# Apicella Auto Sound Demo Vehicle - 2019 Volvo S60 R Design



## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

I did it. I finally did it. Got myself a new to me big boy car with the sole intent of making it a marketing tool for my shop, while also being my daily driver. Frankly, I only did it because I've been losing sales because my current car isn't relatable to customers and doesn't make them feel "warm and cozy" inside even though it sounds great. I ended up choosing this 2019 Volvo S60 R Design for a few reasons. It checked off probably the most boxes in my requirements/wants list, which wasn't very long. List in no particular order.. 

. Nice car that my target market can relate to and feel comfortable in? *✔*
. All black interior? *✔*
. Center channel from factory? *✔*
. Quality OEM radio or something that can take an aftermarket radio? *✔* (has a nice oem radio)
. Pillars/dash that give me enough room to allow me to really show off what I can do? *✔*
. Trunk space that would allow me to have some fun while still allowing the trunk to be usable? Ehh, kinda. Its enough to make it work, but not as roomy as one of the other options on my list of cars
. Enough room for kick panels? *✔*

Bonus points for this car? Has awesome oem locations that actually made me not want it at first (didn't want to see multiple speaker grills all over the car), but then I got the bright idea to do not only one demo system, but TWO demo systems in one car. One of them will be what we refer to as a "Stage 2" sound system at Apicella Auto Sound. It will include our most commonly used speakers, the Audiofrog GB60, GB25, and GB10, as well as two GB25's and a GB10 in the center channel. The next system, which is what I wanted to do from the start, will most likely be what we refer to as a Stage 4 system. Our top of the line offerings (minus Brax amps and DSP, as I cannot afford those after this lol) will be used in this system and feature very intricate custom fabrication in the pillars, kick panels, and trunk. 

To be honest, I'm still working out how I'm going to pull this off but I think I have an idea to pull it off properly without needing to have two directors or wifi modules.. OEM system, coax, and/or any other sources into DSP Ultra. Have this handle _everything_ for the signal. On the last two outputs though, send full range out to a Helix V Eight Mk2 to power the 3 way door speakers, and center channel. I might utilize the Harmon Kardon upmixer that is already in the car for the two seat tune. Im not sure yet. We'll see.

I also plan on doing ceramic coating, tint, extensive radar/laser countermeasure system (hoping to do a Stinger, but not sure I can afford it right now). I'm hoping to pull out the big guns on this car right out of the gate so I don't have to do this car more than once.

Tommorow night after work I'm going to start taking the doors off and see what I'm working with. This should be fun


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## hybridspl (May 9, 2008)

Congrats Nick! Can’t wait to see what you come up with.


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

Well that's a big upgrade from Golf R as you said you going to buy 
Either way.. congrats..

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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

Looks like a Honda. 

Ge0












Just ****ing with you


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

Ge0 said:


> Looks like a Honda.
> 
> Ge0
> 
> ...


That's funny !!  
It's very similar to Audi A7

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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

Hopefully you'll change that highly publicized license plate out


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## JimmyDee (Mar 8, 2014)

Cool car. And ya... It's a 'grown-up' vehicle. Well done.
Looking forward to seeing how this turns-out.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

I have always had a thing for Volvos... I love it! Congrats!

Btw, Heico makes lowering springs for it... (hint, hint)


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## Focused4door (Aug 15, 2015)

I really like the idea of the two systems in the car, kind of a cool demo idea.

I don't ever want to relate to that car though, and I drive a minivan currently


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Thanks guys!



DavidRam said:


> I have always had a thing for Volvos... I love it! Congrats!
> 
> Btw, Heico makes lowering springs for it... (hint, hint)


Already looking at them. Problem is, as you can see in the kne photo, my driveway is very steep. Lowering is sketchy in my situation. 

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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

SkizeR said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> Already looking at them. Problem is, as you can see in the kne photo, my driveway is very steep. Lowering is sketchy in my situation.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


Do air bags  

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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

quickaudi07 said:


> Do air bags
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk


You buying?

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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

If I was rich and had money falling out of pockets... I would why not... Unfortunately I'm broke as a mofo... I have to say sorry 

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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

Ge0 said:


> Looks like a Honda.
> 
> Ge0
> 
> ...


Good. You're starting to catch on to my ******* sense of humor . Never offensive unless I obviously mean it. Just for fun...

Ge0


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## Cutaway (May 5, 2020)

I like the idea of the two system setup demo. A shop out here in az, Signature Audio, has a daily driver BMW setup that way. Works great for them to do exactly what you're wanting to do


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## thedynoguy (Jan 5, 2019)

congrats, Nick. I don't know who's s-box you drove when taking me to pick up the rental car for my trip home, but I did appreciate the ride 😂


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## JCsAudio (Jun 16, 2014)

Congrats Nick, That car looks awesome and because it’s a quiet luxury car should make a very good platform for a Demo car along with its upscale looks. Don’t mess with lowering it though, I feel that detracts from the upscale look and will make it look less mature/upscale. Just my opinion coming from an old guy like me.


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## naiku (May 28, 2008)

Nice new car! 



DavidRam said:


> Btw, Heico makes lowering springs for it... (hint, hint)


The cost of aftermarket parts for Volvo's makes parts for Audi look cheap.... former Audi, now Volvo owner.


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

great car. I am looking at these for my next volvo so what to see what you do. I still have to wait a bit to hopefully find some deals on cars as they come of lease.


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

naiku said:


> Nice new car!
> 
> 
> 
> The cost of aftermarket parts for Volvo's makes parts for Audi look cheap.... former Audi, now Volvo owner.


hopefully prices adjust as companies adapt to the platform. All my previous volvos, parts even aftermarket and performance were pretty reasonable. This was with P2 and P3 platforms. It seems the aftermarket is slower to adapt to the newer models and the few companies out there are making you pay to play.


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## naiku (May 28, 2008)

I've got a P3, I figure the high prices are simply that the market for aftermarket parts is small, especially compared to the Audi world, for example a Snabb high flow intake.... $459 for my V60. Crazy for what it is, I'm just going to stick with some H&R springs and a couple cosmetic upgrades.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Tbh, I'm probably not going to touch the car much, if at all aside from the audio. Like JCs said, and I agree with him, I really don't want to take away from the purpose of this car, which is to make potential customers feel like they can relate to what they're getting into and listening to. 

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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

SkizeR said:


> Tbh, I'm probably not going to touch the car much, if at all aside from the audio. Like JCs said, and I agree with him, I really don't want to take away from the purpose of this car, which is to make potential customers feel like they can relate to what they're getting into and listening to.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


Makes sense... Maybe do wheel spacers to bring the wheels flush with the body.  That makes a noticeable difference in the look and stance.


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## SmallSoldier (Aug 8, 2007)

Very nice car! Congratulations... Looking forward to what you do with it 


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

aaaaaaaaand it only took 15 hours for someone to hit my car in the driveway. unreal lol. NY tax


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## JustinG2020 (May 5, 2020)

... so someone hit your car, parked, in the driveway? damn. I guess new york driving is as bad as everyone says.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

apparently. wasnt there yesterday, got the shop this am and it was there. ugh. fixable though. Nothing crazy. clear coat scuffs


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Subscribed! The wife has a 2016 S60. Our son has a 2001 S60.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Beautiful car Nick, and I agree with your intent in using a relatable vehicle for a good part of potential clientele. 

The two stage systems is a great idea as well. It reminds me of an embarrassing story of getting a demo in Bing’s old car when I didn’t know he had 2 different systems 

I’m sure you will be presenting it well so folks will know what they are experiencing  Looking forward to this!


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

SkizeR said:


> Tbh, I'm probably not going to touch the car much, if at all aside from the audio. Like JCs said, and I agree with him, I really don't want to take away from the purpose of this car, which is to make potential customers feel like they can relate to what they're getting into and listening to.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


You got to add a rear wing and camber the wheels in to some ridiculous angle . On second thoughts, nahh... That's what most of the other shops do to appeal to teenagers.

Ge0


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

naiku said:


> I've got a P3, I figure the high prices are simply that the market for aftermarket parts is small, especially compared to the Audi world, for example a Snabb high flow intake.... $459 for my V60. Crazy for what it is, I'm just going to stick with some H&R springs and a couple cosmetic upgrades.


part of the issue is the P3 platform. I have a P3 s80 so I know the pain. People really didnt embrace the P3 platforms like they did previous years. Some really didnt like the Ford influence during those years. P2 stuff was a dime a dozen and much easier to mod and get performance gains from. I had a v70 and s80 from those years and miss both. My P3 is nice, I just think those were better cars and I also thought easier to work on


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## Driver of 102080 (Sep 19, 2016)

How the hell do you lose sales because of a shop car. I have waiting for ever to have a nice enough vehicle to have you do a install for. I don't want to be laughed out the because its beater truck.

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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Driver of 102080 said:


> How the hell do you lose sales because of a shop car. I have waiting for ever to have a nice enough vehicle to have you do a install for. I don't want to be laughed out the because its beater truck.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


Because when you have potential customers with $100k cars (or even regular cars) who arent typical internet forum guys who know you through years of posting and already trust you, and are just typical people who look up "car audio near me" on google, do you think they feel comfortable sitting in a car that is beat to hell, rattles when you look at it the wrong way, and has some relatively ugly pods on the doors and kick panels that don't really seem to belong? or do you think theyre going to go with the guy who has a full showroom and maybe even a fancy looking demo car? These customers just do not relate to that. Being able to relate makes them feel comfortable. Feeling comfortable closes sales. Im evolving. I am not so much catering to forum/competition guys anymore. I want to deal with nice cars that want nice looking installs. Frankly, those are the guys that make you money but still receive a great end result. The past 4 months i have lost out on about $25k in sales due to this, $15k of which the potential customer, who is even a member here, DIRECTLY told me it was due to not having that warm and fuzzy feeling getting in my car, even though it sounded great. Guess who fixes his install now but missed out on the $15k sale. Me. **** that. That was the final straw.

Maybe I'll text said customer and see if he will reply to this thread to hear from his point of view


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## GMCtrk (Apr 14, 2018)

Sounds like a very savvy business move. Best of luck.


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## EmptyKim (Jun 17, 2010)

SkizeR said:


> Because when you have potential customers with $100k cars (or even regular cars) who arent typical internet forum guys who know you through years of posting and already trust you, and are just typical people who look up "car audio near me" on google, do you think they feel comfortable sitting in a car that is beat to hell, rattles when you look at it the wrong way, and has some relatively ugly pods on the doors and kick panels that don't really seem to belong? or do you think theyre going to go with the guy who has a full showroom and maybe even a fancy looking demo car? These customers just do not relate to that. Being able to relate makes them feel comfortable. Feeling comfortable closes sales. Im evolving. I am not so much catering to forum/competition guys anymore. I want to deal with nice cars that want nice looking installs. Frankly, those are the guys that make you money but still receive a great end result. The past 4 months i have lost out on about $25k in sales due to this, $15k of which the potential customer, who is even a member here, DIRECTLY told me it was due to not having that warm and fuzzy feeling getting in my car, even though it sounded great. Guess who fixes his install now but missed out on the $15k sale. Me. **** that. That was the final straw.
> 
> Maybe I'll text said customer and see if he will reply to this thread to hear from his point of view


Show room and demo car makes sense. Good luck! Don't forget about us little people!


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

I totally agree with the importance of this car from a business stand point... It's basically your showroom, resume and credibility on wheels.


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## Ironchef2019 (Dec 1, 2019)

SkizeR said:


> Because when you have potential customers with $100k cars (or even regular cars) who arent typical internet forum guys who know you through years of posting and already trust you, and are just typical people who look up "car audio near me" on google, do you think they feel comfortable sitting in a car that is beat to hell, rattles when you look at it the wrong way, and has some relatively ugly pods on the doors and kick panels that don't really seem to belong? or do you think theyre going to go with the guy who has a full showroom and maybe even a fancy looking demo car? These customers just do not relate to that. Being able to relate makes them feel comfortable. Feeling comfortable closes sales. Im evolving. I am not so much catering to forum/competition guys anymore. I want to deal with nice cars that want nice looking installs. Frankly, those are the guys that make you money but still receive a great end result. The past 4 months i have lost out on about $25k in sales due to this, $15k of which the potential customer, who is even a member here, DIRECTLY told me it was due to not having that warm and fuzzy feeling getting in my car, even though it sounded great. Guess who fixes his install now but missed out on the $15k sale. Me. **** that. That was the final straw.
> 
> Maybe I'll text said customer and see if he will reply to this thread to hear from his point of view


That guy would be me, so allow me to explain. I installed car audio for a shop while going to college in the early 90’s. After college, I dabbled in the the car audio scene but was not properly informed on the myriad of changes from DSP to factory integration to time alignment. 
So I decided to seek out the best installers that I could research and then schedule some time to go and see what their version of great car audio could be for me. Nick was on the short list for me due to his amazing skill and he’s right in my backyard. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the means to demonstrate what a premium build would sound like, while others did. This made the decision a tough one and thus, I elected to go with whom I ultimately chose due to this and this persons reputation for outstanding build quality and an amazing product demonstration. In the end, I can honestly say that I made a mistake not going with Nick, but this was a significant amount of money for me and I wanted to ensure I was getting the results I desired.
But asking anyone to sign on for an expensive and extensive build without a reference point is daunting. Thus, the demonstration vehicle. Hearing a properly installed and tuned vehicle is life changing and downright addictive. I’m confident Nick’s future clientele will enjoy and appreciate the first hand experience and will hopefully want to join the rest of us in our pursuit for SQ.


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## Blu (Nov 3, 2008)

In a nutshell: _"You only get ONE chance to make a first impression..."_


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## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

Ge0 said:


> Hopefully you'll change that highly publicized license plate out


What is the issue with showing a license plate online - I never understood the danger.

Nice car Nick....look forward to what you do for the install.....should be epic.


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## ballistic1350 (Jan 16, 2015)

It's a nice tax right off too! Used for marketing the business 😜


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## JCsAudio (Jun 16, 2014)

I’ve watched Nick grow his business from the beginning. I’ve met him in person and have seen his work. I think Nick and I talked for what seemed like 30 minutes but was actually hours at a meet. I also have experience with another reputable shop in my area to compare too and I’ve met many entrepreneurs like him through work. I’ve demoed his car one time and his employee Kevin multiple times and they sound totally amazing. The big thing that stood out about Nick to me is his integrity. He is not messing around and he wants nothing but the best for his customers. He also keeps things real and tells you like it is because he’s in my opinion a genuinely honest person. Unfortunately there are those that try to take advantage of that. Most people here already know Nick and Kevin have amazing talent. I think buying that Volvo to showcase his work was a smart move and it shows his commitment to his business. The last time I witnessed an entrepreneur take a business from average to great was when I worked with Anthony Consigli, owner of Consigli Construction. I’ll let google tell you the rest of the story.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

JCsAudio said:


> I’ve watched Nick grow his business from the beginning. I’ve met him in person and have seen his work. I think Nick and I talked for what seemed like 30 minutes but was actually hours at a meet. I also have experience with another reputable shop in my area to compare too and I’ve met many entrepreneurs like him through work. I’ve demoed his car one time and his employee Kevin multiple times and they sound totally amazing. The big thing that stood out about Nick to me is his integrity. He is not messing around and he wants nothing but the best for his customers. He also keeps things real and tells you like it is because he’s in my opinion a genuinely honest person. Unfortunately there are those that try to take advantage of that. Most people here already know Nick and Kevin have amazing talent. I think buying that Volvo to showcase his work was a smart move and it shows his commitment to his business. The last time I witnessed an entrepreneur take a business from average to great was when I worked with Anthony Consigli, owner of Consigli Construction. I’ll let google tell you the rest of the story.


Thanks for the kind words John! 

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## gumbeelee (Jan 3, 2011)

I totally understand where Nick is coming from with wanting a car that he can show off to the average joe looking for a nice install. A few weeks ago i was at one of my local shops just fooling around looking at there soundboard when a customer came in, probably googled local car audio shops. He wanted to a nice focal install, he ask to see some of there work and to demo a car if posdible. The owner of the shop who was not there at the time has a demo car similar to Nicks Volvo he just purchased, but the owner of the shop wasnt there and the customet had to demo one the installers rides which I have not seen. Fast forward an hour or so I am at another shop about 30 minutes away when the same guy came walong in and ask the same questions about seeing the shops work and demoing a ride. I looked at him and said “didnt i just see u at the other shop” he said yeah, i said “guess you are not going to do the install there, he said “yeah did u see the car I had the demo in”, and just shook his head. That shop lost the sale because of demo vehicle. Smart move Nick on the purchase.


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## brewmastr (Jul 3, 2015)

I think this is extremely smart and I dont chime in much. But here is the deal, you don't understand high end clientele until you deal with high end clientele. I hate calling it demanding, but there are standards that need to be met in order for the sale to be made. I have a specific client at my work that has GT AMG's for his whole team of employee's as company cars. Why does he do this.... Because his clients demand an image as well and he caters to millionaires and himself is a millionaire many times over. Would he buy cars or service cars from us if the shop was full of old busted ass cars... NOPE. Once you get the mindset you have to cater to it, It is a wise investment in the future of Nick's business. Can everyone here relate, not a chance this is all about DIY. The rich generally do not DIY, they don't have the time. They carefully research and then purchase.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

brewmastr said:


> I think this is extremely smart and I dont chime in much. But here is the deal, you don't understand high end clientele until you deal with high end clientele. I hate calling it demanding, but there are standards that need to be met in order for the sale to be made. I have a specific client at my work that has GT AMG's for his whole team of employee's as company cars. Why does he do this.... Because his clients demand an image as well and he caters to millionaires and himself is a millionaire many times over. Would he buy cars or service cars from us if the shop was full of old busted ass cars... NOPE. Once you get the mindset you have to cater to it, It is a wise investment in the future of Nick's business. Can everyone here relate, not a chance this is all about DIY. The rich generally do not DIY, they don't have the time. They carefully research and then purchase.


My first day starting in this industry was dealing with 3 customers. The first was 50 Cent, the second was a Saudian Arabian Prince, the third was some unnamed rich dude with a few exotic cars. I did that on and off for 6 months at a time. Im a bit rusty, but my start in this industry was dealing with high end clientele. I want to get back to that. That GT3 build gave me that feeling again lol


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## brewmastr (Jul 3, 2015)

The only thing that makes me sick about my customer with the GT's is he has me hardwire Valentine one's into all of them, When I ask why he does not go see Tom Miller at Musicar for a full integrated radar his response is "I will only have these cars for a couple years", Strange indeed.


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## Rainstar (May 22, 2017)

😭im only low end clientele, I demand Discounts and require you pounding extra strength Tylenol


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## Driver of 102080 (Sep 19, 2016)

I understand Nick things have changed a lot over years. Good luck.

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## Gurpreet (Sep 6, 2011)

Congrats Nick! 

Just to throw in my .02 worth, I completely understand and agree with the purpose of a nice demo vehicle. Living here in Northern California, I had many options for install. But after seeing and listening to Bing's vehicle and even a couple of his customer's vehicles he was working on, I knew I wanted him to do the install because I felt comfortable that my car was going to be in good hands. 

I enjoy your work and looking forward to your build.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Started on the build a bit while i had some free time.. Last night before i left the shop, i decided to test out the OEM system as far as acoustic output goes. I realized when i set it to "Driver", it actually had good imaging and staging and tonality actually wasn't bad. After some EQ and balance, i ended up with a solid center image, and decent tonality. Problem is, there might be a limiter or something, idk. Something sounds a bit off. But there is a linear frequency response minus a few exceptions, as you can see in the graph below.. again, this is after a bit of eq on the OEM radio. With no eq, it had less of a rise on the low end.
















What i started today before i go home was checking out the pillars to see what i can do for the big bad system (i already took the doors off to see what was possible.. easy drop in for Audiofrog GB 3-way in OEM locations). What i did was make a mock up of some Focal Utopia M 3.5's and took off the pillar to see what would fit. Honestly, its a bit tight. Tighter than i had originally thought, but i have worked with worse. After that, i took the baffles for the Tesla Model S pillars i did and enlarged them and then modified them to fit Focal Utopia 3.5WM. Again, its tight. But i think i can pull it off how i want. Itll come down to the millimeter though. If you see the AC vent, i do NOT want to block that in any way. Remember, some of my potential clients may be turned off by that, even if we're not doing pillars in their car. It may come off as lack of attention to detail, or can come off as poor design, or anything of that sort.


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## gumbeelee (Jan 3, 2011)

Thats tight for sure around thd ac vent, look forward to see what you do. OEM system rew results honestly does not look that bad to be OEM.


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## naiku (May 28, 2008)

SkizeR said:


> I realized when i set it to "Driver", it actually had good imaging and staging and tonality actually wasn't bad. After some EQ and balance, i ended up with a solid center image, and decent tonality.


Volvo definitely seem like they know how to make a decent OEM system. Before removing all the stock equipment from mine I too tweaked the factory EQ a little and ended up with some pretty decent results. I had no subwoofer from the factory though, so absolutely nothing below about 38hz. If not for already having a pile of equipment, I'd have been tempted to just leave it stock.

Looking forward to what you get done with the new car. Having 2 systems in 1 vehicle will be pretty sweet.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Oh, ordered a Helix Ultra and V Twelve today. What im going to do is use the ultra to control the big boy system, and the last 2 outputs will be full range to the other system. Both will have their own wifi modules so I can control tunes in each separately.

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## HIFI Mobile Audio (Aug 6, 2020)

Very cool man. Congrats! The car fits your style.

Hope I can get to that point some day with my shop! Looking forward to seeing what you do with it. Surely it'll be kick-ass.


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## JCsAudio (Jun 16, 2014)

Interesting that the OEM system seems to take a nose dive after 10k. I guess they feel it’s not that important whether it’s a function of the speakers or something else.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

JCsAudio said:


> Interesting that the OEM system seems to take a nose dive after 10k. I guess they feel it’s not that important whether it’s a function of the speakers or something else.


Probably just the mic mixed with smoothing

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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

i Have known Nick for while did some deals with him back when he deep into zapco dc series and wanted to own all of them. Now i have never met Nick i live in panhandle of Oklahoma but i have done several transactions with him for gear that probably in the end caused him to loose money or time or both. Hes always treated he with respect like i was billionaire or celebrity. i find myself asking questions or talking to him on phone about all kinds of **** and hes always taken the time to answer my questions or shoot the **** and i have remember hes now running this shop and doesn't have time to waste on me with noob tuning questions or dumb gear questions.i swear half videos put out by him are for me. its been awesome to see his business and skills grow and stoked to see his own build now and how he does a center channel.😂 Congrats man!! halo death metal for all!!


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

optimaprime said:


> halo death metal for all!!


Funny enough, one of my favorite bands is Shadow Of Intent. They are a deathcore band from the Connecticut area. Their first two albums are 100% about Halo lol.


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

SkizeR said:


> Funny enough, one of my favorite bands is Shadow Of Intent. They are a deathcore band from the Connecticut area. Their first two albums are 100% about Halo lol.


thats what you told me and got em and listened to them. I dig them 😬


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## court (Feb 7, 2017)

I look forward to this build. I know it will be very nice.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Making some progress this weekend. Yesterday after some work in the office, i managed to get the doors off, oem speakers removed and converted to CAD files for baffles, made the baffles, deadened the doors which required kevin to help remove the windows, speakers wired and installed, pillar baffles fully designed and made, grills designed, baffles installed into pillars/mold, fiberglassing on pillars started, removed the OEM sub and made a cad file to cut out an acrylic piece to fit in its place, and got said acrylic piece installed. When i read that back i almost start to feel like a real installer lol. Thats a very productive day for me considering i started at like 1pm. Today i am removing the passenger seat to sort out the OEM amplifier, which i just finished. I have one problem with what i found... The oem midrange and tweeter are on the same channel and there is what seems to be no way to run wire into the door without drilling new holes and adding my own boot. ****. i really didn't want to do that. I also found out the 3-speaker center channel is also only one channel. That one isn't as big of an issue, but still annoying. Up next is getting signal and speaker wire back to the Helix V12, install said V12, and run power and ground for it. Hopefully today is just as productive as yesterday, because i wont be able to work on this for a bit. very busy week ahead of me.

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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Keeping this here for my future reference and anyone else to use it..

2019 Volvo S60R with Harmon Kardon. Amp under passenger seat. 

Not sure of polarity or response or crossovers yet

Plug with smaller wires..

Front left mid/tweeter: brown/gray+brown next to bundle of other wires

Front right mid/tweeter: brown/gray+brown isolated on other side of plug

Rear deck left: purple+orange/gray/orange

Rear deck right: brown+purple/green+purple

Plug with larger wires..

Left midbass: brown/green+yellow

Right midbass: purple+brown/yellow

Center: white+purple/green+orange

Rear left door mid and tweeter: green+purple/light purple+dark purple

Rear right door: green/light purple

Sub(?.. not sure since sub was uninstalled before this, but this wire didn't have any continuity and is thick. Sub is the only option left): purple/yellow+light purple

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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

SkizeR said:


> Oh, ordered a Helix Ultra and V Twelve today. What im going to do is use the ultra to control the big boy system, and the last 2 outputs will be full range to the other system. Both will have their own wifi modules so I can control tunes in each separately.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


Now that is an interesting concept. 

Ge0


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

this gonna sick , I dig those mosconi pro amps , two of 5 channels for my alpine pdv9 but those helix v12 amps ohhhhh danggg son the flex with them and the power !!!! can't wait to see what you do Nick.


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

Ge0 said:


> Now that is an interesting concept.
> 
> Ge0


it seems like audio tech Fischer is like ok what do every one want? ohhh small big ass power with extreme control and flexibility. audio tech fisher thens likes hold my Heineken .


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

Any progress on the car  ??

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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

quickaudi07 said:


> Any progress on the car  ??
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk


Doing wiring right now. A LOT of wiring. 27 pairs of speaker wire or high level signal wire or accessory wire here. 54 wires total. And i still have to do power, ground, and speaker wire for the other 3 way set









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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

Enough pairs to hang yourself  damn lots of work !
Keep us posted. I was actually looking at the car and it's a sweet ride 

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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Many wires have been run. What a pain in the ass









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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

Looks like nightmare! 

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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

SkizeR said:


> Many wires have been run. What a pain in the ass
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Dude, you are supposed to live and breath this stuff. Running wires, YAY!!! Yeah **** that...

So say you need to add a few runs to what you already have gooped down with Butyl strips. Isn't it a ***** to tear that stuff up and redo?

Ge0


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Ge0 said:


> Dude, you are supposed to live and breath this stuff. Running wires, YAY!!! Yeah **** that...
> 
> So say you need to add a few runs to what you already have gooped down with Butyl strips. Isn't it a ***** to tear that stuff up and redo?
> 
> Ge0


Nope, inside of that bundle is extra wire (just to the left of the camera) that has all of my connections for the front tweeters and center tweeter. The other system is going to have wire just going down the side of the car as normal. 


Also, made my order today for the other system. 

3 Mosconi Pro 4|10
3 Mosconi Pro 1|10
2 pairs of Focal TBM tweeters
2 pairs of Focal 3.5WM
1 pair of Focal 8WM
3 Illusion C12 slim subs

2 Focal 3.5WM and one TBM will go in the center channel. One TBM will be extra. 

This system is going to be ****ing nuts. 

Finishing up a batch of stuff on the laser and heading home to do pictures. 

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## Gurpreet (Sep 6, 2011)

The 2 systems should be epic!


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

This build is starting to look like getting the "OEM Style" system installed first is the most important thing, which makes sense. Itll be much quicker, much easier, and still provide a demo vehicle to anyone who might stop by. First part to this was getting the front door speakers installed. This consists of the Audiofrog GB10, GB25, and GB60. The 2019 S60 has oem speaker locations that are pretty damn good, and partially what initially caught my eye about the car. The midbass location is standard, located in the lower corner of the doors. The midrange and tweeter are located in the top part of the door and are unobstructed. Pretty damn good speaker in most cars location regardless if OEM or not. We can go into the whats and whys once everything is installed and tuning begins. That way, i can actually show why. 

Side note: It also seems like this entire build is mostly being done after hours at the shop. I was at the shop until nearly 5am I think 3 nights out of the past 5. Hell, its 4am right now. No wonder my hair is already turning gray.

That said, heres the speakers all wired up, baffles installed, deadening applied, etc.. Midrange baffles were made out of 1/4" acrylic. I took the OEM speakers and drew them up in a cad software and added the GB25 cutout and bolt pattern.Stainless steel M4 machine screws secure the GB25s to the baffle. Before the GB25 was secured, i used some ResoNix CCF Decoupler 7 to seal the driver to the baffle. ResoNix CCF Decoupler 7 was also used to seal the baffle to the door panel. The GB10 got the same treatment. OEM tweeter bracket was replicated out of acrylic. The gb10 got a light coat of black paint so you dont see the chrome ring behind the grill. Midbass drivers, same deal. OEM speakers coppied into the software and converted into baffles for the GB60's. ResoNix CCF Decoupler 7 used to seal the baffle to the door, and the GB60 to the baffle. XT30's were used on the GB10's and 25's, XT60's were used on the GB60s, which were all pulled out of my previous car. GB25 and GB10 installed into the oem locations on the door panels using all of the oem hardware. 2 layers of ResoNix CCF Decoupler 7 was used to seal the GB25 to the grill to prevent unwanted interference from all other areas in the door panel.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

**** volvo for how they designed the inner skin and how it has to be removed. What you dont see in this photo is the fact that the window has to be removed in order to get the plastic inner door skin out to access the outer skin. I was looking into this and taking peeks at it over the course of the entire day. It was clear that the window needed to be removed, but removing it was not obvious. Not a single one of the access holes in the top of the door allow you to access the clips that hold the window in. It wasnt until kevin came in and we both looked at it hard until he figured out how to do it. Once he figured it out, it wasnt bad. But figuring it out sucked. I should probably do it again and take detailed pictures for anyone else with this car who might want to do this. Once we got the window and inner skin out, the OEM deadener was removed, and ResoNix Squares were applied. I think i used 4.5 per door (which is 4.5 square feet). Butyl rope was added to the gap between the outer skin and crash bar to help even further. 25 Blackhole tiles were added to each door before the inner skin was reinstalled (not pictured). Once that was done, the inner skin (which didnt receive any deadening since it is strong enough on its own and shaped in a way that would make it very difficult to apply effectively) was reinstalled and the GB60 baffles were installed. 2 layers of ResoNix FD2 were added around the GB60 to seal it to the door card to "couple" it to the cabin and funnel all acoustic energy through the grill and outside of the door panel instead of allowing a lot of it to get "lost" and cause problems behind the door panel. 



















































The OEM Hardon Kardon amp is located under the passanger seat. This amp and the processing inside of it may be essential into some of the tuning i do for the 2 seat tune/setup. Regardless of what you think, Harmon has more advanced processing and upmixing going on in here than anything that is offered in the aftermarket. Might as well utilize it, while also giving me access to all speaker wires since the molex plugs on these door specifically make it seemingly impossible to run new wire. These make Mazda door molex plugs look like a walk in the park. I will most likely have to drill a hole and make another boot to get a wire to the tweeter since the oem midrange and tweeter are on the same channel with a basic passive crossover at the tweeter. At the end of the day, i have to grab 10 speaker signals from this amp. Front left and right midbass, front left and right highs (midrange and tweeter), front center channel (2 mids and a tweeter on a passive crossover), rear left and right doors (passive 2 way set up in the door), left and right rear deck speakers, and sub. The reason im deciding to grab ALL of these signals isnt because its necessary. Its because i want to, again, utilize the Harman processing to its full potential and have the option to use or not use whatever signal may or may not work. I have a reason to believe that the rear door signal and the rear deck signal are not the same. I will be evaluating the signal soon enough and post my findings. Unfortunately the Helix DSP Ultra only has 8 channels of analog inputs, so i will probably put the rear deck signal into the V Twelve so long as it is a clearly different signal than the rear door speakers. I will not only have to test for response, timing, phase, and input mixing on that channel, but also signals unrelated to music, such as back up beeps, etc. 



OEM amp removed. The harness doesnt look like much.. but it will when 23 pairs of speaker wire are run to/from here, as well as 5 extra pairs of accessory power/ground wire and a single turn on wire just in case. 57 wires total. im not even sure how i fit it all, especially considering i ran out of Stinger speaker wire and had to borrow some home audio style wire from another installer i know locally (Thanks Chris). This stuff was stiff as hell, had an extra external jacket, and was a pain to work with since it was so stiff. 



So, the green plugs with the harnesses shown above are the outputs of the amp that feed into the processors/amps. The amplifier outputs were then wired to the oem speaker wire harness. The 5 pairs of extra power/ground are under the carpet on the left in this picture, and the 3 extra pairs on the right are to run extra wire for the side tweeters, and the center midrange. Its not as pretty as i'd usually do it and would like it to be, but I cannot stress enough how hard that wire was to work with, let alone when there are over 20 runs of it in one bundle underneath a molded foam backed carpet. 




























































Spare tire lasted like 5 days lol. Fiberglassing started for the enclosure to house the 3 Illusion C12's. There were a lot of random studs protruding from the trunk floor, that's why some of the pieces of Biaxial fiberglass has holes punched in them. 2 layers of biaxial were set to cure. You can see the red lines i drew with a grease pen to mark where i am cutting the top section off. Yeah, i glassed a much larger area than i needed. Once this mold is trimmed, the sharp bits will be grinded down and many more layers of biaxial will be added. Im honestly looking at a sealed enclosure that is a bit too small for the subs, but i am still confident that they will still play down to 20hz. I have done these subs in very small enclosures before and had good luck. Great luck actually. Hopefully my own car is no different. Next up is getting the Helix V Twelve bracket installed and the amp wired up and actually have some music again.


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

Nice job there Nick. Please keep the photos coming. I'm personally real insterested in seeing this 3 sub enclosure build. Any monkey (like myself) can mount speakers to doors. 

Ge0


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Ge0 said:


> Nice job there Nick. Please keep the photos coming. I'm personally real insterested in seeing this 3 sub enclosure build. Any monkey (like myself) can mount speakers to doors.
> 
> Ge0


I'm not much of an enclosure builder, so we'll see how this goes lol

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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Work is done for the day. Time to have some fun 









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## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Shoot, just get some sleep!


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## EmptyKim (Jun 17, 2010)

SkizeR said:


> Work is done for the day. Time to have some fun
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Could have bought a Jeep if you wanted to take off the doors. 😂


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Theslaking said:


> Shoot, just get some sleep!


Get some what? I can't tell if my vision is starting to blur by the time I make it to the end of your sentence, or I just dont know what that last word is 

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## thedynoguy (Jan 5, 2019)

SkizeR said:


> I'm not much of an enclosure builder, so we'll see how this goes lol
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


someone that works in your shop is a stellar box builder. He might be able to give you some tips...


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## ejeffrey (Oct 8, 2015)

Love seeing the updates - what a huge amount of progress, too. I really dig the speaker baffles.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Today's progress so far. Taking a break now since I forgot lunch at home and coming back to get it installed and tuned









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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Ok, just threw a tune on it real quick. 3 way front speakers in oem locations. Oem amp outputs as signal. Helix V Twelve at 75 watts per channel. Yeah, it's good. Very large stage. I'm excited for the end result of this build. 

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## gumbeelee (Jan 3, 2011)

THIS BUILD IS ****IN CRAZY AND AMAZING AT THE SAME TIME!!!


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

gumbeelee said:


> THIS BUILD IS ****IN CRAZY AND AMAZING AT THE SAME TIME!!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Calm down, we're not even there yet lol

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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

SkizeR said:


> Calm down, we're not even there yet lol
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


So where are you hiding all the pictures of this build? If we can't see it, it didn't happen .

Ge0


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Next up was getting the wires run into the door for the tweeters. Since the OEM midrange and tweeter were tied into each other passively inside of the door, we needed to run a wire through the doors molex connector. From the outside, this one really looked like it was going to be a disaster and i would have had to make a second boot. Thankfully, the molex is easily removable, the door is easily removable, and the molex even has a hole on the bottom that can fit a run or two of thin speaker wire through.. perfect for midrange and tweeter. I used the OEM wire for the midrange and ran 18 gauge speaker wire through for the tweeter















Said molex connector. The hole in the bottom is large enough to run some thinner speaker wire (16, maybe 14 gauge max) through with ease. I used 18 gauge















Door off and running wire through















Also got the center channel removed to start the planning and design. The plan is, as mentioned before, to mount a pair of Focal 3.5WM and a single Focal TBM. Unfortunately, this is going to be a bit trickier than i thought due to depth. An Hvac vent protrudes a bit on the passanger side of the grill and is going to make doing this how i wanted to a bit tricky without cutting the vent and patching it, which i'd prefer to not do. But at the same time, i'd much prefer to keep the grill completely flush with the dash as the OEM grill is vs keeping that vent fully unmolested. The plan with the grill is to keep the mids hidden under the grill, and fabricate and B&W style mount for the tweeter. Below that is the B&W trim center channel for this car..























Aside from the plans and what is in photos, this weekend after doing some other side work, i got the "part 1" system pretty much fully buttoned up and wired, rear seats re-installed, and all trim panels re-installed. From here, i need to finish the pillars, finish the center channel (hardly started besides cad files made), finish the sub enclosure, start the amp rack, and get all of the subs and amps and DSP Ultra installed, along with a controller with it, whether its the Director or URC.3 and wifi adapter, im not sure. This trunk will not be a quick process though. Im going to try to push myself. I'm going to have to constantly remind myself to just do it once and do it right. I tend to not do that on my own cars since i have so much other stuff going on and i just want it at least functional. Once its functional, it tends to get a backseat. I cannot do that.


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

SkizeR said:


> Next up was getting the wires run into the door for the tweeters. Since the OEM midrange and tweeter were tied into each other passively inside of the door, we needed to run a wire through the doors molex connector. From the outside, this one really looked like it was going to be a disaster and i would have had to make a second boot. Thankfully, the molex is easily removable, the door is easily removable, and the molex even has a hole on the bottom that can fit a run or two of thin speaker wire through.. perfect for midrange and tweeter. I used the OEM wire for the midrange and ran 18 gauge speaker wire through for the tweeter
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What is that big old box connected to the midrange in the factory center channel? A crossover network?

It woud be cool to replace this with an MTM array. it may take a little fabrication. But, I hear you are good at this...

Ge0


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Ge0 said:


> What is that big old box connected to the midrange in the factory center channel? A crossover network?
> 
> It woud be cool to replace this with an MTM array. it may take a little fabrication. But, I hear you are good at this...
> 
> Ge0


I forgot to go into detail about the oem center speakers. The "box" isn't actually a box. Its just the shape of its mounting flange for some reason. The smaller speaker seemingly isn't a part of the audio system. Must be for chimes/prompts 

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## Cutaway (May 5, 2020)

Ge0 said:


> It woud be cool to replace this with an MTM array. it may take a little fabrication
> Ge0


How do you guys configure the MTM? Do you run two/three channel active or a single channel passive?


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Cutaway said:


> How do you guys configure the MTM? Do you run two/three channel active or a single channel passive?


I'm doing mids run in parallel on its own channel and tweeter on its own channel

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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

All the gear is heeeeere 



. OEM Radio and DAP (not sure which model yet)

. Helix DSP Ultra with Director OR URC.3/Wifi Adapter (most likely a Wifi Adapter in each Helix piece to have total control)

. (3x) Illusion C12

. (2) Focal 3.5WM & Focal TBM center channel

. Audiofrog GS60 & GS10 (rear door, not pictured)

. Audiofrog GS42 (rear deck, not pictured)







System 1: Stage 2 OEM-Style System



. Helix V Twelve

. Audiofrog GB10

. Audiofrog GB25

. Audiofrog GB60







System 2: Stage 4 Fully Custom System



. (3) Mosconi Pro 4|10

. (3) Mosconi Pro 1|10

. Focal TBM

. Focal 3.5WM

. Focal 8WM





. Both systems will share center channels and subs. Center channel will be powered from a Mosconi 4|10

. The Helix V Twelve will get signal from either 2 or 4 outputs of the Helix Ultra, so the Ultra will essentially have total control of the system once the V Twelve is set

. I will be able to change presets to play any combination of the aforementioned systems in any way i could possibly fathom. My ultimate goal is to somehow utilize all speakers at once in a way that is probably unheard of in aftermarket car audio. The features of the Helix DSP's will be key in doing this properly in essentially creating my own upmixer with the virtual channels and Real Center feature. The hopeful end result is a soundstage that exists clear as day beyond the boundaries of the car in every way possible.


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## gumbeelee (Jan 3, 2011)

What a sexy picture!!


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## GMCtrk (Apr 14, 2018)

Can't wait for the end result on this one!


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## JCsAudio (Jun 16, 2014)

Go with the WiFi, I hate wires!


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## mark3004 (Oct 4, 2017)

Never seen so much stuff in just one car!!


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## Stycker (Jan 31, 2018)

looks like gold bars stacked in front of your car


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

What's your address, again?!


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## jtrosky (Jul 19, 2019)

Between the new car and the thousands and thousands of dollars worth of gear for the new car, I think that the prices at Apicella Auto Sound just went up by about 35%. ;-)


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

jtrosky said:


> Between the new car and the thousands and thousands of dollars worth of gear for the new car, I think that the prices at Apicella Auto Sound just went up by about 35%. ;-)


They went up after we did that GT3. After i swiped the owners card he said "now that its paid for, your prices are too low" lol. It was nice to finally hear that a paying customer actually agreed. In the NY/NJ area, dealerships and performance shops are getting $180/Hr minimum. We weren't anywhere near that and still arent that high. Hell, we also never abide by our estimate and go overboard without charging for the extra time lol


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## thedynoguy (Jan 5, 2019)

SkizeR said:


> They went up after we did that GT3. After i swiped the owners card he said "now that its paid for, your prices are too low" lol. It was nice to finally hear that a paying customer actually agreed. In the NY/NJ area, dealerships and performance shops are getting $180/Hr minimum. We weren't anywhere near that and still arent that high. Hell, we also never abide by our estimate and go overboard without charging for the extra time lol


I probably didn't tell you when I picked my car up, but yea. You need to work on your pricing a bit. In fact, I feel kinda bad about it now. What's you PayPal again?  😂


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## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

gumbeelee said:


> What a sexy picture!!


Except the new and stupid "Excelsior"


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Theslaking said:


> Except the new and stupid "Excelsior"


hey, its better then those nasty orange plates. I just want the early 90's NY plates to come back. those were tight


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Also, finished up work for the day and decided to take my Illusion C12s to the table saw... this should just give me enough room to do what I was hoping to do
















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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

those subs with that cut look really nice butted up like that.


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## dgage (Oct 1, 2013)

That’s crazy on the saw cuts but looks sweet. Wish I had thought of that but I have now.


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

You're cutting up how many $$$ in sub-woofers? Christ, I thought you were going to triangular mount them.

OK. You have my attention .

Ge0


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Ge0 said:


> You're cutting up how many $$$ in sub-woofers? Christ, I thought you were going to triangular mount them.
> 
> OK. You have my attention .
> 
> Ge0


I'm figuring it out as i go. not even kidding lol


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## Stycker (Jan 31, 2018)

SkizeR said:


> Also, finished up work for the day and decided to take my Illusion C12s to the table saw... this should just give me enough room to do what I was hoping to do
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Some New York Cojones right there!!!


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

And I thought I seen it all!
Oh Boy was I wrong !!
This looks awesome 

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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

You sure Kevin didn't do that with a jigsaw?


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Truthunter said:


> You sure Kevin didn't do that with a jigsaw?


dang, you caught me lol


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

SkizeR said:


> Also, finished up work for the day and decided to take my Illusion C12s to the table saw... this should just give me enough room to do what I was hoping to do
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That doesn't void the warranty, does it?!


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

DavidRam said:


> That doesn't void the warranty, does it?!


Tbh, if companies warranty blown voice coils, i see no difference in them warrantying this

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## ejeffrey (Oct 8, 2015)

That's a really, really clean cut - did you just use a metal-specific blade or is there more sorcery going on here?


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## 72c10 (Sep 26, 2019)

nooooice!


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

ejeffrey said:


> That's a really, really clean cut - did you just use a metal-specific blade or is there more sorcery going on here?


The baskets are aluminum. They cut pretty easily without any help, but then again I have a top of the line saw blade thats only a week old, so I'm sure that helped

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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Off topic.. I wasnt going to submit for these this year for a few reasons, but then i remembered i have a new car that i have to somehow pay for. If it has the possibility of helping sales, im in. That said, I made the Mobile Electronics Magazine Top 50 Installers and Top 50 Retailers list. If you guys think i deserve it, give me a vote for both. If not, vote for who you think does deserve it.






Consumer Voting Form – Mobile Electronics Industry Awards







meindustryawards.com


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## Stycker (Jan 31, 2018)

I got my vote in. What a great revolutionist in the car audio community. Not only am I thrilled with my install, but I'm a much better tuner as a result of your knowledge that you are willing to share with everyone. We all win. Thank you for your time Nick.


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

Meh... Your install skills are mediocre but I do respect your contributions to the community in general. Maybe I'll give you my vote.




😟







Dude. I was just fugging with you. You know that right? I greatly appreciate your skill set and everything you share with us. You have my vote for sure. Good luck.

Ge0


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## gumbeelee (Jan 3, 2011)

Hope u win Nick but its honestly a popuarity contrst i think sometimes


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## Alipor (Sep 9, 2012)

You got my vote this year


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

gumbeelee said:


> Hope u win Nick but its honestly a popuarity contrst i think sometimes
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


which is one of the few reasons why i wasn't going to bother. We fix work from other top 50 retailers and installers all the time, and its sad. Hell, ive even had to fix tunes from a previous installer of the year. But then i remembered how a few people who contact me talk about my rookie of the year video (which i got disqualified from for whatever reason lol) and realized that while these awards are mostly BS (at least top 50, top 12 is definitely respectable regardless of popularity contest or not), it still helps customers feel confident when coming here for a build. No one hands over thousands of dollars to do a high end car audio build if they don't feel 100% comfortable. This helps add comfort, even if it isn't what its made out to be. I know that i still live up to that title.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Alipor said:


> You got my vote this year


who are you again? lol


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

SkizeR said:


> who are you again? lol


who are you


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Porsche said:


> who are you


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

who am i


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

DavidRam said:


> who am i












Ge0


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Ge0 said:


> View attachment 277591
> 
> 
> Ge0


Close, but not exactly! Lol


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

DavidRam said:


> Close, but not exactly! Lol


I am so glad you have a sense of humor . I couldn't resist introducing Richard Simmons into Skizers thread. Here is one for the top 50 contest:









Ge0


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

gumbeelee said:


> Hope u win Nick but its honestly a popuarity contrst i think sometimes
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Oh, dude.. i also forgot that i made a subtle jab at it being a popularity contest with my installer of the year submission video. Skip to the end where i play the photos with music to see what i mean lol


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## gumbeelee (Jan 3, 2011)

SkizeR said:


> Oh, dude.. i also forgot that i made a subtle jab at it being a popularity contest with my installer of the year submission video. Skip to the end where i play the photos with music to see what i mean lol


Gonna check it out shortly...


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

gumbeelee said:


> Gonna check it out shortly...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


just edited my comment to include it


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## gumbeelee (Jan 3, 2011)

SkizeR said:


> just edited my comment to include it


“IM POPULAR” NICE....


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## gumbeelee (Jan 3, 2011)

I want an Apicella Auto Sound T SHIRT


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

Nick, 

One thing I mentioned in my vote for you was your extreme attention to detail. The small little office you filmed in was immaculate. Your logo stood out strong. The attention to your logo and your animations add flair. Your video production skills. The quality of the photos you present. Everything you do is a total package that supports your vision / image. You may be a small shop but you make it seem bigger than life through your presentations. 

I almost wish you didn't have to publish a shop walk through. Your shop was clean and tidy of course but the walls closed you in and made your operations seem small. Your vision / image is much bigger than your physical shop would dictate. I hope this works in your favor.

I realize this contest is shrill. But, it's free publicity. This goes a long way towards building your credibility and expanding your customer base. Building your Volvo was a smart move. I truly hope this helps you reach your customers more effectively.

I have a 2nd home in Southern Florida. I would not know who Dean at 5 star even was if it were not for his Youtube presence and his award win. This should be a prime example for you. Keep leveraging social media.

In retrospect you should have made a short mention of your contributions to the enthusiast crowd. The video tutorials you post, the time you spend helping others on public forums. This is almost as important to what you actually do in your shop.

I wish you well.

Ge0


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Ge0 said:


> Nick,
> 
> One thing I mentioned in my vote for you was your extreme attention to detail. The small little office you filmed in was immaculate. Your logo stood out strong. The attention to your logo and your animations add flair. Your video production skills. The quality of the photos you present. Everything you do is a total package that supports your vision / image. You may be a small shop but you make it seem bigger than life through your presentations.
> 
> ...


Thanks Ge0. That means a lot. I actually did mention what I do in one of my other video submissions. Best online presence to be specific. I honestly don't see how I cant win that one, but then again its all based on votes. Ill make that one public in a minute and post it here

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

SkizeR said:


> Thanks Ge0. That means a lot. I actually did mention what I do in one of my other video submissions. Best online presence to be specific. I honestly don't see how I cant win that one, but then again its all based on votes. Ill make that one public in a minute and post it here
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


Just saying you rock the vote in that aspect. Evidence is all over Youtube. Don't forget to give a brief plug to Doug and MSC...

Ge0


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

SkizeR said:


> Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


Now that's what I'm talking about 

Ge0


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## thedynoguy (Jan 5, 2019)

all of this in 3 1/2 years. Pretty incredible, Nick. Stay focused. Keep it fun. Make enough money to make it worthwhile. I don't know jack about any of the other shops that are in the running, but as far as I'm concerned you're at the top of the list in this community. Now, go get some sleep...


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

thedynoguy said:


> all of this in 3 1/2 years. Pretty incredible, Nick. Stay focused. Keep it fun. Make enough money to make it worthwhile. I don't know jack about any of the other shops that are in the running, but as far as I'm concerned you're at the top of the list in this community. Now, go get some sleep...


Thank you 

I'll sleep when I'm dead 

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## JCsAudio (Jun 16, 2014)

Good job Nick, you deserve the award just for working so hard and making things great in everything you do.


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

Video was fantastic nick !! And late 90s song to top it off was perfect!! Would love to see more or car with genesis amp install ! 


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

Enough of this huggy kissy crap . What's going on with the car ? This is a build log after all...

Ge0


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

optimaprime said:


> Video was fantastic nick !! And late 90s song to top it off was perfect!! Would love to see more or car with genesis amp install !
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I actually never finished that build log/photos. Will do that soon.

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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Ge0 said:


> Enough of this huggy kissy crap . What's going on with the car ? This is a build log after all...
> 
> Ge0


Started the amp rack yesterday. Going in to the shop in a bit to continue it and get some wiring done.

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## gumbeelee (Jan 3, 2011)

Yeah i am wanting some pics


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## hybridspl (May 9, 2008)

You got my vote Nick! Your skill, attention to detail, Internet presence and willingness to help all go a long way towards making sure that you deserve it. We all appreciate you and are happy to see you finding success. Good luck sir!


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## Mrdgz71 (May 22, 2020)

Any updates on this build lol been checking every day


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Mrdgz71 said:


> Any updates on this build lol been checking every day


Got burnt out working on it every night until 2am (my girlfriend also wasn't appreciating it lol), so what I'm going to do, is finish the next 2 cars on the list, then kevin and i will work on it during the day for a week or two and bang out the majority. 

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## JCsAudio (Jun 16, 2014)

SkizeR said:


> Got burnt out working on it every night until 2am (my girlfriend also wasn't appreciating it lol), so what I'm going to do, is finish the next 2 cars on the list, then kevin and i will work on it during the day for a week or two and bang out the majority.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


I know how that goes Nick (women), lol. Don’t burn yourself out, not worth it in the long run.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

JCsAudio said:


> I know how that goes Nick (women), lol. Don’t burn yourself out, not worth it in the long run.


Yup. I know that when I start getting tired and burnt out, I start getting the "I just wanna get it done" feeling, and thats not good

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## Rainstar (May 22, 2017)

<.<  

~ Long Pokes~

I wonder what's a good motivator more money or cracking a whip. Can't be the first one hmmm...


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Rainstar said:


> <.<
> 
> ~ Long Pokes~
> 
> I wonder what's a good motivator more money or cracking a whip. Can't be the first one hmmm...


your on that list


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Ok everyone, last round of spam, I promise! 

There are only 12 hours left in voting for the 2020 Mobile Electronics Magazine Industry Awards. If you feel we deserve a spot at the top, please take the 20 seconds to vote for Nick as Installer of the Year, and Apicella Auto Sound as Retailer of the Year!

Link to vote for consumers:






Consumer Voting Form – Mobile Electronics Industry Awards







meindustryawards.com





Link to vote for industry workers:





__





Industry Voting: Vendor Awards – Mobile Electronics Industry Awards







meindustryawards.com





Every bit helps, and again, this would mean a lot to us. Thank you 

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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

SkizeR said:


> Yup. I know that when I start getting tired and burnt out, I start getting the "I just wanna get it done" feeling, and thats not good
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


I know how that goes. Then I start cutting corners instead of insisting on perfection...

Ge0


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## DirtyBumOak510 (May 31, 2020)

Late comment. Fantastic craftsmanship and detail. This is an epic and tasteful build. 

I was curious to know about your choice for C12 subwoofers. How much more depth could you have squeezed out of that trunk without lifting the floor on the Volvo?
Was shallow mount (~3") the only option or consideration?


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

DirtyBumOak510 said:


> Late comment. Fantastic craftsmanship and detail. This is an epic and tasteful build.
> 
> I was curious to know about your choice for C12 subwoofers. How much more depth could you have squeezed out of that trunk without lifting the floor on the Volvo?
> Was shallow mount (~3") the only option or consideration?


Give Nick some time to respond. He really had too much on his plate. He got burned out and needs a rest from this forum. Or, in other words his pu ssy hurts LOL!!! Just kidding Nick. I can't wait to see his response when he returns .

If you have a genuine question for him try contacting him through his web site...


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## DirtyBumOak510 (May 31, 2020)

I don't want to bug him. It certainly isn't urgent


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## Jscoyne2 (Oct 29, 2014)

DirtyBumOak510 said:


> I don't want to bug him. It certainly isn't urgent


Hes swamped at work. Don't think he gets on diyma anymore. He likes his time paid for

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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Can't fault him for that!


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## Turb0Yoda (Jan 4, 2019)

Buy out his stock of resonix then you'll be able to talk to him


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

Turb0Yoda said:


> Buy out his stock of resonix then you'll be able to talk to him


I did. 2x .


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

I think we have all been here at some point in our life. To burned out / busy to enjoy the little things in life. He hired in more help. Hopefully this will allow him to breath a little.

I'd like to get on his spring / summer schedule with a pillar build. Hopefully he can find some time...


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Ge0 said:


> If you have a genuine question for him try contacting him through his web site...


If it is not business related (wanting an install, question about ResoNix/order, etc), please do not do this. Calling the shop is even worse though. For some reason, a lot of internet forum/group members seem to think this is totally acceptable and will call to chit chat and ask for recommendations and tips and what they want to do in their own DIY build and yadi yadi ya. Don't do this. Dont even think about it.



Ge0 said:


> I'd like to get on his spring / summer schedule with a pillar build. Hopefully he can find some time...


Better act fast. We are currently booking end of July/August



DirtyBumOak510 said:


> Late comment. Fantastic craftsmanship and detail. This is an epic and tasteful build.
> 
> I was curious to know about your choice for C12 subwoofers. How much more depth could you have squeezed out of that trunk without lifting the floor on the Volvo?
> Was shallow mount (~3") the only option or consideration?


Thank you. The only downside to this Volvo that I have found is literally just the size/shape of the trunk. It SUCKS for what I want to do. The trunk is small as it is, but not only that, its very shallow. Most cars will have plenty of room to do a false floor with shallow subs and amps and whatnot without raising the OEM floor height. This car, no shot if you want a halfway decent amount of output. My sealed enclosure is a bit undersized (thankfully cabin gain still helps me down to 20hz) and even then the floor still has to be raised. This isn't finished yet.

Little update on the build without pics.. pillars are done, probably not doing kicks (doors are working VERY well in this car, just need to track down a couple of rattles that have eased their way in), welded amp rack that secures upside down to the rear deck is done aside from the beauty panel, V12 is still in the quarter panel and will power the rear doors and rear deck and door midrange and tweeter for the "OEM style" system. Waiting for my Conductor to get installed so I can get the functioning audio portion of this car finished.


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