# 2018 Traverse; Alpine, Audiofrog, SI



## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

I bought this vehicle last April. The Bose stereo system didn't sound too awful but I took out all the stock speakers anyways (and put myself through ~ 5 months of install hell) because I'm stupid haha. Everything about this car was very difficult. There were no other examples of anyone putting a stereo into this exact car so I had to learn along the way. To run the wiring into the back EVERY PANEL needed to come out. The third row seat needed to come out. The front seats needed to come out. The existing wiring conduits were very tight which made even running wire a PITA. There was no room in either rear quarter panel for a sub. No room under seats for amps. Also having two young kids meant I could only work on it a few nights a week after they go to bed. I just finished the install last week so my life is finally back to normal haha. 

I'm still tuning the system, but I'm extremely happy with how it sounds. Everytime I leave my vehicle after listening I have a smile on my face. I think the amp rack may need a beauty panel but maybe that will be a project for another day. Everything I did on this install I learned from the impressively talented people on this forum and also the 5-Star Stereo guys. I appreciate everyone posting their build logs. 

Here's the equipment:
PAC AP4- GM61
Alpine PXE-0850s
Alpine PDX-V9
JL Audio 10TW3
Stereo Integrity TM65
Audiofrog GB25
Audiofrog GS10

Here's a pic of the finished door and trunk to start. I'll keep posting updates over the next few days with pics of the install. The doors were fully deadened with CLD tiles. I wrapped every connector in the door panel with Tessa tape so that they weren't loose in receptacle plug and couldn't rattle. I used butyl rubber surround where ever I thought two pieces of plastic or metal may rattle against each other. Some of the wiring for door lights and locks were bare so I wrapped them in Tessa Tape. I put foam tape behind the plastic door connectors to prevent rattling. I put CLD tile on the inside of plastic door panel, CLD tiles on the outer door metal, on the inside of the door metal. I installed riv-nuts all over the door metal and screwed in cut-to-fit sheet metal over the existing factory holes. I had to cut away some of the metal surrounding the factory speaker hole to make room for my TM65 and GB25s. I painted any metal that I screwed into or cut away with two coats of rust-proof paint. Before the door panel went back on, I covered the door in closed cell foam and mass-loaded vinyl. 





I wanted to retain the trunk's functionality for family trips, grocery-store runs, etc. The spare tire needed to be accessible. I also didn't have a router to cut nice tight-fitting panels (I just have a jigsaw) so I decided to put the amp rack and sub into the removable cargo-hold area that doubles as a trunk floor. I worked out a way to get my two amps in there and have a 0.55ft^3 enclosure for a 10TW3. THe factory cover for the cargo hold swings shut to hide any stereo equipment and when I feel like showing it off I just lift the lid. I ran all speaker wire through a 15-pin MOLEX so if I need to access the spare tire under the cargo-bin, all I need to do is disconnect the molex connector, disconnect the input RCAs to the DSP, and unplug the power wire and GND from the distro block. The amp-rack/ enclosure lifts out.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Nice work. Very clean and great attention to detail!


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## jcesl2 (Nov 14, 2018)

Looks good!


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

The first thing I worked on was a 1/4" ABS mount for the circuit breaker near the battery. I found two factory holes in an existing metal 'shelf' inside the engine bay near the coolant reservoir where I installed riv-nuts to bolt the mount in place. 

The 4 AWG wire I ran through the firewall. I drilled a hole near the hood release wire and used a rubber grommet.


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

Next I fabricated a mount for the PAC-AP4. There wasn't anywhere I could hide this thing without extending the harnesses so I settled for mounting it up under the passenger footwell. I am using the Non-Fading Level Control knob on this and I installed that in my center console. I ran all the RCA channels to the trunk as well as the optical in case the RCAs were too noisy. I was hoping I could use the RCA inputs otherwise the sub volume control wouldn't work. Luckily for me I can't detect ANY noise when I use the RCA inputs on the DSP. 







I used two existing factory screw locations for the mount and then installed a riv-nut into a conveniently already existing hole. All three bolt locations are in this metal piece that runs along the length of the passenger footwell. You can't see this mount and the AP4 unless you duck your head under the footwell.


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

Making ABS brackets for the tweeters. I am also using a Morel CCWR254 for the center channel. I was only intending to use the center channel with passengers in the car but i don't think I will be using it at all. Rather I'm just going to use a different DSP preset for when passengers are in the car.









I wrapped all the wiring in closed cell foam to eliminate any possibility of rattling.


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

Making the baffles for the TM65 and GB25. I designed an angled mount for the GB25 and a friend printed it out on his 3D printer. Since the midranges were going to be in the doors I wanted to at least aim them a little bit toward the listening position. It's not much but it's better than completely off-axis I guess. I used threaded inserts in the printed SLA material to hold the GB25s in place. The kind I used only required a soldering iron to be placed on the insert and after a few seconds the insert got hot enough that it 'sinks' into the SLA and the plastic melts around it, holding it in place. 

The baffle was made out of one piece of 0.5" MDF and a piece of 0.75" MDF. A PVC endpipe was cut and glued to the back of the baffle to form a 0.2L enclosure for the gb25. Before mounting in the car I covered them in truck-bed liner to prevent moisture damage. 

The cuts are a little rough  For my next car audio build I am DEFINITELY getting a table router. Every piece in this install needed so much sanding just to get it to look semi-decent. Maybe my jigsaw is just a POS.


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

Some pics of door sound deadening. The two holes were covered in sheet metal, the back of the sheet metal sound deadened with CLD, butyl surround was placed around the perimeter to seal them. Riv-nuts installed behind the sheet metal for easy removal. 







On the larger piece of sheet metal I applied closed cell foam on the inside top half because it would be pushing up slightly against the window motor.



A layer of closed-cell foam and mass-loaded vinyl was put down before the door panel was put back on.


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## dgage (Oct 1, 2013)

Nice looking work!


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Excellent attention to detail. Cutting that 1/4” abs with a jig saw must have been loads of fun  I’m still trying to figure out the best way to make rough cuts in the stuff..


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

Chris12 said:


> Excellent attention to detail. Cutting that 1/4” abs with a jig saw must have been loads of fun  I’m still trying to figure out the best way to make rough cuts in the stuff..


Thanks!
"Loads of fun" would be one way to put it :laugh:

A lot of the plastic melted along the cut line which required a couple hours of sanding with a rough metal file. Thankfully the only 1/4" I used was for the circuit breaker. The 1/8" ABS is easier because I just score it with a sharp razor blade and bend it until it breaks along the score line.


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

jcesl2 said:


> Looks good!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





haques said:


> looks good





dgage said:


> Nice looking work!





Mlarson67 said:


> Nice work. Very clean and great attention to detail!


Thanks for the compliments! About 10x during the install I seriously considered just taking it to a shop because it was such a PITA. In the end I'm glad I didn't.


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

really nice install. Any reason you went with the morel as the center when you are using GB mids in the door?


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

Last question for you my friend. I am basically looking at your set up. I am trying to decided between AF midbass and the SI midbass. I think I will end up with the SI midbass as they are a bit thinner. Did you happen to listen to both and make a decision? I was looking for someone that has done an A/B on both sets


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

Jroo said:


> really nice install. Any reason you went with the morel as the center when you are using GB mids in the door?


The Morel center channel was an afterthought, not really going to be used 99% of the time. Cost became the biggest factor. The Morel's are less expensive especially considering I was only using one speaker from the set. 



Jroo said:


> Last question for you my friend. I am basically looking at your set up. I am trying to decided between AF midbass and the SI midbass. I think I will end up with the SI midbass as they are a bit thinner. Did you happen to listen to both and make a decision? I was looking for someone that has done an A/B on both sets


Unfortunately I have not done an A/B comparison of the GB65 and the TM65. I was going back and forth between the two but decided on the SI because a pair happened to show up in the DIYMA classifieds section for a good price. I liked everything people were saying about the SI speakers so I decided to give them a shot. I think they sound fantastic for what it's worth. They sound better than my last 6.5s which were the GS series (but they were used in a 2-way setup and not a 3-way).


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## oekundar (Dec 31, 2018)

Great thread...question 

It seems your own door speakers were 6x9s, any reason you didn’t consider the AF 6x9s?


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

oekundar said:


> Great thread...question
> 
> It seems your own door speakers were 6x9s, any reason you didn’t consider the AF 6x9s?
> 
> ...


The stock speakers were 6.5s, but for some reason the plastic mount for them is shaped like a 6x9. Maybe the non-bose version of this vehicle used 6x9s. I didn't use 6x9 because I had to fit a midbass and a midrange in the spot. I still had to cut some of the metal from the door to fit them, but with a 6x9 speaker I would have nowhere to put the 2.5" except for A-Pillar and my skills are definitely not at that level yet.


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## m3gunner (Aug 6, 2008)

How are you liking the Alpine PXE-0850s?

Did you consider the H800?


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

m3gunner said:


> How are you liking the Alpine PXE-0850s?
> 
> Did you consider the H800?


I didn't consider the h800 because there are no amplified channels and I can't use Bluetooth to tune. I really needed the 2 channels of amplification for the tweeters otherwise I would need to buy a second amplifier. 

I am liking the pxe unit very much. I wouldn't use it to drive more than tweeters though as it's not very powerful in the amplified channels. I did have one quirck with it in the beginning where the only input that would work was Bluetooth. I spent 2 evenings troubleshooting my setup with a dmm and oscilloscope only to get everything working by reverting to factory settings on the dsp and then setting it up again. Also, I am unable to get the pxe dsp app to work on my note 8. The phone pairs to the unit and I can broadcast music to it, but as soon as I open the app it closes. I can use my wife's phone with it, and another Android with it, but it absolutely will not work with my phone which is a bummer. Alpine wasn't really interested in helping.


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## nittanylion64 (Oct 3, 2007)

Great work! Love the username.


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

nittanylion64 said:


> Great work! Love the username.


Thanks! I love Bottle Rocket


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

All the wiring was routed through the factory wiring conduit that goes from kickpanel, alongside front seat, under the front seat, alongside the 2nd row seat, where it ends right where the rear quater panel begins next to the 3rd row seat. All my wires behind the rear quarter panel were bundled with Tessa tape and zip-tie secured to factory wiring. These wiring conduits were a very tight fit. I'm not sure if 0/1 AWG would have fit at all. I'm using OFC 4 AWG for power and 14 AWG for speaker wire.































Here's an idea of the amount of wiring I'm bundling and routing to the back, this is just one side of the vehicle. 










Here's the wiring conduit snapped back up. And yes that's electrical tape as a secondary measure to hold the top on. This is how GM does it.  After I snapped it back up I wrapped it up again in electrical tape as the factory had done. 










The 3/4" MDF amp rack/ enclosure sits inside the factory removeable cargo bin. The top of the cargo bin also serves as the trunk floor. The enclosure has two sections, one is the carpeted section that rises above the amp rack, and the other runs longer across the length of the amp rack underneath. The total size is about 0.51 ft. ^3. Because I suck at using a jigsaw for cutting straight lines all the panels I cut for the enclosure didn't necessarily fit together exactly as they should. There ended up being tiny gaps here and there. To overcome this I used fiberglass filler wherever there were gaps and then I sealed everything on the inside with epoxy. 

I used threaded inserts in the MDF for the sub, DSP, amp. and distro block. I drilled holes along all the wire paths to secure the wires in place with zip-ties. The neat thing about this trunk implementation is the I can still access the spare tire, I ran all the speaker wires through a MOLEX connector for easy connect/ disconnect. I can disconnect the power/ GND wires at the distro block, unplug the RCAs, hand-loosen the 4 factory plastic nuts that keep the amp rack/ cargo bin in place, and the amp rack will come right out. Then I can remove the cargo bin to get to the spare tire underneath. 




























Carpeting this thing was tricky, no way to do it without seams. I carpeted the thing once and wasn't happy with how the seams showed so I tore off all the carpet and started over. Thankfully the second time went much smoother- the seams are completely invisible. 












In order to re-use the factory plastic nuts that are meant for securing the cargo bin, I ordered M6 standoffs from digikey that extend the length of the factory bolts. The bolts now extend past the 3/4" amp rack enough to screw them on.










I was not a fan of the Bluetooth receiver on the Alpine DSP. The length of wire it uses is very short which limits the placement of the module. In my case I secured it close to the DSP on the amp rack but it doesn't look very good IMO. I ended up de-pinning all inputs/ outputs on the DSP connectors that I wasn't using for a cleaner install, and I removed the in-line 20A fuse on the DSP power wire. Again, it just didn't look very good so I cut it off. Instead I have a 20A fuse in the distro block for the DSP. 



















Anyways thats all I have. I couldn't find anyone who had done this to a '18 or '19 Traverse to I wanted to put this out there in case anyone else wanted to get some ideas from it to use on their own Traverse.


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

awesome job!


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

dcfis said:


> awesome job!


Thanks a lot!


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## RonJ (Apr 27, 2020)

Dignan1443 said:


> The first thing I worked on was a 1/4" ABS mount for the circuit breaker near the battery. I found two factory holes in an existing metal 'shelf' inside the engine bay near the coolant reservoir where I installed riv-nuts to bolt the mount in place.
> 
> The 4 AWG wire I ran through the firewall. I drilled a hole near the hood release wire and used a rubber grommet.


What wires (colors) did you use for your hi/lo converter. Thanks


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

RonJ said:


> What wires (colors) did you use for your hi/lo converter. Thanks


I didn't use a hi/lo converter. The PAC-AP4-GM61 interface supplied the low-level signal to the amps, but it intercepts a data signal for its input not a hi-level speaker signal. The interface comes with the T-Harness for connecting the input, so it's plug-and-play.


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## Divour (Jun 1, 2020)

Do you happen to have a link to the standoffs you purchased for the cargo bin? I had a similar idea but I like your better.


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

Divour said:


> Do you happen to have a link to the standoffs you purchased for the cargo bin? I had a similar idea but I like your better.


I remember buying a few different sizes before I found one that worked. I believe it was the longer of the two shown in this screenshot, the 20mm one. I bought them from digikey.


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## Divour (Jun 1, 2020)

Thank you! A full year since you did this and I've only seen this one online. I'll make sure to post mine. I'm only doing a sub with a custom box on building.


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

Divour said:


> Thank you! A full year since you did this and I've only seen this one online. I'll make sure to post mine. I'm only doing a sub with a custom box on building.


Awesome I can't wait to see what someone else does with their Traverse! I'll be looking out for your pictures when you're done.


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## j_dunavin (Jun 9, 2013)

Did you happen to run into any trouble with the factory active noise canceling feature? You mentioned that you just used the PAC-AP4-GM61 interface. 
I have a 2019 Enclave i am thinking about doing some work to, but it’s non Bose and am unsure of the system architecture.


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

j_dunavin said:


> Did you happen to run into any trouble with the factory active noise canceling feature? You mentioned that you just used the PAC-AP4-GM61 interface.
> I have a 2019 Enclave i am thinking about doing some work to, but it’s non Bose and am unsure of the system architecture.


sorry I’m not too sure how the non-bose systems work. In my case the Bose amplifier also contained the anc circuitry so I just left the molex plugs containing the cabin microphone signals unconnected. I know from reading these forums that unplugging the microphones at the mic would work as well to disable the anc, just pry them out from the headliner. There should only be four of them and each one has a molex connector directly behind it. Good luck!


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## topp12 (May 23, 2011)

Did you happen to find a website or anything that told you how to remove all the interior panels to run your wires? I always feel like I am going to break something. And wasn't sure how to remove the large panels in the rear section. I have a 2018 Acadia, with a Bose system, that I am planning to add a 5 channel amp to run a new sub and the front mids and tweeters.


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

topp12 said:


> Did you happen to find a website or anything that told you how to remove all the interior panels to run your wires? I always feel like I am going to break something. And wasn't sure how to remove the large panels in the rear section. I have a 2018 Acadia, with a Bose system, that I am planning to add a 5 channel amp to run a new sub and the front mids and tweeters.


The only thing I found was repairprocedures.com It costs a little bit of money but you have the option of just getting a 24 hour subscription and copying/ pasting all the relevant info into a word document to refer to after the subscription ends.


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## rain27 (Jan 15, 2009)

You used a jigsaw to cut all speaker baffles, including the ones for the tweeters in the dash?


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

rain27 said:


> You used a jigsaw to cut all speaker baffles, including the ones for the tweeters in the dash?


the tweeter plates were only 1/8" ABS so I used a razor blade on one where I traced the cut line over and over, the blade digging further in each time. The other one I wanted to see if there was an easier way so I used some heavy duty snips and those worked ok too. On both of them I sanded the cuts afterward a lot so the edges were smooth and it looked good.


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## asnatlas (Apr 4, 2021)

Nice work @Dignan1443


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## Pmannjr86 (Nov 2, 2021)

I’ve got a 10” shallow sub that I’m looking to put in my 21 traverse. Was originally thinking about building a box and putting it between the 2 captain seats on the second row. After seeing your set up, I’m thinking this may be the best option, got some questions though. Do you still have access to your spare by putting it in the back like that? Is there any rattling or vibrations? I see you put stuff on the doors to prevent rattling but wasn’t sure if there’s anything coming from the back by the sub. Beautiful set up though, you do some nice work.


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## Dignan1443 (Apr 2, 2008)

Pmannjr86 said:


> I’ve got a 10” shallow sub that I’m looking to put in my 21 traverse. Was originally thinking about building a box and putting it between the 2 captain seats on the second row. After seeing your set up, I’m thinking this may be the best option, got some questions though. Do you still have access to your spare by putting it in the back like that? Is there any rattling or vibrations? I see you put stuff on the doors to prevent rattling but wasn’t sure if there’s anything coming from the back by the sub. Beautiful set up though, you do some nice work.


Hi thanks for checking it out! Yeah I made sure I still have access to the spare tire... I used a Molex connector for all the speaker/ remote wiring going up front for quick disconnect. You can see it in some of the photos- it's the white thing towards the top of the compartment above the amp and DSP. I then unplug the RCAs from the DSP, unscrew the power/ ground wire at the distribution block (I always make sure I have the Allen Wrench for this in glove compartment) and it lifts out. It's on the heavy side but I've lifted it out a few times without problems. 

Unfortunately there is rattling on certain songs. I put sound damping material in the trunk on all of the metal. But on very bass heavy songs there is still some rattling. Since I have the bass control knob up front I just reduce the volume of the bass when this happens. Its mostly hip-hop and rap that causes the rattling, and I only listen to that type of music maybe 15% of the time. The biggest cause of the rattle for me is the rear brake light assemblies. I've removed them hoping to apply some sort of sound damping or butyl rubber, but the rattling is coming from inside the assembly. I'd have to cut open the plastic welding they used to seal it, then glue it back together. I didn't feel it was worth the time/ energy for that.


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## Pmannjr86 (Nov 2, 2021)

Dignan1443 said:


> Hi thanks for checking it out! Yeah I made sure I still have access to the spare tire... I used a Molex connector for all the speaker/ remote wiring going up front for quick disconnect. You can see it in some of the photos- it's the white thing towards the top of the compartment above the amp and DSP. I then unplug the RCAs from the DSP, unscrew the power/ ground wire at the distribution block (I always make sure I have the Allen Wrench for this in glove compartment) and it lifts out. It's on the heavy side but I've lifted it out a few times without problems.
> 
> Unfortunately there is rattling on certain songs. I put sound damping material in the trunk on all of the metal. But on very bass heavy songs there is still some rattling. Since I have the bass control knob up front I just reduce the volume of the bass when this happens. Its mostly hip-hop and rap that causes the rattling, and I only listen to that type of music maybe 15% of the time. The biggest cause of the rattle for me is the rear brake light assemblies. I've removed them hoping to apply some sort of sound damping or butyl rubber, but the rattling is coming from inside the assembly. I'd have to cut open the plastic welding they used to seal it, then glue it back together. I didn't feel it was worth the time/ energy for that.


I hear ya, thanks for the reply. I’m debating going that route and keeping it in the back or possibly building a box myself and putting it between the captain seats on the second row. Still torn


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