# BMW E46 M3 Build Log



## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

Last November I bought a used 2003 BMW M3. It came with the OEM Harmon Kardon sound system which I found to be lacking. Since I had equipment left over from my Audi A4, I decided to install it. My goal is to keep everything simple as to not compromise the performance or functionality of the car.

As of right now I am keeping the factory head unit and eventually planning to replace it with a car computer. I've added an OEM compatible XM tuner and a DICE unit for my iPod until then.

Originally, I had planned to install Hybrid Audio's Legatia L61-2 speakers, but found that it would be difficult to install them in the OEM location without a good amount of modification to the door panel. I ended up trading them to Doitor for a set up Hybrid Audio Clarus 61-2 speakers.

As for amps, I'm reusing my existing DLS A4 and DLS A6 (A4 is brand new) amps.

I'm planning to eventually add an Audison Bit One when I have the money.

I haven't decided on a sub, but it will either be a sealed 12in in the corner of the trunk or most likely a 10in IB.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

*Speaker Install*

After attempting to install these speakers myself, I decided to have a shop do it. I figured it wasn't worth my time and that they could do a better job than I could. Many E46 owners cut the doors and mount their mids to the door instead of to the door panel as the OEM speakers are. When I went to the shop, the salesperson and I talked about this. Unfortunately, mid-install the installer decided this wasn't necessary. He assured me that the factory door panel was well sealed and well secured and that they would sound great installed this way. I'm waiting until I install my amps to make a decision on how to proceed.

HAT on left, OEM on right.


















The installer reused the OEM speaker mount.









Almost doesn't fit.









The installer created a "sandwich" to keep things sealed and secure.









OEM Tweeter/Mid and HAT Tweeter.









The installer reused the bracket and even reused the OEM connecter.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

*Amp Install Part 1*

I have another thread covering my previous attempt at building an amp rack, but I didn't really get anywhere and got busy with school and work. Today, my last day of winter break, I thought I would try again from the beginning. For some reason everything just fell into place and I got a lot done. Since I use my trunk a lot, I decided to build a false floor. This also gives the added benefit of being removable if I ever decided to visit the track. There isn't much room as the M3 doesn't have a spare tire so I will need to raise the floor a few inches. I built the floor for the amps and mounted them to it. I plan to hook up the A4 on Monday and I still need to raise the OEM trunk floor too.

Test fitting the MDF.









Another shot of the test fit.









Marking the amp placement.









I wrapped the MDF in some carpet that I had left over from my Audi. The carpet actually matches my BMW's trunk very well. This is also my first time doing something like this and it came out great!









It's a little more snug with the carpet, but it still fits and isn't going anywhere.









The amps mounted. They aren't sitting on the carpet, but are raised to allow for cooling.









Looking good!









Accu-rip. Best investment _ever_!


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## UCF52 (Nov 20, 2007)

Looks good so far... pics of car?

I've been toying around with the idea of getting an e46 M3. Been doing a lot of reading on the boards.


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## vidizzle (May 30, 2008)

darn you!! ive been looking for carpet like that to match my trunk in my bmw for weeks but no luck!..any ideas?

also there is a reason many guys cut the door to mount it..and i dont think you would be doing those clarus any justice specially in the midbass department..


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

nice equipment. should be a good build


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## Mooble (Oct 21, 2007)

*Re: Speaker Install*



dummptyhummpty said:


> Many E46 owners cut the doors and mount their mids to the door instead of to the door panel as the OEM speakers are. When I went to the shop, the salesperson and I talked about this. Unfortunately, mid-install the installer decided this wasn't necessary. He assured me that the factory door panel was well sealed and well secured and that they would sound great installed this way.[/IMG]




Sounds like the installer was just lazy. That's definitely not the best way to do it. I've never seen a door card in the history of cars that would properly support a high power woofer. You'd better make sure he puts something between the card and the frame like felt, ensolite, or rubber to prevent your doors from turning into rattle traps.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

UCF52 said:


> Looks good so far... pics of car?
> 
> I've been toying around with the idea of getting an e46 M3. Been doing a lot of reading on the boards.


I don't have any recent pictures and we're going to get a lot of rain this week. I'll take some picture for you when the rain is over.

If you don't mind the expensive maintenance and it's quirks (M-clunk), I'd say get it! While the interior isn't as nice as my g/f's G37 or even my Audi A4, I find my M more fun to drive.



vidizzle said:


> darn you!! ive been looking for carpet like that to match my trunk in my bmw for weeks but no luck!..any ideas?
> 
> also there is a reason many guys cut the door to mount it..and i dont think you would be doing those clarus any justice specially in the midbass department..


I have no idea where I got that carpet from. I think it was from my high school job at a local car audio shop six years ago. I'd suggest trying to find an upholstery shop in your area and seeing what they have.

So you think I should go door mounted too?



Brian_smith06 said:


> nice equipment. should be a good build


Thank you!



Mooble said:


> Sounds like the installer was just lazy. That's definitely not the best way to do it. I've never seen a door card in the history of cars that would properly support a high power woofer. You'd better make sure he puts something between the card and the frame like felt, ensolite, or rubber to prevent your doors from turning into rattle traps.


Yeah, I have a feeling that's what it was. I came at my appointment time, but he was working on this Mercedes for another two hours. By the time they got to my car they were going to close in an hour or two. I'm wondering if I should take it back for a redo or just find someone else to do it?


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## vidizzle (May 30, 2008)

i looked all over locally and cant find to seem to find a perfect match in the end i ended up ordering from parts express..as they were the cheapest and the closest match but oh well..its just carpet..

personally i wouldve done door mounted if i didnt care much and just wanted a simple upgrade and dont really care either way..but ive read up over on a bmw forum that many guys says there is a big difference in the sound especially with midbass 
so maybe you should look into it..

im in the process of my install and will be doing that soon..im just lazy to start work lol

but ur build looks good its dangerously similiar to mine atleast the amprack..are you going to put a cover over the amps?


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

vidizzle said:


> i looked all over locally and cant find to seem to find a perfect match in the end i ended up ordering from parts express..as they were the cheapest and the closest match but oh well..its just carpet..
> 
> personally i wouldve done door mounted if i didnt care much and just wanted a simple upgrade and dont really care either way..but ive read up over on a bmw forum that many guys says there is a big difference in the sound especially with midbass
> so maybe you should look into it..
> ...


That's funny, because I found this link I had saved where they you can get matching carpet from Parts Express.

Yeah, once I get the amp hooked up, I'll see how things sound and go from there.

Yeah, I'm going to cover the amps. I'm going to just build something to raise up the OEM cover.


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## suka4thong (May 14, 2008)

suscribe for local.


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## jvr826 (Jan 8, 2010)

vidizzle said:


> darn you!! ive been looking for carpet like that to match my trunk in my bmw for weeks but no luck!..any ideas?


Parts Express part number: 260-767

I used this in the trunk of my 2005 330ci and it matches almost perfectly...


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## Natban (Dec 16, 2009)

I like it! I'm a subscriber. I'll have to catch up on this when I get home.........got work to do...... see ya.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

*Some trouble.*

*1/27/10:* I had planned to get everything done last weekend, but I had to stop when the clamp that holds the positive cable tight around the battery terminal broke. Apparently you can't order it unless you want to order the rest of the positive harness for $300 from BMW . Luckily I was able to find a junkyard not too far from school and I was able to take the part off of a crashed 3-series for free ! The positive side was that I was able to borrow my girlfriend's G37 for the past few days .

The broken clamp and the new clamp.









When you tighten the nut, it pushes the ring tight around the battery terminal.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

*Custom made wiring harness.*

Now on to the install...This is what I accomplished from 1/23/10 to 1/27/10.

One of the previous owner decided to use wire taps for their system and left them connected when they removed their equipment. I knew that I could come up with a better solution, but I was hesitant to cut the factory harness off. I came up with the idea to use PC power connectors to interface with the factory wiring.










The harness is actually two separate connectors that easily slide apart.









Time to cut the wires that I need to tap.









My custom made connectors. Everything is labeled for the future. When I have more time I will probably do the same for the rest of the wires and remove the unused connectors completely.









Since the factory headunit outputs a balanced/differential signal, I needed something to convert it to an unbalanced signal. Note: This is not the same as speaker level/line level. I was told by both Crutchfield and Scosche that the SLC-4 would be able to do this. Everything seems to work, so I'll take their word for it.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

*Powering it all.*

The battery is in the trunk of my car so this made setting up the power wire very easy. I wanted easy access to the distribution block so I decided to mount it to the top of the tray covering the battery.









I'm reusing an existing Streetwires distribution block and some zero gauge wire that I had from my Audi's install.









Based on the comments from another thread I started, I think I might run four gauge wire to the distribution block as I can't get the battery cover to sit correctly with the zero gauge. I have to order some new four gauge wire for the DLS A6 amp too and reused some extra that I had sitting around. That's why it's running on top of everything.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

*All hooked up and done ... for now.*

Everything connected and working. For now the DLS A4 is powering the factory "subwoofer" which is actually just two 6x9s. It's amazing that more power was able to make them sound better . I do need to be careful as I can tell it will be very easy to blow them. It's just temporary until I figure out a sub solution. The DLS A4 is running the front door woofers on two channels and the front door tweeters on the other two channels. I'm not running any rear speakers.


















Everything cleaned up a bit. This is currently how it looks. I need to order some tech flex and some clamps to secure the wires. I also need to build the supports to raise the factory floor. Hopefully I can get that done next weekend.









You've got to love painters tape!









Where I hid the SLC-4.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

*How does it sound?*

After listening to it the past few days, I was expecting it to sound better than it does. I didn't really spend a lot of time tuning it, so I'm sure that is some of the problem. I'm not really sure of the tuning process when the line out has it's own set of gains. Does anyone have recommendations for someone in SoCal that could help me out with tuning this?

I'm also concerned about how the mids are installed. Many people with e46 BMWs cut their doors and mount the mids to the door, instead of the plastic door panel. This allows the mids to use the door as an enclosure and provides for a more solid mounting surface. As mentioned previously, the installer was supposed to do this, but changed his mind last minute. It seems that mids are lacking, but I'm hoping this changes once everything is tuned correctly. 

I'll keep you all updated! Please feel free to provide any (positive or negative) feedback!


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## jvr826 (Jan 8, 2010)

I had the same problem with my negative battery terminal except I couldn't just run to a junk yard for one. I ordered two new neg cables with the terminal in place so I'd have a spare.

My issue happened as I was putting everything back in the car after a track day... 300 miles away from home. DOH! I used trusty blue tape to hold it on there for the next few days while I waited on the new one to arrive.

Since then I put a quick disconnect on it that I just unscrew a few turns. Makes it very easy to cut the battery whenever I need to without using any tools or risking the terminal bolt again.

Ya gotta cut those doors and make baffles! If you paid your shop to do that and they didn't, then I'd make them do it or refund your money and have someone else do it... or DIY. I'm in the process of redoing mine in oak instead of MDF... it's much stronger, but also harder to work with. I'm in these doors for the third time now so I'm making sure I do everything I can while I have it apart: BXT II, close up all the access holes, cover entire door shell with Ensolite after I deaden the outside as well. 

My hands and forearms are scratched to hell from putting the BXT II inside the door shell... I have man hands.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

*Some learning...*

This is why I love DIY, I get to learn!

After a discussion on BuwaldaHybrids.com, I'm now using the passive crossovers. The passive crossovers are crossed over much higher than my amp could and that's why things weren't sounding so good. I've also got the amp bridged with the front channel handling the left side and the rear channel handling the right side. The tweeters are on the -3 setting on the crossovers as they were overpowering my lack of midbass.

Per bigjae1976 over at E46Fanatics.com, I'm also running one of the mids out of phase. This has brought back some of the midbass although there is still a noticeble lack of it. The "sub" is picking up alot of slack, but it still sounds off.

I'm going to call the stereo shop tomorrow and see if they are willing to do the install the way we had originally talked about. I'll keep you all updated!


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

jvr826 said:


> I had the same problem with my negative battery terminal except I couldn't just run to a junk yard for one. I ordered two new neg cables with the terminal in place so I'd have a spare.
> 
> My issue happened as I was putting everything back in the car after a track day... 300 miles away from home. DOH! I used trusty blue tape to hold it on there for the next few days while I waited on the new one to arrive.
> 
> ...


"just run to a junk yard"...I wish it had been as easy as that sounds! Do you have any pictures of your quick disconnect?

I agree, about the door install (see above) and I will be calling the shop tomorrow!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

*Re: Custom made wiring harness.*



dummptyhummpty said:


> Since the factory headunit outputs a balanced/differential signal, I needed something to convert it to an unbalanced signal. Note: This is not the same as speaker level/line level. I was told by both Crutchfield and Scosche that the SLC-4 would be able to do this. Everything seems to work, so I'll take their word for it.


Good luck with that piece. We have a customer who has one of those in his car (insurance company sent it, and he installed it) and it keeps changing modes and his subs stop playing.

Jay


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

*Re: Custom made wiring harness.*



JayinMI said:


> Good luck with that piece. We have a customer who has one of those in his car (insurance company sent it, and he installed it) and it keeps changing modes and his subs stop playing.
> 
> Jay


Jay,

I'll keep that in mind. I didn't pay much for it ($20?) and it's only temporary. I eventually plan to get a Bit One to replace it.


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## jvr826 (Jan 8, 2010)

dummptyhummpty said:


> "just run to a junk yard"...I wish it had been as easy as that sounds! Do you have any pictures of your quick disconnect?












I got mine at Griots, but have seen them at local auto parts stores for a fraction of the price. I did not install the small wire used to keep radio memory going when the battery is disconnected as I had to have a full disconnect to avoid shock when removing the main fuse for my system.

I know you're going to soil yourself when you get those speakers mounted properly. I need to focus on getting mine done cuz I can't wait!



dummptyhummpty said:


> Jay,
> 
> I'll keep that in mind. I didn't pay much for it ($20?) and it's only temporary. I eventually plan to get a Bit One to replace it.


FWIW, I'm running my DLS Ultimate A5 without a line output converter at all. I had an Audio Control EQS between my OEM navi head unit and the amp and I was having sub issues as well. I purchased the EQS on eBay and it was a POS, so I just ditched it completely. I decided to try the A5 without and it works just fine.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

jvr826 said:


> I got mine at Griots, but have seen them at local auto parts stores for a fraction of the price. I did not install the small wire used to keep radio memory going when the battery is disconnected as I had to have a full disconnect to avoid shock when removing the main fuse for my system.
> 
> I know you're going to soil yourself when you get those speakers mounted properly. I need to focus on getting mine done cuz I can't wait!
> 
> ...


Hey, that's cool. Does the factory ring connect to that with out modification? That's weird you were able to go directly to the DLS A5. I was told that the DLS wouldn't accept the balanced signal output by the headunit.


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## jvr826 (Jan 8, 2010)

dummptyhummpty said:


> Hey, that's cool. Does the factory ring connect to that with out modification?


Yep, in fact that picture looks to be of a BMW battery.

I have had 3 BMWs that I've done systems in. The first was an E39 with standard sound and no LOC was needed with my then a/d/s/ P840 amp. I moved to an E39 with Nav, same system, amp would shut down without an LOC in the mix. Both of those E39's had the exact same amp part number too. Baffled me, but I just sucked it up and got an LOC.

The A5 has a wide range of acceptable input voltages, perhaps yours do too. I had noise issues with the SVEN4 in the e46 so I bought the EQS cuz it has an active LOC in it. That was noise free, but since I got it used I got hosed and it has other issues unfortunately. This is what led me to just try it without and viola, it worked!


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

*Fixing my midbass.*

Since I was really unhappy with how things were sounding, I took my car back to Al & Eds to see if they had any idea why I was lacking midbass. I started working with Todd who seemed like he really wanted to know what the problem was. At first he thought maybe a + and - had been switched somewhere, but after we checked everything, he told me to come back and he would get an RTA to check and see if it was the headunit. I came back yesterday and he hooked up his RTA up to the output of the SLC-4. The good news was that I was getting a full range signal, the bad news was that it was very low (under 1volt). He also used the RTA's mic to measure the output from the speakers and the midrange was on the low side.

After thinking about what both jvr826 and Jay (JayinMI) had said, I went home and connected the output of the headunit directly into the DLS A4 (bypassing the SLC-4).  AH HA! Things sounded MUCH better and I now had the midbass I was expecting. I could actually get by with out the factory "sub", which is still connected to the SLC-4 for the time being. I did have some trouble with the amp going into protect mode, but I think that should be fixed now that I've reset my gains. I also have some noise when turning the car on and off so I'll have to see about how I can fix that.

Thanks for the help everyone! As for cutting the doors, I think I'm going to hold off on that for a while.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Glad it worked out. As far as LOC's go, the best one I've ever used personally was an Audiolink PL2. The Scosche piece has some nice features and appears to be very flexible, however, of the few I've seen in person, the build quality is sorely lacking.

Jay


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## jvr826 (Jan 8, 2010)

Nice! Adjust the gains properly and I bet your cut out problem goes away. Also double check you have the sub wired properly so your amp is seeing the load you expect it to.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

JayinMI said:


> Glad it worked out. As far as LOC's go, the best one I've ever used personally was an Audiolink PL2. The Scosche piece has some nice features and appears to be very flexible, however, of the few I've seen in person, the build quality is sorely lacking.
> 
> Jay


Haha, yeah it's a little cheap, but can't complain for the price.



jvr826 said:


> Nice! Adjust the gains properly and I bet your cut out problem goes away. Also double check you have the sub wired properly so your amp is seeing the load you expect it to.


Thanks. I've adjusted the gains and things seem to be better. Still some small issues I have to workout, but getting there.


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## Menace Kustoms (Jan 31, 2010)

Are you gonna route those power wires underneath the floor? I hope so.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

Menace Kustoms said:


> Are you gonna route those power wires underneath the floor? I hope so.


I'm going to clean them up a bit, but they are staying like that. They will have a false floor above them though.


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## ianbiz (May 13, 2008)

loving this thread.


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## 12v Electronics (Jun 1, 2008)

Opening up the airspace on the drivers will help tremendously. I had the Clarus 5.25's mounted in my e46 door without them using the door's airspace and the performance was worlds better when I cut a hole in the door. I recommend you do that with your 6.5" too. (and really have no clue how the installer got them to fit without cutting)

For the others who asked, I have matching BMW trunk carpet in stock for $15 a yard. It is 99% perfect match.


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## subwoofery (Nov 9, 2008)

12v Electronics said:


> Opening up the airspace on the drivers will help tremendously. I had the Clarus 5.25's mounted in my e46 door without them using the door's airspace and the performance was worlds better when I cut a hole in the door. I recommend you do that with your 6.5" too. (and really have no clue how the installer got them to fit without cutting)
> 
> For the others who asked, I have matching BMW trunk carpet in stock for $15 a yard. It is 99% perfect match.


Where in the door did you cut a hole? Have pics of it? 

Thank you, 
Kelvin


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## 12v Electronics (Jun 1, 2008)

subwoofery said:


> Where in the door did you cut a hole? Have pics of it?
> 
> Thank you,
> Kelvin


E46 gets the Hybrid Audio treatment - Bimmerforums - The Ultimate BMW Forum


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

12v Electronics said:


> Opening up the airspace on the drivers will help tremendously. I had the Clarus 5.25's mounted in my e46 door without them using the door's airspace and the performance was worlds better when I cut a hole in the door. I recommend you do that with your 6.5" too. (and really have no clue how the installer got them to fit without cutting)


Tom,

Thanks for reading over this. Do you think that will solve the noise I've been hearing?


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

*Speaker (re)install*

Sorry for not giving an update in a long time, but life (college, graduation & a new job) caught up to me. A few months ago, I had a different shop reinstall my speakers by cutting and then mounting them to the metal doors. What a difference that made! I should have done this from the beginning! They sound much better and I now have proper bass. I've read about others with the same setup, who have said they could get by without a sub and I certainly hear what they mean! I plan to move forward with this install, but I need to take care of some other items on the car first. Also, I'm now fighting some distortion and I think it's time to go with an aftermarket headunit.


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## VP Electricity (Apr 11, 2009)

Measure the FR of that Scosche LOC? 

I'd go another direction, myself. That HU can sound great and those amps as well... but the LOC as I recall has HF and LF rolloff, and can pick up EMI as well, being near that grounding bracket on the LR wheel well.


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

VP Electricity said:


> Measure the FR of that Scosche LOC?
> 
> I'd go another direction, myself. That HU can sound great and those amps as well... but the LOC as I recall has HF and LF rolloff, and can pick up EMI as well, being near that grounding bracket on the LR wheel well.


I took out the Scosche a while ago. I'm currently using a Peripherals SVEN4, but there appears to be something wrong with it as well. It's introduced alternator whine into the system (which wasn't there when I first installed it) and the right channel doesn't work until I turn the volume up. Once I do this it works fine at any volume.


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## jvr826 (Jan 8, 2010)

dummptyhummpty said:


> I'm currently using a Peripherals SVEN4


Been there, done that, the SVEN4 sucks too. You should not need an LOC with your amps. I ran my A5 straight from the RCA plugs I wired to the factory harness. It worked and sounded good, but then I put the DQX in the mix. It's not even tuned yet (all zero'd out) and it sounds the best it ever has. It really made a difference in how the mids and tweets blend. Not sure why, 24db slope, or what, but the system came together when I added that.

Congrats on the door work. The Clarus mid-bass drivers do pump out quite a bit of bass when properly installed. I love mine! The sub really fills in the low end for a rich, full sound up front.


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## capnxtreme (Feb 5, 2008)

Yeah the SVEN is not the right tool for the job either (in addition to being a POS, IMHO).


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## dummptyhummpty (Feb 4, 2006)

jvr826 said:


> Been there, done that, the SVEN4 sucks too. You should not need an LOC with your amps. I ran my A5 straight from the RCA plugs I wired to the factory harness. It worked and sounded good, but then I put the DQX in the mix. It's not even tuned yet (all zero'd out) and it sounds the best it ever has. It really made a difference in how the mids and tweets blend. Not sure why, 24db slope, or what, but the system came together when I added that.





capnxtreme said:


> Yeah the SVEN is not the right tool for the job either (in addition to being a POS, IMHO).


I ended up taking the SVEN out and now I have hiss at low volume and a turn off pop. I was having trouble setting the gains on my amp; I remember reading that 18 or so clicks on the steering wheel volume control would put the headunit at about 75% volume, but anything over 12 clicks and I would either get no output from the amp or it would go into protect mode. This was using a 1khz sine wave and a multimeter to set the gains.

Things do sound a bit better, but now I can hear the need for an EQ. For now, I might install the Pioneer headunit that came out of my girlfriend's Mustang, until I have the extra money for a double din navigation unit. The other option would be a car computer, but I just feel that would be a PITA.



jvr826 said:


> Congrats on the door work. The Clarus mid-bass drivers do pump out quite a bit of bass when properly installed. I love mine! The sub really fills in the low end for a rich, full sound up front.


Yup! Even more so now that the SVEN is gone. I plan to eventually add a sub though.


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## Wonway (Jun 9, 2009)

Certain LOC's can have a real bad effect on signal to noise ratio. email [email protected] electronics.com as he has a LOC that worked great on my E46 and was dirt cheap.


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## vidizzle (May 30, 2008)

what are you guys thoughts on ur stage depth, height and width with the tweeters on the stock location on the upper part of the door?


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## VP Electricity (Apr 11, 2009)

It is worth mentioning that the tweeter location is rarely used and they are usually, as pictured here, in the farther-aft mid location. 

I have not liked it very much - fabbing up sails sounds much better.


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## vidizzle (May 30, 2008)

the sail panels really? on axis?

have you tried them on the dash?
im about to redo a complete revamp of my install an was wondering if any1 else found the sweet spot..

usually i would put my tweets on the pillars but because of the airbag in the pillars thats ruled out, tho i did see simplicity put them at the bottom of the pillars 

the stock location on the door i tried..i got decent width but the depth was really poor, maybe it was my tuning but it was just barely on the dash..


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## jvr826 (Jan 8, 2010)

I have mine in the sail panels currently, temporarily mounted. They are aimed in the general direction of the opposite headrest. In the sails on the driver side, if aimed directly across, it gets bounced off the instrument cluster bubble and I didn't like that.

I want to try them in the a-pillar next and see how I like that setup. 

Dummpty... adjust your gains to taste, not by some formula. You'll be much happier. I brought my car to a pro and we listened for about 30 minutes and he tweaked the gains to taste, much better result. I've since taken that approach myself now that I've added the DQX.


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