# Round Peg in a Square Hole? :) 2011 Subaru Sti Stealth SQ Install...TON! of pics



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Hey Guys,

just spent a good 3 weeks on this one...and it seems recently a lot of folks are building these cars...so I guess here is my contribution.

Car is a 2011 Subaru Sti Sedan...owned by an old college buddy of mine.

Let me start off by saying that this is perhaps the single most challenging "simple" stealth fake floor install I have ever done...and I have done quite a few fake floor installs...

The combination of the oddly shaped trunk floor and spare tire well, coupled with the need to fit quite a bit of equipment, certainly made for a lot of head scratching, and occasionally it felt like i was trying to stuff a round peg in a square hole. 

Anyway

First are two quick shots of the car:




















Goals:

1. Achieve a good level of overall sound quality

2. Obtain a classy, simple and elegant look throughout, with just a touch of flash.

3. Build a layout that results in ZERO loss of trunk space while fitting "a decent amount" of gear. 


Well...as you can imagine, it is the third goal that was THE issue But more on that later.

Before we get started, I want to let you know that this car has plans to compete in Install class, so some of the pics have circles in them to highlight certain things, I didn't feel like keeping two batches of pics for online posting and the log book; it is also the reason why this log has more than the usual share of pics. So please bear with me.

Here is the main power cable with its 150amp circuit breaker, 16 inches from the battery post.










The cable routes into the cabin via a stock grommet, sealed afterwards with silicone. I chose to run the power cable down the passenger side to keep it totally separate from the RCAs all the way to the back.










The signal starts with a Pioneer Avic-Z120BT double din navigation headunit, supplied by the customer:










As the car uses a MS8 for tuning, the remote display is mounted in the glovebox for easy access, an extension cable for the tuning microphone is also run to provide easy plug-n-tune from the front seat. The Pioneer’s USB inputs are on the left side of the glovebox:










The unit's BT mic is installed at the bottom of the instrument cluster shroud:










While the GPS antenna is hidden below the shroud sitting on top of the gauge cluster unit itself.










Quick shot of the wiring harness bundle for the headunit, along with the Axxess steering wheel control module:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

The Front stage consists of a set of Seas Lotus Reference 6.5" two way components. The tweeters are molded into the A pillar, wrapped in dash matching vinyl, and aimed off axis pushed as far forward as possible. 





































A few quick build pics of the pillars. 

Rings aimed and attached:










Grille cloth pulled, resin applied, cured, and reinforced from the inside with duraglass/resin milkshake:










Filler applied and sanded smooth:










Vinyl applied:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Tweeters wired up:










and installed into the pillars:



















The back of the pillars:











Moving into the doors...here are the four baffle spacer rings for the four doors, before and after being coated by spray on truck bed liner:



















The front driver side door was sound proofed, and new speaker wires run into the doors:










The spacer ring baffle installed:










The Seas Lotus midbass wired up:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

and installed:



















almost three full sheets of deamplifier pro went onto the plastic door card to prevent resonance and buzzing:










The passenger side front door received the identical treatment:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

For the rear doors, the customer gave me a set of new Alpine Type R coaxials to act as rear surround fill. The rear doors received virtually the same treatment as the fronts, except I didn't quite go as overboard with the sound proofing on the door card:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

The stock rear deck received a layer of CCF:




















Here are a series of wiring pics that show the bundles running from the front of the car to the back, ziptied and secured to stock loom every few inches, and crossover under the back seat so the correct wires are going to the correct side:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Whew...so thats all the interior pics...now its time to move onto the heart of the install, and the part that gave me so much headache...

For those of you unfamiliar with the trunk layout of the new Impreza Sedan, here is a picture of a stock trunk. As you can see, it is made up of three different sections, each at their own angle. This makes for a much tougher build when it comes to a fake floor design:










Complicating matters, the bottom floor pan of the spare tire well is also not flat, rather rising as it goes towards the front of the car. Two metal shields, which protect the emissions gear underneath, cuts into the space at the front of the well:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Now, the easy way to do a fake floor in this kind of trunk is to make the entire thing level with the highest point, which in this case is the front portion...Then it would just be a simple flat floor build with a ton of space underneath, espeically towards the back.

However, one of the major requirements of the install is to sacrifice ZERO trunk space. The customer carries a golf bag in the car at all times which spans the width of the trunk, thus eliminating the possibility of a side fiberglass enclosure as well.

To top it all off, within this limited space under the stock floor height, we need to fit three amplifiers, two 10" subs, the MS8 and all the accompanying wiring and cables...

yeah...so hopefully you can feel my pain...

but anyway, in the end, i did manage to pull it off...so...here is the look with everything hidden. 

As you can see, the trunk is 100 percent stock looking, the OEM cargo mat fits perfectly, the entire trunk floor profile remained virtually unchanged:



















Lift off the cargo mat and here is what you see. A brand new floor has been constructed out of MDF, wrapped in graphite synthetic alcantara or street suede. Within the three-tired floor are two cutouts, protected by breathable grilles, wrapped in black trunk liner for durability:



















Remove the covers and here is what you see. Luckily for me, the amplifiers supplied to me were the new Alpine PDX units, so three of them are stacked in a well towards the front, oriented at 23.6 degree angle (yes I know it exactly ). A F6 sends 150 watts to each tweeter and rear fill speaker, another F6 sends 300 watts to each Lotus midbass, and a M12 powers the subs with 1200 watts. You can also see the various cables for the amplifiers wind their way to the sidewall grommets, covered in carbon techflex.

The subs in question are a pair of Seas L26roy 10" drivers, they reside in a 1.6 cubic foot sealed enclosure and is trimmed in their own shallow well. The interior of the wells are lined with black CF vinyl as chosen by the customer.


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

I also replaced the rather dinky trunk light with a high powered LED flood light, it is so bright that when i tried to take a picture of it, it looks like this:










The white LED flood light is designed to go with some subtle lighting effects inside the two wells. Flip a switch and the amps are lit up by edge lit plexi windows front and rear, while the subs have their own edge lit plexi pieces to the side:










Of course, the whole point of the lighting is to see it at night. So here are some pictures of the trunk in a darkened garage:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

So thats it...in the end, it is a pretty simple looking install, but trying to sort out the stuff underneath was anything but simple and straightforward. So here are some build pics for you guys.

Although i have to say, looking at these pics now, it makes things seem a bit too easy  They don't show the measuring, re-measuring, cutting, re-cutting, cursing and head shaking that went on in between. lol I must have wasted a whole sheet of 4x8 MDF trying to figure out the best angles and dimensions for the amp rack. 

To start things off, the L26roy ideally wants .8ft^3 each sealed, so i measured out that volume with Styrofoam peanuts:










and poured two boxfuls into the spare tire well to get an idea how the enclosure need to be constructed:










Next, the spare tire down point was cut and removed from the vehicle:










And the well was covered in a layer of deamplifier pro:










Next, the area was taped off, and marked:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

8 layers of fiberglass mat and 6 layers of fiberglass cloth later, the bottom mold of the subenclosure was pulled out:










it was then trimmed to the desired shape and size:



















Next a top baffle was mated to the bottom mold:



















Fleece was then streched from the bottom mold and stapled to the rabeted edge of the top baffle, and resin applied.



















When this cured, I reinforced the enclosure from the inside with ten layers of mat and sealed off with about a gallon of duraglass/resin milkshake for good measure:










Next, the walls for the subwoofer well were secured:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

and wrapped in black CF vinyl:










The edge lit Plexiglas strips were then screwed down, and the outside edges received a strip of white LEDs:










The plexi and leds were then covered with black duct tape to prevent light "leakage", and the wires were secured and run to their desired locations:



















The sub box is now complete and bolted to the car with two HD bolts:










Next is the build of the amp rack/well, the bottom of the rack had to orient itself with the rising profile of the bottom floor pan, while the top edge had to be at the precise angle of the top floor to give the fake floor panels proper support.

After about half a dozen or so aborted attempts, these are the finalized pieces, before and after application of black CF vinyl:




























Next the well was assembled:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

and the stack of amps test fitted:










Then the edge lit plexi window pieces and their LED trips were attached to the front and the back:



















And sealed with black duct tape:










Next, each amplifier was wired up, and then secured to the amp rack, with all the cables carefully routed to the side wall grommets, following generally the same curvature:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Next, all the wires on the outside of the rack was bundled and secured:




























This is the little piece that supports the MS8 at the front of the trunk. The two brackets line up to existing bolts:










Then, everything was installed into the trunk, all the wires properly secured and organized. This alone took about a day and a half to figure out...giving everything enough room for quick trouble shooting. all the essential wires are on Dblocks and barrier strips, with identification labels written on the MDF next to them:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Quick pic of the termination of the L26roy subs:



















Finally, the top fake floor pieces were cut and test fitted:










the back two sections were jointed together forming one continuous piece, and the cutouts made. What looks like a rabeted edge is actually another smaller cutout made out of 1/8" hardboard:










The grilles were then fabricated:










and test fitted:










Next the floor was wrapped in alcantara:










Here are the 1/8" hardboard "rabeted edge" i was talking about, they were also wrapped in street suede:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

and mated to the main floor pieces with a combination of HD epoxy and staples:










Here are the grilles pieces, with metal mesh secured, and then wrapped in black trunk liner:



















The front portion of the floor is its own separate piece, here it is before and after suede:










Showing DIYMA some love 










and the side pieces as well:




















Okay, thats it...I am dead tired now and need to prep the car for Autorama on saturday, so i wont get too much into it right now. The car sounds quite nice, compared with the other impreza hatches i have done, this car seems to have better depth (ms8 perhaps), overall tonality very nice and balanced...but we will see how it does at the comp on saturday 

i will write more later in reponses...but one things for sure, i dont think i will be doing this type of install in another impreza sedan anytime soon. 

Cheers! :blush:
Off to bed to pass out…

B


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## Bluenote (Aug 29, 2008)

WOW, Bing this is beautiful work. I'd like to see a review on the LROY's. Your customer must be pretty stoked about these results. 

I am going back to the top of the thread to see this again.. lol 

Bluenote


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## m0sdef (Nov 16, 2010)

That is absolutely amazing work!! Once again Bing, simply amazing!


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## jimp (Jul 12, 2009)

again, very nice install. always enjoy seeing these.


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## ss600r (Mar 8, 2009)

Nice job and a nice write up as well.


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## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

Great job again Bing! Awesome work!!!


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## slowsedan01 (May 4, 2008)

Super nice install! I would love to learn how to do some of that edge lit plexi. Could you give a brief run-down on how it's done?


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

That looks awesome. I know it's a PITA but that's exactly how I'd do it. Functional and stealthy.


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## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Man, that is an awesome install! I wish the WRX hatches had black a-pillars instead of the gray/beige color. Would make wrapping them way easier.


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## elm3c (Dec 1, 2010)

Wow, looks great Bing! Looking forward to seeing and hearing this one tomorrow. It'll be the first new sti sedan that I'll be able to see live as well. Great work fitting everything into that small trunk!


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## Chayse (Nov 23, 2010)

Excellent work, as usual, Bing! I like it.


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## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

Bing Is A True Master.


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## derickveliz (May 15, 2009)

Very nice, and clever.


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## zoom_zoom (Oct 10, 2010)

Love the car, very clean setup. Just wish i had the balls to get rid of the spare, otherwise I would _attempt_ the same type of install. Great work!


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## mr.metoo (Feb 20, 2010)

Dude, you're a beast!

Amazing work as usual.


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## bri_n_m (Jun 26, 2007)

Awesome install!
i just got 2011 wrx sedan and i've been waiting for you to do a install in a sedan. i wanted to keep the spare but i think i might have to ditch it in the end. thanks for sharing!


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## Jayvuu (Dec 11, 2007)

nice work as always bing. just wondering, what's your opinion on the newer alpine pdx amps?


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## xBlitzkriegx (Dec 5, 2010)

This install is why you go to car audio stores. i know that install cost a ton of money but look at wha tyou get for your money. absolutely stock in appearance, hidden, extremely well built, well laid out, excellent crasftsmanship all around. all of that work just so the guy could throw some golf clubs in the back. THAT is customer service!


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## subiemax (Nov 19, 2007)

I was waiting for it. I am not dissapointed. Seriously awesome build. Makes me want to do something a little better with my car. Maybe......


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## edouble101 (Dec 9, 2010)

Good job with this build!


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

just came back from Autorama SQ show  

having just finished the car thursday and virtually no tuning, the Sti scored a very respectable 76.75!! 

came in third, my lexus IS-F beat him by .25 pts lol believe it or not..

they were both behind an IASCA world champion car who scored a 77.5  

I am pretty psyched hehe


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Two questions.

1) You have an IS-F?? Niiiiiice.

2) Who was the "IASCA Champ?"


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

yeah, i won an is-f at the penny arcade  hahahahahah 

Mr. Bishop 

the funny part is Joel (owner of the Sti) was helping the IS-F tune his system in the morning and ended up getting beat by a quarter point hehehe


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## 2fast4all (May 19, 2008)

:O?!!! OMFG!! CLEAN INSTALL!!!!!


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

haha! as always, awesome work man. those subs look real nice too. i cant believe all that fits below the stock floor height! too bad you had to loose the spare


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Frist off I want to say that your installs are AMAZING and you are *single handily* the inspiration for me to attempt a diy install. I also hope you don't mind but i show off your work to all my friends and have been attempting my own install but i have hit a snag in the road.

I am at the point where I am about to cover the sub box and I really like the look of the "street suede." I was wandering what glue you used to apply the fabric to the mdf or if you used glue at all.

Thank you for your time and please continue to post your installs as every install raises the bar to an even more unattainable level for the rest of us!


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

i use DAP top trim HHR adhesive sprayed out of a cheapo gun bought at harbor frieght


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

simplicityinsound said:


> yeah, i won an is-f at the penny arcade  hahahahahah
> 
> Mr. Bishop
> 
> the funny part is Joel (owner of the Sti) was helping the IS-F tune his system in the morning and ended up getting beat by a quarter point hehehe


Just like the good old days before comps got all cutthroat and just about money and sponsorships. 

I miss those days.


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## joeltan (Nov 20, 2010)

Autorama was a blast - meeting the rest of the guys and hearing the systems that I had only seen and drooled over on DIYMA prior. I guess I'm from the old school (competed in IASCA in late 90s) and it's good to be back! Always happy to help anyone with an RTA tune - isn't that what SQ dork-out sessions are supposed to be like?  

Thanks to Zach and Aubrey for all your help and feedback! What great guys!

Like others who have gone to Bing the Magician, I was floored by the results - no pun intended on the terrible 3-tiered floor starting point for this amazing install! 

Since we were all college buddies, my wife alerts me two days into the build, that Bing's facebook had nothing but #(*&@# to say about trying to get it to fit...a little worried for a split-second but I had faith Bing could Houdini the ms8, amps and subs in there.

Anyway.... golf is the priority any weekend that MECA isn't competing and to that goal, Bing has exceeded all expectations as you can see....

TWO (yes, 2) golf stand bags fit easily with all the drivers still in there! with room for two push carts on the top tier!

Enough said - all goals accomplished or exceeded. IMO, this is the reason why Bing gets his excellent reputation and repeat customers - every single concern factors into the install for a result that is worth every last dime!

Even with the day-to-day practicality constraints with each build, he still manages to get creative and put together a system that scores as well as the all-out SQ cars.

Quick review on the L26ROY:

Initially, I wanted to fit my old school Crystal CMP12, but its age and the fact that I cannot get a replacement (Crystal is no more unfortunately) pushed me to look at others. Cosmetically, two 10s worked better than a single 12 as well. 

Between this and the ultimo 10 (the other short-listed sub), we went with all SEAS this time and I am quite happy with the L26ROYs. After hearing Bluenote's Ultimo though, I must say that all the fuss and hype is completely warranted with the ultimos - they may find their way in if I cannot fix some issues with the L26ROY.

Cons:
- STi stock exhaust is way too loud - would have loved it 10years ago, but my age and SQ tastes make it an obstacle for the poor L26ROYs to overcome. Exhaust sounds like a 90dB sine sweep from 20-40Hz... 
- Sounded a little boomy at first after the MS8 auto-tune, but after EQ (post MS8 autotune) and taking care of cabin resonance modes, they are much tighter. 
- LFE isn't as deep nor is impact as strong as the CMP12 I'm used to, but I think a little 20-30Hz shaping might get me closer within excursion limits
- Qtc is around 0.7 right now, but will try a polyfill/fiberglass stuff to see if I can get to 0.5-0.6 that is usually the tighter, drier sound I prefer. 

Pros:
- I have not measured a sub quite as clean THD-wise as this one. Impressive!
- Superb integration with midbass with minimal tuning. Judges both mentioned this about the system. Probably has something to do with how high these can play with a low Le
- Very musical sub, though I think the CMP12 is more musical 20-40Hz...but it beats the CMP from 40-80Hz where more real instruments can play.
- They just look SWEEET! Understated no-logo cone with a surround that looks like it means business and performance to back it up


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

ROFL hahahaha

for those that can read chinese..

click on the chinese translation logo below and check out what the title of this thread now says.


hahahahahh


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## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

Wow! Great job! 
You really crammed a lot of stuff in a tight space. I remember scratching my head when I first looked at the trunk on my 2011 sedan.

Can you point me in the direction of where to find the vinyl you used on the a-pillars?
I will hopefully be doing an a-pillar speaker setup soon.


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

the pillars i just ordered from my local upholstery place and looked through the book, let me see if i can dig up what it is..

but basically, you want a slightly off black vinyl with the right texture on it...find an upholstery place and see if you can find the match.

if you cant find any locally let me know, i can see if i can order you some


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## SSexpo03 (Jul 30, 2010)

Bing nice work as always!

You didn't happen to measure the depth of the rear deck did you?

Thanks,


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

no i didnt, but anything on the rear deck would likely involve cuting the torsion beams that prop up the trunk, iirc they run down the middle of the space inside the trunk


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## stereojnky (Mar 17, 2008)

Nice work Bing! Congrats also. I always look forward to your builds.

You have me seriously rethinking my own which seems like it will never get done.


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## Rogue1970 (Aug 31, 2009)

Very nice install. I enjoy reading/looking at your installs!

I am a firm believer in the stealth installs for security reasons. The only thing I don't like about the install is loosing the spare 

Beautiful work for sure!


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## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

simplicityinsound said:


> the pillars i just ordered from my local upholstery place and looked through the book, let me see if i can dig up what it is..
> 
> but basically, you want a slightly off black vinyl with the right texture on it...find an upholstery place and see if you can find the match.
> 
> if you cant find any locally let me know, i can see if i can order you some


Thanks! I'm sure there's a shop somewhere around here. 
I debated doing an Alcantra on the pillars but figured that would be tougher to match and way tough for a first timer.


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## draft6969 (Aug 4, 2009)

That thing is sick. great job. i have loved thoes cars since they came out.


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## bri_n_m (Jun 26, 2007)

quick question. im going to be working on laying tiles/foam/mlv this weekend. does the rear seat just pop up? or are there hidden screws? any tips on removing certain panels?

thanks!


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

the rear seat has a central latch that just pop, and two side latches where you need to reach in and pull on a tab...no hidden screws, not sure on the rear seat back as i didnt have to remove it. the panels are all pretty straightforward but as new subarus all have pretty annoying door sill trim pieces, i use a spreader type of panel tool to release them.


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## bri_n_m (Jun 26, 2007)

thanks! that helps a lot. 
how do you like the ms-8? i'm torn between the simplicity or some zapco dc amps. i want to keep the stock deck since i park in some unsafe places. i dont know of anyone in hawaii with a ms-8. makes it hard.


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## keepitreal07 (Apr 26, 2008)

that looks mental.
many hours of work i bet
keep it up


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

i put the stock deck on the RTA...man oh man...its bad


at lower volume it looks like a roller coaster, with a good 6-7 db bump in the lower cotaves and a smaller bump up top.

as you turn the volume up, it quite noticably flattens it out...

unless you do an aftermarket volume knob, i would highly suggest against it.


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## bri_n_m (Jun 26, 2007)

great....i just sold my drz.
guess it's time to looks for a black denon!


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## subiemax (Nov 19, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> i put the stock deck on the RTA...man oh man...its bad
> 
> 
> at lower volume it looks like a roller coaster, with a good 6-7 db bump in the lower cotaves and a smaller bump up top.
> ...


Even with the MS8? I've been debating weather or not to change to an aftermarket HU. The cd player sound good with the ms8, but the radio still sounds awful.


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

subiemax said:


> Even with the MS8? I've been debating weather or not to change to an aftermarket HU. The cd player sound good with the ms8, but the radio still sounds awful.


i cant tell you how clean it is, only that its not smooth and they EQ the heck out of it with the stock volume control...of course the ms8 will smooth it out the response but not take care of the eqing effects, and, i find using the remote and the two buttons for master volume up and down to be VERY annoying. 

if i HAD to keep that stock deck with a ms8, i would do a cleansweep 441dsp module before that to give you master volume control, and then the ms8 behind that.


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## loudstreetrides (Nov 10, 2008)

nice install very neat and stealthy


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

i dont know how u squeezed all that in there, and made it look so amazing!

well done.

i have a question, i hope its not already been asked. Why are the tweeters off axis on purpose? are those tweeters designed for off axis, or was it part of the owners desire to have stealth, and them sticking right out looking at the driver wasnt appealing as far as stealth goes?

lastly, do subs under all that stuff, plus coming through the trunk, provide very much output? i know the goal was sq, but people complain all the time just trying to get output from the trunk, now u got it under a layer or two of material, then through the trunk on top of it.


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## subiemax (Nov 19, 2007)

simplicityinsound said:


> i cant tell you how clean it is, only that its not smooth and they EQ the heck out of it with the stock volume control...of course the ms8 will smooth it out the response but not take care of the eqing effects, and, i find using the remote and the two buttons for master volume up and down to be VERY annoying.
> 
> if i HAD to keep that stock deck with a ms8, i would do a cleansweep 441dsp module before that to give you master volume control, and then the ms8 behind that.


After spending the money for the ms8, I can't see having to buy something else. I'll just wait till I get my whole system done and see how it sounds.


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Cruzer said:


> i dont know how u squeezed all that in there, and made it look so amazing!
> 
> well done.
> 
> ...



for off axis, part of is cometics, part of it is being able to stay in street class versus modified, but a big part of it, to be perfectly honest, is that i like the way these tweets sound off axis than on axis. The very first time i had a chance to demo these tweets many years ago, they were in an off axis configuration, and i really loved the way they sounded. in the intervening years in between, i have had a lot of chance to play with them, and to be honest, i prefer the way they work off axis than on...to me better depth, in some cars better center, and just smoother uptop... its something i find with a lot of tweeters actually  i know there is a notion that on axis is better, but i guess to my ears and experience and also in the judging lanes, that dont always prove to be the case.

as for the trunk, there is plenty of bass output, IMO bass finds a way to get into the cabin, and a impreza is by no means as well sealed as say a bmw or mercedes... there really is only a single layer in between, and that is the partition between the cabin and the trunk, be it rear deck or seat. the vented grille cover and the rubber floor mat makes almost no difference in sound or output.

for example, in my car, i have a very very heavy rubber mat ontop of my system, and i keep it in place during sq judging and demo because it actually sounds better with it there, versus taking it off and having the sub playing into the open so to speak.


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

subiemax said:


> After spending the money for the ms8, I can't see having to buy something else. I'll just wait till I get my whole system done and see how it sounds.


i think it will be fine, as long as you dont mind using the remote control as the master volume


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## kenikh (Jan 17, 2011)

What kind of lighting was used and how was it wired? Is it just LED cord lighting or ??? Did I miss it?


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## Chayse (Nov 23, 2010)

I'm pretty sure he uses LEDs from Oznium. They look like these LED ribbon lights.


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## GSlider (Jun 11, 2009)

Outdone yourself again, Bing! I love your work and the ideas you comeup with are great.


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Chayse said:


> I'm pretty sure he uses LEDs from Oznium. They look like these LED ribbon lights.


correct, i use the pre-wired water-proof ribbon leds...they are very expensive, but saves me a bit of time soldering and is very durable 

just this car was more than 200 bucks in LEDs


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

Wow what a nice install, lot of work went into that it certainly is a premium install! Great post on it as well. I like stealth too, nice to see this.

When I put my IB subs in the seat back is maybe 3-4" thick foam and a mostly wire frame. I thought oh is that foam going to quiet them down? First thing I did is play them and put the seat in, take it out, put it in, etc. I could tell no difference at all after trying quite a few times.


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

Bing,


Simply amazing install again.... We all look forward each month to see what new car you have improved.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

bing, you said you _WON_ a Lexus IS-F at the penny arcade expo? i didn't see anything about that anywhere?? i mean i didn't go, but i read about the expo and such. sorry about the off topic comment, im just really surprised!


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## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

How thick were the baffles you built for the front doors? And in the front door cards, is there not a lip around the edge of the speaker grille like there is on the rear doors?


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## kazlx (Feb 17, 2011)

Very nice install. It's nice to see how the pros do it...leaves the rest of us something to strive for.


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

ecbmxer said:


> How thick were the baffles you built for the front doors? And in the front door cards, is there not a lip around the edge of the speaker grille like there is on the rear doors?


the baffles is a 3/8" base with a 1/2" ring. the plastic "wall" on the door card was shaved off, though i dont htink it would have made contact when i was eyeballing it as i put the door card back on:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

req said:


> bing, you said you _WON_ a Lexus IS-F at the penny arcade expo? i didn't see anything about that anywhere?? i mean i didn't go, but i read about the expo and such. sorry about the off topic comment, im just really surprised!


no no sorry that was just a joke 

i mentioned "my is-f" in one of the posts meaning the is-f i built that competed.

paul said " you own an is-f?"

so i just cracked a joke 

that would be nice...lol whats a penny arcade expo?


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## jdc753 (Nov 14, 2007)

Absolutely beautiful as usual Bing. Always an inspiration and spectacular execution, specially with tight constraints on the build, FAR harder than just slapping some gear into a car.


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## DJTrevLuv (Apr 15, 2008)

simplicityinsound said:


> i cant tell you how clean it is, only that its not smooth and they EQ the heck out of it with the stock volume control...of course the ms8 will smooth it out the response but not take care of the eqing effects, and, i find using the remote and the two buttons for master volume up and down to be VERY annoying.


After doing a little searching on NASIOC I found a member that took measurements off the factory deck and got the same results that you did (see attachments). I removed the loudness & factory eq and it did make a big difference.

Since removing the loudness and the factory EQ smooths out the curve could I add a MS-8 and still use the factory headunit as the main volume control, or do you need to use the MS-8 remote as a master volume regaurdless?

Thanks!

Trevor


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

ideally you still want to use the ms8 as master volume if the curve looks like that with the oem volume control, its better, but still pretty bad...


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## stef600rr (Aug 5, 2012)

great work and amazing car... is my dreamcar 

congrats!!!


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## dutchman79 (Aug 16, 2010)

Not sure if this has been brought up at all, was there any electrical systems upgrades done? I see the stock battery was left in. How does the system handle the 2400 watts?


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

dutchman79 said:


> Not sure if this has been brought up at all, was there any electrical systems upgrades done? I see the stock battery was left in. How does the system handle the 2400 watts?


none  car is still running strong as far as i know.

the thing you have to to remember is that its not about the wattage rating on the amp.

its about the amount of current you are pulling and also the type of music you are listening to. 

in other words, with the efficient alpines and that a lot of wattage is going to the front speakers, and the fact that hes not listening to heavy heavy bass songs all day, the car's stock electrical system can handle it no problem.

my old subaru which shares the same alternator iirc, ran 1700 watts of class AB power for 7 years 

b


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