# Beware of valicar speaker pods.



## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

Hello everyone.... I've gained a ton of information from people in this form when I was building and tuning my system and I wanted to say thanks to everyone. 
I had a bad experience I wanted to share. Maybe it will save somebody a headache. I was looking at valicar tweeter and midrange pods for my Hertz mille legend speakers but I couldn't find any user feedback on their products. I took a chance and boy do I regret it. I'm passing on a bad experience so that other potential buyers know what kind of company they're dealing with. Their tweeter pod grill did not fit my ml280 Tweeter. There's a big gap around the ring and the pod and it looks terrible. 










My mid-range grill does not fit on at all! The mid-range sits way too far into the pod so the screws don't reach the holes and even if they did there would be too much play for the mid-range to move up and down, they would not be secure. Valicar at first tried to tell me that only a professional can put the speakers inside the pods and screw on the grill lol. They then asked me to buy a caliper and take pictures of the different dimensions of the pods… which I did. It seemed like they realized that their pods were poorly machined and did not fit the Hertz mille speakers properly. They were way off in their specs. Then they wanted me to send my speakers to Germany at my cost so they could fix their mistake which of course there was no way I was going to do. I also spoke to Hertz in Italy and they informed me my speakers have not changed dimensions at all. Then after tons of emails ValiCar said that they would make new tweeter pods and send them out to me but they wanted me to cut out some cardboard to put underneath the lip of the mid-range to raise it up a few millimeters and to go out and try to find longer screws that would reach the screw holes. What a joke, I can't put my mid-range grills on and they want me to go out and buy some more screws , which are not regular screws and cut some cardboard and jerry-rig a fix. These are the pictures in the instructions they sent to me.
















But now they have stopped all email contact with me and have left me hanging. It looks like they’re shafting me and not sending out the tweeter pods like they had said. So I am now stuck with mid-range pods where I can't put my grills on and tweeter pods where the ring doesn't fit properly and leaves a big gap. 

These guys are a joke that don't fix their own mistakes and I strongly urge anybody to steer away from their products. Hope this helps anybody that was considering buying their product because if they do mess up they won't fix it.

This is my system.
Hertz mille legend ml 280.3 tweeter. Hertz mille legend ml 700.3 midrange Hertz mille legend ml 1650.3 woofer Focal fdp 6.900 six channel amplifier JL audio w7 10 inch subwoofer Helix DSP .3


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## AVIDEDTR (Sep 11, 2008)

I had the same problem with my Arc RS3.0.

I fixed mine with a router lift and a precise rabbet bit 

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## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

AVIDEDTR said:


> I had the same problem with my Arc RS3.0.
> 
> I fixed mine with a router lift and a precise rabbet bit
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975W using Tapatalk


So this isn't an isolated instance. I didn't think it was the way they were dealing with me Are you talking about the tweeter or the mid-range? I guess you're talking about the Tweeter. I'm not sure where I can find longer screws for the mid-range. Or maybe another way of attaching the mid-range grill without screwing it in. Can you believe these guys wanted me to send my speakers to Germany from Canada at my cost so they could make their pods fit this speaker. I wish I knew what Valicar was like before I bought them

Regards
Tom


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## AVIDEDTR (Sep 11, 2008)

Tom check my Ridgeline post. See for yourself.

I only purchased midrange

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## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

AVIDEDTR said:


> Tom check my Ridgeline post. See for yourself.
> 
> I only purchased midrange
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975W using Tapatalk


Ok I will. I see you have an arc audio amplifier and DSP. I came real close to buying those exact same units. I couldn't make up my mind between that and the helix with a focal amp. I finally decided on a helix but how do you like your combination?

Tom


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## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

AVIDEDTR said:


> Tom check my Ridgeline post. See for yourself.
> 
> I only purchased midrange
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975W using Tapatalk


How do I find the post you're talkin about?
Thanks


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## AVIDEDTR (Sep 11, 2008)

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...share_type=t&link_source=app[/URL]"]Hot Deals
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## AVIDEDTR (Sep 11, 2008)

2019 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition


This past summer we purchased our very first truck. After many months of test drives and dealer negotiations, we chose a black Honda Ridgeline. Yes, all you full size pickup owners are probably thinking "that isn't a truck". Rest assured, it does everything a truck can do, but in a smaller form...




www.diymobileaudio.com





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## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

AVIDEDTR said:


> 2019 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition
> 
> 
> This past summer we purchased our very first truck. After many months of test drives and dealer negotiations, we chose a black Honda Ridgeline. Yes, all you full size pickup owners are probably thinking "that isn't a truck". Rest assured, it does everything a truck can do, but in a smaller form...
> ...


Awe man... You went all out with a router. I don't have a router nor am I that handy. But neither of us should have to do that. He advertises his pods for the speaker model that you have. Which as it turns out is complete BS and he just guesses the dimensions. And that wouldn't solve my tweeter problem, both my mid-range and tweeter pods don't fit correctly. His pods are garbage as far as I'm concerned. Did you speak to him about the issue? Did he want you to send your speakers to Germany so he could fix his mistake?


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## AVIDEDTR (Sep 11, 2008)

I didn't send them to him. It's false advertising as far I'm concerned.
Send them back and askf to a full refund with shipping.

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## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

Yeah I could try that but I don't trust him. He would probably tell me to send the pods and when he received them he would give me back my money, and then he would stiff me. He's obviously a crook. I've always been nervous ordering online from a stranger like this with no guarantees. I learnt my lesson now.

Cheers
Tom


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## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

AVIDEDTR said:


> I didn't send them to him. It's false advertising as far I'm concerned.
> Send them back and askf to a full refund with shipping.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975W using Tapatalk


And you're right about the false advertising because he has all kinds of pictures online of my speakers and everything appears to fit correctly. So it's very strange that he sends people ones that don't. He must just be a horrible machinist and a crook.


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## Rob4607 (Apr 5, 2014)

Crap, 🤦🏻‍♂️ I’m waiting on mine to be delivered.....


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## Patriot83 (May 10, 2017)

Rob4607 said:


> Crap, 🤦🏻‍♂️ I’m waiting on mine to be delivered.....


Please report back with your thoughts. This guy makes pods for damn near everything. Hard to imagine a german guy being that dishonest. Not discounting what a few have said here.


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## Lou Frasier2 (Jul 17, 2012)

really?what would his race have to do with anything being honest or not


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## gravel (Jun 24, 2012)

Wow, it’s good to hear I’m not alone.. I ordered a set of tweeter pods on 25 Apr, paid then. He says about 3 weeks for delivery, because of the zombie apocalypse I waited 5 weeks before I sent a message about when my pods would be here.. he replied that he wanted to ship my pods, and 5 other sets that I’d be responsible to repack and ship to the buyers.. I said no, just ship mine to me. So he shipped mine to someone in Georgia, I’m in California, and the guy in Georgia eventually shipped my pods to me, I just got them today. 2 months after ordering. The worst part is that the things are unusable. He oversized every dimension to the point that the tweeters just rattle around when they are installed. Nice looking garbage is the best thing I can say.

Should have spent the $100 on strippers and booze..


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## gravel (Jun 24, 2012)

Rob4607 said:


> Crap, 🤦🏻‍♂️ I’m waiting on mine to be delivered.....


Did he ship yours to Georgia via DHL?


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## ebrahim (Sep 21, 2009)

Thank you to the OP and everyone else on here. I was going to get the pods from him but a friend of mine told me about Printed Acoustics and the gentleman that owns and operates it his name is Jeff and his in the . 

Prices about the same as Valicar but least you don’t have to deal with the drama. You can either send him one of your tweeters instead of the pair for him to build you the pods. I remember talking to him months ago about doing pods for me but totally forgot about it since I got tied up with the whole Corona/Covid 19 becoming a nuisance. 

Just something I wanted to share with everyone. 

By the way to the gentleman who mentioned booze and strippers earlier on. In FL strippers are much more than you think . 


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## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

Patriot83 said:


> Please report back with your thoughts. This guy makes pods for damn near everything. Hard to imagine a german guy being that dishonest. Not discounting what a few have said here.


I didn't know Germans were known for there integrity . I hope yours fit correctly but if they don't he probably won't fix it because he didn't fix mine. What also annoys me is that he made me go out and buy a caliper and take pictures of the depths and then he didn't follow through and send replacements. That's a scumbag move! Please report back I'm also curious how yours fit.


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## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

gravel said:


> Wow, it’s good to hear I’m not alone.. I ordered a set of tweeter pods on 25 Apr, paid then. He says about 3 weeks for delivery, because of the zombie apocalypse I waited 5 weeks before I sent a message about when my pods would be here.. he replied that he wanted to ship my pods, and 5 other sets that I’d be responsible to repack and ship to the buyers.. I said no, just ship mine to me. So he shipped mine to someone in Georgia, I’m in California, and the guy in Georgia eventually shipped my pods to me, I just got them today. 2 months after ordering. The worst part is that the things are unusable. He oversized every dimension to the point that the tweeters just rattle around when they are installed. Nice looking garbage is the best thing I can say.
> 
> Should have spent the $100 on strippers and booze..


I spent almost $400 and bought a caliper after. I could have gotten a few lap dances for that😁


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## RockitFX (Aug 22, 2018)

TRG said:


> I spent almost $400 and bought a caliper after. I could have gotten a few lap dances for that😁


I don't know where you're from, but around here $400 gets you a lot more than a lapdance!


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## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

RockitFX said:


> I don't know where you're from, but around here $400 gets you a lot more than a lapdance!


Lol...yes very true....just the cost of the caliper alone would have gotten me a lap dance or two. Now stop rubbing it in  Lol


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## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

I just realized he probably got me to buy a caliper and measure everything so that he can make proper ones in the future for the mille legend. Meanwhile leaving me with his garbage


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## RockitFX (Aug 22, 2018)

TRG said:


> Lol...yes very true....just the cost of the caliper alone would have gotten me a lap dance or two. Now stop rubbing it in  Lol


Well, if it makes you feel better, that caliper will be more useful in the long run & won't require a course of penicillin to fix


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## DaveG (Jul 24, 2019)

Lou Frasier2 said:


> really?what would his race have to do with anything being honest or not


German is not a race. It's a nationality. Things don't always have to be about race.


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## ebrahim (Sep 21, 2009)

RockitFX said:


> I don't know where you're from, but around here $400 gets you a lot more than a lapdance!


Dude do share those strip clubs  
Don’t be stingy 


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## RockitFX (Aug 22, 2018)

ebrahim said:


> Dude do share those strip clubs
> Don’t be stingy
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Detroit, specifically a stretch of 8 Mile Rd on the northern border. Probably some of the fanciest strip clubs in the country (there's a TV show about the guy that helped make that happen), and _everyone_ knows what goes on there. That being said, popo started cracking down on them about a year ago, so I suspect this phenomena is coming to an end. But I digress....


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## Patriot83 (May 10, 2017)

Lou Frasier2 said:


> really?what would his race have to do with anything being honest or not


of course anyone can be dishonest but I've generally found Europeans to be pretty honest.


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## TRG (Jan 4, 2020)

I was thinking geeze the girls at the massage parlours must be hurting real bad during covid-19. Business must be way down.


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## ebrahim (Sep 21, 2009)

TRG said:


> I was thinking geeze the girls at the massage parlours must be hurting real bad during covid-19. Business must be way down.


Yes and they are closed in Orlando. I wonder how the escort service is doing as well as the prostitutes. 


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## RockitFX (Aug 22, 2018)

ebrahim said:


> Yes and they are closed in Orlando. I wonder how the escort service is doing as well as the prostitutes.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


All the prostitutes I know started Only Fans accounts and have just been selling pics/vidz. I mean, that's what I've heard 🙄


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## ebrahim (Sep 21, 2009)

RockitFX said:


> All the prostitutes I know started Only Fans accounts and have just been selling pics/vidz. I mean, that's what I've heard


I wonder how you know about that. I think you maybe keeping secrets from us. 


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## deadrx7conv (Aug 25, 2010)

Go to aliexpress and search for aluminum tweeter bracket
Compare to the so called German ones
Find the address for Valicar and look at the street view


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## gravel (Jun 24, 2012)

Lol! Seems like you guys like talking about strippers a lot more than talking about tweeters!

My kind of people...

Oh yeah, avoid Vailcar tweeter pods!


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## JustinG2020 (May 5, 2020)

what about the pods by Geoff at printedacoustics?


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## ebrahim (Sep 21, 2009)

gravel said:


> Lol! Seems like you guys like talking about strippers a lot more than talking about tweeters!
> 
> My kind of people...
> 
> Oh yeah, avoid Vailcar tweeter pods!


Hey I dated a stripper like 4 years ago and had the best sex ever with her. Least I got it every time I was with her and her female strippers since they were all bisexual. 

Best time of my life. Back to the tweeters. 


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## ebrahim (Sep 21, 2009)

JustinG2020 said:


> what about the pods by Geoff at printedacoustics?


I spoke to him on many occasions about getting him to do my tweeter pods for my Mercury C62. Never got around it since I totally forgot about it because my father passed away when I was talking to him. 

That reminds me I need to get a hold of him again. 

By the way I heard good things about him. 


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## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Printed Acoustics is pretty good. I was happy with him doing something custom for me.

What about Alexander. He's amazing. Lots of guys have used him. He was originally known from eBay and now getting popular in forums.






Made to order grills, rings, Equipment for mounting speakers. Power distributor.


I will execute your order on an individual project. Approximate steps for ordering: The description of the rings and grilles,parts, etc. 1. Drawing up individual technical project together with the customer.Please make a picture of the place they going to,manual to speaker or link required...



www.caraudiojunkies.com


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## JustinG2020 (May 5, 2020)

awesome, I actually bought some pods from Valicar and didn't even know about Geoff until a week after I got the valicar pods. I hope they work for me. Oh sorry to change the subject. back to strippers.. ebrahim, you dating one reminds me of the song by T pain "I'm in love with a stripper" lol


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## ebrahim (Sep 21, 2009)

JustinG2020 said:


> awesome, I actually bought some pods from Valicar and didn't even know about Geoff until a week after I got the valicar pods. I hope they work for me. Oh sorry to change the subject. back to strippers.. ebrahim, you dating one reminds me of the song by T pain "I'm in love with a stripper" lol


I will have to check out that song since my music collection consists of European trance music and rock music. 

If you ever come to Orlando I can take you to the best ones  


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## JustinG2020 (May 5, 2020)

European trance.. do you know this one. It was in the movie Super Troopers lol


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## ebrahim (Sep 21, 2009)

JustinG2020 said:


> European trance.. do you know this one. It was in the movie Super Troopers lol


Heard in one time not a bad song. The stuff I listen to would be the following:

Marlo - Visions (radio edition)
HeatBeat - It’s killing me (radio edition)
Ben Gold - Departure (Radio Edition)

Just to name a few. My stuff consists of what they play in the nightclubs in Amsterdam. 

Ain’t not party like an Amsterdam party (without the drugs of course). 


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## Patriot83 (May 10, 2017)

^^ yep, a spectacular place


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## JustinG2020 (May 5, 2020)

on a good dose of molly and enough bass, it's all good lol. "skrillex"


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## ebrahim (Sep 21, 2009)

JustinG2020 said:


> on a good dose of molly and enough bass, it's all good lol. "skrillex"


Don’t forget about the women who make your dick hard just by looking at them. That is why they have condoms readily available at the clubs so you can bang at least one that night . 

Way cheaper than red light district for sure but if you want to spend a couple of thousand Euros on a woman that’s all on you. 


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## RockitFX (Aug 22, 2018)

Well this escalated quickly! 😂😂😂😂


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## ebrahim (Sep 21, 2009)

RockitFX said:


> Well this escalated quickly!


Speaking from experience my friend. 


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## skrelnik (Sep 15, 2015)

I've purchased four sets of tweeter pods from Valicar and all were mint. Zero complaints from me. Great communication. Sucks about your experience.


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## cman (Aug 24, 2020)

I have purchased multiple pairs of pods from valicar and they were great except for the screw holes on my mids were slightly off and i had to enlarge the holes on my speakers a mm or two. Just order on ebay and you get buyer protection. Free return shipping or just a refund. Problem solved. Also, he goes by the manufacturers spec sheets which sometimes are a couple mm off due to manufacturing tolerances.. That sucks yours did not work out, weirdly enough I have seen posts on here where someone bought mille legend pods from him and used the hertz grills, they fit perfectly..... Im not going to search and find it but I can assure you it was valicar pods with legends and the hertz grills.... maybe he had to do some modding like i did to get them to work..... 

I know if you have him make grills for you it adds alot of complexity to the pod so i got all of mine without grills or ones that I could use the grills that came with the speaker.


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## Sam Spade (Mar 16, 2020)

DaveG said:


> German is not a race. It's a nationality. Things don't always have to be about race.


Yeah I'm a biologist who studied genetics at Uni. Well before I was there in the 80's "race" was a term considered scientifically invalid for **** sapiens. Nationality and cultural identity valid. Race not. The Neanderthals may have been a race. but i'd have to check.


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## Wayne85 (Sep 25, 2020)

damn i ordered mine last week.. a pair of tweeter and a pair of midrange for my hertz mille legend.. still didnt reach my hand yet.. T_T


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## therapture (Jan 31, 2013)

I had a good experience with Valicar. Once I inquired if he could make pods for my Founteks, I had them in hand in 3 weeks. They fit the driver perfectly. 

Not saying others didn't have a bad experience, just that there are probably many more good ones than bad.


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## SNCTMPL (Nov 23, 2014)

I also had a good experience with them. I contacted them about pods for CDT tweeters that were not listed on their website and they had them made and shipped to the west coast in less than two weeks. They look great and the tweeters fit perfect.


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## asnatlas (Apr 4, 2021)

Anyone else have updates ?


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## SNCTMPL (Nov 23, 2014)

I have bought two sets since then, and I got both of them in less than two weeks.


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## CosmiK (Jul 10, 2021)

Hey, sorry to revive an old thread.

I just received my Morel CCWR 254 pods from Valicar - and they don't fit.

The screws wont line up - the pods have been made slightly too small.

Not happy!

I was going to complain before I read some of the stories on this thread. Now I think I'll try to modify them... somehow 🤷‍♂️


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## deadrx7conv (Aug 25, 2010)

CosmiK said:


> Hey, sorry to revive an old thread.
> 
> I just received my Morel CCWR 254 pods from Valicar - and they don't fit.
> 
> ...


Contact them and test their customer service


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## cman (Aug 24, 2020)

CosmiK said:


> Hey, sorry to revive an old thread.
> 
> I just received my Morel CCWR 254 pods from Valicar - and they don't fit.
> 
> ...


I own the same ones… I had to dremel the holes on my speakers ever so slightly deeper (inward towards the surround) and Dremel a little pocket for the terminals to sit into in the pods… I was going to tell the valicar guy so he can make some adjustments for future purchases… But honestly I didn’t know what to tell him becauseof the language barrier… anyways after the minor modifications they fit perfect..


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## LimpCroissaint (May 18, 2021)

Well shoot this all sucks to hear... I've been going back and forth on what to do for a 3 way set in my 2000 Cherokee and was thinking of going midbass and midrange in kicks and tweets in valicar pods on the a-frames. Seems like its real hit or miss

For the people who the pods worked for, or the people that got them to work, how do your drivers sound in the pods? How sturdy are they? Have you guys say put some cld in there, maybe some poly fill, maybe line the sides with non-hardening modeling clay? It seems like just when i find a company that actually makes pods or kicks for my vehicles I always run in to negative reviews when I start digging. Of course, making your own or buying custom is always going to be a lot better but for those that haven't worked with glassing before and don't have the budget for having them made they always seem like a nice option.


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## CosmiK (Jul 10, 2021)

I'd say super sturdy - apart from the mis-measure, they are solid/heavy. Feel quality.

I ended up making MDF baffles - works ok.


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## LimpCroissaint (May 18, 2021)

Hmmm. Sorry you got a messed up product, that always sucks. I think if I do it I'll do like the one guy said and order through ebay so I can return if they turn up wrong.


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## CosmiK (Jul 10, 2021)

Yeh, i ordered through Ebay. I could probably return them if I wanted to go down that road.

In fairness to Valicar, I haven't reached out about it. Partially because I am super eager to begin this project and do not want to wait for a potential hassle/international postage before i can start.

Partially because I was put off by some of the other feedback from Valicar reported in this thread (having to prove the measurements are wrong with calipers, requesting the product be sent back with the speakers as well etc).

A simple adaption has got me back in the game so, no biggie. Very disappointing though.

FYI - i got a message from Valicar when i ordered on Ebay saying

"* Due to Covid-19, the packages take a very long 2-2.5 months. It is possible to send your package with another UPS company (delivery 8-10 days). Shipping with UPS costs + $ 15. Waiting for your decision?"*

I'll be honest, I got a bit freaked out by this at the time and just paid the extra postage ($15 USD). Then I realised it could be a line... I mean I already paid $22 USD in my original purchase price so, what sloth-mail-r-us did that get me?

Also, after I paid the extra postage, it took a few days before I got any tracking. When I prompted for it, they replied

*"Hello, we are making all the parts ourselves and we needed time to make them. Your package has been sent. Today we will send Tracking number."*

Perhaps they rushed it?

Again, in fairness, the packaged arrived in 3 weeks after this with DHL - not bad

That said - screw mucking with re-postage, and the costs associated with it... for a 5 buck fix


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## sprexumn (Sep 28, 2005)

I am happy with my valicar pods. Communication was not great but they offer a product that would cost significantly more if custom built from scratch. 
His business is semi custom, so you expect that issues will come up with fit now and then and that some cooperation to resolve is easier than shipping everything around the world. Having said that, it doesn’t sound like he handled the OP case well and I am glad to hear about it.


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## hella356 (Dec 11, 2016)

Anyone order from them recently? I ordered SI M3 pods from them a week ago on eBay. Estimated arrival is between September 7-27. Turns out I'm doing a road trip during that span of time, so if paying extra for faster shipping means getting them up & running before the trip, I'm willing to eat a few bucks. I've emailed them & messaged over eBay about it, a few days ago, but no response.


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## LimpCroissaint (May 18, 2021)

hella356 said:


> Anyone order from them recently? I ordered SI M3 pods from them a week ago on eBay. Estimated arrival is between September 7-27. Turns out I'm doing a road trip during that span of time, so if paying extra for faster shipping means getting them up & running before the trip, I'm willing to eat a few bucks. I've emailed them & messaged over eBay about it, a few days ago, but no response.


Good luck. Hopefully you'll get them before your trip. Please keep us updated.


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## hella356 (Dec 11, 2016)

Will do!


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## ebrahim (Sep 21, 2009)

Has anyone had success with their pods for Helix midrange drivers preferably the C2 or the P2?

Thank you. 


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## kwametx (Aug 1, 2011)

I just got my pods today for my Dyn md142 and md102. I placed my order (via ebay) on July 29th. I appears the tweeter fits good. Ii'll have to pull my md142 to test fit it. They pods look good and are sturdy. My only concern is the weight. The md142 and pod combined have a fair amount of weight to them to be supported by the a-pillar.


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## hella356 (Dec 11, 2016)

Mine are out for delivery today. My plan is to use the A-pillar mount as more of a stabilizer, with most of the weight sitting on the dash. Thinking of Velcro or double sided tape under the pods to keep them from bouncing. I don't know if this is the best way to go, but seems logical to me.


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## UNBROKEN (Sep 25, 2009)

kwametx said:


> I just got my pods today for my Dyn md142 and md102. I placed my order (via ebay) on July 29th. I appears the tweeter fits good. Ii'll have to pull my md142 to test fit it. They pods look good and are sturdy. My only concern is the weight. The md142 and pod combined have a fair amount of weight to them to be supported by the a-pillar.


Fender washers on the back side of the pillar are your friend. Spread the load out.


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## hella356 (Dec 11, 2016)

UNBROKEN said:


> Fender washers on the back side of the pillar are your friend. Spread the load out.


Ooh, good point!


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## kwametx (Aug 1, 2011)

UNBROKEN said:


> Fender washers on the back side of the pillar are your friend. Spread the load out.


Thanks.


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## hella356 (Dec 11, 2016)

Got them installed. Was coming from a 2-way. Just did a basic setup, crossovers and T/A, but very happy with the results so far. Still need to play with the crossovers a bit, then do a Dirac Live setup. Added some CLD to the insides. I placed them low enough on the A-pillar that they're mostly supported by the bolts, but are sitting on the dash. Stage has raised up considerably. I like the pods - my criticisms are that both the grilles were dented upon arrival, but were easy to bend back into place; and that the Allen wrench holes of screws strip fairly easily. I'll see how things go sound-wise, but off to a good start.


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## LimpCroissaint (May 18, 2021)

hella356 said:


> Got them installed. Was coming from a 2-way. Just did a basic setup, crossovers and T/A, but very happy with the results so far. Still need to play with the crossovers a bit, then do a Dirac Live setup. Added some CLD to the insides. I placed them low enough on the A-pillar that they're mostly supported by the bolts, but are sitting on the dash. Stage has raised up considerably. I like the pods - my criticisms are that both the grilles were dented upon arrival, but were easy to bend back into place; and that the Allen wrench holes of screws strip fairly easily. I'll see how things go sound-wise, but off to a good start.
> 
> View attachment 309244
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Looks good! Any updates on how its sounding?


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## hella356 (Dec 11, 2016)

LimpCroissaint said:


> Looks good! Any updates on how its sounding?


Still slowly dialing it in, but it's definitely sounding better than before. I'm guessing that's mostly from simply being a 3-way vs the 2-way it was before installing the pods/mids. This is my first go at a 3-way, so I can't really comment on how much the pods themselves are helping/hurting. I'm considering trying to mount the mids directly into the door, without the pods, to see what difference that makes. I suppose a more pertinent test of the Valicar pods would be to compare them to an A-pillar fiberglass pod, but I don't foresee doing that. For now, I'm happy with them.


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## LimpCroissaint (May 18, 2021)

hella356 said:


> Still slowly dialing it in, but it's definitely sounding better than before. I'm guessing that's mostly from simply being a 3-way vs the 2-way it was before installing the pods/mids. This is my first go at a 3-way, so I can't really comment on how much the pods themselves are helping/hurting. I'm considering trying to mount the mids directly into the door, without the pods, to see what difference that makes. I suppose a more pertinent test of the Valicar pods would be to compare them to an A-pillar fiberglass pod, but I don't foresee doing that. For now, I'm happy with them.


Well that's good your happy with them man! These Valicars seem to be taking off decently in the community, I see them around here and there in other places than on here. I'm still probably gonna end up grabbing some. I've really been thinking those CDT unity coax midrange/tweet coax would be cool in a frame pods though too.


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## hella356 (Dec 11, 2016)

LimpCroissaint said:


> Well that's good your happy with them man! These Valicars seem to be taking off decently in the community, I see them around here and there in other places than on here. I'm still probably gonna end up grabbing some. I've really been thinking those CDT unity coax midrange/tweet coax would be cool in a frame pods though too.


From memory I didn't think I could fit a midrange in my door card, but I pulled the card off a door & it looks like it's quite possible. So I picked up a pair of extra door cards & A-pillar trim pieces at an auto wrecker. This should allow me to compare the pods (which I'm guessing would perform fairly similarly to fiberglass A-pillar pods) vs door mount. Going to keep at it with tuning the Valicars as time allows. When I feel I've gotten them the best I'm capable of, I'll pull the M3s & mount them into the spare cards to see which I prefer. At the very least, the Valicars have allowed me a fairly easy taste of a 3-way in my car, enough to know I'll never do a 2-way again. The door mount location will have (what I think are) two advantages over the pods: places the mids wider, and very nearly in a vertical line with the tweeters. And the woofers, now that I think about it, although not sure that would matter. I'll report my findings as I go through it all.


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## Lloyd_Lemon (Aug 30, 2021)

Thanks for the heads up. I think this is a +1 for a customs moulded fibreglass fabrication! Funnily enough I just got a caliper today to help my own manufacturing of things!


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## hella356 (Dec 11, 2016)

The build quality is very good, and (though I've never tried it) surely much quicker & easier to install than fabricating fiberglass pods. It's my assumption that they're probably about on a par with custom fiberglass pods, although I'd guess that with custom pods having more flexibility in both angles & internal volume would probably outdo them. But for someone without the time, inclination, or skills to build custom, the Valicars are a great way to improve a system. Took about an hour to install with minimal tools, almost half of which was spent running an extra pair of wires from the trunk to the dash. So, more of a product for a hobbyist than for an experienced fabricator.


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