# Second Skin Audio products review...with pics



## ExtremeAcres (Nov 6, 2009)

Hi DIMYA friends...I'm a noob who's only been around for a couple months now.... but I've dived in and been learning and working on and upgrading my car, nonstop ever since I found this place. 

most recently i just finished quieting down the cabin in the ole crown vic....Thanks to Ant at Second Skin Audio for all his help and guidance.

I had alot of resonance in my car since i threw a stereo and a 10' sub in the trunk a couple months ago... so I knew I needed to try and get get rid of some of that annoyance. I also had quite a bit of noise coming through the doors , so I told Ant what I was trying to achieve... and gave him my budget... and he came up with a package that was a combination of several different materials and would address both resonance and airborn noise concerns ...

Here's the car and here's the package ... 2006 Ford Crown Victoria retired police interceptor

160 SPL tiles
1 gallon Spectrom
6 sheets Luxury liner pro
4 Sheets overkill
2 sheets motormat
4 pieces damplifier pro
couple cans of Sprayglue
roll of alum tape
roller and razorknife

I started out by Putting SPL tiles throughout...trying to cover at least 25% of the panels resonating the most ...then I used the rest to cover openings and help seal any other edges or flimsy places in the car... I could tell right off the bat this was make a difference ...just doing the _thump a panel with your fist test_...it was showing to make a huge difference... the thumping method was proving to help me find the worst places (that needed it the most) ...alot of the SPL tiles you cant see in these pics too , cause they are on the door Skins (behind the door panel) 

I will have to admit though...this was a very time consuming job... I cant say how long cause i did several other things while installing these materials ...

I upgraded my front stage to morel integra6's ...and I redid my trunk, remounted my Amp and added a CAP and moved my Box and removed the rear fill in the rear deck (hoping to let more bass through to the cabin)...I've also been doing a little trim work ...wrapping a few pieces with that carbon fiber lookin vinyl ...


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## ExtremeAcres (Nov 6, 2009)

Next ... I put the Overkill in the places I was going to use it... i covered the driveshaft tunnel, and I used it (doubled up...in small pieces) on the inside of the door trim panels (to hopefully help reduce wave cancellation effects where the speaker is bigger than the opening in the door panel ) (I plan on opening these panels up in a stage 3 project I'll do to the car in the Summer or next Winter)
I also put some doubled up pieces of overkill on the doorskin right _behind _the rear of the speakers (on top of the SPL tiles)(once again to hopefully absorb some unwanted vibes)
I lined the roof also with overkill (cuase it's so lightwieght and easy to work with ... hoping it might help cut down on some airborn and wind noises and be a cushion between the headliner and the roof) and i used some more bits and pieces of the overkill in selective places where I thought it might help a little.


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## ExtremeAcres (Nov 6, 2009)

then i threw down the motormat cause i knew it would be easy and not take long... I put 1 sheet on the rear of the hood... and I put the other sheet on the floorboard all the way forward up under the dash (trying to block some noise and heat from that direction)
you can see it sticking out a little up there under the factory jute... also in this 2nd pic you can see on the passenger door , how I used Damplifier pro to cover all the Big Openings on all 4 doors,
I also painted the underside of the cabin with Spectrum... I used most of the gallon and put 2 coats down under there (the best i could everywhere I could reach ...from the firewall to the rear seats)... no pics cause you cant really see it anyways ...it was a sloppy job though (upside down painting always is)


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## ExtremeAcres (Nov 6, 2009)

I could tell that everything so far was going to make a difference... i just wasnt sure how much (I figure each of those steps is going to have a small effect... but combined they will have a good effect)
But I knew this next step was important for noise reduction...i tested this Luxury liner pro on my workbench and it was serious stuff... I took my phone and played an mp3 on it loud... and laid it on the table ...and threw a sheet of Lux Liner pro over it ...and it silenced it ! wow ...so I knew If i could get full coverage ...it will make a difference ...

I did the best i could ...covered all 4 doors... covered the hell out of the rear deck except the holes to let the bass through to the cabin... put it the roof rails (4 inch strips the lenght of the roof) before i covered the holes with SPL tiles ...This will be shown in the video review i'll be putting together ... I also Videotaped all this stuff
I also put luxury liner in the B-Pillar and behind the front kick panels and behind the trim pieces for the rear c-pillar...I also covered the interior rear wheel wells on both sides with lux liner pro... and i had a couple floormat size pieces left and i put them on the floor ...hehe...


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## ExtremeAcres (Nov 6, 2009)

Well...I'd used up all my materials... and felt like I did a pretty good job for a rookie...and installed the the carpet and the seats and the door panels.... EVERYTHING was a tight squeeze...the Luxury liner really takes up some space ...BUT...it is GOOD STUFF ...you just have to know you are working with tight tolerances. i got everything to Fit Just like factory ...You cannot tell there is any added insulation.

So ...*What Did I Notice ?* .... Very Nice. Noticeable Difference... the first thing I noticed, before the sound ...was the weight of the doors...hehehe...holy **** ...i must have added 10 lbs to each one(at least) ...i just takes a slow easy throw for the door to close solidly and sound solid as a rock ...had me grinning early on 

So the next test was ...did_ this_ fix the resonance from my lil 10 kickin in the trunk... and the Answer is ...YES ... the resonance was really fixed good... I had it comin from 4 or 5 places that I knew of ...the trunk lid, the roof, my door, rear quarter panel and rear deck for sure ...probably other places too ...lol... but it is Really Good Now ... I was really happy and I havent even driven the car yet ...hehe...it was still parked in the garage .

BTW... this was happening at the same time i was hearing my Upgraded Front Stage for the first times too... and While I tested and moved my Box to about 6 or 7 different locations and directions in the trunk... So Lots of Cool things were being absorbed by me ...hearing Nicer better Sounds outta my stereo than before... AND ...not hearing any resonance anymore... and nice heavy and solid doors as i was opening them and closing them... it was like a major makeover for this old beat cop car...hehe ...

Finally i got it out for a test drive... and it turned out good...as well as all the other good things so far... the outside noise had been quieted down too...I noticed it right away...but it was not as quiet as i hoped it would be... but i always hope for the best...and had too high of expectations (this is probably normal for most people...in all honesty)...cause ive never done this before and didnt have anything to compare it too

I'll be honest ...It might not have knocked out as much outside noise as i was hoping it would... and while i knew that you just cant do anything about the noise coming throught he glass... i guess was hoping for dead silence...but I _*know*_ I just had my hopes set too high... I had heard of people doing more thorough jobs and spending more money ... and I have to realize i actually did a _Stage 1 job_... and will have to do stage 2 or 3 to really achieve that (mercedes sedan kind of quiet)... I mean i only spent half of what Some people spend to sound deaden their cars... 
So I can honestly say ...I'm very happy with the overall improvements... Much less noise is coming into the cabin... the rear of the car is quiet... the doors are solid and i notice way less noise coming through them... and really, the only couple of places i still hear noise coming into the car ....is from around the window areas (and i dont think there's anything I can do about those areas... and the Firewall ....

Yeah ... the firewall and the dash are the issues now... and THEY will be My Stage 2 ! I didnt remove the dash... and I had trouble getting anything up under the dash on the firewall...and there wasnt anywhere to do the front of the firewall very good .... AND ...hehe...Since the cabin is so much quieter now...I can hear this loud ass rattle in the dash (it's not that loud...but it stands out now that everything else is quieter)..... Sooo...Stage 2 is gonna be Dash removal...and Luxury Liner the frikkin Firewall... and while I have the dash out ...I will make sure it goes back together with no looseness that can rattle or vibrate  

Once again I have to Thank _*Ant*_ for all his help and Advice and answering my questions along the way during the install.

I'm so Stoked...My stereo sounds awesome...My car is nicer to drive in...it's easier to talk on my phone ...hehehe...

.Thanks to Everyone at DIMYA too... this site has had so much influence on me in the past couple of months... so many people answered questions for me ...i could have never done what ive done with out the information from this site .... Thank You , Sincerely

I'll also be doing a video review for this install where i recorded a bunch of _Before scenarios_ (from inside the cabin) ...and then I replicated those scenarios _after_ the Second Skin Audio products were installed... I hope the video camera microphone picked it all up as much as i could sense it in person ... it will be coming soon ... i'll add a link to it here when i'm done with it ..


Thanks Again...sorry this all got so long ... i'm a long winded m effer :laugh:


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## Maglite (Dec 28, 2009)

Nice build up...I'm about half way done mine.


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## kkreit01 (Aug 27, 2009)

Very nice job and write-up. Cool car!


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## freemind (Sep 11, 2008)

Nice work man. I understand what you mean with the firewall. Buying a very quiet set of tires will help with the road noise as well.


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## kvndoom (Nov 13, 2009)

Today it got up to 60, first time in a long time here. I Damplified my front doors today, using the Hybrid that they had on sale a little while back. I cannot believe the difference!

The nasty midrange resonance that was caused by the inner plastic liner? Gone! GONE! I covered a good part of the liner, replaced the flimsy diaphragm thing (it's a clear rubber piece that fills a 5x6 cutout) with Hybrid on both sides, put the equivalent of a sheet of deadener on the sheet metal of each door, and made a good seal for each speaker. It took 5 hours to get both doors done, but it was worth every second.

Now at last I have heard this mysterious "midbass" you guys speak of. I can finally say something good about my car's doors- the liner that was causing so much resonance actually makes a very good seal with the sheet metal. So my doors are pretty tight now. I love it when I do something and get results I can really quantify with my senses.


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## HiVi Guy (Jan 16, 2010)

Let me tell ya guys. This guys car is quite and very well damped. Don't let him fool ya. His car is also beautiful. It looks like an Interceptor and sounds like a Recording Studio. Not to mention the nasty 302 under the hood. I cannot wait till his truck is done. He has got some good gear going in his ride. But I will not spoil it, I will let him tell you what he's got. He will definitely be some fierce competition in MECA. I can' wait to hear his truck and the upcoming stages for the Interceptor.


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## ExtremeAcres (Nov 6, 2009)

HiVi Guy said:


> Let me tell ya guys. This guys car is quite and very well damped. Don't let him fool ya. His car is also beautiful. It looks like an Interceptor and sounds like a Recording Studio. Not to mention the nasty 302 under the hood. I cannot wait till his truck is done. He has got some good gear going in his ride. But I will not spoil it, I will let him tell you what he's got. He will definitely be some fierce competition in MECA. I can' wait to hear his truck and the upcoming stages for the Interceptor.


thanks man... today was a blast ... It was cool trying to absorb some wealth of knowledge floatin around down there..including from you... I cant wait to hear your setup once you bring it back to life.


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## HiVi Guy (Jan 16, 2010)

Thanks man. The RX7 is going to the crusher. I am going to build the Civic now. I think it will be a very nice, clean, and integrated install. Hearing your system today really gave me a lot of inspiration. Thanks for letting me hear your system and chatting for a bit. 

Peace
Jason


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## ryancrouch (May 23, 2009)

Extreme, 
What part of TN are you in? Jackson here


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## ExtremeAcres (Nov 6, 2009)

ryancrouch said:


> Extreme,
> What part of TN are you in? Jackson here


Im in Hartsville... about 1 hour north East of Nashville


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## Curt941 (Jan 20, 2010)

Wow, that's alot of sound deadening. My least favorite part of a build.


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## ExtremeAcres (Nov 6, 2009)

All right ...I have finally cut the _first version_ of my Video review (i say the first version , cause im not really happy with it )

My Mic on the video camera did not really pick up how much quieter the car cabin was (in all the after scenes ...at the end of the vid)

oh well...I'm gonna put it up here anyways...maybe you'll find something funny in it ...or something will give someone an idea to do something.

My friend uploaded it for me ...cause Im on dail up and it wouldnt work for me.

here it is ...Thanks again ANT... Im really happy with the SSA install.

YouTube - Second Skin Audio Stage 1 Install


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## Frank20 (Jun 11, 2010)

awesome job, i love second skin products!


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## Vital (Feb 23, 2010)

Nice!! Sound deadening somehow becomes an addiction once you start it lol. 
Most of my car is deadened with 2-3 layers now (yes, i know, it's not really neccessary but addiction has to be fed lol).

One thing i didn't want to do is install Luxury Liner Pro in the doors. That thing is heavy as fukk, AND very thick - not something i felt comfortable with in the doors. PERFECT for floors but i always thought no 3m adheisive will not hold it well in vertical position.


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## crazydragon (Jun 7, 2010)

WOW! That is a lot of sound deadening.


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## moog (Apr 29, 2008)

Good review, I'll be looking into some of this product for my new build.


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## nick650 (Feb 7, 2011)

Great stuff. I just finished up deadening my WHOLE car. Floor, roof, entire trunk, wells, and the doors. Good thing you didn't luxury the doors, I had a hard time using Ensolite for my doors, still don't go back on 100% lol.


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## Matt007az (Feb 19, 2010)

Nice work man.. I like a good honest review. your install pics are nice too.. good job


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## hoopsta1423 (Mar 5, 2011)

sorry to bump this thread, I tried to PM you but alas, I need at least 1 post to send PMs

so anyways, my question, if you do not mind me asking. What was your budget for this project because that is a lot of dampening material


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## RedAggie03 (Jun 7, 2009)

Nice write up. I placed a big order with Second Skin for my truck project. 

My question is, why only 4 pieces damplifier pro? I have a bulk pack for my install...Am I going about this wrong?


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Go to second skin audio's website you can just add what he bought to your cart and see what it would cost. This would also incorporate any price changes, if any, since he bought it a while ago to give you a more realistic quote.. The SPL tiles have been discontinued along with I believe motor mat.


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## OldOneEye (Jun 16, 2005)

Nice job. I would make one suggestions. The roof of the car is one of the few places on a car you will find such a huge panel that isn't reinforced so adding some additional damplifier type product as well as much foam as you can will definately make a difference. 

The other advantage surprisingly is that the sound deadener is a good insulator and will keep heat out and cold in and vice versa so your HVAC doesn't have to work as hard.

Juan


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## RedAggie03 (Jun 7, 2009)

OldOneEye said:


> Nice job. I would make one suggestions. The roof of the car is one of the few places on a car you will find such a huge panel that isn't reinforced so adding some additional damplifier type product as well as much foam as you can will definately make a difference.
> 
> The other advantage surprisingly is that the sound deadener is a good insulator and will keep heat out and cold in and vice versa so your HVAC doesn't have to work as hard.
> 
> Juan


Second Skin recommended to me to use Heat Wave on the roof because the Luxury Liner is too heavy and won't stay up there long term. The other benefit was it blocks heat, to your point.


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## OldOneEye (Jun 16, 2005)

RedAggie03 said:


> Second Skin recommended to me to use Heat Wave on the roof because the Luxury Liner is too heavy and won't stay up there long term. The other benefit was it blocks heat, to your point.


Depends on the car, where you are located and the car color. My last car was a white 4 door sedan with a cardboard headliner. The headliner was strong enough to hold quite a bit of stuff underneath. Now, if it was a black car with a fabric headliner (some are sort of stretched across a frame like a canvas picture frame) in Arizona, it's probably a recipe for disaster.

Juan


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## bigbubba (Mar 23, 2011)

ExtremeAcres said:


> Im in Hartsville... about 1 hour north East of Nashville


Nice job on the Vic. A lot of sound deadener. I need to do that to mine now that I added a stereo to my Monte Carlo.

I was born and raised in Jackson, TN then moved to Nashville in 1994.


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