# 2002 BMW 325i Final Re-Install



## bertholomey

Thanks scooter99 for that title - it is appropriate for my system as well 

This is a brand new install in my 2002 BMW 325i sedan. My first install in this car was in January 2008 with a local installer in Winston Salem, NC.

The Equipment List was as follows:

Alpine 9887 (tried Imprint – didn't like it)
Monitor 1 Amp – later Alpine PDX 4.100
JL Audio C5 6.5” component set
JL Audio 500.1
Onyx 10 – later Dayton HO 10










Impressions of system: I liked the 9887 – I really like using my iPod for the majority of listening while commuting – I liked the crossover / eq features. I didn't like the JL speakers at all (not shocking) – I didn't like the sound of the PDX amp (again, not shocking) – I never could get much bass sound into the cab with the Onyx or the Dayton on the JL Audio amp. Of course the system was better than stock – and it was better than the system I had in my Toyota Truck. My installer Randy did a good job with the limitations that I put on him and with using some old equipment. 










Randy made these baffles on the door card - they worked well for what they were - the speakers played between the inner and outer door skin. 










The subwoofer box 'box' was made from a 12" concrete former attached to the back of the seat with the sub firing through the ski hole. 





































Impressions of system: I liked the 9887 – I really like using my iPod for the majority of listening while commuting – I liked the crossover / eq features. I didn't like the JL speakers at all (not shocking) – I didn't like the sound of the PDX amp (again, not shocking) – I never could get much bass sound into the cab with the Onyx or the Dayton on the JL Audio amp. Of course the system was better than stock – and it was better than the system I had in my Toyota Truck. My installer Randy did a good job with the limitations that I put on him and with using some old equipment.


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## schmiddr2

I really like putting amps there.

Concrete formers are cardboard or paper right?


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## bertholomey

May 2009

Equipment List:

Alpine 9887
Zuki Eleets 4
Morel MT 23 / Morel HU 621
Alpine mono amp 
Stereo Integrity Mag V4 – 1 cu ft box – reverse mounted

Ryan did a fantastic job with the box for the SI Mag, and the way he mounted the amps on top of the box. 





































September 2009

Add Bit One.1, US Amps 1600.2, and better sound deadening in the doors.




























Ryan moved the DRC and made it more stable.



















I have to get the 'foot' pic in here.










I really like the Bit One – I think it is a fantastic piece of equipment. I had absolutely no problems with it, and I love the software. The Morel drivers were certainly a step up from the JL's – I love the tweeter sound – the mid bass drivers has a very pleasing mid range sound, but are lacking in mid bass (not shocking to most of you). For many listeners – these would be completely satisfying – I had them moving when I pushed up the output and the eq. I really liked the Zuki (fan boy) – very strong amp – never had a problem pushing the volume way past loud listening volumes – warm, detailed sound. The US Amps 1600.2 is an extremely strong amp. I really liked the SI Mag – if I didn't want to go IB so badly – I would have tried a different orientation with it (normal mount instead of reverse mount and fire it through the ski hole. The sound of the sub was phenomenal – very clean and accurate – there was times I just didn't consistently get the output I wanted (due to my set up). The only reason to change from the Mag is that I have really liked a couple of the IB set ups that I have heard.


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## bertholomey

schmiddr2 said:


> I really like putting amps there.
> 
> Concrete formers are cardboard or paper right?


Well, really tough paper - Randy layed in good amount of fiberglass to stiffen up the entire box - the front baffle was 3/4" mdf.


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## bertholomey

Latest install – January 2010

I took a long time to decide some pieces of the equipment list, and other items took very little time to decide. It took me forever to decide on mid bass drivers – there are many good options, and I certainly heard some fantastic examples (Thank you Dave Edwards for letting me hear those excellent L6's, and thank you Bing for letting me hear the Seas drivers that finally made my mind up). It didn't take long to decide on the Alpine DVD player, the LRX amplifier, and the IB sub (thanks Dave). 

I dropped the car at my friend Ryan's house (Sladeaudio.com) for the install. Unfortunately the amp and the mid bass drivers didn't make it to Ryan's house until the end of that week. That put the pressure on Ryan to crank out an entire makeover in a few days. I decided to give up my beloved Zuki because I really wanted a one amp solution. 

I'm changing out the HU this weekend, so I'll post those later.

Sub



















Build photos




























The life of an installer


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## bertholomey

Pics of Amp and Amp Rack


















































































This is a pic of the Hobbit feet - for Zach....


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## bertholomey

Closed Cell Foam under the 'floor'










Pic of finished trunk



















Installer Fuel.....


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## scooter99

Always happy to help my fellow diyers!! Hopefully your's doesn't take as long as mine had. I really like the ipod holder. How did that go about? I'm doing something very very similar in that same type of position, and I want the same ipod thing. I have a white one, which I was considering painting black, but I like the counter sunk look. Can you enlighten me please?


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## bertholomey

Speakers and Doors


















































































Emma always wanted us to take a break


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## bertholomey




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## bertholomey

More to come - the doors will be finished this weekend, and the HU will be changed out. We will be tuning as well.


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## bertholomey

scooter99 said:


> Always happy to help my fellow diyers!! Hopefully your's doesn't take as long as mine had. I really like the ipod holder. How did that go about? I'm doing something very very similar in that same type of position, and I want the same ipod thing. I have a white one, which I was considering painting black, but I like the counter sunk look. Can you enlighten me please?


This is where the ash tray was, and the installer routed the Alpine iPod cable so that it would be 'secured' in a way that I can basically dock it. He curved some abs plastic that the iPod slides into and then Ryan later re-created the abs plastic that covered this area to make it look a little better. I trade off having the iPod visible with easy and fast docking.


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## scooter99

The ipod slides on and off the connection? The pioneer I have you have to push together the two buttons on the side to release it. It snaps in, which is what I don't want. Cause I thought about that too, creating some sort of thing to slide it in. I'll have to think on this a bit. Maybe I can make it so that the cord can be moveable, then make a cubby so to speak, then connect it slide it in the cubby, then when I disconnect it pull it out. Then the cord just sits in the cubby. Hmmm. Nice work on the build!


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## bertholomey

scooter99 said:


> The ipod slides on and off the connection? The pioneer I have you have to push together the two buttons on the side to release it. It snaps in, which is what I don't want. Cause I thought about that too, creating some sort of thing to slide it in. I'll have to think on this a bit. Maybe I can make it so that the cord can be moveable, then make a cubby so to speak, then connect it slide it in the cubby, then when I disconnect it pull it out. Then the cord just sits in the cubby. Hmmm. Nice work on the build!


Now that you say that.....I'm trying to remember if when I first got the cable - I had to push the little things in on the side...Randy may have futzed with it so that those releases don't have to be pushed in - I literally just slide the iPod into the holder and it 'docks'. 

Thanks a lot for the kind words - I have been watching Martin's build log and have enjoyed your posts.


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## scooter99

No problem. That's what we're on here for right, to help each other out! I'm hoping that mine gets done this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed!!


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## IBcivic

martin has just suscribed....


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## IBcivic

i really liked the previous installation,very clean and simple. but this is kicking it up a notch or two, both in form and function. i cannot wait to hear your comments on comparing the zooks to the lrx5.1k.


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## bertholomey

Thanks bro - Ryan is very skilled, and he is an awesome problem solver. I can't imagine what he can do if he had the car for a few weeks, a larger budget to work with, and warmer weather (of course the 30 degree weather in Atlanta is nothing like what you are fighting against.) These install 'marathons' he has been doing on my car were just long hours on weekends. 

Zuki versus Audison......Well, I changed several things at one time, so my evaluations / comparisons are not really accurate. My plan was to purchase a 2nd zuki from Ryan and run one to the left side of the car and one to the ride side of the car and continue to use the US Amps for sub duty. The week before the install, I was able to purchase the Audison, and a one amp solution seemed the most plausible solution. With this BMW, a false floor that hinges up to get to the spare was difficult with just the 5.1k and the Bit One - it would have been very tight with 3 amps and the Bit One. 

Anyway - I like the cable management of the 5.1, the power ratings for each channel was exactly what I was looking for, I like the internal fan, and I like that all of the controls are on the top - very easy to make minor adjustments while I'm getting it 'set up'. I have always been impressed with the Audison line of amps (hearing them in michaelsil1 car - awesome! system and hearing the VRX line in minibox's X3) - sound, power, and features. 

Comparison....I'm not sure - I really liked the zuki, and I really like the Audison - on one hand - I basically have the same tune in the Bit One from the last install (until I can change it), but the drivers are in a different baffle and moved further down and away compared to where they were. I had to put the Morels back in due to a water issue that will be sorted out this weekend, so the Audison (160 x 2) are pushing them really well - potentially a little stronger than the zuki, but not by much. 

It will take a bit to get the sub portion set correctly - I may have a couple pre-sets on the Bit One - reference, attenuate bass for bass heavy music, and hotter bass setting for lower output tracks. The 750 x 1 on the sub is terrific, and I really love the sound of the IB set up. I walked in and asked a co-worker this morning if I had told him how much I like the sound of the IB sub, and he replied 'twice', so it is pretty apparent. 

Well that was a lot more than what you asked for - I have been accused of being wordy, but I guess I need to work now....would rather talk car audio all day....


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## IBcivic

thank you for the lengthy reply! i've been toying with the idea of using 2 eleets to drive my front end in a vertical amplification set-up [ch1 highs, ch2 mids, ch3+4 mid-woofers] and a separate sub amp. but this is down the road. i need to get things done and see, maybe i'll finally be satisfied with my set-up. meanwhile i'll be lurking and wishing i was home working on my ride. gotta plane to catch,later!


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## slade1274

Door cards are about done... gotta remember to take some pics for you tonight before I put the finishing touches on the 2nd one so you have the "in process" ones you like.


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## Notloudenuf

I'm in for a subscription....


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## The Drake

Good stuff man, cant wait to see everything finalized and of course to hear it! subscribed


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## minibox

Wow Jason. It's a serious makeover and I like what you've done so far. Can't wait to get back to Carolina so I can hear it. Are those the same Seas that Sam has in his M3? I loved the way those sounded in his doors so theoretically they should sound just as good or better in your doors with a good tune from the bit one. Looking forward to see how those door cards turn out. Nice work!


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## thehatedguy

Why didn't you save some trunk space and turn the sub around?

Please tell me there was more sealing those baffles to the doors than the clay?

If it were me, I would have bought new door pannels and put the mids in the kicks.


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## bertholomey

thehatedguy said:


> Why didn't you save some trunk space and turn the sub around?
> 
> *I just wanted the sub that way. I gained a lot of trunk space from what I had originally - I don't usually use the trunk all that much. If I had turned it around, it would have made the amp rack a bit simplier - less 'notching' to get it to hinge up to get to the spare, but I wanted the cone firing into the interior - just a preference.*
> 
> Please tell me there was more sealing those baffles to the doors than the clay?
> 
> *There is.*
> 
> If it were me, I would have bought new door pannels and put the mids in the kicks.
> 
> *I researched putting them in the kicks. I really liked the Seas drivers in the kicks that Bing has - I loved the way they sounded. I exchanged some emails with Tom (12V Electronics) about kicks, and he gave me some perspective about the challenge versus the reward. Davey Hayes has a really nice set up in an e46 BMW with the L6's in kicks, but I didn't want to go through all of the work he did to get them in there.
> 
> I have had drivers mounted in the kicks (crappy ones that I put together) in a couple cars, and for me - more worry and discomfort versus benefit. I have read if they are done right - they are 'protected' from damage, and they can be rather unobtrusive. I just preferred to go this route. I have nearly 100K on this car - in another 100 thousand miles I'll get another BMW, and I'll do it 'right' - whatever that is for that car - at that time.
> *


I would still like to get together at some point after I get everything done.


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## slade1274

thehatedguy said:


> Why didn't you save some trunk space and turn the sub around?


We discussed it, but felt we wanted the most cone area firing into the cabin. Probably minimal gain, but that was the decision. Also, no need for a grille to protect the sub from gear in the trunk. Bottom line- personal preference



> Please tell me there was more sealing those baffles to the doors than the clay?


Sealing or securing?



> If it were me, I would have bought new door pannels and put the mids in the kicks.


Not the ideal option due to the modifications needed to the structure to get them installed with any benefit over the door install. There is such limited room to get optimal positioning and the profile of the center console also inhibit optimal results. Again, something that was deliberated at lenght and this was the decision.

*edit... Jason beat me to it


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## bertholomey

The Drake said:


> Good stuff man, cant wait to see everything finalized and of course to hear it! subscribed


_Wow Jason. It's a serious makeover and I like what you've done so far. Can't wait to get back to Carolina so I can hear it. Are those the same Seas that Sam has in his M3? I loved the way those sounded in his doors so theoretically they should sound just as good or better in your doors with a good tune from the bit one. Looking forward to see how those door cards turn out. Nice work!_

edit: Hey John - missed this question about the Seas drivers - I believe Sam had one of the Home Audio versions of the Seas. These are the car version RW165/1 - they do sound very good - can't wait to get them back in the car this weekend  Let me know when you get back in town - love to get together.

For whatever reason - multi quote is not working for me right now - DIYMA is acting crazy on my work laptop (probably because it is still work hours )

I would like for you guys to see / hear it - I would really like to get another G2G planned for the NC and neighboring areas planned.

Here is a link to the thread Drake started.
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/...tml#post959459


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## thehatedguy

I thought Hayes had 8s inthe kicks of his...might be wrong, but he sure cut the crap out of that car.

Yeah, I would like to get together too. Would like that have something done to the car other than the radio replaced...lol.


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## jooonnn

I've been there! Ryan surely is an A+ guy, I've never felt so welcomed and comfortable before by any fellow "car audio fan" like him in his amazing house. 

I saw the bmw doors "in the works" when I got my 5.1k put in and I'm curious to see the results......I also should get to sleep now since it's 4am and I just finished studying for my Expert Witness Testimony Exam.


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## cleung

this makes me miss my e46


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## jvr826

Door panel updates??? Fellow E46'ers need to know!


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## slade1274

Going in this weekend.


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## ErinH

I probably missed it, but...

You guys glassed a ring to the door panel, I see.
Then a few pictures below, you have the rings on the door sheet itself, with the driver attached there. 
So... what was the glassing on the panel for?


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## ErinH

slade1274 said:


> Going in this weekend.


Man! If you guys weren't 3 hours away, I'd love to come out.


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## bertholomey

bikinpunk said:


> I probably missed it, but...
> 
> You guys glassed a ring to the door panel, I see.
> Then a few pictures below, you have the rings on the door sheet itself, with the driver attached there.
> So... what was the glassing on the panel for?


Ryan would provide a better 'technical' explanation, but the ring that was glassed on to the panel will be for a grill and the main baffle rings were mounted directly to the door metal. In theory (and hopefully in reality) they will nicely match up when the panel is reapplied to the metal skin. 

I wish you could come up - it would be awesome to meet you. I've heard nothing but good things - I have to see if I can work a trip to the BBQ in the Spring


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## rjcastr

great installs overall but i do have to admit, now thats the way you really reinforce doors if those midbass don't kick ass now, i dont know what would, ideally thats what i want to do with mine.

great job!


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## slade1274

bikinpunk said:


> Man! If you guys weren't 3 hours away, I'd love to come out.


Doo eeet; I'll be making my 3rd trip out to your place in a few months 

After all, you do have family in the area. *teaser* I'll be playing with the new stingray.


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## ErinH

bertholomey said:


> Ryan would provide a better 'technical' explanation, but the ring that was glassed on to the panel will be for a grill and the main baffle rings were mounted directly to the door metal. In theory (and hopefully in reality) they will nicely match up when the panel is reapplied to the metal skin.
> 
> I wish you could come up - it would be awesome to meet you. I've heard nothing but good things - I have to see if I can work a trip to the BBQ in the Spring


Oh, I see. I thought you were trying to bond the two together. Good thinking ahead!




slade1274 said:


> Doo eeet; I'll be making my 3rd trip out to your place in a few months
> 
> After all, you do have family in the area. *teaser* I'll be playing with the new stingray.


You guys going to be at your house or in NC?

I'm off Monday...


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## David_Edwards

I can't wait to listen to this.....


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## slade1274

bikinpunk said:


> Oh, I see. I thought you were trying to bond the two together. Good thinking ahead!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You guys going to be at your house or in NC?
> 
> I'm off Monday...



Jason's coming down to my place.


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## bertholomey

rjcastr said:


> great installs overall but i do have to admit, now thats the way you really reinforce doors if those midbass don't kick ass now, i dont know what would, ideally thats what i want to do with mine.
> 
> great job!


Thanks for the kind words. I deliberated and debated just dropping the Seas into the baffle that was attached to the door card - would have taken about 10 minutes if we didn't have to widen them any. (Ryan knows this all too well) - I would have always wondered if they would sound 'better' if we cut the doors and mounted them with a solid baffle to the metal. I'm glad we made the decision to move the drivers and mount them the way we did. They sound much stronger - mid bass is much more pronounced. 

I look forward to seeing your build.


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## ErinH

slade1274 said:


> Jason's coming down to my place.


not to clog up this thread anymore, but what would you guys say to a visitor?
Not sure I can make it, just yet, but I may chat with the wife about it.

You can email me if you'd like.


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## Boostedrex

bikinpunk said:


> not to clog up this thread anymore, but what would you guys say to a visitor?
> Not sure I can make it, just yet, but I may chat with the wife about it.
> 
> You can email me if you'd like.


If Erin comes out, you guys better watch your cornholes!! I'm just sayin'. LOL!!! 

Look good Jason! And nice work Ryan, even if you do have hobbit feet.  I can't wait to get back out to the east coast and hear this car again. Should sound amazing!!


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## bertholomey

Boostedrex said:


> If Erin comes out, you guys better watch your cornholes!! I'm just sayin'. LOL!!!
> 
> So he is a good cornholer? I'm sure you are referring to 'Bags' (two wooden boxes with holes that opposing teams toss bean bags)? I don't know if Ryan has a set of these.....
> 
> Look good Jason! And nice work Ryan, even if you do have hobbit feet.  I can't wait to get back out to the east coast and hear this car again. Should sound amazing!!
> 
> Thanks Zach for the compliment - Ryan did excellent work - I just got back from the BMW place (checking a wonky bulb), and they were ooing and aweing over the trunk. I would love to have you hear it again - of course, not A / B with Ryan's car


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## slade1274

Boostedrex said:


> If Erin comes out, you guys better watch your cornholes!! I'm just sayin'. LOL!!!
> ....


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## ErinH

^ exactly what I was thinking.

Except, isn't he standing on the stairs outside his apartment when he tells him? 

Same dude who played 'Oswald' on Drew Carrey show, too, huh? 




So, back OT... are the doors the last bit for you guys?


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## bertholomey

Doors, HU swap, run optical cable, Tune.


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## slade1274

bikinpunk said:


> ^ exactly what I was thinking.
> 
> Except, isn't he standing on the stairs outside his apartment when he tells him?
> 
> Same dude who played 'Oswald' on Drew Carrey show, too, huh?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So, back OT... are the doors the last bit for you guys?


*fixed* mixed up with "Two chicks, man"


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## ErinH

bertholomey said:


> Doors, HU swap, run optical cable, Tune.


holy moly!

I'm taking this to email...


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## bertholomey

A little bit of an update.

Friday night saw about 4 inches of snow fall on Atlanta - where they don't see the white stuff very often, and a couple inches fall in Greensboro. At 0530 Sat. AM, it was touch and go whether I should make the trip to Ryans this weekend. The roads were horrible from Greensboro through Charlotte and got a little better through Greenville, SC. There were cars upside down - plowed into trees and poles. The bimmer drove well - sometimes 35 mph, but I got here in 5 hours. 

Pics from Ryan - Friday night in Atlanta


















Pic from Greensboro at 0530 - loading up the car. (should I go or should I stay? Nice, quiet Valentines Weekend with my wife, or finish up the install?)









Ryan helped me swap the HU and run the fiber cable. He vinyled the fiberglass door coverings and attached them to the cards. These should go on the doors today. I should have some pics to post later.

Erin, I hate that you couldn't make it - the 'pimp' installer even made Waffles this morning:bowdown:


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## slade1274

Teaser pics: 


















They come so high on the door due to the constraint of the previous pods that were mid door; so I had to cover up the existing hole. I think they turned out great as the black does flow well from the dashboard down with the door closed.


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## bertholomey

Thanks for the teaser pics Ryan.

Doors:














































I really like the way the doors look. I think Ryan did a fantastic job shaping the fiberglass, and I like the tan / black - I think it really compliments dash.

A quick comment about the grills - I got these grills from a Morel dealer when I was using the HU 621's. I like the way they look, and I wanted something that was press fit into place. A little wierd to have the morel markings with the Seas drivers, but it doesn't bother me.


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## bertholomey

Head Unit swap - I changed out the Alpine 9887 to an Alpine 9861 so I could utilize an optical cable to the Bit One. It was a fairly easy swap due to the wiring harness being exactly the same. Ryan was able to cut the end off of the cable and attach another Toslink connector so it would fit into the back of the unit. 

There are some features that I liked better with the 9887 - we will see if in the long run - my perceived increase in dynamics using optical versus analog over ride the features I preferred with the 9887.




























Shot of the other end of the optical cable attached to the Bit One.









A couple shots of the subwoofer firing through the ski hole


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## bertholomey

Level matching and tuning:

We measured the voltage out of the new HU, and got roughly 4.1 volts unclipped (I only got 2.7 volts before clipping out of my 9887). 

We used Ryan's o-scope (stingray contraption + software) to level match the outputs of the amp. 














































Thanks Erin for checking on us and providing guidance (square root of 600 - amazing!). 

We did a quick tune with tru RTA and the Bit One software.










I love the aesthetics of the build - I think Ryan did a fantastic job integrating the equipment into the interior of the car. The Seas drivers sound fantastic, and I am a huge fan of the Audison amp. Thanks for viewing.


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## JayinMI

Alot of people have said the noise floor with the BitOne using optical was very high, and that the analog inputs were quieter (at minimum volume, anyway) Have you noticed this issue as well, or did yours work ok?

I like the work, I feel like the door panels needed pockets or logos or something to break up the large flat-ish area, but it looks like he did a nice job.

So, if this is the final re-install, does this mean if you want to upgrade again, you need a new car? 

Jay


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## thehatedguy

Door panels...eh, not really digging. Fit and finish is so-so, but they don't go with anything in the car. Kind of a big blob on the doors. Lot of wasted space like the amp rack.

Not what I would have done.


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## The Drake

thehatedguy said:


> Door panels...eh, not really digging. Fit and finish is so-so, but they don't go with anything in the car. Kind of a big blob on the doors. Lot of wasted space like the amp rack.
> 
> Not what I would have done.


well its a good thing its not your car/install then isnt it? 

Great stuff Ryan, I was wondering what you were going to do with the door panels.


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## ErinH

Man, I really wish I had come out, but then again, I'm glad I didn't have to deal with the road hazards. Last time I made a trip in the snow, it took me 4 hours to get home from Nashville: normally a 2 hour trip, tops. 

Glad to see you guys got everything in order. Also glad to see you guys figured out what was up with the scope. 
As for square of 600... no big deal. I'm secretly a robot designed to figure out the square root of 600. Now that I've done that, I will self destruct. 



Any other plans for this car or are you all done now?
If you head back to Ryan's sometime in the future, I'd like to meet up with you guys and maybe pull a weekend session. Although I was glad I didn't have to deal with the crap snow, I was still pretty bored this weekend sitting inside. 
And I'm PISSED I missed pancakes!


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## slade1274

thehatedguy said:


> Door panels...eh, not really digging. Fit and finish is so-so, but they don't go with anything in the car. Kind of a big blob on the doors. Lot of wasted space like the amp rack.
> 
> Not what I would have done.


Ultimately, we would have liked to retain the pocket and give a bit better fit/finish; but I had one big hole to fill as well as several smaller ones used from the previous install mount of the 6.5" to the door card. Much of this hobby is all about degrees of compromise and what the owner wants.



The Drake said:


> well its a good thing its not your car/install then isnt it?
> 
> Great stuff Ryan, I was wondering what you were going to do with the door panels.


Main goal.... cover the previous hole.


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## slade1274

bikinpunk said:


> And I'm PISSED I missed pancakes!


Waffles- man. Fired up the Belgian maker.


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## bertholomey

JayinMI said:


> Alot of people have said the noise floor with the BitOne using optical was very high, and that the analog inputs were quieter (at minimum volume, anyway) Have you noticed this issue as well, or did yours work ok?
> 
> I like the work, I feel like the door panels needed pockets or logos or something to break up the large flat-ish area, but it looks like he did a nice job.
> 
> So, if this is the final re-install, does this mean if you want to upgrade again, you need a new car?
> 
> Jay


This morning when I got to work I put the player on pause and switched from 'Master' to 'Optical' and there is a background noise with the Optical - not very loud at all, but it is present. It is really only noticable when you are sitting quietly, switching between the two inputs. I don't think it is noticeable with music playing - certainly not while driving. I might be going back to the 9887 due to the improved iPod control - we will see.


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## jooonnn

bertholomey said:


> This morning when I got to work I put the player on pause and switched from 'Master' to 'Optical' and there is a background noise with the Optical - not very loud at all, but it is present. It is really only noticable when you are sitting quietly, switching between the two inputs. I don't think it is noticeable with music playing - certainly not while driving. I might be going back to the 9887 due to the improved iPod control - we will see.


If you are looking for sweet Ipod control, look no further than the Pioneer DEH-P01. I feel so much safer driving and navigating with an iPod-ish wheel on my steering wheel.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks Jon - that HU has been on my wish list for a long time - maybe one day. 

I futzed with the iPod controls on the 9861 a little bit at lunch - it might be workable - it took me a little time to get totally comfortable with the 9887, so maybe I'll get used to this one as well. My biggest issue is that it doesn't have a genre search - just playlist / album / artist / song - the way I use my iPod is really divided by genres - once I select that main 'folder', then I search for an artist in that genre - I don't want to do an artist search from the 90 gigs of music that I have on it. If I create playlists of the genres (as Ryan suggested) then it will be similar - I might try that with one genre and see how it works.


----------



## bertholomey

Small update. I removed the DVA 9861 and re-installed the 9887 - I am really attached to the iPod control of the 9887 for now - I really like the concept of the Pioneer piece - someday. 

I have the 9861 for sale  http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/classifieds/76284-fs-alpine-dva-9861-dvd-like-new.html

I did a little bit of tuning as well - fairly centered stage to my ears - things are in balance - really want to have a few guys listen and give me pointers.


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> Small update. I removed the DVA 9861 and re-installed the 9887 - I am really attached to the iPod control of the 9887 for now - I really like the concept of the Pioneer piece - someday.
> 
> I have the 9861 for sale  http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/classifieds/76284-fs-alpine-dva-9861-dvd-like-new.html
> 
> I did a little bit of tuning as well - fairly centered stage to my ears - things are in balance - really want to have a few guys listen and give me pointers.


You'll be there in March correct?


----------



## bertholomey

I sure will - both days.


----------



## bertholomey

Just a little bit of an update - I got my windows tinted at a good shop in Winston - I am really happy with how they came out.










I also spent some time tuning the system with David, and I think there was a real improvement in the overall sound. We will get together again for another tuning session when he has a couple more pieces of equipment available. 

I'm looking forward to getting some feedback at the upcoming NC meet next weekend.


----------



## minibox

Jason,

Thanks for taking the time yesterday to give me a listen. The only thing that bothered me was when I played the discs you gave me in the x3 after hearing them in your car. Yes, your car now sounds better than mine and I'm kind of pissed about that. My sub bass is seriously lacking and doesn't provide good impact yet blend well like yours does. I also believe my doors can't take the low frequencies quite as well as yours can. Needless to say, I am very very very impressed with those seas drivers. I'm sure when you and Dave get done with everything you'll have reached complete sonic nirvana and won't have anywhere else to go. 
Great job on the install, it sounded amazing. I believe you've finally reached your car audio goal. I need some more time in your driver's seat to demo some more stuff. Thanks again.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks John - I appreciate you taking time out of your extraordinarily busy schedule to listen - best praise I could ever hope for! Good luck with the house search!


----------



## The Drake

wow, praise from Caesar! I definitely gotta hear your new setup this weekend!


----------



## bertholomey

JayinMI said:


> So, if this is the final re-install, does this mean if you want to upgrade again, you need a new car?
> 
> Jay


Well Jay, I 'upgraded' without buying a new car  Some would probably argue that this is a lateral move instead of an upgrade, but I'm pretty happy with the outcome. 

I did leave even more space in the amp rack Winslow - it looks like a perfect place to put another LRx Amp for a set of mid range drivers


----------



## bertholomey

I went to Marv's BBQ last August, and I was trying to decide what direction I wanted to take. I liked the sound of Lufrano's PS drivers, I heard a few cars with the Bit One that I liked, and I was impressed with the pics / description of the new Pioneer HU that was being sold in Europe. 

I decided not to get the drivers and the hurdles (at the time) seemed too much to go through to get the 99RS from Europe. I bought the Bit One.1 and have really enjoyed it. When the opportunity to buy one of these HU's came along, I took it. 














































I decided to replace the rca's that I had in my car with an Audison 6 channel set and a 2 channel set.


----------



## bertholomey

I uninstalled the Bit One (posted here http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/classifieds/82278-fs-audison-bit-one-1-like-new-condition.html) and the old rca's. 





































Random pic of my dog - keeping me company


----------



## bertholomey

And with the help of Sam, finally it was in the dash. I really like the look of the deck, and the sound is already fantastic. I really like the remote - excellent functionality. I need to eventually replace the trim plate / kit, but I really do like how the deck looks.





































(And again - for you David)


----------



## The Drake

Looks good man, wish I could have made it out to help, maybe next time!


----------



## bertholomey

No problem Drake - I meant to write you back several times, but it has been a hectic couple weeks - not as hectic as your schedule right now - hopefully the first couple weeks of June will be a little more laid back for both of us. 

We need to get together over in the Raleigh area - get the Kendal, the Kyles, etc. to meet up - lets try to do that in the next month or so - informal type of thing.


----------



## The Drake

bertholomey said:


> No problem Drake - I meant to write you back several times, but it has been a hectic couple weeks - not as hectic as your schedule right now - hopefully the first couple weeks of June will be a little more laid back for both of us.
> 
> We need to get together over in the Raleigh area - get the Kendal, the Kyles, etc. to meet up - lets try to do that in the next month or so - informal type of thing.


Yeah, I totally understand, semester just finished yesterday for me. June shouldnt be too bad so we can figure something out. We will definitely get something together here soon. My summer is pretty open so just about anytime works good for me, I can host it again like last time we were over here.


----------



## scooter99

Man that head unit is sssiiiiiiccccccckkkkkk!!!!!! Nice work buddy!


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks Bro - driving back from the airport tonight with blink-182 playing at high volume - fantastic!


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> We need to get together over in the Raleigh area - get the Kendal, the Kyles, etc. to meet up - lets try to do that in the next month or so - informal type of thing.


Sounds like a plan to me. Looking forward to hearing the P99.

Drake,
Your build log pics look great with the updated trunk. I keep thinking back to hearing the clip from Jurassic Park in your car. Still a little freaked out :laugh:


----------



## saMxp

The Drake said:


> Yeah, I totally understand, semester just finished yesterday for me. June shouldnt be too bad so we can figure something out. We will definitely get something together here soon. My summer is pretty open so just about anytime works good for me, I can host it again like last time we were over here.


June 19th? Just throwing it out there!


----------



## benny z

where did you find the dash kit that centers a single din unit?

thanks,
ben


----------



## bertholomey

saMxp said:


> June 19th? Just throwing it out there!


That date would probably work for me



benny z said:


> where did you find the dash kit that centers a single din unit?
> 
> thanks,
> ben


DonovanM had sent me this link a while ago: E46 Centered Headunit Bezel 

I never bought one - a bit pricey and you have to alter the OEM bracket so the HU will go in centered, and then you put his 'hand made' bezel in front of it.


----------



## benny z

thanks.

i am so torn on the deck. after i replaced my e39 with an e46 earlier this month my wife decided she had to have one, too, so as of monday we now have two e46s in the garage awaiting fresh installs. 

she is dead set on having her alpine x305s in the car, but i think it's going to look tacky as hell.

i'm half-tempted to ship off my oem source unit to an electronics specialist i know to have it reworked with high end circuitry, but not sure what cost of that would be. guess i should get a quote.


----------



## bertholomey

I was going in that direction with my Alpine 9887 - I was looking into getting it modded to use digital coax into the Bit One (I liked the functionality of the 9887 and the functionality of the Bit One), but decided it would be a better overall solution (not a needed one mind you - everything was great before I did this) to just replace the HU and not have the connection to the processor. 

That is one of the things I'll need to look at when I do replace this car. Since I went this route, I may be a bit limited when I'm looking at various models. I wouldn't want one that had the integrated nav, etc. I would need to look for a model that has a single din factory stereo so I can install the Pioneer in it's place (I may be wrong about that, but that's what I see at this point). I'm probably looking at an '07 or so 328 or 335 coupe.


----------



## Boostedrex

Very nice!! /borat voice  

Lookin' good J! So are you ever allowed to come back out and visit or has Vicky shut that idea down? LOL!!


----------



## Notloudenuf

saMxp said:


> June 19th? Just throwing it out there!


Father's Day weekend... :worried::blush:


----------



## The Drake

Well I was thinking July 10th or 17th but I could possibly do June 19th. Lets go to PM's so we dont hi-jack Jason's thread anymore


----------



## mSaLL150

Looks slick! I really like that headunit, the color changing feature and black face makes it match virtually any interior trim which is great. I bet it sounds great while driving in that quiet BMW, I'm jealous.


----------



## bertholomey

mSaLL150 said:


> Looks slick! I really like that headunit, the color changing feature and black face makes it match virtually any interior trim which is great. I bet it sounds great while driving in that quiet BMW, I'm jealous.


Thanks Marc - it does sound good - especially since David helped me tune it last weekend. I'm getting a bit more comfortable with the controls, and I really like some of the functions on this HU better then the 9887 (wouldn't think I would ever say that) - manipulating the processor controls aren't as easy as the Bit One software, but I'm learning. Now I just have to re-pay the underwear drawer envelope from when I sold my Ducati


----------



## saMxp

How does it sound when compared to the Pioneer Auto TA? I was shocked at how close that got it.


----------



## bertholomey

Hey Sam - I saw you on 40 today - that beautiful M3 always catches my eye!

I think it is very good - The soundstage is centered and deep to my ears. I'm still a bit mystified about the Left / Right / Both setting and how that affects the sound when your official TA settings are all zeros. 

Another thing I have to research a bit more (just time in the seat) - there are 5 memory positions that you can store different EQ settings - what I don't know, can you have 5 completely different tunes? Xover/EQ/TA/Level - it seemed that the Xover and Level was a global type setting and the EQ memory 'pre-sets' were only for different EQ curves. The Bit One had 4 pre-sets, but you could have completely different 'tunes' stored for each one. 

I got some great new music today that I am really looking forward to listening to in the system. I would love for you to get another listen soon - Jeremy is coming over on Sunday I believe.


----------



## siado

bertholomey said:


> DonovanM had sent me this link a while ago: E46 Centered Headunit Bezel
> 
> I never bought one - a bit pricey and you have to alter the OEM bracket so the HU will go in centered, and then you put his 'hand made' bezel in front of it.


Another option is the OEM version. 
EAS

I used this with my P99 and it looked pretty good using the aluminum DIN mounting sleeve that comes with the Pioneer, but I ended up making brackets to help the head sit more flush with the dash.


----------



## bertholomey

siado said:


> Another option is the OEM version.
> EAS
> 
> I used this with my P99 and it looked pretty good using the aluminum DIN mounting sleeve that comes with the Pioneer, but I ended up making brackets to help the head sit more flush with the dash.


I really like how that kit looks in your car - I'm going to have to exercise some patience and save up for a bit - it is expensive, but having a fine looking HU in a $15 kit that is warped and nicked up kind of takes away from the piece of equipment that it is holding in place.


----------



## siado

I really like it having looked at the alternatives, but I'm still not 100% pleased with it. I don't like how the P99 stands out against the matte black of the bezel, but if I paints the bezel gloss it would stand out against the HVAC controls. 

I'm thinking about carbon fiber trim and then wrapping the bezel in CF as well, but wanna work on a Photoshop of it first.


----------



## saMxp

bertholomey said:


> Hey Sam - I saw you on 40 today - that beautiful M3 always catches my eye!
> 
> I think it is very good - The soundstage is centered and deep to my ears. I'm still a bit mystified about the Left / Right / Both setting and how that affects the sound when your official TA settings are all zeros.
> 
> Another thing I have to research a bit more (just time in the seat) - there are 5 memory positions that you can store different EQ settings - what I don't know, can you have 5 completely different tunes? Xover/EQ/TA/Level - it seemed that the Xover and Level was a global type setting and the EQ memory 'pre-sets' were only for different EQ curves. The Bit One had 4 pre-sets, but you could have completely different 'tunes' stored for each one.
> 
> I got some great new music today that I am really looking forward to listening to in the system. I would love for you to get another listen soon - Jeremy is coming over on Sunday I believe.


I hope I was behaving myself on I40! Sure would hate to give us a bad name.

I'm fairly certain the EQ presets only affect EQ. Xover/TA/Levels are all independent. Sure was nice having presets like that, where you could really do some A/B listening.

For the Left/Right/Both - I occasionally use "Both" if I'm traveling with a passenger and really just doing background music. The "Right" setting isn't very useful to allow someone to audition in the passenger seat since there are so many other variables in EQ/Levels/Phase/etc.


----------



## siado

saMxp said:


> I hope I was behaving myself on I40! Sure would hate to give us a bad name.
> 
> I'm fairly certain the EQ presets only affect EQ. Xover/TA/Levels are all independent. Sure was nice having presets like that, where you could really do some A/B listening.
> 
> For the Left/Right/Both - I occasionally use "Both" if I'm traveling with a passenger and really just doing background music. The "Right" setting isn't very useful to allow someone to audition in the passenger seat since there are so many other variables in EQ/Levels/Phase/etc.


I used mine a little bit last night to set the levels using pink noise and the RTA in Electroacoustics Toolbox. I set the fader to one side and then switched the EQ to Left, groomed to a flat C Weighted RTA, then switched the fader to the other side, switched EQ and RTA'd that side. Nice flat response across the board now after a little tweaking in L+R combined when back in stereo with a pink noise track. I was surprised to see how much difference there was at the drivers seat between having individual left and rights flat and then bringing the other side back in.

I think when you tweak the sides individually and then switch back to combined the adjustments you make take each channel some respective distance from where they were individually (my God, did that even make sense?). I noticed that's how the crossover section works after doing an AutoEQ and then tweaking them as a pair.


----------



## bertholomey

That sounds very similar to what David did with mine. Balance left - 'capture' the profile on the RTA, Balance right - capture - then adjust EQ and level so everything is balanced. We used the Custom TA and everything is at zero - utilized leveling and phase to get centered.

Hopefully Sam will be over to take a listen and get a better idea of what is going on when various settings are chosen.


----------



## mobeious

How is the sound of the pioneer vs the bitone


----------



## MSimz

A tad off topic, do you still have the Onyx?


----------



## bertholomey

What I have heard in the last couple weeks after installing and tuning the Pioneer - I believe it 'sounds better' then the 9887 / Bit One combo. 

This is the part where I typically would give a lot of disclaimers - I will skip all of that. 

The impression I get (and David commented on it) is that the sound is a bit more open, big, dynamic, real, and exciting compared to what I had - that isn't to say that everyone that makes this switch would experience the same thing.

Hopefully, a couple guys who have heard my system before will hear it this weekend, so they will provide their perspective on the before / after. 

Final analysis - I am happy that I made the switch - I liked the 9887 / Bit One, but I like the Pioneer more.


----------



## bertholomey

MSimz said:


> A tad off topic, do you still have the Onyx?


I just saw this - you posted while I was deliberating on my other reply 

I do still have the Onyx.


----------



## saMxp

bertholomey said:


> That sounds very similar to what David did with mine. Balance left - 'capture' the profile on the RTA, Balance right - capture - then adjust EQ and level so everything is balanced. We used the Custom TA and everything is at zero - utilized leveling and phase to get centered.
> 
> Hopefully Sam will be over to take a listen and get a better idea of what is going on when various settings are chosen.


Wait, so no TA? Just phase and levels to get centered?


----------



## bertholomey

You need to give it a listen.


----------



## MSimz

bertholomey said:


> I just saw this - you posted while I was deliberating on my other reply
> 
> I do still have the Onyx.


Is it an LSM? I had a couple LS's (if I remember right) back in the day that were outstanding drivers. If you ever decide to get rid of it, PM me more info. So hard to find useful info on those anymore. Nice build.


----------



## bertholomey

MSimz said:


> Is it an LSM? I had a couple LS's (if I remember right) back in the day that were outstanding drivers. If you ever decide to get rid of it, PM me more info. So hard to find useful info on those anymore. Nice build.


I believe it is the LSM - I'll see if I still have the original box that it was shipped in (I did before we moved a couple months ago - don't know if it made it over here). I'll send you a pm.


----------



## mobeious

Details on what u have going on here.. how do i build one of these laptop based oscopes

*We used Ryan's o-scope (stingray contraption + software) to level match the outputs of the amp. *


----------



## slade1274

It is a purchased unit:
USB Instruments
Review:
USB Instruments “Stingray” Oscilloscope Review


----------



## mobeious

holy hell $192


----------



## ganesht

the trunk setup looks sooo sweet!


----------



## bertholomey

ganesht said:


> the trunk setup looks sooo sweet!


Thanks for the compliment - I have had a few configurations, but the false floor works the best for me - I'm thankful for my buddy Ryan's building skills. 

I love the IB sub -fantastic sound - I always had a hard time getting sound into the cabin of this car. 

I'll need to think of what to do with the trunk now that I don't have the Bit One back there anymore.


----------



## bimmerman11

I'm sure you're happy with the "final" "reinstall".


----------



## bertholomey

bimmerman11 said:


> I'm sure you're happy with the "final" "reinstall".


I am very happy - have done some additional tuning with the Pioneer - the system has a very pleasing sound - full, focused, non-fatiguing, with good width, depth, and height.


----------



## el_chupo_

bimmerman11 said:


> I'm sure you're happy with the "final" "reinstall".


So, what are you spamming all these posts to sell?

Looks like about 23 "nice car" or "cool sub" posts in the past day. So, tell the truth. What is it?

I have a BMW, I may be interested...


----------



## bertholomey

el_chupo_ said:


> So, what are you spamming all these posts to sell?
> 
> Looks like about 23 "nice car" or "cool sub" posts in the past day. So, tell the truth. What is it?
> 
> I have a BMW, I may be interested...


Too Funny!


----------



## slade1274

el_chupo_ said:


> So, what are you spamming all these posts to sell?
> 
> Looks like about 23 "nice car" or "cool sub" posts in the past day. So, tell the truth. What is it?
> 
> I have a BMW, I may be interested...


I go son'thing to sell jou...


----------



## SVOEO

Guinness & BMW- Are you married? Never mind, just remembered I am :laugh: Nice work.



bertholomey said:


> Closed Cell Foam under the 'floor'
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pic of finished trunk
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Installer Fuel.....


----------



## TheHulk9er

Nice tap!  I know it's not the same but here's my frig when I was having company (my daughters boy friend is from Scotland).


----------



## TheHulk9er

On a more serious note - has anyone figured out how to do a center channel? I know there really is not any space because of the air vents. I have a MS-8 and I've pretty much given up on the idea because I'm not sure the juice is worth the squeeze.  By the way, love the car! I bet it rocks!


----------



## bertholomey

SVOEO said:


> Guinness & BMW- Are you married? Never mind, just remembered I am :laugh: Nice work.


Now that is a much better way to get your post count than what others typically post - nice play! Thanks for the compliment - my buddy Ryan did a great job despite all of the limiting factors that I put on him ($, time, previous install). 



TheHulk9er said:


> Nice tap!  I know it's not the same but here's my frig when I was having company (my daughters boy friend is from Scotland).


Great pic of all those bottles lined up! Having a tap in the garage certainly helped the install in some ways, but could be a bit of a impediment in other ways....He has this thing perfectly set up - a pull right out of the local Irish pub...



TheHulk9er said:


> On a more serious note - has anyone figured out how to do a center channel? I know there really is not any space because of the air vents. I have a MS-8 and I've pretty much given up on the idea because I'm not sure the juice is worth the squeeze.  By the way, love the car! I bet it rocks!


I would imagine that if you were very committed to it, the dash could certainly be deconstructed and a center channel speaker set could be dropped in. Someone with the skill might even be able to do something surface mounted, though it might look a bit strange with a huge hump in the middle of the dash. Caution - I have seen a couple installs recently where a center channel was installed on the dash (not bimmers), rear speakers were installed, and the MS-8 did not satisfy those particular listeners. All of that gear had to be uninstalled and they went to a Pioneer P99RS or P01. Others have really loved their MS-8 install, in my opinion, you might want to do something temporary to determine if you are going to be completely satisfied with the sound before cutting a hole in the center of the dash.

The car does sound pretty good - the tune got tweaked a bit this weekend so it has just that little bit more resolution - contemplating next steps......


----------



## TheHulk9er

The MS-8 has been good to me. A friend of mine who use to compete was blown away by how great it sounds with the auto eq in just a few minutes. I have 6.5" Quart Q's front and 4" in the back with front set running active and rears passive with the amazing QSD passive crossovers (these things are hugh!). My car looks completely stock inside and out - and since I sometimes park and take mass transit this is really important (which is why I probably won't bother with the cenner channel). I am really amazed at how great the sound stage is and it's absolutely up front over the dash with no hint of the rear speakers. :laugh: I am also really happy with the IB sub setup which produces all the bass I need (and I still have a trunk!). 

By the way, your car looks amazing, nice Job!!


----------



## Blancolex300

Great build man!!


----------



## bertholomey

TheHulk9er said:


> The MS-8 has been good to me. A friend of mine who use to compete was blown away by how great it sounds with the auto eq in just a few minutes. I have 6.5" Quart Q's front and 4" in the back with front set running active and rears passive with the amazing QSD passive crossovers (these things are hugh!). My car looks completely stock inside and out - and since I sometimes park and take mass transit this is really important (which is why I probably won't bother with the cenner channel). I am really amazed at how great the sound stage is and it's absolutely up front over the dash with no hint of the rear speakers. :laugh: I am also really happy with the IB sub setup which produces all the bass I need (and I still have a trunk!).
> 
> By the way, your car looks amazing, nice Job!!


That is a really good point with the 'security' issue - something in the center of the dash (depending on how it was done - how stock it looks) could certainly draw attention. It sounds like you are happy with the sound and are at the point of chasing that elusive sq dragon (I wonder if I added....) - that is exactly where I am as well. Many who would hear my car would say there really isn't a need to do anything else with it, but.....



Blancolex300 said:


> Great build man!!


Appreciate it - my friend does good work.


----------



## minibox

I foresee a "2002 BMW 325i Final Final Re-Install" showing off some 3's in the a-pillars 

The only question is what 3's will they be????????


----------



## bertholomey

minibox said:


> I foresee a "2002 BMW 325i Final Final Re-Install" showing off some 3's in the a-pillars
> 
> The only question is what 3's will they be????????


Time will tell my friend....



I had a great time hanging out with you this weekend - loved hearing the M5 again - incredible system (and car )


----------



## slade1274

minibox said:


> I foresee a "2002 BMW 325i Final Final Re-Install" showing off some 3's in the a-pillars
> 
> The only question is what 3's will they be????????



Jeebus; he doesn't need any more nudges. :laugh:


----------



## bertholomey

minibox said:


> I foresee a "2002 BMW 325i Final Final Re-Install" showing off some 3's in the a-pillars
> 
> The only question is what 3's will they be????????





slade1274 said:


> Jeebus; he doesn't need any more nudges. :laugh:


*Final, Final Re-Install Coming Soon*

I got nudged....


----------



## kustomkaraudio

What brand are those ? Those are awesome looking little 3 inchers.


----------



## bikerider

Jason, it will sound sweet with those added to the mix. I'll have to have a listen at the next NC meet.


----------



## bertholomey

They are the H-Audio / Audible Physics XR3M wideband drivers. 

Here is a link to thread you might be interested in. 

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-vendors/92854-h-audio-audible-physics-black-friday-christmas-pre-release-arrival-sale.html


----------



## minibox

Those are some beefy mids. I need to take a closer look. When will I be able to hear them?


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> *Final, Final Re-Install Coming Soon*
> 
> I got nudged....


Oh wow, I can't wait for this.


----------



## ErinH

Zach and I were talking about your car last week over lunch (his treat... I had to put out afterward, though). I'm glad you decided to go with these 3"rs. I'm sure you'll love them, man. 
Hopefully I'll get to hear it again next year. 'til then, keep rockin'!


----------



## kustomkaraudio

Cool. Thanks for the info. Those drivers look very beefy. I will check them out.


----------



## bertholomey

bikerider said:


> Jason, it will sound sweet with those added to the mix. I'll have to have a listen at the next NC meet.


Sometime this Spring - we will certainly let you know when we are 'gathering' again.



minibox said:


> Those are some beefy mids. I need to take a closer look. When will I be able to hear them?


You may be able to hear them soon - I'm hoping to build some little speaker boxes today to use until I get them in the car. I'll give you a call when I get back to NC. 



Notloudenuf said:


> Oh wow, I can't wait for this.


Spring meet! (that is the plan, anyway) :blush:



bikinpunk said:


> Zach and I were talking about your car last week over lunch (his treat... *I had to put out afterward, though*). I'm glad you decided to go with these 3"rs. I'm sure you'll love them, man.
> Hopefully I'll get to hear it again next year. 'til then, keep rockin'!


...'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' - oh, wait a minute, it's ok now....

It would be great if you could make it up to NC for our meet - I'm sure I will be looking to get to a GA or AL meet next year


----------



## TheHulk9er

Can't wait to see how you fit these (in an a-pillar install?). I have a E46 so inquiring minds need to know!! If there was only a way to do these as a center channel in the E46 along with the a-pillars and the MS-8 I think it would be very cool.


----------



## req

jeez man. i hope i was one of those "guys who had a IB setup that you liked" hahah.

seems like the upgrade bug has been biting you every night! i liked the ways that the morels sounded, but we did all agree that there should have been more midbass, seems like you fixed that LOL.

cant wait to hear this in the next NC spring meet!


----------



## bertholomey

A small update with the new midrange drivers. I borrowed an integrated amp that I had sold my Dad a few years ago - that I had bought back in High School to 'test' the drivers. Well, of course the amp is on it's last legs - not sure what the problem is. The sound from the drivers was very good during the few minutes the amp supplied sound.

My Father-in-law and I crafted up some small enclosures to mount the drivers. We had limited tools for the job, and it was extremely cold working outside on Christmas Eve. We used some 3/4" white pine he had laying around, not the ideal for speaker boxes, but it worked fine. The enclosures are approximately 2 L's internal space, and a moderate amount of poly fill was added to each box. 




























I am extremely impressed with the sound from these drivers. As expected, they have a very wide frequency range - good bass sound for such small drivers, and wonderful highs - good cymbals, harp, flute, piano, etc. My favorite quality of course is the purity of the vocal reproduction. Last night was my first chance to listen to them, and I played a new album that I received for Christmas, Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give, and the drivers reproduced his voice extremely well. They were fantastic with the acoustic guitar as well. This album was played with the drivers in a near-field position - on the small tables with me on the floor.










This morning's listening was with the album 'Winter Solstice II' by Windham Hill. I placed the drivers on top of the B&W's. These little drivers filled the room, and the clarity of various instruments was exceptional. 










I am looking forward to spending more time with the drivers - listening in mono to get a better feel for the 'voice' of the driver on various types of music. My plan was to do this at my work desk, but the failed amp, I'll need to do this in the living room.


----------



## Notloudenuf

How are you expecting these drivers to integrate with your existing system? Will you still be running your tweeters with these wide banders in place?

I like the test box principle. I have a few things in mind for my car, hopefully ready by spring....if they work the way I want them to.


----------



## TREOSOLS

sling some fiberglass,swipe some rage gold, get the pics posted. glad to see you made the jump .


----------



## bertholomey

Notloudenuf said:


> How are you expecting these drivers to integrate with your existing system? Will you still be running your tweeters with these wide banders in place?


I'm still undecided whether I'll go with a traditional 3-way config, or continue with a 2-way using the widebanders. My listening at home has been very positive concerning the upper frequency response.



TREOSOLS said:


> sling some fiberglass,swipe some rage gold, get the pics posted. glad to see you made the jump .


Thanks Mark! I really like these little guys - they sound great in my huge living room - I'm looking forward to hearing them in a small car


----------



## ErinH

Notloudenuf said:


> How are you expecting these drivers to integrate with your existing system? Will you still be running your tweeters with these wide banders in place?


Final install will probably dictate whether or not he needs a tweeter. 


Glad to see you got the time to test these. I'm curious to see what your final install will be... with them in test boxes, I would expect a better low end than if they were not in sealed enclosures. Any idea where you plan to integrate these? Any idea if you'll be going with a sealed enclosure for the final install?


----------



## bertholomey

bikinpunk said:


> Final install will probably dictate whether or not he needs a tweeter.
> 
> 
> Glad to see you got the time to test these. I'm curious to see what your final install will be... with them in test boxes, I would expect a better low end than if they were not in sealed enclosures. Any idea where you plan to integrate these? Any idea if you'll be going with a sealed enclosure for the final install?


About the only response I have is...I'm not sure. I know I want them at the base of the A Pillar - there are some challenges with that area in my car - but that is where the target is. My design goal is that the install is optimized for the best overall sound quality. On one hand; stealth isn't a concern for me, but on the other hand; I really can't have an enclosure the size of a softball (some of the EU installs come to mind).

Ideally, a good baffle with a fiberglass 'enclosure' that integrates the drivers into the surrounding pillar / dash that has enough air space to breathe is the goal. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much 'pre-planning' will likely be feasible prior to dropping the car with Ryan. 

I would like to maximize the lower end capability that these particular drivers are designed for to allow a better bridge to the mid bass mounted in the door. I have also been discussing aiming with Zach (across the dash or angled to the dome light), and this will need to be explored with towel - auditions and it will affect the final design of the 'enclosures'. 

Hopefully tonight I'll start a review thread that I'll post the link to here.


----------



## ErinH

i understand. the only word of caution I'll give is that if you choose sealed, make sure you a) choose a large enough enclosure for b) your crossover point.
know what I'm sayin, yo? 
If you go too small, you're going to have internal resonances... now, how low you cross will make up whether or not the resonances are audible. That's just on the low end... don't forget harmonics.  

Your best bet really is to get some towels and throw them on the dash. start playing with them right now in the car before you drop the car off. Ryan's a good dude, and I'm sure he'll pay the install careful attention... but it doesn't hurt to go into it knowing what works and what doesn't. like I said via pm, I wasted about 2 years trying to fix certain things because of going with an 'off the shelf' idea for my aiming. I just don't want to see you do the same.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks bro - will keep all of this in mind as I plot and plan. 

If anyone is interested, I started a little review thread here: 

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/member-product-reviews/94970-review-audible-physics-xr3m-wideband-drivers.html


----------



## chithead

I am DEFINITELY looking forward to this!


----------



## Tonybommb

awesome, we have an e46, and I have just bought the AR duo, so I am really curious to see how this turns out. I was not going to use them in this car, instead in a different project. We will see how it goes for you, and who knows.


----------



## bertholomey

Update.

It looks like the XR's are going in the kicks......

http://pbr267.photobucket.com/albums/ii284/bertholomey/139288797_photobucket_33001_.jpg?t=1296912887

More later.


----------



## chithead

Ahhh... side curtain airbags. I feel your pain...


----------



## ErinH

Depends on how they deploy. In my civic, the airbags come out from the top of the pillar, so in deployment, the pillars top pops off about an inch or so (according to videos/pictures I've seen) and the bags come down and toward the passenger/driver. 
Might be something to look in to if you want to keep them in the dash.


----------



## bertholomey

It appears that the bags go across the windshield.

We talked through our options:
1. Take out the airbags
2. Install the pods (which would be huge because we couldn't sink the magnet very deep in there), and hope they never deploy - XR projectile.
3. Kicks
4. Stay 2 way and keep rockin' the drivers on my work desk.

This morning, I started to get a different perspective. I would like to see my pre-conceived views on kick mounted mids proven wrong (even though I have heard some fantastic sounding cars with mids in kicks - kevin k, buzzman, michaelsil, etc). Should be a fun challenge - at least for the next couple years until I trade out cars.


----------



## ErinH

understood. sucks, man. I love me some dash mounted mids simply due to the upper end not being blocked/absorbed/diffracted by the body and underdash. But, there's always tradeoffs. There are plenty of cars that have kickmounted mids/tweeters that sound good. It really depends on the car and the tradeoffs you want.

Have you already tested them down there or is it that you know it's your only option with the airbags the way they are? Just curious if you have any initial thoughts on the sound of them down there.


----------



## chithead

I admire your acceptance of the challenge sir! Just remember, every time someone says it can't be done...


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

I personally think your going be pleasantly surprised. I love a good a-pillar or dash mount mid, but if done correctly kicks image and stage just as well if not better at times . Angles and mounting solid is the key. Take a page from Randy Eddies Audio.

As Erin said there is trade off with both.

Your in more then capable hands with Ryan.


----------



## simplicityinsound

wait your bags go ACROSS the windshield? how does that work? protect someone from going through the windshield?  but...i too think its better to do it on the dash...but knowing just how small the pillar is, i would suggest a set up similar to Gary Summer's mercedes C class

A-Pillar construction - 5.1 Mercedes C230

have it flow onto part of the dash and windshield to form the pod.


----------



## eviling

great build, really enjoyed this, but why in the world would you get such an epic deck than us a bit one? i mean....doesn't the bit one do everything for you?


----------



## bertholomey

bikinpunk said:


> understood. sucks, man. I love me some dash mounted mids simply due to the upper end not being blocked/absorbed/diffracted by the body and underdash. But, there's always tradeoffs. There are plenty of cars that have kickmounted mids/tweeters that sound good. It really depends on the car and the tradeoffs you want.
> 
> Have you already tested them down there or is it that you know it's your only option with the airbags the way they are? Just curious if you have any initial thoughts on the sound of them down there.


A small update....
Listened to several tracks with my jenky duck tape 'enclosures' in the kicks - I'm very happy with the sound!



H-Audio Inc. said:


> I personally think your going be pleasantly surprised. I love a good a-pillar or dash mount mid, but if done correctly kicks image and stage just as well if not better at times . Angles and mounting solid is the key. Take a page from Randy Eddies Audio.
> 
> As Erin said there is trade off with both.
> 
> Your in more then capable hands with Ryan.


I certainly am - he is going to do amazing things with this car. Nothing in this car has been easy, but decent results have been achieved in the past, so I'm expecting them again.



simplicityinsound said:


> wait your bags go ACROSS the windshield? how does that work? protect someone from going through the windshield?  but...i too think its better to do it on the dash...but knowing just how small the pillar is, i would suggest a set up similar to Gary Summer's mercedes C class
> 
> A-Pillar construction - 5.1 Mercedes C230
> 
> have it flow onto part of the dash and windshield to form the pod.


The airbag starts below the dash and goes up above the door - wierdest thing. The way the 'blow off' looks, and the relative location of the bags/pillars, the only way they can fire is across the front of the car. I would rather give them the best install - solid mounting, airspace, etc. that we can in the kicks then possibly have huge problems later if the bags ever deploy. I believe I will get good results from a good install and a good tune.


----------



## bertholomey

eviling said:


> great build, really enjoyed this, but why in the world would you get such an epic deck than us a bit one? i mean....doesn't the bit one do everything for you?


Not sure of your question, I had a bit one - liked it, but wanted the Pioneer, so I replaced it.


----------



## slade1274

simplicityinsound said:


> wait your bags go ACROSS the windshield? how does that work? protect someone from going through the windshield?  but...i too think its better to do it on the dash...but knowing just how small the pillar is, i would suggest a set up similar to Gary Summer's mercedes C class
> 
> A-Pillar construction - 5.1 Mercedes C230
> 
> have it flow onto part of the dash and windshield to form the pod.


Well - Ryan looked again, and I was completely wrong. Might be possible after all....


----------



## eviling

bertholomey said:


> Not sure of your question, I had a bit one - liked it, but wanted the Pioneer, so I replaced it.


so you use the DEX to do all your cross overs now instead of the bit one?


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> I certainly am - he is going to do amazing things with this car. Nothing in this car has been easy, but *decent* results have been achieved in the past, so I'm expecting them again.


There is the understatement of the year :laugh: Let me fix that for you. 

Nothing in this car has been easy, but FANTASTIC SOUNDING EXTREMELY WELL INTEGRATED results have been achieved in the past, so I'm expecting them again.


----------



## minibox

I too have heard great cars with mids in the kicks. Heard a competition vehicle last year that lost to Eldridge by a very slim margin with 3's in the kicks. Best of luck to both of you. I'm keeping my eye on this one.


----------



## bertholomey

I do all of my processing with the Pioneer. I sold the bit one to buy the Pioneer.


----------



## bertholomey

eviling said:


> so you use the DEX to do all your cross overs now instead of the bit one?





Notloudenuf said:


> There is the understatement of the year :laugh: Let me fix that for you.
> 
> Nothing in this car has been easy, but FANTASTIC SOUNDING EXTREMELY WELL INTEGRATED results have been achieved in the past, so I'm expecting them again.


Dude, you are awesome - thanks for the compliment. The little bit of listening that I did with them in the kicks was nice. I'm basically going to show up next Sun and have Ryan surprise me. If he can do pillars, then groovy.....if they need to go in the kicks, then groovy as well. I trust Ryan's install ability, I trust the abilities of the drivers, and I trust all of friend's tuning abilities.



minibox said:


> I too have heard great cars with mids in the kicks. Heard a competition vehicle last year that lost to Eldridge by a very slim margin with 3's in the kicks. Best of luck to both of you. I'm keeping my eye on this one.


BTW....you should hear Ryan's new system


----------



## eviling

ahhh, sweet deck. still you dont miss the DSP? i dont think that DEX has DSP does it?


----------



## bertholomey

eviling said:


> ahhh, sweet deck. still you dont miss the DSP? i dont think that DEX has DSP does it?


Here is the c'field page

Pioneer Stage 4 DEX-P99RS CD receiver/preamp at Crutchfield Signature

If by dsp you mean 'stadium', then no. it does all othrr processing


----------



## thehatedguy

Treosol stopped by for me to do his taxes last night, and said you guys need to grow a set and put them up high.


----------



## bertholomey

thehatedguy said:


> Treosol stopped by for me to do his taxes last night, and said you guys need to grow a set and put them up high.




We shall see..... I told Ryan I'll find out when I get there to pick up the car - don't know why, just seems more thrilling that way. 

The time I have spent listening to the XRs has convinced me that the car will sound good either way, but I am hoping for the pillars.


----------



## slade1274

Oh, I have a set... I'll just need to ask the wife if I can borrow them.


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> We shall see..... I told Ryan I'll find out when I get there to pick up the car - don't know why, just seems more thrilling that way.
> 
> The time I have spent listening to the XRs has convinced me that the car will sound good either way, but I am hoping for the pillars.


Is tomorrow still D-Day? I can't wait.


----------



## edouble101

Nice build, I love Guinness!


----------



## bertholomey

Notloudenuf said:


> Is tomorrow still D-Day? I can't wait.


 I'm fly'n down this morning to pick it up and drive it back to NC. The 'secret' was revealed out of necessity.........Pillars!


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> I'm fly'n down this morning to pick it up and drive it back to NC. The 'secret' was revealed out of necessity.........Pillars!


You should be home by now....what's up? Where are the pictures. :jester:


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

Notloudenuf said:


> You should be home by now....what's up? Where are the pictures. :jester:


LOL :laugh: I was thinking the same thing.

more so how is it sounding?


----------



## slade1274

Well, all the excitement today and I never took pics of the pods... FAIL. I do have some of the new trunk, but that's not what y'all want to see anyway. 

I'm 80% satisfied with the pods and I'm sure I'll talk him into letting me re-finish then so I'm 100% satisfied (well, 95%; I'm NEVER 100%). We went on axis to the center of the car, so there was NO way to wrap them with what we intended, so I did a texture finish and it didn't take as well as I hoped- but Jason is VERY happy, so that should be all that matters.  First report is that with a little TA and level matching that they are fantastic even with the flat signal... can't wait to hear it once he gets it dialed in!!!


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

slade1274 said:


> Well, all the excitement today and I never took pics of the pods... FAIL. I do have some of the new trunk, but that's not what y'all want to see anyway.
> 
> I'm 80% satisfied with the pods and I'm sure I'll talk him into letting me re-finish then so I'm 100% satisfied (well, 95%; I'm NEVER 100%). We went on axis to the center of the car, so there was NO way to wrap them with what we intended, so I did a texture finish and it didn't take as well as I hoped- but Jason is VERY happy, so that should be all that matters.  First report is that with a little TA and level matching that they are fantastic even with the flat signal... can't wait to hear it once he gets it dialed in!!!


Man tell be about doing on-axis and trying to wrap them. Went thru that one over the summer last year.


----------



## bertholomey

Notloudenuf said:


> You should be home by now....what's up? Where are the pictures. :jester:


Well ok, it didn't take much, but you twisted my arm. I'll put up one pic and the few others that I have, I'll put up tomorrow.










I am amazed at the sound - could be the best my car has sounded - even with no tuning done on the car.


----------



## ErinH

Nice! 
Bringin it to bama in April?


----------



## minibox

I get to hear them this week!!


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

bertholomey said:


> Well ok, it didn't take much, but you twisted my arm. I'll put up one pic and the few others that I have, yoll put up tomorrow.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *I am amazed at the sound - could be the best my car has sounded* - even with no tuning done on the car.


Now that just brings a tears to my eye in happiness. I truly glad your happy sir. Nice job Ryan.


----------



## slade1274

Ok…. Jason wanted me to post what I did take pics of.

First, these drivers are MONSTERS for a 3” driver. The magnets are almost as big as the cutout needed; so the terminals are a challenge. I cut a relief for the terminals as well as chamfers to help aid in air flow around the driver.










































Those were mounted and covered with grill cloth to make the blend to the pods; coated with resin, bondo-glass, filler, and a milkshake on the inside and much sanding to blend right… as stated; FAIL on my part to not take pics of the pods when they were finally installed this afternoon; Jason will have to provide.


----------



## slade1274

As far as the trunk- changes needed to be made as we were adding a second amp to cover the 3 way front stage. He wanted options to use the tweeters whether he ends up using them at all. 

I could have just put it in the current trunk where the BitOne was; but what fun is that? 










So, I took the same basic premise and tried to improve; with the same finishing look as before- STEALTH.

The base was cut to allow the fans to do their job and keep the amps cool- they are also on ¼” standoff spacers to further air flow allowed as well as allow for the RCAs to pass underneath. Also, amps were mounted using T-nuts to allow for any removal/maintenance that may be necessary.










Amps mounted and use of terminal blocks for speaker wiring.


















When mounted in the trunk, it hinges up front so you can tilt it up and still get to the spare and jack.










Beauty panel with CF finish









Voila: (Flash used as photo taken in garage- seams are near invisible to naked eye)


----------



## ErinH

nice work, Ryan! That cnc machine is coming in handy, I see.
How did you get the template/drawing/whatchamacallit for the design? School me, oh wise one.


----------



## slade1274

Calipers.....


----------



## wdemetrius1

Great job Ryan.


----------



## quality_sound

That looks pretty sweet, Ryan. Functional with just a bit of flash. Love it! And those rings are off the chain!


----------



## chithead

Fo rizzle.


----------



## bertholomey

slade1274 said:


> Ok…. Jason wanted me to post what I did take pics of.
> 
> *Well.....not in the middle of the night......could have posted later this week......I'm a patient man , well maybe not, but you certainly didn't have to do it last night/this morning...but thank you.  There are 1 or 2 guys out there who are a bit anxious to see what you created *
> 
> Those were mounted and covered with grill cloth to make the blend to the pods; coated with resin, bondo-glass, filler, and a milkshake on the inside and much sanding to blend right… as stated; FAIL on my part to not take pics of the pods when they were finally installed this afternoon; Jason will have to provide.


A few pics that I took yesterday - I'll take a few more after cleaning up the car (once I get back from Cleveland )


----------



## bertholomey

Again, this is what Ryan had to work with:



















Led us to trying this idea last Saturday - going to go to the kicks:










I told Ryan it was up to what the physical limitations presented and what was the best option/least compromise. I also told him I didn't want to know until I arrived on Sunday.

In order of preference:
1) pillars aimed across the cabin
2) pillars aimed across the dash
3) kick panel install.

At one point yesterday, I was looking over to one of the work benches, and the XR's were sitting over there so innocently. I said, "All of this for those little speakers." And Ryan retorted, "That is exactly what I have been saying all well." This has been a costly 'upgrade': Ryan's time, flight (voucher + frequent flyer miles), drive to/from ATL, amp, speakers, install. 

Even with all of that, the immediate improvement over my good 2 way set up was amazing to me (of course I want it to be, right? but this will hopefully be validated later this week when John hears them). 

I was frustrated that I couldn't run Auto TA and Auto EQ before I left Ryan's for the 4.5 hour drive (for some reason the deck wasn't cooperating with me - might be a setting thing that I didn't have time to figure out). It didn't matter at all - as Ryan said, flat eq with a little level matching and a little TA (actually the 'Initial' setting that is a pre-set from Pioneer) provided excellent results - everything was balanced with fantastic tonality and imaging.

These are the pods attached to the pillars:














































And Erin, I'm going to try my level best to get down there to Bama - Roll Tide!


----------



## slade1274

bertholomey said:


> Well.....not in the middle of the night......could have posted later this week......I'm a patient man , well maybe not, but you certainly didn't have to do it last night/this morning...but thank you. There are 1 or 2 guys out there who are a bit anxious to see what you created


Bah- I was in bed by midnight. :laugh:



wdemetrius1 said:


> Great job Ryan.


Thanks Demetrius- You're next


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

Looking great guys, looking great.

More so Jason, I glad she is sounding great right out the box.


----------



## wdemetrius1

Thanks Demetrius- You're next [/QUOTE]

That's right!!!


----------



## IBcivic

Nice job! Can't wait to read the listening impressions, once it is all dialed in


----------



## Jaloosk

Aren't you worried that modifying the a-pillar covers are going to impede performance of your airbags? In a crash, at best, they could likely fail to deploy; or at worst, they could turn your a-pillar covers into projectiles...


----------



## slade1274

Jaloosk said:


> Aren't you worried that modifying the a-pillar covers are going to impede performance of your airbags? In a crash, at best, they could likely fail to deploy; or at worst, they could turn your a-pillar covers into projectiles...


After the early deliberation last week, we reviewed many deployment pictures online for this particular model. The modification should not impede the deployment across the side windows and the pillars stay intact with the factory three 2.5" screws, so projectile risk is minimum. Plus, the wheel airbag would send it through the windshield if it did get knocked loose.

Er... or were you looking for the easy answer to the question that preceded the statement- "No"


----------



## Jaloosk

Was just curious if it was ever considered, that's all. Many people modify their vehicles without much thought to whether or not they are doing so safely. I'm not sure if I would be modifying airbag covers, but hey...it's your car.


----------



## slade1274

I don't want to be a toobox, but feel free to read the thread- starting at post 148


----------



## Jaloosk

slade1274 said:


> I don't want to be a toobox, but feel free to read the thread- starting at post 148


:blush: I missed that page. My bad; you're not being a 'toolbox' by pointing that out.


----------



## bertholomey

minibox said:


> I get to hear them this week!!


I almost detect a 'na, na, na, na, na.....' there. I think you are going to be impressed. I played through that little mix cd that I gave out at the last meet - wow!


----------



## The Drake

good job Ryan! Glad to hear you are loving the sound so far Jason. I know you arent easily impressed so thats saying something 

looking forward to hearing this come the next meet, speaking of that, PM me back foo! lol


----------



## Notloudenuf

Looks great...........But.............I have to wait until April to listen?


----------



## minibox

bertholomey said:


> I almost detect a 'na, na, na, na, na.....' there. I think you are going to be impressed. I played through that little mix cd that I gave out at the last meet - wow!


I apologize. I was trying to keep my taunts a bit more subtle. 

That being said, I'll be sure to let you all know how they sound before the next meet!


----------



## bertholomey

Notloudenuf said:


> Looks great...........But.............I have to wait until April to listen?


*I need to get over to Kinston - only a short 3 hour drive....:blush:*



minibox said:


> I apologize. I was trying to keep my taunts a bit more subtle.
> 
> That being said, I'll be sure to let you all know how they sound before the next meet!


I'm usually the one that likes to talk things down and hope that the other person actually is impressed, but this time I'm not talking them down - I'm impressed.


----------



## minibox

Great work Ryan. The integration of the amps and the craftsmanship of the rings are fantastic. And, may I add, that all this work was completed in one week!!!


----------



## slade1274

Thanks John..... When you see them you'll agree that they could use another day or two . But I so look up to the likes of Mark and Bing setting my bar for fabrication, not the "typical" shop- I've still got a ways to go


----------



## TREOSOLS

i would love to have a cnc, pillars look great. dont worry about those air bags. Hope to be at spring meet. Has John listened to it yet? think its great that you pre wired for tweets, just in case. keep up the work Slade, i have to get back to work so i can buy a cnc now. thanks a lot, not like i dont have a tool fetish


----------



## JLocke

man those look awesome! great work ryan! i look forward to hearing them at the next meet.


----------



## bertholomey

JLocke said:


> man those look awesome! great work ryan! i look forward to hearing them at the next meet.


Thanks! We should be able to get together before then - send me a pm some time to get together - during the week or on a weekend.


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> I need to get over to Kinston - only a short 3 hour drive....:blush:


Me and Sleeves both will hang with you. Come on out. My schedule is always flexible.


----------



## Boostedrex

Looking great brother! That Hobbit does turn out some really nice work.  LOL!

Can't wait to get back east and have a listen. Are you still running the Morel tweets in the sails or no?


----------



## slade1274

Boostedrex said:


> Looking great brother! That Hobbit does turn out some really nice work.  LOL!











Thanks man



Boostedrex said:


> Can't wait to get back east and have a listen. Are you still *running* the Morel tweets in the sails or no?


They're still _*mounted*_ in the sails 
_*Running*_ may be a day to day trial thing


----------



## Boostedrex

I hear you Ryan. After doing some initial tuning on an XR duo this past weekend I can say FOR SURE that a tweeter is not needed.


----------



## iroller

That's a great job. What would be the difference in sound turning the sub ?


----------



## slade1274

I would agree that they aren't "needed"..... but I liked it better with a tweeter to fill from ~10k and up. I feel the tweeter just adds an airy and open detail up top that seems constrained by the driver itself. If I were to sit in a car with the XR3M and no tweeter, I probably wouldn't miss it, but we did some A/B with and without and I felt that it gave it a bit of crispness to finish up the detail on top. Just my preference


----------



## ErinH

slade1274 said:


> I would agree that they aren't "needed"..... but I liked it better with a tweeter to fill from ~10k and up. I feel the tweeter just adds an airy and open detail up top that seems constrained by the driver itself.


I agree.
I personally prefer to have a tweeter to fill in the top range. It's not a necessity, though.

The good thing about these kind of setups is that the higher you go in crossover (ie: 10k+ for tweeter), the less phase correction (time alignment) is needed and you can pretty much work out the balance with the fader or use of resistors passively and still only need a 5 channel amp to rock a whole system.


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

As I know what you mean by airy and/or open. The term constrained hmmmm not sure if i agree totally well in the wording. 

This is something that I have tried to explain on a few different occasion, so no marketing BS comes into play. A wide-band driver will never quite have the lightness or airy on the very top end as that very small and lighter dome. But it is not that it is constrained it just has more weight to it as in not as light or airy, as in the XR3M case; as it is in very small crowd of Super Wide-Bands that really and truly extends out pass 20khz

You know at times I'm like you Ryan, i like a light airy top end but most of the time I like the added weight and dynamics the large cone adds to very dynamic music passages. But that slight air you were missing can be somewhat eq'ed in a bit. but don't over do it as it will start to sound a bit unnatural as with anything you over eq.

I've said it a million times you just can beat Physics, but we can put up one hell of a Fight.


----------



## Boostedrex

I was going to argue that point, but Mark beat me to it. And his agrument is pretty much exactly what I was going to say. 

Again, great work on J's Bimmer Ryan. You are a craftsman sir!


----------



## bertholomey

Boostedrex said:


> I was going to argue that point, but Mark beat me to it. And his agrument is pretty much exactly what I was going to say.
> 
> Again, great work on J's Bimmer Ryan. You are a craftsman sir!


Hey Zach - give me a call sometime tomorrow if you get a chance.


----------



## bertholomey

Here is a link to the meet we will have in North Carolina for anyone nearby that wants to hear some really good local cars.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/12-volt-events-team-diyma/98366-central-nc-spring-meet-april-30th-may-1st.html#post1232740


----------



## bertholomey

I took a few more pictures of the pods installed after I cleaned up the car a bit.


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> I took a few more pictures of the pods installed after I cleaned up the car a bit.


Nice. Do you notice them in your line of sight when you are driving? it doesn't look like they would be distracting from the photos.

Oh yeah, I-40 east to Hwy 70 (exit 309) go east 1.5hours stop


----------



## Boostedrex

Hey J, got 2 words for you... Dash mat.  Your ears will thank you. I meant to mention that while we were on the phone yesterday and it totally slipped my mind.


----------



## bertholomey

Boostedrex said:


> Hey J, got 2 words for you... Dash mat.  Your ears will thank you. I meant to mention that while we were on the phone yesterday and it totally slipped my mind.


Something I'll have test out and consider going forward. I'm having a little fun with auto TA & auto EQ - just to how good / bad the Pioneer does. I did it last night using my xover points and slopes, now I'm letting the deck choose them. The results last night was interesting - not terrible.


----------



## benny z

bmw... high end gear... pillars...

my cup 'o tea! 

very nice, bro!

didn't realize you were also using the ib3. what size did you get? (i know, i know...read the thread! hah)


----------



## bertholomey

benny z said:


> bmw... high end gear... pillars...
> 
> my cup 'o tea!
> 
> very nice, bro!
> 
> didn't realize you were also using the ib3. what size did you get? (i know, i know...read the thread! hah)


Thanks Ben! 

Ok....ignorance here.....ib3 - sub right? (duh! :blush 

It is a 12" SSA Icon / prototype FI / modded for IB / frankenstein sub that really is awesome - very natural sounding sub sound that blends extremely well with the mid bass drivers - can get loud, can play very tight, can do the finesse stuff very well.


----------



## minibox

I just got back from Jason's after a long listening/tuning session and couldn't wait to write about these drivers. We spent only approximately 20 mins tuning and then listened to a wide range of music for about 3 hours. The capability and range of these drivers is like nothing I've heard in car audio. Jason had them set at 10k and, at one point while listening to Nils Lofgren, up to 20k. The depth, clarity, body, and presence of the guitar was truly unbelievable. The shimmer and brightness of cymbals were all there without a bit of harshness or fatigue and the crack of snares was crisp and defined. There was a distinct and focused smack from the beat of a kick drum on the dash and vocals were high and centered. With a crossover point of 10k and the smooth response of the drivers, it took little effort to focus the image while still maintaining tonality. I've heard Jason's car multiple times before this install and was impressed each time, but these drivers take it to a new level. I've drank the Kool Aid; I'm sold. I never thought I'd say this, because I love my thesis drivers, but it's more than likely that Audible Physics will be in my car at some point.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks John - I really appreciate you spending some time in my car - I thought they sounded good with a flat eq, but your work on the RTA refined the sound. 

Certainly part of the joy of this wonderful hobby is listening to great music with others and receiving positive feedback concerning the equipment choices and the installation. As I mentioned, feedback / an experience like yours helps with the, "Was this really worth the investment?" 

I'm looking forward to some hours in the driver's seat this weekend, going through the library. Also....I loved the sound of the M5 - it was fantastic at the Fall Meet - sitting in the mall parking lot, but it has been transformed. It was a real pleasure listening through the 'Meet Disc' and hearing details I had not heard before.


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

minibox said:


> I just got back from Jason's after a long listening/tuning session and couldn't wait to write about these drivers. We spent only approximately 20 mins tuning and then listened to a wide range of music for about 3 hours. The capability and range of these drivers is like nothing I've heard in car audio. Jason had them set at 10k and, at one point while listening to Nils Lofgren, up to 20k. The depth, clarity, body, and presence of the guitar was truly unbelievable. The shimmer and brightness of cymbals were all there without a bit of harshness or fatigue and the crack of snares was crisp and defined. There was a distinct and focused smack from the beat of a kick drum on the dash and vocals were high and centered. With a crossover point of 10k and the smooth response of the drivers, it took little effort to focus the image while still maintaining tonality. I've heard Jason's car multiple times before this install and was impressed each time, but these drivers take it to a new level. I've drank the Kool Aid; I'm sold. I never thought I'd say this, because I love my thesis drivers, but it's more than likely that Audible Physics will be in my car at some point.



Reading reviews like this is what makes all my sacrifices, long hours with no sleep and hard work worth it. And when I say this I truly mean it from the bottom of my heart; reading this short yet detailed and meaningful review got me all choked up. Me and my designer/builder could not thank you enough for the kind words, it truly means the world to us.

I too had listen to Jason car and was one of the people that told him to not change anything in the bimmer. Just keep tuning. As I was very impressed with the sound of the Bimmer at the G2G I had last year.

John reading your words and from hearing about how critical you ears are from more then one person; as I can also tell from your choice in drivers in your own ride; love the Thesis drivers myself!!!!!!!! All I can say is thank you for taking the time out to listen to Jason car and help him dial it in. And if there is anything I can ever in any way within my resources, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Once more thank you Jason for taken a chance on a virtual un-none product as you had many more outstanding choice you could have went with.


----------



## ultimatemj

I'm curious about the a-pillar "venting". 

The mounting rings have reliefs cut on the back side for the drivers to "breath", but how is the a-pillar "vented" to allow the breathing?

Is there a hole in the dash (behind and under the a-pillar)? If so, was it already there or did you cut something open?

Thanks!


----------



## bertholomey

ultimatemj said:


> I'm curious about the a-pillar "venting".
> 
> The mounting rings have reliefs cut on the back side for the drivers to "breath", but how is the a-pillar "vented" to allow the breathing?
> 
> Is there a hole in the dash (behind and under the a-pillar)? If so, was it already there or did you cut something open?
> 
> Thanks!


Good question - there isn't a lot of space for venting - there is a small area in the pod behind the magnet / motor structure, and then they presumably vent into the dash - you can kind of see the opening in the dash (already there) where the pillars attach.










It is difficult to see from this angle, but where the brown part of the dash ends, there is a fairly large hole that opens into the area below.


----------



## bertholomey

Audible Physics said:


> I too had listen to Jason car and was one of the people that told him to not change anything in the bimmer. Just keep tuning. As I was very impressed with the sound of the Bimmer at the G2G I had last year.
> 
> Once more thank you Jason for taken a chance on a virtual un-none product as you had many more outstanding choice you could have went with.


Well Mark, I'm glad I didn't listen to you (long term) at the meet, but I'm glad I listened to you when I called you from the Miami airport that day (thank you Zach as well!). 

I'm extremely happy with my choice - just took a 'break' and listened to a few tracks while writing down my final settings from last night. I'm blown away! I hope there may be an opportunity to hear the car again in the months to come.


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

ultimatemj said:


> I'm curious about the a-pillar "venting".
> 
> The mounting rings have reliefs cut on the back side for the drivers to "breath", but how is the a-pillar "vented" to allow the breathing?
> 
> Is there a hole in the dash (behind and under the a-pillar)? If so, was it already there or did you cut something open?
> 
> Thanks!


Well just about every A-pillar I have seen has a small space that vents to the under dash. So building the A-Pillar pods and the drilling some holes in the back of the Pods and pillars and allow the back waves to vent into the area then to under the dash.



bertholomey said:


> Well Mark, I'm glad I didn't listen to you (long term) at the meet, but I'm glad I listened to you when I called you from the Miami airport that day (thank you Zach as well!).
> 
> I'm extremely happy with my choice - just took a 'break' and listened to a few tracks while writing down my final settings from last night. I'm blown away! I hope there may be an opportunity to hear the car again in the months to come.


I'm so looking forward to hearing the Bimmer Jason.


----------



## Boostedrex

I'm just glad that you're happy with how the car sounds Jason. You know you'll always get a no BS opinion from me about things. Having a great installer and great ears like John and Dave E. is something else that will really help you along the way. I do hope to see the Bimmer in the MECA lanes at some point. 

Zach


----------



## defro13

although i appreciate the idea behind your build....the pillars could have used alot more finishing time, the rest looks as though you took your time on 90% and rushed that all important and critacal last 10%....i would be curious to listen to this car for sure


----------



## bertholomey

defro13 said:


> although i appreciate the idea behind your build....the pillars could have used alot more finishing time, the rest looks as though you took your time on 90% and rushed that all important and critacal last 10%....i would be curious to listen to this car for sure


My installer would have loved to have a lot more finishing time on the pillars - I drove the car on a Friday night 4.5 hours to Atlanta and flew back to Greensboro, NC Saturday afternoon, then flew down on the following Sunday morning to pick up the car and drive it back. 

Ryan installed the 2nd amp, reconstructed the trunk to accomplish the new amp integration, repaired the driver's side door card, figured out whether it was possible to complete a pillar install or if the drivers needed to be placed in the kicks, and then had multiple challenges with the finish of the pillars. He did an amazing job in such a short period of time. 

Much of the rest of the car has had a few years of installing, de/re - installing, so the pillars were installed in a few days. If I feel that I want to do something about the finish, I will have that opportunity in the future. Right now, I don't have a problem with how they look. 

I'm not sure what you are referring to: _"rushed that all important and critacal last 10%"_. Structurally, these pillars are phenomenal - the rings he cut is superb, and the glassing of the pods is top notch - they just don't have a fancy covering right now that fully integrates them into the interior of the car. 

I explained my goals / use of this car on a couple other forums, not going to repeat, but 'It is about what sounds right' - I can complete the aesthetics at a later time if I feel the need. If you do find yourself in NC sometime - give me a shout, would be a pleasure to have you hear it.


----------



## benny z

bertholomey said:


> Thanks Ben!
> 
> Ok....ignorance here.....ib3 - sub right? (duh! :blush
> 
> It is a 12" SSA Icon / prototype FI / modded for IB / frankenstein sub that really is awesome - very natural sounding sub sound that blends extremely well with the mid bass drivers - can get loud, can play very tight, can do the finesse stuff very well.


ah...yes...

fi makes the ib3...i'll bet that's what yours evolved into. i've got the 18" version to put in my car one of these days.


----------



## thehatedguy

From the pictures I can see what he was refering to the last 10%. Some of that is aesthics that comes down to personal taste...and nick picking. But that is just me being super anal about things...ask Mark. I would bust his balls over something being 1/4" different side to side.

It's just aesthics, and if you are happy and Slade is happy...everyone that matters is happy.


----------



## slade1274

thehatedguy said:


> From the pictures I can see what he was refering to the last 10%. Some of that is aesthics that comes down to personal taste...and nick picking. But that is just me being super anal about things...ask Mark. I would bust his balls over something being 1/4" different side to side.
> 
> It's just aesthics, and if *you are happy and Slade is happy*...everyone that matters is happy.


Post 175
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/1230455-post175.html
I suppose "happy" is a relative term at times. "Good enough" is not a term I like to use very often but is applicable in certain instances with given constraints.... with said constraints in this instance, I would use the term "good enough" if followed immediately by "for now".

But I can take criticism; that's how we all improve- I typically just prefer the constructive type. 

In reality, I am rarely happy as I only see flaws in anything I produce- it is all up to the end user to be happy and I have accomplished that task in this instance.


----------



## thehatedguy

Happy given the time to pull everything off...I understand deadlines and not doing everything you wanted to do. Trust me on that. Given the time you had and what all you had to do, I wouldn't worry about someone nick picking it. They look good.

Being a custom installer is akin to being a magician...you are constantly pulling things out of your...well you know to get things done when they need to be done. Take it from someone who used to do that for a living.


----------



## JayinMI

thehatedguy said:


> Happy given the time to pull everything off...I understand deadlines and not doing everything you wanted to do. Trust me on that. Given the time you had and what all you had to do, I wouldn't worry about someone nick picking it. They look good.
> 
> Being a custom installer is akin to being a magician...you are constantly pulling things out of your...well you know to get things done when they need to be done. Take it from someone who used to do that for a living.


Hear, hear.

Jay


----------



## bertholomey

Thank you JW - I appreciate that.


----------



## bertholomey

I had a great 'car audio' experience with some good friends. John and I drove down to Charlotte with John in the driver's seat. I played dj and subjected him to a ton of my music. He was very gracious stating that he enjoyed the trip and the tunes. 

We met up with Mark Worrell, and he gave the system a thorough audition. I wish I had done two things differently - I wish I had put something more dynamic on for Rick to evaluate (shop owner), and I wish I had switched the system over to 2-way to show the impact the mid range drivers provide.

I played one track today (all I had time for) switching the xover's to 2 way - the track was a guitar piece (Windham Hill, Wood & Steel), and there was a huge difference in terms of stage height. A lot of the body of the guitar was playing below the level of the dash. When I switched things back to 3 way, Everything (including the information that was below the 250hz HP) appeared to be playing above the dash. This is 'common sense', but the point is that I didn't really notice how low the stage height was before. 

Thanks to John, Mark, and Rick for listening yesterday and for the excellent feedback / recommendations (I still don't know about that JL 13 tw5 in the back deck though....)


----------



## Notloudenuf

Dangit Jason, you got me rethinking my car now. 

Randleman to Kinston.....I know you can do it...hehe

Looking forward to checking this out in April.


----------



## TREOSOLS

EVERYBODY GET IN LINE!!! Thats what it will be like at the meet. after a 3.5 hour mini session of listening all i can say is WOW! i have had the chance to listen to Jasons car in the past, this is by far the best it has ever sounded. a sample track by laura Satterfield "Sock-n-Soul" was a hit instantly, open and airy, with a feeling of a small private performance. so little time and so much music to hear. bring your favorite tracks with u, and be willing to wait. now that Jason has drank the kool-aid, we will have to see whats next. one thing is for sure, the only way to go from here, is up. now if we can get someone to get the THESIS mids out of there doors and in the pillars, they could have some kool-aid also. u know who u are John.


----------



## ErinH

I find the title of this thread especially funny now.


----------



## bertholomey

TREOSOLS said:


> EVERYBODY GET IN LINE!!! Thats what it will be like at the meet. after a 3.5 hour mini session of listening all i can say is WOW! i have had the chance to listen to Jasons car in the past, this is by far the best it has ever sounded. a sample track by laura Satterfield "Sock-n-Soul" was a hit instantly, open and airy, with a feeling of a small private performance. so little time and so much music to hear. bring your favorite tracks with u, and be willing to wait. now that Jason has drank the kool-aid, we will have to see whats next. one thing is for sure, the only way to go from here, is up. now if we can get someone to get the THESIS mids out of there doors and in the pillars, they could have some kool-aid also. u know who u are John.


Thank you very much Mark - you played some fantastic tracks (.....mix disc....hint, hint......especially that first track you played, the one that the voice made the sound stage pull to the rear, the one that you played last with the acoustic version, and the one with the singer as a child and now as a Woman!).

I was listening to an artist tonight that I have listened to for years, and it was like the first time hearing some of the detail. Certainly no where near the great cars I have heard since getting serious in this hobby, but it sure is the best I have had, and for now at least, every time listening to it is an experience.



bikinpunk said:


> I find the title of this thread especially funny now.


I know right......well....it is actually true now. I 'plan' to not do anything else in this car - and I plan to install this same equipment in the next car - only one install. Of course, when I titled this thread, I 'planned' for it to be 'the final reinstall'


----------



## The Drake

Definitely looking forward to hearing this. Cant wait for the meet at the end of April. You decide if you can make it down to Erin's meet? As of right now I am probably going to be a no show for that one  

I Finally finished the center console in my car, still got a bunch more to finish off and some changes being made


----------



## bertholomey

Notloudenuf said:


> Dangit Jason, you got me rethinking my car now.
> 
> Randleman to Kinston.....I know you can do it...hehe
> 
> Looking forward to checking this out in April.


Your car is set bro - wouldn't change a thing! I really want to make it over there - we will see if that can happen before the meet.



The Drake said:


> Definitely looking forward to hearing this. Cant wait for the meet at the end of April. You decide if you can make it down to Erin's meet? As of right now I am probably going to be a no show for that one
> 
> I Finally finished the center console in my car, still got a bunch more to finish off and some changes being made


I pm'd him last night - unfortunately, with all of the travel I do for work, and then a few other weekends with Car Audio, I'm not going to make it - don't know if I'll have my stop over place in Atlanta as well. 

I'm looking forward to 'the changes' (nothing needed to change), but I'm interested to see what you thought could be 'improved'. I need to go ahead and reserve the shelter - will do it today probably - will be a good time for sure.


----------



## thehatedguy

Glad I dropped off all of my electronics with Matt Roberts last night...Looks like I need to take the car a few more notches than I had planned to take it.


----------



## simplicityinsound

damn you mid atlantic guys...i wish i can drop off my car with Matt and have him work his magic...


----------



## JayinMI

See what happens when you move to Cali?


----------



## thehatedguy

What? He's only about an hour away from me... Sounds like Bingaling needs to move back to the right coast.



simplicityinsound said:


> damn you mid atlantic guys...i wish i can drop off my car with Matt and have him work his magic...


----------



## bertholomey

thehatedguy said:


> What? He's only about an hour away from me... Sounds like Bingaling needs to move back to the *right coast*.


Sweet!


----------



## jrs1006

All I can say is wow. I have been working on my Lincoln LS for like 5 years and I keep changing things. I have yet to finish it. Will keep an eye to see the progress.


----------



## simplicityinsound

well sooner or later in 2012 cali is suppose to fall into the ocean...so i will look to the carolinas then 

well i am going to NC in a few months for a week hehe, but alas, too far from Matt.


----------



## thehatedguy

Where in NC are you heading?


----------



## simplicityinsound

flying into norfolk, OBX for a week and chill in norfolk for a day and a half.


----------



## thehatedguy

So want to punch you right now...I love the OBX, especially Ocracoke ISland.


----------



## simplicityinsound

lol, hey, its a friggin 9 hour trip with a lay over just for me to get there...


----------



## defro13

bertholomey;1234692
I'm not sure what you are referring to: [I said:


> "rushed that all important and critacal last 10%"[/I]. Structurally, these pillars are phenomenal - the rings he cut is superb, and the glassing of the pods is top notch - they just don't have a fancy covering right now that fully integrates them into the interior of the car.
> QUOTE]
> 
> Structurally they may be very well built....the last 10% im referiing to is the part that makes it look as good as it may have been built


----------



## bertholomey

Duly noted and replied to. 

'All Important and Critical' to me is the sound of the drivers as conveyed by the structure of the materials that are housing them, and the final tune of the system to reproduce the music as faithfully to the original recording as possible (with some nuance introduced through tuning preference and environment).

Aesthetics will be addressed at a later time - not nearly as important to me.


----------



## IBcivic

defro13 said:


> bertholomey;1234692
> I'm not sure what you are referring to: [I said:
> 
> 
> 
> "rushed that all important and critacal last 10%"[/I]. Structurally, these pillars are phenomenal - the rings he cut is superb, and the glassing of the pods is top notch - they just don't have a fancy covering right now that fully integrates them into the interior of the car.
> QUOTE]
> 
> Structurally they may be very well built....the last 10% im referiing to is the part that makes it look as good as it may have been built
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> slade1274 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm 80% satisfied with the pods and I'm sure I'll talk him into letting me re-finish then so I'm 100% satisfied .
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I think this statement, from 2 weeks ago, kinda explains things
Click to expand...


----------



## saMxp

Man, I really need to hear this car now. The incremental refinements to this system are really starting to pay off. I don't think you can ever get rid of this car, Jason!


----------



## defro13

amitaF said:


> defro13 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I think this statement, from 2 weeks ago, kinda explains things
> 
> 
> 
> not really...but i hope they get finished to the quality of some of the good parts of this install, like the baffles mentioned in a previous post
Click to expand...


----------



## minibox

saMxp said:


> Man, I really need to hear this car now. The incremental refinements to this system are really starting to pay off. I don't think you can ever get rid of this car, Jason!


Good to bump into you the other day Sam! Yes, you do need to hear this car now and you need to not sell your m3. See you at the next meet!


----------



## bertholomey

Small update.

As mentioned previously, John came over with his RTA to get a reading on the new drivers themselves, and the system as a whole. After a few adjustments (fairly small EQ adjustments in the midrange area), we had a pretty linear display left to right. Everything sounded balanced, nothing standing out over anything else.

This past weekend, I traveled up to my friend David's house to give him listen to the drivers and to tweak the tune (or completely start from scratch if needed). David liked the overall sound, and I think he was happy with the capability of the 3" drivers. 

He immediately changed the crossover slopes from 24 db to 12 db to smooth out the sound a little bit on the tweet, mid range, and the LP of the mid bass drivers. He made a few adjustments to the EQ from ear, and then verified with the RTA. Overall, not a ton of changes were made from what John had set up. 

I am extremely happy with the sound, I feel that David tightened up the image just that little bit. Hopefully, John will be able to listen to the car this week to give me a little feed back on the changes. I'm looking forward to getting more feedback at the Blacksburg meet in a couple weeks.


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> Small update.
> 
> I am extremely happy with the sound, I feel that David tightened up the image just that little bit. Hopefully, John will be able to listen to the car this week to give me a little feed back on the changes. I'm looking forward to getting more feedback at the Blacksburg meet in a couple weeks.


I'm ready to check these drivers out since you have your tune more dialed in. They sounded great before and that was in PVC cups just sitting on your dash. :laugh:


----------



## strakele

It was great to meet you and hear your car yesterday. It really does sound great. The imaging is fantastic, and the IB sub is very very clean.

Thanks for the demo!


----------



## bertholomey

Well, thank you and Ally for listening to it! There were a lot of great cars at Erin's, and I appreciate you two taking a listen. I wish though that Ally would have taken a listen from the driver's seat. I really didn't take the opportunity to talk with her, but like everyone else, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she had been bit by this sq bug as well. I look forward to seeing her build log as well. Also I was intrigued by her military reference, but I didn't follow up. Maybe at the NC Meet, hint, hint


----------



## strakele

Your car was actually one of my favorites at the meet and I'd certainly like to hear it again. And yeah, it sure didn't take her long to go from wanting to get loud to wanting it to sound just right 

As far a military goes, I actually met her in our Air Force ROTC class. Due to some other circumstances, she's now looking to pursue a career in the CIA.

I mean to ask at the meet.. are/were you military?


----------



## bertholomey

Carried over from the recent NC Meet thread - we put the pillars back in Friday night before the meet, and it just didn't sound correct no matter what we did.



slade1274 said:


> Switch the midrange drivers from one side to the other.... shouldn't make a difference but I didn't mark them.
> 
> also, remove the insulation...?





bertholomey said:


> You guys are awesome- I posted this to acknowledge that my system was no good if anyone felt like they wasted time in my car
> 
> You guys are great providing ideas (and excellent displays of memory recall).
> 
> Erin, if you have a few minutes, and if you are willing, could you move the responses to my post to my install thread? I would give the address, but I have to do this on my phone because I can't get my air card to work in the atl airport. I don't want my problems trashing up the meet thread. Thanks!





bertholomey said:


> I have one of these in excel going back to when I first bought the Bit One - perfecting the 2 way. I have everything in a notebook from the last few iterations (haven't had time to get it in the excel file yet), but I need to be home to try things out.
> 
> 
> I want it to just be some stupid setting that I am overlooking, but I feel it is something else - I'll get sorted this weekend


Just wanted to note that I fixed the problem, and everything sounds 'right' (or centered actually) again. Once I flipped the phase for the midrange in the HU, everything was nicely centered (why didn't I do that earlier). I took a bit of the insulation out and separated the fibers a bit - I think that opened up the sound of the midrange. John listened to it briefly on Sunday and gave it the thumbs up (although the system sounded pretty disappointing compared to his home set up ). The pillars look so much better in black, and I continue to be extremely impressed and pleased with the AP drivers!


----------



## saMxp

So glad you got that sorted out, Jason. Your car is nearing true greatness and with your dedicated pursuit of good sound, I know you'll find those few elusive remaining tweaks that'll get you there. 
I am horrible at tweaking phase problems by ear. When it's all dialed in, I hear it clearly but while tuning, it's not always obvious when I flip one driver by itself. 

This message brought by hTC EVO using Tapatalk


----------



## slade1274

:thumbsup:


:rockon:


----------



## bertholomey

saMxp said:


> So glad you got that sorted out, Jason. Your car is nearing true greatness and with your dedicated pursuit of good sound, I know you'll find those few elusive remaining tweaks that'll get you there.
> I am horrible at tweaking phase problems by ear. When it's all dialed in, I hear it clearly but while tuning, it's not always obvious when I flip one driver by itself.
> 
> This message brought by hTC EVO using Tapatalk


When I have a centered stage and I flip the phase - it is pretty obvious. I guess it wasn't as obvious starting out that way, but it sure was a challenge for me (and for others at the meet ) trying to center the voice with the pass midrange out of phase.


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

bertholomey said:


> When I have a centered stage and I flip the phase - it is pretty obvious. I guess it wasn't as obvious starting out that way, but it sure was a challenge for me (and for others at the meet ) trying to center the voice with the pass midrange out of phase.


Glad to hear you got it worked out.


----------



## autosalesplaza

My nephew decided to put some quarters in my stock 2003 bmw 325i cd player and I have been trying to figure out how to pull the radio out to dump them out. Please help with the removal process and or pictures would be great. However if there is somewhere on the internet I can find this information, please direct me. Thanks. Ben


----------



## bertholomey

That is pretty yucky.....but.....the removal is pretty easy. 

1) Use a flat head screwdriver (carefully) to pry off the woodgrain looking trim piece above the glove box. Start at the very outside edge closest to the passenger door. 

2) Then pry off the woodgrain looking trim that is around the stock radio itself. 

3) That should expose the 2 - 4 (can't remember which) screws that hold the radio in place.

4) Pull the radio out - you may need to disconnect the wires in the back of the radio to get enough clearance to purge the coins. 

Let me know if you have any problems with the above (going from memory).


----------



## bertholomey

*Re: 2002 BMW 325i Final - Final Re-Install*

I have started prepping the area for the new amp install. I should receive the amps sometime this week, but I won't have an opportunity to install them until July 4th. So....I thought I might go ahead and get the area prepped and get the wires ready to plug into the amps. 

I was trying to figure out how to put the two 4 channel amps in the front and the single 2 channel in the rear. I would have to modify the brackets on the side of the rack to accomplish this. They are pretty important for making the false floor stable when I toss things into the trunk, so I didn't really want to mod them too much. 










The cardboard pieces represent the two 4 channels side by side.










My wife took a look at it this morning and suggested placing the two 4 channels in the back area - removing the barrier strips. After the Homer Simpson moment, I liked her suggestion. I moved the wiring and got the power wires ready for three amps instead of two as well. 










I'll update this next Monday


----------



## Notloudenuf

And the $25,000 question is....What amps did you decide on?


----------



## bertholomey

Mosconi AS Series. They were expensive, but not 25k....


----------



## wdemetrius1

Patiently awaiting the final product.


----------



## mattyjman

bertholomey said:


> Mosconi AS Series. They were expensive, but not 25k....


so, is this the new forum boner, or did a few of us just pick these amps up at the same time conicidentally  

They are nice amps for sure... I bet you are about as excited as I am!


----------



## bertholomey

A bit of coincidence, but I think that those two installs that Bing did certainly contributed. 

I was impressed with what I heard in Marks car - dynamic headroom - and there were a few other options that I could have gone with if I were willing to sell the Audisons. I liked the features and the power to size ratio, so I took the plunge.


----------



## bertholomey

A couple of teaser pics.....


----------



## TheHulk9er

They are so pretty. Car audio Porn!


----------



## saMxp

bertholomey said:


> A couple of teaser pics.....


This post needs NWS tag! Nice!!


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> A couple of teaser pics.....


NICE! More power!!!


----------



## bertholomey

TheHulk9er said:


> They are so pretty. Car audio Porn!


That was certainly not my intent, and furthermore, if I have offended anyone, then I am truly sorry.....  sounds like a weiner....


----------



## slade1274

Or, as the Italians may say...

Più potenza

:laugh:


----------



## scooter99

Wow those are purrrrdy!


----------



## wdemetrius1

Beautiful!!!


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> That was certainly not my intent, and furthermore, if I have offended anyone, then I am truly sorry.....  sounds like a weiner....


So now it's the FINAL, Final Re-Install :laugh:


----------



## IBcivic

Re-install ver. 7.69

:thumbsup: on the mosconi porn


----------



## scooter99

It's ok man, I get it. Noone has any love for those of us who can't make up our minds! LMAO!


----------



## scooter99

Ya know, I have to pose the question cause I'm interested. NOT BECAUSE I"M SWITCHING BUT INTERESTED. How much were those three?


----------



## bertholomey

That is the $26 k question. YGPM


----------



## mattyjman

are those the 100.4's? i would love to get a shot to look at the internals, but i'm not about to disassemble these amps... nooooo wayyyyyy.


----------



## scooter99

I'm anxious to hear the results! Not that I'm changing, but none the less, interested for sure!


----------



## subwoofery

mattyjman said:


> are those the 100.4's? i would love to get a shot to look at the internals, but i'm not about to disassemble these amps... nooooo wayyyyyy.


Audio System Mosconi AS 200.2 

Enjoy!
Kelvin


----------



## bertholomey

subwoofery said:


> Audio System Mosconi AS 200.2
> 
> Enjoy!
> Kelvin


Thanks Kelvin! Great pictures - I appreciate you sharing that. 

I have to claim ignorance when it comes to amp internals, but it appears to be a nicely laid out design - not very fussy - don't know how that will translate to sound quality, but it is purty. 

I wasn't able to take away much from the feedback left on the amp from the site (possibly because it was in German.....), but I did like this little gem : 



> The Mosconi 200.2 is an absolut highfidelity amp.
> The sound makes me to drive my car for hours.


I'm looking for this as well. Demetrius was impressed by how small the amps were (or disappointed, I'm not sure ) when he saw them last night. A good amount of power from a small footprint. And Matt...two 100.4's and one 200.2 in my picture.


----------



## wdemetrius1

^^

I was definitely impressed. I originally thought that they were much bigger going from the "Biggest Install I Have Ever Done", by Bing. I came to later find out that, the amps that were used in that install was the BIG DADDY version of the one you have. I'm still very impressed to say the least. Mark was right, they are about the same size as my PPI's. Can't wait to see them installed and hear them later... 

Great choice of replacement gear coming from the Audision's.


----------



## req

well i am still waiting on mine in the mail!

a pair of AS200.4 amplifiers are headded my way. im very excited as well!!! 


but its not cool that you got yours first


----------



## TexZen

Hate to be a bonehead here, but did anyone say who to contact to find/order Mosconi amps in the US? They look incredible and I am more than willing to go out on a limb based upon the excellent feedback here as I did w/ZAPCO a while back for some quality amplification for my next project.

Thanks in advance and killer rebuild! I am looking forward to seeing the "finished" product.


----------



## bertholomey

req said:


> well i am still waiting on mine in the mail!
> 
> a pair of AS200.4 amplifiers are headded my way. im very excited as well!!!
> 
> 
> but its not cool that you got yours first


Mine are in a duffle in the overhead bin with me on this flight


----------



## wdemetrius1

TexZen said:


> Hate to be a bonehead here, but did anyone say who to contact to find/order Mosconi amps in the US? They look incredible and I am more than willing to go out on a limb based upon the excellent feedback here as I did w/ZAPCO a while back for some quality amplification for my next project.
> 
> Thanks in advance and killer rebuild! I am looking forward to seeing the "finished" product.



I'll send you a PM.


----------



## TexZen

Thanks! I'll hit up the local "Focal Shops" and see what I can dig up.


----------



## req

yuppers. i have to wait until next week


----------



## bertholomey

I was able to hook up the 200.2 on the XR 3" drivers - 1st impressions are very favorable - the connections are fantastic, and it amplifies the music....... very well. That is as subjective as I'll get.  

Sneak peek.


----------



## slade1274

Moar Powah

Bridge up that 4 channel man!


----------



## bertholomey

Patience my friend (that is what I'm telling myself). I'll have to wait until Monday


----------



## mattyjman

glad you like it... means good things for me


----------



## bertholomey

I just listened to a few tracks from Nickel Creek (watched some videos from them last night that is on the DVD included with their Best of disc), and I was very pleased with the sound of the system. 

I'm still listening with the 3" XR's connected to the 200.2. I'm starting to get a glimpse of the dynamics that (from my perspective) might have been lacking just a bit in my previous set up. The amp sounds great (I'm not going to state a bunch of subject comment on the quality of the sound so that one of those nasty arguments spring up - if you really want to hear my impressions, pm me). 

I am overwhelmed at how enjoyable listening to a set of 3" drivers can be while sitting in a car in the garage. Sounds pretty goofy, but I was enthralled with the sound of this acoustic band. I left the car on the 'K' at the end of the word 'Speak' (Demetrius, you know what I'm talking about) with a huge grin on my face. 

Again, I'm not trying to promote this brand of amplifier or drum up sales for anyone, just relaying my experience to (hopefully) fellow enthusiasts.


----------



## Marketing Pro's TX

TexZen said:


> Hate to be a bonehead here, but did anyone say who to contact to find/order Mosconi amps in the US? They look incredible and I am more than willing to go out on a limb based upon the excellent feedback here as I did w/ZAPCO a while back for some quality amplification for my next project.
> 
> Thanks in advance and killer rebuild! I am looking forward to seeing the "finished" product.


Contact Custom Sounds for Mosconi in Austin, they can supply you with product and valid warranty that you can only get thru authorized dealer. They normally bring in for there hi end installs.


----------



## ErinH

So, you like the Amos just a little bit, huh? 

We need to retitle this thread. 

I look forward to possibly hearing it one day again. Keep rockin!


----------



## wdemetrius1

bertholomey said:


> I just listened to a few tracks from Nickel Creek (watched some videos from them last night that is on the DVD included with their Best of disc), and I was very pleased with the sound of the system.
> 
> I'm still listening with the 3" XR's connected to the 200.2. I'm starting to get a glimpse of the dynamics that (from my perspective) might have been lacking just a bit in my previous set up. The amp sounds great (I'm not going to state a bunch of subject comment on the quality of the sound so that one of those nasty arguments spring up - if you really want to hear my impressions, pm me).
> 
> I am overwhelmed at how enjoyable listening to a set of 3" drivers can be while sitting in a car in the garage. Sounds pretty goofy, but I was enthralled with the sound of this acoustic band. I left the car on the 'K' at the end of the word 'Speak' (Demetrius, you know what I'm talking about) with a huge grin on my face.
> 
> Again, I'm not trying to promote this brand of amplifier or drum up sales for anyone, just relaying my experience to (hopefully) fellow enthusiasts.




Yes I do. They must sound really good!!! Looking forward to having a listen.


----------



## bertholomey

Started to do some work on the mounting / wiring tonight after driving back from Virginia. Hot day for it, that's for sure. 

Once again, it is abundantly clear that I don't possess the skills or tools to do this well. I will try to get them in and unless I totally destroy something, I'll get help to fix it later. 

I got the sub amp in.... played it for a few seconds..... it pounds. 











Hopefully tomorrow will see the two 4 channel amps playing.


----------



## Navy Chief

Where did you go in Virginia, and where exactly are you in North Carolina. I would love to hear those amps, and req moved before I could here his. Nice work on the install I always check in on it when I come in here.


----------



## slade1274

Red is positive
Black is negative


----------



## bertholomey

Navy Chief said:


> Where did you go in Virginia, and where exactly are you in North Carolina. I would love to hear those amps, and req moved before I could here his. Nice work on the install I always check in on it when I come in here.


My folks and my wife's folks live in Dublin / Draper.... near Blacksburg. I live in Randleman, NC near Greensboro. Thanks for following this log.... sadly, the quality of the install is going down, but potentially my enjoyment of the system may go up (notice I didn't say the quality of the system is going up  

We certainly would love to have you come down for our Fall G2G.


----------



## bertholomey

slade1274 said:


> Red is positive
> Black is negative


That is precisely why I stopped at 9:00


----------



## Navy Chief

bertholomey said:


> My folks and my wife's folks live in Dublin / Draper.... near Blacksburg. I live in Randleman, NC near Greensboro. Thanks for following this log.... sadly, the quality of the install is going down, but potentially my enjoyment of the system may go up (notice I didn't say the quality of the system is going up
> 
> We certainly would love to have you come down for our Fall G2G.


I haven't seen any data on the fall meet, is there a thread yet. What are the dates, fill me in. I need a date for a deadline to get my install done as well.


----------



## rsfaze

nice car, and sick re-install.. I will keep dreaming


----------



## ErinH

slade1274 said:


> Red is positive
> Black is negative


only as long as those are the wires you have. what really screws with you is when you run out of two colors and are left with one. that's when the electrical tape becomes the marker for 'ground'. Of course, Lord forbid you only have blue electrical tape!


----------



## subwoofery

bikinpunk said:


> only as long as those are the wires you have. what really screws with you is when you run out of two colors and are left with one. that's when the electrical tape becomes the marker for 'ground'. Of course, Lord forbid you only have blue electrical tape!


or orange...  

Kelvin


----------



## andy335touring

I'm going to love following this thread, quality install !


----------



## req

will be getting mine in the mail tomorrow!

I will be removing the stuff from the car today to facilitate the final-re-re-re-install of the gti LOL.


----------



## bertholomey

Navy Chief said:


> I haven't seen any data on the fall meet, is there a thread yet. What are the dates, fill me in. I need a date for a deadline to get my install done as well.


We haven't fixed on a date yet, but we should get something on the calendar so those who want to can schedule around it. I will touch base with Drake to start the process, and I'll pm you when we have an announcement thread.


----------



## bertholomey

req said:


> will be getting mine in the mail tomorrow!
> 
> I will be removing the stuff from the car today to facilitate the final-re-re-re-install of the gti LOL.


Awesome! I don't think you will be disappointed with the fit, finish, and functionality of these amps.


----------



## slade1274

bikinpunk said:


> only as long as those are the wires you have. what really screws with you is when you run out of two colors and are left with one. that's when the electrical tape becomes the marker for 'ground'. Of course, Lord forbid you only have blue electrical tape!



been there- used colored techflex and heat shrink.


----------



## scooter99

You're gonna make me fly over there and listen to this thing aren't you! That'll go over well. 

Honey I'm taking a trip cross country. 
Wife - what for can I go? 
To listen to a guys car set up! Of course you can go!
Wife - um no, and I'm headed to the bank to take your name off our account!

Yea! Something like that. Maybe bing will have a car I can listen to, he's a little closer! Lmao!


----------



## bertholomey

Come on! I have a place for you to stay 

I know....it is challenging right now.....I have the 100.4 sitting on the kitchen table - I'm writing a report for work right now - going to be doing the amp install in the dead of heat, but if I didn't do the report first.......

I'm especially psyched - I received my three DMB Live Trax albums (Vol. 3, Vol. 5, and Vol. 8) on Saturday, so I plan to play these discs as the first albums with the new set up - should be fun.


----------



## IBcivic

scooter99 said:


> You're gonna make me fly over there and listen to this thing aren't you! That'll go over well.
> 
> Honey I'm taking a trip cross country.
> Wife - what for can I go?
> To listen to a guys car set up! Of course you can go!
> Wife - um no, and I'm headed to the bank to take your name off our account!
> 
> Yea! Something like that. Maybe bing will have a car I can listen to, he's a little closer! Lmao!


Just make it to the bank before she does
Then on your way back, you have to detour through Montreal...the Jazz Festival just started... dark glasses are highly recommended


----------



## req

jason, my amps are in the classifieds and my trunk is empty. tomorrow i will wait to sign for an incoming package and then its off to the store to buy a piece of plywood for my new false floor!


----------



## bertholomey

Sweet! I can't wait to see the pics. 

I did some listening, and I really like what I hear. It will take a little time to get the levels correct. The sub amp is out of this world - I have the level on the HU at - 18 for it to blend, turned down the gain from two dots to 1.5 dots. 

Here is a finished pic - I'll need to cut the beauty panel next weekend if I have time.


----------



## saMxp

Can't wait to hear what your initial listening impressions are!


----------



## scooter99

bertholomey said:


> Come on! I have a place for you to stay
> 
> I know....it is challenging right now.....I have the 100.4 sitting on the kitchen table - I'm writing a report for work right now - going to be doing the amp install in the dead of heat, but if I didn't do the report first.......
> 
> I'm especially psyched - I received my three DMB Live Trax albums (Vol. 3, Vol. 5, and Vol. 8) on Saturday, so I plan to play these discs as the first albums with the new set up - should be fun.


OOOOHHHHHH MAN! I thought I was the only one who set my music to DMB! They have such a great sound, especially live, it makes nice music to set up to. If you want a great album for bass and horns and highs, Big Whiskey and the Groogreux King FTMFW!! 

Well get that last amp in so we can get your review! 



amitaF said:


> Just make it to the bank before she does
> Then on your way back, you have to detour through Montreal...the Jazz Festival just started... dark glasses are highly recommended


Yea! In the computer world, she'd have it closed before I got in the car! Thanks though!


----------



## ErinH

might as well stop by my area and hang out. hell, come out to the vinny on Sunday to hear some of the best cars out there.


----------



## bertholomey

bertholomey said:


> Here is a finished pic - I'll need to cut the beauty panel next weekend if I have time.


In my normal style, I'll comment on this picture before the 'critics' do  There is a very small difference in the 'shade' of silver between the two 100.4's. If it bothers me enough, I may move the 200.2 next to the lighter 100.4 on the right because they match, then I'll move the other 100.4 to the bottom position. 



saMxp said:


> Can't wait to hear what your initial listening impressions are!


Hey Sam, give me a call tonight / tomorrow night if you have a minute.



scooter99 said:


> OOOOHHHHHH MAN! I thought I was the only one who set my music to DMB! They have such a great sound, especially live, it makes nice music to set up to. If you want a great album for bass and horns and highs, Big Whiskey and the Groogreux King FTMFW!!
> 
> Well get that last amp in so we can get your review!


I'm a huge DMB fan - I went to college at James Madison University in Harrisonburg VA ('88-93' - 5 yr plan), and my sister went to UVA in Charlottesville (91'-94'). Boyd Tinsley used to play where I bartended, but I never got over to Tracks in C'Ville to see them. When I was getting fairly serious about Car Audio (William Bibb's shop in Harrisonburg was the culprit), I stated that I want a system that reproduces DMB very well......I'm getting closer to that goal Tracks like 'Typical Situation' on the Alpine Valley Music Theater - East Troy, WI 2004 are amazing (what I am listening to now). 

All three amps are in, and my review will consist of statements such as - great connectivity and layout, large amount of power for the size, very dynamic with plenty of reserves for big peaks in the music.....and they sound like amps. I'm not going to do any subjective statements here about the way they sound  I haven't really spent enough time with them to provide very coherent feedback. 



bikinpunk said:


> might as well stop by my area and hang out. hell, come out to the vinny on Sunday to hear some of the best cars out there.



To include the new and 'improved' bikini mobile?


----------



## ErinH

lol. maybe... maybe not. but, there will certainly be a bunch of great rides there.


----------



## scooter99

bikinpunk said:


> might as well stop by my area and hang out. hell, come out to the vinny on Sunday to hear some of the best cars out there.


Might as well. Travel month = Trip up north to kick Martin in the ass, down to Erin to listen to the "what's in it this month mobile" and then out to talk DMB! YEAH! Sounds like a plan as long as I don't get hung up at the boarder! LMAO! :laugh: Maybe I'll just bring my ride and drive everywhere............................NOT!



bertholomey said:


> In my normal style, I'll comment on this picture before the 'critics' do  There is a very small difference in the 'shade' of silver between the two 100.4's. If it bothers me enough, I may move the 200.2 next to the lighter 100.4 on the right because they match, then I'll move the other 100.4 to the bottom position.
> 
> *That's funny, I never saw it till you said something and I stared at that pic. *
> 
> I'm a huge DMB fan - I went to college at James Madison University in Harrisonburg VA ('88-93' - 5 yr plan), and my sister went to UVA in Charlottesville (91'-94'). Boyd Tinsley used to play where I bartended, but I never got over to Tracks in C'Ville to see them. When I was getting fairly serious about Car Audio (William Bibb's shop in Harrisonburg was the culprit), I stated that I want a system that reproduces DMB very well......I'm getting closer to that goal Tracks like 'Typical Situation' on the Alpine Valley Music Theater - East Troy, WI 2004 are amazing (what I am listening to now).
> 
> *Yea same here. I'm huge with DMB, and it's in my player all the time. That's where I want mine to be. If I can close my eyes and listen and feel like I'm there, I"M IN! I go to the Gorge venue every year with my Step Father and Step Brother, for the last 4 years now. We were soooo upset last year when we found out he wasn't gonna tour this year, then were basically doing backflips when he announced the Gorge as one of the few venues he was gonna do. SO we're going again! YAY! But I wanna throw that CD in and close my eyes and feel like I'm looking over the canyon past the stage, and listening to one of Boyd's solos and the tingles go up my spine! Too much? HELL TO THA NO!!*
> 
> All three amps are in, and my review will consist of statements such as - great connectivity and layout, large amount of power for the size, very dynamic with plenty of reserves for big peaks in the music.....and they sound like amps. I'm not going to do any subjective statements here about the way they sound  I haven't really spent enough time with them to provide very coherent feedback.
> 
> *Weren't you gonna throw one more in there or something or did I read that wrong? Aren't you waiting for one more? But basics are fine for me, I'm a simple man! *
> 
> To include the new and 'improved' bikini mobile?


This week anyway! :lol: Actually Erin I have to give you credit man! You've slowed down. I'm sure it's cause of the little one now, I understand completely. But none the less you've slowed down! What did you ever do with your Z110bt? I know you've switched now. 



bikinpunk said:


> lol. maybe... maybe not. but, there will certainly be a bunch of great rides there.


I need to get to a show here sometime. I need some more listening when I get closer to finishing. I'm gonna need a ton of help tuning. Maybe I'll pay Bing to help me. He's only a stones throw away! 

Ooo that would be too easy to listen to these amps, hmmmm that might be a little dangerous! LMAO!


----------



## ErinH

yea, I've slowed down considerably due to the baby. this change in my install is it for a while again. 

back OT.


----------



## scooter99

Good call about the Back OT, sorry!


----------



## bertholomey

Not sorry at all  it was good reminiscing about those long ago college days, and it is always worth while to meet a fellow Dave fan. 

I do like the sound of the Mosconi amps though......  "That's all I'm going to say about that" (fg)


----------



## bertholomey

A little bit of an update. My wife and I worked on the beauty panel and I did some wiring work. The beauty panel will be covered with the carbon vinyl like the previous version. I'll have to make a new 'false floor' to match the cut outs of the beauty panel. 

The wiring change was simply putting the driver's side 3" and 6.5" on the left 4 channel and the passenger side drivers on the right 4 channel. 























































My next car.....


----------



## ErinH

trading the bimmer for a bentley, eh? 

make sure to make the next GTG I have!


----------



## bertholomey

You will be the first to get a test drive.


----------



## ErinH

so pumped!


----------



## strakele

I probably missed where you said, but is the plan to run tweeterless now?


----------



## bertholomey

For a yes or no question, I should answer appropriately.  (I get rubbing because I give long winded replies when a yes/no was asked for). Yes...... 

That is the goal. I like the sound now without tweeters, and it will only improve IMO once I have Mark give it a little seat time. I still have the tweets in the car, so if I feel I am missing something in the future, I can add a small amp to run them. 

From my perspective so far (since I have been listening without tweeters), it is a good trade off for me - what I perceive as a 'cleaner' sound (less complicated, less transitions, less speakers) versus a little loss of the 'sparkle', 'airyness' that the tweets contribute. I listened to Demetrius' system recently, and was reminded of how enjoyable tweets are in a good system, but I'm hoping to make this work.


----------



## Buzzman

bertholomey said:


> A little bit of an update. My wife and I worked on the beauty panel and I did some wiring work. . . .


Jason, it's awesome that your wife gets personally involved in the hobby. If she also happens to be a sports fan, you need to clone her!!


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks Buzz - it really has been a journey. She has grudgingly come to the realization that this is the big hobby that I enjoy, and she could either fight it and make me miserable (and herself as well), or she could join in. I travel so much for work that time on the weekends is about all we have, so even if that is in a hot garage, it's still time spent. 

She happens to be a huge College Football and MMA fan....."I like it when they pass out" is a direct quote....and of course, her favorite fighter is GSP (I wonder why...)


----------



## Buzzman

bertholomey said:


> Thanks Buzz - it really has been a journey. She has grudgingly come to the realization that this is the big hobby that I enjoy, and she could either fight it and make me miserable (and herself as well), or she could join in. I travel so much for work that time on the weekends is about all we have, so even if that is in a hot garage, it's still time spent.
> 
> She happens to be a huge College Football and MMA fan....."I like it when they pass out" is a direct quote....and of course, her favorite fighter is GSP (I wonder why...)


Jason, it's so cool that you guys have arrived at this level of understanding. It can only be healthy for your relationship. So many forum members struggle to get a smidgen of that kind of understanding/involvement from their better half, and our passion (or irrational compulsiveness, depending on your perspective, LOL) for the hobby can really drive a wedge in a relationship. More power to your both. Now, when your build is done you need to post a pic of your wife in the driver's seat, RTA in hand, doing the final tune!


----------



## Mic10is

bertholomey said:


> Thanks Buzz - it really has been a journey. She has grudgingly come to the realization that this is the big hobby that I enjoy, and she could either fight it and make me miserable (and herself as well), or she could join in. I travel so much for work that time on the weekends is about all we have, so even if that is in a hot garage, it's still time spent.
> 
> She happens to be a huge College Football and MMA fan....."I like it when they pass out" is a direct quote....and of course, her favorite fighter is GSP (I wonder why...)


see all the more reason you need to come to one of our shows!!!! your wife can hang out with my wife and I'll get my wife to help push her more into car audio.

my wife, was not into car audio at all when we 1st met and had jealous fits for a couple years. then I convinced her to help, then to compete. Then she was hooked.
She loves to travel, so going to shows wasnt a big deal for us.
She did very well also, a 2nd at IASCA Finals w highest SQ in her class that year, and a couple 3rds. 4th at Her 1st finals as a Novice.

even today, and Howard and Tintbox will tell you, we have her jump in cars to help tune. shes got a good seat of ears and a nice set of...anyways...:blush:

we also watch alot of MMA together.....w the girls...or as the girls call it "punch punch, kick kick"

so how you like them amps?


----------



## bertholomey

Buzzman said:


> Now, when your build is done you need to post a pic of your wife in the driver's seat, RTA in hand, doing the final tune!


I think she would go for that  Especially if it had a "I'm perfectly satisfied with my system" caption under the pic 




Mic10is said:


> see all the more reason you need to come to one of our shows!!!! your wife can hang out with my wife and I'll get my wife to help push her more into car audio.
> 
> my wife, was not into car audio at all when we 1st met and had jealous fits for a couple years. then I convinced her to help, then to compete. Then she was hooked.
> She loves to travel, so going to shows wasnt a big deal for us.
> She did very well also, a 2nd at IASCA Finals w highest SQ in her class that year, and a couple 3rds. 4th at Her 1st finals as a Novice.
> 
> even today, and Howard and Tintbox will tell you, we have her jump in cars to help tune. shes got a good set of ears and a nice set of...anyways...:blush:
> 
> we also watch alot of MMA together.....w the girls...or as the girls call it "punch punch, kick kick"
> 
> so how you like them amps?



I had always heard that your wife was a competitor in her own right, and had been very successful as well. I think what has helped in the last year or two was the financial piece. Prior to that, our finances were focused on a few things (especially in her mind, and she is frugal by nature) that were certainly not car audio related. Most of my current gear was purchased with funds derived from selling my Ducati (I hate that I don't have the bike anymore, but I do enjoy the items that were purchased as a result of it's sale), so that has taken a bit of the 'debate' out of it. 

She appreciates my love of music - she doesn't share that same level of enjoyment, but she understands that it is important to me. She also appreciates the enjoyment I derive from discussing the hobby with others of similar interest and especially meeting up with the great folks that I have been able to meet (with the help of this forum). When our Weim passes on (), there should be a more opportunities for us to travel. We want to get back up to Longwood Gardens (outside of Philly).....which happens to be close to York  

Oh, and I almost forgot......I like the amps


----------



## slade1274

bertholomey said:


> She happens to be a huge College Football and MMA fan....."I like it when they pass out" is a direct quote....and of course, her favorite fighter is GSP (I wonder why...)


you forgot Moto GP


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

You know it funny you guys are talking about this. I've been in to car since what like 94. I honestly never had anyone in my life that enjoyed and even cared to go to shows with me. Until now! My current freind has gone to every show this season I have compete at and she really enjoys it. So much so I'm really considering building her a stock class comp car.

By no means is she as passionate about it as I am, but she simple says if it makes me happy then she is happy and she wants to be part of anything that makes me happy.


----------



## Buzzman

Audible Physics said:


> You know it funny you guys are talking about this. I've been in to car since what like 94. I honestly never had anyone in my life that enjoyed and even cared to go to shows with me. Until now! My current freind has gone to every show this season I have compete at and she really enjoys it. So much so I'm really considering building her a stock class comp car.
> 
> By no means is she as passionate about it as I am, but she simple says if it makes me happy then she is happy and she wants to be part of anything that makes me happy.


Hey Mark, your last comment means you have found the right one!  Congrats! I firmly believe that we would enjoy our "hobby" more if our "significant other," wife, etc. shared in the experience. If we emphasize that it is all about optimizing music reproduction in our vehicles and thus enhancing our appreciation of music performance and recordings, and not about playing with new shiny toys, I am sure they would be much more engaged and supportive. Which would be a plus because I think women generally are more astute listeners than men when it comes to critical music listening, and can be a real asset in the tuning process.


----------



## bertholomey

I drove to Atlanta for work and to meet up with Mark to do a bit of re-wiring and for a little tuning session. As we were looking at the amp rack to determine the best location for the Audison fuse block, it became apparent that the best solution would be to re-arrange the amps. We took everything out and modified the rack a bit to get things to fit the way we wanted them. 





























It was a long process, but we got everything back in so that room was created for the fuse block. The wires were an absolute mess when I arrived (temp prior to getting the fuse block), and Mark cleaned up everything so they were routed correctly and tucked away. 



















Now I need to cut a new beauty panel and modify the false floor just a bit so that the appearance is similar to what it was before the amplifier change. 










A big thank you to Steve as well for helping with the install. We certainly shed some water weight in the garage that day. I appreciate the kind words about the sound and the album suggestions - time to go shopping for music!

Mark also completed a new tune on the system, and I am very pleased with the results. Thank you again Mark for spending an entire day helping me with the re-install and with the tune. I enjoyed the time spent and the results of our labor.


----------



## blackknight87

Love these long thread builds. Good time waster at work!

You gave me an idea tho for a speaker terminal block. im gonna do this on my new amp rack. cleans up speaker wire nicely.


----------



## decibelle

Wow, looks great Jason. All nice and clean. Sorry I wasn't able to make it out there, I really do want to hear that car of yours. Not only that, but see it in person. And Mark, well done sir, pro as usual.


----------



## slade1274

bertholomey said:


> Now I need to cut a new beauty panel and modify the false floor just a bit so that the appearance is similar to what it was before the amplifier change.


Can the false floor be rotated 180^ in order to display the amps properly?


----------



## chithead

Man... things have changed since I last saw your car! Looking nice!


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

slade1274 said:


> Can the false floor be rotated 180^ in order to display the amps properly?


Nope he has to cut a new one, It is off a little bit.


----------



## simplicityinsound

nice! just be careful about putting the two amps end to end...i was told to make sure the ends are not blocked off because i guess they are somewhat vital to airflow when the fan kicks in...

I doubt you will have an issue, but just wanna pass along the info 

b


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks Bing, that makes sense now that you say that..... according to the explanation of how the fans work with the chassis design. That shouldn't be a problem at all putting a little bit of space between them.


----------



## bertholomey

millerlyte said:


> Wow, looks great Jason. All nice and clean. Sorry I wasn't able to make it out there, I really do want to hear that car of yours. Not only that, but see it in person. And Mark, well done sir, pro as usual.


No problem at all... actually, we didn't get done tuning until after 10, so if you would have shown up earlier, you just would have seen 3 sweaty guys working in a warm garage  You and G should try to make it up to the NC Fall Meet.


----------



## decibelle

bertholomey said:


> No problem at all... actually, we didn't get done tuning until after 10, so if you would have shown up earlier, you just would have seen 3 sweaty guys working in a warm garage  You and G should try to make it up to the NC Fall Meet.



A bunch of sweaty guys working in a garage... hm, where have I seen that before? _Oh yeah_, every day I go to work! 

When is the fall meet? Or is it still relative and TBD? I'll very likely have everything installed by then so I can actually bring my car that time too.


----------



## bertholomey

Wow! That doesn't sound like fun at all, but it pays the bills and funds the hobby. 

Well..... sometime in October. I go on vacation at the beginning of the month, and we need to schedule around MECA finals as well. I'll let you know what we come up with.


----------



## decibelle

I actually enjoy it quite a bit. That way I get plentiful and perfect opportunities to learn anything I want about cars.

I should definitely have everything done in the Monte by then. Great. Can't wait!


----------



## SteveH!

bertholomey said:


> A big thank you to Steve as well for helping with the install. We certainly shed some water weight in the garage that day. I appreciate the kind words about the sound and the album suggestions - time to go shopping for music!
> 
> Mark also completed a new tune on the system, and I am very pleased with the results. Thank you again Mark for spending an entire day helping me with the re-install and with the tune. I enjoyed the time spent and the results of our labor.


I am glad i could do a lil bit to help out. i still think you and mark did the work. the car is good enough to scare more than a few big dogs bro. it was great meeting you and i hope to have thing don e so i can try to get my car close to sounding as good as yours.


----------



## bertholomey

SteveH! said:


> I am glad i could do a lil bit to help out. i still think you and mark did the work. the car is good enough to scare more than a few big dogs bro. it was great meeting you and i hope to have thing don e so i can try to get my car close to sounding as good as yours.


Thank you very much Steve for the kind words! I'll have to finagle (sp) a trip to Colorado once you get it done.


----------



## bertholomey

This weekend my wife and I cut another beauty panel to match the new locations of the amps. I also took Bing's advice and moved the two 4 channel amps about 3/4" apart so that air can be brought in from the sides of the amp if the fans ever turn on (they haven't yet). 

Very cool realization - I won't need to modify the 'false floor' (carpeted piece that Ryan made for me) at all. The wife and I decided that it looked fine with the new beauty panel. Once I get the fan installed to help circulate some air around the amps, I'll be fine with putting back the false floor and the cut out piece as well. 

So tonight I picked up the phone to 'quick upload' all of the pictures that I took of the new beauty panel, etc. Well.....there are none.....so I'm going to take up some space and put some random pics up until I get the fan installed and the beauty panel covered. 

Saturday I went to Dublin Virginia to see my Dad's new dog and to go to Bimmerworld. This is a buisness that sets up BMW's for racing, and they sell performance parts to the public. They were having a 'Grand Opening' (never caught why it was billed as that - they have been open for awhile). BBQ, give aways, and Dyno testing for those who wanted it (only $50 I think). 

Anyway, some pics of some of the cars:

Cool venue for a SQ Meet - would be nice to get that kind of turn out as well. These are just the 'Show and Shine' cars - the rest of the cars were parked behind me.









E46 M3 









E46 M3 Laguna Seca Blue - this car was on the Dyno - tried to do a video, but had a technical issue - truly amazing hearing this car roar.










M6's



























New M3










Z's



















Nice little basic system for top down listening - Nak CD400, HK controller, BSW speaker upgrade, MB Quart amps for front stage, ED amp for Sub. The M Roadster sitting next to it had 16 speakers stock! Sounded rather poopy - he sneared when I told him I had 5.

......and an odd ball Porsche


----------



## bertholomey

Oh yeah......a picture of my Dad's new dog










Random Shots since I didn't take any pictures of the trunk:

Sunset over the lake near the house (please forgive the quality - took with my phone):


----------



## wdemetrius1

SteveH! said:


> I am glad i could do a lil bit to help out. i still think you and mark did the work. the car is good enough to scare more than a few big dogs bro. it was great meeting you and i hope to have thing don e so i can try to get my car close to sounding as good as yours.




Steve what's going on? It was nice meeting you and we look forward to your build log.


----------



## wdemetrius1

Nice pictures Jason. What kind of responses did you get on your car?


----------



## chithead

Mmmm lovely BMW's.


----------



## ErinH

wdemetrius1 said:


> Nice pictures Jason. What kind of responses did you get on your car?


X2. It would be cool to get the impressions of the gear heads in your setup. 

Ps: that kahuna blue is sexy. I saw one at a Neva show last year and kept staring at it.


----------



## bertholomey

I only had one guy listen to the car - the fella that had the audio gear in his 'trunk'. He played his system first - turned it up 'loud' -"Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band of course......and it was awesome 

He really liked the look of my pillars and the false floor in the trunk. He made all of the normal comments, "Wow, that sound really good"... I'm just glad I didn't hear the, "it sounds like mine, just louder'  

The guy that I think was driving the new M3 was talking about car audio stuff with a couple guys, but the 'Yakuuza' license plate kind of made me not really want to butt into the conversation.....'Hey Guys, do you want to listen to my stereo?' (reminds me of the LT in Platoon when he arrives at the card table....).


----------



## decibelle

Jason, I want to meet the other half of your team! You and your wife make such a great pair, it seems. I suppose that will have to wait til the NC meeting?

Also, whaddup with the bright red near the radiator fan in 'mpowered'? That looks sick. :surprised:


----------



## bertholomey

You certainly will if you come up for the meet (or if I can talk her into a work trip to Atlanta sometime). 

I'm not sure what that was behind the grill. I noticed it to, but was leary about getting down underneath it to snap a pic.


----------



## bertholomey

Ok....now I'm just goofing off until I can get back this weekend and take some additional photos....

My rental for this week: 



















You won't probably see a lot of these in the lanes....I think it would take some real custom work to get a premium system in here....I'm sure some of you could certainly give it a good run, but I certainly wouldn't want to work in that trunk.










doors are decent for 6.5's










large pillars, but facing towards the windshield - tiny little tweeter pod










you would seemingly be stuck with this ugly thing (just my opinion on how it looks - it might be purdy to you...)










It is fun though to swing the back end around from a stop


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> you would seemingly be stuck with this ugly thing (just my opinion on how it looks - it might be purdy to you...)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is fun though to swing the back end around from a stop


This reminds me of the movie 'Short Circuit'


----------



## chithead

Notloudenuf said:


> This reminds me of the movie 'Short Circuit'


Lol... Dissassemble... dead!


----------



## decibelle

God... I hope the interior isn't the same for the 2012 Camaros, else I'm gonna be looking into a different new car... and the stereo... repulsive. Wow. *puke*

How was driving it though? Care to offer any reviews on that?


----------



## bertholomey

It has power, choppy delivery, I think the Challenger was a little better in this regard. I don't like driving this in traffic - can't see a thing around you when driving on 95 in Miami. You should see all of the chips on the ends of the super long doors - the car has 16k miles on it. There is a ton of marks on the outside of the doors as well. Either there are a lot of folks that get off on throwing there doors open into a car like this, or it is the width of the car in normal size spaces that make it more susceptible to getting beat up. Don't like driving it in a parking garage either..... basically, I won't probably rent another one.... "there has to be a Mazda 3 on this lot! "


----------



## decibelle

Wow... my hopes and dreams, shot down with a few pics and a paragraph. That's pretty dismal. I hope you just got a lemon and this was all just a fluke... I can dream, can't I? Bummer, man.


----------



## bertholomey

You can certainly dream....and that dream might become a reality. 

Firstly, that little 'review' was my slanted opinion, I'm a snobby BMW guy. The car I'm 'dreaming' about right now is a car that 95% of people would say is the weirdest looking car they have ever seen. So, I wouldn't put a lot of stock in my 'review'. As we are seeing on the 'New Zuki Eleets' thread, some look at a 7 channel, 55" amp and say, "That's it! The amp I have always wanted!" And of course some say, "That is the dumbest product I have seen in car audio since guys were putting a turntable in their rear decks."

Secondly, I'm coming from a small 4 door sedan with a tame 185 hp engine that provides nice linear power. Your coming from a Monte Carlo that is probably much more similar to the Camaro in feel and in power delivery. You really like the Chevy marquis, and have an affinity to various aspects of their product. Sitting in the Camaro feels like sitting in a bathtub to me (something I never do...), but for others, the low slung - laid back cockpit will feel just right. Possibly the difference between a 'crotch rocket' and a cruiser (I can't imagine riding down the street with my heals facing forward )

Lastly, it does feel pretty good to be rolling through little Havana in Miami and getting a bunch of looks. Hitting that throttle to get around someone and hearing that (stock) exhaust note gets to be a habit you look forward to doing over and over.......until you look at the gas gauge.....oops, sorry :blush:


----------



## decibelle

Well I suppose that's one other way to look at it. Different perspectives help. Although none of that excuses the stereo... sigh. And the fuel gauge, well, if I ever end up driving a Camaro, I'll just pretend I can't see it most of the time. Out of sight out of mind... right?


----------



## henrymo2

Sick installs guys!


----------



## bertholomey

Finally able to give a small update on this project.

I installed the crossflow fan yesterday, and I think it will work brilliantly on these muggy NC days. I decided on this location and orientation because half of it pushes air through the sub amp and half of it directs air to the 4 channels - particularly the midbass amp.



















Beauty panel back on - still need to locate the carbon fiber wrap that I'm going to use.










Next, the false floor










And then the cut out - it really is all the same color - my camera phone made it look weird.


----------



## scooter99

Nice work! I see you were able to utilize your old rack still. Good!


----------



## minibox

bertholomey said:


> This weekend my wife and I cut another beauty panel to match the new locations of the amps. I also took Bing's advice and moved the two 4 channel amps about 3/4" apart so that air can be brought in from the sides of the amp if the fans ever turn on (they haven't yet).
> 
> Very cool realization - I won't need to modify the 'false floor' (carpeted piece that Ryan made for me) at all. The wife and I decided that it looked fine with the new beauty panel. Once I get the fan installed to help circulate some air around the amps, I'll be fine with putting back the false floor and the cut out piece as well.
> 
> So tonight I picked up the phone to 'quick upload' all of the pictures that I took of the new beauty panel, etc. Well.....there are none.....so I'm going to take up some space and put some random pics up until I get the fan installed and the beauty panel covered.
> 
> Saturday I went to Dublin Virginia to see my Dad's new dog and to go to Bimmerworld. This is a buisness that sets up BMW's for racing, and they sell performance parts to the public. They were having a 'Grand Opening' (never caught why it was billed as that - they have been open for awhile). BBQ, give aways, and Dyno testing for those who wanted it (only $50 I think).
> 
> Anyway, some pics of some of the cars:
> 
> Cool venue for a SQ Meet - would be nice to get that kind of turn out as well. These are just the 'Show and Shine' cars - the rest of the cars were parked behind me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> E46 M3
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> E46 M3 Laguna Seca Blue - this car was on the Dyno - tried to do a video, but had a technical issue - truly amazing hearing this car roar.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> M6's
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> New M3
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Z's
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nice little basic system for top down listening - Nak CD400, HK controller, BSW speaker upgrade, MB Quart amps for front stage, ED amp for Sub. The M Roadster sitting next to it had 16 speakers stock! Sounded rather poopy - he sneared when I told him I had 5.
> 
> ......and an odd ball Porsche


Wish I'd been able to make it down for this.


----------



## bertholomey

Some day I'll actually get this amp rack done, and this build will stop popping up as bold type 

Beauty Panel, version 3.0

Bing wisely suggested creating a radius in the corners instead of hard angles, and this was reinforced this weekend by Jeremy (Sleeves), so......I cut another panel 

All I have is a jigsaw and some sand paper....no cnc unfortunately. I'm going to see if I can impose on my friend John to hit the top edge with his router (he doesn't know this yet), and then wrap it with the CF vinyl.



















The fellas that saw everything at the Raleigh meet yesterday seemed to like the outcome of the amp re-install and the look / function of the false floor. 

The fan really kept everything cool back there with hours of driving and demo'ing.


----------



## decibelle

They look nice Jason. The left one looks a bit higher up than the right one, but perhaps it's just the angle. Regardless, you did a good job cutting the edges. Much better than I've done with a jig before  the rounded edges add a touch of elegance as opposed to the harsh squared edges. 

Have you considered implementing any CF vinyl anywhere in addition to the beauty panel? Like accents?


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks - it might be a little higher on the right. Hopefully with the cf covering it and with rounded over edges, this will be less obvious. I think it will be all good once the false floor is placed on top again. 

For cf accents, are you referring to the trunk area, or other parts of the car?


----------



## simplicityinsound

jason...get your own palm router, i suggest the bosch variable speed:

Bosch PR20EVSK Colt Variable-Speed Palm Router Kit

under $100 from there, and works like a charm.

believe it or not almost all my finish routing is done using it as i dont have space to have a permanent router table. its same idea as table just upside down, and sometimes you need to space up the piece you are routing (i have a bunch of spacers and platforms for that)...

get that, buy a few roundover, slant and flush trim bits and you are golden 

routing that edge would take you about 1 minute flat.


----------



## simplicityinsound

oh and just make sure to treat it with the utmost respect, i still consider this tool to be the most dangerous of all my tools...but i have had no issues with it for over 6 years now...just make sure its buttoned up correctly and make sure you have a secure grip everytime. and go slow with low speed at first.


----------



## quality_sound

^^^Yup. I've seen some GNARLY hands after people disrespected a router.


----------



## Paul1217

Ditto ^^ I have that router in addition to my big routers and love the ease of use. Great for just what you're talking about doing. I think I got mine at Lowes for about $100 also.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks Bing - I'll certainly look into getting one....have to see if there are other applications that I can think of other than just this one panel......could go from a $30 panel to a $150 panel  I'm sure it would be useful in other contexts. 

Had a few guys listen to the car at our small Raleigh gathering this past Saturday. I received some positive feedback on the sound - headed in the right direction. I would like to try to make it to a MECA event in VA just to get the Tom Shaw treatment - see if I can pick up a few pointers on trouble spots that might need to be worked out.


----------



## strakele

They're fun to go and see how yours compares to others in the eyes (ears?) of the judges. Can definitely be helpful.

But, take comments and scores with a grain of salt. Talk to Mark about the show this past weekend...


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

bertholomey said:


> Thanks Bing - I'll certainly look into getting one....have to see if there are other applications that I can think of other than just this one panel......could go from a $30 panel to a $150 panel  I'm sure it would be useful in other contexts.
> 
> Had a few guys listen to the car at our small Raleigh gathering this past Saturday. I received some positive feedback on the sound - headed in the right direction. I would like to try to make it to a MECA event in VA just to get the Tom Shaw treatment - see if I can pick up a few pointers on trouble spots that might need to be worked out.


You just need to bring her back so we can finish tuning. There are a few more things i would like to do and try. I was dead about 40 mins into tuning her. The heat from the small garage and 3 sweaty guys had nearly killed me.:laugh:

As great as she sound now, she has some more potential in her for sure.


----------



## ecbmxer

Man your trunk looks fantastic! The carbon fiber on the beauty panel will go well with it. Your car is black right? Could even do some kind of real glossy "piano black" type of color on it also. I would love to do something similar but cannot get over the idea of losing my spare.


----------



## bertholomey

Audible Physics said:


> You just need to bring her back so we can finish tuning. There are a few more things i would like to do and try. I was dead about 40 mins into tuning her. The heat from the small garage and 3 sweaty guys had nearly killed me.:laugh:
> 
> As great as she sound now, she has some more potential in her for sure.


I would love to do that, but alas......I won't have a chance anytime soon (especially before the meet on Sep 11). The only possibility would be if you made an expense paid road trip up to Randleman  I will make it down there eventually - certainly before the October 1st meet.




ecbmxer said:


> Man your trunk looks fantastic! The carbon fiber on the beauty panel will go well with it. Your car is black right? Could even do some kind of real glossy "piano black" type of color on it also. I would love to do something similar but cannot get over the idea of losing my spare.


Thanks! I have been very fortunate to have Ryan put the trunk together to start with, and then Mark helped with rearranging the amps. 

I actually still have the spare, and the rack hinges up for 'access'. As it now though, I really don't think I could get the spare out with it tilted up. Mark removed the entire rack to remove a few pieces, and I took out the spare - had to lift it straight up to clear the center 'bolt' that provides support for the original trunk floor. With the rack in and tilted up, I will never be able to clear that bolt, and I'm not going to cut the bolt to make it work - want to take at least one part of the car back to stock once I sell it. One good thing about keeping the spare....it makes my wife happy.....until we blow a tire, and I have to call anyway


----------



## slade1274

: late response :

but I still believe it's possible to somehow get that spare out.


----------



## strakele

I really enjoyed my time in your car Jason. I got a rather long listening session before a bunch of people showed up, so I got to go through your disc and the one I made as well. It's more dynamic than last time I heard it, and still very clean and detailed.

The new cosmetic changes to the car look great as well.

Thanks for putting on a great meet!


----------



## Notloudenuf

This is the best car stereo system I have ever heard. The stage was wide but the image was focused. The sense of depth you get in this car is unbelievable, it is the most depth I have heard on any system I have listened to. I have some tracks I need to bring next meet to be able to test out the depth better. The bass drops sooo low but it doesn't get pulled to the rear of the car. And the volume  the levels you can play this at without any fatigue or harshness still wows me. It is concert level without having to plug your ears on certain tracks. 
Between this and strakele's car; Sleeves and I spent the ride back to K-town trying to figure out how to implement some Audible Physics drivers into my a-pillars.


----------



## slade1274

Do eeeeet


----------



## bertholomey

Kendal - you are way to generous, but I do value your opinion. With feedback like this from an enthusiast like yourself, I know that something is right about the car. 

The funny thing is.....I was about to pull everything out and sell the car.....if Ryan hadn't talked some sense into me. 

With your tuning ability, it would be amazing what you would be able to do with AP XR3M's in your car!


----------



## chithead

I enjoyed it quite thoroughly as well. First time I really got a chance to listen, and it was fantastic. Definitely a unique experience, that I recommend for everyone


----------



## strakele

Notloudenuf said:


> Between this and strakele's car; Sleeves and I spent the ride back to K-town trying to figure out how to implement some Audible Physics drivers into my a-pillars.


Totally worth it! As you heard, you won't miss tweeters.


----------



## AssPenny

Nice job!


----------



## sq_guru

I bet those JL XR's produce some healthy mid-bass in those big, nicely sealed BMW doors!


----------



## thehatedguy

JL??


----------



## bertholomey

There is all kinds of fail there..... though I can see how the Morel decal could throw someone off.... just razzing you a bit. 

The drivers in the door are Seas 6.5" as exhaustively documented earlier in the build thread. 

And yes, they do a fine job in the mid bass region.


----------



## bertholomey

A few updated pics of the car. I added Angel Eye rings and wheels/tires. It was quite a saga getting the little BMW emblems on the wheels....

These are wired to be on the entire time the car is on. They come on when the door is unlocked and fades out when the door is locked.










Stock Wheels










18" x 8" ASA CSL Style Rims









And with the BMW roundels that I had to cut down and then glue to the ASA wheel caps. 




































I also did some listening today - made a couple changes to the tune - sounding a little bit better.


----------



## Notloudenuf

Those rims look great. I'd like to see a close-up of the BMW emblems. 

So head on down here tomorrow so I can check them out.


----------



## wdemetrius1

Very nice Jason. Looking forward to getting another listen.


----------



## scooter99

Very nice man! Really cleaned up the look of the whole car with those wheels.


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

Looking good J looking real good.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks fellas. 

Now to get the beauty panel covered with CF vinyl....and I'll be done


----------



## ErinH

Looks good, Jason. Did you do the angel eyes yourself or have a shop do it? Just curious.


----------



## bertholomey

Short Answer: My BMW shop.

Jason Answer: Well, I'm glad you asked....I was going to do it myself (the instructions said it would take 40 minutes), got the side indicator off, decided it was over my head.....called my shop and they said bring it over. 

They put their best guy on it (he fixes new M cars that the big dealerships can't fix), it took him from 1100 to 1730 to get it all done. Lot's of wiring to get it to do what it is supposed to do. Fortunately the owner of the shop only charged me for 2 hours


----------



## minibox

Wow...big difference with the emblems on. Looking good!


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> Now to get the beauty panel covered with CF vinyl....and I'll be done


I'm quoting this and forwarding it to your wife. :laugh::laugh:

Ok really I'm quoting this so you can't edit it later.


----------



## bertholomey

Well.. judging by the title of this build thread.... and what page is it on now...?


----------



## slade1274

queue the music....

refrain: Disturbed: Down With the Sickness


----------



## strakele

slade1274 said:


> queue the music....
> 
> refrain: Disturbed: Down With the Sickness



Not surprisingly... a very difficult song to get right in a car.


----------



## xMplar

bertholomey said:


> In my normal style, I'll comment on this picture before the 'critics' do  There is a very small difference in the 'shade' of silver between the two 100.4's. If it bothers me enough, I may move the 200.2 next to the lighter 100.4 on the right because they match, then I'll move the other 100.4 to the bottom position.
> 
> 
> hey mate just a small thing but are your sure you didnt get two wqhite ones and a silver on as the picture looks like you got a silver and 2 white ones as thats the colours the come in powdercoated silver and white or in class a as burnished alminum if it bothers you to much just mask up the vents and holes etc with painters tape and give them all a sparay in appliance white or get them warpped in sum sort of custom feature wrapping then get the mosconi logos cut out of them its been done in carbo fibre and looks the ducks nuts so a pic or sum sort of murel the way you have them set up woundent be an issue
> 
> apart from that awsum car love thy beemer as i luv mine and awsume amps you should get yearts of happiness out of them mate they havent made a huge dent in oz yet but as soon as ppl cotton on to the price and what supurb value they are well i think they will fly off the selves when you combine STEG amps with audiosystem Twsiter amps along with sum new ideas and sum cool new looks well you get italian car pron imo that is
> 
> Ren
> xMplar Dist


----------



## bertholomey

xMplar said:


> bertholomey said:
> 
> 
> 
> In my normal style, I'll comment on this picture before the 'critics' do  There is a very small difference in the 'shade' of silver between the two 100.4's. If it bothers me enough, I may move the 200.2 next to the lighter 100.4 on the right because they match, then I'll move the other 100.4 to the bottom position.
> 
> 
> hey mate just a small thing but are your sure you didnt get two wqhite ones and a silver on as the picture looks like you got a silver and 2 white ones as thats the colours the come in powdercoated silver and white or in class a as burnished alminum if it bothers you to much just mask up the vents and holes etc with painters tape and give them all a sparay in appliance white or get them warpped in sum sort of custom feature wrapping then get the mosconi logos cut out of them its been done in carbo fibre and looks the ducks nuts so a pic or sum sort of murel the way you have them set up woundent be an issue
> 
> apart from that awsum car love thy beemer as i luv mine and awsume amps you should get yearts of happiness out of them mate they havent made a huge dent in oz yet but as soon as ppl cotton on to the price and what supurb value they are well i think they will fly off the selves when you combine STEG amps with audiosystem Twsiter amps along with sum new ideas and sum cool new looks well you get italian car pron imo that is
> 
> Ren
> xMplar Dist
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Ren!
> 
> I have not seen a 'bought' white one sitting next to a 'bought' silver one, so I can't really say how obvious it would be - the two amps I have are just ever so slight a shade difference - probably just within the variance allowable in the manufacturing process. A friend and I have talked about that before - could just take the shroud off and get it powdercoated - maybe even a layer of automotive clear coat. That cf job that they did for that GTR was amazing - especially with the lettering. This type of 'chassis' does provide an opportunity for creativity if so desired. I like the factory color, and with my beauty panel having a 'separator' now (thanks again Bing for cluing me in to the side vents), I don't think it will be at all noticeable. I'm really enjoying these amps, and look forward to enjoying them for a long time to come.
Click to expand...


----------



## xMplar

no wukkas mate well too me it looks like a wat they call silver an 2 white ones but it maybe just the lighting if you do decide to pop the internalls out its just screws on the bottom then it slides out the middle just be careful as the buttons and gains knobs can get stuck 

you can also get either red or blue led frames that go where the side vents are and plug into the spare plug for the fans so when the amps are on there is a soft red or blue glow coming from the sides its kinda sweet looking actually

if you do decide to powedercoat or whatever my opinion is take the caseing off and put a spray etch primer on it then spary them all and then let it dry and spray them all with applience white so like a washing machine or whatever it all comes in spray cans and its easy to do just make sure to put an etch primer on first so the paint has sumthing to stick to as it wont stick well to the original coating and you cant sand them i made that mistake 

as you said i had a good look thru the build thread and with the preety panel it would look sweet with the blue or red led side peices they go where the black vent bits are now 

basically replace the plain black ones with the led versions and the wiring is easy its just simple plug in and put it back together i think there is another spare plug as well for an extra fan too

but on the whole im fairly impressed with the build mate it progressed well and ended up being very clean looking and subtle so well done mate you should be proud and im very very sure you will have many years of listening pleasure you can also get the rtc remote for your sub amp too so you have a remote volume knob its quite handy to use to go from essquees to splz alsa a front stage adjuster but with a p99(so jealous by the way) you shouldnt need that at all

keep up the good work mate its great to see ppl experiment with this gear its run riot thru europe now its going gang busters in the US and starting to go hard in oz too i hope they get the recognition the deserve in the us and also oz as they own awards and records in sq and spl like db drag iasca etc thruout europe like a 168 of 1 x 300.2 aand 3 x 15" free air audiosystem subs

And once sema and ces are thru im sure everyone will see all the new gladen audio mosconi audiosystem gear at its best when you have it all done in full detailed and cleaned form man put up sum show off piccys mate

well done mate 
Ren
xMplar


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks again Ren. I wish I could take credit for this praise, but I have had some good friends who helped me with equipment choice (and pricing), install, and tuning. 

I have seen pics of the led side rails, and they do look good. Thanks for the advice on the painting - I'll have to consider that. I think there will be considerable interest when the 6 to 8 becomes available.


----------



## jooonnn

You know my girlfriend rarely says anything cool about my car but when i showed her a pic of your IB setup she instantly was like "That's so awesome looking!" -______-

Side note: Does your false floor ever get "hot" to touch?


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks Jon - and thanks Jon's girlfriend! 

Actually, since I added that crossflow fan - nothing gets hot anymore. Even after long, hard listening, the amps get barely warm.


----------



## decibelle

jooonnn said:


> You know my girlfriend rarely says anything cool about my car but when i showed her a pic of your IB setup she instantly was like "That's so awesome looking!" -______-



That's what you get for showing your girl the system of the forum stud. :laugh:


----------



## strakele

So now when are you finally gonna put the CF on your trim piece and be done?


----------



## bertholomey

Hopefully this weekend


----------



## strakele

I'll hold you to it - I believe in you. 

I installed a new amp in a new location, wired it, rewired my head unit, rewired the MS-8 and mono amp, installed a new distribution block, heat shrink and techflex, and got it all tuned and working just last night.


----------



## Salami

Are you saying Jason is a slacker?


----------



## strakele

Just providing some motivation 

Also, I'm just super impatient with this kind of stuff. (Ally will certainly attest to this..) Of all the hardware I've ever had in my car, only 3 components ever sat for more than 1 week before being installed. The majority of stuff I buy gets installed within 24 hours of arrival.


----------



## bertholomey

strakele said:


> I'll hold you to it - I believe in you.
> 
> *That reminds me of the Discover Card commercial where Dr. Lou is saying that to 'Peggy'*
> 
> 
> I installed a new amp in a new location, wired it, rewired my head unit, rewired the MS-8 and mono amp, installed a new distribution block, heat shrink and techflex, and got it all tuned and working just last night.


You are an animal! Hopefully Mark and I will be that industrious tomorrow. We have a list of stuff to do and hopefully Murphy won't come anywhere near the house!


----------



## strakele

Oh cool, what else is on the agenda?


----------



## bertholomey

strakele said:


> Oh cool, what else is on the agenda?


Hopefully, we will work on the beauty panel, work on the rattles in the doors, but the main goal is to work on the tune. With all of the install stuff that we did at Mark's, we didn't get to do a thorough job on the tune. I have futzed with it quite a bit since then - some of the stuff I like, and some of the stuff is a bit yucky.


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> Hopefully, we will work on the beauty panel, work on the rattles in the doors, but the main goal is to work on the tune. With all of the install stuff that we did at Mark's, we didn't get to do a thorough job on the tune. I have futzed with it quite a bit since then - some of the stuff I like, and some of the stuff is a bit yucky.


Dude! more tuning? My head is going to explode!


----------



## slade1274

queue the music-
Refrain: Disturbed- Down With the Sickness


----------



## decibelle

slade1274 said:


> queue the music-
> Refrain: Disturbed- Down With the Sickness



Love it or hate it. I've never heard a song (or intro, rather) that varies so vastly with each and every car.


----------



## strakele

I've never heard a car that can play it at reference level while staying clean, dynamic, and with zero rattles.


----------



## bertholomey

I was rocking that album on Saturday afternoon......sounded like ass (that's for you Ally )


----------



## decibelle

Thanks Jason. I like to think of it as the song to deaden your car around... gotta think positively, right.


----------



## strakele

That's what I'll be doing this weekend. Also sending you the discs I promised.


----------



## mr sideways

awesome build!


----------



## xMplar

this is out of left feild a bit but a great disc to find and deaden rattles to is josh groban 

and also vittorio grigalo not really my type of music but some of the music has sum 

thunder and lightneing effect and the grigalo stuff is a bit like pop opera so it get super l

ow then super high anfd everything in between also there is also the dreaded sheffeld l

abs drum disc which i found helpful ohh and ofcourse anything by bass meckanik or 

basstronics he did a custom album for me (basstronics) i asked for music that hit lows 

hard and also had music in it to cover all aspecsts of the spectrem and true to his word 

the album he sent me was just that and its a great listen too also another good one for 

vocals is KD LANGS new album 

and ofcourse everyones favorite discs hdcd version of dire straits broters in arms and the eagles hell frezzes over


by the way i thtink its time for more pics and sum vids to or face a POSSIBLE BAN lolz

Ren
xMplar


----------



## bertholomey

Small Update.....

Finally got the CF vinyl put on the beauty panel.

Same view of false floor:



















Thank you Bing for supplying the vinyl, and thank you Mark for putting it on for me.

Thank you Mark for helping me again with the tune. It sounds phenomenal.


----------



## DAT

bertholomey said:


> Small Update.....
> 
> Finally got the CF vinyl put on the beauty panel.
> 
> Same view of false floor:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you Bing for supplying the vinyl, and thank you Mark for putting it on for me.
> 
> Thank you Mark for helping me again with the tune. It sounds phenomenal.



I'd heard your car sounds great, Mark is a great guy wish I lived closer to him so he could help me Tune my setup when I'm finished. If my SUV sounds anything as nice as yours I will be extremely happy.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks Dave! He is awesome - worked all day on my car instead of getting his own car back operational. 

It would be so worth it to go up for a weekend and get it tuned. I have been happy with the sound in the past, but never satisfied.....I'm there now. 

An owner of a high end home audio shop listen to a couple tracks yesterday in the car, and he was quite surprised, impressed. I'm sure he didn't expect it to be that good


----------



## strakele

Looks nice man... about time 

Now don't touch the tune.. at least until I hear it next. I want to hear the tune that makes Jason 'satisfied.'


----------



## bertholomey

I know it is a dangerous thing to put out there. I can imagine a myriad of snarky comments that could be uttered (it doesn't take much, just look at the title of this log). 

I just want to write this one down in my little book (I only have a page or two left in this little notebook) and enjoy it.


----------



## strakele

Well hey, that's something very few people on this site can say, so I think it's definitely something to be proud of!


----------



## scooter99

Man it turned out freaking awesome man! Way to get it done! Nice!


----------



## wdemetrius1

I'm glad that you are happy with everything Jason.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks D....I wish you would have been able to hear it while I was down there, but I'm sure there will be another chance.


----------



## wdemetrius1

No doubt.


----------



## ErinH

You guys need to coordinate an ATL GTG do I can hear this.


----------



## strakele

Beginning of March is what I'm thinking.


----------



## bertholomey

That sounds good to me. G & A.... Would you all be up for hosting? Erin, can I assume your changes will completed by then? I'm hoping Ally's will be all done by then too


----------



## bertholomey

scooter99 said:


> Man it turned out freaking awesome man! Way to get it done! Nice!


Thanks Scoot.... my inspiration for the thread title


----------



## strakele

We could find a good spot. But in the Atlanta G2G thread, someone offered up his place for a meet. Said he had plenty of space.


----------



## decibelle

bertholomey said:


> An owner of a high end home audio shop listen to a couple tracks yesterday in the car, and he was quite surprised, impressed. I'm sure he didn't expect it to be that good


I know of a guy who will bring you back to reality. We got a 30-year 'pro' guy here in Marietta who works in an audio shop who will tell you why your stuff sucks. You'll also need a wavebox.

Then, he'll ask you what infinite baffle is. :laugh:

I'm always down for an ATL get together. Early/mid spring would probably be best for me and Grayson.

No guarantees on all my stuff being done, but a major component is about to be installed - so at least I'll have my highs, mids and lows by then.


----------



## bertholomey

There was a nice shop in San Jose that I used to stop in and look around when I traveled there for work. They had some brands there that I wasn't used to seeing in North Carolina, and it was a decent way to kill time.... Until the salesman would come over. 

I named him Condescending in San Jose. His selling technique was to sneer at you, criticize your equipment choice, cast doubt on your install and tune, and try to make you look like an idiot. Then he would act like he is the hero come to save the day, and show you the light. 

With that guy (and others), I don't know if it was about hustling to make a buck, or the premise that they must project authority since they work/own a shop.


----------



## decibelle

Not to call out anybody who works in an audio store, but from the few I've been to (granted, it's only been a few), there's always _that guy_.


----------



## wdemetrius1

Count me in when the gtg takes place.


----------



## ErinH

bertholomey said:


> That sounds good to me. G & A.... Would you all be up for hosting? Erin, can I assume your changes will completed by then? I'm hoping Ally's will be all done by then too


I should be. I was hoping to have it all finished by February for a MECA show.


----------



## thehatedguy

His name wouldn't be Les would it?



millerlyte said:


> I know of a guy who will bring you back to reality. We got a 30-year 'pro' guy here in Marietta who works in an audio shop who will tell you why your stuff sucks. You'll also need a wavebox.
> 
> Then, he'll ask you what infinite baffle is. :laugh:
> 
> I'm always down for an ATL get together. Early/mid spring would probably be best for me and Grayson.
> 
> No guarantees on all my stuff being done, but a major component is about to be installed - so at least I'll have my highs, mids and lows by then.


----------



## decibelle

That's the one.


----------



## thehatedguy

The wavebox thing gave it a way...I've seen him around on some home forums that I am on.

Weird cat. Can run a table saw though.


----------



## req

hey jason!!

thanks for swinging by the house on your trip to virginia beach! it was awesome to listen to your new tune that sounded great! it was also very cool to hear the difference between the other tunes - the mosconi piece does a great job of switching to each preset fast.

as always, it has been a pleasure and i cant wait to show you the carPC after its all done at the next NC meet!

thanks again j!!


----------



## bertholomey

Thank you for opening up your beautiful home to me (sorry it was such a fast visit - I would have really liked to delve into all the parts of the upcoming build). 

As always, it was a pleasure to see you and Carly, and I can't wait to see / hear the new set up. It certainly sounds like you have a great plan... you have thought of everything. The Vee Dub is going to be a force to be reckoned with when you get 'er done. 

Thanks for the kind words about the tune.. sorry for the caginess  It is rewarding to get some measure of validation that I am on the right track. I hope to see you both at the Fall Meet!


----------



## bertholomey

This week I completed the fastest, easiest, and most immediately rewarding part of my install. I swapped out my Seas mid bass drivers for a set of AP Arians. 

I am extremely pleased with the sound. In my opinion, these out perform the Seas in every way. This is the last change to my 'Final' Install.....everything will be coming out in the next month or two (if my plans come together). I'm planning on attending the Atlanta G2G September 1st, and that will likely be the bimmer's last 'show'. 


The requisite 'Christmas Day' pic of opening the box.









These were extremely well packaged for transit









Supplied with grills - added bonus and surprise



























Super Ghey....but I wanted to get a little A/B action with the Seas. Didn't have the time of the inclination to put together a temp enclosure - just hooked them up to the Peachtree while they were sitting on the floor. The Arians had so much more of everything - super, super Ghey - I ran in and grabbed the wife to hear the difference - she nodded her approval and went back to the dishes 









A few comparison shots - very similar in size - for the driver's side - they just slipped in the baffle exactly as the Seas did. The passenger side door was just as hard with this driver as it was with the Seas, but I made it work.


----------



## bertholomey

Now a couple pics of the drivers installed:



















Kendal actually listened to a couple tracks in my car today (visiting the metropolis of Greensboro). Those who go to the Atlanta meet will hopefully get to hear them as well. They certainly put a smile on my face - I'm pulling out a lot of tracks to listen to the way the Arians present the music vs. the Seas. I need to get a few minutes to do a 2-way preset to see what their capabilities are in that function - I bet they will be solid performers.


----------



## ragnaroksq

you need to come to the 3x show at elite in greenville sc this month. would love to hear the new setup


----------



## DAT

Jason , 

I can't wait to hear your install some day.


----------



## Sinfoni_USA

That Subaru looks really nice !!!


----------



## ErinH

cool gear. 

you're really making me want to attend the GA GTG...


----------



## strakele

bikinpunk said:


> cool gear.
> 
> you're really making me want to attend the GA GTG...


Do it. There just might be some other new gear you get to hear as well...




1000th post


----------



## ErinH

strakele said:


> 1000th post


win!


----------



## bertholomey

bikinpunk said:


> cool gear.
> 
> you're really making me want to attend the GA GTG...


The gear is good, but I'm really geeked about the tune. It is finally to a point that I'm really satisfied. I'll see if I can fit another show in Webster - it would be great to hang out with you again.


----------



## strakele

bertholomey said:


> The gear is good, but I'm really geeked about the tune. It is finally to a point that I'm really satisfied.


Just in time to rip it all out and start over in the new ride 

Can't wait to hear it on the 1st man. Lookin good.


----------



## JayinMI

When I saw Arians, I thought "like Arian nation?" 

Are these a replacement/upgrade to the woofers in the Duo set?

Jay


----------



## Salami

So what is the new car??????????


----------



## bertholomey

I have an order in for a '13 Subaru BRZ. Hopefully it will come in September.


----------



## ragnaroksq

are you selling the bmw?


----------



## bertholomey

Yes sir


----------



## ragnaroksq

do you have a buyer?


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

I see you got them in Jason. The Arian is my new beautiful beast. They will be available for sale shortly.

Jason got my first Demo set. Not Prototype as these are the Production units. Glad you are liking them.

The first sets will be going out to the Team!!!!



JayinMI said:


> When I saw Arians, I thought "like Arian nation?"
> 
> Are these a replacement/upgrade to the woofers in the Duo set?
> 
> Jay


Yes sir, They are an upgrade to XR6.5M and AR6K in every way. 

Think XR6.5M on muscle enhancers. *Some range, More resolution, More cone area and much more on the low end*. As Jason said they outperform the Lotus/Excel driver. That is not a easy to do. 

*And Yes I have something Special coming on the 3.5" super wide-band front also some thing if my memory serves me right has not been done in/for Car Audio!!!

*


----------



## slade1274

bertholomey said:


> The gear is good, but I'm really geeked about the tune. *It is finally to a point that I'm really satisfied.* I'll see if I can fit another show in Webster - it would be great to hang out with you again.




Now back to doing dishes.....


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> Kendal actually listened to a couple tracks in my car today (visiting the metropolis of Greensboro). Those who go to the Atlanta meet will hopefully get to hear them as well. They certainly put a smile on my face - I'm pulling out a lot of tracks to listen to the way the Arians present the music vs. the Seas. I need to get a few minutes to do a 2-way preset to see what their capabilities are in that function - I bet they will be solid performers.


The Arian definitely had more midbass presence than what I remember the Seas driver having. (Granted it's been months since I heard the Seas drivers) They definitely LOOK really cool behind those grills. :laugh: I enjoyed the new tune. Maybe I'll have 1 more listening session before the BRZ becomes reality.

Thanks for stopping by Jason.


----------



## Salami

bertholomey said:


> I have an order in for a '13 Subaru BRZ. Hopefully it will come in September.




NICE!!!!

What color? And how soon before you start with the stereo in it?????


----------



## wdemetrius1

I'm looking forward to getting a listen on the 1st.


----------



## subwoofery

Audible Physics said:


> I see you got them in Jason. The Arian is my new beautiful beast. They will be available for sale shortly.
> 
> Jason got my first Demo set. Not Prototype as these are the Production units. Glad you are liking them.
> 
> The first sets will be going out to the Team!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Yes sir, They are an upgrade to XR6.5M and AR6K in every way.
> 
> Think XR6.5M on muscle enhancers. *Some range, More resolution, More cone area and much more on the low end*. As Jason said they outperform the Lotus/Excel driver. That is not a easy to do.
> 
> *And Yes I have something Special coming on the 3.5" super wide-band front also some thing if my memory serves me right has not been done in/for Car Audio!!!
> 
> *


Finally something from Audible physics (it has been a while )... What can you tell us about your new 6.5" Arian? Mounting depth, specs, etc... 

Kelvin


----------



## bertholomey

Salami said:


> NICE!!!!
> 
> What color? And how soon before you start with the stereo in it?????


I'm getting a dark blue (Galaxy Blue Silica), and the install will begin in earnest soon after getting the car.

Something like this (but in blue).....










(these are of the Toyota FT86)


















I can't decide if I want the wing or not


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

subwoofery said:


> Finally something from Audible physics (it has been a while )... What can you tell us about your new 6.5" Arian? Mounting depth, specs, etc...
> 
> Kelvin


Perfection takes time. Just joking

Mounting Depth: 2.9"
FS: 58hz (@ 3dbs down)
Qts: .58
Le: .12
Sensitivity: 89.4 (1w/1m)
Re: 3.2 ohms
Cut Out: 5.75"
Over Dia: 6.5"
Cone: Magnesium Alloy
Motor Dia: 100mm/4" (w/ magnet boot 104mm)
Phase Plug: Wood


----------



## ErinH

Jason, that's gonna be a sweet ride! 

Any plans for a system in the new one


----------



## bertholomey

I'm going to put the current equipment list in the new car. 

Of course, I'll be a pretty sad hombre if this car falls through now that I have made this big pronouncement. :blush:


----------



## JayinMI

Then you'll just have to roll over to the Scion dealer. lol

Jay


----------



## subwoofery

Audible Physics said:


> Perfection takes time. Just joking
> 
> Mounting Depth: 2.9"
> FS: 58hz (@ 3dbs down)
> Qts: .58
> Le: .12
> Sensitivity: 89.4 (1w/1m)
> Re: 3.2 ohms
> Cut Out: 5.75"
> Over Dia: 6.5"
> Cone: Magnesium Alloy
> Motor Dia: 100mm/4" (w/ magnet boot 104mm)
> Phase Plug: Wood


Sweet  Low mounting depth (< 3"), low Le, good sensitivity VS resonant freq. You got yourself a keeper 

Kelvin


----------



## bertholomey

subwoofery said:


> Sweet  Low mounting depth (< 3"), low Le, good sensitivity VS resonant freq. You got yourself a keeper
> 
> Kelvin


Especially considering how they sound. If I weren't working today (supposed to be anyway) I would be out there right now going through my library of music.


----------



## bertholomey

I've had a few more minutes listening to the system with the new drivers. And since these are speakers and not amps, I can mention how they sound. 

I played them in my typical 3 way config and in a 2 way (with the sub muted). 

I thought they were fantastic in the narrow passband - good weight with acoustic bass and deep, tight, fast bass with techno. Great detail and resolution. 

With the 2 way, I had to take the level down on the mid bass dramatically to match the tweets. Very good tonality and resolution. The EQ was not adjusted from the 3 way setup, so the 2 way would sound even better.

This is the track I was mostly listening to, and it was fantastic with these new drivers. 

Amos Lee - Arms Of A Woman - YouTube


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

Jason knows how I love this track. Just a smooth and high resolution track and his voice on this track is just amazing. The Brush on the cymbals in the back is light and Yet crisp.

The guitar solo is warm and full. Amos Lee voice is out front and smooth and controlled, yet demanding.


----------



## bertholomey

For the hard hitting bass stuff, I was playing this:

Trentemoller - Kink - YouTube

Especially at 0:16 a second bass layer comes in very heavy - but very clean.

And this - especially at 0:33

Trentemøller - Always Something Better (Trentemøller Remix) (Edit) - YouTube

The Arians with the sub muted did a phenomenal job with this material.


----------



## captainobvious

Good stuff Jay, glad you're liking the new drivers!


----------



## metanium

bertholomey said:


> I thought they were fantastic in the narrow passband - good weight with acoustic bass and deep, tight, fast bass with techno. Great detail and resolution.


I read through the entire thread and didn't see you mention what your xo's are set at. Can you elaborate on your frequencies and slopes?


----------



## bertholomey

No problem (my normal disclaimer - these are the points / slopes that I enjoy - many on here may question or down right scoff.....but then again, it ain't their system )

Tweets: High Pass - 10,000 @ 6 db

Mid Range: Low Pass - 8,000 @ 6 db
High Pass - 500 @ 6 db

Mid Bass: Low Pass - 200 @ 18 db
High Pass - 70 @ 18 db

Sub: Low Pass - 60 @ 18 db


----------



## bertholomey

ragnaroksq said:


> do you have a buyer?


BTW.... did you get my pm?


----------



## simplicityinsound

make your car a duplicate of:


----------



## bertholomey

simplicityinsound said:


> make your car a duplicate of:


Well that one has a wing......wing it is then.....


----------



## TREOSOLS

get the wing! love to see the build on the new car.


----------



## bertholomey

TREOSOLS said:


> get the wing! love to see the build on the new car.


Thanks Mark! I'll have to give you a call when I pick it up - getting it in Concord.


----------



## bbfoto

Awesome! Love the BRZ/FT86! Looking forward to the new install, Jason.  Mark Brooks, please PM me when the Arians are available to the general public. Would like to try a set.  Honestly, would have chosen a different name for the new drivers, Mark! 

- Billy B.


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

bbfoto said:


> Awesome! Love the BRZ/FT86! Looking forward to the new install, Jason.  Mark Brooks, please PM me when the Arians are available to the general public. Would like to try a set.  Honestly, would have chosen a different name for the new drivers, Mark!
> 
> - Billy B.


No problem sir.

That is my designers wife's name and the drivers was dedicated to her.


----------



## bbfoto

Audible Physics said:


> No problem sir.
> 
> That is my designers wife's name and the drivers was dedicated to her.


Gotcha, makes perfect sense in that context.


----------



## JayinMI

bertholomey said:


> I have nearly 100K on this car - in another 100 thousand miles I'll get another BMW


From page 2. LOL

Jay


----------



## bertholomey

JayinMI said:


> From page 2. LOL
> 
> Jay


Wow! I said that! Of course, the title of this thread had Final in it  

Well... Before the bimmer, I thought I was going to always be a truck guy. I still really like the 3 series and 1 series, but the install just makes things much more challenging.


----------



## bertholomey

I saw this car (FRS - Hot Lava) at a park in Indiana today



















Also, I got the call today that my BRZ has been moved from Ordered to Scheduled........September 4th for hopeful delivery on September 17th.....classic good news / bad news - it is moving forward, but later than expected.


----------



## ErinH

congrats, dude!

mind if I ask what one of those runs?


----------



## bertholomey

No problem.......The FRS is right at $25k and the BRZ Limited is about $27k


----------



## bertholomey

Bringing this over from Subiemax's thread.....



niceguy said:


> Not to go OT but that deep blue color and graphite color wheels left me speechless and that's rare....I don't know about anyone else but especially in red, this car reminds me a little of a front engine Ferrari, albeit stubbier....can't remember of the top of my head but perhaps the 612 gt touring model....Old Aston Martin DB series comes to mind also from the front 3/4 shot...
> 
> Ferrari F12 Berlinetta Front Three Quarters Photo 3


If Subimax would indulge us.....and we can give another bump to his excellent thread, I wanted to add a few last photos to this thread. 

I found this 'concept' car somewhere, and I think it backs up your notion niceguy. 'Similar' looks, not so similar performance, but a fraction of the cost.




























I even think this yellow is pretty hawt - to me it is fairly near a 'Ferrari' yellow. I like the BBS rims....



















Ok - that is enough pictures from me.....I'll need to start my own build thread (once I get my car) so I can add more pics of this beautiful automobile.


----------



## minibox

bertholomey said:


> The gear is good, but I'm really geeked about the tune. It is finally to a point that I'm really satisfied. I'll see if I can fit another show in Webster - it would be great to hang out with you again.


I agree. Your current tune is something special. I know I'd be satisfied.


----------



## captainobvious

Seeing as how you know what the next car is and youve seen the stock locations and interior, do you have a plan of attack yet for the BRZ? What of the existing equipment is being carried over from the bmw? I like the look of the stock locations with possibilities of a 4" and tweeter in the dash corners.


----------



## bertholomey

minibox said:


> I agree. Your current tune is something special. I know I'd be satisfied.


*Thanks John - hopefully you'll hear it tomorrow with the Arians *



captainobvious said:


> Seeing as how you know what the next car is and youve seen the stock locations and interior, do you have a plan of attack yet for the BRZ? What of the existing equipment is being carried over from the bmw? I like the look of the stock locations with possibilities of a 4" and tweeter in the dash corners.


*I haven't really thought about it.........yah, whatever! 


I'm going to use the Pioneer HU, the 6to8 DSP, the three amps, the morel tweets, and the Arian 6.5's. I am leaning heavily towards keeping the XR3M's in the line up even though it is probable that a 4" could be worked in. 

The 3's have been hugely satisfying - there isn't anything that I believe I am missing - I love their sound - and they would be much easier to install (possibly not just 'easier', but maybe even 'better' - less compromises?). 

And of course, my current 12" sub IB. Fairly simple, straightforward - nothing fancy, but hopefully sound fantastic. 

I'm very eager to hear the front stage with the same drivers, same source, same amps - but with vastly different install locations. *


----------



## papasin

If the stock locations aren't to your liking, looks like there are small little windows up front much like the 8th gen Civic sedan, Fit, and Prius that you can utilize .


----------



## bertholomey

You are correct, and many on DIYMA have had great results using that space. I'm hoping the dash location will turn out perfectly for me. I'd like to be as stealth as possible.


----------



## Lymen

Awesome build, just red all 22 pages. Good luck on the new car, great lines on the BRZ.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks! I hope there was some entertainment value in those pages. Certainly some twists and turns along the way. I'm looking forward to driving the BRZ (for more than a 15 minute test drive), and then I'll be looking forward to getting the install done - should be fun!


----------



## bertholomey

I am happy to report that I picked up the BRZ! I have enjoyed the few short trips I have taken in it - what a blast to drive! I'm getting everything together for the install, so I'll get the build log up when the install begins. For now, here are some pics:

At the dealer


----------



## decibelle

I got so excited when I saw your update and realized what day it was.

Beautiful. Awesome. Interior pics? Can't wait to see it for real!


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> I am happy to report that I picked up the BRZ! I have enjoyed the few short trips I have taken in it - what a blast to drive! I'm getting everything together for the install, so I'll get the build log up when the install begins. For now, here are some pics:


epper::bowdown::bowdown::evilgrin::rockon:

This looks great. One of my favorite colors on a car. This will decimate all.


----------



## strakele

Lookin good J! Can't wait to see it in person and hear how the new system turns out.


----------



## IBcivic

:thumbsup:OMG! it is stunning! Congatz :beerchug:


----------



## wdemetrius1

Congratulations J, It really is a beautiful car.


----------



## The Drake

Grats bud, beautiful car. Looking forward to seeing it in person and hearing it when you get a system installed


----------



## jooonnn

What wheels are you going to buy now 



Sent from my Nexus 7


----------



## edouble101

Nice little car


----------



## minibox

Love it. Lu is crazy about it too. I'll be by later this week to see it in person. It'll be tough seeing the 3 go after hearing how good it sounded the other day but you'll be bringing all that experience to the table with the new I install. Can't wait.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks everyone! I have been obsessing about this car since the beginning of the year, so it is great to finally have it here. Now I just have to stop working so many hours so I can enjoy the car. 

I'm looking forward to getting some great tunes in the car as well. Should be done by the NC Fall / Winter meet on November 3rd.....hint, hint...


----------



## JayinMI

Notloudenuf said:


> This will decimate all.


with about $10k in parts overnighted from Japan. lol


----------



## markland556

Very nice work bud!


----------



## InjunV18

Does you Subie smell like coffee? 

Spotted S&D in the background there and know exactly where you were. Didn't realize you'd come there from Randleman, but I guess that makes sense. Hopefully get to check it out at the meet in November.


----------



## bertholomey

jooonnn said:


> What wheels are you going to buy now
> 
> We will have to see Jon.....I had some early thoughts, changed my mind, may stay stock for awhile.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 7





minibox said:


> Love it. Lu is crazy about it too. I'll be by later this week to see it in person. It'll be tough seeing the 3 go after hearing how good it sounded the other day but you'll be bringing all that experience to the table with the new I install. Can't wait.


Friday would be great if you can make it.....will have the tinting done. Thanks for the kind words about the 3 



InjunV18 said:


> Does you Subie smell like coffee?
> 
> Spotted S&D in the background there and know exactly where you were. Didn't realize you'd come there from Randleman, but I guess that makes sense. Hopefully get to check it out at the meet in November.


Concord Subaru was really good to work with.....after hearing stories from others.....I had a wonderful experience compared to them. Hope you can make it in November.


----------



## bbfoto

Sweet car, bro! Congrats! Looking forward to your new install like everyone else, even though I'll probably never get the chance to hear it.  Sure is beautiful and looks like it'd be hella fun to drive! Enjoy.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks dude! I'm still gathering the stuff I need......I'm in Charlottesville, VA today......may swing by the Crutchfield Outlet to see if there are any 'essentials' that I might need to pick up 

As much as I like the sound in the 3 right now.....I'm hoping to get an even better sound out of the BRZ. 

The car is fun to drive (even if it doesn't have 300 hp ) Let me know if you ever do a photo shoot anywhere near N. Carolina.....


----------



## bertholomey

A few inside shots that Ally asked for - they are crappy, but I'll try to get a couple good ones this weekend.

































































Cool looking jeep thingy I saw at the tint shop today.


----------



## bertholomey

Got her tinted today - Pinnacle - Formula 1 Ceramic - he did a good job.

Sam got to take her for a short drive....I think he liked it 

She is dirty.....filthy.....going to take care of that in a little bit with some waterless spray product


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> A few inside shots that Ally asked for - they are crappy, but I'll try to get a couple good ones this weekend.


I like these pics the best.


----------



## bertholomey

I just hope those locations yield the sound I'm hoping (counting on).


----------



## decibelle

Tint looks great Jason. So does the interior


----------



## wdemetrius1

bertholomey said:


> Got her tinted today - Pinnacle - Formula 1 Ceramic - he did a good job.
> 
> Sam got to take her for a short drive....I think he liked it
> 
> She is dirty.....filthy.....going to take care of that in a little bit with some waterless spray product




:2thumbsup: on the waterless spray products.


----------



## slade1274

wdemetrius1 said:


> :2thumbsup: on the waterless spray products.


What a great idea!


----------



## The Drake

I'm so jelly, stop posting pictures!  jk jk


----------



## Salami

bertholomey said:


> Got her tinted today - Pinnacle - Formula 1 Ceramic - he did a good job.



Who did it and what % is that?


----------



## FLYONWALL9

That interior is sharp. Those factory dash locations should be fine I would think. You have TA don't you?


----------



## bertholomey

Salami said:


> Who did it and what % is that?


Triad Sun Control in Winston Salem



They did the BMW as well - excellent work, and a good price. The car comes with a small amount of tint, so he put on about 40% to get a final at 35% (at least that is what we talked about). 




FLYONWALL9 said:


> That interior is sharp. Those factory dash locations should be fine I would think. You have TA don't you?


I do..... Tomorrow I'll check pld's.


----------



## FLYONWALL9

Oh yeah, if you have T/A then you should be able to work 
anything out. I surely wouldn't mess with moving them if 
I had factory locations like that.


----------



## d5sc

Man, that car is NICE and a looker!!! Have fun with it!!!


----------



## wdemetrius1

slade1274 said:


> What a great idea!


Agreed.


----------



## JayinMI

Interesting looking (in a good way) grilles on top of the dash.
Hopefully you can get the new radio to fit in the dash...the factory looks like it's sticking out like 3/4"!

Beautiful car.

Why the waterless spray products? What's wrong with a hose and a bucket of soapy water?

Jay


----------



## chefhow

If you need cables or wiring call Mic, he has a boat load of IXOS CHEAP!!


----------



## bertholomey

d5sc said:


> Man, that car is NICE and a looker!!! Have fun with it!!!


Thanks George.... I need to review your Altima build this weekend for some pointers. 







JayinMI said:


> Interesting looking (in a good way) grilles on top of the dash.
> Hopefully you can get the new radio to fit in the dash...the factory looks like it's sticking out like 3/4"!
> 
> Beautiful car.
> 
> Why the waterless spray products? What's wrong with a hose and a bucket of soapy water?
> 
> Jay


The radio in the dash is one of my concerns, but we should be able to do something that looks good. 

Nothing wrong with the bucket method..... It was a shout out to Ryan who sells fantastic product for exterior, interior, and tires. I moved it out of the garage,sprayed the exterior and wiped, and the wife came behind me to wipe it down.....10 minute job, and it looks fantastic. 




chefhow said:


> If you need cables or wiring call Mic, he has a boat load of IXOS CHEAP!!


Wow.... I wish I had known that a week ago, lol..... Just bought a bunch a speaker wire from the Crutchfield Outlet this week while in Charlottesville.


----------



## chefhow

^^^ Send it back, if you havent cut into it they should take it.


----------



## bertholomey

Very interesting week driving the car. 

Two guys in a very nice BMW stop and go nuts about the car.

A guy nearly fell off his motorcycle turning around looking at the car while on the freeway.

A couple guys in a Panera were talking about cars they like - possibly to buy (new Audi's, new BMW's, new Lexus, etc), and the guy with the Porsche shirt (who drove away in a 911 4s), said he would buy one of those Subaru BRZs if he could get away with it with his wife. I told them I just bought one, and they were all over me to give them details. 

Pic after cleaning (car wash in a bottle )


----------



## Notloudenuf

This car really deserves it's own thread. 

The 325i is having a little youth envy.


----------



## jooonnn

Is car wash in a bottle detailing spray?

Sent from my Nexus 7


----------



## bertholomey

jooonnn said:


> Is car wash in a bottle detailing spray?
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 7


It is this:

Revolution Auto Care

Fantastic products - best I have ever used! Ask Ryan about it


----------



## jooonnn

Can you compare it to a d/a orbital polisher applied wax in your experiences? Eg: shine comparison


Sent from my Nexus 7


----------



## slade1274

Different products for different purposes- taken to PM.


----------



## bertholomey

Small update on the build.....


----------



## req

haha awesome ^_^

coaxes and a cheapo alpine in the bimmer LOL!

what did you put in the A pillars? some $20 tang bands? or did you get new pillars?


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> Small update on the build.....



That's kinda sad. :blush: I hope the new owner can realize the potential for sound this car has.

And I really REALLY hope that it doesn't sound as good with the little Alpine and the coaxes as it did with the Mosconis :laugh:


----------



## Wesayso

bertholomey said:


> A few inside shots that Ally asked for - they are crappy, but I'll try to get a couple good ones this weekend.


these...

Makes me think of this:
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/1525399-post130.html

That eventually turned into this:
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/1648526-post24.html

Nice Car!


----------



## ErinH

Notloudenuf said:


> That's kinda sad. :blush: I hope the new owner can realize the potential for sound this car has.
> 
> And I really REALLY hope that it doesn't sound as good with the little Alpine and the coaxes as it did with the Mosconis :laugh:


Lol. Agreed.


----------



## bertholomey

req said:


> haha awesome ^_^
> 
> coaxes and a cheapo alpine in the bimmer LOL!
> 
> what did you put in the A pillars? some $20 tang bands? or did you get new pillars?


I got new pillars....still have the old ones - a fella on this site may be interested in buying the bmw....and if he does, he will get all of the goodies. Just rocking the $50 coax....



Notloudenuf said:


> That's kinda sad. :blush: I hope the new owner can realize the potential for sound this car has.
> 
> And I really REALLY hope that it doesn't sound as good with the little Alpine and the coaxes as it did with the Mosconis :laugh:


Hopefully I'll have an enthusiast buy the car  It will be sad for it to live out it's days with this sad little stereo. 

But......this is a $160 cd player that I got for $80. It does iPod control as well as the 9887, and it has midrange tone control. The coax drivers in the doors image pretty darn well....driving it last night, I told Mark that it was a shame to have spent all that money on my system when this one could probably do well at some of the MECA shows 



Wesayso said:


> these...
> 
> Makes me think of this:
> http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/1525399-post130.html
> 
> That eventually turned into this:
> http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/1648526-post24.html
> 
> Nice Car!


Those are great builds!



bikinpunk said:


> Lol. Agreed.


whatever, dude.....


----------



## kickinaudio

That BRZ came with a sweet lift kit!


----------



## bertholomey

kickinaudio said:


> That BRZ came with a sweet lift kit!


I know right....my new all terrain vehicle (that I hate driving on the gravely road in front of my house). 

A lot of guys are lowering them.....we will see....

Still looking for a buyer for the BMW......great car......if anyone knows anyone......specially one who might be interested in car audio......


----------



## DAT

just don't do hydraulics....


----------



## jooonnn

bertholomey said:


> I know right....my new all terrain vehicle (that I hate driving on the gravely road in front of my house).
> 
> A lot of guys are lowering them.....we will see....
> 
> Still looking for a buyer for the BMW......great car......if anyone knows anyone......specially one who might be interested in car audio......


n33d m0ar lowwwwwwwwww!!!


----------



## Boostedrex

Nice score J!! I know how you've been wanting one of these. Glad to see you were able to get the one you wanted and that the install is already in the works. Should be an amazing car to be sure!


----------



## req

just went to ocean city, md for the big VW\AUDI\BMW show H2O International, and low + fast is what that was about. i only saw 1 brz\frs\gt86's, but it was stock.

looking forward to what you do with yours!


----------



## bertholomey

By the Way......

I'm selling the BMW. I've had a couple DIYMA members show interest, so I thought I may throw it out there to others in the community. 

The car is ready for a stereo.....I still have the pillars for the 3's, the doors are ready for whatever 6.5's someone would want to put in, trunk is ready for a false floor, and an IB sub install. I still have the very cool sealed sub box that the original installer made that attaches to the rear wall, firing a 10" sub through the ski hole. 

2002 BMW 325i, 130k miles, all maintenance records, angel eyes, 2 sets of wheels / tires (stockers with Michelin tires + Aftermarket wheels and Michelin tires - nearly new) - won't go below $8,500 for everything based on the feedback I have received from my BMW shop owner - he is looking locally for me.


----------



## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> Small update on the build.....


When you are in town next week, I'm going to give this stereo an "Official Review" 

We'll see if it can beat this one


Notloudenuf said:


> This is the best car stereo system I have ever heard. The stage was wide but the image was focused. The sense of depth you get in this car is unbelievable, it is the most depth I have heard on any system I have listened to. I have some tracks I need to bring next meet to be able to test out the depth better. The bass drops sooo low but it doesn't get pulled to the rear of the car. And the volume  the levels you can play this at without any fatigue or harshness still wows me. It is concert level without having to plug your ears on certain tracks.


----------



## bertholomey

^^ that would be awesome to get your impression of the new system.... Those coax drivers can move some air... But I'm probably going to be in a rental..... You will have to run it through the paces at the meet


----------

