# 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Build Log



## JayinMI

OK. Well, a few of you may remember my '98 Neon build from a few months ago. I was relatively happy with the "finished" product, but decided to move on.

I sold the Neon (but kept all the equipment), and bought a new 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T Premium.

Dogstar (on here) also has a Genesis coupe, and on the forum Gencoupe.com, posted pics of the insides of the doors, and back end of the car...

Here's a couple of pics of the car right now:










For those not familar, it is similar in size to an Infiniti G37, rear wheel drive, 4 seater. Mine has the 2.0L Turbo, 5 speed Autostick. It is also available with a 306hp 3.8L V6.

Here's the factory radio:










6 disc in dash changer w/ MP3 capability, AM/FM/XM/3.5mm Aux/USB/iPod/Bluetooth. The bluetooth is ok, but there is a software update out for the radio that cleans up sound quality, I'm told. I'll try it later today.

I plan to keep the radio, since it does EVERYTHING I want, is relatively intuitive, has steering wheel controls built in, and doesn't require me rebuilding the entire center stack to make my F90 look good. F90 will probably end up in the GF's new '09 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara.

I plan to use a BitOne to integrate. I will be waiting for confirmed good units to start shipping in mid-may. I don't have this yet, but I am saving the money for it 

From there I plan to run JL HD amps, a 600/4 and a 750/1. They are small, have WAY more balls than the PDX amps and look nice. 

I know everyone always hates on JL, but I work for a dealer, so pricing is not an issue, and I want to have most of the equipment be stuff we sell.

The 600/4 will be running my Pioneer TS-C720PRS components actively.
Mids in stock door locations. Tweeter location to be determined.
I already have these BNIB.

I'm thinking the 750/1 will be running 2 10w3v3's. I REALLY like these subs, whether or not anyone else does. These are my favorite (reasonably priced) subs we sell. I'll probably run them ported, but I haven't decided yet. I'd like to keep as much of my tiny trunk as possible.

I am intentionally running WAY more power than is required just for the head room and flexibility.

I don't plan on using rear fill (or if I do, I'll use factory speakers and fade it to the front when I don't need it.)

I picked up some King Starboard to make my speaker adaptors. It is a maring grade high density plastic used on boats. I got it on Ebay from Cesany Plastics. 1.5x12x24 for $59 shipped. EXTREMELY fast shipping.

Last night I put in orders to KnuKonceptz and Parts Express, for Kolossus Flecks 1/0 and 4ga, KONfused inline fuse holder and power/ground distribution blocks, Techflex, heat shrink and 12ga speaker wire.

Knu (being in Ohio) and PE (also in OH, IIRC) I should have this stuff early next week.

Still trying to decide on my route for my RCA's...I will probably make my own, just trying to decide what ends/cabling to use.

I will also be ordering a bunch of RAAMmat and Ensolite...
I will also use some Hushmat (we're a dealer) and it's black so it'll be harder to see through the door.

The car currently has the factory Infinity system (tho all the equipment is marked JBL!) Which actually sounds pretty good for a factory system. Lacks low end, doors rattle a little on heavy midbass tracks, center channel seems to shift the stage to the left for some reason, but the overall sounds is good enough to hold me over so I don't feel the need to rush into anything.

Here's a pic of the trunk...it's deep but only about 12-14" tall.










Here's the inside of Dogstar's door:










I haven't had mine off yet. Looks like it shoud be pretty easy to seal up, eh? 

The car is already very quiet and has decent midbass, so I my center my deadening activities around the doors/rear quarters/rear deck.

I have another option for amps...I already have a 500/1, and a 300/2. My 300/4 has 2 bad channels. I may just buy one of our display 300/2 v1's and run those instead of the HD's...if I have the space. If not, I'll sell them...

Jay


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## IBcivic

congrats on the new ride,man... 
suscribed


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## m3gunner

Nice plan... subscribed...

Let me know if you decide to part with the 500/1.


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## WLDock

Hey, nice car! Looks different, a lot more conservative than the concept. I am sure they will work more of the sporty looks back into the car over time. Anyway, looking forward to the install... and ...it is always cool to listen to installs as well...how knows, we are both in Michigan.


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## JayinMI

Where are you at?

Jay


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## gsr22

Wow! Cant believe thats a Hyundai looks awesome and available with over 300 ponies. Looking forward to this build


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## freemind

Hot assed ride man!

Gotta love that door skin. 

Talk about making it easy.

I wonder if that was done with DIYMA in mind?


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## n_olympios

JayinMI said:


> Here's the inside of Dogstar's door:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I haven't had mine off yet. Looks like it shoud be pretty easy to seal up, eh?


I'm jealous.  Here's the bad excuse for a door in my car (not my pic):


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## WLDock

JayinMI said:


> Where are you at?Jay


 Metro Detroit.There has been a couple of meets in Livonia area by a group here, DIYMA MI if you will.....Should be another by the summer?



http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...-anyone-want-metro-detroit-michigan-meet.html


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## ntguru

I have been waiting for these coupes for a long time. I bought 03 Tiburon as my first new car when I was 19 (was also the first to Twin Turbo one in the US). I still want one of these coupes.

I look forward to seeing the build.


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## Blazemore

Don't these have the same engine as the evolution just detuned.


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## chad

Holy trunk batman! I gotta get one of these cars.


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## IBcivic

good for at least 3 coffins wide...full length ones at that


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## AAAAAAA

It looks really good. Like that car.


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## dogstar

Glad to see you are moving ahead with your plans Jay, hope some of my pics helped and thanks for crediting me on them.

I'm going with a pretty similar path, bit-one + pioneer PRS amps so hopefully you get your bit-one before I do since I'm not sure I want to be the guinea pig for the first genesis coupe install of it.


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## dogstar

Glad to see you are moving ahead with your plans Jay, hope some of my pics helped and thanks for crediting me on them.

I'm going with a pretty similar path, bit-one + pioneer PRS amps so hopefully you get your bit-one before I do since I'm not sure I want to be the guinea pig for the first genesis coupe install of it.


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## JayinMI

My Parts Express order came yesterday (techflex, heat shrink, compression grommet, ground lug and speaker wire) and my Knu Konceptz order should be here tomorrow (1/0 Kolossus Flecks, 4ga Flecks, dist blocks, fuse holder, etc).

I was planning to make my own RCA's but I haven't found any RCA ends I like. The P3's are the closest (from PE), but I can get JL RCA's super cheap at work, so I may go that way...haven't decided yet.

I'm trying (really hard) not to just say "screw it," and buy an Audio Control DQX....we are an authorized dealer, so I could probably get it WAY cheaper than a BitOne, but it doesn't have the time alignment. 

The 3Sixty.2 is my second choice, honestly, because I could hide it behind a side panel and never have to see it...and just tune it with a Palm or something.

I'm trying to hold out til mid-may...

Still need to buy my amps and subs...

The sooner people buy my stuff, the sooner I can continue the log 

Jay


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## JayinMI

dogstar said:


> Glad to see you are moving ahead with your plans Jay, hope some of my pics helped and thanks for crediting me on them.
> 
> I'm going with a pretty similar path, bit-one + pioneer PRS amps so hopefully you get your bit-one before I do since I'm not sure I want to be the guinea pig for the first genesis coupe install of it.


Yes, your pics have been somewhat helpful during the planning stages...I appreciate the fact you took your car apart for our benefit...so Thanks!

We have a couple of Pioneer amps from a couple years ago that we never sold. They just sat in our display case...I was thinking of looking at them, but I think (in total) they'll be about half the power of the 600/4 and 750/1

Jay


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## 94VG30DE

Nice car. I have been looking forward to these since the car was a concept, and was so happy to see it at the Chicago Auto Show this year. The Rhys Millen edition is sweet looking. I look forward to seeing what you guys do with it audio-wise. 

*subscribed*


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## JayinMI

Interestingly enough, the Rhys Millen one is powered by a Nissan engine. 

Jay


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## AdamTaylor

subscribed


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## Strtsk8r321

Even inside the door looks like a G haha


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## WLDock

OK, I take my coments back about the car looking watered down and not as sporty as the concept. While no it does not look like the concept but I saw one on the road the other day and it is a sweet and sporty looking machine. Your pics don't do the car justice. Waiting to see the build.


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## ChrisB

Good thing you are planning on keeping the factory radio because it looks like it would be a beeitch to replace without losing some sort of vital funcationality! Then again, you could probably squeeze a regular Din unit in that storage space under the factory radio...

Other than that, congrats on the car and consider this my tagscribe to your build log


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## dogstar

JayinMI said:


> Yes, your pics have been somewhat helpful during the planning stages...I appreciate the fact you took your car apart for our benefit...so Thanks!
> 
> We have a couple of Pioneer amps from a couple years ago that we never sold. They just sat in our display case...I was thinking of looking at them, but I think (in total) they'll be about half the power of the 600/4 and 750/1
> 
> Jay


I took the rest of the rear interior out, and measured/checked fit for the amps in the rear side panels. Looks like the HDs will fit in there if you wanted to hide them away.


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## JayinMI

06BLMUSTANGGT said:


> Good thing you are planning on keeping the factory radio because it looks like it would be a beeitch to replace without losing some sort of vital funcationality! Then again, you could probably squeeze a regular Din unit in that storage space under the factory radio...
> 
> Other than that, congrats on the car and consider this my tagscribe to your build log


Actually, I looked at the wiring diagram for the car and from what I can see, the only thing I'd lose is the display at the top of the dash. It has switched power, and everything behind it, so it won't need any weird modules. I was going back and forth between stock radio and AVIC-F90BT. I could certainly fit the radio in there, I just don't feel like going through the hassle. If the factory radio didn't do everything it does, I'd change it.

If I had gone with the AVIC, I was gonna mold a boost gauge and and oil pressure gauge in up there.

Jay


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## AdamTaylor

ill sell my f90-bt


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## JayinMI

Mine is going into my GF's 09 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. 
If I decide I want it back later, I'll buy her a AVIC-F700BT, since she doesn't need DVD playback or 4V preouts.

Jay


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## Jboogie

Sweet ride! My wife wouldnt let me have one  So i got the Pontiac G8 GT instead!  

I have questions about your equipment choices.

Why the pioneers up front? is there something u like about them more so than the other stuff in your shop? I like the smooth sound of the JL C5's a little more.

Why a AudioControl DQX? Does that piece have a LOC?


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## AdamTaylor

Jboogie said:


> Sweet ride! My wife wouldnt let me have one  So i got the Pontiac G8 GT instead!
> 
> I have questions about your equipment choices.
> 
> Why the pioneers up front? is there something u like about them more so than the other stuff in your shop? I like the smooth sound of the JL C5's a little more.
> 
> Why a AudioControl DQX? Does that piece have a LOC?


nope, just a crossover and eq


im running a DQT and DXS with all the features basically and half the price

DQX Digital Car Audio Equalizer and Crossover


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## JayinMI

Jboogie said:


> Sweet ride! My wife wouldnt let me have one  So i got the Pontiac G8 GT instead!
> 
> I have questions about your equipment choices.
> 
> Why the pioneers up front? is there something u like about them more so than the other stuff in your shop? I like the smooth sound of the JL C5's a little more.
> 
> Why a AudioControl DQX? Does that piece have a LOC?


I really like the Pioneers and I already have them.
Honestly, I like the PRS's a little better than the C5's...to each his own.

Jay


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## Boostedrex

I was really unsure about these cars when I heard about them coming. But after seeing them, I do think that they're sexy!! Nice choice Jay! The Genesis sedan and coupe will really put Hyundai on the map as a legit manufacturer IMHO.

I'll also be looking forward to seeing the build as it progresses.

Zach


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## JayinMI

Thanks! So far I like it pretty well 
Right now, I'm collecting parts. Waiting for the Hushmat rep to get back to me for my deadener. SO far I just have a pile of install stuff, not much on the equipment side...but it shouldn't be too long.

Jay


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## brianlin87

subscribed! can't wait to see this build out!


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## JayinMI

Jboogie said:


> Sweet ride! My wife wouldnt let me have one  So i got the Pontiac G8 GT instead!
> 
> I have questions about your equipment choices.
> 
> Why the pioneers up front? is there something u like about them more so than the other stuff in your shop? I like the smooth sound of the JL C5's a little more.
> 
> Why a AudioControl DQX? Does that piece have a LOC?
> 
> 
> 
> JayinMI said:
> 
> 
> 
> I really like the Pioneers and I already have them.
> Honestly, I like the PRS's a little better than the C5's...to each his own.
> 
> Jay
Click to expand...

Let me elaborate a little...

It is actually my plan to run an Audison BitOne, if that falls through, I'd prefer the 3Sixty.2, but we don't deal Rockford. The DQX is technically my 3rd choice (but we deal AC, so I could get it cheap)...I haven't called them on it yet, but with the multitude of grounding options and the input voltage capabilities of the DQX I believe it could take the high level outs of my factory head directly. I would certainly verify this before doing it.

The DQX is an EQ/Crossover. It doesn't have time alignment, which I'd prefer to have (I had a PXA-H701 in my last system, and it made a difference). 

As far as the Pioneer's go, I got a SMOKIN deal on them and I'd like them very much...in a properly deadened door. I'll also be running them active.

The C5's are a nice sounding setup. I like the tweeter more than the XR's they replaced, however, the C5 tweeter doesn't sound nearly as loud as the XR tweet, and the few sets we've installed lately haven't impressed me too much. If we were running *those* active, I might like them better, but most of our customers are buying cheap speakers, not $500 component sets 

Jay


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## Duce2k

Nice car man, I'm not a Hyundai fan but the Genesis, both coupe and sedan are badazz cars


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## socal28

Will be following this thread.


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## Electrodynamic

Nice car.


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## JayinMI

Well, it's kind of off-topic, but this is a car I've been working on for one of my customers. It's an '01 Z06 Vette. 

It got a Pioneer AVIC-F90BT, JL ZR650's, 2 8W7's, 300/4 V2, 500/1 V2, 5.25" JL VR coaxes for the rear, all trimmed out with various logo's through out the install. 

So far the trunk is done. the dash was modded for the F90 (but my camera died and I lost *those* pics---no mem card in it at the time). I was letting the paint dry on the dash outside and we got a sudden thunderstorm, so I'll have to work on that again.

I figured that since I hadn't done anything on my car yet, you all deserved to see some in progress pics of *something* 



















(I had to scale the W7 Logo up 150% from the 8W7 box by hand, then cut them out with a jig saw and wrapped them in Rave vinyl)

The "grilles" are made from 3/8" aluminum rod mimicking the JL W7 grilles.










Jay


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## bmwproboi05

looking good so far. How you like the car?


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## Tonyguy

how does the vette sound with the 2 8w7's? I got 2 and am still deciding if I should run them.


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## nitrous

Congratulations. Didn't know the genesis coupe was launched already.
Trunk setup looks hot!


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## JayinMI

Tonyguy said:


> how does the vette sound with the 2 8w7's? I got 2 and am still deciding if I should run them.


Hard to judge...I haven't finished the rest of the install yet, so the only thing playing *is* the subs...I set the gains per JL, but I usually have to tweak them up some from their guideline. So far, they are pretty loud for a pair of 8's sealed. I like them.

Jay


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## JayinMI

bmwproboi05 said:


> looking good so far. How you like the car?


Very much. 
When we can get the software to reflash the PCM over hear (and translated from Korean) I will like it even more 

Jay


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## bertholomey

I'm interested in a few things here - the car, the amps, and the integration with factory HU. Great looking car!


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## JayinMI

Thanks!

Jay


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## WLDock

I had a chance to finally see one close up at the dealership. I see why the trunk is so wide....the front looks much wider and in person than on the pics. Looking at the car side by side with the sedan, the front of the coupe is SO much more aggressive looking. I have to say; they did a good job with the looks in and out on these cars. However, The sedan looks like a mix of Lexus, Mercedes, Infinity, and BMW. If one were to take the badges off many would not know what the car actually is....they would mistake it for one of the above. Time will tell if the quality is as good as the looks.


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## JayinMI

Well, a little while ago, Hyundai leapfrogged Toyota in quality. I'm actually pretty impressed so far. I expect a few hiccups, since it's first year of the car, but so far all is good.

The trunk isn't particularly wide at the front, or very tall, but it's over 3 feet deep. 

Jay


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## Justin89t

What shop you work at? Just a mom 'n pop shop?


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## SQCherokee

I like the Genesis coupe...but I think it would have looked better taking the sedans body lines and chopping it down to a coupe. That would look sweet. 
It looks like a G35 with a front end similar to the retarded tiburon front end from about 7yrs ago.


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## dummptyhummpty

SQCherokee said:


> I like the Genesis coupe...but I think it would have looked better taking the sedans body lines and chopping it down to a coupe. That would look sweet.
> It looks like a G35 with a front end similar to the retarded tiburon front end from about 7yrs ago.


I agree. My g/f has the G37 and this car looks very, very similar to it. I see the direction Hyundai is going, but I wish they had done more to distinguish it. Instead, every time I see it, I think "G37 clone".


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## bertholomey

Jay - Congrats on the Bit 1 win. 

I was looking back at your thread and you said you were planning on using one. That is really cool that you won something that you were going to have to invest some $$'s towards. 

I'm interested to hear your impressions on this bit of kit. I will be interested in hearing your impressions of it's ease of use, overall effectiveness, and if it introduces any noise. I recently heard a vehicle with a Bit 1 installed that had a large amount of background noise, but there is no way for me to know whether the Bit 1 had anything to do with that. 

Anyway, Congrats on the win!


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## JayinMI

I was very surprised to have won. It works for me, since I was gonna buy one anyway...that saved me a bunch of money. I plan to do a write up once I get everything in. I still need amps and subs...and sound deadener and...

Jay


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## JayinMI

Received the new BitOne.1 today and found out there is a dealer a few miles from me. Yay!

Jay


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## Cerberus2k7

Damn that car is sexy. I saw a black one with black rims, tint, and smoked tails roll through here a few days ago and holy crap! Orgasm...Plan on a bigger turbo?


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## JayinMI

Thanks. Right now, I am doing the audio. Next year I'll see about going faster.
By next year I'm hoping they have the stuff here to do reflashes on the ECM. Over in Korea, there are rumors of 35 rwhp gains just on tune/reflash. And probably an exhaust...
I may do more, but I don't really drive that fast, so I'm not worried about it that much.
Yesterday at our shop we had a Maurauder w/ 819 RWHP (not on spray) + 225 shot of 2 stage Nitrous and a Twin Turbo C6 Z06. 
Apparentlty it was horsepower day.

Jay


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## douggiestyle

i stumbled across this and hope it gives you some inspiration

good luck!

FL Teasing pics of a NEW Hundai Genesis on VF051's!!! - Club Lexus Forums


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## JayinMI

Nice...some of the stuff (interior wise) is over the top for me, but I like the wheels...nice find.

Jay


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## JayinMI

Well, I started trying to find a noise in the back of my car, so I tore the whole back of the interior out. There is a popping when I back out of my driveway and sometimes it sounds like a socket rolling or sliding around back there.
Haven't found it yet, but figured that since it was already apart, I'd start running my wires.

Yesterday, I made a mount for my fuse holder, and techflexed my 1/0 power feed to the fusebox and installed that. Today I did my ground. Later (if things keep up the way they are) I will probably run the rest of my 1/0 to the back.

I did find one little problem, tho. It turns out I got 25 feet of Black 1/0 and 10 ft of Red 1/0. Oops. Not sure if it was me or Knuconceptz, but I'm dealing with it. The red wire got black Techflex and heatshrink and the black wire got red techflex and red heatshrink. It kind of gives a cool effect.

I'll get some pics up once I get the wiring all run.

Jay


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## JayinMI

OK. Here's how I ran my power wire.

There is a grommet next to the battery that opens behind the front splash shield. There is also a grommet in the door jam area, which I believe is what Dogstar went through when he did his car. On my car, the finisher panel for the fender went right through the middle of it, so I couldn't use that.

I pulled the inner splash shield and noticed a drain for the sunroof. I looked inside the kick panel area and saw where said tube went out. I drilled a hole right above the drain, used my Streetwires 1/0 compression grommet and then siliconed it after I ran the wire through it.

So, now the wire is in the car, and will be *VERY EASY* to run to the back.
I also upgraded my body ground to 1/0.

All the wire is techflexed and heat shrunk.

I used the stock battery terminals (they have studs, so I saw no need to upgrade).

Here's some pics:










(Outside of car, behind splash shield)










(Where it comes in at)










(My fuse holder and fuse holder mount--bolts to a factory bolt and then to the battery tray)










(Wire in place)










(Pic of wire run)










A little silicone to be safe.

And finally, on my way home I took this:










That ain't Kilometers, folks. I bought this car on April 4th, 2009 w/ 26 miles on it.

Jay


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## diamondjoequimby

freemind said:


> Hot assed ride man!
> 
> Gotta love that door skin.
> 
> Talk about making it easy.
> 
> *I wonder if that was done with DIYMA in mind?*


No. Never even on the radar.


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## Pseudonym

what am i missing on the last picture? are u snapping a shot of u doing 80?


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## n_olympios

Nice job on the wiring. 

10.000miles in 4 months, eh? We do approx. the same mileage, I did about 46.000klm in the last year, which is a little less than 30.000miles in a yearly basis. 

How much does petrol cost around there these days?


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## JayinMI

It's about $2.69/gal here, but it got to almost $4 last summer.
When I was used to it being in the low 2's, it was pretty outrageous.

My GF is in Florida for a while, so while she's gone I *really* ought to be driving her '97 Tracer. Gets WAY better mileage, and doesn't put miles on the Genesis, but it doesn't drive as nice, doesn't have bluetooth or an audio system, and it's got a brown interior. Everytime I drive it, I'm like "Yeah, I'm driving the Genesis tomorrow..."

I'll have to do a couple things to it so I can stand to drive it, and maybe I'll put the Genesis up for the winter.

Jay


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## JayinMI

Pseudonym said:


> what am i missing on the last picture? are u snapping a shot of u doing 80?


No, I'm snapping a picture of me turning over 10000 miles in 4 mos.

Jay


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## n_olympios

JayinMI said:


> It's about $2.69/gal here


Conversion to metric: about $0,70/litre, which is about 0,50 euros. We pay double/triple that for 95RON.

Roadtrip to Europe anyone? 

OT ends here, on with the show.


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## Chaos

Looks good thus far. You're even close enough I could actually see it in person one of these days. 

You from Cartunes? I've seen some of their custom work in person, and it is very impressive.


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## JayinMI

Yep. That's where I work.
Sometimes we get to do some cool stuff for customers, but usually it's just for me 

Jay


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## JayinMI

Got a little more done today, but not much. It's 90+ and humid outside.
I went to Officemax to buy a P-Touch labeler and they had a $29.99 one on sale for $9.99.

I labeled and techflexed and zip tied...and got this:



















Zip tied to factory harness every 4 inches.

I ran 2 sets of 12 ga speaker wire (one for mid, one for tweet -- both labeled) to the front, and an Acc and ground (in red techflex, labeled).


























They will be terminated with Deans connectors, and then I will do the same in the rear so that I can change out equipment w/o having to redo all my wiring.

Jay


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## JayinMI

I also bought some GM harnesses (Metra 70-2002 and 71-2002) removed the extra pins leaving only signal and turn on. I'm going to cut the input wires to the factory amp and splice in my Metra harnesses. Then I prewired a new harness to run to my BitOne.1, so when I get my amps, I can just unplug one side and plug in my BitOne harness. 










Here's a pic of the harness:


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## capnxtreme

Sweet. Nice job on the wiring.


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## JayinMI

Thanks, Capn.

OK. Updates...

Finished getting my wires to the trunk. I used sticky zip tie mounts once I got past the factory harness. Wires are routed out of the way...and again, ziptied every 4 inches.










I also wired in my male/female GM harnesses. Harness was taped to look factory, instead of using Techflex which wouldn't have fit in in that area. I added a modded door panel clip to the back and drilled a hole near the factory amp mount to clip it into.




























Figured out where I'm going to ground it at. I had some unused threaded holes in the floor, so I borrowed a factory bolt and hooked my ground up. Then used sticky zip tie mounts (every 4 inches). I still need to clean the paint off the area first, but I wanted to lay out the wires.










And since I got a smokin deal on some Hushmat, I put some of that in too. You can't see it, but I pulled the factory sub out, and covered the rear deck. It was hot and I forgot to take pics. I did both sides: inside of rear quarters, back side of the silverish piece that bolts in next to the seats, and the area under the seats.



















You get the idea.

Jay


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## syd-monster

...we certainly get the idea. V/nice work, i like the extra details of the techflex.


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## JayinMI

I never used it before, and frankly, for a normal everyday install, I think it's a complete waste. But I had the time and money to "do it right" this time, and I figured I go ahead. I like the way it looks, and I guess it offers some protection (tho, if you run your wires right, you shouldn't need any  ).

I'm kind of doing this with an eye toward competing (should I decide to do so).
My only problem is that I've never competed before, and as I understand it I have to compete pro since I work in the industry. 

I don't really have alot of time to go to shows, already put ALOT of miles on the car, so we'll see.

Hopefully by the end of this weekend, I will have the back end back together and get some hushmat down in the trunk.

Jay


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## JayinMI

Well, *that* timeframe was shot to hell. 

I finally got the back of my car back of my car back together this past Saturday. 

I spent about 3 hours, Hushmatting the back side of the quarter panels, and the plastic panels around the opening behind the back seat, ran my driver's side speaker wires and my ground.

I had to reroute a few wires, because I found the were right in the way of where parts of the quarter panel comes down.
































































Well, that's it for now. Not much of an update, but getting there...
My GF was back in town last weekend so didn't get much time on the car.
Next part will be the mounting piece for the BitOne.1 and running the cables for it (for the display and the USB -- in Techflex)

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK. I lied. The next update is this one. Dynamatting the doors, and running 12ga speaker wire through the molex plug.

OK. Here's my door.










In order to take off the "door module" (the silver part) you have to remove the window. So, I marked the bolts with a sharpie and used a piece of plue painters tape so that it will be easy to line up later.



















Then I removed the 2 10mm bolts that hold it in. I did this by hand.
Then I pulled the inner window scraper (rubber/felt thing) and pulled the window out the top. Watch the outside window seal. 

I didn't get any pics of that because I needed both hands to take the window out with.  It's easy enough to figure out.

Then I unclipped the harness to the power window motor.










Removed all the remaining 10mm bolts that hold the door module on and removed it. I had to kind of tilt it toward me, then up and then tilt the back end of it up to get it out, but it wasn't hard.










more...


----------



## JayinMI

I drilled out the rivets that hold on the factory speaker.










Notice that the shape of the door is stamped so the speaker angles up...that means I don't have to make an angled baffles for my 720PRS mids. Yay!

Then I popped out the plastic access panel for better access to the inside of the door, and took pics.










Dynamat Extreme'd










Door back together, window in.










Reassembled the window track piece by hand so I didn't break the window 

OK...the next part...12ga speaker wire through Molex.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK...I am running Dayton 12ga Speaker wire to all the speakers in the car, and I have molex plugs going into the door...What to do?

This:

Here's the inside side of the door plug. 










Moved the plastic junction from the kick for better access.










Reached up to the plug and pushed the tab on the top to release the inner side from the outer side. It looks like this:



















Pull it into the kickpanel.

The door side was relatively easy to wiggle out after this.










The door boot is kind of a 2 piece deal so it was very easy to get on and off of the molex plug.

Here's the factory wire, vs. what I want to run.










Here's the layout of the plug:








(door side)



more...


----------



## JayinMI

Notice there's not a really open area to drill or cut a hole into because of the wiring layout. I solved this by moving a blue wire from next to the red wire to above (or below) it, depending on how you are holding it at the time 




























This gives me 6 positions to make my hole through (2x3).
First I cut it with a razor knife to get as much of the plastic out of my way as I could, then drilled through the rest. I recommend a dremel instead, but I didn't have one handy. I filed the opening to clean it up a little.



















Did the same on the other side. 










There are inserts on the plug (red on one plug, gray on the other). I used a pic to pop them op by inserting it into an open hole and pushing it open. It doesn't move much (1/16" or so...or .75mm ish for our Canadian friends  )
Then I used a pic to bend the tab so I could slid the pins out. It's a 3 handed job, so I didn't get any pics, but it wasn't too hard.










more...


----------



## JayinMI

I routed my wire thought the boot, through the door side of the plug and into the kick panel.










Then through the other plug.










And pushed them together in the kick while carefully pulling the spear wire to make sure it didn't bunch up and keep the plugs from fitting back together.

Now, The was an orange wire (very small, door side of the harness) that I pinched while putting the plug/boot back into the door jamb, then whenever I plugged the car side plug in or wiggled it the window would move up and down a little. Took me a few times to catch it, so watch out fo that kind of stuff.

I also had to push the plugs together pretty firmly. But it went together fine after I fixed the above problem. 

I added some heat shrink and techflex and voila!










And now I am off to get some hardware to bolt the speaker mounts into the doors and stuff...

Almost forgot:

The window wouldn't automatically roll down the 3/8" (10mm) or so it normally does after reassembly. I turned the car on, and rolled the window all the way up and down and then it was fine. Honestly, I think just turning the car on did it, but I rolled it up and down to be safe.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK. Added hushmat to the door and the door card. After reading a bunch over at sounddeadenershowdown.com I went little by little and if a panel still rattled, I added more. It really didn't take much to get satisfactory results. I also didn't want to go with 100% coverage just because the doors are already heavy.




















And, the piece that holds the cables for the locks and door latches, cracked while I was attempting to put it back on the door. I wasn't twisting it or putting any real force on it, and it just cracked. So be careful if you ever work on one of these.










I also stuck the factory speaker back in with some plastic headlight clips for now, until I get my new baffles built.

Also, the Dorman Nissan/Infinity door panel clips worked perfectly to replace a broken one.

Jay


----------



## honza440

subscribed


----------



## 94VG30DE

Did you write down what pins you moved where on that door molex? Because if you ever have any problems with that door, it is kinda helpful to have the pinout for the harness correct, or at least notes of what you did change. If I was a tech working on your car and saw that I would be super annoyed. Just details.


----------



## JayinMI

I install for a living. I'd go over all that stuff before I EVER took my car in for a dealer tech to do something to it. In my experience, most of them couldn't troubleshoot electrical problems to save they're lives.

Besides, I have pictures 

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Got some time today at work, so I made one of my mounting rings.
Started with a sheet of 1.5" thick black King Starboard. Kinda like really thick ABS.










Made some circles with my trusty Bosch router




























Cut out the center and test fitted the speaker.










Inserted a wood piece to function as a center to cut off the excess outside material.










Finished ring:



















Tomorrow, I'm going to try and finish the other ring and sound deaden the Driver's door.

Jay


----------



## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

Jay,

Good work man... I had no idea that you guys where so close (2hrs away..lol) the shop I mean... I don't know of ANY "good" shops anywhere near me... 

I'd drive 2hrs just to be able to talk shop... lol... 

I'd really like the check out the G-coupe too, my GF's brother has a Tibby and I knoe the G is soooo much more... 

Cheers,
Aaron... 

(PS i'm on dial-up 99% of the time, so it's only when I can suck Wi-Fi, I can really check out build logs.. lol.. I basically act like i'm alone in Mi..lol..)


----------



## JayinMI

Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX said:


> Jay,
> 
> Good work man... I had no idea that you guys where so close (2hrs away..lol) the shop I mean... I don't know of ANY "good" shops anywhere near me...


Thanks. Where are you at? We're in Pontiac, MI. The other guy I work with is a Subie guy too...he has an '04 WRX wagon w/ gold Rota's, DBA brakes, STi hood scoop and bumper trim (I don't know the actual term). He's got around 400-425 crank hp (estimated). 



Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX said:


> I'd drive 2hrs just to be able to talk shop... lol...
> 
> I'd really like the check out the G-coupe too, my GF's brother has a Tibby and I knoe the G is soooo much more...
> 
> Cheers,
> Aaron...
> 
> (PS i'm on dial-up 99% of the time, so it's only when I can suck Wi-Fi, I can really check out build logs.. lol.. I basically act like i'm alone in Mi..lol..)


I feel like that too sometimes. Matt (the store manager) came from Circuit City and forgot what good equipment sounded like. He couldn't believe I spent $60 for that sheet of King Starboard just to make speaker adapters.
He also doesn't get the concept of midbass up front, but I'm trying to teach him 

Jay


----------



## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

JayinMI said:


> Thanks. Where are you at? We're in Pontiac, MI. The other guy I work with is a Subie guy too...he has an '04 WRX wagon w/ gold Rota's, DBA brakes, STi hood scoop and bumper trim (I don't know the actual term). He's got around 400-425 crank hp (estimated).
> 
> 
> 
> I feel like that too sometimes. Matt (the store manager) came from Circuit City and forgot what good equipment sounded like. He couldn't believe I spent $60 for that sheet of King Starboard just to make speaker adapters.
> He also doesn't get the concept of midbass up front, but I'm trying to teach him
> 
> Jay


I'm out northwest of CMU... 

Another Subie guy, nice... show him this... he may know the car? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/sublimewind/Subaru pics/CIMG1554.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/sublimewind/Subaru pics/DSC04020_1.jpg

Yeah, it's been a long time (since I moved to Mi) that I've seen anything decent in the local places, they just can't cater to the economy.. 

There are a few shows and meets happening here this and next weekend, you guys should come out.. I'm going to try and get my car to the Northwoods Auto show, on sunday for the classic car show, i'll enter, just to get a parking spot.. lol.. 

Next weekend there is a cruse planned in Ann Arbor, it's up on Xceed and MiSubie, others as well i'm sure... 

Then a Subie cruse/meet in Midland on that Sunday.. Also on MISubie.. Maybe I'll try and stop by the shop on my way to Ann Arbor or something.. y'all open on Saturday?


----------



## JayinMI

Yep, we're open 9-5 on Saturdays. We're kind of a "satellite" shop (it's just 2 guys and 2 small bays).

I don't think we'd be "on the way," to or from AA, tho 

Jay


----------



## pnn23

Nice car. Did you test drive anything else before you got the Genesis?


----------



## JayinMI

Not exactly. I drive (tho not very far) and work on alot of different cars at work, and I had it narrowed down to a few, but once I found the Genesis I ended up getting I was hooked. 
Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Alrighty. Making some headway. I got some threaded inserts for my speaker rings so I can use 10-24 screws to hold the mids in. I ordered 100 ft. of Gepco 61801EZ, techflex, pants, heat shrink, etc. to make my RCA's. For ends I'm using the ends from JL Audio "Blue" series RCA's. I had a 4 channel set that one of the wires ripped out of, and a bunch of short ones left over from my truck, so they were sacrificed in order to make new ones.

The RCA ends are nice, but I was rather surprised to find that the blue RCA's are not shielded and only consist of 2 wires twisted together inside a casing. It doesn't seem to me that there would be any benefit at all with using these over the cheaper "clear" ones. As a matter of fact, I've had quite a few of the blue ones give me issues where the casing of the rca pulls out of the end. The clears are molded on RCA ends, so they might actually be better 

Anyways, I managed to save 19 of them. Hopefully I only need 12. 

Here's some pics.

(in no particular order)





































And I should have my HD 900/5 in the next few days.

Hopefully tomorrow, I'd like to start getting my equipment in the car so I can get any fab work done before it snows.

Jay


----------



## chad

that's not gepco.......


----------



## JayinMI

No, it's not. That's the wire as it came from JL. I need to find my good soldering iron so I can detach all that and add the Gepco. There's about 99 ft. of it in the car  My Techflex and heatshrink and stuff should arrive tomorrow.

Jay


----------



## chad

Find a good used weller WTCPT, you will be a happy man.


----------



## JayinMI

Wow. I didn't realize I'd neglected my build log so long. Sorry to anyone who is following it. We're going in to remote start season and I'm getting busier at work. GF will be back in town around Xmas, so I doubt I'll get much done, but still...

I think for Xmas I'm going to ask for a calibrated Behringer ECM8000 Mic and a Mic Mate or MobilePre so I can RTA stuff and set up my BitOne.1

But here's part of what is slowing me down:

The other day I was over on HMAService.com (Hyundai of America's online service website) and found out there were some TSB's that apply to my car.
The one I'm most interested in sounds like it will solve my popping noise when I back down my driveway. The others were minor things that you get to deal with when you buy an early production car.

I took it to the dealer and made an appointment. Then 3 days later my car started running funny on my way to work. I managed to limp it to the dealer (on a Saturday) and they "fixed" it. They updated the ECM programming and reflashed it. Sounds kinda fishy to me, but it works. The new update fixes the "Rev Hang" issue under acceleration, so I'm happy about that.

When I finally make it in to have the other TSB's taken care of, they need to take the back of the car apart (interior wise) so I figured it would be better not to have my bit one and wiring in there so they don't screw it up....

So that won't be going in until after I get the TSB done...although I could just do it myself. (HMAservice.com outlines the whole procedure) but why pay for products to fix something the dealer will do for free?

I drilled some holes in my plastic spacers and used brass threaded inserts to hold the speakers in. They went in great.

I'm happy to know I won't have to worry about water damage ever again on these.

My coworker thinks I was crazy to spend that much money on plastic for spacers, but I really don't want to have to redo them ever.

Jay


----------



## MaxPowers

Free reminder/bump to get you thinking about this thread again. Im considering picking one of these up sometime in April. Preferably with the 3.8 as Im not sure how I would like the sound of the 4 cyl.


----------



## JayinMI

Oh, don't worry. I didn't forget. But the weather has been sub 30 degrees here for a while and we're in the middle of remote start season, so I haven't had much time to do any work on it. 

Lately, I've been looking to pick up an M-audio Mobile Pre USB, a Behringer ECM8000 and either TrueRTA or Fuzzmeasure 3. 

I've also been looking into subs, mainly the Dayton RS210HF, and the RS265HO's. The 265's model reasonably well in .3ft3 sealed and .6ft3 vented...but the 210 models flatter than both with similar output levels while mounted in free air (under rear deck was the plan, but .3ft3 sealed is pretty small).

I've also been looking at alternative tweeters to match up with the 720PRS mid, in case I don't care for the PRS Tweets...then Pioneer popped up with their "Stage 4" stuff, so now I'm wondering if I should off the BitOne.1 and pick up a DEX-P99RS....

Lots of stuff rambling around in my head.

I did just order a Clarion CCAUSB (google it, I don't know where I put the link) panel mountable USB extension to mount up front for the BitOne. That way I can just plug that in to the laptop for tuning.

I have a $10 off promo code from PE, but it expires on 1/19/10, so I'd have to use it like now. I need to make a choice on the subs, since orders over $100 ship free 

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK, I went and ran some models, and here's the graph for comparison:










The Yellow line is the Dayton RSS210HF-4 modeled free air (in 10 cu ft. which is pretty close to my trunk space)

The Pink/Purple/Gray/Whatever colored line is the 210 modelled in it's recommended 1.1 cu ft sealed enclosure.

The Red Line is the RSS265HO-4 10" woofer modeled in .60 cu ft ported (tuned to 33hz, IIRC)

The Blue Line is the 265 modeled in .304 cu ft sealed.

From what I can see here, the 8" free air has the flattest overall response, and similar output to the 10. The 10 has higher power handling (600 RMS, vs 250RMS for the 8). I'll be running whatever I decide on with the sub channel of a JL HD 900/5. 

The 8 in free air looks good, but also looks to be a very deep woofer, and would take up some trunk space in my shallow trunk. 

I'd like to hear some input on which you would choose and why...

Thanks,

Jay


----------



## chad

I have the dayton tuned to 30 cycles, actually a hypothetical 29 cycles in a .7CuFt enclosure it's nice, does not let you down.


----------



## 94VG30DE

chad said:


> I have the dayton tuned to 30 cycles, actually a hypothetical 29 cycles in a .7CuFt enclosure it's nice, does not let you down.


Ditto this. Roughly same volume, tune, and sentiments.


----------



## JayinMI

I've been leaning toward the 265HO for the last couple of days due to better power handling and ridiculously small box size (for what it is.) The 8 takes a huge box (for what it is.)

I've also read a bunch of people using them.

Out of curiosity, when i was looking at the group delay plots of the 265 in .6 ported, they peaked at something like 17.5ms around 33 Hz...
But when I searched there wasn't much info on acceptable group delay numbers. I just saw TheHatedGuy (IIRC) said as long as you were below 20ms at 20Hz you were probably OK. Nobody really challenged this, but a couple of other people thought it should be less.

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

25ms at 20Hz is the same thing I heard when I asked: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...738-ported-box-too-big-9cu-ft.html#post923938

I know by experimenting with that enclosure in WinISD that as you increase that box size and decrease tuning frequency, the group delay goes down in frequency and up in range. I haven't "heard" anything abnormal though, and I think I'm at about 20ms at 27Hz


----------



## pankrok

love the cable job!
also the trunk of this car.
lot of potential especially if you dont want to put luggages in there!!!


----------



## Sangheili

Strtsk8r321 said:


> Even inside the door looks like a G haha


I was thinking the exact same thing... http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/3109981868_21c39bc97f_b.jpg


----------



## JayinMI

pankrok said:


> love the cable job!
> also the trunk of this car.
> lot of potential especially if you dont want to put luggages in there!!!


Actually, I plan to have enough room for that too. 
I had thought about doing a JL 13TW5 in the spare tire well, but I'd rather keep my spare, so I started looking for free air/small box options.

Initially, I was thinking 8" free air in the stock spot, but most of the good options were pretty deep, so I was kind of hesitant, plus I want to be able to fold the seat down if I need to, and that means I won't get as good a seal on the baffle area as I should to have it perform right. So I started thinking small box...

The Dayton 265HO, takes a small sealed box (.304 cu ft via WinISD) or .605 ported...so I was like "Sweet! I can swing that." 
Then I started modeling ports... I've seen single ports in the range of 30-75" long! This kind of negates any space saving I might have been able to achieve...

However, the 265HO has gotten good reviews and recommendations, so I need to do some more modeling...

One thing about the trunk is the rear corners are about useless, because if there is anything there, it hits on the trunk hinges. Maybe I could pack a couple of small box 8's in the corners and not lose much area...

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

If you post some pictures of the trunk area, you might be able to get some suggestions/ideas from the peanut gallery over here.


----------



## JayinMI

That means I need to find my camera, then...
And clean out my trunk. 

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> That means I need to find my camera, then...
> And clean out my trunk.
> 
> Jay


hahaha I'm just sayin' is all


----------



## JayinMI

BTW, where at in Michigan are you?

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> BTW, where at in Michigan are you?
> 
> Jay


Grand Rapids right now. Probably changing that in the fall, but not sure where yet.


----------



## JayinMI

OK, after reading some more reviews and modeling it some more on WinISD, I've decided to try going with the recommended .605ft3 ported enclosure, with a slot port.

Here's what I got.

External dimensions: 11.5H, 18W, 13D
Slot port is 10x1.25x46" long
Vent Mach of .08
and group delay peak of 17.5ms @30.5 Hz.
-3db down point of 33.6

The box comes out tuned to 33Hz (theoretically)

The actual area the woofer will sit in is .620, but that will be made smaller by the .08 (stated by PE) displacement and the 45 degree angles for the corners, which will make it damn near .605 not including port...and the dimensions are almost dead on "golden ratio."

All port edges will be rounded, and there will be 45's in the corners...is the plan.

I won't have quite the baffle size that Chad has, but I am still hoping for good things.

I must say in my search regarding this woofer, I noticed Chad and MiniVanMan both mentioned issues with the woofer playing (or even working at all) when very cold. Living in Michigan (not too far from IL in the whole scheme of things), I'm a little worried about this....

Out of curiosity, what do you suppose would happen if I were to glue 1/8 Ensolite to the inside of the ports?

Jay


----------



## chad

it plays fine cold. Nothing likes the cold, it's a bit anaemic till the car warms up.

Why would you glue ensolite in the vents? it will reduce vent volume.


----------



## JayinMI

So it's not really any worse than with any other rubber surround sub I've probably ever owned? I just noticed MVM mentioned problems with his "being a victim of the cold weather," and you chimed in, so I thought it was something exceedingly bad in comparison.

My 2 10" S10d4's sold, so now I can buy _one_ of these 

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

Yeah I would agree. Seems to have low output when I first start the car, but within about 2-3 minutes it seems to be doing fine. It is at least as quick as my engine at warming up enough to not be cranky...


----------



## chad

Curious as to where you got your measurements, you are leaning more around .6 and I'm leaning more around .7.....


----------



## JayinMI

I pulled them from the PDF on PE's website. Makes me wonder if I entered something wrong...

I'll go check, which involves switching to windows and back again...

Jay


----------



## chad

LOL, welcome to my computer world


----------



## JayinMI

OK. Here's a pic of my stats from WinISD and from the PDF next to each other.










I had forgotten to add the "Z" measurement, so I fixed that and went back in to check what it recommended and it was the same.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

chad said:


> LOL, welcome to my computer world


I only put Windoze on here so I could use WinISD, TrueRTA and HMAservice.com...I usually remove any Microsoft software from my Mac's right after I buy them 

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

chad said:


> Why would you glue ensolite in the vents? it will reduce vent volume.


I was thinking it might absorb some of the errant sound waves, I could always account for the thickness if I thought it would make a difference.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

I ordered my sub last night from PE. Chose free economy shipping. It will be here tomorrow 

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Sub arrived the same night as my Clarion USB piece (Clarion CCAUSB).
I played some with port ideas, and decided to put the port firing on the same plane as the speaker, with the speaker close to the port.

The outside dimensions are 18.75" W, 11.5" H, 13" Deep. 
The internal airspace (gross) is .685ft3, (after I adjust some of my 45 degree pieces in size, since I miss figured a little. (very little), which gives me .605 recommended by WinISD. Port length is 46". Since the slot port runs along the edge of a wall, I was told to take 1/2 port width off the end of the port to compensate, and it comes out perfect.

Here's a pic I did in Google SketchUp.










Tuned to 33Hz.

I'll round the port edges over during assembly, but it was a pain to draw and didn't make a difference when figuring out panel size.

Anyone see any issues with the design?

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

I realized a math error, so I resized some of my 45 degree pieces in the actual chamber where the speaker resides, shorted the port a little on the left side of the speaker opening and went to a 1.5" face. I'm within 7 cu in of perfect now.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK. Box is designed. Ordered a calibrated Behringer mic from Cross-spectrum and a MobilePre Usb and XLR cable from Musician's friend. 

In case anyone is looking, they have the MobilePre for $99 w/ free shipping.
Most of the new ones are going for like $130-150 on eBay...with used ones in the $70 range.

Weather warmed up some, so I'm hoping I get more time to work on the car soon and can make some progress...

Jay


----------



## chad

Do you plan to snap pics of the enclosure during the build? I'd really dig seeing them.


----------



## MaxPowers

Maybe I missed it, but what sub is going in there? Also, how is space down in the kickpanels with it being manual? Im also looking forward to see how the Bit.1 does on the base stereo.

BTW, Im reading up on the Coupe over on GenCoupe.com as well. Kinda irks me that the packages are set up the way they are since I want a lime rock green 3.8 GT with brown leather seats, and no two of these options are available together. Anyway, I may have to make some sacrifices to get it as close as I can to what I want.


----------



## JayinMI

MaxPowers said:


> Maybe I missed it, but what sub is going in there? Also, how is space down in the kickpanels with it being manual? Im also looking forward to see how the Bit.1 does on the base stereo.
> 
> BTW, Im reading up on the Coupe over on GenCoupe.com as well. Kinda irks me that the packages are set up the way they are since I want a lime rock green 3.8 GT with brown leather seats, and no two of these options are available together. Anyway, I may have to make some sacrifices to get it as close as I can to what I want.


Mine isn't a manual. It's an autostick. I also have the Infinity stereo, not base. I was doing a build log over there too, but there isn't much interest in audio over there, except for Dogstar, and he's over here too.

The kicks aren't huge, but they are nice and flat, and would probably be easy to do something small (4" components)...the room behind them has a lot of wiring junctions on both sides.

The sub is a Dayton RSS265HO-4. 

And Chad, I plan to take some build pics...I probably won't get it built for another week or so at least, but I have a plan. 

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

chad said:


> Do you plan to snap pics of the enclosure during the build? I'd really dig seeing them.


Is your box .7ft gross or net? And did your specs align with the ones I have? Just curious.

Jay


----------



## chad

mine is .7 internal tuned to 30 cycles. Plots look similar.


----------



## MaxPowers

JayinMI said:


> The kicks aren't huge, but they are nice and flat, and would probably be easy to do something small (4" components)...the room behind them has a lot of wiring junctions on both sides.
> 
> Jay


4" is plenty for me--already got HAT L4s & L1 Pros.


----------



## JayinMI

Updated box design pic:










Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Well, last week my MobilePre USB and Monster XLR cable showed up (yay!) and today my calibrated ECM8000 showed up. (More Yay!) I still need to decide which software to use with it, I'm leaning more toward Fuzzmeasure 3, since I don't have to switch over to Windoze to use it and the interface is 10x better than TrueRTA, but I must admit there are alot more people on here using TrueRTA, thus more people to answer my questions 

I was planning to work on my box this weekend, but the temps dropped back down into single digits for the last few days (and the forseeable future), so I think I'm going to make some adjustments to my box design so I can recess the speaker some and possibly make a grill to protect it...we'll see.

I thought about continuing my trend and making a grille that looks like my wheels, but these wheels are FAR MORE complex than the ones on the Neon. 

And I need to find Black trunkliner.

Jay


----------



## stockman2010

JayinMI said:


> Updated box design pic:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jay


what is the frequency that the sub is tuned to? 

why is the port so long?


----------



## CranberryYumYum

stockman2010 said:


> what is the frequency that the sub is tuned to?
> 
> why is the port so long?


probably somewhere around 30hz..

probably because it's tuned to around 30hz


----------



## JayinMI

Theoretically, the enclosure is tuned to 33Hz. The reason the port is so long is because the actual airspace of the enclosure is so small. 
WinISD recommended .605 (+driver displacement, and port) with a port of 10x1.25x46....

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Too cold yesterday to do much, so I redesigned the box (again) to get it the way I wanted. No double face, recessed sides to make it easier to carpet.

Iteration 3:










Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Well, it was about 30 today, and I had the day off, so I got some stuff done.
I started w/ a trip to Lowes and picked up this:

Bosch 18-Volt 2-Tool Litheon™ Combo Kit 

I needed a new drill and impact for work anyway, since my 6 year old Makita's batteries are dying, the right angle drill has stripped gears, etc. I was looking at the new "white" Makita 18v Li Ion Drills, and I read alot of people who had battery problems (batteries need replaced after 6-9 mos), shank problems (excessive runout), etc. Even the people I know who have them are like "Great Drills, bad batteries."

The Bosch drill spins faster, has more torque, better warranty and matches some of my other tools  Haven't really tried the impact yet.

Anyway, I picked up the drill kit, some insert nuts, Allen bolts for mounting the speaker, etc. Then I went over to Home Depot and picked up some glue, countersinking bits, a metal yardstick, and some MDF.

I picked up a 2'x4' piece to go with the one I already had.

I used the yardstick vs. my dollar store tape measure since I didn't have to worry about the play on the end.

Got everything cut out today, still need to cut out the port hole, the woofer hole and anything that needs to get rounded over...but the pieces are cut.

Everything came out exact on my Ryobi portable table saw. I measured front and back of the blade with the yard stick, and here's what we got:










Dead on.










Stacked the 4 main pieces...and they line up perfectly.

I cut everything a little over and then back down to size to eliminate the factory edge, when necessary. 

Here's the pile of parts:










There are 23 pieces, 18 of which actually go ot the box. The other 5 are spacers for the ports to make sure everything is straight.

I also went to Harbor Freight and picked up a bunch of corner clamps ($1.99ea, sale ends today), and 24 and 36" quick clamps (5.99 and 7.99 each). 

My plan is to put the port pieces together, clamp them tight, predrill the holes (and countersink them) before I round them over.

Hopefully, I can get things ready to go so I can put it together this coming weekend.

Now I just need to order my carpet and stuff from PE. 
I'm trying to decide if I am going to mount terminals on the front of the box (since the other walls all have port on them) or if I'm going to add a groove on the bottom and come in that way...

And Chad, there will be assembly pics, but somehow repetive pics of cut wood didn't seem like it warranted a bunch of pics 

Oh, and I saw your post regarding projectile subwoofers in a car. This is (more or less) a test box. It needs to be movable because of where I plan to put my equipment rack...So, for the time being, it will not be mounted. On the upside, it will not physically fit through the rear seat opening in any dimension...Once I finalize (heh) the install, I'll probably come up with a more permanent mount. I'd hate to build a complicated fiberglass box or something until after I've heard it 

Jay


----------



## MaxPowers

+2 for Bosch. If your gonna spend money on cordless stuff (or corded), might as well get the best.


----------



## JayinMI

One of my Routers, Jigsaw and Circular Saw are all Bosch. Now my drill and impact. 
I've been very happy so far.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

I saw some of Chad's post about using an oscilloscope, and saw that PE has dummy load resistors...I see 100 and 200W versions, but what would be needed on a 500W sub channel?

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> I saw some of Chad's post about using an oscilloscope, and saw that PE has dummy load resistors...I see 100 and 200W versions, but what would be needed on a 500W sub channel?
> 
> Jay


You can probably run those resistors in series for a higher net load. You are referring to this correct? 
Parts-Express.com:4 Ohm 200W Non-Inductive Dummy Load Resistor | resistor non inductive dummy load bench test 
Just strap them in line, it's just a resistor with a fancy heat sink.


----------



## 94VG30DE

In reply to your post on my thread about how to get the wire OUT of the box, I wouldn't even bother with speaker terminals or anything. I'd say just run the wire through a drilled hole in the box, make sure you silicone the hole, and then if it's on the bottom, I would say you are right to just route a little (thinking < 1/8" deep) channel to run the bare wire along the bottom. Then just toss some PowerPoles or Speakon or something on the end to make it removable if you want. It might not look as cool as binding posts or something, but it would take up less space. 

Also, I would drill your hole for the wiring at about 45 deg angle in the direction the wire will be going, so it doesn't have to make a 90 deg turn as soon as it gets out of the box. That's something I learned with my amp rack yesterday.


----------



## JayinMI

That's what I thought about the resistors...but figured I'd ask to be sure.

I was planning to use a panel bit where I plan to bring the wire through at, drill my actual hole at a 45 and run a channel on the bottom for the wire to run through....I also thought about recessing the terminals into the bottom of the box and running a channel on the underside...decisions, decisions...

I've been working on getting some of the assembly done on my box, and somewhere I think I figured wrong, because I'm like 1/2" wider than I should be. (That's what she said...)

So I need to checkout my SketchUp plans and double check everything so I can see where I screwed up. :mean:

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> So I need to checkout my SketchUp plans and double check everything so I can see where I screwed up. :mean:


hahaha Man does _that _phrase sound familiar. I think I said that during my build a time or two... :blush:


----------



## JayinMI

Luckily it was an easy fix. Apparently, I cut the back piece of my port about 1/4" over. I just *very carefully* cut all the pieces apart and took a hair more off and it's dead on....measure twice cut once, or measure once and cut 3 times...

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK. I went out yesterday night and rounded over the stuff that needed it and rough cut the port hole.










And today I spent some time putting things together. A few glitches along the way, but I made some progress. The 45 degree corner pieces were just glued in, because in some areas the screw heads would be obvious, but this meant I had to clamp them and leave them alone...so progress isn't where I wanted it...

I should have a day off coming in the next few days, so I should be able to get it finished up...

Here's my pics from today:





































Some of these pics were just set in there to make sure everything fits:




























more...


----------



## JayinMI

continued...





































And that's where I'm at now. The 3 walls of the port are just sitting there, but they are in position.

More to come on my day off.

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

Liking the roundovers. It's making me want a router


----------



## JayinMI

I bought a cheap Craftsman w/ 1/4" collet for my first one, but quickly upgraded to a Bosch with fixed and plunge bases...if you pick one up get the Jasper Jig set from PE. Soooo worth it, I use mine ALOT.

Jay


----------



## don_chuwish

Loving what I see so far. BTW, are you using screws meant for MDF? I've used the drill bit and screws in this kit and it worked VERY well: McFeely's
Incredibly strong without worrying about separating or stripping through the MDF.

- D


----------



## chad

I'm a big fan of gorilla grip and brad nails, but it's not as fast due to dry-time.


----------



## JayinMI

Don, I'm just using 1.25" coarse thread drywall screws. I've used these many time over the years and they're fine with predrilled and countersunk holes. I had on piece split a little bit, but that was because I didn't have the drill bit on my countersinking bit out far enough, and because I was too close to the top edge. The rest have been fine. I just use the clutch on my drill so I don't over torque them.

Chad, I've used screws and brads, with no noticeable difference in strength once the glue is dry. But since I'm putting this together at home and I don't have an air compressor anymore, screws seemed a simpler option. I was thinking of using Gorilla Grip. I couldn't find it for the life of me at HD or Lowes so I just picked up some Titebond 2...I've used it before and it's served me well.

Apparently the custom shop at work has been busy, so the owners wife has been having a hard time getting coverage at all the stores. It looks like I might not get a day off this schedule after all...

May have to finish the box after work a little at a time.

After looking at it, I don't know if it will fit into the trunk of my car.

Fingers crossed.

Jay


----------



## 2167

JayinMI said:


> Don, I'm just using 1.25" coarse thread drywall screws. I've used these many time over the years and they're fine with predrilled and countersunk holes. I had on piece split a little bit, but that was because I didn't have the drill bit on my countersinking bit out far enough, and because I was too close to the top edge. The rest have been fine. I just use the clutch on my drill so I don't over torque them.
> 
> Chad, I've used screws and brads, with no noticeable difference in strength once the glue is dry. But since I'm putting this together at home and I don't have an air compressor anymore, screws seemed a simpler option. I was thinking of using Gorilla Grip. I couldn't find it for the life of me at HD or Lowes so I just picked up some Titebond 2...I've used it before and it's served me well.
> 
> Apparently the custom shop at work has been busy, so the owners wife has been having a hard time getting coverage at all the stores. It looks like I might not get a day off this schedule after all...
> 
> May have to finish the box after work a little at a time.
> 
> After looking at it, I don't know if it will fit into the trunk of my car.
> 
> Fingers crossed.
> 
> Jay


What about a hammer and finish nails?


----------



## don_chuwish

eeew that's so cave man! ;-)

But really chad is right, some brads to hold it while the gorilla glue cures is plenty. Even if you could just clamp it well the glue would be enough. I only asked after seeing all the screws in the OP's box and cringing inside wondering if the MDF might separate where they penetrate the edge. But sounds like he's got it under control!

- D


----------



## JayinMI

It's not my first rodeo, boys. 

With predrilled/countersunk holes, not overtorqueing them, and keeping at least 2" from the edge, I don't really have a problem.

And it squeezes a nice glue line right to the edge...plus I clamped some of the stuff anyway 

Jay


----------



## chad

JayinMI said:


> After looking at it, I don't know if it will fit into the trunk of my car.
> 
> Fingers crossed.
> 
> Jay


Doh! Best of luck! Square peg, round hole?


----------



## JayinMI

The trunk opening is shaped weird, so it may be difficult.
If I can't find a way to get this in there, I'll build another one a little shorter and a little deeper, but not as wide...

If I pull the spare, I might be able to get it in, then slide it back and put the spare back in...

We'll see.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK. First, I checked to see if it would fit and it does! <:happy dance:>

Then I put some time into it today, since it turns out I *did* get a day off.










Drew it out to see where the port piece would go.

Set it in place and clamped it. No glue yet...just predrilling holes at this time.










Glued and screwed:










More screws:










With 45's in place (glued and screwed)










Front:










Side (you can see 2 of the screws that hold in this corner's 45 degree piece.)










Once this dries, I can router the port hole, round it over, cut out the hole for the woofer, clean it out and then put the top on...oh, and carpet it.

I plan to router a groove in the bottom (maybe 1/2 wide, 1/4 deep) to channel my speaker wire through and I might recess my speaker terminals into the bottom...still trying to decide.

Jay


----------



## don_chuwish

purty


----------



## JayinMI

Thanks.

There was some excess glue in the port, but it's too narrow to really get in there. Kinda scraped it out with the end of my yard stick. Hope to finish it up this weekend.

Jay


----------



## IBcivic

nice lookin box, glad it fits....keep it up


----------



## 94VG30DE

Cool trick clamping the ports with the temp spacers in place. Looking good! Glad it fit into the trunk on the first try. That puts you one step ahead of me


----------



## JayinMI

OK. Got the hole cut out. They say it's 235 mm (9.254") but I think 9 3/16" would have been a more snug fit. I have a little play but not much...

I also flushed and rounded the port mouth and put on the top.




























I also routered a 1/2" wide by 1/4" channel in the bottom of the box which leads to a hole drilled at about a 45* angle for the speaker wire. I painted the channel when I painted the port.





































Top on: 










Sub sitting in place to mark where the holes are so I can put in my threaded inserts when I figure out what I did with them. 










Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Oh, and here's an "inside shot."










Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Finally got my carpet on. 




























The mounting holes look a little close to the edges to use the threaded inserts, so I'll probably just use the drywall screws. This was more of a proof of concept than anything, anyway...but I'm still going to double check to see if the threaded inserts will work before I write them off.

Debating on Techflexing the speaker wire where it comes out of the box too...

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Oh, and the port carpet is going to get glued down in the port later...some of it didn't stay quite right, but it looks better in person than in the pics. I need to take it to work to clean the glue residue off a couple of spots anyway.


----------



## don_chuwish

Looking good! If you want I'll try it out for a while, let you know if it sounds OK. You know, for an objective opinion and all. ;-)


----------



## JayinMI

The shipping would be ridiulous. I shipped a pair of S10d4 Solos in a prefeb box to texas and it weighed 55 lbs. I bet this speaker and box weight at least as much 

I've been entertaining tapping the factory sub out to and temporarily hooking up my 900/5 to it to try it out...but I think I'll just wait till the next decent day and try to get my BitOne rack built and amp rack started. I'm in no real hurry.

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> The shipping would be ridiulous. I shipped a pair of S10d4 Solos in a prefeb box to texas and it weighed 55 lbs. I bet this speaker and box weight at least as much
> 
> I've been entertaining tapping the factory sub out to and temporarily hooking up my 900/5 to it to try it out...but I think I'll just wait till the next decent day and try to get my BitOne rack built and amp rack started. I'm in no real hurry.
> 
> Jay


Ha yeah mine is heavy too. I need to figure out how to mount handles on mine to get it out of my trunk without giving myself a hernia. Stereo work is dangerous


----------



## JayinMI

haha, yeah. With the recessed sides I can grab the lip to pull it in or out.
And hernia surgery sucks.

Jay


----------



## chad

I was gonna ask why you recessed the sides......


----------



## JayinMI

Actually, it just makes it easier to hide seams when you carpet it. It's an added bonus it gives you handles. 

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK. The weather has been great for the past week in the 60's and 70's...then yesterday it snowed. Today started off cold and wet. 

It warmed up to the mid 50's, so I took the opportunity to play with FuzzMeasure and my MobilePreUSB.

I did frequency response measurements on my factory head unit.
I found the Infinity head unit has a 4V balanced differential signal going to the factory amplifier. I tapped ahead of the factory amp and used an 1/8" stereo to 1/8" stereo cable to feed the output of my MobilePreUSB into the Aux in of my head unit. The input is wired to the left channel of the input to the factory amp.

The instructions in Bikinpunk's tutorial were very helpful.

Some initial views show that the frequency response is all over the place at low volumes (around 1-10), starts to normalize some around 15...which is where I normally listen to it at...










^ This is with the volume at 15 (of 35) with Bass/Mid/Treble at 0.










^ This is with the volume at 30 (of 35) B/M/T at 0.

At this volume level, when I checked last I was well over 2V...but not sure where it starts clipping. Generally the stereo sounds pretty clean up over 25.










^ This is max volume, B/M/T at 0.

I'd bet it's clipping up here, but I'll check it with the Oscilloscope function in TrueRTA at some point.

I played around some more, and came up with what I feel will be a good point to leave it at...










That was 25 vol, B -3, M/T at 0....should give me a decent voltage signal, likely no clipping and a pretty flat response, except for the roll of on the high and low end. Looks like it starts around 12.5k on the high end and around 50Hz on the low end.

I'm hoping cabin gain will help cure some of the low end that's missing, and that mounting my tweets on the a pillars or near the windshield will boost the highs some...of course, I don't know how the BitOne.1 is going to deal with it...if it flattens it out, then I guess it won't be a huge issue anyway.

Finally, here's Vol 15, B -3, M/T at 0.










Notice the high and low got boosted when I turned the volume down. I don't see anyway to turn off the loudness effect...

Anyway, that was about an hour of today. I'm leaving for Orlando on Tuesday morning, so I won't be working on the car until like next wednesday, at least...

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK. Got back from Orlando last night and decided to work on my BitOne mount today.

I made it out of 1/2" MDF, but I will be redoing it out of King Starboard because I didn't like the way the wood split a little on the edges.

But it bolts into the factory amp bracket (in turn bolting to the factory holes in the car), and the BitOne bolts to it using 10-24 Allen head bolts and threaded inserts.

The BitOne on 1/2" MDF is the same height as the factory amp, so fitment should not be a problem.

Here's some pics:


----------



## JayinMI

And I pulled the pocket out of the passenger side of the trunk so I can put my amp there. I'm going to wait til I get more Starboard to make the mount for that...the trim will be wood/glass/etc.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK. My 1/2" Starboard came yesterday, so I made a new mount for my BitOne, and one for my 900/5. I also made a piece I intended to be for my wire distribution, but once I pulled my Knu distro blocks out of the package I realized they were HUGE. So, I had to come up with a different solution.
So, I ordered a Streetwires CBR44M combo block...

This kind of caused me to lose interest for today, so I'm just chilling out now.


I'll post some pics of what I *did* get done today, later on.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK...pics.

Here's my trunk when I started:










Template for amp board:










Mounts for factory holes for the pocket that was on this side of the trunk. I used a small screwdriver and logic probe to make sure things lined up...










Laid out my templates (amp board, my original idea for my "power distribution center", and my first prototype of the BitOne mount) on my 1/2" King Starboard from Cesany Plastics.










But, alas, there wasn't enough room on the "PDC" board to do what I wanted, because my Knu Konceptz Distro blocks are friggin' HUGE!



















Amp board mounted down w/ #10x1" screws.










Used threaded inserts for the amp:










And amp mounted:










more...


----------



## JayinMI

Amp sits just below the carpet, leaving my about 1/4" to make a trim piece...which is fine.










Move along....nothing to see here...










And here's the CBR44M combo (power and ground) distro block I ordered today...$92 shipped! (But it's discontinued, hard to come buy and the next similar thing is by Audison and runs alot more)










So, the fact I don't have a distro block solution kind of took the wind out of my sails for today, so that's about as far as I got...

Well, I also cut out my BitOne board, but I need to swap all my threaded inserts over to it.

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

Like the use of threaded inserts for the amp rack. I was planning on doing that in mine before I switched back to MDF. Also like the fact that I can tell it is nice weather in MI b/c both of us are posting on our build threads haha. "Oh crap Jay is posting, I should be out in the garage"


----------



## JayinMI

Yeah. It was a nice day and I planned to get alot further. After I realized I wasn't going to be able to fit my distro blocks and barrier strips where I wanted to, I lost interest today.

I packed a few things to take to work tomorrow so I may do a few things done at work, or I might work on my RCA's and stuff tomorrow after work.

Next weekend I plan to make some more progress and the weekend after that is Detroit Neon Owners Spring Dyno Day, so if I get the day off, I'll be over there.

Jay


----------



## jaydub

Every time I start thinking my approach on my MINI will be very minimal, I see threads like this that really spark my imagination. 

Good luck, it looks excellent so far.


----------



## JayinMI

No progress...ordered some more stuff last night, distro block will be here tomorrow.

Today is the 1 year anniversary of owning the car.

I found a 4 fuse block at Summit Racing:










I ordered these from PE:










I also ordered some more techflex and heat shrink.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Today's progress:

Soldered up my last set of RCA's (well, Bit One side anyway) and color coded the ends. Since the ends are color coded and I used JL RCA ends from a 4 channel set (they are marked differently) it will be easy to tell which end is which and where each goes on the B1. I chose not to label them, in case I change the layout of my system.










Then I switched my threaded inserts over from my original BitOne mounting board to my Starboard one. Mounted up, figured out where input RCA's need to go and soldered them up too. And apparently, I forgot to take a picture of that. Ooops.

So, the harness where I tapped my inputs is prewired and zip tied in place. Then I made a harness w/ +12V, Gnd, Acc and Turn on wrapped in Neon green techflex and hooked it to the Bit One also.



















Ran the RCA outputs to the general vicinity of the amp so I can cut to length and put the other ends on.




























continued...


----------



## JayinMI

Adhesive zip tie mounts used throughout.

Then I routed the drivers side speaker wires toward the amp too...





































continued...


----------



## JayinMI

Then I cut down my original mount for my distro blocks and made on the is essentially the same footprint as the new Streetwires one.



















It will mount to an existing hole, and use some 3M double sided tape...the stuff people mount ground effects and wings with plus the wiring going in and out of it to hold it in place.

Not too far away now...

The BitOne is prewired, so once I get everything else (wiring-wise) squared away, I just need to swap door speakers, and switch the harnesses for it to be sound wise.

Still need to route wire for sub, swap front speakers, put the Deans connectors on the front wires and so I can experiment with tweeters and tweeter locations before building anything up front.

That's it for today...oh, and I'd like to thank the Cleveland Indians for handing that game over to the Tigers in the bottom of the 9th. :laugh:

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

And at some point I am interested in attempting to add an Optical out to the factory deck per TurboEGT's instructions (much like Robin W. is doing)...

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

I like the color coded connections and everything cut to length. The effect looks very careful and precise, which is good for any car, but especially good for a new car. Looking good.


----------



## trevordj

94VG30DE said:


> I like the color coded connections and everything cut to length. The effect looks very careful and precise, which is good for any car, but especially good for a new car. Looking good.


x2 very nice job with the wiring in general (particularly the RCAs), everything is coming together VERY well.


----------



## JayinMI

Thanks alot, guys. Of course, it would probably turn out that if I cut them to length and then pulled them back out, they'd be exactly the same length as 12ft RCA's...


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> Thanks alot, guys. Of course, it would probably turn out that if I cut them to length and then pulled them back out, they'd be exactly the same length as 12ft RCA's...


We can only hope :laugh:


----------



## JayinMI

jaydub said:


> Every time I start thinking my approach on my MINI will be very minimal, I see threads like this that really spark my imagination.
> 
> Good luck, it looks excellent so far.


All in all, I consider this somewhat minimal. I'm only going to be running 1 (maybe 2 amps...), active 2 way front stage and a processor. The install will be pretty stealth, so I'm not going crazy.

I think I'm going to rock the Dayton sub for a little while, but I'll probably swap it for a BM in the spare tire well before too long.

Jay


----------



## IBcivic

very nice job on making your wiring tidy


----------



## JayinMI

Thanks.


----------



## JayinMI

Kinda REALLY slow at work yesterday and today, so I got a little more done.

1/0 rings installed, distro block installed, wires organized, junction block and fuse block for Bit One installed.
I ran 8ga. from the Distro block to a barrier strip, which in turn feeds the fuse block for the BitOne. There is a 20 amp Maxi fuse that feeds this and then normal ATC fuses for the individual circuits and turn on.

Little more organization left, finish my RCA's (amp end), some random Deans connectors need to be installed and the front speakers need to go in...

Almost there!


















(Made a quick mount the these pieces that bolts in to a factory hole)









(Showing the power wire running under the lip of the amp rack and away from signal wires)









(Fuse block mounted...it's not crooked, the mount attaches to an angles piece of metal...you'll see)









(Looks much straighter now, eh?)

So, main fuse access:









(just lift up the side piece of carpet and Poof! fuses.)









(Tailight access cover in place)









(cover removed.)

I can access all system fuses in the back in well under 30 seconds.

Hopefully finish up my wiring in the back tomorrow. I plan to use Deans connectors for my sub wire, and need to add them to the wires I've already run into the kicks...

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> (cover removed.)


Slick. Good attention to detail. Any more factory looking and it would need its own bezel, and then you would have auto techs trying to stick scan tools into it


----------



## pankrok

I love this work, especially the way you treat all this stuff that actually nobody will ever see again but only through photos.
great job!


----------



## JayinMI

OK. DEAD at work today, so I finished wiring the trunk.









(fuse block wiring)









(RCA's done and amp wired)



















(Pigtail for sub, Deans connector, color coded to coincide with the Lt Green band I used to identify the 'sub' RCA.)

Tomorrow is looking like much of the same, so I really need to solder up some connectors, and install the front door speakers, temp mount the tweets, and add fuses and I should be good.

Jay


----------



## trevordj

Damn! All top notch to say the least.


----------



## JayinMI

I need to go back in and hit a couple spots with red heatshrink, but it's just for consistency, not function. I ran out of 1/2" red heat shrink...

Thanks for the compliments.

Jay


----------



## JKashat

Jay, I want you to either redo my Jeep or possibly do my G37S Coupe, if I don't sell it.


----------



## nearwater

Nice car! 
I bought a Gen sedan myself, and I'm really impressed with the quality.
Thing is, mine came with the Lexicon system which is almost impossible to modify.
Adding a sub would be my first step. The rest, I think I'm pretty happy.

Dan


----------



## JayinMI

Thanks! The sedan is a nice car...The first few I saw I mistook for a Benz.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Well, Dyno day got canceled Thursday morning, so I have all day today and tomorrow to work on my car. Yay. 

So, today, I finished up the front end wiring, more or less. I soldered my Deans connectors on, heat shrunk and color coded everything, and ran a temporary pigtail up to the dash, since I will most likely be experimenting with tweets/full range drivers before building anything permanent.










(Female side coming from the amp, male side going to speakers)



















The heat shrink I used didn't shrink as uniformly as I would have liked, so I might have to redo it later. Once I get everything worked out another bit of heat shrink will go over all the speaker junctions.










^ Other side.










Temp dash speaker wire.

Also made the pigtail to go into my sub box.



















And (taking a page from Bikinpunk's book) I picked up some BB's and instead of clay, I picked up some GB Duct Seal after reading a bunch of threads about modeling clay breaking down, and seeing a few people suggest it, figured I'd give it a shot.



















I've got 4 lbs of Duct Seal and probably another 5lbs of BB's.

Hopefully the weather decided what it wants to do one way or the other so I can get started on the doors...

Then I should just have to switch plugs from factory amp to Bit One, insert fuses and stick the tweets to the dash with some velcro or something to have sound! Yay!

Then it's on to a basic quickie tune, while things break in.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Well, the weather didn't get any warmer, but it brightened up and stopped being windy...so I got some more work done.

Pulled the driver's door first and removed factory speaker.
Installed my Dynaxorb pad (actually, might be a different brand, but same idea).










Then I took some closed cell foam I had (it was an old tool box drawer liner) and cut it to make gaskets which I glued to my adapter rings top and bottom.




























And installed speaker.










Then I took about half my BB's and 2 lbs of Duct Seal and folded the BB's into about 3/4 of the duct seal and applied it to the door.










I took the rest of the duct seal and applied it over the top so the BB's wouldn't fall out. I probably added around 3.75 lbs. of mass right around the speaker. I figured the gasketing would decouple it from the door, too.

Then I added some weatherstripping around the speaker to seal it to the door.










It fit very well, it's hard to see in the pic, but the door seals right up to the gasketing, and the speaker is just about perfectly centered in the opening for the grille....it looks off because I was at an angle when I took the pic.










Then I started the passenger door. I got the speaker ring gasketed and mounted, speaker wired and attached, but ran out of daylight...I'll add duct seal and BB's tomorrow and stick my tweeters to the A pillars, set my gains and start playing with the BitOne tomorrow.

Jay


----------



## IBcivic

lookin good jay... duct seal is the way to go for sure. i've had some in my doors for close to a year and it is still as fresh as the day it was put in. i have 5 more pounds of putty on the way.
i think i will give lead shot a try too.


----------



## JayinMI

I'd certainly consider running more, once I see how it sounds...I was kind of limited by the way the door shapes around the speaker mount, I wanted to make sure I could still get the door panel back on...

I'll get to hear it tomorrow. 

Jay


----------



## bigguy

WOW good work man. I like the use of techflex. how much was the 1.5 inch palstic?


----------



## JayinMI

IIRC, it was like $59 shipped for a 12x24" piece. I got it from a guy on Ebay, whose username is "Acesany" and he is located in Florida. Fast shipper stuff is great.

Jay


----------



## IBcivic

you can try this stuff too. it laminates well[with epoxy] and almost cuts like wood

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/hot-deals/79607-corian-scraps-e-bay.html


----------



## JayinMI

Well, I got my other door done, sorted out a couple of things, did my initial setup on the B1, and I have a problem.

Since I am running a balanced signal into it, it sounds almost like it's out of phase with itself, or something. Everything is VERY quiet. 

I seem to remember Quality Sound saying he'd done it a few times and it worked fine, but I think that may be my issue.

Can I just use the "positive" side of the balanced signal for my signal and just ground the shield on my RCA inputs to the Bit One? The signal seems to be referenced to ground, as I get 2 volts from "+ signal" to ground and 2 volts from "- signal" to ground. 

If I just use the positive signal side and a ground, I understand it is likely it would cut my voltage in half, but if it sounds right, I'm ok with it.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Nevermind. I got it working. I was having a bunch of issues because I tried to redefine what certain channels did. So, even tho it said that channels 1 and 2 were left tweeter and right tweeter, they didn't function properly.
Once I stuck with it's mainly default settings, and I switched a couple things around and re-config'd about 5 times, it finally works right!

So, I have sound! Woohoo! 

And the Dayton has some authority down low...and very clean. Very happy with it, makes me rethink my BM Mk III idea...almost 

I'll get some pics up later, but for now I'm going to go get something to eat and maybe some beer and enjoy it.

Oh, and for the time being all I did was De-EQ the factory radio, set crossovers and levels by ear and it sounds 100X better than stock 

Wish I hadn't left my iPod at work, since all my music is on it.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

So, for experimentation's sake, I used some double sided tape and stuck the tweets to the a pillar, off axis firing across the dash at each other. Seemed as good a starting point as any. 



















Finished passenger door.










Sub box...need to reglue carpet in the port, but otherwise it's all good.










And proof it powers up.



















I burned a CD with stuff ranging from Natalie Merchant, Michael Jackson, Norah Jones and Billy Joel to Cold and Benny Benassi...
Mainly vocal stuff seemed shifted to the left (I haven't set up the T/A yet, so I was expecting that) but the stage still seems to extend out past the mirrors.

The highs are a little week up top, but being a soft dome off axis, I'm not surprised. I also left the EQ flat...it sounds surprisingly good considering.

I might have to burn some more stuff to listen to on the way to work tomorrow.

Jay


----------



## gjmallory

What is the purpose of the BB's?


----------



## t3sn4f2

gjmallory said:


> What is the purpose of the BB's?


Increased flexible mass.


----------



## JayinMI

Yeah. Basically, I did it to add mass around the speaker so that the speaker's energy goes toward making sound not flexing the panel as much.

Jay


----------



## glidn

so what are your thoughts of the Pioneer TSC-171PRS's?


----------



## JayinMI

Well, just to be sure, the speakers that are in the car are from the TS-C720PRS set. If that is the individual part number than cool, if it's like the new Stage 4 line then I haven't heard those yet. 

All in all, I like the over all sound. I'm not particularly happy with the midbass output in the application, however. I've installed the same set into doors with MUCH less work done to them and had better results. My thought now is that because of the depth of my spacers, and the small openings in the basket, that the air can't escape fast enough from the back of the cone, and the midbass is being choked off because of it.

The funny part is that with my Dayton 10, it blends very well and makes the lack of Midbass a whole lot less noticeable. It's still relatively easy to keep the image in front of me, even with a ported sub in the trunk.

Jay


----------



## CA4944

Jay, I really like your detail of heat shrinking around the Deans connector, itself. I hadn't thought of that! So far so good on using them for the sub? 

Great work on this! I'm re-inspired, now.


----------



## Mr. Steney

Nice job. Hope the tuning get's everything where you want it. Hopefully the mids get better as they break in. I really like that car.


----------



## glidn

ok your TSC-720PRS are the generation before.

The air being trapped could be a possible problem as you say.


----------



## perfecxionx

where did you get the foam and clay you used on the speaker?


----------



## JayinMI

CA4944 said:


> Jay, I really like your detail of heat shrinking around the Deans connector, itself. I hadn't thought of that! So far so good on using them for the sub?
> 
> Great work on this! I'm re-inspired, now.


No issues so far. They don't even appear to be discolored from excessive heat or anything. I'm confident they'll hold up fine.

Thanks for the compliments!

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

perfecxionx said:


> where did you get the foam and clay you used on the speaker?


The "clay" is called "Duct Seal" and was over by the electrical section of Home Depot. The weather stripping foam also came from Home Depot.

Jay


----------



## perfecxionx

thank you, ive been looking for something that will survive the heat in the door


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> Well, just to be sure, the speakers that are in the car are from the TS-C720PRS set. If that is the individual part number than cool, if it's like the new Stage 4 line then I haven't heard those yet.
> 
> All in all, I like the over all sound. I'm not particularly happy with the midbass output in the application, however. I've installed the same set into doors with MUCH less work done to them and had better results. My thought now is that because of the depth of my spacers, and the small openings in the basket, that the air can't escape fast enough from the back of the cone, and the midbass is being choked off because of it.
> 
> The funny part is that with my Dayton 10, it blends very well and makes the lack of Midbass a whole lot less noticeable. It's still relatively easy to keep the image in front of me, even with a ported sub in the trunk.
> 
> Jay


Yeah that Dayton sub is magical. Is there any way for your to chamfer the back of the spacers so that the air can flow a little smoother out the back of the drivers? I would agree, that might help your midbass output. Any of the frequencies that the driver has to move a massive amount of air should be helped, and yeah those spacers are definitely deep.


----------



## JayinMI

I think I'd have to rebuild them. The thickness of the ring that the speaker mounts to is pretty thin, and if I tried to chamfer it where it would make a difference, I might end up with a weak spot. 

I'm almost more inclined to go with a speaker with a more open basket, so I can keep them the way they are.

Maybe I'll whip a set up in MDF and coat them in some truck bedliner to try them out.

Jay


----------



## 1sashenka

I just bought this car in grey, and while googling to see how folks are doing with stereo installs, I found this thread. Thanks for the info. 

And I can't resist and gotta brag what is going in. I have all the gear and then some. I have way too much gear laying around. Plan is to install two Arc SE 2300 amps, Hertz MLK2 components, 15" X-Con, Brax 2F IPC, keeping the factory deck and integrating with JBL MS-8, and I won't be skimping out on the install obviously.


----------



## JayinMI

Does your have JBL or not? One thing I've noticed is that I get a random popping that sounds almost like what would happen if you popped a tweeter with a battery. I'm not sure if this is because I grabbed signal on the low level side or not.

On a side note, my DRC for my BitOne.1 came back on Friday. I'm supposed to be off tomorrow and I need to hit the Secretary of State office to renew plates and license tomorrow, but after that I may try to get some work in on the car.

We will see what happens. 

Jay


----------



## 1sashenka

JayinMI said:


> Does your have JBL or not? One thing I've noticed is that I get a random popping that sounds almost like what would happen if you popped a tweeter with a battery. I'm not sure if this is because I grabbed signal on the low level side or not.
> 
> On a side note, my DRC for my BitOne.1 came back on Friday. I'm supposed to be off tomorrow and I need to hit the Secretary of State office to renew plates and license tomorrow, but after that I may try to get some work in on the car.
> 
> We will see what happens.
> 
> Jay


I bought base model, cause thats exactly what I wanted. I knew I would switch out the audio and I dont care for the roof at all, and I prefer cloth over leather. I got it here brand new on 2010 clearance and got another discount, so it was $18,995CAD + tax and freight, no admin fees, etc. I will pick it up in a few days, so I cant comment on your tweeter question, and it is a different system anyway. I also planned on using Bit1 before, but long awaited MS-8 conveniently got released, so I went for that. 

Also, I noticed you said the trunk is 14", so I may have to see what happens to my 15" X-Con, I have other subs, like Mag v4 12's, Arc D 12's, CSS SDX 10's. Will see...


----------



## JayinMI

I bought the premium because it was available and a color I actually wanted. In April of '09 all of the base models I could find were silver. I drive ALOT so I went for the Auto. If I had come across a base in Red or Blue, I would have snatched that up first.

I got my BitOne.1 in June of '09 (won it in a raffle), when I figured the MS-8 was never gonna see the light of day, since the thread about it was years old at that point. I like it just fine, but the LCD display on the DRC started freaking out so I sent it back to Elletromedia.

I was just letting you know I encountered a problem when I mentioned the popping in the tweeters. I am using the 4v balanced signal from the factory JBL head into the BitOne....I was just curious if (when you get to that point) you had the same issue, but since you have the "normal" system, I imagine it will go fine.

Be sure to post pics when you get it!

Are you on GenCoupe.com or RWDcoupe.com or Genesisforums?

Jay


----------



## 1sashenka

JayinMI said:


> I bought the premium because it was available and a color I actually wanted. In April of '09 all of the base models I could find were silver. I drive ALOT so I went for the Auto. If I had come across a base in Red or Blue, I would have snatched that up first.
> 
> I got my BitOne.1 in June of '09 (won it in a raffle), when I figured the MS-8 was never gonna see the light of day, since the thread about it was years old at that point. I like it just fine, but the LCD display on the DRC started freaking out so I sent it back to Elletromedia.
> 
> I was just letting you know I encountered a problem when I mentioned the popping in the tweeters. I am using the 4v balanced signal from the factory JBL head into the BitOne....I was just curious if (when you get to that point) you had the same issue, but since you have the "normal" system, I imagine it will go fine.
> 
> Be sure to post pics when you get it!
> 
> Are you on GenCoupe.com or RWDcoupe.com or Genesisforums?
> 
> Jay


I got gray as second choice, cause I wanted black. I love the red, but figured it was too flashy for me. As for popping, I remember reading somewhere Bit1 had some noise issues of it's own, not sure if that could be it, as people were losing points at competitions.

As for pics, I dont do the install myself, I get my favorite shop to do it, so I never post any pics, as I wont be there for the process. The install is usually very clean and modest, no fancy stuff, I like the factory look. Every car I get, system goes in first thing. I may do a reflash with PowerAXEL as they provide a module, so you can flash back and forth yourself for warranty work at a dealership if need be. I am not yet on any Genesis forums, I may sign up, but these days I am busy doing other stuff, and spend almost no time on any forums anymore, unless I need something. I like the GenCoupe for looks and price, my other options were used Pontiac G8, BMW 3 Coupe, and Merc C300. All things considered, Genesis was the cheapest option, as I decided I didnt want to spend a lot of dough on a car, and like I said, I actually like Genesis looks better than anything else in the price range by far.


----------



## JayinMI

Well, let me just say "I freaking love Parts Express!"

Sunday night I ordered a pair of Tang Band Bamboo 3's and a pair of Dayton RS180-4's. When I checked Monday there was no available tracking info...
My girlfriend called early this afternoon to say they had arrived.

I can't believe how much smaller the 3's are than I expected.

I'll post pics up tomorrow.

Also, since we just picked up Arc, I may be changing out my JL HD 900/5...


----------



## tintbox

Subscribed. I love Parts Express.


----------



## kustomkaraudio

Hey Jay great build so far. Wiring looks great. If you get tired of running your factory head check out BeatSonic USA , the model for your is genc-010b. We have ordered some stuff from them, pretty cool to deal with and ships out of LA.


----------



## JayinMI

Looks like the UNavi piece....if I change my radio, it'll be for a P99, P800 or something...also thinking about using a Mac Mini...for now, the factory radio and bit one do everything I need.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Sorry for the lack of pics...while I *did* know where my camera charger was, I didn't realize I don't know where the power cord is for it. Doh!

Also considering picking up some of the Vifa small flange ring radiators...PE has them for $20/ea.

The also had some nifty looking 3" Dayton widebanders for $15...anyone try them yet? They're available in a 4ohm or an 8ohm with a truncated frame.
Model number is RS75

Jay


----------



## chad

Sooooo, after some time with it, how does it do in the snow?


----------



## JayinMI

Haven't spun it out on the freeway or put it in a ditch yet. 
OTOH, I don't forget how to drive in snow and then have to relearn every year, like most people around here seem to.

How are things with you? Doesn't seem you've been as active lately. Hope all is well.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Ordered the Vifa's on Sunday. They came today....

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

The new front stage:










The tweeters were pretty large for a "25mm" tweeter.
Compared to a pop can (same diameter).










The Bamboos were, however, smaller than I expected.
(Compared to a pop can, slightly larger)










The Dayton RS180-4's look pretty substantial.



















Nice open basket too.

I'm also trying to decide on amps....planning to run ARC. Can't decide if I'm going to go with a KS900.6 and 500.1 (or 1000.1) or (2) KS125.4 minis, and a 500.1 mini.

The KS500.1 (not the mini) only puts out 340W @ 4ohms. I hate to give up 160W on my sub channel....

Which may end up with my running another sub...

So many choices.

Jay


----------



## chad

you can make those tweeters much smaller.


----------



## JayinMI

I remember seeing a thread somewhere....I haven't found it yet.

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> I remember seeing a thread somewhere....I haven't found it yet.
> 
> Jay


Yeah I haven't found it yet either. I looked on MSS too. I thought it was in the "Improve your soundstage for $2" thread, but I can't seem to find it.


----------



## chad

just grind em down and finish the edge with a sanding drum....


----------



## JayinMI

The thread I was thinking of actually was one of Chad's. I think it was called something like "Because I'm crazy," or something.

It didn't go into detail on how he made the tweets smaller.

I'm not actually upset about the size of the tweets, they're just bigger than your normal automotive tweeter.

They'll work as is just fine. 

If I need to make them smaller, at least I know how Chad did it 

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Chad...I take it back. I swung a 180 on I75 southbound the other morning after a snow storm. Guess I should have left the traction control on.

Jay


----------



## IBcivic

JayinMI said:


> Chad...I take it back. I swung a 180 on I75 southbound the other morning after a snow storm. Guess I should have left the traction control on.
> 
> Jay


I hope the only thing that got damaged was the inside of your breifs....passengers ok?


----------



## JayinMI

No damage. I was alone. I pulled off a pretty sweet move. 

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> No damage. I was alone. I pulled off a pretty sweet move.
> 
> Jay


haha, that's good to hear. Always feels good when you can keep it out of disaster to only bruise your ego rather than body panels. I have seen both sides of that coin


----------



## JayinMI

I was lucky...amazingly enough, I didn't get that adrenaline rush I usually get when the back of the car comes around. I'm glad I didn't end up in a ditch.

Jay


----------



## MTopper

which snow storm was that Jay? we had a couple this past week. i had issues myself so i can only imagine what you had with a little T/C less car


----------



## JayinMI

Saturday morning. I had turned off the T/C because it was taking forever to get up to speed, and I was doing fine, but I hit a patch of something and spun out. 

I usually drive a 1997 Tracer wagon, but it tripped a check engine light and I didn't want to risk having it leave me stranded, so I took my "good" car...

Would been ironic if I had gone into the ditch, eh?

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

In the IS300 I drive with my traction control off and SNOW mode on when it's bad out. That way at least I know that when it slides, I know exactly what it will do, but I don't get the "slip-fuel cut-bog" cycle that the T/C seems to love inducing on the ice.


----------



## JayinMI

Well, haven't done much with the weather being like it has here. I was planning on starting my a-pillar pods today, but it's still too cold to work outside (using the router makes a big mess). 

I did some cleaning and dug out some stuff I had all but forgotten about.
My original plan was to sell my HD900/5 and switch to Arc KS amps, but I've decided I am probably going to just add another HD900/5 (since I know it will fit and I will be able to keep my spare, which I wouldn't with the Arc stuff...plus I can add another Dayton 10 HO.) But lately my money keeps going for other stuff and my tax return is going to be MUCH less than I expected, so for temporary use, I am probably going to run the a-pillars of of my circa 1996 Rockford Series 1 4600x.










(Rated at 60WRMSx4 @ 2ohms, or 30WRMS @4...but I've seen birth certificates for these that ran closer to [email protected] [email protected])



















(Made in America, when that meant something.)

I also dug this up...




























I bench tested them both and they both play...once I add the other 900/5 to the Genesis, these will probably find their way into my beater....or get sold.

Jay


----------



## dogstar

Good to see you are still making progress with your install and glad you didn't do any damage with your 180.

After reading this log again (and buying a bunch of new equipment) I've decided I'll be redoing my install... fingers crossed on getting one or two 12s in the trunk without eating up ALL the space.


----------



## JayinMI

I was considering ARC 10's or Acoustic Elegance 10" IB's in an Infinite baffle...
Not too much trunk space given up, but I really like the way my Dayton sounds.

Jay


----------



## dogstar

Hey Jay, I recently got a Kenwood KAC-X4R and I'd like to use it's DSP to replace my messy install and control a sub amp. 
I'm wondering if I can cheat and grab the pre-amp signal off the deck and just solder some RCA ends on or would I need to run it through a line-out converter or cleansweep or some other product?


----------



## JayinMI

I just tapped RCA's off the outputs from the head unit and ran them into the BitOne. I do, however, get an intermittent turn off pop through just my tweeters...may be a timing issue on the turn on lead, tho. At least I suspect that's why.

It's about a 2v balanced output, depending on the input stages of the Kenwood amp, it may work fine.

You have the Infinity system, right?

Jay


----------



## samos69

Just wasted a good hour reading the thread, top stuff!

Love the old school rockford, had that exact model as my very first amp it put out a surprising amount of power.


----------



## dogstar

JayinMI said:


> I just tapped RCA's off the outputs from the head unit and ran them into the BitOne. I do, however, get an intermittent turn off pop through just my tweeters...may be a timing issue on the turn on lead, tho. At least I suspect that's why.
> 
> It's about a 2v balanced output, depending on the input stages of the Kenwood amp, it may work fine.
> 
> You have the Infinity system, right?
> 
> Jay


That's right, Infinity system. 

I'm still on the fence about pulling the factory deck and tossing in a double din since I can't get them to fix my bluetooth under warranty and distracted driving laws are starting to come into effect around here, but this is still a go. 

The only information I can find in the manual and online that seems to be related to input voltages is called "sensitivity" and the acceptable range is from 0.2-5.0 volts. If I'm understanding it correctly I should be golden feeding it the 2v balanced right?


----------



## JayinMI

Just an FYI...I'd call it 2V RMS...I got some peaks in the 4V range with the volume up very high, so you'd still come in under the 5V range...should be good.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

On a side note...I'm starting to gather up some old school gear for my winter beater. A couple days ago I had a customer give me an old Pioneer DEH-P6400 ("Dolphin Radio") and I scored a Sony XM-4040 and XM-10020 on eBay the other day. A co worker said he has a BNIB Cerwin Vega "orange surround" sub at his house that I can have...well on my way. 

I'd love to pick up a Sony XEC-700 or a silver RTX-02 from MTX.

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> On a side note...I'm starting to gather up some old school gear for my winter beater. A couple days ago I had a customer give me an old Pioneer DEH-P6400 ("Dolphin Radio") and I scored a Sony XM-4040 and XM-10020 on eBay the other day. A co worker said he has a BNIB Cerwin Vega "orange surround" sub at his house that I can have...well on my way.
> 
> I'd love to pick up a Sony XEC-700 or a silver RTX-02 from MTX.
> 
> Jay


I need to meet new people, your friends seem way more giving than mine


----------



## JayinMI

So, in the last couple days we had some downtime at work. I made my rings for my 3's, and the spacers/mounts for my 7"s...I should have pics up this weekend and hope to make some progress soon.

I've also been collecting some old school gear for my winter beater build...

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK...proof! I was planning on working on the car today, but we have what the weather people call "wintery mix." It's basically raining sleet. It's about 32 Degrees. So, no progress today.

Here's some pics of my speaker rings:

Rounded over on the front, 3" speaker recessed flush, back side was hit with a 45.




























I left the gap around the speaker big because it will probably play into my grill mounting scheme...not sure yet...if I change my mind, I can always hit it with some filler.

Here are the rings for my RS180-4's:



















(Hard to see, but I beveled the edge on the back side of the mounting ring)




























Nice and unobstructed behind the speaker. I thought the original mounts I made were choking the output of the Pioneer's, so I wanted to remedy this this time.

These are more a proof-of-concept deal, if they work out, I will redo them in King Starboard, if they don't I'm not out anything since I made them out of scraps.

Hopefully I can get the 180's in the car and start laying up some 'glass for the 3" pods on the a pillar tomorrow...

I sprayed the rings with truck bedliner, and I'm waiting for it to dry.


----------



## 94VG30DE

Those rings look great. Makes my workmanship look like my only tool is a dull pocket knife  

Are those baffles for the RS180-4 two pieces thick? I can't quite see...


----------



## JayinMI

Yep, 2 layers of 3/4" MDF...but if they work out, I'll redo them in King Starboard.

I got the fronts in:





































Other side:










Jay


----------



## JayinMI

What a crappy day for 'glass...
Been building the base of my A-pillar pods today...rainy, 40's. 
Have the defroster on and it helps.

Pics to come later.

Jay


----------



## req

lookin great man!

awesome looking baffles! is that Duct Seal around the speakers there, or modeling clay? the clay will run when it gets real hot outside, but duct seal will say nice and sticky.

keep up the good work


----------



## ndm

JayinMI said:


> Finally got my carpet on.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The mounting holes look a little close to the edges to use the threaded inserts, so I'll probably just use the drywall screws. This was more of a proof of concept than anything, anyway...but I'm still going to double check to see if the threaded inserts will work before I write them off.
> 
> Debating on Techflexing the speaker wire where it comes out of the box too...
> 
> Jay


Hey....I wanted to give you a little tip that I learned over the years building ported enclosures. Here goes...

I build enclosures as a side income to buy toys for me. I had an enclosure to build but I wanted to cover it in vinyl and I could not figure out how to make the port hole look finished. I also did not want to use a non-rounded port opening...so one day I figured it out ........it is simple and looks absolutely great and works like a flared port should.....here goes...

When you used your round over to make the port rounded, you set the router bit flush with the surface of the mounting surface and routed the hole out...right......

Next time you should set your bit about 1/4 inch below the surface so that the bit digs deeper into the face of the wood (kind of like the profile on the end of a wooded table or other furniture. This is best done with a router table but it works with the portable bases too. Now you have an actual groove to push your blade into when trimming the carpet around the port. Use a good contact cement and let it set up properly and your enclosure will look 10 times better around the port....I will include some examples of what I am talking about just in case I have not described it good enough....

Also, look at a side profile of a round over bit to understand how it works....

sift through my installs pages and you can see more pics.....Hope I can help ya out...

Since I am deployed to Afghanistan...I have slow internet....just go to my page below and click on the black G8Gt....then go to page 2 where I have 325 of 888 ported enclosure. There are 2 enclosures where I used this technique...


ON SECOND THOUGHT...I will wait till the page loads to get you a direct link and a pic to see in this thread.......hold please...8:38pm....................



8:42pm still waiting.............


8:44pm..............finally loaded.....
here is the pic...and a link to the page where you can see this done on 2 different enclosures...

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3314723/2009-pontiac-g8/page-2


----------



## JayinMI

I've done that before, and it works very well. I've also built separate pieces on top and that worked too. This box was more of a proof of concept kind of thing...I had never used the Dayton subs before, and wasn't sure I'd like it, and I figured I could always go back and touch stuff up if I wanted.

However, I liked it soooo much, I'll probably add another, so the new box will be done differently...

Thanks for the advice, tho. 

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

req said:


> lookin great man!
> 
> awesome looking baffles! is that Duct Seal around the speakers there, or modeling clay? the clay will run when it gets real hot outside, but duct seal will say nice and sticky.
> 
> keep up the good work


It's duct seal....and bb's. I probably added like 4-5 lbs in that area between the duct seal, bb's and deadener.
One of the things that has really helped my midbass...and kept rattles to a minimum.

Thanks for the props!

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Between not getting as many layers of glass down as I wanted, and not being able to find my USB cable for my phone, I don't have anything cool to show...
Hopefully I'll make some progress on Sunday.

Jay


----------



## jmacdadd

I am in Lansing and work out of my garage and buddy's pole barn locally through Craigslist ads and personal referrals...how is business in the Metro these days? I am half tempted to try to open a small retail outlet in Lansing, but I don't know that there is enough demand to be able to compete with BestBuy, Wal*Mart and Meijer...I know, for crying out loud that's ALL we have around here! It's sickening! I spend more time trying to troubleshoot DIY hackjobs than actually installing. Anyway, looks like business is booming for you... I'd like to thank you for picking a righteous color for your new ride and not getting something standard like white, black, blue, etc.


----------



## JayinMI

Same here. Our other stores are doing pretty well, but for us (in Pontiac) it's much of the same. DIY hack job fixes, (or recommendations, since the customers usually don't want to spend the money to do it right.)
I did a system for a guy yesterday consisting of an amp and sub he bought from us a while ago and pulled out of another car (himself), and Boss screen with detachable face and screen, Boss 6x9s and Cheap Scosche "4ga" kit.
I occasionally dream about doing builds out of my garage, except I don't have one.  It's almost enough to get me out of an industry I used to love and have been in for almost 18 years. I have a 45mile (one way) commute, and if I wanted a shorter commute I'd have to take a HUGE paycut, since I live near Flint and they don't pay sh*t up here. :mean:

Jay


----------



## Chaos

Nice to see your build still steadily progressing, despite the inclement weather. I'm especially curious to read your impressions of how the RS180 & XT25 sound together. Are you still planning to utilize the TB 3" as well?


Kinda off topic, but with starter season over & gas prices skyrocketing lately, business south of metro Detroit has been awful for the last few weeks as well - but hey, at least it gives us time to work on our own installs...


----------



## 94VG30DE

You guys should move to GR. The only shop doing work that isn't BB is Xtreme, who I think spends most of their time doing body work to Ferraris and Porsches. They rake in the cash, like Pimp My Ride cash, but there has to be a spot in the market between crazy high-dollar show car work and BB. All the smaller shops dried up I guess though, so maybe there isn't, I dunno. I just know that place is a bubble, the economy is insulated. Certainly way better than the east side...


----------



## unemployedconsumer

just caught onto this build and i can't wait to see your pillars. hoping to possibly get a chance to hear your setup when your done, i don't know too many people interested in sq around me.


----------



## JayinMI

Chaos said:


> Nice to see your build still steadily progressing, despite the inclement weather. I'm especially curious to read your impressions of how the RS180 & XT25 sound together. Are you still planning to utilize the TB 3" as well?


I'm actually setting it up to run the 180's and the TB 3's...the tweeters will depend on if I think it needs a little sparkle on the top end. I hope not to have to use them. I've see alot of people running the TB's tweeterless, and thought I'd give it a shot. From some other stuff I've read, it looks like the RS180's are kind weak in the upper midrange, so I figured I'd be able to cross the RS180's off low (like 60 or 70 to 300-350ish) and the TB's from there on up, and if I need to I can add the tweeters to shore up like 10k+.






Chaos said:


> Kinda off topic, but with starter season over & gas prices skyrocketing lately, business south of metro Detroit has been awful for the last few weeks as well - but hey, at least it gives us time to work on our own installs...


I wish I'd had my Genesis at work today...we didn't do anything until like 4:30pm.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

unemployedconsumer said:


> just caught onto this build and i can't wait to see your pillars. hoping to possibly get a chance to hear your setup when your done, i don't know too many people interested in sq around me.


Me either.  We have a couple of customers who are, but mostly when I try to suggest something SQ related they just look at me like I have 3 heads. 

Where abouts are you at?

Jay


----------



## unemployedconsumer

JayinMI said:


> Me either.  We have a couple of customers who are, but mostly when I try to suggest something SQ related they just look at me like I have 3 heads.
> 
> Where abouts are you at?
> 
> Jay


i'm by novi now but my lease is up at the end of the month and its looking like ill actually be staying in grand blanc in may and june. My pillars should be done by the end of this month so it would be cool to compare your setup to mine. i'm not a professional though so you'll have to be kind when judging my work.


----------



## JayinMI

Well, I finally got to listen to the TB's and all I can say is WOW!
I was very impressed. With no eq, no TA, and just a rough set of the crossovers it sounds pretty good. I don't think I'll need tweeters...the highs were nice and not fatiguing at all. 

Oh, and I just have them sitting in towels on the dash right now.

The downside is they're kind of "in your face," as in the stage seems very close.
Wondering if I attenuated the TB's some if that would help.

My plan for now is to bridge 4 channels of my 900/5 to the RS180's, and then use my Rockford 4600x bridged to the TB's...I'd prefer to use my Sony XM-4040, but it won't fit.

I'm running the RS180's from 60-350, and the TB's from 350 up. Sub is currently set at 70 and down.

With the TB's in, and the RS180's set this way, it is MUCH harder to localize the sub...almost always seemed to come from in front of me, unless I was listening to something with synthesized lows.

Stage width is basically from outside mirror to outside mirror.
So that could be better...maybe once I get the TA set it will change.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK, so I finally managed to find the correct number of cables and chargers and stuff to retrieve all my pics of my pillar/dash pods.

I specifically didn't mold them ONTO the pillars, because:
A) I'm not sure how it will sound
B) Didn't want to cut up the car
C) Seemed easier to change later, if I have to.

So, I taped off the corners of the dash, and used a tarp to cover anything the tape didn't cover. 




























Then I applied 'glass to the taped areas to make a mold of the area. 



















Now, This was done in 40 degree weather, while it was raining. I had the defroster on so the glass would dry like it was supposed to.

Played with positioning for a little while...



















continued...


----------



## JayinMI

Took them to work today...and just kinda ended up putting the rings where they'd fit and the speaker would clear the bottom. I listened to them a little before I set my final position, and they seemed to work as well as anything else I had tried to this point.

They were positioned more based on angle of the windshield, position of the defroster vents, and how much viewing area I was willing to give up. I hope it works out.

Cut the bases down, attached the rings and stretched grille fabric across it...



















Reinforced the position some with a dowel:










Magnet clearance:










Cloth stretched:










And glass:



















And tomorrow, I'll probably hit them with filler....haven't quite decided what I'm going to wrap them with...the black faux leather I usually use wasn't available, and I don't really want to deal with an upholstery shop to get headliner material that matches mine...so it might start with SEM Texture Coat and then I can change later...

Jay


----------



## 3cyltrbo

Loving this thread and build

I almost went with the Tangband 3's and I'm glad to see feedback from a live person on how they sound. 

I went with the Dayton audio ND 105-4 (4" aluminum midbass) and Vifa BC25 tweet combo instead. 

Now hearing your thoughts on the Tangband bamboo 3's I'm second guessing myself 

Anyways, looking forward to your updates. 

Great build!

Cheers

Will


----------



## ecbmxer

Nice! Can't wait to see the final pics with them installed! I cut up my pillars to mount 3" widebands, but I really like this method since you don't have to cut up any trim and it's less to wrap, etc. If I don't like the aiming on mine once they are hooked up, I might go this route. Hoping I won't have to though.


----------



## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

Very nice, I love it... but dang dood, them doughnuts are HUGE on that pod.. making a HUGE pod.. 

Pop that bish in a PVC endcap and EQ it out.. 1/4 the space... (remember, on such a small driver, it could be a CLOSED BACK driver and still work just fine, See some of Patric Batemans posts on this)


Soon as things get around, I'm coming down to see this in person.. dammit.. lol.. (I'm sooooooooo far away from anything "decent" anyway)


----------



## JayinMI

A thread by Patrick Bateman is part of the reason those donuts are the size they are. 

I think it was the "Improve your soundstage for $2" one. He talked about rounding over and stuff, so I wanted to try it out.

Jay


----------



## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

Ahhh, gotcha... as you where.. lol.. 

I'm going the opposite route and making the ring and enclosure as small as possible..


----------



## JayinMI

Well, after getting them *into* the enclosures, it seems as tho the highs are not nearly as "there" as they were wrapped in a towel...If it seems so after tuning, then I'll mold my Vifa RR's onto the side if the pods and try again.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

OK...here we go.

Pods w/ glass trimmed.



















Smoothed with filler:



















Wrapped in black grille cloth:



















Hole for speaker wire drilled in a pillar:




























And mounted:











Then...


----------



## Dmanj

WOW! i love this build, and those pods look amazing!


----------



## JayinMI

I was looking at them through the windshield, and there was a strip about 5/16" wide on both sides where you could see the gray a pillar plastic. Not bad really, since my pods followed the contour perfectly, but I thought it would bug me later.

In my car the pillars are gray, but the B and C pillars are black...so I wrapped my a pillars too:










I also painted the screw cover black to match:



















Final product:



















From the outside they are almost invisible.



















Yes, I know I'm missing 2 screws...I lost a couple while I had things apart so I need to find some more and paint them black.

Now I just need to make some grilles...

Maybe this weekend...Tuning will come first, tho.

Jay


----------



## tintbox

Looks good. Curious on the evaluation with out tweeters.


----------



## JayinMI

I boosted the highs on the radio, but I can't really give a good review yet since I am still running flat EQ and no TA. This weekend I hope to get some time with the BitOne and see what I can do. 

One thing I noticed was the highs were more noticeable when I just had them wrapped in a towel.

They seem a little better when I invert the phase on the Bamboos, and the center seems better but everything seems diffused that way. The vocals and such are clearer while in phase, but the highs are quieter.

I bought the Vifa's specifically for this possibility, so if I have to add them, I already have them. I'd prefer to run without them so I don't need more amp channels.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Dmanj said:


> WOW! i love this build, and those pods look amazing!


Thanks!


----------



## sinister-kustoms

Those pods look great! I'm also interested to hear your thoughts on the TB's after tuning.


----------



## JayinMI

If they don't work out, maybe I'll try the Audible Physics 3" widebander...instead of adding the tweets.

Jay


----------



## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

Diggity..


----------



## JayinMI

JayinMI said:


> I did frequency response measurements on my factory head unit.
> I found the Infinity head unit has a 4V balanced differential signal going to the factory amplifier. I tapped ahead of the factory amp and used an 1/8" stereo to 1/8" stereo cable to feed the output of my MobilePreUSB into the Aux in of my head unit. The input is wired to the left channel of the input to the factory amp.
> 
> The instructions in Bikinpunk's tutorial were very helpful.
> 
> Some initial views show that the frequency response is all over the place at low volumes (around 1-10), starts to normalize some around 15...which is where I normally listen to it at...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ^ This is with the volume at 15 (of 35) with Bass/Mid/Treble at 0.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ^ This is with the volume at 30 (of 35) B/M/T at 0.
> 
> At this volume level, when I checked last I was well over 2V...but not sure where it starts clipping. Generally the stereo sounds pretty clean up over 25.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ^ This is max volume, B/M/T at 0.
> 
> I'd bet it's clipping up here, but I'll check it with the Oscilloscope function in TrueRTA at some point.
> 
> I played around some more, and came up with what I feel will be a good point to leave it at...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That was 25 vol, B -3, M/T at 0....should give me a decent voltage signal, likely no clipping and a pretty flat response, except for the roll of on the high and low end. Looks like it starts around 12.5k on the high end and around 50Hz on the low end.
> 
> I'm hoping cabin gain will help cure some of the low end that's missing, and that mounting my tweets on the a pillars or near the windshield will boost the highs some...of course, I don't know how the BitOne.1 is going to deal with it...if it flattens it out, then I guess it won't be a huge issue anyway.
> 
> Finally, here's Vol 15, B -3, M/T at 0.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Notice the high and low got boosted when I turned the volume down. I don't see anyway to turn off the loudness effect...
> 
> Jay


(Quoted for reference.)

OK, if I keep the main volume on the HU up higher (around 25) The TB's sound decent up high....especially if I lean toward the center of the car to be more on-axis. So I believe if they were aimed a little differently, they wouldn't really *need* the tweeters...However, if I have the HU below 25, the highs all but disappear. 

I understand the proper way to do it would be tune the radio to a volume and then use the B1 for volume control, but I like the convenience of my steering wheel controls, so that isn't really an option. Plus, if I do it that way, my bluetooth controls are VERY quiet.

So far, looking like I'll be adding the tweeters....

I'm running the front channels to the TB's (so, probably around 50W @ 8ohms)

The rear channels are running my RS180's at [email protected] ohms ea.

And the sub is 500W.

I was thinking of changing it up and doing this:

Sub: 500W
RS180's: 200W (bridge main channels of 900/5)

And then bridge Rockford 4600X to 60W a side @ 8ohms.

But then I still need 2 more channels for the tweets...

Saw a 2600X Rockford on Ebay the other day...I could probably fit the 2600X and 4600X behind the drivers quarter panel...

I had also thought about adding another 900/5 and another Dayton Sub...

That would give me something like this:

100W to each tweeter
50W to each TB
200W to each RS180
500W to each sub.

But that's the pricey way to go, and since we will no longer be carrying JL, I'd have to come up with a bunch of money soon. 

We do have ARC, tho...


Decisions, decisions...

Jay


----------



## subwoofery

JayinMI said:


> A thread by Patrick Bateman is part of the reason those donuts are the size they are.
> 
> I think it was the "Improve your soundstage for $2" one. He talked about rounding over and stuff, so I wanted to try it out.
> 
> Jay


Just so everyone knows... Patrick said to use this trick on tweeters. He stated that there wasn't enough benefits for mids coz you would need to make them big enough (which can be ugly or intrusive) in order to have them eliminate diffraction in the lower freqs... 
He never quite understood why so many people used those for midranges when it was initially to reduce diffraction on tweeters... 

Sorry for the thread jack... Just needed to clarify something 

Kelvin


----------



## JayinMI

True. I figured it couldn't hurt, and since I was running the 3" w/o tweeter (well, at least that was the plan), I thought I'd give it a shot.
Honestly, I don't think it mattered. If I rebuild the pods, I'll make smaller rings.

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

My understanding was that the use of the spherical pods was pass-band related, and not necessarily diaphragm-size related. Am I incorrect in this?


----------



## Chaos

I wonder if it would make any difference to the FR if you put some fill in the pods? 




Oh, and not to get off topic, but why won't you be carrying JL any longer?


----------



## MTopper

What? Cartunes will no longer carry JL? thats crazy talk Jay. i was just at the Roseville location today.

good luck figuring out the speaker volume. i have no idea how to fix that


----------



## JayinMI

I will be adding polyfil on wednesday. 

If I use the BitOne and factory HU the way they are supposed to be (using the HU at a fixed volume and then controlling volume with the BitOne), the highs are much better. 

I had planned to RTA and possibly T/A my stuff today, but didn't have time...

I believe it is passband related, so it won't matter. I'm OK with it. The rounded edges worked out for the shaping of the pods.

JL announced it will be moving to a competitor next month...funny thing is, I bet we'll see them grovelling to come back once they see how many "defective" returns they get from those hacks. They pulled some shady backdoor sh*t, so good riddance to them.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Played with the BitOne today for about 5 mins. Changed my crossover points a little (from 350 hp/lp to 300 hp/lp) and readjusted my levels. Sounds MUCH better. The highs are much more noticeable. Tomorrow...the RTA.

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

Isn't it nice when 5 min of tuning shows a marked improvement?


----------



## JayinMI

Yeah. It is. Hoping for more after I play with the EQ.

Jay


----------



## MuahMan

Hope this isn't resurrecting a dead thread but I have the same car just a different year. Just took out all my interior and deadened the whole car (save the front doors). While I was in there I ran a 0 gauge power to the trunk just like JayMi. Through an 8" e3.9 ED IB sub. Tapped into the rear speakers for an LOC added a 600 watt amp to power the sub @ 2ohms. Also through some Polk 651s to replace the rear stock speakers. Overall... the system sounds kinda crappy, especially at volume. The rear speakers I put in there must be terribly underpowered by the stock amp, when I fade all the way to the back I lose 80% of the volume, all the bass, and it sounds like it's clipping (not 100% sure what clipping is though). 

Basically my question is this: JayMi why the F can't you live in FL! I'd drive anywhere in the state to find a quality workmanship like this. I went into a shop last week asking about help and the "pro installer" didn't evenstand that the amp I would provide had high level speaker inputs and wouldn't need an LOC. Needless to say I walked out. I simply CANNOT find a reputable dealer ANYWHERE in south florida. FML!!

The real question is:

I notice you ripped out the stock amp behind the passenger side rear panel. Now if I'm reading the diagram correctly from HMA service (I have the "premium" audio) it says the HU is actually just a screen up front and that amp runs EVERYTHING. As is that amp/thingy is the HU. How did you pull it and not lose everything. I mean bluetooth, navi, steering wheel controls, etc.
Or am I wrong and that JBL box is truly just providing power.

Now I don't have an unlimited budget so I'm trying to a piece at a time. So far the rear speaker step appears to have been a waste (somewhat expected).
Do you think it's worth it to start by putting some components in the door running on the stock amp and see if that improves it any? I have a set of Polk Audio DB6501 components, I also just bought a set of CDT Kamma-61 6.5's. I wasn't sure which to use but I'm leaning towards the CDT's just because of the botique brand name.

If it still doesn't sound acceptable to me I'm going to have to buy a second amp I guess and then that means I'll need a sound processor as well correct? BitOne is definitely out of my price range. I might could swing the JL CleanSweep or MAYBE that JBL MS8, or the Rockford 360.

I'm in way over my head. I'm a network engineer by trade some I'm not completely stupid but does this sound like something I should even attempt on my own?

Thanks 

Brian


----------



## JayinMI

It's not a dead thread, just on hiatus. 

The amp is just an amp. The HU does everything else, and then feeds 4 channels to the amp. I took the amp out (which, incidentally, solved the problem that many 2010 Genny's have, in that the radio would reset when cold)...and just tapped RCA's onto the low level output from the HU.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

MuahMan said:


> Hope this isn't resurrecting a dead thread but I have the same car just a different year. Just took out all my interior and deadened the whole car (save the front doors). While I was in there I ran a 0 gauge power to the trunk just like JayMi. Through an 8" e3.9 ED IB sub. Tapped into the rear speakers for an LOC added a 600 watt amp to power the sub @ 2ohms. Also through some Polk 651s to replace the rear stock speakers. Overall... the system sounds kinda crappy, especially at volume. The rear speakers I put in there must be terribly underpowered by the stock amp, when I fade all the way to the back I lose 80% of the volume, all the bass, and it sounds like it's clipping (not 100% sure what clipping is though).
> 
> Basically my question is this: JayMi why the F can't you live in FL! I'd drive anywhere in the state to find a quality workmanship like this. I went into a shop last week asking about help and the "pro installer" didn't evenstand that the amp I would provide had high level speaker inputs and wouldn't need an LOC. Needless to say I walked out. I simply CANNOT find a reputable dealer ANYWHERE in south florida. FML!!


My gf was in Orlando for 1.5 out of the last 2 years. But not the same thing 





MuahMan said:


> The real question is:
> 
> I notice you ripped out the stock amp behind the passenger side rear panel. Now if I'm reading the diagram correctly from HMA service (I have the "premium" audio) it says the HU is actually just a screen up front and that amp runs EVERYTHING. As is that amp/thingy is the HU. How did you pull it and not lose everything. I mean bluetooth, navi, steering wheel controls, etc.
> Or am I wrong and that JBL box is truly just providing power.
> 
> Now I don't have an unlimited budget so I'm trying to a piece at a time. So far the rear speaker step appears to have been a waste (somewhat expected).
> Do you think it's worth it to start by putting some components in the door running on the stock amp and see if that improves it any? I have a set of Polk Audio DB6501 components, I also just bought a set of CDT Kamma-61 6.5's. I wasn't sure which to use but I'm leaning towards the CDT's just because of the botique brand name.
> 
> If it still doesn't sound acceptable to me I'm going to have to buy a second amp I guess and then that means I'll need a sound processor as well correct? BitOne is definitely out of my price range. I might could swing the JL CleanSweep or MAYBE that JBL MS8, or the Rockford 360.
> 
> I'm in way over my head. I'm a network engineer by trade some I'm not completely stupid but does this sound like something I should even attempt on my own?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Brian


Are you on Gencoupe? 

You don't NEED a sound processor, though it wouldn't hurt. I got the BitOne because I won it in a raffle. I was going to buy one anyway, so that saved me a ton. I've used a few 360.2's at work...like it better than the Cleansweep since you can't change setting on the Cleansweep.

You could do something as simple as a 4 channel amp with a pass through, then a sub amp with a bass knob off that.

Jay


----------



## MuahMan

JayinMI said:


> It's not a dead thread, just on hiatus.
> 
> The amp is just an amp. The HU does everything else, and then feeds 4 channels to the amp. I took the amp out (which, incidentally, solved the problem that many 2010 Genny's have, in that the radio would reset when cold)...and just tapped RCA's onto the low level output from the HU.
> 
> Jay


Can I tap into those low level outputs via the amp instead of pulling the dash? Pins 4-7 on the wiring diagram?


----------



## JayinMI

I grabbed them at the amp. I still haven't even taken the radio out of the dash yet! Not sure about the pins tho.

I'll have to check.

Jay


----------



## MuahMan

JayinMI said:


> I grabbed them at the amp. I still haven't even taken the radio out of the dash yet! Not sure about the pins tho.
> 
> I'll have to check.
> 
> Jay











By muahman at 2011-05-04

I think I got the right ones.


----------



## JayinMI

4-7 and 17-20.

And it's a balanced signal, so if you are looking for an interface, look for something that can deal with a balanced signal.

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

And the factory amp turn on wire works fine for an aftermarket amp turn on


----------



## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

It's not going to be long, and I'm coming to see this in person...

Weather I have mine finished at the time or not is yet to be determined.. :laugh:


I'm doing Eyes on Design June 18... So if the shop would like some advert, maybe some help could be has?? (going to be doing as many shows as possible)


----------



## MuahMan

Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX said:


> It's not going to be long, and I'm coming to see this in person...
> 
> Weather I have mine finished at the time or not is yet to be determined.. :laugh:
> 
> 
> I'm doing Eyes on Design June 18... So if the shop would like some advert, maybe some help could be has?? (going to be doing as many shows as possible)


 ^ English translation needed. ^


----------



## MTopper

Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX said:


> It's not going to be long, and I'm coming to see this in person...
> 
> Weather I have mine finished at the time or not is yet to be determined.. :laugh:
> 
> 
> I'm doing Eyes on Design June 18... So if the shop would like some advert, maybe some help could be has?? (going to be doing as many shows as possible)


is that the brighton or the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House? i live not even 5 miles from the Ford Estate. It'd be interesting to see what all the older car guys would say about some very nicely done audio installs


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## JayinMI

Something tells me that most of those old guys would be unhappy with the fact that Aaron's and mine are both in foreign cars 

Jay


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## wdemetrius1

MuahMan said:


> Basically my question is this: JayMi why the F can't you live in FL! I'd drive anywhere in the state to find a quality workmanship like this. I went into a shop last week asking about help and the "pro installer" didn't evenstand that the amp I would provide had high level speaker inputs and wouldn't need an LOC. Needless to say I walked out. I simply CANNOT find a reputable dealer ANYWHERE in south florida. FML!!
> 
> Brian



I know a quality installer who just moved to Tampa.... 

Hint: He did the install in my signature.


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

MTopper said:


> is that the brighton or the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House? i live not even 5 miles from the Ford Estate. It'd be interesting to see what all the older car guys would say about some very nicely done audio installs


Yes Sir...



> Something tells me that most of those old guys would be unhappy with the fact that Aaron's and mine are both in foreign cars
> 
> Jay


There are imports every year, they try and cover the complete gamut from what I understand... Invite only so they can control what's coming in... 



> ^ English translation needed. ^



Reading skills required...


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## regxjin

man..

I wish I had your craftmanship ability.
You really integrate the peices so nicely.


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## JayinMI

Thanks!

Jay


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## JayinMI

Looking like there may be some fairly major changes coming up soon...
I've decided to give up my spare to make room...
I'll know by this weekend for sure.

Jay


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## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> I've decided to give up my spare to make room...
> Jay


Traitor! What made you want to go tireless?


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## JayinMI

I need to keep the height in my trunk where it's at or my toolbox won't fit, so I can't do a false floor. 

My amp choices are going to take up ALOT more space than the current setup.

My GF said she'd make me a nice cover for my spare, so I can have it in the car when I need it.

Jay


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## JayinMI

OK. My HD900/5 has been paid for and shipped. Currently in saving-up mode.
The Plan is this:

Arc KS 300.4 bridged to dash pods (180WRMS a side @8ohms)
Arc KS 300.4 bridged to the midbasses (300WRMS a side @ 4 ohms)
Arc KS 1200.1 on 

Either 2 AE 12IB's (if I can find a set before I order my amps)
or 3 Arc 12's (if they'll fit-which I doubt)
or 3 Arc 10's (I know these will go)

Subs will be IB.

Should put me in the vicinity of 2160WRMS.

Jay


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## MTopper

what are you gonna do do support that kind of draw?


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## 94VG30DE

3 10's should have roughly 4% greater cone area than 2 12's. Just something to think about. If it's easier to fit, might go that route.


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## JayinMI

MTopper said:


> what are you gonna do do support that kind of draw?


Nothing for now. Honestly, I'm doing it for the headroom, so I will very rarely draw all of that. If I find it warrants it, I might see about having Daves DC Electric do an alternator for me....tho finding someone who does Hyundai alternators might be fun. I might also include some XS Power batteries in the mix.

Mainly I wanted more power since (VERY) occassionally I really want it to scream, but the HD900/5 just wasn't getting me that kind of volume.

Jay


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## 94VG30DE

Class G/H helps with the power demands too.


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## malutki

you did a great job with the TB's and the other stuff


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## JayinMI

Thanks!

I'd love to replace them with some Audible Physics someday.

Jay


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## bballer123

Hey,

Do you know anywhere that may have a harness that plugs into the existing harness on the amplifier input side? I could use the signal without having to disturb the wires at all. I am putting a Bit One in my genesis, but want to have the ability to return to stock. Let me know if you can think of anything. Thanks!

-Matt


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## JayinMI

Well, I don't know of anywhere to get that exact harness, but somewhere around the beginning of this thread I showed how I spliced in Metra 71-2003 and 70-2003 harnesses and then made a T-harness so I could put the factory stuff back in later.

Jay


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## bballer123

Alright. I will take a look at that. I appreciate your help. Thanks!

-Matt


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## MTopper

Cartunes really does like their high quality products don't they? i saw that they are carrying focal also which is pretty surprising. love the product choices though Jay


Why not just throw the Arc SE 4000 that roseville has in their display case? it could power you into the future even!!! haha. a lack of sleep made that seem really funny to me


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## JayinMI

We have an Arc 4000SE at our store. NIB.  We have a specific customer in mind for that one, tho. He just hasn't decided to step up yet.

Jay


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## MTopper

hahaha.... i was just messing with you man. how do those Arc subs do IB and/or ported?


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## JayinMI

Not too sure yet, actually. We haven't had them very long, and I'm just starting to get my salesguy to sell Arc. So far so good. Haven't heard them IB, but Rustbucketgirl is running a pair of 10's IB and has given pretty glowing reviews.

We'll see.

Jay


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## bballer123

Were you ever able to use an o-scope to see where the signal started clipping from the factory head-unit?

-Matt


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## JayinMI

No. I might do it before install the new amps. I am thinking of running an Audiocontrol LC2i between the HU and the Bitone and maybe a Matrix between the B1 and the amps. I dunno.

Right now, I'm just trying to get the money together for my amps and subs.

Jay


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## bballer123

Gotcha. Why the Audiocontrol between the BitOne? Do you not like the results of the speaker input on it?

Getting the money together is always the hardest part!

-Matt


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## JayinMI

Just trying to get the voltage up before the BitOne. I'm using the balanced output from my headunit, not the speaker level outputs from the amp....it's about 2 volts RMS, so I'd like a little better voltage going in...I've also been thinking about using an AC Matrix to boost it on the output side.

Jay


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## pdqwrx

Hey Jay, cool build and great choice in amps. I was wondering if you have seen the new KS600.2. This amp is a BEAST and has a ton of SQ potential. It would be a great amp to run in place of the 300.4's bridged and is the same footprint as the 1200.1 you will be running on bass. And the ARC subs work very well IB.

Also as a side note.... ARC Blacks will be here before you know it!

Cheers
Scott


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

JayinMI said:


> No. I might do it before install the new amps. I am thinking of running an Audiocontrol LC2i between the HU and the Bitone and maybe a Matrix between the B1 and the amps. I dunno.
> 
> Right now, I'm just trying to get the money together for my amps and subs.
> 
> Jay


I've got an O-scope...


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX

JayinMI said:


> Just trying to get the voltage up before the BitOne. I'm using the balanced output from my headunit, not the speaker level outputs from the amp....it's about 2 volts RMS, so I'd like a little better voltage going in...I've also been thinking about using an AC Matrix to boost it on the output side.
> 
> Jay



K.I.S.S. 

if you've got 2v "balanced" do you need more? 

Remember what you are working with... (jus sayin)


(I don't "tell" anyone that "knows" anything, I only offer suggestion)


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## pdqwrx

I agree with Aaron, use the bit one and be done. Or leave room for the coming Arc unit. Adding that much extra gear could really color the sound as well as bring noise into the system.

Cheers
Scott


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## JayinMI

I was reviewing the input voltage specs on the KS amps, and saw they were rated for like .4-4 or so...so I will probably skip the line drivers...I'm thinking of adding an optical out to my factory HU and see how that goes.

I've been hearing about this new Arc piece for some time now...any idea when it's due? 

Jay


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## bballer123

Adding more components in the signal path, ugh. Keep it simple if the voltage is acceptable. 

Can I assume that by optical out, you are referring to an iPad or iPhone4?

-Matt


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## underdog

ChrisB said:


> Good thing you are planning on keeping the factory radio because it looks like it would be a beeitch to replace without losing some sort of vital funcationality! Then again, you could probably squeeze a regular Din unit in that storage space under the factory radio...
> 
> Other than that, congrats on the car and consider this my tagscribe to your build log


I agree
Looks like this thread was made for you.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-sq-forum-technical-advanced/8257-jbls-ms-8-processor.html


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## JayinMI

bballer123 said:


> Adding more components in the signal path, ugh. Keep it simple if the voltage is acceptable.
> 
> Can I assume that by optical out, you are referring to an iPad or iPhone4?
> 
> -Matt


Nope. I am going to add a Toslink digital optical output from the CD Mech into the BitOne. Really only useful if I decide to compete, since I haven't bought CD's in years.

I am just kind of tossing ideas around to see what I want to do. 
The Audio Control/Audison rep was in yesterday and told me that every Audison display comes with all Audison product AND an Audiocontrol Matrix.

Jay


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## JayinMI

underdog said:


> I agree
> Looks like this thread was made for you.
> 
> http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-sq-forum-technical-advanced/8257-jbls-ms-8-processor.html


There are at several kits available for the Gen Coupe. 1 Silver single din, silver double din, black single din and black double din -- with base heater controls, then it also has some with the auto climate controls. Yes, they're different.

The display on top of the dash is just for the radio (in my car, anyway...might be different w/ factory Nav) and can be disconnected with no ill effects.

I just don't care for the kit that much.
Besides, I already have Steering wheel controls, bluetooth handsfree, XM, 6 disc changer, ipod/usb, etc.

Jay


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## bballer123

JayinMI said:


> Nope. I am going to add a Toslink digital optical output from the CD Mech into the BitOne. Really only useful if I decide to compete, since I haven't bought CD's in years.
> 
> I am just kind of tossing ideas around to see what I want to do.
> The Audio Control/Audison rep was in yesterday and told me that every Audison display comes with all Audison product AND an Audiocontrol Matrix.
> 
> Jay


WHA!! I would love to have the CD output digitally to the bitone. I was looking at the output configuration of the nav HU and saw just the speaker line outputs. Maybe I was looking at it wrong.

-Matt


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## JayinMI

I am going to follow this tutorial:

HOW TO ADD TOSLINK DIGITAL OUTPUT TO YOUR CD PLAYER FOR LESS THEN

Though the part info is a little dated, the basic idea is still accurate.
Hope the markings on the board aren't in Korean! 

It'll will only work with the CD player tho, the Tuner and XM will not play through the optical.

Jay


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## bballer123

Interesting. I am going to say, if it works, you will probably be the only guy with a gen to do this. Good luck with it. I am definitely in for the results.

-Matt


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## JayinMI

Well, I sold my amp and then life got in the way, so I resintalled my factory amp so I had sound. The BitOne seems to be having power supply issues, so I need to look into getting that fixed. So, no progress for a while.

Just thought I'd let you all know.

Jay


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## 94VG30DE

Sorry to hear that Jay. Funny how direction changes so often sometimes. As you say, life gets in the way for all of us  Good luck.


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## JayinMI

And of course, now I need new tires...another $1k....grrrr.

Jay


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## JayinMI

OK. Got my tires...Continental ExtremeContact DWS's, for just under $900 OTD. Car is at the dealer right now having some TSB's done and they are apparently replacing both headlights (looks like someone shot the inside with a clearish paintball right in front of the projector) and a new Sunroof glass because the plastic around the seal is cracked really bad.

As many people as have had issues getting their GC's serviced properly at other dealers, I'm amazed at how smoothly things seem to be going so far....I'm withholding my opinion until I get it back. 

Had to get it in now, cause I'm at 59,922 and my bumper to bumper is up at 60k. Nothing like cutting it close. 

Oh, and the tires had an offer on them that gets me a free Magellan RoadMate 2035 w/ Traffic alerts for life. Bonus!

Jay


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## JayinMI

New update. Car has been returned to stock. I hope to be trading it in soon.
The "power supply issue" I was having, may not be a power supply issue. I noticed (as I was removing everything) that the fuse wasn't tight in the fuse holder....I might have to bench test this tomorrow.

Jay


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## Dmanj

What are you going to trade it in for?


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## JayinMI

I'm looking at a Kia Rio 5 door. Thinking something like this:










I think I'm going to use a Galaxy Tab 10.1 as my source, into the Bitone or maybe the new Arc processor.

Jay


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## 94VG30DE

Why did you decide to trade it in?


----------



## HondAudio

JayinMI said:


> I'm looking at a Kia Rio 5 door. Thinking something like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think I'm going to use a Galaxy Tab 10.1 as my source, into the Bitone or maybe the new Arc processor.
> 
> Jay


That's... interesting... looking. I like the lines on the doors, but the front end is way too busy-looking :surprised:


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## JayinMI

94VG30DE said:


> Why did you decide to trade it in?


When I bought it, gas was 2.03/gal. Now it's 4.09/gal. With an 86 mile a day commute it adds up. The Rio gets about 33% better gas mileage. Cheaper insurance, and lower payment. I should be able to get nearly $150 chopped off my payment. New car. The list goes on. I'm sick of being broke...everytime I think I will be able to get some money together for the audio, something comes up. I want more of a buffer...I can also fit my table saw in the back of the Rio.

Jay


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## chad

hatchbacks rock.


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## MTopper

JayinMI said:


> When I bought it, gas was 2.03/gal. Now it's 4.09/gal. With an 86 mile a day commute it adds up. The Rio gets about 33% better gas mileage. Cheaper insurance, and lower payment. I should be able to get nearly $150 chopped off my payment. New car. The list goes on. I'm sick of being broke...everytime I think I will be able to get some money together for the audio, something comes up. I want more of a buffer...I can also fit my table saw in the back of the Rio.
> 
> Jay


i hear ya man. my chevy blazer was $2.82 a gallon when i got it, sold it not long ago when gas was at 3.90 a gallon and bought a chevy cruze. with car payment and all, i save over $50 a month for a brand new car, not including repairs that were being done monthly on the blazer. 

the rio isn't bad looking, but why not the focus st that comes out this fall?


----------



## stochastic

My vote would be for the new 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT, but I'm a little biased. If I were you, I'd stick with the Korean manufacturers like Hyundai or Kia just simply because you already know the quirks for an audio install on these types of cars.


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## subwoofery

Am not too fond of Kia's new facelift... having said that, the new Optima does look good. 
Seem to have read that Kia just hired a new designer - straight from Audi  

Kelvin


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## n_olympios

$4,09/gallon... We pay almost 2 euros per litre for 98oct (a bit less for 95oct), so that equals about $7,57/gallon.


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## JayinMI

The audio ins-and-outs of the car are really not going to come into play. I'll be replacing EVERYTHING.

The Focus is out of the price range I want to stay in. I drove the Fiesta (which drives nice, seems to handle well and I liked the clutch and transmission), the Sonic Turbo (LOVED the transmission, probably the most fun car I drove by a slim margin), and the Fit (engine was buzzy, clutch slipped, car was loud...by far the least favorite car I've test driven.) I hate the interior in the Fiesta. 

I drove an auto Rio and I liked it, but I'm looking for a manual. They're really hard to find.

I know gas prices in Euro nations are much higher than here, but out of curiosity have they doubled in less than 3 years? When I bought the car it was about $2/gal...not it's about $4. Also, I've put about 70k on the car, and it's getting to the point where I expect to have to start putting significant money into it...or I can trade it in and get a new car.

We'll see what happens. Still need to get insurance quotes and check with my finance company.

Jay


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## JayinMI

subwoofery said:


> Am not too fond of Kia's new facelift... having said that, the new Optima does look good.
> Seem to have read that Kia just hired a new designer - straight from Audi
> 
> Kelvin


I like Kia's new facelift vs. the new Hyundai products. A lot of the new 2013 stuff (especially the Veloster and the new Genesis coupe) is atrocious. 

Jay


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## n_olympios

JayinMI said:


> I know gas prices in Euro nations are much higher than here, but out of curiosity have they doubled in less than 3 years?


Unfortunately they have, Jay.  Back in 2008 when I bought my Leon price was less than a euro/litre. It doesn't do me good that it only gets around 25mpg either, and like you, I do commute a lot. 

The sad thing is I'd be losing a lot of money if I gave it back now (it's on a "buy-in-the-end-clause" lease), so have to deal with it for another year and a half. My best scenario would be to trade it in for another smaller engine Leon so I could transfer the audio parts in the new one, but it's a no-go. 

In any case, I hope you find a good solution. The Rio is a great car.


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## chad

n_olympios said:


> $4,09/gallon... We pay almost 2 euros per litre for 98oct (a bit less for 95oct), so that equals about $7,57/gallon.


what do you pay for healthcare?


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## n_olympios

Here in Greece, about 46% of our salary. But, since it's **** anyway, many have private healthcare contracts with insurance companies just to be on the safe(r) side. 

This is waaay off topic though. We can discuss it in another thread perhaps.


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## JayinMI

I think America needs to go into Venezuela "to restore democracy." (and get $.25/gal gas. LOL)

It amazes me that people in Europe have any money for themselves...with nearly half your income going for insurance, the taxes and inflated gas prices, it seems like you would barely be able to eat fast food.

Gas shot up $.27/gal today between noon and 6pm. Funny considering the gas was already refined months ago.

Jay


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## MTopper

what prices are you paying jay? at 11 mile and groesbeck its still only 3.88 right now


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## JayinMI

The Speedway about a mile from my house is 4.09 for regular...4.29 for premium. It was 3.88 this morning on my way to work.

Jay


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## JayinMI

It's official...the Genesis is gone. I traded it in on a 2012 Kia Rio EX Hatchback.

The UVO system is pretty cool...but will probably still get replaced....
But for now, I think the streaming BT audio will get alot of use.

Jay


----------



## 94VG30DE

JayinMI said:


> It's official...the Genesis is gone. I traded it in on a 2012 Kia Rio EX Hatchback.
> 
> The UVO system is pretty cool...but will probably still get replaced....
> But for now, I think the streaming BT audio will get alot of use.
> 
> Jay


Pics or it didn't happen  

Just kidding, congratulations on the new whip. Any new car is a source of profound joy (to me at least)


----------



## JayinMI

It probably would be moreso if I didn't lose my ass on the Genesis. I put 0 down, and rolled the difference into the loan, and my payment still went down $74.33/mo...and over the life of the 6 year loan I should save about $8k (!) in gas alone...

My insurance should be cheaper once the dust settles.
It just shot up like $500/yr because of the claims I made (for someone keying it, and clipping a deer).

Needless to say, next day off will be insurance shopping day. 

Jay


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## JayinMI

While pulling everything out of the Genesis, I noticed that my fuse holder under the hood was loose...so the other day I bench tested my BitOne, and it seems to be fine. Looks like my "power supply" issue was just low or interrupted voltage. Unfortunately, I realized that I left my BitOne Setup Disc and my IASCA disc in the changer. Doh!

I've got new wheels on the way (should be here like wednesday or thursday I hope...they're coming to MI from AZ and were ordered on Friday.)

I also went to the dealer and got the part number for a new set of TPMS sensors...they're new for the 2012 Rio. The dealer wanted $75/ea retail, about $64/ea wholesale and dealer cost was $45....I found them online from TPMS outlet for around $29 (with valves, nuts and gaskets)/ea...hope they will be here soon too. Discount tire wanted $54/ea. Supposedly the new ones are "OE" and have the same part number, so I hope they work right.

I will start a new build thread once I have the wheels on and tint done.

I'd really like some Coilovers, but I haven't found any yet, but I found a smokin deal on some H&R drop springs, so I may go with those.

The wheels I'm getting are Drag Wheels DR-23 (Spoon SW388/Rota Slipstream copies) in flat black with Nitto NT Neo Gen VR's.

I will probably wrap the roof, rear spoiler, and mirros with black vinyl or black CF vinyl.

I'm no good with PS, so you'll have to use your imagination. LOL

Jay


----------

