location of the tweeters as Peter Lufrano will do a test tune and imaging check of this particular location. The other potential locations are the a-pillars if the first option does not work.


----------



## ek9cv5 (Jan 12, 2012)

Nice work


----------



## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I am looking forward to seeing the black DRC. 

I love that your "commuter car" will have a system that looks/sounds better than alot of competition cars. Even without Hello Kitty. LOL

Jay


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

JayinMI said:


> I am looking forward to seeing the black DRC.
> 
> I love that your "commuter car" will have a system that looks/sounds better than alot of competition cars. Even without Hello Kitty. LOL
> 
> Jay


Thanks!

Funny that you had mentioned that (about competition cars):

Ernie, the shop owner, mentioned a couple of times that "what if" the system in my *commuter car* "sounds better" than the one in my BMW, which is geared more so towards SQ and competition/show?!?! 

Man, Hello $hitty totally gets on my nerves that why it's always a running joke for me, especially since my peeps created her/it. I have seen people with Hello Kitty shrines in their cars (guys even; what a shame), diamond encrusted pendants, fuzzy backpacks, ad nauseum... 

On my way to work in South San Francisco, the "Birthplace of Biotech(nology)," Sanrio, the "Home of Hello Kitty," has their US corporate headquarters located on the same street. Damn, even the taco truck we frequent is situated in the same parking lot as Sanrio!?


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

d5sc said:


> Another customer's car they're working on:


BTW, the shop had finished this particular installation with the three JL 10W7s. 

Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to listen to it so I asked what they thought of it. The installers said the car was extremely loud and was shaking everything in the car and in the shop. Even their neighbors in the same complex asked what was going on as everything was shaking in their shop.

Of course, the owner of the car thought there wasn't enough bass ?!?!


----------



## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

d5sc said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Funny that you had mentioned that (about competition cars):
> 
> ...


So, you won't be running these? :










LOL

Jay


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

^^

LOL! 

Gonna man-up and get one of these bad boys--Don't Tase Me Bro!


----------



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

hope you never meet my wife then


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> hope you never meet my wife then


LOL ! Don't necessarily mind at all if women/girls like the stuff but it just trips me out when guys are into HK. "HK" (Heckler & Koch) guns are cool, as well as Sig Sauer/Arms, but Hello Kitty for guys is just plain wrong!

My ex-girlfriend also really liked the Sanrio stuff, Hello Kitty and that green frog thing (can't remember the name).

The Controller at my work says that her sister is fully into Hello Kitty and has some kind of HK diamond encrusted broach or something like that.

Also, one of the BMW E39 guys that I know had a wife who had large custom Pikachu decal made out of vinyl. She put the Pikachu decal on her bright yellow Mazda RX8!


----------



## autofile (Oct 25, 2005)

God George,
I just threw up!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

d5sc said:


> LOL ! Don't necessarily mind at all if women/girls like the stuff but it just trips me out when guys are into HK. "HK" (Heckler & Koch) guns are cool, as well as Sig Sauer/Arms, but Hello Kitty for guys is just plain wrong!
> 
> My ex-girlfriend also really liked the Sanrio stuff, Hello Kitty and *that green frog thing (can't remember the name).*
> 
> ...



Keroppi. ****...why do I know that? :laugh::laugh:


----------



## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Fantastic build George! Thanks for sharing all the background info and your updates. Top notch equipment choices and installers. As one who has heard your BMW, it will certainly be difficult to best that presentation.

I am particularly interested in several aspects of this build and the final results because this car is similar to a car that I am 'hoping' to purchase once my bimmer is retired. I will be looking forward to how the deadened doors perform and the overall trunk design. I'll be installing my IB sub, but I really like your amp rack design. I'll be keeping an eye on your final tweeter placement decision once you all are able to do some evaluating between dash and sails/pillars. 

This is what I'm looking at in a future build


----------



## minibox (Mar 25, 2009)

Keeping an eye on this one. Looking great George!


----------



## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

awesome build


----------



## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

bertholomey said:


> This is what I'm looking at in a future build


Is that the new Subaru/Toyota coupe?

Jay


----------



## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

^^yes it is


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

JayinMI said:


> Is that the new Subaru/Toyota*/Scion* coupe?
> 
> Jay


Fixed.


----------



## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

bertholomey said:


> Fantastic build George! Thanks for sharing all the background info and your updates. Top notch equipment choices and installers. As one who has heard your BMW, it will certainly be difficult to best that presentation.
> 
> I am particularly interested in several aspects of this build and the final results because this car is similar to a car that I am 'hoping' to purchase once my bimmer is retired. I will be looking forward to how the deadened doors perform and the overall trunk design. I'll be installing my IB sub, but I really like your amp rack design. I'll be keeping an eye on your final tweeter placement decision once you all are able to do some evaluating between dash and sails/pillars.
> 
> This is what I'm looking at in a future build



^^

Nice Car Jason!!!


----------



## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

wdemetrius1 said:


> ^^
> 
> Nice Car Jason!!!


Well....I wish it were mine...right now - still in the dreaming phase.


----------



## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

bertholomey said:


> Well....I wish it were mine...right now - still in the dreaming phase.


The Subaru version or the Scion?


----------



## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

chefhow said:


> The Subaru version or the Scion?


Mostly the Subaru version. I saw one at the Atlanta Auto Show - very nice. 

Anyway, sorry George, I didn't mean to take things off track from your build :worried:


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

bertholomey said:


> Mostly the Subaru version. I saw one at the Atlanta Auto Show - very nice.
> 
> Anyway, sorry George, I didn't mean to take things off track from your build :worried:


Jason,

No worries at all ! Derailment and meandering is okay as long it gets back on track, plus you guys crack me up with some of the comments that were made (re: Hello Kitty) . As they say, "Rive, Raugh, Rove..."

The Scion and Suby versions are really cool. I also like how you chose the car based on potential speaker locations and such, ahem... Not gonna bring up the "obsessive" comment that you had mentioned about earlier on another thread ...

BTW, the doors on the Altima Coupe are really tinny as to be expected on this type of car. Sound Innovations used Dynamat and this new sound dampening product from Focal that is multi-layer (material-wise) and is relatively thick (.75" or so). Now, the doors sounds pretty darn solid when you knock on them like the doors on my BMW, and have some heft to them when you open and close them. However, we won't know about the resonances and such on the door panels and the adjacent parts until the speakers start playing.

P.S. 

Are you going to get a Sprinter van as a grocery getter ?!

BTW, that clown avatar freaks me out every time I see it!


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

^^

DAT, Minibox, and others,

Thanks for the positive comments! 

This was supposed to be a relatively simple build, however, it has become a little more complex with the changes, updates and all. Sound Innovations does some incredible work and my expectations have already been surpassed many times over.

BTW, Peter's comment was the best !


----------



## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

d5sc said:


> BTW, the doors on the Altima Coupe are really tinny as to be expected on this type of car. Sound Innovations used Dynamat and this new sound dampening product from *Focal that is multi-layer (material-wise) and is relatively thick (.75" or so)*. Now, the doors sounds pretty darn solid when you knock on them like the doors on my BMW, and have some heft to them when you open and close them. However, we won't know about the resonances and such on the door panels and the adjacent parts until the speakers start playing.


Black Hole 5?


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Mic10is said:


> Black Hole 5?


Yes, that's the name. Checked with Ernie and he said it was:

"BlackHole Tile"


----------



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

they are using the Tile, i would love to see a car able to put black hole 5 in the door though 

i have a box sitting right here in my garage now ready to go into a subbox 

that stuff is just badass...


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> they are using the Tile, i would love to see a car able to put black hole 5 in the door though
> 
> i have a box sitting right here in my garage now ready to go into a subbox
> 
> that stuff is just badass...


The "Tile," in combination with Dynamat, definitely makes a big difference. I was knocking on the dampened door, then on the un-dampened front fender, and the differences were very noticeable. 

It sounds like the "5" version is the mother of all black holes from which nothing can escape, not even light ! Where's Bing?! Ummm, he was sucked into that sub box and never came back ...


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Some minor updates of the amp rack install:


































As of now:

- still waiting on the Logitech Squeezebox touch power supply which should be here at the end of next week
- Larry Penn (Elettromedia) recommended going with the Bit Ten D so we will now be using this instead of the Bit One
- we will be using an Iomega SSD (64GB) for storage duties
- Junior is currently flush mounting the Squeezebox Touch in the center bin
- planning on going to shop on Friday so I will take some more pictures and post them up afterwards


----------



## adamand (Apr 19, 2009)

Bravo! :thumbsup:

Where are getting the SB power supply from? Something off the shelf?


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

adamand said:


> Bravo! :thumbsup:
> 
> Where are getting the SB power supply from? Something off the shelf?


I don't know the exact details about the P/S, however, it is built specifically for the Squeezebox. It is manufactured in Canada.

I will follow-up with Ernie (shop owner) who will be able to get this information from Larry Penn. Will keep you posted...


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

d5sc said:


> Some minor updates of the amp rack install:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


An update from Ernie at Sound Innovations:

"The good news is that almost everything is done.

So far, we have:

Ran 1/0 power cable and connected at battery

Sound deadened doors and installed mids/tweeters

The Squeezbox display has been installed

All wires have been ran to the trunk (optical, speaker, signal, etc)

Amp rack has been made, amps installed and wired

LED lighting and fans have been installed

Sub boxes are finished



What is needed to finish:

Anodizing of Bit Ten controller and installation

Run power supply wire to Squeezebox display (when it shows up)

Upholstery of rear side panels and grills need to be made

Wiring up Bit Ten and installing power supply for Squeezebox when it shows up

Build cosmetic panel over amplifier with Plexiglass

Finalize any loose ends



Thanks,

Ernesto Oñate"


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Visited the shop yesterday and the following are some updates of the installation:

Logitech Squeezebox Touch flush mounted in the center bin (it's removable for security purposes):


























The amp rack and associated cosmetic/protective panel cover mock-ups:


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Genesis/Scanspeak ring radiator tweeters test fit in factory speakers locations in the dash:


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Additional notes/updates:

- the protective/cosmetic panels for the amp rack will be made out of PVC and/or ABS and covered in black vinyl
- the Genesis mounting plates for the tweeters will be removed and custom metal plates will be fabricated. The tweeters could not be fully secured using the Genesis mounting plates so the new ones will be attached to the Genesis tweeters and then use the factory speaker mounting screw holes
- the subwoofer grills will be made out of perforated metal and the trim rings will be made out of ABS or PVC material and then covered in a synthetic suede material to match the rest of the interior
- the side panels (covering the sub enclosures) in the rear seat locations will be covered in black vinyl 
- still waiting on the Squeezebox Touch power supply and follow-up on the name of the manufacturer
- Junior also fabricated a shelf in the center bin
- still need to remove the Audison DRC front panel and knob which will be sent out to be anodized in black


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Some pictures of a Honda Del Sol that the shop was working on:























































































P.S.

Junior also mentioned that some people were putting Honda Pilot engines in these cars (Del Sols)!


----------



## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

Very Nice.... Keep the Pics coming


----------



## Vestax (Aug 16, 2005)

d5sc said:


> Howard,
> 
> Thanks! Likewise, I really want to see what you and Mic come up with in your E39.
> 
> ...


You're a sick man George.


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Vestax said:


> You're a sick man George.


Hey Anthony,

It's really nice to hear from you and I hope all is well with you and your family!

Have you heard from Marv? Some people were asking about him. I hope he is doing well. 

I lost interest in car audio for a couple of years and finally got the bug again... It's nice to see some of the old-timers around, like yourself.

Take care,

George


----------



## Vestax (Aug 16, 2005)

d5sc said:


> Hey Anthony,
> 
> It's really nice to hear from you and I hope all is well with you and your family!
> 
> ...


It's been a while. I haven't talked to Marv in over a year so I hope he's doing well too. I lost interest years ago but I'll come back just to hang out with the OG's like yourself.


----------



## bigaudiofanatic (Mar 1, 2009)

Talk about trying to keep focused on the build. You posted so many different cars here they were all starting to blur together. Try to keep it altima!!!!!


----------



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Vestax said:


> It's been a while. I haven't talked to Marv in over a year so I hope he's doing well too. I lost interest years ago but I'll come back just to hang out with the OG's like yourself.


quit your whinin, come back into the fray! makin the big bucks now at KP so i am sure you can support a nice lil system like George 

what say you we organize another bay area meet?


----------



## Vestax (Aug 16, 2005)

simplicityinsound said:


> quit your whinin, come back into the fray! makin the big bucks now at KP so i am sure you can support a nice lil system like George
> 
> what say you we organize another bay area meet?


I'm down for another meet as long as you guys are there. I don't remember that last time we talked about car audio at a car audio meet. Must've been like a decade ago.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

^^

Vestax: 

Thanks for update. I hope that Marv is doing well and that we will here from him soon...

Bing:

I haven't been to a meet in a long while so it would be nice to see some of the/us Geritol(ers) along with some new faces.


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Junior just sent some updates of the side panels for the sub enclosures:


































Notes:

- the speaker grill trim rings are covered in Ultrasuede which complements the stock OEM gray interior material
- the speaker grills are made out of a PVC coated metal mesh material 
- black speaker grill cloth, I believe, will be placed behind the speaker grills so that the sub enclosures will not be seen from the front
- in the future, the speaker grill trim rings may be replaced with ones that are machined out of aluminum and then anodized or powder coated


----------



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

george when is rough ETA on the car? love to check it out and take a listen


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> george when is rough ETA on the car? love to check it out and take a listen


I am planning on going to the shop later today and will let you know after I talk to Ernie. 

They were waiting on the the Squeezebox power supply to arrive from Canada, which was supposed to be here by the end of the work week. Hopefully, it has already arrived. I just received the Iomega SSD, which is slated for the Squeezebox storage duties, so I will be dropping it off today.

We will also be following up with Peter to coordinate some time with him to get the system tuned and dialed-in.

You are more than welcome to check out and listen to the system after this and before-hand. Just let me know and I will follow up with Ernie to let him know that you are swinging by.


----------



## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

d5sc said:


> Junior just sent some updates of the side panels for the sub enclosures:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Those look great! How are you going to treat the backsides to prevent rattling? I don't want to be too pessimistic by suggesting that they'll rattle... but come on... :blush:


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

HondAudio said:


> Those look great! How are you going to treat the backsides to prevent rattling? I don't want to be too pessimistic by suggesting that they'll rattle... but come on... :blush:


That's a very good point (re: the potential rattling)! The installation is still in flux and issues will be addressed as they arise. 

The panels, however, were stiffened in certain areas with fiberglass which may not be quite evident from the pictures.

Junior, the installer, has some experience with this, potential rattling issue(s), as he had a Honda Civic hatchback with 12" subs which were housed in interior side enclosures in the rear of the vehicle.


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Visited the shop today and here are some updates:

The sub enclosure side panels have been mounted:


































Cosmetic trim panel fabricated out of ABS:


























Logitech Squeezebox mounting location:










Notes:

- the subwoofer speakers grills are actually made out of perforated metal instead instead of the mesh grill that I had mentioned about earlier
- black grill cloth has been installed behind the speaker grills in order to hide the subs and the enclosures
- Junior countoured the perforated metal grill material slightly to match the curve(s) of the rear side panels 
- Junior said that extra dampening will be applied, if needed, after the system is up and running
- other areas within the car may need additional sound dampening as well (once the system is running)
- unfortunately, the Squeezebox power supply has not arrived yet and is slated to arrive early next week (Monday)
- the Nissan Smart Key port has been located underneath the dash and the Audison DRC will be located in its location after the anodization is complete
- the the trunk panels and cosmetic trim panels still need be covered with either suede or vinyl
- the installation may be done by the end of next week and we will follow-up with Peter Lufrano afterwards to set up time to tune the system


----------



## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

Looks amazing George!!


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

chefhow said:


> Looks amazing George!!


Thanks, Howard!

Hope that your 5'er build is coming along nicely... Sounds like you and Mic are really busy with things!


----------



## nepl29 (Mar 25, 2007)

Very clean install!!! Your E39 is still one of my favorite install!!!


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

nepl29 said:


> Very clean install!!! Your E39 is still one of my favorite install!!!


Thanks!


----------



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

yeah i am really keen on seeing how the subs sound in this configuration 

i am working on a huge project so maybe we will all get togehter after this is done, for a meet and ....laugh at Anthony for his stock system


----------



## autofile (Oct 25, 2005)

I'm looking forward to your new system George!


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> yeah i am really keen on seeing how the subs sound in this configuration
> 
> i am working on a huge project so maybe we will all get togehter after this is done, for a meet and ....laugh at Anthony for his stock system


Junior and Peter were both running interior side sub enclosures in their old cars. Junior's sub enclosure configuration in his Honda Civic was like mine (forward-facing/firing), while Peter's subs in his Volvo C70 were in a down-firing configuration (from what I have been told). My understanding was that you could not see the subs nor the enclosures in Peter's C70 other than a slot where they were firing out of. Unfortunately, I did not get to see or hear Peter's C70 in person but I imagine it sounded great. 

Definitely no guarantees as all cars are different. However, I am hoping to achieve similar results and performance that Junior and Peter had when they were running interior side sub enclosures.


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

autofile said:


> I'm looking forward to your new system George!


Thanks, Peter! 

You will be one of the first to hear and critique the system (obviously) . 

I hope I can get some semblance of respectable sound out of my daily driver, given the use of the stock speaker locations (sans the subs), with the help of your tuning skills...


----------



## Thrill_House (Nov 20, 2008)

d5sc said:


> Junior and Peter were both running interior side sub enclosures in their old cars. Junior's sub enclosure configuration in his Honda Civic was like mine (forward-facing/firing), while Peter's subs in his Volvo C70 were in a down-firing configuration (from what I have been told). My understanding was that you could not see the subs nor the enclosures in Peter's C70 other than a slot where they were firing out of. Unfortunately, I did not get to see or hear Peter's C70 in person but I imagine it sounded great.
> 
> Definitely no guarantees as all cars are different. However, I am hoping to achieve similar results and performance that Junior and Peter had when they were running interior side sub enclosures.


Can you do me a huge favour and see if you can find some pics of juniors subs in his civic, Im going to be doing the same thing with my civic and I would love to see how he did his.


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Thrill_House said:


> Can you do me a huge favour and see if you can find some pics of juniors subs in his civic, Im going to be doing the same thing with my civic and I would love to see how he did his.


I will follow up with Junior on Monday to see if he has any pictures of the sub enclosure/build pics in his Civic. BTW, the install was in a '90s era Civic Hatchback and he was sponsored by Sony for this particular build.

Will let you know once I hear back from him...

I will also see if I have any pictures of his car. If I do, I will send them to you.


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

The Audison DRC, which has bee been anodized in black, came back from the plating company yesterday and has been mounted:


----------



## Thrill_House (Nov 20, 2008)

Damn those completed side panels look amazing, I hope mine end up turning out even half as nice as those!


----------



## metalball (Sep 8, 2010)

Love the side panels. Came out looking great!


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Thrill_House said:


> Damn those completed side panels look amazing, I hope mine end up turning out even half as nice as those!





metalball said:


> Love the side panels. Came out looking great!


Thanks! 

The speaker grills are pretty darn sturdy so I don't have to worry about them nor the subs getting damaged by a passenger's arm.


----------



## chevbowtie22 (Nov 23, 2008)

Wow! Awesome job so far.


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

^ ^

Thanks everyone for all of the positive comments and feedback. Sound Innovations really appreciates it!

Visited the shop today and here are some updates:

Sorry, I was totally mistaken about the Audison DRC as being anodized! They attempted to disassemble the front cover and remove the plastic lens; however, they could not do so due to the rounded plastic lens being glued in three areas. Removal would have caused damage to the plastic lens. 

After talking to Junior (the installer) today, it turns out that he somehow managed to wrap the front cover and knob in black vinyl film instead! Apparently, this took some time to complete and Junior is not fully sure of the durability long-term wise; however, it came it really well and looks seamless:


















Top protective cover panel fabricated out of PVC which covered in black vinyl, and the removable center section is also covered in black suede on the underside:










































Cosmetic panel fabricated out of PVC or ABS (?) and is covered in black suede. The protective film for the plexiglass still needs to be removed:


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Notes:

- the factory Nissan trunk mat will cover everything so things will look stock
- still waiting for the Squeebox Touch power supply to come in from Canada which is now supposed to arrive this coming Monday
- all of the installation and trim work is fully complete except for removing the protective film from the plexiglass
- hopefully, the full install will be complete by mid-week so that we can schedule time with Peter Lufrano to tune and dial-in the system

Thanks again for looking!

P.S.

Thought this was interesting. They were working on a Renntech Mercedes E55 and Junior fabricated some custom monitor mounts for the front seats, which will eventually be covered and stitched in black Mercedes leather:


----------



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

i need to see how exactly they did that cover piece, with vinyl on top and suede on the bottom.


----------



## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> i need to see how exactly they did that cover piece, with vinyl on top and suede on the bottom.


looks like 2 piece. both wrapped then attached together


----------



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Mic10is said:


> looks like 2 piece. both wrapped then attached together


oh really?! wow didnt know that  thanks doc! lol

i meant how they are attached without showing any marks...


----------



## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> oh really?! wow didnt know that  thanks doc! lol
> 
> i meant how they are attached without showing any marks...


Id guess adhesive


----------



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

hence i wanna find out what they used  i have nevedr seen adhesive that i would trust to bond upholstery reliabily.


----------



## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> hence i wanna find out what they used  i have nevedr seen adhesive that i would trust to bond upholstery reliabily.


dont you use the welwood landau top adhesive? Why wouldnt you use that?
Ive always had good luck with Wilsonart stuff, maybe you cant get the "good" stuff bc your in CA


----------



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

that i dont think is gonna bond two pieces of upholstered wood together


----------



## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Bing and Mic,

Junior said he used the following adhesive to attach the vinyl and suede to the removable PVC or ABS (?) protective cover:

"It's an upholstery contact cement that we use from Keystone,our vinyl supplier. I think it's called con- bond from Weldon"

Also, here is the process Junior used to cover the piece in vinyl and suede (note: it's just one single piece and *not* two pieces covered and then bonded together):

"I router the under sider of the panel a 16th for the thickness of the material. Then I wrap the top side with the black vinyl n tucking into the 16th routered channel on the bottom side. Then trim,at this pt the panel n vinyl are flush and wrapped around the corners.

Then I spray adhesive on the bottom side an wrap that in suede n trim flush. No staples are needed."

Hope this helps...


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## bigaudiofanatic (Mar 1, 2009)

Awesome this is turning out great!


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

ah... i see how he did it...sort of, i use the same adehsive and a similar technique to do a 1/16" rabet, but assuming its still a top and bottom piece, i am still trying to figure out what bonds the two panels together...especially when its 1/2" mdf each panel... i think yours is a bit thinner? 2 x 1/4" panels together?

unless i am understand it the channels are routed the two pieces of material bonded, and then just fold and tuck into the crevice?


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> ah... i see how he did it...sort of, i use the same adehsive and a similar technique to do a 1/16" rabet, but assuming its still a top and bottom piece, i am still trying to figure out what bonds the two panels together...especially when its 1/2" mdf each panel... i think yours is a bit thinner? 2 x 1/4" panels together?
> 
> unless i am understand it the channels are routed the two pieces of material bonded, and then just fold and tuck into the crevice?


Its one piece. Not 2 pieces
Routered, vinyl tucked into channel so the board is flush. Then covered in suede


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## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

I Love how this car has turned out. :thumbsup:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Mic10is said:


> Its one piece. Not 2 pieces
> Routered, vinyl tucked into channel so the board is flush. Then covered in suede


so how does the suede stay put on the vinyl? just adhesive? hmmm


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> so how does the suede stay put on the vinyl? just adhesive? hmmm


Bing,

Yes, the suede is bonded to the vinyl by the adhesive only according to Junior (no staples). I am not sure if Junior scuffed up or treated the vinyl in any other way in order to increase the adhesive properties between the two. I will ask him the next time I am at the shop.

As far as I could tell, there was no lifting of the suede on the edges of the panel and it looked seamless/good. Time will tell, however. 

Normally, the underside of the panel would not have been finished in this manner; however, Junior went the extra mile and covered it with material. He could have left it as is (black PVC/ABS) and I would have been totally satisfied with it. So, if it does eventually come off, then I wouldn't mind at all as it's just a protective cover, is raised slightly from the plexiglass (no scratching), is not normally seen in this fashion (from the backside), and is the only panel like this (with both sides finished).

Likewise, Junior made sure that everything in the installation was pretty much covered or painted in some fashion so that there was no bare material showing even if it was hidden from view. This level of attention to detail was also applied to the install in my BMW.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

d5sc said:


> Bing,
> 
> Yes, the suede is bonded to the vinyl by the adhesive only according to Junior (no staples). I am not sure if Junior scuffed up or treated the vinyl in any other way in order to increase the adhesive properties between the two. I will ask him the next time I am at the shop.
> 
> ...



Bc thats the way real Old Skool installers do it. Both sides of the panels get finished as an attention to detail.


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

got it, thanks guys!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Mic10is said:


> Bc thats the way real Old Skool installers do it. Both sides of the panels get finished as an attention to detail.


Yup!

Junior and Sound Innovations are definitely old school. Junior was an IASCA judge a while back.

The shop has been in business since '89 and Ernie is very particular (as in being uber anal) and still QA's everything before it is handed off to the customer. Ernie showed me his installation work (photos) from the early 90's and all of the installs were neat and tidy even back then. They even did Ice-T's Benz back then with all G&S gear which was featured in a car audio mag. back in the 90's.

P.S.

Speaking of G&S, I still remember (vividly) seeing and hearing a Nissan pickup truck with a Hifonics Zeus amp and two G&S ODR 12s. Compared to today's systems it wouldn't be considered much, but, back then, the system sure did pound! I still also remember seeing a single RF Punch 45 on a dealer's sound board running an entire system. Those were the days and brings back some very good memories!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Visited the shop this past Friday and the following are some updates (just a few):

The "Industrial Power Series" power supply/converter for the Logitech Squeezebox Innovative Circuit Technology (ICT) came in from Canada and has been installed


















Protective and cosmetic panels were removed for troubleshooting:


















Squeezebox Touch using the WiFi signal at the shop to access a local online radio station:










Notes:

- the installation is just about complete and the system has been fired up
- there is also a "Battery Commnader" battery protection module from ICT for the Squeezebox Touch which allows for a time-delayed shutoff 
- here is an initial impression/review of the system (was only able to listen to it for a short period of time):



d5sc said:


> Hey Kirk,
> 
> The shop got the system running and I got to hear it yesterday.
> 
> ...


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

I always like visiting the shop as they are always working on some cool or unique cars:

Nissan Bluebird 1800:


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## ZeroDrift (Feb 9, 2012)

Wow, that is one clean BlueBird! How cool!!!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

ZeroDrift said:


> Wow, that is one clean BlueBird! How cool!!!


Yes, it is very clean! This is the first one I have seen in person so it was very cool to see.

From what Junior told me, a later era twin cam engine has been installed (not sure of the type?), a new rear end (240 SX?), and a host of other modifications have been completed on this BlueBird.

The owner, from what I recall, is from Los Angeles and has several other cars that Sound Innovations has worked on. Sound Innovations is working on cleaning up the wiring in the car. Apparently, the owner also has a gray market Nissan Skyline and one of the new ones (GT-R).

P.S.

Found this on the net and *may* be the same car:

http://bringatrailer.com/2009/04/20/rare-rhd-1971-datsun-1800-sss-bluebird-coupe/


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## Thrill_House (Nov 20, 2008)

That bluebird is beautiful, love me some classic Japanese cars!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

The following are some pictures of the finished trunk/amp rack:


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

:thumbsup:


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## Bluenote (Aug 29, 2008)

That is so elegant..nice!


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

gorgeous george  

when do you get it back? any chance you can take a drive through san jose? hahaha


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

d5sc said:


> The following are some pictures of the finished trunk/amp rack:


baller amps!

those things run super hot!

looks awesome!


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## db_Outlaw (May 10, 2012)

Side panels look phenomenal!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

thehatedguy said:


> :thumbsup:





Bluenote said:


> That is so elegant..nice!





simplicityinsound said:


> gorgeous george
> 
> when do you get it back? any chance you can take a drive through san jose? hahaha





jtaudioacc said:


> baller amps!
> 
> those things run super hot!
> 
> looks awesome!





db_Outlaw said:


> Side panels look phenomenal!


Thanks everyone for all of the positive comments and feedback! I will let Junior and Ernie know as it is much appreciated. 

Bing, 

I will try to swing by sometime if I happen to be in the San Jose area. I used to be in the area quite a bit when I was working at Cisco Systems and at my other company, but now I work in South San Francisco (biotech alley). Now, driving to San Jose seems like such a long trek ...

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the NorCal get-together since I will be in Sacramento that weekend visiting my friend. I was looking forward to it, however, the timing just wasn't right. Thanks again for setting this up and other events in the past!


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Damn that looks fantastic, George.


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## Alejandro (Dec 2, 2010)

Just read the entire log on this build and I must say, I'm beyond blown away by the attention to detail! I just recently purchased a 2012 Nissan Maxima 20th anniversary Special Edition and I am REALLY inspired to do something in somewhat comparison to this. I wanted to stay in coherence with my 100,000 mile warranty and wanted it to be as stealth as possible. I guess my first question is, (if y'all don't mind answering a peon like myself) is how did the guys at the shop go about mounting such large speakers in the front doors? Did your altima come with those crappy 6x9's in the front as well? Did you have to do lots of cutting in order to fit them? Thanks for any help guys!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Damn that looks fantastic, George.


Thanks! 



Alejandro said:


> Just read the entire log on this build and I must say, I'm beyond blown away by the attention to detail! I just recently purchased a 2012 Nissan Maxima 20th anniversary Special Edition and I am REALLY inspired to do something in somewhat comparison to this. I wanted to stay in coherence with my 100,000 mile warranty and wanted it to be as stealth as possible. I guess my first question is, (if y'all don't mind answering a peon like myself) is how did the guys at the shop go about mounting such large speakers in the front doors? Did your altima come with those crappy 6x9's in the front as well? Did you have to do lots of cutting in order to fit them? Thanks for any help guys!


Appreciate the positive feedback!

I believe the front speakers in the Altima Coupe are either 5.25" or 6.5" drivers. The speakers in the back are 6x9's which have been removed as I will not be using any rear fill.

From what I recall, a separate mounting ring and a spacer were utilized to give adequate depth for the AT 18H drivers. Apparently, there was enough space behind the door card/speaker opening to accommodate the ring and spacer. I am not sure if any metal was cut to fit the driver; however, I will follow up with Junior to verify this.

Overall, the car looks very stock in the trunk and interior sans the subwoofer grills. Even then, most people would probably think grills were part of the interior as they seem to flow with the interior design cues. 

I imagine you will be able to fulfill your installations goals in your Maxima. The shop pointed out that it sometimes takes more work and effort to make the install stealthy or OEM-like. Definitely worth the extra cost in terms of security and integration purposes.


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

Absolutely FANTASTIC build! LOVE me some STEALTH SQ! 

Between Bing's and S.I.'s Hi-Q installs, it makes me wish that I lived in the Bay area, especially since I just picked up an '12 Santa Fe SE AWD that I'm itchin' to start a SQ build on. Planning on transfering my SB Touch setup to it as well. 

Really interested to know how she tunes up using those particular speaker locations and drivers, and also how it compares to your Bimmer?

Also REALLY appreciate all of the awesome photos of your build and the bonus pics, too!

Enjoy your new system, George!

- Billy B.


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## Vital (Feb 23, 2010)

Freaking awesome built!!!!

I saw a fair amount of deadening material but honestly I'd go with more while you are at it. Especially in the area of where your subs are at. 
I have the same car (but with 4 doors lol) and it is very sensitive when it comes to rattles and weird noises.


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## Alejandro (Dec 2, 2010)

Awesome, now thinking about it, as long as the door card doesn't interfere with my mid at full excursion, I should be a ok. Thanks for your input d5sc!


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

bbfoto said:


> Absolutely FANTASTIC build! LOVE me some STEALTH SQ!
> 
> Between Bing's and S.I.'s Hi-Q installs, it makes me wish that I lived in the Bay area, especially since I just picked up an '12 Santa Fe SE AWD that I'm itchin' to start a SQ build on. Planning on transfering my SB Touch setup to it as well.
> 
> ...


Billy,

Thanks! Sound Innovations and Bing both do great work and it's good to know there are still shops around like this in the area (as they are very few and far between). 

John Tanaka's installs are really nice, clean, and SQ-oriented. If I were living in SoCal, then I would definitely bring my car to him if I were to do an install. There was the other place in the Valley that Buzzman recommended, however, I don't recall the shop's name off-hand.

The speakers are almost broken-in (probably around another 5 hours or so), so I will be setting up some time Peter after that for him to tune and dial-in the system. As of now, my BMW sounds a bit more dynamic and the vocals a tad bit warmer in comparison to the Altima. However, the system in the BMW has dedicated midrange drivers (three-way setup) and is running a tube preamp so this is to be expected. 

The Altima on the other-hand does sound quite good (imaging and staging wise) with the speakers in the stock locations. Ernie, the shop owner, and I weren't sure what to really expect so the backup plan was to install the tweeters in the A pillars if the imaging/staging was off and not correctable via time alignment and tuning. Fortunately, it seems to have worked out, and I think will sound better after Peter dials in the system. Peter has a good set of ears so I will ask him about his feedback regarding the comparison of the systems in my Altima and BMW afterwards. 



Vital said:


> Freaking awesome built!!!!
> 
> I saw a fair amount of deadening material but honestly I'd go with more while you are at it. Especially in the area of where your subs are at.
> I have the same car (but with 4 doors lol) and it is very sensitive when it comes to rattles and weird noises.


Thanks!

Unfortunately, there are some buzzes and rattles in my car as well which is/was to be expected as just about everything is plastic in the interior. However, the door card and side panels for the subwoofers are pretty solid, so the sound dampening seems to have helped in this regard.

Most of the buzzes and rattles occur during certain bass passages. The sail panels on the doors was one of them. I was playing some bass guitar tracks from Audionutz's SQ collection and there was a slight buzz. Turns out the sail panel was the culprit and when I put pressure on it during the track, the buzzing went away.

Definitely a set of compromises as this is different car than my BMW which has a lot of insulation and higher quality materials. As such, I may do some more sound dampening down the road in my Altima, such as dampening the floor and roof...


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## Thrill_House (Nov 20, 2008)

I have a question for you, any problems with phase cancellation due to the subs in that configuration?


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Thrill_House said:


> I have a question for you, any problems with phase cancellation due to the subs in that configuration?


As far as I know, I don't believe there are any phase cancellation issues with the subs in this setup configuration. The subs have some authority when needed during certain bass passages and they are imaging from the front with no glaring rear localization cues unless some of the plastic rattles in the back. This is generally at higher volumes with certain bass passages in tracks such as in Audionutz's voice coil melting CD.


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## Thrill_House (Nov 20, 2008)

d5sc said:


> As far as I know, I don't believe there are any phase cancellation issues with the subs in this setup configuration. The subs have some authority when needed during certain bass passages and they are imaging from the front with no glaring rear localization cues unless some of the plastic rattles in the back. This is generally at higher volumes with certain bass passages in tracks such as in Audionutz's voice coil melting CD.


Any use of time correction to the subs?


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Thrill_House said:


> Any use of time correction to the subs?


Yes, there is time alignment on the subs. I don't recall the exact specifics that Ernie had told me about earlier, however.


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## bigaudiofanatic (Mar 1, 2009)

Very nice build, any reason why you didn't run your tweeters in the a pillars? Just to be stealth?


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## Audio Options (Aug 28, 2008)

just looked back through this build, great work as always junior


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## dablooz (Sep 27, 2011)

d5sc said:


>


That looks awesome!

Could you explain how the outside of the trim panels were made nice and smooth after cutting out the arm rests? Was fiberglass used to do that or just body filler? To me it looks like the plastic of the trim panel was grinded/sanded down first, then built up smooth with filler and/or fiberglass.

I want to do the same thing to my car's rear quarter panels. I'm a noob at fiberglassing, but I have an old broken trim panel I can practice on.


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## Chaos (Oct 27, 2005)

We get to see a lot of great builds documented here, but this one is truly exceptional. Whoever did the fab work is a total guru.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

bigaudiofanatic said:


> Very nice build, any reason why you didn't run your tweeters in the a pillars? Just to be stealth?


Sorry for the late response! Yes, the tweeters were located in the factory locations in the dash strictly for stealth purposes.


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Chaos said:


> We get to see a lot of great builds documented here, but this one is truly exceptional. Whoever did the fab work is a total guru.





Audio Options said:


> just looked back through this build, great work as always junior


Thanks for the positive feedback! Junior does excellent work. He is a humble and nice guy and is always striving to do better...


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

dablooz said:


> That looks awesome!
> 
> Could you explain how the outside of the trim panels were made nice and smooth after cutting out the arm rests? Was fiberglass used to do that or just body filler? To me it looks like the plastic of the trim panel was grinded/sanded down first, then built up smooth with filler and/or fiberglass.
> 
> I want to do the same thing to my car's rear quarter panels. I'm a noob at fiberglassing, but I have an old broken trim panel I can practice on.


Thanks!

Unfortunately, I am not sure about the exact details. However, as far as I know, Junior glued some wood strips (or wood-like material) to fill in/transition from the speaker grill rings to the the trim panels (which were curved inwards), and then used fiberglass afterwards to bond and strengthen the area:










Body filler was used afterwards:










Hope this helps a little...


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## Jon225 (Mar 21, 2011)

Everything looks absolutely amazing and I'll bet it sounds great too.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Jon225 said:


> Everything looks absolutely amazing and I'll bet it sounds great too.


Hey George, did Peter get some tuning time in (apologies if mentioned a page or two back).


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

bertholomey said:


> Hey George, did Peter get some tuning time in (apologies if mentioned a page or two back).


Hey Jason,

No, not yet. Scheduled a tuning session with Peter during the summer but had to cancel due to some work projects that came up. Things at work have finally started slowing down so, hopefully, I can schedule some time with Peter in the new year... 

BTW, sounds like your stereo is coming along nicely! Definitely a nice looking car too!



Jon225 said:


> Everything looks absolutely amazing and I'll bet it sounds great too.


Thanks!


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts once you meet up with Peter. My car is sounding pretty good (In my biased opinion) - running 2 way right now.... I wish I could hear that combo - Scan tweets and AT mid on the Thesis amp


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

d5sc said:


> I always like visiting the shop as they are always working on some cool or unique cars:
> 
> Nissan Bluebird 1800:


That's actually a pretty sweet-looking car, but IMO, it has too much 'busywork' on it with all the badges and stuff


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## d5sc (Aug 14, 2007)

Sound Innovations moved to a new location:

Sound Innovations

29400 Kohoutek Way #100
Union City, CA 94587

They now also sell home audio:

Magico, Focal, Constellation, VAC, Devialet, Nordost, Shunyata, Aurender, Chord, and More


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

That is a great list of brands! I wish them much success.


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