# Nissan Cube SQ build thread



## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Hey guys, new car and new plans! 

Short story, got rear ended in a intersection and my previous car was written off. I seem to love wacky cars, so I ended up with this: 










I'm building a (fun) sq system in this, mainly using Helix and Focal components. 

I have a P Six DSP mk2 amp from my previous install, I have a Helix SPXL1000 on order to power sub(s), and I just got a Clarion NX706 head unit to feed a digital signal right into the P Six.

Beginning at the front end this time round: I took out the OEM Nissan basic sound system 2DIN unit, leaving room for the NX706:









I used the OEM bracket from the factory HU to mount the Clarion. 3x 6mm screws on each side of the bracket + 4 6mm screws to install it into the dash:










Crazy amounts of space for activities around the actual HU, wouldn't be too hard to swap it out for a fullsize ipad or a MS Surface pro etc at a later date









But can live with this nice HU for a good while I think!









Big upgrade on the sound quality already (for what it's worth, which isn't much  ) on the OEM fullrange door speakers. But the small power upgrade already shows issues, door panels rattle already - they didn't do that with the weak OEM hu. So have to deaden and isolate properly as the next step. 

Stay tuned


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## I800C0LLECT (Jan 26, 2009)

I've thought a lot about that Clarion. Any thoughts on it?... Good or bad?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Looks promising so far, although I've just installed it last night and can't say much about anything other than the user interface so far. One thing that I noticed straight away is that the internal fan is noticeable when everything other is silent (car is off and low volume on the HU). 

I mainly bought this because of the digital output (as far as I know the only HU with volume control on the digital out) and that it takes almost every type of audio format, including hires/dsd audio. And that the Helix DSP also is hires (96khz bitrate) capable.


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

This s be fun! That headunit looks fantastic!


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## diy.phil (May 23, 2011)

yeah that is indeed a cool (nice) car and the headunit looks great too!
man... that fuzzy carpet thing at the top center of the dash... is that standard or add on? (it sure looks pretty cool/nice too!)


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## carlr (Feb 27, 2011)

Subscribed - in for the ride.


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## porscheman (Jan 1, 2012)

the carpet is a factory piece, not sure about the later years but the base models didnt have one. just a shallow dip in the dash. they work great for sunglasses.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Yes, from the OEM accessory catalogue this  Also the first "mod" I did to this car after getting it. Also bought the OEM front chin spoiler, will be installed shortly, after vinyl wrapping it. 

Now this is a lineup of cars you don't ever see together:


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

Subbed ,

I have the same headunit , love it! 
It does exactly what I want. Upstream optical is quite nice! 
The UI isn't cluttered with crazy artworks and is selectable 48k/96k

Can't wait to see what more you do. 
Lookin like some fun


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Liking it so far, I haven't really connected it up properly yet (just the basics. power and speakers), but I do feel the need to make the steering wheel controls work on the HU, as I have to lean forward reach it.. 

I bought a wiring harness from the Nissan plug, but this had only power and speaker connectors, and I believe the steering wheel control signal is in the same plug? 20 pin Nissan/Subaru plug. What do I need to make this work?


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## porscheman (Jan 1, 2012)

here is a copy of the FSM section for the stereo
View attachment av.pdf

let me know if you need other sections


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## Liberty Gorilla (Mar 30, 2017)

Cool! My wife and I have a Cube. Been wanting to do a small install in it for her but haven't had a chance yet so I'm curious to see what you come up with. I did take some measurements in the doors and there's plenty of room for some beefy mids. And the floor has really thick foam under the carpet so I'm tempted to carve out the passenger footwell for a shallow 10" sub. Cargo space is precious in these little cars. ?


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

That's nice to know! 

It will take a while until I get ready to gut this car to install deadening and run all the cables as May and June are really busy work months and this is currently my only running car. But as soon as my VW Golf is back from rust repairs, I do have a spare car so that I can put this in the workshop and start doing things, at least step by step. 

And it's not easy finding pics of Cubes with the interior out, so I don't really know what I have to work with until I get that far. Or someone can link me some pics of Cubes without interior


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I searched a bit, and found a plan over the components that make up the floor. 
Looks to be pretty huge blocks of foam there yes (or spacers as Nissan call them). 

No doubt they're important for sound deadening, but with some higher grade deadening one could maybe lower the noise floor to the same degree. And have room to spare for shallow woofers etc


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## Liberty Gorilla (Mar 30, 2017)

Yeah I haven't tried pulling the foam yet but it's pretty damn thick. If it comes out in pieces like that picture shows it might make a good mold for fiberglass. Glad you kind that pic, I hadn't seen that yet.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

This is apparently off to a slow start  

But at least I got some new wheels in the meantime, Work Euroline DH in 8.5/18 and 9.5/18". Pleased with this setup!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

This is what we have to work with here 










Look at this amazing paper dualcone speaker 










Well, just to do something here, I swapped them for these: 









Until I can decide on my plan of action here


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

That door isn't bad.. One medium size hole. totally treatable and sealable. 
Cool ride.. I too have a secret closet fetish for odd ball cars. Oops.. I told.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I think that a dual midbass setup should be doable as well, if it's ever needed.

Or close to a single 10"! Hehe  There is some "real estate" in this door for sure. 

However, even the Clarion HU (what are we talking here, 10-ish w rms?) manage to rattle the doors like crazy when I changed to the Focals, so plenty of work to be done here. 

Before I lay any final plans I will have to take apart the interior. If there is lots of space under between the carpet and actual car floor, a dual floormounted midbass/woofer setup would be interesting to explore.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

So, equipment list is pretty much set now, and I've begun to design the layout according to this. 

So this will be the setup:

*Clarion NX706* HU, feeding a volume controllable (up to) 96khz digital signal through optical cable to a:
*Helix P SIX DSP* 6-channel amp, powering the front stage and sending a DSP processed line level subwoofer signal through RCA to a 
*Helix SXPL1000* monoblock powering (@2ohm - 1200w rms) a 
*Focal E 25 KX* subwoofer in a sealed enclosure

3-way front components will be *Focal E165KX3*, actively driven by the P SIX.

As soon as the setup was decided, I could begin planning the layout. It will be a false floor build, taking advantage of the deep trunk with a totally flat floor since the spare wheel is hanging under the floor itself, on the outside of the car. 

To show the usable space, here is the OEM storage box from Nissan that fits in the same area, and makes the cargo area almost flat when you lay down the rear seats:


















Since I want the components properly secured, but don't want to cut and modify the car, it was decided to make a steel frame that everything will bolt unto, and the frame itself bolts to the car using existing mounting locations, namely where the rear seat assembly bolts to the car in front of the frame, and where the spare wheel assembly is bolted to the floorpan in the rear of the frame.

Build material is 1x1" square steel tubing. 

Began cutting to size:









and "employed" my nephew to weld since he has a MIG welder in the garage 



















Grinded down the welds for a smooth surface:









and checked that it was actually fitting after welding it together 









Next step is to make the brackets that will connect the frame to the mounting points, weld them on, and then make mounting points in the actual frame to bolt the components down to it. Will be drilling holes through the frame, and weld on M8x50mm bolts from the bottom and up, having 25mm of threads sticking up through the frame. 

Stay tuned


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

So, with the SQ finals coming up in 2 weeks time, and I want to go but have no install yet, it's really time to crank it up in the fabrication department!

Bad news first, the NX706 is acting up badly, it won't go past the loading screen and is in that respect dead. Can't get it to boot up, tried everything I can as a consumer. Meaning resetting it (no difference), tried disconnecting everything apart from power (no difference) and uninstalling it, had it out of the car for a couple of days, and then reinstalling it. Same problem.. 

And now it comes back to bite me in the ass that I ordered it from overseas, I got it on Amazon and I'm living in Norway. Returning it with DHL/Fedex etc will cost literally hundreds of dollars. And take loooong time. 

So what I did for now was to install another 2DIN unit, a Kenwood DDX4017DAB, this is a euro-spec unit bought locally. A lesser HU, but at least it works. 

I also changed the order on front components to the Focal PS165F3 set, Flax series 3-way setup. I received the E25KX subwoofer a week ago, and the SPXL1000 amp and Focal components are to be delivered on Monday. 

Now for the fun part, I had a look under the carpet on the drivers side floor, and right under the carpet is a nearly 4" thick styrofoam block between the actual floorboard and the carpet (!). 

It must take up at least half a cubic foot in air space, meaning totally hidden front subs at a later revision   You could probably fit a shallowmount 10" there without anyone knowing it or seeing it.


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## SQ_Blaze (Sep 29, 2008)

I bought a 2010 Cube when they first came out over here in the states. I loved that little ugly thing. And that's why I bought it to begin with, because it's sort of ugly. LOL

And yes, they have all of that padding and insulation in the floor which is crazy. One reason why they had room to store the scissor jack and tools in the floor behind the driver's seat. 

Unfortunately, I didn't do a whole lot as far as a system is concerned in that car, though I wanted to. All I did was install a single DIN Kenwood KDC-HD545U head unit and a pair of Infinity Kappa coaxials in the front doors, then move the stock front door speakers into the rear doors where there were none. It actually worked out pretty good because those stock speakers in the rear doors kind of acted like little subs. Haha

Oh, and I also had XXR (Work wannabe) staggered wheels and NeuSpeed lowering springs on it. In four years, I put well over 100k miles on it.

Oddly enough, I don't have any pics of it lowered, except for one when it was really filthy. :blush:


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

That's the thing, very few has done installs in these that go further than swapping speakers and headunit. And those who did is so long ago that all pic links from their threads are now dead  

I can't seem to find any good OEM grommets to put a 1/0 gauge power cable through from the engine bay to the interior.. But after removing the glovebox there seems to be a good spot to make a new hole in the firewall, just over the antilock brake unit on the passenger side.

Got my new front speakers and monoblock amp today, so now the main components are in place, just have to install it all now


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

That looks like it's gonna be fun! I always dig your builds !


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I usually post things as they are moving along, but as I decided to try to make the national SQ finals, 10 days before the event, I had no spare time to post the progress. 

But to make a long story short, this was the end result


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

^^^. Not sure but does that mean you won 1st place ?


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Yes it does  

But the real competition was against the clock and pushing myself to get everything done in a very limited amount of time. Luckily I had friends that helped with things they were good at respectively, and that made all the difference. I would never had finished the task without great help  

So now the car is qualified to enter the European finals, most likely held in Salzburg, Austria in March or April 2018


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Well my congratulations go out to you both on your win, and your perseverance.


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## carlr (Feb 27, 2011)

Grattis! Själv kör man SM-final på lördag!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Thank you all  

This was in the class SQ Master €5000 btw 

Earlier this week I bought an iPad, and ordered a secondhand dash piece/radio bezel. So over the winter I will make a new dash piece with the iPad molded in and use that as a source. Along with the Helix Director for volume/presets control. 

And since Helix has come out with a USB module/input for the DSP, I might use that as a direct digital transfer method. Just have to figure out a way to charge the iPad while being connected to the DSP, I don't think it offers charging through the USB input.


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

^^^^. What exactly does that mean please ?


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

The class I'm in? Master is the second highest level in EMMA, it's mostly for shop cars/sponsored competitors etc. 

Master €5000 is a cost limited class, so all components must not cost more than 5000 euro in total, that's more or less the same amount in USD.


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

That sub box is fantastic!! Congrats on the win!!! Hope there's few build pics of box and amp rack


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

see you in Salzburg in March!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlKQUpm3Q_Y


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

LBaudio said:


> see you in Salzburg in March!


Can't promise that, but at least I'm qualified to attend  

My Clarion NX706 head unit, that I got for the only two reasons that it did hi-res audio AND had a optical digital out (with volume control) decided to throw a fit and won't boot up at all. Just stuck on the "Clarion" logo loading screen.

So what I had to do in order to get the car ready in time, was to borrow a cheap Kenwood 2din with 2V RCA out. Not ideal, and it also sounds pretty bad to be honest. So that is holding the rest of the system back. 

However, I didn't really like the Clarion in use that much. Very finnicky touchscreen, and not the best user interface. 

So I have decided on a new route, I will be using an ipad as a source unit, sending its data digitally directly to the amp via the Helix USB audio module. And controlling volume and presets with the Helix Director controller. 

I've already bought a new ipad, and a secondhand dash piece/radio bezel so I can integrate a mount for the ipad into that. Also have to find a decent mounting location for the Director.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Might consider an Android tablet for the car. You can get a simple OTG cable and use one side to charge and the other for signal out.

In my last car, I did that and used a USBBuddy to power my USB hub and an Anker smart charger to charge the tablet. With the OTG cable, I plugged into a Behringer UCA222 to give me optical out to my processor.

I don't know if you'd be able to mod the lightning cable to allow charging, and isolate it so it doesn't backfeed into the Helix, but I would think so.

Jay


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I thought about the same myself, but it's a simple solution. 

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...nit-charging-while-using-usb-data-output.html

If the ipad could not be charged while outputting data through the lightning connector, my second choice would be to just wire a charger to that port, and use the Helix HD Bluetooth module to transfer the data wirelessly. But no problem using the USB module along with a apple interface cable that allows data transfer out and charging in. Along with a 12v to 5v usb charger. 

Anyway, ipad is already bought so will go that route for now. If I were to do something different, I would get a windows based tablet, like a MS Surface pro, so that I could run the Helix DSP software directly from the tablet. Now I have to use a laptop PC to adjust the DSP.


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

The Camera connector will charge while working.
https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MK0W2AM-Lightning-Camera-Adapter/dp/B01F7KJDIM/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_147_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=N2WKS9NPXXF23P9DG44B


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Found some old build pics on my photobucket account, these are exactly one year old, as the whole system was built in the 10 days before the Emma finals last year, held at the weekend of 16th September.*

One main goal was to not cut and modify the car. So in order to make a secure mounting base for the components, it was chosen to make a sturdy steel frame that bolts unto original fastening points in the car. Namely the spare wheel mount in the back, and rear seat bench fastenings towards the front of the frame.*

Bought some lengths of 25x25mm square steel tubing, and cut parts to shape. Put my nephew into work welding it up:



























Testfitting before making fastening brackets:









Drilled holes, and inserted M8x50mm bolts from the underside (rack upside down in the pic). Secured with nuts before welding them unto the frame:









Have more pics of the steel frame being mounted, but they were not in the photobucket album. Will find them on hard drive and upload shortly.*


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

A small update since the setup is changing a bit. 

After a year of not getting around to cutting up the dash panel to integrate an ipad as a source unit, I went the easy route of getting a new and better headunit that almost have the same size as an ipad. 

I went with the Alpine Halo9 unit, with a "floating" 9 inch screen. Now I can fit both that, and a Helix Director in the same panel as the ipad alone would take up. 

New setup is now:

Alpine Halo9 for playback
Helix Director for audio control
Helix P Six DSP amp for 3-way components and DSP control
Helix M One x2 amps for subwoofers
Focal PS165F3 (flax) 3-way front stage
Helix Q10W subwoofers x2, powered by a M One each

That's it for the setup,but doing over most of the install over the winter. 

Sneak preview of the subwoofer enclosure I've had made:


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

love that sub enclosure, but you already know that  .... super nice work


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

haakono said:


> A small update since the setup is changing a bit.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That’s awesome!!! More picsss


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Still no more pics as little has happened since last update....

Except for that new speakers have been (pre)ordered  Still Focal, but taking a huge leap up to the new Utopia M series 

TBM, 3,5WM and 6WM front stage is on order. Still two months wait because the first batch delivered to Norway will go to the Elite dealers for display/demo. And it looks like arrival in May for the first customer deliveries. 

Hopefully the Helix P Six will do a good job powering the front stage. Will try that first at least. Looking forward to it, haven't had a full Utopia front stage since forever. After collecting all the parts for my (personal) ultimate Focal setup, at least from when it was new, I haven't had a suitable car to install them properly. So I've just kept on to them for years. This is a setup of audiom TLR tweeters, audiom 6W midrange speakers and Utopia 7w2 midbass drivers. I've used the TLRs and 7w2s separately in different cars, but since I got hold of the missing pieces (6W) about 10 years ago, I haven't actually installed them together. So maybe time to think about letting them go in favour of the Utopia M setup that actually WILL be installed


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## Badganaka (Mar 16, 2019)

haakono everything looking nice . Congrats for the first place  I already buy Nissan cube but the older one 2003 , and move my music from the old car here - Pioneer Deh 80 prs , Audison Sr1DK with Hertz Es300 sub , for front i have Hertz ESK 165L.5 with Pioneer GM-D 8604 for them and doing good but want to change grounding for them becouse cant find where to ground them . I ground them now on one hole which i find near the back door and just use screw to hold them both grounding from both amps . Could you tell me where you ground your amps so i can move my ground on better place becouse not like to much this one . Also i need help what sub to buy for the Audison Sr1DK becouse the current one have the problem and when i put volume on high the bass is very bad , there is something wrong with the sub which is 12 years old , if you can help me to find something good for the current amp will be appreciate that .


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Long time since update, but I've mostly just been waiting for my new speakers to arrive.. 

Waited over 3 months since order date, but last week they finally showed up 

In the boxes are 

TBM tweeters
3.5WM midranges
6WM midbass drivers

In the time after they arrived I have uninstalled the whole setup I had, so ready to begin with a clean slate!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Long time since update, mostly because I haven't really gotten around to doing much audio-related since last time. 

Have been doing a lot to the car externally though, nearly done now - so install will be next on the list  

Before and after pics:


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

That is a great wrap job that you’ve got going on there.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Thank you! 

Very happy with the colour, as it's pretty bold I didn't know if it would suit the car or not before it was finished.. But came out well I think?


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Now see that’s exactly what I like about it as that color adds even more character to that type of vehicle .


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Yep, and it's the only one of these in the whole of Norway according to the registration database  

They never sold them here officially, this is a used import sold new in Germany. 

So people don't have any idea on what they are seeing around here!


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

So how do you get parts and needed service out there for it then ?


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Service/maintenance parts are more or less readily available here because they are shared with several other more mainstream Nissan models that are being sold here. 

Cube spesific parts I order online from Germany and they show up within a week. 

For more special parts ebay is your friend  I have gathered the OEM bodykit piece by piece on ebay, everything brand new, but in random colours. Just have to keep an eye out because these pop up when parts dealers clear up their inventory to make space for new parts. So I got everything for at least 50% off retail prices. Which off course went straight out the window again in international shipping and taxes


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Finished the exterior mods now (just have to mount the sideskirts and fit the new wheels), so finally ready to start on the new install.

I've bought spare interior trim parts, so I can cut and modify those while still retaining the stock ones unmodified if I want to put the car back together as stock down the line.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Made new adapters/spacers from 19mm PVC plastic on a cnc router. 

Triple layers for midbass drivers, so that they will sit almost flush with the door card, so have to modify those. Cut away the OEM grille (just perforations in the plastic door card) and make new grilles. 

I ordered this to use for custom grilles: 









https://www.themeshcompany.com/prod...Triangular-Pitch---Mild-Steel-401.html#SID=88


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## diy.phil (May 23, 2011)

Ooooo... the adapter is very nice!!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

A big step up from me trying to make them myself with a jigsaw or handheld router for sure!  

https://youtu.be/hRIt5SJOFzY

I made the CAD files myself after measurements I took of the old spacer I had, and a friend who has a lot of nice machinery at his shop (cnc routers, laser cutter etc) made them for me. We also made mounting rings for the tweeters and midranges.


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Man it’s nice to have those kind of friends lol...


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Nice, but costly....  

We're both in the same business (signs and graphics etc) but have different skills and equipment. But it's still pay to play on the machines  

This is the test-fitments spacers, I might have to adjust them a bit to get the speaker to center directly behind the OEM grille location. So will test fit at first, make adjustments if necessary, and then make final ones in acrylic (denser material than the PVC) or aluminum. I have way to much acrylic in stock, had to order a whole sheet from the vendor to get it in half inch (or 12mm as they sell it in metric over here). Sheet was 2x3m (60-ish ft3). Ouch


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Almost everything here, didn't have space on the table for the Halo9 headunit and the last two Helix Q10W subwoofers....


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Oh dang, you’ll need a second vehicle just to carry all of that equipment lol.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I found and uploaded a few build pics from the first system recently, so I thought I might share them here  

First setup:


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

1/0g (50mm2) power cable, with ring terminal crimped on with a hydraulic crimping press. Love this tool  









Heat shrink to cover up the exposed metal:









This fits directly on a spare connection on the OEM terminal block, thanks Nissan!  









When the OEM lid is in place, no wiring is exposed.

Did not find space for such a large diameter cable in any of the OEM grommets, so decided to make my own hole through the firewall:









Ran the power cable through here, after installing a rubber grommet to protect it from sharp edges:







[/QUOTE]


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Rear floor in OEM state with just the stock deadening









First layer is Ground Zero 2mm butyl dampening mats:


















Next layer is GZ 8mm foam:



























Had to use it sparingly in the end because I didn't have enough at hand, and this was a time crunch to get ready for finals.. So can improve on this. 

Then putting back the OEM foam. This goes from 1,5" thick in the back to almost 4" thick in the front. It also makes the floor flat in the trunk area and under the rear seats.


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## RobertWrenn (Dec 16, 2019)

the carpet is a factory piece, not sure about the later years but the base models didnt have one. just a shallow dip in the dash. they work great for sunglasses.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

It's been a while...

And not much has happened, at least with the stereo. I sold my Helix P Six dsp amp, not because I didn't want it anymore - but a friend couldn't wait a few days for a brand new one, so I sold him mine since I wasn't using it at the time anyway. Was planning to buy a new one, to power the 3-way Utopia M front stage, and a P Two to power the Utopia M subwoofer. But I might go for a Helix DSP Ultra, and stand alone amps. 

But first, find a new location for my business (I have a sign and graphics shop), since my previous location got sold in a hurry to a company that got a government deal to produce and supply face masks to all the hospitals over here. Hopefully I'll find and get settled in a new location in a reasonable time since the orders are racking up quickly


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I made a decision on the setup, and got a new P Six mk2 instead of standalone dsp and amps. So back to the original plan with a P Six for components, and P Two for subwoofer. I was dragging out getting a mk2 version since the mk3 is upcoming, but looks like it will still be a while before it hits the market. 

So earlier this week I got a sweet lite package with this content:


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

thats whole lot goodness sitting there and can't wait to see it installed!!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Started messing about with a little DIY project this weekend, I want to make a nice looking distribution block/fuse holder for my little setup (just two amps, one of them with integrated DSP). 

I started out with this distribution block, it does all it needs to do, but it doesn't look anything special. 








But instead of having bus bars custom made, I thought I might use the parts from this, and make a nicer looking base/lid.

It was not meant to be disassembled though, but after a bit of investigating (with a grinder), I found screws under the sealed plastic lids. 









So it was doable to remove the metal components:


















Having started out with car audio in the 90s, when fuse blocks were made of thick, polished acrylic and was meant to be a nice thing to look at, this cheap and flimsy black plastic won't do









But the metal parts are nice, also liking the LED indicators on the fuse holders: 









I also bought a bunch of these single fuse holders a while back, they were like $2 each, and also good for taking apart to use the individual components:



























My plan is to make a new base from acrylic, I have a few sheets of half inch acrylic. Well, over 60ft2 at least.. 

My inspiration is this, but I don't need nearly as many outputs. Think it looks amazing though, I'm sure mine will look crap compared to this

















We'll see how it goes!


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

I can't wait to see what you do! And I might want one to 


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Can't wait to see the WHOLE plexiglass subwoofer enclosure!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I should really get another daily driver/work car/van, this is it for the moment  Out on a construction site today, putting some graphics on a rock sorter (probably has a better name, but that's what it does  )


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Yeah you should!


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Hey there welcome back and yes definitely a beater is needed lol.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Might get a used Sprinter van, just put graphics on a brand new one and the customer is getting rid of the oldest one in the fleet, about 10 years old. Waiting for a quote on that..

But more cars, more stereo plans. I was planning on selling my Focal F40th kit, not getting a car to put it in!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

New year, new plans, but not new me - so can't promise any extreme improvments in actually getting things done! 

Sold my 2 year old but never installed Halo9 head unit, and ordered a Kenwood DMX9720XDS 10.1" floating screen head unit. This is the euro-spec version of the Kenwood DMX1057XR sold in the US I believe.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

HU installed, and playing hires audio files in 24bit/96KHz, sweet!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Trying to find a good spot for the Helix Director. I think it has to be in this region, but the Kenwood HU is taking up a lot of real estate in the dash 

The most unobtrusive position would probably be to mold it into upper (tan) center panel, where the emergency light button and passenger airbag display is located now. But too far in and the HU will block the view of the display.

I might just start off by fabricating a bracket it can be mounted to, and route the cables into the dash just under the HU opening.

The whole dash is very curvy, so not the easiest to integrate a flat panel into


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

That screen looks HUGE!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

It is.. 10.1 inches  Nice to be up to date on HU features, this does everything wireless as well; screen mirroring, carplay, android auto and LDAC hires audio bluetooth streaming. I have a 256gb flash drive for stored media, but I've seen this unit support at least 2TB usb hard drives.

My plan is to use the HDMI input for Apple TV, so that will give a better user interface than by mirroring youtube, netflix etc from the phone.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I've been stepping in at a business partner's sign company lately, running the daily production while he is working offshore on rotation.

I have my own business in the same area of work, but mostly graphic design/car lettering/graphics related. But this business has all the fun machines, and I've been learning to operate them over time. At least enough to keep the production running.

Had some time for own projects now over Easter, so when I was planning to cut an enclosure for 2x Helix Q10W for a project, I put a couple of cutouts for a false floor for my own car to fill the MDF sheet. And when the CNC is at it, might as well put a few logos on the board? 









Finished routing, just the cleanup left


















Forgot to take more pictures of the progress (just video clips, might compile them and upload later), but is short terms I then put the floorboard in the flatbed printer, that can print directly on the mdf piece. So after 3x passes of white baselayer, I printed this image on the board just for fun. 










Colours came out amazing, this is printed directly to untreated MDF. I might fill the logo inlays with black acrylic later, but I'm also liking the look as it is. 

Cut out two of these boards, so the first on will go on the floorboard:









Putting some spacers on top of that board, and putting the printed one on top of the spacers. Then I will have space for amps and distribution blocks etc in between. I've been driving without any proper sound in the car for so long now that I just have to do something with it, while I'm planning the "proper" install.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Excuse the vertical video (just put together some clips made for IG) 

But here is the process of printing with a UV flatbed printer directly on MDF:


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

It's been a while since last update here, but not much happening in the last months either. Just been busy with work, including a huge build project (for me anyway) in another car. Finally finished with that though. So can start thinking about this again. 

I recently found a vendor in Germany that offer suede material with stitching in different patterns and colours, ready to buy by the roll (or yard). It even comes with adhesive backing. I ordered a sample with hexagon stiching in a similar colour to my wrap on the car, and I think it looks really nice. Just got it delivered today. 

Took a "family photo" of the speakers along with the suede, it think it could go well together with the right layout. 









I recently sold my BNIB Helix P Six mk2 though, a friend was looking for one and I offered him mine so he could have it the same day. But I will most likely just get another one, I'm interested in how it will perform on the Utopias, since I've already had that same model amp in this car on other Focal speakers. Not hoiding out for a mk3 version, it has been talked about for well over 3 years now, and when I bought my second mk2 a year ago, it was still then "just around the corner"  And with the current global microchip shortage, even current models have longer and longer delivery times. The mk2 is in stock locally, so I'll probably just get one of those. 

Here are a few pics of the other project by the way. It took its time


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Pretty components! That enclosure came out nice as h3ll!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Thank you  










This was the final look when everything was finished.


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Purple is my favorite color!


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## hella356 (Dec 11, 2016)

I prefer all my gear in the trunk be hidden/stealthy, and what is visible I don't care how it looks, thus I would never even consider putting forth the time, effort and money for something like this. _However_, I *LOVE *seeing this level of creativity, engineering, and skill. That's amazing work, and the purple really makes for a dramatic presentation. Nicely done!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I fully agree on having it stealthy, or at least having the option to when you want


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## hella356 (Dec 11, 2016)

Doubly impressive!


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Word!


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

Looking great. Super nice enclosure!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

How to treat one self on a birthday 😁


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## SiW80 (Mar 13, 2019)

You can’t beat the taste of original Coke - happy birthday!


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Happy birthday..


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## Stycker (Jan 31, 2018)

Happy Birthday. Beautiful build


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

Happy B-Day,....


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## Tommy27 (Jul 27, 2021)

I was going to mention that about the foam under the carpet but couldn’t remember if it was front or back. Found that out when the car came out and I was working at scosche. We built the cube for a show car and it had the two 10’s in acrylic boxes spinning around when the back door was open. But we though about doing some kind of from sub thing but ended up mounting the amps up there and building covers to protect them. Turned out cool for a show car but nothing to special. The sub boxes was cool as far how it was done anyways


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

SiW80 said:


> You can’t beat the taste of original Coke - happy birthday!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





Coppertone said:


> Happy birthday..
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk





Stycker said:


> Happy Birthday. Beautiful build





LBaudio said:


> Happy B-Day,....


Thank you all very much!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Tommy27 said:


> I was going to mention that about the foam under the carpet but couldn’t remember if it was front or back. Found that out when the car came out and I was working at scosche. We built the cube for a show car and it had the two 10’s in acrylic boxes spinning around when the back door was open. But we though about doing some kind of from sub thing but ended up mounting the amps up there and building covers to protect them. Turned out cool for a show car but nothing to special. The sub boxes was cool as far how it was done anyways


That's cool! This car comes up a lot when you google seach Nissan Cube + Stereo, I've seen lots of pics of it.





I still haven't gutted the interior completely to do a full sound deadening, but I measured the height of the foam/styrofoam block when running the cables along the sides, it's nearly 4" thick. Now I know the floor isn't completely flat under the foam, it has profiles/bracing, but the 4" or so runs all the way from the front to the back where the rear seat starts. On the drivers side there is a hidden compartment in the floor that house the car jack and tools. I placed the Utopia 6,5" in there just to see how much clearance it would get, and it has lots of space up to the OEM floor height.










Lots of space behind the glovebox as well, up against the firewall. I think you could fit at least a shallowmount 10" in between the firewall and glovebox, at least if the enclosure went down and used some of the "spare volume" underneath the OEM floor/carpet.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

This probably belongs in its own build log for that car, but I put together the small video clips I had on my phone from building the E60 BMW system:


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Time apparently flies! Much more than the progress here, but hoping to catch up a bit so I can have decent sound in the car again. Today I made a CAD file of the enclosure for the two Utopia SUB10WMs, I have a couple of sheet of 22mm mdf stored at the sign shop where I help out, so next time I'm there I'll CNC router these puzzle pieces. With the price of wood these days it pays off to use the sheets to the fullest. This is a stacked design, 8 layers of 22mm (including top and bottom), saving a whole sheet of mdf compared to each layer being a single piece. The walls are 30mm thick, with a center divider. 










Also, new equipment!

I've had a thing in mind (although not realistically) ever since I heard rumours about it a couple of years before it was released to the public. And when it finally was released it was with a hefty pricetag to say the least..

So put it on the bucket list, but not as a realistic purchase in any way.

Fast forward a few years still, and we're at this point here. Sold my Helix P Six, and over the last couple of years I've also bought my bucket list speakers piece by piece to finally have full setup of Utopia M drivers, 3-way components and 2x subwoofers. The P six is a great amp/dsp combo, but it's also 7 years old and the world moves forward - especially in the DSP development.

The bucket list item came to mind again, and after airing my thoughts to the distributor I got a very nice price (although a lot of money) for said item. This was a few months ago, and after mulling over it ever since, I finally took the big step of placing and order to my custom spec in January. About a week later it was built, and a few weeks after it arrived at the distributor who sent it down here.

So finally, here is my brand new Brax DSP! 



















My personal spec for this was to have it equipped with 2x digital and 2x analog input modules, and 6x analog output modules (2ch each), and a HD Bluetooth streaming module. And anodized black finish (could also choose silver). Now this is the single most expensive piece of car audio I've bought brand new in the close to 30 years I've been into car audio (since about 15 years old). Brax has been around of all that time, but I guess it's more of a "grown-up" brand in the same way as a Rolls Royce probably isn't your favourite car when you're 18 or 30 or even 40







For my own sake it's only in the more recent (5-10 years) it has been on the radar so to speak.

Hopefully this will be the heart of any system configuration I will have over the next 10+ years at least, and while the world moves fast when it comes to DSPs, this one is modular and has the potensial to be upgradable as time goes by. That, and the fact that Brax products come with a lifetime warranty for the original owner, help a bit to make this purchase (almost) justifiable....? In any case, it can now be crossed off the bucket list (yolo), and the want/need to upgrade can be crossed of the list as well. 

For good measure, here is a video that maybe will help explain the joy/pride of ownership of such an item:


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

How many cubic feet for the 10's?


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

About 26 liters for each before subwoofer displacement, so about 0.85 ish after displacement? In that area.


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Nice!


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Yesterday I took advantage of having access to a great CNC and made all the pieces that goes into building this enclosure.

Started easy with all the countersunk bits, here in the middle of removing all of the body of a logo, before it goes around the perimeter to make clean lines.










Then onto the various side pieces, 5 parts go together to make a complete layer. And 6 layers (x22mm). Turned out I was rather stingy on the material when setting the set point for the CNC, usually you set it a bit in from the material edge in both y and x axis, especially if the router bit cuts on the outside of the cut line like here. But it went well, it cut to about a few sheets of paper worth of clearance with the margins on the right side:










Cut halfway on the first pass and the rest on the second pass. Here is between first and second

















Finished routing, now it's only to collect all the pieces:










And clean up the mess left behind!










I also made holes for wooden plugs in the cut file, so it will be easy to align all the layers perfectly when joining them together:










Puzzled together all the pieces for one layer to see if theory related to practice, and luckily it did:










So now assembly remains, might get something done over the weekend. Hopefully at least


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I had to get a drone for work. So off course the first thing I did was not work related at all!










Found out that I had a dent in the roof, never seen that before 👀


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Today I started putting the puzzle pieces for the enclosure together. 










The first step was to piece together each layer, and lock the parts in place with CA glue. Here they are placed on top of another (not joined yet), held in position with the wooden plugs that help align the layers. 










Baffle placed on top, starting to look like something here.










Took it out to the car, fitment was nice, using the available space in a effective manner. The bottom layer is not a part of this enclosure, although it's exactly the same material, 22mm mdf. This has just been used as a floor board for the last year or so, to see how the printed image holds up to wear and tear. It's printed directly to the mdf. 



















Put the baffle on top, but decided that I didn't like the layout when seeing it in real life instead of on a computer screen. So will make a now one in one of the other layouts that was on the shortlist. 










Sometimes you just have to see it before your own eyes to decide it it works or not in regards to how you imagined it in your head.


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## SPAZ (Jan 7, 2009)

Looking great! Please give us feedback on those 10wms when you get to tune and listen to them.


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

super tight fit, lovin it.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Thanks LB  

Some adjustments are underway, I'm lowering it by one layer since it's still decent amount of airspace, and also changing the layout of the top plate to make more space for components (it's getting a bit tight)

Also looking into some way to isolate/decouple amp and dsp rack from the enclosure, since it will be mounted on top of baffle.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

I finally dedided on the amp setup, so last week I ordered the two amps I needed to go along with one of my old ones (well old as in bought it a few years ago but haven't used it as of yet). 

So I will be using my Helix P Two to run the midbasses (280w a channel is probably twice what they will ever need, but I don't complain about having some extra power on tap). Helix P One to power the two 10" subwoofers, and a classic design for the mids and tweeters, a Helix H 400X Precision class AB amp, latest revision of a design introduced in 1992. 

These amps together fit in a line, with space to spare for cables, fans etc. Just what I need in a small trunk space what needs to fit a good deal of components. Especially since the car has no spare wheel well to put components or subwoofer enclosure in.

First thing I did, about 20 seconds after breaking the seal of the packaging, was to unscrew the bottom plate on the P One, all amps will be mounted with the internals visible through acrylic. 









Internals of P One:









Internals of P Two:









And all amps lined up together:









I won't be using the OEM acrylic cover on the H 400X, so off it went:









I will be making custom length RCA cables, using the DD Audio Z-Wire system. I think this is exactly the same as the Planet Waves DIY cable solution, only rebranded. 

Did a quick test fit to see how much clearance the amps needed to have, and I have plenty of room to spare compared to this:









Next up is to construct an amp rack so that all three amps will sit flush on top. And find out where cooling fans should be mounted to be most effective. If a push+pull cooling tunnel would be best, or a line of fans all pushing air along cooling fins out to open air would be the most effective.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

The joys of ordering fabric based on sample pictures on the internet.

Tried to find a (close) match for the brown velvety seats in my car, and decided on "lion" from this sample pic









Maybe a bit light, but the tone matched pretty well, at least compared to this pic I took of the actual seat in my car:









Until it arrived today









Phone camera made the colours a bit weird, the seats have a warmer tone than shown here. But that was so far off that I could only laugh









Same for another colour I hoped would match the tan/beige interior plastic. It was equally off, but in the 5 years I've owned this car I have not found a match anywhere for this colour. Nissan calls it gray, it looks kind of beige-ish. But put something beige next to it and it looks gray, put something gray next to it and it looks beige...

So I did the only "sensible" thing, ordering the full 124 colour sample book of available 4-way stretch microfiber/suede fabric colours









I have set a deadline for myself, a car audio meet locally (well 9 hour drive across the country, but local to Norway at least). This is on July 30th. So crunch time now!


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

lol, somebody was color-blind


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Right? lmao

Other than that, fabric looks and feels great. Very stretchy, maybe 25-30% top/bottom, and 50%+ side to side. It's almost to the point that I consider trying to wrap the complete side panels in the trunk.


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## Marius (Nov 22, 2018)

haakono said:


> I have set a deadline for myself, a car audio meet locally (well 9 hour drive across the country, but local to Norway at least). This is on July 30th. So crunch time now!


Hvilket treff er dette??


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Marius said:


> Hvilket treff er dette??


NZC (om det blir i år igjen). så er iallfall det planlagt dato.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Started v2 of sail panels, taking my time with these compared to last time. When I built both sides from scratch in 3 hours, the day before finals, lol. That time it was a mishmash of OEM speaker rings, popsicle sticks, hot glue and grille cloth (yes I burned my fingertips multiple times rushing this together), however the end result was halfway presentable and surprisingly well-sounding. Considering that no aiming was tried out, just took a chance and made both sides symmetrical. Also they were not only playing free air, but basically in a dipol baffle since they had no actual closed off pod due to the open grill cloth.


















They did the job, but now it's time to do this properly.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Back to square one on the sail panels. This time I started making templates for the base of new panels. Using transparent plastic sheet to easily mark the wanted contours of the shapes:










Spare OEM sail panels will be used as part of the base, but here it is removed. Plenty of space behind, and also vented into the door, so can choose to make them either closed or open back.










3" Helix midrange for size reference:










As you can see, no matter how you angle the drivers here, no visibility is impaired from the drivers seat (for both sides)

So, could have scanned the templates and imported into CAD software, but much simpler is to just tape them to the computer screen and trace directly


























So after smoothing out the lines, I made this cut file for laser cutting of acrylic pieces to construct the shape of the sail panels.










A lot of multiple/spare pieces in the spirit of get the most yield from the piece of acrylic.


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## Marius (Nov 22, 2018)

Impressive


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Today I did some laser cutting at the sign shop, always nice to know people with the right set of tools and machines.










Now I have the pieces to make a 3D puzzle:










The Utopia M mid and tweeter will take about this much space in the sail panels. But I think I will make separate mounting rings, placed a bit staggered since they will probably be angled a bit upwards, a bit more on axis to ear level.










Excellent fitment of the cut pieces though, this bezel that goes just 1mm outside the tweeter fit so snugly that it stays on the tweeter when pressed over.









Actually two rings here, one 3mm and one 2mm.

Snug fit into the mounting plate as well, good to know when making new, separate ones.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Ok, so I may have gone a little overboard when making speaker rings in all kinds of variants depending on different design options. Oh well.


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Sneak peek at the layout for the trunk build, however I think it's back to the drawing board on the subwoofer cutouts. Looked better on computer screen than in real life  Was meant to mimic the design of the wheels on the car. 



















Which it does, but looked kinda off in the flesh.


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## Marius (Nov 22, 2018)

haakono said:


> NZC (om det blir i år igjen). så er iallfall det planlagt dato.


Er du klar for Emma konk den 31 på Lillehammer? Passer vel fint på vei hjem fra Halden


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## haakono (Apr 5, 2009)

Nope, 8 hour detour on a 9 hour drive. Emma competition doesn't interest me any more really. I'd rather spend the time hanging out with old friends when I'm first driving across the country


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