# 2020 Shelby GT350



## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I bought it in March of last year and even with the "upgraded" stereo it sounds just meh. I followed some of the recommendations for tweaking the system that other owners were using, it was better but still not satisfying. The extent of my previous efforts was upgrading my wife's Highlander with new speakers and a Kicker Key 180.4, which sounded much better than stock. My intent for this isn't to go crazy, I would just like a centered image with the ability to turn the bass up a lot.

My current setup is as follows:
PAC AmpPro 4 via SPIDF optical
Insignia SPIDF to RCA
Alpine S-A60M
AudioControl D-6.1200

Fronts:
Morel Virtus 603
Sub:
Dayton RSS265HO-44


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

After adding polyfill to the factory subwoofer, it still wasn't loud enough so I started by making my own box that went in the factory location and hooked up to the factory signal. It took a bunch of templates for each level, but after the first box and two others I made for friends, my templates give me a sealed box with around 1cu ft and I can fit a 12 in that spot.
































Finished v1 box:


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I used a bouncy ball to space the pins for tapping into the stock sub harness:









I copied 5 Star's idea for the amp board and got a cheap Boss audio amp to run the sub with at first. I was planning on replacing it eventually but didn't want to go nuts right away. I ran 1/0 from the battery and tapped a fuse in the passenger footwell to get the remote turnon. The bass knob was just run up the middle of the car while I waited to get more equipment to take the drivers side apart.









The second box was a 12" which only required two more layers to get the required height.








Finished v2 box, first 12"








I used the proceeds from this box to get the alpine amp. I also ended up switching to a different power/ground distribution and moved the voltage display from the old one into the new one.









I fell in love when I was driving home from work and Tranx came on from Bass Mekanik V5.0, I had to change tracks, there was so much low bass, it was awesome.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Black Friday hit and had some good sales, so I picked up the Morels and the Audio Control. While I was at it, I picked up the AmpPro also to go ahead and finish the install(I was planning on waiting until spring since it was colder out).


Testing the AmpPro

























Satisfied that the AmpPro worked, ran the wires for reals

















The rewired amp board









This ended up better than stock, but it was still lacking.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I had a couple of issues with the setup, there was an awful whine coming through the system, I lost the super lows in Tranx and I didn't have any sound from the drivers mid bass.

I took the door panel off and checked the connection to the speaker, everything looked ok. I checked the voltage on the wire going to the speaker and got nothing. I ended up checking the continuity between the pins after I had voltage on the car side of the connector.








I thought it was my crimp end, but it was the crimp at the pin instead, fixed that and I had a working speaker.

I had a combination of static that was from a crappy job I did putting the speaker cables in the output to the AudioControl and some alternator whine after that. Since I was only getting an output signal from the amp if I used a certain pair of connections from the AmpPro, I just decided to switch to an optical cable from the AmpPro. I got what seemed like a decent cheap one from amazon and hooked it up, no noise.








After unhooking and rebooking the optical converter, I lost one channel of output. I replaced this with an Insignia one from BestBuy, it seemed to have a higher output at the same head unit volume vs the cheap one from Amazon so I was happier.

I wasn't happy with the curves in the power wires or the hacked switched 12v distribution on the back of the board so I redid both. I have switched 12v,5v and an adjustable one set to about 1.78v I plan to use for lights.








I also removed the voltage display from the distribution block and added a power meter for a little bling.









As I was tweaking the delay in the AudioControl to try get the sub to sound more forward in the car, I was playing Tranx again and noticed the first two octaves(?) were pegged on the RTA at my favorite part of the song. I checked the crossover on the D-6.1200 and noticed that my output for the sub was crossed at 25Hz(as low as I could set it). I rerouted the signal from the optical converter to go to the Alpine first and then to the AudioControl and I got the lows back.

I was tweaking the time delay on the sub output from the AudioControl and messed something up(haven't tuned the rest of the system yet, being lazy combined with the cold), the sound doesn't seem as centered as before. I'm only slightly annoyed at it, not enough to hook the laptop up and mess with it more.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

After getting the lows back with the Dayton, I preordered the SI 12" SQL sub, hoping to get more volume down low when I want it.

Off topic pics of the 3rd box I made, for a Rockford P3D4-12 with amp board:


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## mfenske (Feb 7, 2006)

Love the install so far-great car! I'm wondering if your sub is the furthest away from you wouldn't that have zero delay and you'd delay the other speakers accordingly?


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

mfenske said:


> Love the install so far-great car! I'm wondering if your sub is the furthest away from you wouldn't that have zero delay and you'd delay the other speakers accordingly?


Yes, I was taking the fast way of delay and just used the distance. As I moved the sub's delay closer, I may have made it less than the passenger speakers and I think I lost the alignment. Since I'm not running the sub signal through the DSP I'm assuming I'll have to do a little bit of work with the delays to get everything right(assuming there's a slight delay already built in to the A2D in the DSP but I'm not certain).

I have read through several of the system tuning threads so far and have a general idea, I just haven't sat down to do it yet. I have a Dayton USB mic, I just need to get a little motivated to use it.


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## moparman79 (Jan 31, 2008)

How do like the performance of the GT350? I looked at getting GT500 but the wait and cost I just went with the hellcat Redeye instead But I’m still deciding on my audio setup but definitely will be doing helix dsp and amps most likely. Also I seen you used the audio control D6.1200, do they not have optical input?


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

moparman79 said:


> How do like the performance of the GT350? I looked at getting GT500 but the wait and cost I just went with the hellcat Redeye instead But I’m still deciding on my audio setup but definitely will be doing helix dsp and amps most likely. Also I seen you used the audio control D6.1200, do they not have optical input?


I traded a 2018 STi for this so the power difference is insane, I didn't really worry about corners with the STi but I'm more conscious of them in the 350. It is a blast to drive and I haven't desired to do more than cosmetic mods versus my past cars. I saw your build log, it's in another tab for future reading. I haven't been able to give up the manual, otherwise I'd have more options for cars 

The D.6-1200 does not come with an optical input, I have been considering either adding a minidsp with DL or switching to an Arc PS8-50 or 1000.6 with the DSP. I also have a Maestro AR that I could swap to which the arc has built in support for. I haven't decided anything yet, I'm sure the AC is sufficient but theres Always something else to buy.


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## moparman79 (Jan 31, 2008)

TwinkE said:


> I traded a 2018 STi for this so the power difference is insane, I didn't really worry about corners with the STi but I'm more conscious of them in the 350. It is a blast to drive and I haven't desired to do more than cosmetic mods versus my past cars. I saw your build log, it's in another tab for future reading. I haven't been able to give up the manual, otherwise I'd have more options for cars
> 
> The D.6-1200 does not come with an optical input, I have been considering either adding a minidsp with DL or switching to an Arc PS8-50 or 1000.6 with the DSP. I also have a Maestro AR that I could swap to which the arc has built in support for. I haven't decided anything yet, I'm sure the AC is sufficient but theres Always something else to buy.


Yeah I hear they are fun to drive. My last challenger was a manual and wanted it this time around also even though I knew they were slower. But the redeye version(demon setup) only comes in auto. It’s crazy how fast this thing shifts. So my want for a manual was easier to live with out after this car‘s performance. I’m looking to get a R8 or C8 z06 if they ever come out. That will be my track car.

Yeah I just put my build on paused at the moment. I’m working on a few business deals I need to make happen. Yeah that’s the thing with this hobby it’s always something to buy next. 😂 Good luck completing the build! When you get a chance post some pictures of the exterior of your ride!


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## Anu2g (Nov 4, 2020)

TwinkE said:


> I traded a 2018 STi for this so the power difference is insane, I didn't really worry about corners with the STi but I'm more conscious of them in the 350. It is a blast to drive and I haven't desired to do more than cosmetic mods versus my past cars. I saw your build log, it's in another tab for future reading. I haven't been able to give up the manual, otherwise I'd have more options for cars
> 
> The D.6-1200 does not come with an optical input, I have been considering either adding a minidsp with DL or switching to an Arc PS8-50 or 1000.6 with the DSP. I also have a Maestro AR that I could swap to which the arc has built in support for. I haven't decided anything yet, I'm sure the AC is sufficient but theres Always something else to buy.


I see quite a few GT350s at my local track (Summit Point), and they turn some pretty quick times! I'm also a manual guy myself...and it severely limits what kind of cars you can drive. But it's worth being picky IMHO. If you get into the track hobby later, I think people put on some of the GT350R parts, like adjustable camber plates, which just let you get a bit more of an aggressive track alignment.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

moparman79 said:


> Yeah I hear they are fun to drive. My last challenger was a manual and wanted it this time around also even though I knew they were slower. But the redeye version(demon setup) only comes in auto. It’s crazy how fast this thing shifts. So my want for a manual was easier to live with out after this car‘s performance. I’m looking to get a R8 or C8 z06 if they ever come out. That will be my track car.
> 
> Yeah I just put my build on paused at the moment. I’m working on a few business deals I need to make happen. Yeah that’s the thing with this hobby it’s always something to buy next. 😂 Good luck completing the build! When you get a chance post some pictures of the exterior of your ride!


I am in awe of how much power yours makes, I saw one at a meet and he lit up his tires and it was just crazy. I do like idea of an R8, maybe sometime in the future, need a bigger garage though. 30% tint around, 70% front. 35% on the headlights and lower lights(too dark, can't see jack with the lights on).












Anu2g said:


> I see quite a few GT350s at my local track (Summit Point), and they turn some pretty quick times! I'm also a manual guy myself...and it severely limits what kind of cars you can drive. But it's worth being picky IMHO. If you get into the track hobby later, I think people put on some of the GT350R parts, like adjustable camber plates, which just let you get a bit more of an aggressive track alignment.


I have a friend that sometimes instructs at Summit Point, I intend to eventually go there with the car and have some fun with it. I need to go to the Ford Racing School first so I can keep it shiny side up.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I spent a bit of time on time alignment this weekend. I watched the video from Arc Audio on system tuning and doing TA by ear. I was able to hear the sound moving around left to right, but found it a bit difficult to figure out where the center was.
I tried to align the other drivers together but as I was switching between settings the mid bass became unmuted and I ended up TAing them all at once. With the tick sound they seemed to align pretty well by ear, but playing music it sounded way off, better than unaligned but worse than my first tape measure attempt.

I remeasured sitting in the car and used Erin's page to calculate the time delay and put those values in. Unsurprisingly, it sounds better than my first attempt by ear, but there's still something missing. The system hasn't been EQ'd so that's part of it, but I'll also measure the system and see if I can tweak the TA more. It got a bit better when I forced the fader to full front. I'll leave it as now for a bit until it gets warmer and I get more motivated.

I did lose some bass, but it's entirely possible it's now either aligned properly or out of phase. I should have a better idea tomorrow when I try playing some more Bass Mekanik


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## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

Love the sub enclosure.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Niebur3 said:


> Love the sub enclosure.


Thanks! They are fun to build, I'm eager to see how the 12" Stereo Integrity is going to sound in it.


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## Rich.E.Rich (Jun 16, 2007)

Nice Mustang! Really cool install, especially the sub enclosure!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

Definitely nice work on that subwoofer enclosure, and all around.  I would imagine that with the right amount of power and tuning, the SI subwoofer will be an improvement. Looks like a fun car as well. 


Regarding the T/A and getting a solid, focused center image, start by using simple tape measurements first and/or combined with Erin's calculator.

After that, to get a solid center image (and good L-to-R imaging) across all of the frequency bands, start off by simply Level-Matching all of the drivers between the Left & Right sides at your listening position.

If you have the T/A set in the ballpark but don't have all of the drivers level-matched between the Left & Right, you're never going to achieve a solid, focused center image no matter what you do with the T/A, especially across the full frequency range. Your focus and center image will shift depending on what predominant frequency is being played.

That aspect of tuning (Level-matching L/R) will be further improved when you independently EQ the Left and Right sides to match in frequency response and amplitude as much as possible at your listening position. 

Once you know that you have L & R sides level-matched as close as possible, then Arc Audio's method will work better to dial-in the T/A. But save and backup your tune and presets before changing any major aspect.

It's easiest to dial in the Center image, along with the Left Center and Right Center, using continuous pulsed band-limited Pink Noise or sine wave tone bursts...









Test Tones & Test & Setup Track Repository -...


Test Tones & Test & Setup Track Repository - Please Contribute Tracks & Techniques So I wanted to start a Repository of sorts for the most common Test Tracks that we all use to Setup, Measure, and Tune our car audio systems, both By Ear, and with a Measurement Microphone & Software/Apps...




www.diymobileaudio.com


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Thanks bbfoto, I forgot about the levels. The AudioControl app makes things "easy" by hiding the stuff you really want to get at. I found out how to access the level per driver setting so I'll work on that next and I anticipate it should make a good difference.

As I listened to music to and from work I had an interesting experience with the bass, the sound would appear to drop out at certain parts, I wasn't able to figure out the correlation but it was slightly annoying. The bass did seem to have moved up front so I'm getting more eager to get it tuned, I just need some more time


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I did a little bit of tuning today, I followed the audio frog guide to get REW set up and checked the levels at the crossovers and overall curve. With the caveat that I had to have the engine running because my battery drains too fast, I have to figure out how to get it to charge fast enough while tuning. In general the output looked to follow Hanatsu's curve pretty well. I had major dips at 200, 700, 1200 and 10k but I can't say which ones are real until I do it with the engine off.

It was good practice getting REW set up and getting more familiar with the AudioControl app.

I did see that the bass was definitely nowhere to be found on the spectrum, even though I was seeing the cone move a good amount. Fun times ahead!


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I'm almost finished with the enclosure I'm currently building for a friend. I dislike carpeting the box, but this one is turning out pretty good. Have to trim and cut for the holes.
























Back on topic, my Stereo Integrity 12 came today


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

TwinkE said:


> I did a little bit of tuning today, I followed the audio frog guide to get REW set up and checked the levels at the crossovers and overall curve. With the caveat that I had to have the engine running because my battery drains too fast, I have to figure out how to get it to charge fast enough while tuning. In general the output looked to follow Hanatsu's curve pretty well. I had major dips at 200, 700, 1200 and 10k but I can't say which ones are real until I do it with the engine off.
> 
> It was good practice getting REW set up and getting more familiar with the AudioControl app.
> 
> I did see that the bass was definitely nowhere to be found on the spectrum, even though I was seeing the cone move a good amount. Fun times ahead!


That description regarding your bass output tends to indicate that either one of your midbass drivers or the subwoofer is wired in reverse polarity from the rest of the system...i.e.180 degrees out of phase. It should be a simple task to check all of your drivers with a "Polarity Popper" smartphone app, or just try reversing the polarity of one driver at a time in the AC software.

An easy way to check for this is to turn the subwoofer level all the way down, or adjust your "Balance" control to either full Left or full Right. If the midbass/bass output increases when doing so, you know that one of your drivers is wired in reverse polarity and can easily identify the culprit.

Once you identify the driver that is wired backwards (*IF* that is the actual problem), it's best practice to correct the physical wiring connections (easiest at the amplifier), instead of keeping that one driver set to reverse polarity in the software.

A power supply such as the following is inexpensive and works great for engine-off tuning. You'll have to also purchase a 3-prong AC plug with cord pigtail, as well as a decent length of power wire and battery spring clamps...but it still works out to a limited investment. You could also step down to a 30-Amp PSU which is more than sufficient for 99% of systems while tuning.









Amazon.com: SHNITPWR 12V Power Supply 40A 480W Regulated Switch Power Transformer AC 110V 220V to DC 12 Volt 40amp 38A 35A 32A 30A Converter Adapter LED Driver 3 Output Ports for LED Light 3D Printer CCTV Cameras : Electronics


Amazon.com: SHNITPWR 12V Power Supply 40A 480W Regulated Switch Power Transformer AC 110V 220V to DC 12 Volt 40amp 38A 35A 32A 30A Converter Adapter LED Driver 3 Output Ports for LED Light 3D Printer CCTV Cameras : Electronics



www.amazon.com





The "higher-end" versions of these are made by C.A.E. (Cascade Audio Engineering) and "IOTA Engineering", which are identical. #DLS-45/IQ4

Cascade Audio Engineering APS-series Power Supplies/Converters/Battery Maintainers


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I did pick up a power supply to run the car, I haven't gotten around to using it yet though, I've been working on boxes.
I finished the Rockford box, it turned out pretty well.

































I've been using spray glue instead of contact cement but I've been having issues with the glue getting in the outside when I try to seam two pieces together. I'll probably experiment on my box.

I started two new boxes at once, shaped one box whole and the other box in halves to see if one was easier than the other, it wasn't really. 








I remade my templates because they all had notes on extending them and different locating holes from after I took a quarter inch off the side. Wasn't fun but it should be much more consistent in the future. My SI 12" box is glued up.









I haven't cut the top or bottom for it yet, I need to figure out where the front can be, I'd like to double up the front. I shaped a bit more on the inside and tried to extend the front to make room for it inside the shell. I'm hoping to still be at 1 cube with it.

Unrelated note, the car got a bath, first time since New Years. Much better now.


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## MythosDreamLab (Nov 28, 2020)

Love the color of the Stang...!


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

MythosDreamLab said:


> Love the color of the Stang...!


Thanks! It's definitely hard to miss


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Shaped the top of the box a tad and put on the top and bottom. Now comes the worst part of making the ends straight. I have 8.5" to the back of the box so that will be plenty for the sub. It's also deep enough to double the front plate, looking forward to seeing how this turns out.








The board on front is to line up the top and get a hopefully even front without a lot of headaches.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

No pictures because it's boring but I did more smoothing of the box, I was in a hurry to cut and glue the top and bottom on and I skipped smoothing the inside, it was only hit with the blue murder disc. I got as much of the inside as smooth as I could, I may go in by hand and try get some more, possibly with the dremel if I remember.

I had intended to mark the ends today but the kids were not cooperative so that will happen at a later time.

As I was driving home listening to In Flames, I stopped at a light and could clearly hear the voice dead center of the car. I'm very happy about that. I've been debating on going with the minidsp 8x12 DL but I'm not sure if I would notice the difference. I currently listen to FM HD stations and Apple Music mostly. I've debated on getting Spotify or Tidal but haven't been too motivated to pursue it yet.


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## FAUEE (Jul 22, 2010)

TwinkE said:


> I traded a 2018 STi for this so the power difference is insane, I didn't really worry about corners with the STi but I'm more conscious of them in the 350. It is a blast to drive and I haven't desired to do more than cosmetic mods versus my past cars. I saw your build log, it's in another tab for future reading. I haven't been able to give up the manual, otherwise I'd have more options for cars
> 
> The D.6-1200 does not come with an optical input, I have been considering either adding a minidsp with DL or switching to an Arc PS8-50 or 1000.6 with the DSP. I also have a Maestro AR that I could swap to which the arc has built in support for. I haven't decided anything yet, I'm sure the AC is sufficient but theres Always something else to buy.


I had a 2017 STI. Absolutely loved that car. It wasn't fast, I had come from a series of Corvettes, but it was without a doubt the best daily driver I've ever had. It did everything except tow honestly, and I could have towed a small utility trailer and jet ski with it. Great cars. 

Love the GT350 too. That engine should have gone into everything ford sells. Explorer should have had it, f150 should have had it, continental, well, OK that I guess should just be a normal 5.0L, lol. I played around with a few on the twisties back in NC, and had a good time, they could pretty much keep up with my c6gs around corners, but they didn't have the torque to hang from a stoplight. Still cool cars, plus they have a backseat and have that x factor with the flat plane crank v8... 

I dig what you've done so far, cool build.


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## THX0849 (Sep 24, 2019)

FAUEE said:


> I had a 2017 STI. Absolutely loved that car. It wasn't fast, I had come from a series of Corvettes, but it was without a doubt the best daily driver I've ever had. It did everything except tow honestly, and I could have towed a small utility trailer and jet ski with it. Great cars.
> 
> Love the GT350 too. That engine should have gone into everything ford sells. Explorer should have had it, f150 should have had it, continental, well, OK that I guess should just be a normal 5.0L, lol. I played around with a few on the twisties back in NC, and had a good time, they could pretty much keep up with my c6gs around corners, but they didn't have the torque to hang from a stoplight. Still cool cars, plus they have a backseat and have that x factor with the flat plane crank v8...
> 
> I dig what you've done so far, cool build.


I've had my WRX for 2 years now and every single day i get in it it's with a smile on my face the entire drive. Simply a fun car to drive daily without question. I've work at good dealerships for 22 years and the gt350 power train is simply wonderful! So balanced yet powerful. Rarely see one come in for anything but normal service. Love the color, almost got a '14 GT in that color but seatbelt rests on the exact spot i broke my collar bone years ago and literally can't drive it. Following this build intently!

Sent from my HD1905 using Tapatalk


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

THX0849 said:


> I've had my WRX for 2 years now and every single day i get in it it's with a smile on my face the entire drive. Simply a fun car to drive daily without question. I've work at good dealerships for 22 years and the gt350 power train is simply wonderful! So balanced yet powerful. Rarely see one come in for anything but normal service. Love the color, almost got a '14 GT in that color but seatbelt rests on the exact spot i broke my collar bone years ago and literally can't drive it. Following this build intently!
> 
> Sent from my HD1905 using Tapatalk





FAUEE said:


> I had a 2017 STI. Absolutely loved that car. It wasn't fast, I had come from a series of Corvettes, but it was without a doubt the best daily driver I've ever had. It did everything except tow honestly, and I could have towed a small utility trailer and jet ski with it. Great cars.
> 
> Love the GT350 too. That engine should have gone into everything ford sells. Explorer should have had it, f150 should have had it, continental, well, OK that I guess should just be a normal 5.0L, lol. I played around with a few on the twisties back in NC, and had a good time, they could pretty much keep up with my c6gs around corners, but they didn't have the torque to hang from a stoplight. Still cool cars, plus they have a backseat and have that x factor with the flat plane crank v8...
> 
> I dig what you've done so far, cool build.


Prior to the STi I had a 2000 Celica GTS, 2002 WRX, 2007 Legacy Spec B - none of them had much power. The throttle mapping on the STi made it a blast and it was everything I was hoping the car would be. I loved it all the time but paranoia about ring lands and the impending end of my lease made me want to get something else. If the new STi has a significant HP bump I may have to make room for a winter car 

The GT350 is definitely a different beast, I haven't found its summer weather limit yet, the grip scares the crap out of me. I love the exhaust sound of the STi but I do like the wail of the 5.2 better.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I haven't bothered to make templates for the sides, it never really occurred to me and I have been constantly refining the shape of the sub layers. Since I finally have the layers to a point that I can get them to be a smooth shape and still be satisfied with the wall thickness, I'll make some templates next. The marking of where to cut the sides is the worst part of the whole job.








I don't have anything to conform to those shapes and it's over 12" between the top and bottom so it limits what tools I have. The top is a little askew from the bottom so I'll have to see how the front lays down when I work the edges.
I used a combination of eyeballing, a couple squares and a 3' rule and I have a guesstimate of the line to flatten to.








I use a Japanese style hand saw to cut the edges, it doesn't have a spine and is an aggressive cut with a decent finish. 








next up is the Shinto rasp to get down to the lines.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Well, I cut the front board for the box oversized for how tall I planned on making the box, but it's a quarter inch short








The box was going to be too short by about a half inch from planned so I put two layers in to make it up. Turns Out the pieces I used were closer to a half inch each. It shouldn't have any effect on the box, just more volume. I epoxy the insides to make sure it's sealed, I'm going to fill it with water and check the actual volume, looking forward to that.

I made the templates for the sides, they matched up pretty well. With the double front boards it should seal up nicely when I add the epoxy. 









I was reading AudioGal's thread on her midbass boxes and that got me curious. Hopefully I get the sub box finished before I start messing around in the doors.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Installed the last box I finished in my friends car. He still needs to get it wired but I needed to cut the holes and make sure it fit.

After that was done, I worked on the the front plate. It took a bit to tweak the edges of the box into sit correctly.The face is glued up and ready to put on the box.

















I test fit the sub, it's getting close now.
















Not pictured: I had to make sure the outer piece would fit around the sub. I clearanced the hole slightly to allow the carpet to wrap the edge and keep the sub in place.

Next up is to epoxy the inside of the box to seal up the voids in the layers.There are a bunch of holes that I'll also have to fill from the outside. I putties a bunch on the inside but I want this tight.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Slow week working on the box, sealing up the voids in the plys. It seems to have turned out well so far. I test fit the sub and drilled the mounting holes and put in the inserts. I haven't screwed in the sub yet, just assuming it fits 
























I put the extra long HD binding posts on from parts express, extra long was probably overkill, but that's better than too short.

I'm going to make the leads for inside the box tonight and I was debating on putting on crimp on ferrules for the connection at the speaker. Any thoughts on crimping ferrules vs leaving the wire stripped?


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Playing bass on low volume until tomorrow. I was trying not to carpet the whole box, but the cutout really needs to be wrapped to minimize scratching.


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## MythosDreamLab (Nov 28, 2020)

I like the wood look, maybe you should just stain it...


_(LOL kidding...)_


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

MythosDreamLab said:


> I like the wood look, maybe you should just stain it...
> 
> 
> _(LOL kidding...)_


That would be an interesting exercise to see if I could get a box that shape to look good raw.


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## MythosDreamLab (Nov 28, 2020)

TwinkE said:


> That would be an interesting exercise to see if I could get a box that shape to look good raw.


in a nice Rosewood or Mahogany stain....


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

The sub broke in enough to require me to go out at 10:30 last night to turn it down, I put the box in the car and started it up. Watching the power meter I'm only seeing about 200watts, although I didn't check the power meter when I was playing a 40Hz tone to set the gain. I was able to get the amp up to 40v output so it should be able to put out the power.

Afterwards, I checked the input to the sub amp the optical converter was peaking at .7v. I have been toying with the idea of Dirac live so I put in an order for a mini DSP 8x12, without the DL for now. I'm ready to get rid of a useless converter in the chain. I'll turn the DSP off of the D6.1200 and just run it as a regular amp.


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## mfenske (Feb 7, 2006)

NICE!!! MiniDSP rules!


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Pulled the box out of the car this afternoon. I was worried the sub wouldn't come out easily, but that was silly. I drilled the holes in the box to mount the box to the trunk floor and test fit those - lined up perfectly. I hope to be able to wrap the box tomorrow.

I downloaded the mini DSP app and made an initial config with routing, crossovers and TA. Should be good to go on Wednesday or Thursday when it gets delivered.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

That's probably the last box I'll be making, I hate wrapping that thing so much, the front turned out great. It should have enough coverage to protect the sub when it gets removed.









you can see many of the seams on the back where they are scrunched together








Finished
















At least the box was the easiest to install so far. The two bolts in the bottom have it secure in the car.
The MiniDSP came today, it was raining outside so I set it up inside.








The meter was to reset the power supply so 12v down from 14.

I then got impatient and put it in the car and turned the DSP off on the AudioControl. I didn't have time to listen very much. I took a version of the time alignment that was in my phone, it may be right of center, I'll have to listen some more first.









I didn't actually secure the mini DSP to the board, I'll have to figure something out since I'm lacking in room. I have a feeling the tire inflator is going to get a new home, the SI 1500.1 AB amp looks really tempting...


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Had a weird thing happen when I pulled in to work. I turned off the car and all my amps and DSP stayed on. I powered the mini DSP from a switched 12v and set the remote switch to 1 to just go by power on/off. The switched power kept trying to turn off but it turned back on a half second later.

I switched the setting to 2 and ran constant 12 and a separate switched 12 for remote on and things are happy now. I have bass, it's still lacking a bit in the super low but I hope to tune that back in. The SI SQL12 was easier to put into the box than I thought it would be so I'm very happy about that.


















If I turn it all the way up it sounds really good. I've been listening to my tuning playlist and it sounds better than my last setting without the mini but I think that was because I left the AudioControl on the wrong setting :/
Time alignment is off a bit but I'll just remeasure it all when I get a chance to tune the system.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Started on a piece to insert into the spot in front of the shifter that will hold the mini DSP remote.








I knew it wasn't going to fit so I was just trying to get better shapes and check the dimensions.

I ended up with a mess on the first try of printing the second revision.









I did a quick and dirty tune to remove the peaks and added a low shelf to boost the bass a bit. The spectrum wasn't great but it wasn't awful either.








I'll hopefully be able to hook up my UMM-6 tomorrow and make another attempt at a better tune.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Went through about 20 different versions of the model in Fusion 360, Blender and Tinkercad.








The bottom piece was what I was aiming to reproduce but missed. It came close with the piece that that sits on removed from the car. It's a wedgelike fit and doesn't go anywhere. I'm going to roll with it for a while until I can make the model with the inside hollowed out and I hope to finish it down smooth and a close paint match to the center.









The USB port is vertical so I can get the piece out, when I'm done with the real piece, I'll put it horizontal.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Did a little bit of work today, finally added some protection caps on the tweeters and put down some light colored carpet around the spare tire well to make it look cleaner vs just the black Noico.


















I still have to tune it, but other mods have taken priority, I got some new wheels and added some overlays to the calipers and lug nuts.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Decided I needed some more bling so I picked up a new sheet of plywood to make a new amp board to hold the SI 1500.1 amp I just ordered.

I ordered three of the NVX silicone speaker surround things, I put two in my wife's car to see how they sounded, it didn't kill the midbass on her car so I'll put the last pair in my car soon. I have some of the boommat cups for the 3.5" that I'll probably put in at the same time, most likely cutting the end off. I'm mainly concerned with keeping the water off as much as possible.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I've been working on a layout for a new amp board, planning on getting an SIQ 75.4 when the SIQ1500.1 comes in and running both amps with the D6.1200 on 2 channels. I'll probably put the mini DSP on a stand at the top and wrap the rca cables back underneath.

I really want to get the green power wire from Sky High, but the way the layout currently is you won't see much of the wire so the bling factor isn't really there. But I like being able to isolate the power and ground better this way.
There will be a grommet in the center to send the output signals under the board.

Composite top and bottom layout









Top side signals is on the left
Bottom side power is on the right


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Final configuration for this amp setup, I should have an SIQ1500.1 coming soon and then the new amp board.








I got tired of pulling all the speaker wires through the grommet when I would remove the board so I added some disconnects to the speaker wires. The old wires were also too short after I added the caps on the tweeter wires so now I have enough length to comfortably run the wires.








I still need to tune and check out the NVX speaker surround thing I got a while ago.

The air compressor that was at the top has been relocated to a shelf I made to hold that and some tools, now there's plenty of room for the future.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

The layouts above won't work after trying them on the actual amp board, I thought I had more room but I'm about a half inch short, so the front stage amps will go back to back in the center. The SIQ75.4 claims it'll be here Sunday, so it should be a good day.
I then realized that the bolts holding the amp board will be under one or more amps, so that's going to suck. I have plenty of inserts so I'll use those for the center amps. Removing the existing amp board was not bad at all, almost fun since I added the plugs.

I routed a recess for the metal piece that the board attaches to, it gets me a little bit more height to the trunk floor so I can float the MiniDSP.








I ordered a couple of different pieces for covering the board, I like the hologramy one but that's completely smooth and shiny. My next favorite is the hex one, the plain leather is probably going to be used to redo some chairs in the house.









I may need to re-cover the shelf in whatever I choose for the board.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I used a sharpie and ran it against the edge of the wheel well to try get an even spacing around the top edge. After sanding it down I wasn't satisfied with the spacing so I laid down some wire and traced the edge off that, should be nice and even now. 









I'll probably not go all the way to the line I just drew, but it'll be a starting point.

I went back over the layout and realized I wouldn't have enough room to lay the power wires flat, so I drew up some standoffs.








I'll start with these,and see how it goes, o may switch to stacking them 4 tall vertically, but that will be determined after I get the amps down.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Contrary to FedEx'a best efforts, I got the 75.4 in one piece. The packing around the box really saved the day.


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## DriverDaily (May 1, 2021)

SI really makes some sweet equipment. That amp is gorgeous.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Yeah, it's definite eye candy, I'm excited to have them all three in. It also seems like it's slightly smaller in dimensions than I was planning for so that can only help with placement.

On an unrelated note, the inevitable happened, but in PLAs defense, there is no support for the top.








My friend had repeatedly asked me if it had melted yet, but today it was hot enough. I have tint on all windows so I was hoping that it would be cool enough to prevent it. But the sun does shine on it for most of the day, so I will reprint it with PETG which shouldn't deform like this. I'm also going to start using my sunshade again and I'll be interested to see the temp difference afterwards.


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## THX0849 (Sep 24, 2019)

Sunshades do make a difference man, I've got a folding for one for my WRX (actually came with it) and I'm the Miami heat it make a very noticeable difference. Getting in the car at 2 pm pure Sun, it's bearable in there. Besides you don't want the sun beating down in the display anyways. Nice build man!

Sent from my HD1905 using Tapatalk


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Thanks! It was starting to sprinkle so I got distracted and forgot to check the temp in the car, but I don't remember it being overly hot.

I did rig the SIQ75.4 up to the mid bass and tweeters to check if it was working and it powered up ok and I had sound. I didn't set the gains yet soI can't comment on the sound.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

The 1500.1 is now shipping so I have to get to making the board useful. I need to make one of the amps removable so I put in threaded inserts for the 75.4's. The RCAs could be interesting, I have less room than I thought.










insert time








test fit


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Removed the old board, amps and power distribution today and started on the new board.








I got the holes drilled and grommets for the speaker wires, RCA cables and power meter. I need to wait for the sub amp to come tomorrow to put the switches for remote turn on on/off.








The power and ground for the two front amps was run a little oversized until I can make the standoffs and get them to the right lengths.








Tomorrow the amp and new longer RCA cables will be here. I have a different idea for mounting the MiniDSP that will require gluing some acrylic together. Space is a lot less now that I have more things on the board, but it should still look good.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Got the 1500.1 in today, it looks great.








I got the speaker and RCA cables routed and secured. I had to unbind them from the way I had originally and rerout and shorten most.

I haven't put the lights back on, not sure about that,this board is getting heavy.








I have to get some more clips for the power wires and I have to get a 3/4" bit. I'm going to have one switch for master remote turn on and another to override the amplifiers. I still need to make the stand for the MiniDSP, hopefully that shouldn't be too difficult, 4 pieces of plexi and some heat.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Those amps do look terrific! I’m looking forward to your impressions when playing them. I heard them in Nick’s car, and I thought they were fantastic. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

bertholomey said:


> Those amps do look terrific! I’m looking forward to your impressions when playing them. I heard them in Nick’s car, and I thought they were fantastic.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Me too! One of the reviews here pushed me over the edge to get them. I'm close to getting it preliminarily wrapped up.

I drilled the holes for the switches, but drilled one too big, it needed 13/16 and not 7/8. I have a plastic grommet that can take up the slack and make things right again. The master remote switch is wired, need the amp remote turn on now. I'm not sure how I'm going to run the actual wire from bottom to top, that may be future me's problem.








I got the MiniDSP stand glued up, then wired it for some pictures and promptly broke the first glue point. The holes in the big piece are to locate the feet, I may have to enlarge them, it might be sitting too high. I did add threaded inserts for the stand too. Here are some progress pictures.
































I went to take a smidge off the part of the stand that attaches to the board, but the saw blade got it and destroyed it, so I bent a new one tonight. I'll cut it to size tomorrow and glue it back together again. When I went out tonight, I noticed that the fumes from the glue stained the top of the MiniDSP, so I need to get a new one or wrap it.

I have the following left:
2 power and ground for the sub amp
Remote turn on wires
Amp turn on switch and wiring
Fix MiniDSP stand

Later:
Wrap board
Power/ground standoffs


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I got the stand glued up again, I heard a couple cracks as I was putting everything back together so I'm probably going to have to fix my printer and print one. It's holding up so far so we'll see how it goes.

igot The board in and hooked up and started the car and got nothing. I ripped it all out because I thought the master switch was bad, but after 10 minutes of proving everything there I realized the relay didn't have power. It turns out the power and ground for the 1500.1 are backwards I replaced the fuses and swapped the wires and everything is powered up now.








The sound is very muffled right now, I assume it is because I haven't set any of the gains, they're turned all the way down on both SIQ amps.

I was also assuming the amps and board were going to be heavy, I was not disappointed! I'm going to let this marinate until I get the wire routing and stand printed and then I'll make supports to level the board and wrap it in something. There's a car show in late August, should give me plenty of time to procrastinate on that.


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

TwinkE said:


> I got the stand glued up again, I heard a couple cracks as I was putting everything back together so I'm probably going to have to fix my printer and print one. It's holding up so far so we'll see how it goes.
> 
> igot The board in and hooked up and started the car and got nothing. I ripped it all out because I thought the master switch was bad, but after 10 minutes of proving everything there I realized the relay didn't have power. It turns out the power and ground for the 1500.1 are backwards I replaced the fuses and swapped the wires and everything is powered up now.
> View attachment 304187
> ...


Looks great, man!

Ha! Silly wiring mistakes are bound to happen occasionally with so much going on and with wires criss-crossing everywhere! Been there, done that!

Is the layout not finalized? Just wondering why you've left a bit of extra length on all of the amplifier power and ground wires?

And for the time being, would it be easier to just heat-form and bend a small sheet of 3/16" or 1/4" thick ABS for your miniDSP stand mount? It's super easy to cut and shape with standard tools.

And I have never had it deform even when used in the engine compartment for fuse holder mounts on hot summer days in SoCal, so you shouldn't have any issues like you did with the 3D printed parts.

Though IIRC I think you may have already picked up better heat-resistant printer filament?

Had you already preconfigured you miniDSP's I/O signal & channel routing, rough levels, X/Os and T/A on the bench before installing it?

I will also usually set the amplifier's HP X/O for the tweeter channels to a safe "protection" cutoff frequency about an octave below my intended final X/O in the DSP before the first system power up.

And I Hear You on the WEIGHT of these dang amp racks! I just finished up a swap of some gear on an existing vertically-mounted amp rack in my GF's car that is located behind the trim panel in the rear cargo quarter panel area.

The vertical amp rack sits just over and behind the passenger side rear wheel well and projects into the rear fender body cavity. It now has the DSP and 2+2 vertically-stacked amplifiers on it (4 total) with all of the wiring, cooling fans, etc. It's a beast.

It's also a really odd shape in order to fit the opening, and was a very tight squeeze to fit all of the amps on this not-so-large amp board which has to fit in a smallish rear quarter panel cavity.

I felt like a Cirque du Soleil contortionist trying to finagle that heavy and awkward amp rack into place!

Crikey, my back and neck ain't happy right now! The only positive result was that luckily the GF took pity on me, so I got the full body massage treatment. 

Your getting close, man! You'll have killer tunes playing soon enough!


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

@bbfoto thanks for the info. Everything was previously set up in the MiniDSP and luckily I soldered a cap inline on the tweeters a couple weeks ago. At work I checked a picture of the old layout and realized the tweeter and mids were swapped. That was a long day waiting to swap them.

The layout is fixed, but I still want to swap the D6.1200 for a second SIQ75.4. I left the power and ground long because I need to print the wire holders and I didn't want to be short in case I cam up with a different idea that required an unplanned route for that.
I did have the thought about bending the plexi after I was walking inside last night. My main concern with that was getting the height of the stand correct. There is very minimal room to the trunk floor so the height has to be pretty close. I did bend the bottom angle, all of it was 1/4" plexi. I do have the filament issue solved if I can get my printer bed adjusted properly. I'm counting on that for the wire holders, otherwise I'll have to figure out how to flame polish.



@bartholomey I ballparked the gains on the amps, used the bass knob with clipping light to set the gain on the 1500.1 and then duplicated those setting on the 75.4. Without adjusting the gain, it sounded weird since the midbass was adjusted properly. To get the volume right so I could hear, the bass was very overpowering even with the head unit bass setting turned most of the way down. Once I tuned it it is sounding great. I didn't get a chance to listen to a bunch of tracks, but the bass is exactly where I wanted it and it's low!

I'll listen some more and see if I can give any better impressions.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I didn't want to loose momentum so I bent some plexi for the wire guides. The bit is junk but it should be good enough for these holes.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

It is coming together nicely.








I was able to flame polish the stands and I figured out some acrylic tips. For these pieces, I should have sanded and flame them before bending. I was able to get them acceptable by reheating and pulling them back into shape. My MAP gas bottle didn't have the right tip so I had to use my propane torch as low as it would go. It turned out how I was imagining it.








The right side one is t quite long enough for the power wire on that side but it will work. I need to figure out the next wire brackets, it'll probably be a corner piece with 3 or 4 holes on the horizontal and 2 holes going up to the amp.

The stand for the MiniDSP did break so I need to figure that out now


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

TwinkE said:


> It is coming together nicely.
> View attachment 304497
> 
> I was able to flame polish the stands and I figured out some acrylic tips. For these pieces, I should have sanded and flame them before bending. I was able to get them acceptable by reheating and pulling them back into shape. My MAP gas bottle didn't have the right tip so I had to use my propane torch as low as it would go. It turned out how I was imagining it.
> ...


A very cool solution! Great job! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

bertholomey said:


> A very cool solution! Great job!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Thanks! I started two 4x4 "corner" pieces for the ends of the runs and to the blocks. They are cut out and flame polished, I have to drill and bend them

There will be dual 2 hole brackets for the amps. I'm picturing it working out well 😀

I will have to make all 4 brackets before mounting them, I want to put more threaded inserts in for them since it's easier to install and remove but that will require taking the board out of the car. At that point I might as well wrap the board too 🙄


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Well, the corner pieces turned out like hot garbage so I scrapped the acrylic.

I drew up the new supports and they are way more consistent. It took a lot of work with my friend trying to print the PETG, but I ended up switching out to an all metal hotend on my printer which will let me print at a higher temperature without clogging the print nozzle. Fingers crossed it continues printing well.

On music related news, I finally got around to listening to my testing playlist with the new amps, things are sounding good. I should hopefully get a chance to tune it at the end of the month, I have some forced time off. Right now the playlist is sounding good.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I got everything printed, I have some more tweaking to do on the printer to get better prints, but it's usable now.








i printed the flat top to hold the MiniDSPthat had a throat to go over the acrylic stand that screwed down, it worked out well and there's very little deflection, I should have enough height above it to the floor and below it to the amps. It should stand up to the heat but I'll keep an eye on it.

I cracked one of the wire stands as I was running the power to the 75.4 and I also realized that the power meter interferes with the length of the other wire stand, so I'll make a new one that shorter and most likely only one support.








I'm pretty happy with the layouts, I'll trim the wires to length when I wrap the board. I ordered some punches to cut leather, so hopefully they will also cut the vinyl I'm hoping to use.

When I was putting the board back in, somehow the ground lost its lug, so I took the opportunity to crimp the 0ga I got to replace the 4ga from the distribution. I'll also trim that one closer when the board is wrapped.

The umbrella holders I made previously deformed from the heat








so I made some new ones that should hold up better









So I should just have to wrap the board, trim the wires and tune it left. I also need to sell the D6.1200 and get another 75.4 to finish it off.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I was able to find time to pull the amps and cover the board. I used the black hexagon material, it worked pretty well. I bought a punch set to cut the holes for everything and it worked pretty well.








Everything that screws down is insert nuts except the power/ground blocks and the D6.1200 since that one is going to get replaced. There are rubber grommets on all the signal wires.








I ended up reprinting the two corner stands and one of the four wire stands and repulsed all the wires.








I needed the power sensor wire alittle bit longer so I used my last CD-ROM drive audio cable and put the correct ends on it and now have a wire that's long enough to cover the power wire at the back of the car.








I plan on cutting the source power wire down to length now that everything is pretty much fixed. I'm not sure if I'm going to leave the ground on the right side or switch to the factoryground and lose 2ish feet off the ground run from the block.

I also put the new remote holder up front, I printed the wrong model or I didn't make the final change from the last revision so it doesn't sit exactly right but it looks good right now.


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## MythosDreamLab (Nov 28, 2020)

Can't you rotate your photos?

I'd love to see them, but it hurts my neck...

cool green wires...


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

MythosDreamLab said:


> Can't you rotate your photos?
> 
> I'd love to see them, but it hurts my neck...
> 
> cool green wires...


Sorry about that, they all showed up fine on the phone but rotated on the post. All fixed now.

I was going to just go with the green/black for the sub wire, but the power wire took up so much room it was going to be a hassle to run underneath and out of the way of the signals so I switched to a more eye catcher green power on top. Has to match the green eyesore of the outside of the car


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Did some measurements today, the first time using Room EQ with a purpose. I had a UMM-6 hooked over USB into my MacBook Pro, audio out was the headphone jack into the RCA in of the MiniDSP. I was trying to go through the head unit to be more representative of what I'm listening to but the tweeters cut off after about a minute or two of running the car on battery only. I'm guessing it's got something to do with the AmpPro, so I switched to the RCA cable.

I did an average of three measurements-left, center, right with the microphone held under the headrest pointing at the windshield. Turns out the sub is 20dB up on the rest of the system 🤣

Here's the measurement with levels at 0dB, no EQ:









Heres the measurement with my approximate level adjustment and eq enabled on the MiniDSP:








Looks like I was trying to match the right null from 250-400 on the left side eq.

Here's the comparison between the two:









Now that I know how to hook up the car I imagine I'll sink a bunch more time into this.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I ordered the other 75.4 I need, hopefully it'll be in this week.

I also spent a bunch of time measuring and calculating curves and EQ. I measured from the back seat without the headrest using sweeps. Tweeter crossover was lowered to about 800, midrange to around 100, did 8 sweeps for each speaker. Then did 8 more because I forgot to save the right tweeter.

I wanted to go through the process of EQ'ing with REW so I started with Jazzi's spreadsheet and calculated some target curves. I was able to do a decent job of hitting the curves per speaker, with the exception of the large nulls in the mid bass. I haven't level adjusted the speakers or sides, but I did use the same target level of 80dB for each speaker. I have unsurprisingly lost the centered image, but it does sound different than the stock. It may sound better, Johnny Cash's voice in Bird on a Wire is much less boomy and more distinct. The highs are still a bit too bright, but I'll look into it more when I measure the result of the tunes. I have settings for Jazzi's and JBL Andy's curves at 80dB target level.

Current attempted crossovers are 80, 400 and 3500.

Any suggestions on starting levels for my speakers? They were all set at 0dB in the MiniDSP.

Left









Right


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I measured with pink noise last night and I had some significant dips at the crossovers so I inverted the mid range and it seemed to fix those spots. I realized now that I think I had my sunshade in the passenger footwell while I was measuring, so I think that did effect what the mic was reading.

Ihavebeen able to identify an issue with my tune so far. Most of the songs sound pretty good, but as I was listening to Hotel California on the way home, I noticed I can't hear both guitars in the beginning. I have a couple dips in the low end, I suspect one of them is eating the guitar. It should be cooler this weekend so hopefully I'll get a chance to measure them again and fix the levels and the missing guitar.

I haven't noticed anything wrong like that on either of my two testing playlists (aside from excessive highs in White Lines) So I'm overall happy with the way it's turning out so far.

I got the last 75.4 today, so hopefully that's just a level adjustment.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Spent more time RTAing today with pink noise and got the response a lot flatter at 1/3. I got most of the dip at 67Hz up. I remeasured for time alignment, it sounds a lot better but there is still more left to do.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

I haven't tweaked any settings, just swapped between two presets occasionally. I noticed my volume at 1/25 was way too high so I finally went into the AMPPro today to turn it down. I adjusted it to a good setting and noticed that the EQ and crossover points were also turned on. I turned those off, I wonder if that'll help me with the curve or if it was just something weird that happened to turn them on after I tuned it last. I don't recall turning them on or having the volume that loud.

I'll hopefully get to check the tune when it gets warmer in a couple days.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Still haven't tuned after replacing the mids. I was looking for the 1500.1 manual and noticed the bass knob in the box had a clip light. After taking the knob apart I found the cable is pretty much just wires to the leds and pot.

I ended up ordering some leds, a pot and the jack. I want to move the clip/amp light and knob closer to the driver and move the usb jack to the right. I ended up replacing the tape on my 3D printer bed and printed a new holder for the remote, usb and now other knob. I should be able to get the holder cleaned up this weekend and ready for the new pieces but the jack is still at least a week out so I can't fully test it yet.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

After about a month of work and a reprint on the remote holder I finally got an acceptable finish on it as well as wired up the LEDs and the knob. I found some Krylon Jungle Green spray paint at Lowe's so I pulled off the vinyl from the extensions I made to the subwoofer grill and painted those. I'm much happier with that color, even though it's still not quite right, but definitely close enough. In between, I also added some Steg S7 to the sides of the car, not sure if I can tell a difference but I've had it for a while so I put it in while I was running the new remote cable as well as a cable for a DAP if I ever decide on it, I'd rather not pull all those sides or center out again.

















I reset the DSP and REW and started over with a new tune this weekend. I tried setting delays by inverting the polarity on the opposite speaker and checking for the minimum sound, but I couldn't tell good enough so I just re-measured by tape and set them to that again. 

I used the Audiofrog guide to get the new tune, using the RTA, I think it was set to around 1/6th. There's an issue between my right midbass and right midrange, the RTA is showing a significant drop at the crossover that goes away if I invert the polarity on the midbass. It sounded kind of funny(not sure how to describe it accurately) when I had it set inverted so I reverted that and tuned the rest of the rest of the speaker. I didn't have a target curve set, but both the left and right channels are relatively flat from 100-6k or so and I was able to get them to match fairly close.

Listening-wise, I think I'm fairly close to my previous tune with a relatively small amount of work and running the new M3 Carbons. My current crossovers are set at 65(sub)/80(midbass)/400/3000.

Next time I get a chance, I'll try run some sweeps and do a moving mic and get some graphs again.


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

After this last message @bertholomey messaged me with a link to the easy DiracLive tuning guide. I fought it for about a day but then bought the DL upgrade for the 8x12. I had a problem that the C-DSP DL app couldn't connect to the device, but I could connect to the device with the non-DL app. I just needed to "update the firmware" to get it to connect but there was no firmware in the only DL app on MiniDSP's website. After emailing back and forth they fixed the download and I was able to flash the DL firmware onto my 8x12.

I re-ran the RTA with mono pink noise and added more PEQ points to all the drivers and it sounded better. Following an old DL tuning video, I ran a single measurement DL to get time alignment and calculated the timing offsets that DiracLive was using for the drivers and applied the calculated values to my front stage based on the farthest driver from the listening position(right mid bass). This sounded better than before, but the center image sounded a bit hollow.

Tonight I got the car set up again to run on the power supply and configured the 8x12 in preparation for running the DiracLive calibration. After the kids went to bed I went back out and about 40 minutes later I was done with the calibration and holy cow is it a night and day difference between my RTA tune and the DL tune. The sound is so clean, I'm amazed. I've had high hopes for the DL tune since I originally got the 8x12 and this has met them. I'm very happy with it.

I was listening to my tuning playlist and it sounded very good, the vocals are a bit low and the bass is way too high. I also have at least an old version of @MythosDreamLab's playlist I found last year, when listening to "White Lines" the vocals are definitely off somehow but the rest of the sound minus bass is makes me happy.

I did move my head around over to the passenger seat to see how that sounds and it was interesting to hear the difference(definitely not as good). I'm going to try let this tune marinate for a while and do a two seat and maybe a windows down tune in the spring and see if it does anything for me. I'll also probably run some white noise and RTA that and see how the response is, I did use Andy's target curve as a first attempt.

@bertholomey, thanks for motivating me to finally get the upgrade!


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

TwinkE said:


> After this last message @bertholomey messaged me with a link to the easy DiracLive tuning guide. I fought it for about a day but then bought the DL upgrade for the 8x12. I had a problem that the C-DSP DL app couldn't connect to the device, but I could connect to the device with the non-DL app. I just needed to "update the firmware" to get it to connect but there was no firmware in the only DL app on MiniDSP's website. After emailing back and forth they fixed the download and I was able to flash the DL firmware onto my 8x12.
> 
> I re-ran the RTA with mono pink noise and added more PEQ points to all the drivers and it sounded better. Following an old DL tuning video, I ran a single measurement DL to get time alignment and calculated the timing offsets that DiracLive was using for the drivers and applied the calculated values to my front stage based on the farthest driver from the listening position(right mid bass). This sounded better than before, but the center image sounded a bit hollow.
> 
> ...


That is great news, and I’m so glad my little nudge sent you in the right direction. Anu and the fellas deserve the credit for the guide, and I’m glad to hear that MiniDSP was able to get the download fixed through your persistence. 

You have a great journey in front of you. I was at a meet recently with several cars running Dirac Live, and they were all incredible! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## TwinkE (Aug 13, 2020)

Almost finished redoing the signal portion of the board.


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