# My rookie install



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Ok, it's with great reluctance that I'm posting my install here. After all, I'm used to looking at the very clean, pro level installs here. It's been 10 years since I've had anything other than a stock stereo in one of my vehicles. Thanks to this forum though, I've started catching up to the steep learning curve of the DIY world. I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys have to say about this install. Be blunt, honest, critical with what you have to say as I need all of the pointers I can get. And do keep in mind that the only tools I had for this install were a $20 jigsaw, a mid level circular saw, and a dremel.  

Here's the equipment list and locations:
hu: Excelon KDC-X789
mids/highs: eD 6000v2 run passive (mids in stock door locations and tweets in stock dash location)
front amp: U.S. Acoustics USX-2100 (Zed made)
sub: DIYMA R12
sub amp: U.S. Amps XT-1600.2
deadening: Raammat (125sq. ft.) and Ensolite (10 yards)
big 3 wiring: home made using 0/1 awg welding cable
power wiring: Kicker 0/1 wiring kit 
speaker wiring: Esoteric 12 awg solid core wire

Here are some pictures. 

Big 3 cables: (techflex idea borrowed from ClineSelect's install.)

































Deadening in work:










































Here are some of the pics of the storage area. There is one piece not shown in the pictures and that's the vertical carpeted trim piece that completely hides the amp rack and box. That is normally installed, but wasn't when these pictures were taken. The wrinkle in the carpet on the left side of the picture is also fixed now. 

The amp rack with everything installed









The amp rack and DIYMA R12 box. The stuff on top of the DIYMA box is Ensolite (as well as the small section of the false floor to the far right of the pic). I wanted to make sure that there wouldn't be any rattles from the false floor making contact with the sub box.









The amount of "breathing room" the amps have with the cover on.









This is what the new floor looks like. I still need to decide what kind of grill I want to put over the DIYMA. Like I mentioned earlier as well, you can see where the vertical trim piece is missing in this pic.









I put a layer of Raammat over all of the interior sheetmetal, including the outside skin and inner skin of the rear hatch which was followed by a layer of Ensolite. The outer skin of the front doors got 2 layers as did the inner skin. The location directly behind where the mid from the 6000 set went got 5 layers of mat with 2 layers of Ensolite to block any back waves. All of the window maintenance access holes were blocked by the "chicken wire" and then a layer of mat followed by a layer of Ensolite covered the entire door panel. The door card also received a layer of Ensolite.

I used Elemental's xB specific midrange mounting spacers, which by the way are beautifully done and I am very glad I spent the money to buy them! I fabricated my own adapters to place the 6000 set tweets in the stock dash locations from 1/4" plastic. Wiring for the components comes up from the back to terminal blocks (idea taken from MiloX's G35 install) under the dash where it converts from the solid core to 16 awg Stinger wire so I could gain a little better flexibility for snaking through the dash as well as the constant movement of running through the stock wire loom into the doors.

The DIYMA R12 is in a .5 ft^2 net sealed box made from 100% void free Finnish Birch. (Compliments of Mr. Marv, thanks again buddy!) The 12 sits in the passenger side of the cargo area in the xB firing straight up.

The amp rack contains both amps, the + and - power distro blocks, and the X-overs for the eD 6000 comp sets. The rack takes up the rest of the floor of the cargo area not used by the DIYMA box. The entire thing has a false floor covered in carpet over it so only the cone of the DIYMA shows through.

Now on to the review:

After given some break in time, I'm very impressed with the 6000's! I got them when they were first released for $95.00 or whatever it was at that time. They are worth that, but they do have some weak points. In a properly sealed and deadened door, the mids have impressive mid bass output. I have them high passed at 80Hz @ 12db/Oct and they handle everything I have thrown at them beautifully. The tweets are a bit bright, and they don't seem to have flat output at all.(yes, I do have the X-over's set at -3db already) As far as how well they do their job? Not too bad! They are light, airy, and fairly clean. eD really did a good job on this component set for the money.

The DIYMA R12 is simply incredible! It simply vanished once the system was all dialed in (it's 180 degrees out of phase). For the first time ever I actually have "up front bass." I have yet to find a single piece of music that could trip this sub up. Everything sounds perfectly natural and is reproduced effortlessly. This sub will not give you monsterous output if you are into SPL, but as long as you are looking for a strictly SQ sub I have yet to hear one on the market that can touch this one. And if you figure in the $120 price tag I doubt you'll ever beat it! The DIYMA is LP'd at 60Hz @ 18db/Oct with a subsonic filter set at 28Hz @ 24db/Oct.

The system as a whole blends seemlessly. I listen to everything from Opera, to Arch Enemy/Fear Factory, to Johnny Cash, to Crystal Method/DJ Dara, and back to Jim Croce. So if there was an area where this system had a weak spot I'd be able to find it pretty quick. The only place I've found so far is on heavy metal and that's with the tweets being a bit bright. I still think that has something to do with reflections off of the windshield and dashboard though. So the jury is still out on this one. Overall, I'm extremely happy and I just wanted to thank everyone here for their help/info. I have a grand total of $800 invested into this system and I think it's worth every last penny spent.

Zach


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

That looks great, especially considering your limited tools. Question, why did you make the top woofer panel in 2 pieces?

Any pics of the front stage? 

Lookin good though!!


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## Thumper26 (Sep 23, 2005)

install looks great, wiring looks great. the only questions i have is do you have a way for fresh air to get into the amps? Also, you might want to consider making another false floor top and using something like a piano hinge for the piece around the sub, just to help minimize the visible seams. Other than that, it looks very well done, and it sounds like you're happy with it, which is all that matters.


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## SUMrTOY (Dec 10, 2007)

Looks better than the job I'm about to do...

Cut a few panels last night, and having limited tools is no fun  I think I may have to rent a belt sander to get some of my edges to line up the way I want them to. Not having a table saw is definitely something I'm going to have to fix in the future. Even if it's an el-cheapo portable one. My skil-saw "skills" are certainly not as good as they should be.


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## Phreaxer (Oct 8, 2005)

SUMrTOY said:


> Looks better than the job I'm about to do...
> 
> Cut a few panels last night, and having limited tools is no fun  I think I may have to rent a belt sander to get some of my edges to line up the way I want them to. Not having a table saw is definitely something I'm going to have to fix in the future. Even if it's an el-cheapo portable one. My skil-saw "skills" are certainly not as good as they should be.


that is a hard skill to get good at. don't give up or beat yourself up at it. I suck at it. always haven't. hopefully won't always, but for now... I just accept being bad at it. lol


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

BigRed said:


> That looks great, especially considering your limited tools. Question, why did you make the top woofer panel in 2 pieces?
> 
> Any pics of the front stage?
> 
> Lookin good though!!


I had to make the floor in two pieces because with my crap jigsaw I couldn't cut out the right side of the panel without the thin part between the speaker and shock tower without the MDF breaking.  That thin part is only about .5" wide. And the other really annoying part is that this jigsaw sucks so bad that it won't make a straight cut. The cuts are on an angle like I had used a table saw. 

Thumper,

I'm planning on redoing the entire back of the car after X-mas. I know that I'm getting a router/table setup so that should make things MUCH easier for me. I'm also going to drop some coin on a proper jigsaw (Bosch). Those two things together should allow me to actually do a proper install. I'm planning on building a new amp rack and actually carpeting it so that it looks presentable if/when I pull the false floor to show it off. And no, there aren't any fans back there, but both of those amps are running @ 4 ohms and the gains are turned WAY down on each. When I do the math and use a DMM to check the gains the USX2100 is only putting out about 60watts/channel and the XT-1600.2 is only putting out about 290 to the DIYMA. So the amps don't even get warm.

I need to figure out a better way to make a template for the back of the car though. I used a big piece of cardboard this past time and it really didn't come out very well. There are gaps around the DIYMA as well as the sides of the panel. Any ideas on what makes a good template?

Zach


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## Thumper26 (Sep 23, 2005)

i gotcha. i can't wait to see v2.

on the template, there was a thread on it in general audio. some people use a lot of small cardboard scrap, etc and lay them around the curves, then tape them down. A cheap deck of playing cards would work well, and if you use painter's tape, you can reuse them after the fact. i like to use matboard from somewhere like hobby lobby. it's stiffer than posterboard, but is still relatively easy to cut. a large sheet of it is usually 4 bucks, and if you can find one that's dirty or has dog ears, it's usually on discount b/c people use it with pictures, and need it clean and new. I indirectly did the card idea before, just from using scraps around curves and taping them down until I had a smooth contour. I just wish I had thought of the idea before some of my first attempts.


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## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

man thats an AWESOME first install. Hell of alot cleaner than most of the installs ive done! 

Congrats man! and i know the feeling of not having the right tools. I only have a jigsaw, dremel (electric), and orbital sander.... kinda bites.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

You've got me beat on the dremel. My dremel is the newer cordless one. The small grey one. I can't recall the name of it, but it surely wasn't meant for sanding MDF.  It actually does a great job for how small it is though.

Thanks for the suggestions Thumper, I'll try those out. I'll check out that matboard you mentioned. The cardboard was a bit difficult to cut smooth like I wanted it.

And about pics of the front, there really isn't anything to see. It looks bone stock up front with the exception of the aftermarket hu. Next time I have the door panels off I'll snap some pics of that area.

Zach


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## MiloX (May 22, 2005)

Zach,

Very well done!!!! I bet you learned A LOT going through this process. And THAT is the most important thing. 

You should be very proud of your work. TONS better than my first 2 to 3 installs!!! Think about what your next one will look like!!!


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

This install has actually been finished for about 3 weeks now. But I was very hesitant to post the pics on here. I guess it was a bit of intimidation.  I definately have a good idea of things that I'm going to change on install v2.0 though. I really want to take down the headliner in the xB and Raammat and Ensolite that. I'm still getting quite a bit of noise from above. But I'm REALLY nervous about pulling the headliner.

And I forgot to thank Rick at Raam Audio in my original post. He is very helpful and his product is TOP NOTCH! I have recommended him to more people than I can remember since doing my install. 

Zach


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## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

Boostedrex said:


> This install has actually been finished for about 3 weeks now. But I was very hesitant to post the pics on here. I guess it was a bit of intimidation.  I definately have a good idea of things that I'm going to change on install v2.0 though. I really want to take down the headliner in the xB and Raammat and Ensolite that. I'm still getting quite a bit of noise from above. But I'm REALLY nervous about pulling the headliner.
> 
> And I forgot to thank Rick at Raam Audio in my original post. He is very helpful and his product is TOP NOTCH! I have recommended him to more people than I can remember since doing my install.
> 
> Zach


you shouldnt have to worry about getting bashed for your install skills here. Everyone on here are audio enthusiasts just like you and arnt dicks like people at CA.com

hell-that installs nice enough i doubt you would get crap at CA.com (and thats saying something)


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Thumper26 said:


> install looks great, wiring looks great. the only questions i have is do you have a way for fresh air to get into the amps?


If I had that much room above my amps I woud not be using fans


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## mfenske (Feb 7, 2006)

Did you enjoy taking the back seat out of the xB? Man that thing sucked. Between that and taking forty six hours to realize that the tiedowns in the rear were metrix hex keys I felt so dumb. Other than that the xB was honestly one of the easiest vehicles to take apart. Install looks great!


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

The backseat was annoying the first time I took it out, yes. But the rest of it was pretty straight forward. Compared to RX-7's, which is all I've worked on for the past 7-8 years, the xB is a joy to take apart.


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## kimokalihi (May 27, 2007)

Looks good! You should get some clear spray paint and spray it over where you sanded the paint off the body for the ground under the hood. Prevent it from rusting. Mine rusted when I did that, so I just hit it up with a coat of clear and problem solved!


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Actually, I coated it with a clear silicone anti corrosive spray.  Thanks for looking out though.

Zach


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## NeverEnuffBass (Oct 25, 2007)

Awsome job for having limited tools! Keep up the good work!


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Thanks to everyone for the kind words, I really do appreciate it.


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## adrianp89 (Oct 14, 2007)

Looks good! I love that carbon tech flex (got some on mine)... very impressive especially for a first time.


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

I knew from the first shot of the engine compartment that that was a Scion xB


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## Fran82 (Jul 30, 2007)

Looks like my car, except (you wanted critical) mine is cleaner. 

As for the install, looks pretty good, especially for the limited number of tools. You said that you wanted constructive criticism though, so I'll give you my input on what you might want to change. 
What happened to the power wire on the amp rack? Looks like a couple loops sticking up. Might want to cut it shorter or pull it through the rack. Also, you said you used welding wire for the big 3, and solid core for the run to the front speakers?? If you have any scraps from the amp install, I'd try to use that under the hood too. And definitely get some multi-strand for the speakers. It's like having tons of cars all stuck on a one lane road. Regular multi-strand speaker wire opens up different roads for all the frequencies to move down. Besides it looks better and is easier to work with. 
Sounds like you know what needs fixin' in the back. Carpet on the amp rack. Preferrably a one-piece top cover once you get the new tools. And where the wires pass through the amp rack, try drilling individual holes, as opposed to cutting squares or notches, it will look a lot nicer. Maybe it's just the pictures, but it looks like the cover sits higher on the passenger side by an inch or so. Could just be the angle of the pic though. 

I'm not trying to be a jerk, just some thoughts to clean it up a little. 

BTW, are you sure that box is only .5 cubes? I just did some measuring in my car and figure that if I take out the spare and storage cubby, I could get about 3 cubes out of the area under the factory rear covers, which are about 5 1/2 inches high. Your box is definitely taller than the factory covers, and at least 12 x 12 internal dimensions. How deep is that enclosure?


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## tcguy85 (Oct 29, 2007)

looks good man! 

and SCION'S FTW!!!


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

next step:

get the top done in one piece. If you dont have the tools, time to go to a shop. It will cost you less than a hundred bucks, and they will provide the wood and carpet. stick a fork in that.

Next the grill. I recommend a standard waffle grille from parts express combined with grillecloth. Will cost less than the shipping. Remove the gasket from the metal grille and stretch over the cloth. it wont stay very well, but between the pointy edges of the grille and two hands you will keep it nice and "tight enough" when reinstalling the rubber gasket. Friction fit or use the grille mounting kit as desired.

Do not use PE grillecloth it will look purple against the carpet fabric. Find a local source for grillecloth and verify a sample.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Fran82 and Whiterabbit, thanks for the help. I'll address each of you seperately.

Fran82, I'm planning on rebuilding the amp rack and drilling individual holes for the wires to pass through and grommet each one. That plus carpet should make it look 100% better than it currently does. And yeah, the 4awg ground wires are what you're talking about being looped up on top of the board. I need to pull those through a bit better. 

I don't know that I agree with you about multi strand wire being better than solid core though. Solid core is surely harder to work with, but I believe that it's better than multi strand as far as capability of the wire goes. 

Good eye on the rack not being level. There is about a 3/4" difference from side to side. That will be fixed when the new rack is built as well. 

As for the DIYMA R12 box, yeah it's .5 ft2 net. Mr. Marv on this forum is the one who built this box. He went by NPDang's specs for a .707 alignment. I'll measure the box today and post the dimensions in this thread.

I was unclear about one part of your post though. When you mentioned using any scraps I had from the amp install under the hood. What were you talking about? The welding wire I'm using for my big 3 is 0/1 multi strand welding cable. It's not solid core if that's what you were thinking.

Whiterabbit. I'm very big on not going to a shop if I don't have to. So I'll wait until after X-mas when I can actually unwrap my new tools and then get to work on the new false floor. And thanks for the ideas for a grill. I totally forgot about the old school waffle style grills.

Zach


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Boostedrex said:


> I was unclear about one part of your post though. When you mentioned using any scraps I had from the amp install under the hood. What were you talking about? The welding wire I'm using for my big 3 is 0/1 multi strand welding cable. It's not solid core if that's what you were thinking.
> 
> Whiterabbit. I'm very big on not going to a shop if I don't have to. So I'll wait until after X-mas when I can actually unwrap my new tools and then get to work on the new false floor. And thanks for the ideas for a grill. I totally forgot about the old school waffle style grills.
> 
> Zach



Not poking fun at anybody, but solid core welding wire...... boy, that would be a real *****!


Tools... Christmas...... oh, boy. How many people ae going to ask you "if something's on your mind"

Must.. Get... To... Garage......

Chad


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

I hear ya Chad. It's annoying the life out of me knowing that I have a table router setup and a proper sander wrapped up and sitting near the tree. 

Something a bit different though. How much would it help, if at all, if I were to sand the faces of my midrange baffles so that the mids were a little more on axis with the driver instead of just firing straight out from the door?


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## Fran82 (Jul 30, 2007)

Sounds like you have it covered. Hope to see the updates soon. 
I put some pics of my setup over on ScionLife.com a while back. Don't know if you ever check that out? Just a basic single amp system with an underseat sub.


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## ///MJay (Aug 22, 2006)

Looks great. I think it looks better than most of the shops around here.


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## kaisernaut (Mar 27, 2006)

About time you post up pics of your car. When are you working on your FD. You did a fine job. Sold your Pacific Avatar yet? GOOD LUCK!


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

kaisernaut said:


> About time you post up pics of your car. When are you working on your FD. You did a fine job. Sold your Pacific Avatar yet? GOOD LUCK!


Thanks bro. The Avatar is still up for sale.  The FD is just getting polished up as it's for sale right now too. We have a new set of stock twins and a manifold that are going to go with the car when it sells. As well as some new interior items to make the car just about perfect. 

MJay, thanks for the compliments. But if that's true, then you must have some terrible shops local to you. LOL!!

Zach


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## Fran82 (Jul 30, 2007)

Any updates on this REX? I'm actually trying to sell my xB, so if you know anyone. Same as yours, but '06.


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## stalintc (Dec 6, 2007)

I have basically the same car. Tip for removing the headliner:

Recline the front seats all the way down, and fold down the rear seats. Once everything is removed (handles, visors etc) I pulled it loose, and then straight out the back of the car. I angled it like this \ to get it out w/o any real folds. I had a helper to put it back in. I used dynamat extreme and ensolite up top. (make sure you leave the holes for the 4 push fasteners clear of dynamat.....)

Nice work so far though. Good to do the 3 right away, I had some noise until I did it.
-Brad


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Stalintc, so how much difference did it make for you once you did the dynamat on the roof? I'm curious as to whether it will be worth the effort or not. Thanks in advance for that one.

Fran82, No real updates to speak of. I made the trim panel, but haven't re-made the top panel yet. I'm probably not going to honestly. I'm going to redo the entire rear of the car.  Go figure huh?

Zach


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## stalintc (Dec 6, 2007)

It made a lot of difference with an added bonus; heat control. In the summer the temp of my car stays much lower now. Awesome side effect in my opinion. Sound wise it was mediocre. I am going to pull it down and do 2 full layers of extreme up top (I have about 3/4 now). I notice it the most during rain (obviously) but I hear the rain on my hood through the windshield now instead of it sounding like it is attacking me in a tin can. My most important focus tho is going to be the firewall. At freeway speeds (about 3900 rpm) I can hear the engine over almost everything else. Do the roof and you will be surprised. Any other questions feel free to ask. 
-Brad


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Well, looks like I'll be pulling the headliner out of the xB coming up soon then. I still have about half a roll of Raammat BXT at the house so that will more then cover it. Thankfully, I did the firewall of my car when I did the rest of the deadening. That is a really nice thing as I don't hear my motor if the stereo is on unless I'm above 5,500rpm. Thanks again for the quick tutorial on the headliner Brad.

Zach


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## jayhawkblk (May 29, 2007)

doing the roof if very benificial. The 1st gen xB is a tin can. You need to do it plus it is a great heat control as stated before.


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## cajohnny (Feb 3, 2008)

lol nice install


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## mammoth (Aug 1, 2005)

How was it getting to the firewall and raamatting that? I matted and esolited most of my car and now only hear noise coming from the engine. Thinking about doing that next.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

mammoth said:


> How was it getting to the firewall and raamatting that? I matted and esolited most of my car and now only hear noise coming from the engine. Thinking about doing that next.


It honestly wasn't all that bad. But I've pulled dashes out of RX-7's for years and the Scion is a joy in comparison. It's very well worth the effort though. 


CAJohnny, not sure why the LOL but thanks for the compliment I think.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Ok, install V2.0 has begun. 

The changes...
1. Pulled headliner to add a layer of Damplifier Pro and a layer of Ensolite (no pics, sorry)
2. Pulled carpet to add a layer of 1/2" closed cell foam (again, no pics)
3. Added some Damplifier Pro to my front doors as well as a SS Speaker Tweaker (Deflex) pad behind the midrange location.
4. Cut out the factory speaker grill in preparation for some fibeglass pods that will put my mids more on axis.
5. Installed a Clarion DRZ-9255 in place of the old Excelon unit
6. Installed ID OEM mids in place of the eD 6000's mids
7. Installed the ring radiator tweets from the new Alpine SPX Pro set in place of the old eD tweets
8. Pulled the U.S. Acoustics amp and replaced it with a Zuki Audio 4 channel since I'm running active now.

I think those are all the changes that I've done since my last post. I have a few more changes on the way and will keep this thread updated as thing progress. Here's some pics of the changes.

New amp rack, FINALLY!! I haven't built the new false floor/top for it yet, but will tackle that next weekend.










Here are the tweeter pods in their very beginning stages. These are made so that both tweets are on axis with the driver. They are about 10 degrees off axis on the vertical plane, but that's not going to be an issue. I had to angle them down a bit so that the finished pod would clear the A-pillar.


























And here are the tweeter pods about 85% of the way finished. All I have left on them is to apply a thin layer of bondo to fill in the valleys then sand everything smooth. After that I'll texture coat and SEM color match them to the rest of the plastics in the car.










































The switch from passive with mediocre gear to active using nice gear has been a truly eye opening experience! Listening to all the different cars at Marv's BBQ this year also helped me out more than I can express. People like BigRed, Kevin K., John Whitledge, George (with the silver M5), ATSAubrey, and AlphaKenny have taught me so much it's not even funny. 

I'm still getting things tuned right now, but it already sounds leaps and bounds better than it used to! As you probably noticed the DIYMA R12 is out of the car right now. I'm going to make a custom enclosure for it on the sidewall of the vehicle where the stock rear speaker is located. I'm actually going to remake that entire panel as the front of the box. The sub will be firing towards the hatch. I'm debating if I want to run one DIYMA R12 on each side of the car. We'll just have to see about that. I'm getting more and more comfortable working with fiberglass each time. 

So, what does everyone think of the changes so far? There's plenty more to come so check back from time to time. 

Zach


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

And here's a pic showing the ghetto state of midrange mounting. LOL!! I'll be building pods for these soon that will have them out past the door panel and angled up and back so that they're both pointing to the spot right in between the driver and passenger seats.


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## tcguy85 (Oct 29, 2007)

cool! nice work.


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## moosejuice (Oct 5, 2007)

Nice work, I have been debating going active with the front stage of my xB also....

B-


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

moosejuice said:


> Nice work, I have been debating going active with the front stage of my xB also....
> 
> B-



I figured that there wouldn't be enough difference to justify the price increase of equipment used, so didn't go active for quite some time. Boy was I wrong! Since install limitations dictate where the speakers have to go, active is surely the way to do it. 

Now I just have to decide on 1 or 2 DIYMA R12's in the back.


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

lookin good Booster!! Sweet!! 2 woofers is better than one, but I'm a different breed than most


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

BigRed said:


> lookin good Booster!! Sweet!! 2 woofers is better than one, but I'm a different breed than most


First, thanks for the compliment. And second, I hear you. I'm really leaning towards doing two instead of just one. If nothing else, I'll be able to get the same amount of output with better impact while straining the speaker less. It all goes back to the "no replacement for displacement" cliche. 

There's a huge part of me that wants to push ahead and do a full 3 way front with mids in the kickpanels. But I think that I really need to learn how to properly install/tune a 2 way active front first. It's just like me to want to jump into something really fast and figure everything out once I'm there.


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## MidnightCE (Mar 5, 2007)

Looks good, can I hear it soon? I've been hoping to get my ears on ID mids and Diyma sub.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Of course bro, swing by sometime and we'll throw back a couple of beers and listen. It's lacking a bit due to no subs being in the car right now, but not as badly as I thought it would've. Those ID OEM's have some serious balls IMHO.


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## moosejuice (Oct 5, 2007)

Boostedrex said:


> I figured that there wouldn't be enough difference to justify the price increase of equipment used, so didn't go active for quite some time. Boy was I wrong! Since install limitations dictate where the speakers have to go, active is surely the way to do it.
> 
> Now I just have to decide on 1 or 2 DIYMA R12's in the back.


Yeah I know, it is just getting the tuning right that has been stopping me. Well that and finding a matching four channel version of the amp I am running now.

I am running a three way in the front right now. I have midbass in the doors, midrange in the stock dash spot, and tweeters in the sail panels. I run the midbass active right now and have passives for the midrange and tweets......

B-


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Where's the sub?


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

HondAudio said:


> Where's the sub?


Are you asking me that? If so, the sub isn't in yet.

I'll be removing the passenger side read trim panel from the cargo area, the panel that covers the stock rear speaker, (and maybe the driver's side too!) and making a fiberglass box for the DIYMA R12. I'll put pictures of the build up process in this thread.

Zach


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Boostedrex said:


> Are you asking me that? If so, the sub isn't in yet.
> 
> I'll be removing the passenger side read trim panel from the cargo area, the panel that covers the stock rear speaker, (and maybe the driver's side too!) and making a fiberglass box for the DIYMA R12. I'll put pictures of the build up process in this thread.
> 
> Zach


Intriguing. Do you plan to use part of the foam cubby as well?


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

No, the foam cubby and spare tire section are both sitting in my garage. I have AAA and they can take care of me in case of a flat.


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## ender (Aug 27, 2008)

Here is was thinking, by the title, that i was in for a mess of wires that look like spaghetti and instead I find a very nice looking install done by someone that has obviously done more than their fair share of research. Nice work man. Keep it up and keep us posted.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Thanks for the compliments sir. And trust me, this install is nowhere near the caliber of the vast majority of installs on this site. For my inspiration look up the install threads by BigRed, MiloX, or anything by Simplicityinsound. 

But I am learning as I go and trying to do my best on every aspect of the install. The sub box fabrication starts tomorrow morning! That and I might actually get started on teh midrange pods so I can get them on axis and see if I can get rid of the beaming issue that I'm having with the driver's side mid.


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

thanks for the props booster.....your install is coming nicely....cant wait to hear it


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

mfenske said:


> Did you enjoy taking the back seat out of the xB? Man that thing sucked. Between that and taking forty six hours to realize that the tiedowns in the rear were metrix hex keys I felt so dumb. Other than that the xB was honestly one of the easiest vehicles to take apart. Install looks great!


You have to remove the seatbacks from the hinges on the crossbar. Once you do that it's NO PROBLEM to get to the bolts on the sides.


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## kevin k. (May 5, 2005)

Install V2.0 is looking good, Zach 

The Damplifier you installed in the roof, floor, and doors should make for quite a noticeable improvement... both at rest and at speed. The amp rack looks good, although I have to admit to being a fan of the Zuki amps... a very handsome piece.

The DRZ9255 HU used actively will be a big step up from your previous system. And the Alpine tweeters are just a much better tweeter... no question about it. The pictures make them look like they're pointing downward more than 10 degrees vertical, though... a trick of the photo angle, I guess.

Get the doors / midbass installation squared away and I think you'll have quite the nice system there, my friend. 

And, as far as the one or two sub thing... I don't know your listening habits, but one sub would work just fine and integrate well with the rest of your system. Two subs, however, would give you an approximate 3 db increase in total output. Personally, I like having the additional oomph if I need it or want it. 

Have fun!


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

kevin k. said:


> Install V2.0 is looking good, Zach
> 
> The Damplifier you installed in the roof, floor, and doors should make for quite a noticeable improvement... both at rest and at speed. The amp rack looks good, although I have to admit to being a fan of the Zuki amps... a very handsome piece.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the kind words Kevin. I am quite a big fan of the Zuki gear too. There's a part of me that wants to bridge the Zuki down and run 1 of them to the tweets and another one to the mids. I have 3 of them total, but 2 of them are just sitting new in the box in my office. 

I think I've decided to go ahead and run dual DIYMA R12's. That will be just the excuse I've been looking for to get rid of that U.S. Amps model and step up to a sub amp that is in the same league as my Zuki. 

Zach


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## ccrobbins (Aug 19, 2006)

Boostedrex said:


> Thanks for the kind words Kevin. I am quite a big fan of the Zuki gear too. There's a part of me that wants to bridge the Zuki down and run 1 of them to the tweets and another one to the mids. I have 3 of them total, but 2 of them are just sitting new in the box in my office.
> 
> I think I've decided to go ahead and run dual DIYMA R12's. That will be just the excuse I've been looking for to get rid of that U.S. Amps model and step up to a sub amp that is in the same league as my Zuki.
> 
> Zach




That a boy! You can always turn it down


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Here's some progress from today. First, took the majority of the interior from the rear seats and back out of the car. I'm using the SS Damplifier Pro door pack that I just won to further deaden the back of the car where the DIYMA 12 boxes will go. I also started on the pods for my mids so they'll be a little more on axis then they are sitting flat agains the doors.

Before adding any additional deadening.

















After some added deadening

























I have to say, an additional layer of Damp Pro in the back of the car made a nice difference. And I realized while I was back there that I totally forgot to deaden the outer skin of the rear quarter panels. Not sure how I missed that, but was that ever a night and day difference.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Here is the beginnings of my midrange pods.

Early stages of aiming the driver's side

















Here are the pods as I start to wrap them and then after they're wrapped and ready for resin.

























I also did a light sanding on the ID OEM grills and painted them black. I'm planning on using these until I figure out just how I want to mount up the cloth covered grill rings.

















I also want to give a big thanks to Ant at SS for the Speaker Tweaker (deflex type) pads that he was giving out at the BBQ this year. Very nice item and effective to boot!! You can see one of the pads through the hole in the door.









Zach


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## tcguy85 (Oct 29, 2007)

lookin good. keep it comin.


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## MidnightCE (Mar 5, 2007)

How is the sub box coming?


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## moosejuice (Oct 5, 2007)

Looking good, I still need to pull those rear side panels off and deaden back there....

B-


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

MidnightCE said:


> How is the sub box coming?


Haven't had a chance to start on it yet. I started back in the gym this week. Well, the cardio portion not the fighting portion. And I haven't had any time to work in the garage as of yet. I'm hoping to at least get 1 side started today. We'll see though.



moosejuice said:


> Looking good, I still need to pull those rear side panels off and deaden back there....
> 
> B-


Yes you do! That area is SERIOUSLY in need of deadening. When you knock on the rear quarter panels it sounds like an empty Coke can.  Mind doesn't anymore though.  

Zach


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

moar picz plz


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

HondAudio said:


> moar picz plz


Pics of anything in particular? Since the car is ripped apart I can take pictures of anything you might want to see. Just let me know and I'll try to cater to you.

Zach


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## ccrobbins (Aug 19, 2006)

Post me a pic of it in your drive way with a nice address shot?


But now seriously, it's looking really good!


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

ccrobbins said:


> Post me a pic of it in your drive way with a nice address shot?
> 
> 
> But now seriously, it's looking really good!


If I took a pic of what sits in my drive way, the Scion getting broken in to is the last of my worries. Remember, the Scion is our beater and is the bottom rung of our 4 cars by a long shot. LOL!


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## Hispls (Mar 12, 2008)

Eh.....beginners luck  

Seriously though. Great work!


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

*bump*


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Sorry that I haven't taken any more pictures as of yet. I did get the new midrange pods installed today though.  But I'm going to cut up the tweeter pods tomorrow and play with tweeter placement.

Plus I'm making the switch to a full 4 way active setup. The fabrication will start on that in the next week or two. I'll be running tweets and a 4" mid in sealed dash/pillar pods and my midbass drivers in the doors plus 2 DIYMA R12's in the back. 

HondAudio, like I said, if there are any pics in particular that you want to see then just let me know and I'll get them posted for you.

Zach


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Boostedrex said:


> Sorry that I haven't taken any more pictures as of yet. I did get the new midrange pods installed today though.  But I'm going to cut up the tweeter pods tomorrow and play with tweeter placement.
> 
> Plus I'm making the switch to a full 4 way active setup. The fabrication will start on that in the next week or two. I'll be running tweets and a 4" mid in sealed dash/pillar pods and my midbass drivers in the doors plus 2 DIYMA R12's in the back.
> 
> ...


Dash pods all the way, baby. Show me those 4" mids.


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## lyttleviet (Sep 11, 2008)

Lookin' good.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

HondAudio said:


> Dash pods all the way, baby. Show me those 4" mids.


I haven't decided which mid will get the job yet. I'll be starting the auditioning/testing process early next week I hope. The contenders right now are the 4" Tang Band titanium mid, the Dayton RS100, and the HAT L3 (yes I know it's only a 3").

Zach


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Ah, 4 way active is so cool!  I just got my "test" baffles aimed and wired up. It surely makes a HUGE difference. The install is incredibly ghetto looking right now, but until I get the aiming sorted out just how I want it I don't see the point in doing any kind of real install. Here's the temp system as it is right now.

tweets: Alpine SPX-Pro ring radiators
mids: HAT L3
midbass: ID OEM 6.5
sub: DIYMA R12
mid/tweet amp: Zuki ELEETS 4 channel
midbass amp: Zuki ELEETS 4 channel running bridged
sub amp: U.S. Amps XT-1600.2

The midbass drivers are in the lower door locations while the mids and tweets are on a common baffle up on the dash/lower A pillar area. I'll have some pictures tomorrow.

Zach


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Boostedrex said:


> Ah, 4 way active is so cool!  I just got my "test" baffles aimed and wired up. It surely makes a HUGE difference. The install is incredibly ghetto looking right now, but until I get the aiming sorted out just how I want it I don't see the point in doing any kind of real install. Here's the temp system as it is right now.
> 
> tweets: Alpine SPX-Pro ring radiators
> mids: HAT L3
> ...


Hooray for pictures!


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## ASCI_Blue (Aug 1, 2008)

Looks lovely!


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## google123 (Jul 20, 2008)

that install looks great. and now, I'm going to ask a stupid question, where can i find more information on the DIYMA R12, and more importantly where do i go to look at purchasing one???


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

google123 said:


> that install looks great. and now, I'm going to ask a stupid question, where can i find more information on the DIYMA R12, and more importantly where do i go to look at purchasing one???


For info, T/S specs, and reviews you can do a search in the Product Reviews forum on this website. There are several reviews from multiple people that cover about any kind of setup you can think of. (sealed, ported, IB, etc...)

As far as buying one, do a search on Ebay for DIYMA and they will come up. They're selling for $125 shipped right now for BNIB units. 

Sorry for the delay on pictures. I spent all day yesterday laying fiberglass in the back of the car. But I was able to complete the molds for the twin DIYMA 12 boxes and got them pulled out of the car last night. Now I can trim and reinforce them. Then I'll set them back in the car to do the aiming for the subs, then I can finish off the boxes. I also made the trim rings for the subs yesterday. I *CAN'T WAIT* to hear what dual 12's will sound like in my car.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Ok, as promised it's picture time!!!! First, here are the two different dash test baffles that I used. You can ignore the fact of the Seas neo tweet in the L3 baffle. I have stayed with the ring radiator tweets for the entire test.


























And here are the test pods when they were in the car.


















And here is a closer pic of my temp midbass pods. This will change BIG TIME since I'm adding an additional 6.5" in each door.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

And now for the construction of the sub enclosures...



























And an additional picture of my twin babies. 











Ok, about the only progress I made today was to finish off the mounting rings for the 12's and get the hurricane nuts installed into them as well. No pictures of those just yet. I also have to decide if I want to mount my subs standard or inverted. I'm really thinking about going with an inverted mount for 2 reasons. 

1. The DIYMA R12's are deep and these sidewall boxes don't have as much room as I might like without making the boxes stick out futher than is ideal.

2. The motor on these subs is freakin' SEXY!!!!!!!  But the fact that there's no way to hide the subs at all this way is making me really think hard.

Zach


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## kevin k. (May 5, 2005)

Looks great, Zach 

Sure like the Zuki's.

How'd the L<>R mid/tweet baffle aiming thing work for you?


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## fredridge (Jan 17, 2007)

Zach, it is looking good....can't wait to see and hear it. keep up the good work.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

kevin k. said:


> Looks great, Zach
> 
> Sure like the Zuki's.
> 
> How'd the L<>R mid/tweet baffle aiming thing work for you?


You know, the L/R issue has been solved with proper aiming. That and I took your advice with not running any of my speakers out of phase. That solved a major issue that I was having too.  

Right now, I have the mid/tweet baffles aimed up and they are crossing right behind the rear view mirror on the roof. That seems to be working really well so far.

The other thing that is really surprising me is how much better the Dayton RS100's sound than the HAT L3's. I'm talking night and day better. Level matched, same X-over points and slopes, same style of baffle, and same tweet. 





Thanks for the compliments Fred. Are you guys heading up this way anytime soon? If so please make sure to let us know as we'd love to get together for dinner or something.

Zach


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## ccrobbins (Aug 19, 2006)

QUOTE=Boostedrex;564548]You know, the L/R issue has been solved with proper aiming. That and I took your advice with not running any of my speakers out of phase. That solved a major issue that I was having too.  

Right now, I have the mid/tweet baffles aimed up and they are crossing right behind the rear view mirror on the roof. That seems to be working really well so far.

The other thing that is really surprising me is how much better the Dayton RS100's sound than the HAT L3's. I'm talking night and day better. Level matched, same X-over points and slopes, same style of baffle, and same tweet. 




Thanks for the compliments Fred. Are you guys heading up this way anytime soon? If so please make sure to let us know as we'd love to get together for dinner or something.

Zach[/QUOTE]




Uh oh there you go starting trouble again!


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

looking good Zach....question.....where do you have the L3's crossed? if you are crossing the lp any lower than 6k, you will not be taking advantage of the L3. just curious...


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## slybond (Sep 29, 2008)

looks good


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

BigRed said:


> looking good Zach....question.....where do you have the L3's crossed? if you are crossing the lp any lower than 6k, you will not be taking advantage of the L3. just curious...


Jim,

I tried LP'ing the L3's as low as 4KHz and as high as 10KHz with both 12 and 18 db slopes. They didn't sound bad at all, but the RS100's just sound better _to me_. But the RS100's are still new and I only have about an hour listening time on them so far. Give me some more time to see if I can make myself unhappy with them. LOL!!

The big thing for me is I'm able to everything set up, dialed in easier with the RS100's than I was with the L3's. It didn't matter what I tried with the L3's in there, my image was left biased. I'll be swapping the mids back and forth for a while until I decide what I want for the long haul.

I'm also a bit frustrated right now with not having any form of L/R amplitude adjustment.  I really don't know how I want to go about fixing that issue yet either.

Zach


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## fredridge (Jan 17, 2007)

only plans we have right now is to Stay in Sactown about a week before Christmas on our way to Oregon, if something else comes up I will let you know

And on the amplitude, if you want to hassle, you can open the amp and adjust the pot's inside, but you would have to know exact settings and all since it is not an easy adjustment to get at


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

Got it. keep in mind you are comparing a 4 to a 3  good luck with your upgrades  should sound good when you are done


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## moosejuice (Oct 5, 2007)

Updates are looking good....

B-


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Ok, it's been a month and I haven't posted anything. It isn't because I haven't been working though. Here is the progress as of today.

Here's both sides of the dash taped off and ready for glass









Here's the mounting ring for my DIYMA R12. There are two of these even though only one is pictured. It's a .5" birch ply ring with another .5" birch ring to get close to flush mounting the sub. I am using 8-32 hex head screws and hurricane nuts. The top ring is rounded over as well.

















Here are the two molds for the DIYMA R12 boxes.









Here is the driver's side DIYMA R12 box with the ring in place, material stretched, and a coat of resin. 









And here is the beauty of making fiberglass projects entirely out of 1708 bi-axial weave Knytex nd a little 7oz E-glass for really tight curves vs your usual chop mat. This mold is strong enough to hold my 210lbs when I stand on it and it's only this thick!


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Now here is the driver's side box after 2 layers of glass on top of the stretched material. I sanded down the folded over section in the material so I wouldn't create more work for myself later. Dual action sander with 80 grit FTMFW!!!

















And here is the driver's side box with the passenger side box next to it. The passenger side just got the ring aimed, but that's where I stopped for today. I still have to put a "bead" of Duraglass on the interior seams of the driver's side box, then duraglass/resin shake the inside of that box before it's ready for filler/smoothing/covering.


































So there are a couple of changes with things. First, I didn't pay enough attention when I was aiming the driver's side box so the mounting depth was not deep enough for the DIYMA R12. So I'm being forced to do what I actually wanted to do from the start and invert mount the subs. I wanted a more stealth install, but at least I get to admire the sexy motors on these things. 

Also, the boxes are .75ft^3 each so that should be absolutely perfect for these subs. I'm about 99% sure that I'll have an Arc Audio 500.1 mini on each of the DIYMA R12's. I'm expecting superb results out of this setup. 

I'm going to have a bit of a break coming up though as I leave at the end of next week for a business trip to South Korea. I'll get back on the project when I get home though. I'll tackle the dash pods first, then I'll make the new door pods that will house the dual ID OEM's in each door. Thanks for everyone's kind words and help on my project. You guys have been great!!

Zach


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Fred's probably gonna kick my ass but I'm REALLY tempted to try dual R12s on a pair of 500.1 Minis...


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## UCF52 (Nov 20, 2007)

Boostedrex said:


> but at least I get to admire the sexy motors on these things.


Nice progress! Are you going to paint the magnets on the R12?


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Paul, don't tell Fred that I gave you the idea for the R12's! I don't want him kicking my ass. 

UCF no, I have no plans to paint the magnets. I like them looking "natural" as it were. 

Zach


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

At the rate it's going I'm going to run some different amps anyway.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Ok, so after spending 2 weeks in Korea and then doing the whole Thanksgiving thing, I was finally able to make a little more progress on my install. The key word there is LITTLE.  But every bit counts right?

So first things first. Here is the driver's sub box in place. It's not cosmetically finished, but it's structurall ready for a sub.










Next is the driver's mid/tweet pod mold trimmed to size. Don't mind the wash cloth on the outside of the window, I was trying to cut down on the sun's effects on the picture.










Here is the pod aimed, wrapped, and ready for resin. The other shots are of the pod sat in place on the dash.











































I have this pod resined and curing. I will put it back in the car in the morning before leaving for work. I can't stand the thought of doing a 65 mile round trip to work and back with no tunes. 

Well, that's as much as I was able to get accomplished in the couple of hours I had today. I'll be working more through this week and into the weekend though. I plan to have both midrange pods structurally finished by the end of next weekend. The cosmetics however, will take longer. Thanks as always for looking and leaving me any feedback you see fit.

Zach


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## finebar4 (Aug 26, 2005)

Looking good Zach. We'll have to meet up at Marv's next BBQ and compare


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

schweeeeeeet sonny!!!


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## littled (Feb 12, 2008)

Looking good!


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

finebar4 said:


> Looking good Zach. We'll have to meet up at Marv's next BBQ and compare


Sounds good Kevin. I'd love to hear the setup in your new truck once it's finished.



BigRed said:


> schweeeeeeet sonny!!!


Hey, I'm just trying to catch up to you Jim! 



littled said:


> Looking good!


Thanks Littled. 

After riding to work this morning and looking at the driver's side pod vs the passenger's side blue tape/baffle job I'm even more motivated to get the passenger pod finished. LOL!!!

Zach


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Ok, update time. I got the passenger side midrage pod resined. I also used a Duraglass/resin milkshake to seal up/reinforce the pods prior to putting them back in the car. All that's left for these is to bondo/sand/texture coat/SEM color match to the dash.










I also got my new sub amp in from Jason Paul at Powermax Electronics. Jason was great to deal with and I'm really loving this amp. It's a new Cadence iA7 by the way and it's a total powerhouse. I'm running it at 4 ohms and it's driving my sub like a champ! All said and done, it will be at a 2 ohm load power dual subs. But I have to decide which subs I'm going to use first.  Here's the Cadence.


























And here is what the driver's side sub box looks like with one of the monsterous DIYMA R12's mounted to it. It sounds AMAZING!!!! The SI Mag v4 is still under consideration for permanent duty in my car as well, but I would have to build new boxes to fit them. We'll see how all that works out.


















More is coming. Stay tuned. 

Zach


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Is the spare still present? I'm thinking "no" but it's hard to see.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

No, the spare is long gone.  I have AAA, so no need for a spare IMHO. I'm sure that many would argue that statement though. The good thing is, I could easily put the spare back in and just raise the amp rack more. The way it's going to end up now though is with one of those sub boxes on either sidewall and a false floor covering up my trio of amps.

Zach


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## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

looks good.


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## gijoe (Mar 25, 2008)

Everything is looking good Boost. I've got those same ID 6.5's and now I've got one of those Zuki's too. I'm curious what your plan is for the 6.5's, I have a similar look in my subaru right now since i cut out the factory grill. I'm trying to think of how I can clean up that edge. 

Keep it up. I like the way you're mounting those subs.


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## keepitreal07 (Apr 26, 2008)

looks very neat champ...

but why that angle on the frontstage...

why not on axis


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

gijoe said:


> Everything is looking good Boost. I've got those same ID 6.5's and now I've got one of those Zuki's too. I'm curious what your plan is for the 6.5's, I have a similar look in my subaru right now since i cut out the factory grill. I'm trying to think of how I can clean up that edge.
> 
> Keep it up. I like the way you're mounting those subs.


Congrats on picking up some nice gear! 

I actually have a 2nd set of ID OEM's that are getting ready to go in the doors. The OEM's will no longer be angled up, they'll be in a pod that sits flush with the door panel. And they'll be firing straight out from the door. 




keepitreal07 said:


> looks very neat champ...
> 
> but why that angle on the frontstage...
> 
> why not on axis


2 reasons for the midrange/tweet pods being off axis like they are. 

1. The pods needed for an on axis setup would be bigger and more intrusive than they are now. I don't mind their size now, but I wouldn't want them any larger.

2. The DRZ doesn't have the ability to adjust individual L/R amplitude on different speakers. So I had to be able to make up for that by getting the driver's side mids/tweets more off axis to knock down their output to match the passenger side mids/tweets. 

As for the 6.5's sticking out from the doors like they do, I used to run a 2 way front with the ID OEMs and my SS/Alpine ring radiators. So I moved the 6.5's out and angled them up some to help with response. That's also why they're getting moved back to a flat mounting scheme now that I'm running a 3 way front. Since they only play from 63-250Hz, they will be omnidirectional and can be mounted flat against the door.

Zach


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## AndyInOC (Jul 22, 2008)

Nice, i always have liked the gen-1 boxes, almost bought one til they made me a better deal on the 08. Ive always wondered about the benefits of mounting a sub ass out like that, but thats a different topic for a different thread. all in all i like it a lot though


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

AndyInOC said:


> Ive always wondered about the benefits of mounting a sub ass out like that,


There aren't any sonic benefits, it's just prettier.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> There aren't any sonic benefits, it's just prettier.


Or in my case, I decided to go ahead and build my sub boxes without properly measuring to ensure I could fit a DIYMA R12 in them normally. ROFL!!


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## FREQBOX (Jun 25, 2007)

How are the rs100s sounding?
I wish you were closer to me id like to hear your set up with the pods that way.
I just have my mids firing straight up in teh stock dash location with the tweets in the a-pillars.
It sounds good but its always nice to have a comparo


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## spag_bace (Aug 24, 2006)

nice install!

a question: how you secure the mid/tweet pods? they can be quite dangerous in case of accident...


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

FREQBOX said:


> How are the rs100s sounding?
> I wish you were closer to me id like to hear your set up with the pods that way.
> I just have my mids firing straight up in teh stock dash location with the tweets in the a-pillars.
> It sounds good but its always nice to have a comparo


I should be in Palmdale later this week. Is that anywhere near you? If so, then we can get together for a listening session. Just PM me and let me know.



spag_bace said:


> nice install!
> 
> a question: how you secure the mid/tweet pods? they can be quite dangerous in case of accident...


The mid/tweet pods have a pressure fit lip on the front underside of the pods for right now. After the cosmetics are finished on them they'll also have black carpet on the back of the pod (against the windshield) helping to press them into the mount and I'm going to use some industrial velcro to help secure things. I do agree that they aren't exactly safe though.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Update time!! I got the fabrication finished on my other sub box. So now both subs are in the car and the sub amp has been re-adjusted. I did need to flip the phase on the subs. For some reason adding the 2nd sub made the bass pull to the back. But moving the subs from 180 degrees out of phase back to in phase but the bass back up on the windshield again.  Here's a couple of pics. Notice the lip around the mounting ring on the passenger side box. It's finished much nicer than the driver's side box. I'll be modifying the driver's side box to match next time I pull it out of the car. Also, the sub boxes are secured via 2 #10 bolts that are fastened into the sheetmetal of the side walls.


















Zach


----------



## FREQBOX (Jun 25, 2007)

Boostedrex said:


> The mid/tweet pods have a pressure fit lip on the front underside of the pods for right now. After the cosmetics are finished on them they'll also have black carpet on the back of the pod (against the windshield) helping to press them into the mount and I'm going to use some industrial velcro to help secure things. I do agree that they aren't exactly safe though.


This is how another member on here (Piston) did his.
Then you cut hole in your pod and bolt it down, no worry of it flying off and hitting you in the face


----------



## UCF52 (Nov 20, 2007)

Enclosures look freakin' sweet man! How are you going to finish them?


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

FREQBOX said:


> This is how another member on here (Piston) did his.
> Then you cut hole in your pod and bolt it down, no worry of it flying off and hitting you in the face


What I've really thought about lately is bolting them down with brackets from underneath. I can reach the bottom of both pods while they're installed thanks to the open dash of the xB. That would make me feel better. 



UCF52 said:


> Enclosures look freakin' sweet man! How are you going to finish them?


I'm going to texture coat and SEM color match them to the stock plastic side panels. I was never big on gloss painted parts inside of cars and I think that carpet would look eh. So the look of a stock panel for boxes like that seems pretty cool to me.  And thanks for the kind words.

Zach


----------



## UCF52 (Nov 20, 2007)

Boostedrex said:


> I'm going to texture coat and SEM color match them to the stock plastic side panels. I was never big on gloss painted parts inside of cars and I think that carpet would look eh. So the look of a stock panel for boxes like that seems pretty cool to me.  And thanks for the kind words.
> 
> Zach


Exactly my thoughts; Should be pretty sweet. 

Did you order the little color swatch from SEM? Just curious how easy/accurate it was to pick the best color to match.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

I haven't ordered it yet. There's a local paint shop that carries SEM so I'm going to do the matching there. I'll let you know how easy/tough it is though.

Zach


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## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Looks great. Good Job.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

tintbox said:


> Looks great. Good Job.


Thanks bro.


----------



## mSaLL150 (Aug 14, 2008)

Nice job on the enclosures Zach. Those DIYMAs looks friggin sexy inverted. 

This past weekend was the last weekend of duck season so I was busy the whole time, but have absolutely nothing planned next weekend. Give me a time and place and I'm there.


----------



## flomofo (Apr 30, 2008)

Thats going to be a very "symmetrical" looking 1st gen box...need another listen when your done.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Sure thing Flo. You're welcome to swing by here anytime that I'm actually around. That has been the challenge lately. I won't have a weekend to work on the car until mid March or so thanks to traveling so much.


----------



## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Any more on this install?


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Yeah, some things have changed. That's why I haven't posted any updates for a while. The midbass driver choice is changing. But I don't have anything firm yet. I'm measuring now to see how much airspace i can get from the room I have on the bottom half of the door.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

I have some RS225s that probably won't be going back in the car...


I'm just sayin' is all.


----------



## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

I just ordered a soldering gun and the PAC controller from Amazon last night. I want this head unit install to be done right the first time


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> I have some RS225s that probably won't be going back in the car...
> 
> 
> I'm just sayin' is all.


So you like those 8IB4's that much better huh?? I'll shoot you an email when I get to work in the morning.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Boostedrex said:


> So you like those 8IB4's that much better huh?? I'll shoot you an email when I get to work in the morning.


They're just a different type of sound. There's really nothing below 40-50-ish Hz but above they they're nice and snappy. Simply because the Q is higher. I thought the Daytons would work better for you since you were talking about building an enclosure on the door. If I could do that I'd keep the Daytons.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Well, the doors are now taken apart. Time for a change.  The entire back of the car is getting re-done as well. I'm just not happy with how things are taking shape back there. The car will be ready to compete in May at the Santa Rosa IASCA show though. 

Zach


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Funny, 

I just decided to redo my hatch...again. But this time I might say **** it and do the subs normally and just give up some hatch space. I'd have room to add a second 650-6 or a 1000.4 then too. Hmm...


----------



## machinehead (Nov 6, 2005)

are you still using the dash pods? how are they working out for you?


----------



## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Good luck with the install and thanks again.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

machinehead said:


> are you still using the dash pods? how are they working out for you?


Zach still has dash pods and they sound amazing. Flat dashes FTW!


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

machinehead said:


> are you still using the dash pods? how are they working out for you?


Roger that. Those things aren't going ANYWHERE.  I love them. 



quality_sound said:


> Zach still has dash pods and they sound amazing. Flat dashes FTW!


Thanks bro, I appreciate the compliment. I think they sound pretty decent too. 

No worries Tintbox. I hope you enjoy those OEM's!

Zach


----------



## t3sn4f2 (Jan 3, 2007)

Boostedrex said:


>


Hey Zach, I noticed you only use one RCA input on each side of the bridged Eleets. In Dr. Fosgates review he is using a splitter to feed both inputs. Some amps need to have this done in order to put out full power when bridged. Do the Eleets not need this?


----------



## t3sn4f2 (Jan 3, 2007)

Nevermind, found it.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/650410-post23.html


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Cool deal. Glad you found the answer. And just for further clarification, I have run my ELEETS both with and without a splitter. I didn't notice a difference between the two.


----------



## t3sn4f2 (Jan 3, 2007)

Boostedrex said:


> Cool deal. Glad you found the answer. *And just for further clarification, I have run my ELEETS both with and without a splitter. I didn't notice a difference between the two.*


Thanks


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Sealed 8's FTW! 

The fun has started again.  I just cut the two front door cards to make room for the new midbass pods. After the dremel cooled off I put the "modified" cards back on the doors and measured. It looks like I'm going to end up with .62 ft^3 of airspace after driver displacement. Not too shabby IMHO. I'm going to start laying the glass later this week hopefully. These pods are going to be built much like Jon Whitledge built the midbass pods for his Sprinter van. (Though the level of quality won't even begin to approach Jon's, but I can hope right? LOL) Pics will be coming along as I progress.


----------



## johnmasters (Mar 30, 2009)

Zach, I just came across this thread and finally see some of your hard work. VERY NICE!

Would you happen to have another thread where I can see any of your RX7 installs?


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

John,

Thanks for the compliments. But I have to admit that the Scion doesn't look like it used to.  A few things have changed and I'll post pics once I'm finished with everything.

As for the RX installs, I will have to look around and see if I can find some pics of my old FD install as well as my S5 NA install. I haven't started on our vert yet, so no pics of it. I'm going to get it media blasted, painted, and drop the 20B in it prior to doing the stereo work in it. So the stereo install is probably a year to year and a half out from now.

Zach


----------



## mSaLL150 (Aug 14, 2008)

Any pics of your updated door pods?


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

mSaLL150 said:


> Any pics of your updated door pods?


Not at the moment. But I can tell you that they are .72 ft^3 sealed each and I molded the stock door panel clips into them as well.


----------



## ECLIPSEsqfan (Sep 2, 2007)

Nice work Zach.


----------



## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Right on. Can't wait to see some pics.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

ECLIPSEsqfan said:


> Nice work Zach.


Thanks. I can't wait for you to actually get a chance to hear it. Especially since I was still rocking a 2 way passive comp set the last time you saw the car. 



tintbox said:


> Right on. Can't wait to see some pics.


I'll be glad to get some pics of it because that will mean I'm DONE with the install. LOL!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

So then never? We all know a system is never done.


----------



## IrishChamp (Oct 9, 2008)

wow, looks awesome.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> So then never? We all know a system is never done.


So not true sir. After the fab is done this time around the install is finished. The only possible change will be the addition of a Zapco DSP8 is Robert ever actually releases it. The gear is staying put after this go around. I have 2 other cars that I have to get installs done in.


----------



## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Damn, those new door pods look great.

Oh wait...no pics. Get some step by step prgoress pics up mofo ! 

I'm working on my doors as well this week (hopefully the rain stays away...)


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Boostedrex said:


> So not true sir. After the fab is done this time around the install is finished. The only possible change will be the addition of a Zapco DSP8 is Robert ever actually releases it. The gear is staying put after this go around. I have 2 other cars that I have to get installs done in.



Berry finally cave and say yes to a system in her car? 

You'll love this one, I'm going to sell my GTI and get a 135i.  almost went M3 but the 1er does everything the M3 does and is 20K cheaper. It even comes with 8s under the front seats. Hmmmm.....


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

ROFL!! Your VW friends are going to string you up traitor!!  Nice call on the car, should be a really fun one with that twin turbo I-6.

And yes, the G will be getting a system after all. But not until after the xB as well as the RX-7.


----------



## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Next weekend i'll be putting in the second set of id's in the doors. Thanks again. Post some pics!


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

tintbox said:


> Next weekend i'll be putting in the second set of id's in the doors. Thanks again. Post some pics!


Solid! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on them. They're gonna pound!!!!


----------



## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Will do. Thank you again.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Boostedrex said:


> ROFL!! Your VW friends are going to string you up traitor!!  Nice call on the car, should be a really fun one with that twin turbo I-6.


They'll get over it. hell, the club president drives a deuce.  



> And yes, the G will be getting a system after all. But not until after the xB as well as the RX-7.


Why bother with the system in a car that never gets driven?


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Why bother with the system in a car that never gets driven?


Because it's getting turned into a full on show car. Hence the 3 rotor getting dropped in the engine bay.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Sorry, couldn't type. I was holding my breath. LMAO!


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

ROFL!!


----------



## tr0y_audi0 (Feb 13, 2007)

Dude up dates, lets see this b!tch.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

I want to wait until the midbass pods are finished to post pics. At least finish from a structural stand point. I'm not as worried about getting the cosmetics nailed down before posting any pics.


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Scion xBump


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## willis (Jun 28, 2009)

nice


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## jeepnut27 (Mar 12, 2009)

Love it


----------



## IBcivic (Jan 6, 2009)

quality_sound said:


> Berry finally cave and say yes to a system in her car?
> 
> You'll love this one, I'm going to sell my GTI and get a 135i.  almost went M3 but the 1er does everything the M3 does and is 20K cheaper. It even comes with 8s under the front seats. Hmmmm.....


 great choice! cant wait to see some pics


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## dsuperbeat (Oct 9, 2008)

looks good


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

this install doesn't really exist. 


(where are the pictures, Zac!?)


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Pictures will come after the mibass pods are done Erin. 

That and after my amps get back from being modded.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Slacker.


----------



## James Bang (Jul 25, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> this install doesn't really exist.
> 
> 
> (where are the pictures, Zac!?)


this guy owns three digi-cams! He's probably too busy using them for his amateur pr0n business.


----------



## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

James Bang said:


> this guy owns three digi-cams! He's probably too busy using them for his amateur pr0n business.


That's far more important than anything that would be relevant to post here


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Since when is pr0n not relevant here???


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> Since when is pr0n not relevant here???


Indeed sir. 

Anyway, I got some work done this weekend. But I fly out tonight for Palmdale/Lancaster for the rest of the week so no more work until the weekend. I honestly will get this install wrapped up before year's end. haha.


----------



## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Boostedrex said:


> Indeed sir.
> 
> Anyway, I got some work done this weekend. But I fly out tonight for Palmdale/Lancaster for the rest of the week so no more work until the weekend. I honestly will get this install wrapped up before year's end. haha.


Ugh. Does Lancaster/Palmdale get as hot as Phoenix was today? We hit 115


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Yeah, it's pretty hot down there. I'm glad to be back here now. Not that Sacramento is drastically cooler though.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

It got all the way up to 70 in Germany today...and it got windy and sprinkled a bit. Grrr...


----------



## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

bumpity bump bump


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## norcalsfinest (Aug 30, 2008)

Zach, I want pictures of the door pods. Might need your help with mine. You know, considering we have the same car, and same midbasses... and it's impossible to put them in the door without door panel modification


----------



## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Hey Zach, any changes to the pods on the dash?


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## mSaLL150 (Aug 14, 2008)

norcalsfinest said:


> Zach, I want pictures of the door pods.


x2!!!


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Ok, ok... Here are some pics of the door pods in progress.

Here is the start of the driver's side pod. The foam is shaped and taped to the back panel of the pod.


















Here is the same pod with a layer of aluminum foil over the foam and the speaker ring glued in place. This gives me 4.5" of mounting depth. 


















Here is the passenger side pod right after I pulled the foam plug out of it.










And now trimmed, with reinforcements glassed in. And it's sitting next to the back panel of the pod for reference.


















Here's the passenger side pod after I used some Duraglass to smooth the transition from the foam to the speaker ring. The RS-225 is sitting in place.










So, there are some updates for everyone.  I hope to finish off both pods this week. Then it's just a matter of covering the midbass pods, texture coat and color the dash pods, then cover the sub boxes. That will wrap up the fabrication on my install with the exception of the false floor to cover my amps. WooHoo!!!!!!!! Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zach


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## t3sn4f2 (Jan 3, 2007)

Nice! I'm sure you've seen this but just in case.

Zaph|Audio

"Tall enclosures...
I've often told people who want to use tall enclosures that there needs to be a lot of extra damping at the bottom. See the vented option in the ZD5 project for example. Sometimes I wonder if people think I'm just pulling advice out of my ass. Rest assured however, that almost everything I do has a reason. (Heheh, I stuck "almost" in that statement because I'm human)

The following impedance curves are from a single woofer in a vented 38" tall tower. We have two different amounts of damping at the bottom. All other surfaces are well braced and lined with Whispermat.

# Image - Impedance curve, small clump of Acousta-stuf at the bottom
# Image - Impedance curve, 8" thick densely packed Acousta-stuf at the bottom

A little clump wasn't enough to kill the lengthwise pressure node at 140hz, it took nearly a pound of Acousta-stuff densely packed into the bottom area. (and even then, it's not completely gone, but good enough for me) The undamped pressure node is visible as a peak in the impedance curve and also as a dip/peak combo in the frequency response. Audibly, I think it just sounds like a little lack of definition or "mud" in the midbass. Properly damped, it's clean and tight. Consider this verification of something I've always recommended. Single volume tall enclosures work fine, but you better pay attention to that lengthwise node. As the enclosure gets longer, the more damping you need."


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

t3sn4f2 said:


> Nice! I'm sure you've seen this but just in case.
> 
> Zaph|Audio
> 
> ...


Great read. I had actually read that before and already planned on stuffing these pods like crazy. The pods stuffed tight should yield about .85 Qtc or so, which I figured would work well for a midbass passband. We'll see if my guess is right or not though. haha.  Thanks for the tip though, I do appreciate the help.

Zach


----------



## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Fantastic glass work! It is awesome to see some progress on the xB - I'm sure you feel the same way - no tunes club sucks!

I am really hoping to see these in person in the next couple months - good luck with the rest of the build!


----------



## IBcivic (Jan 6, 2009)

very nice f-g work.
keep it up, cant wait to see the results.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

bertholomey said:


> Fantastic glass work! It is awesome to see some progress on the xB - I'm sure you feel the same way - no tunes club sucks!
> 
> I am really hoping to see these in person in the next couple months - good luck with the rest of the build!





stinky06 said:


> very nice f-g work.
> keep it up, cant wait to see the results.


Thanks guys. And J, just let me know when you'll be in town. As long as it's at least in October, the system should be 100% finished so come on up for a night. It will be great to see you again bro.

Zach


----------



## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

Lookin' good Zach. I really hope you post your impressions/comparisons going from IB to sealed. Something's telling me to go sealed, but there's not alot of info on it.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

kfish323 said:


> Lookin' good Zach. I really hope you post your impressions/comparisons going from IB to sealed. Something's telling me to go sealed, but there's not alot of info on it.


I honestly think that a lot of that is driver dependent big time. The RS225's are meant to be in an enclosure where something like the JL ZR500 or HAT L8 is designed and built for IB applications. I have no doubt that the RS225's will sound better in the pods. I could've used an 8" that was made for IB, but I really wanted something different than the "norm."  That and I think that eliminating rattles and such in the midbass department will be easier with a sealed pod that is decoupled from the door. A lot less to worry about IMHO.

Zach


----------



## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Looking good. Can't wait to see some finish pics. I have all 4 of those Id's I got from you in the front doors now just not finished and sound awesome. Thanks again.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

I'm glad to hear that those ID's are working out for you. I was pleased with them when I had them. I'd love to see some pics of your doors if you wouldn't mind. You can post them in here if you'd like so others can get some ideas too.

Zach


----------



## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

will post in the morning.


----------



## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

Boostedrex said:


> I honestly think that a lot of that is driver dependent big time. The RS225's are meant to be in an enclosure where something like the JL ZR500 or HAT L8 is designed and built for IB applications. I have no doubt that the RS225's will sound better in the pods. I could've used an 8" that was made for IB, but I really wanted something different than the "norm."  That and I think that eliminating rattles and such in the midbass department will be easier with a sealed pod that is decoupled from the door. A lot less to worry about IMHO.
> 
> Zach


I totally agree with you on the going sealed to eliminate rattles, this is my main concern. Do you know how much volume your pods have?


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Yes, the pods will be .72-.74 ft^3 after driver displacement. After liberal stuffing with polyfill, I am thinking that the 20% rule should be close to accurate. So I'm hoping for a perceived net of .95 ft^3 or so.


----------



## PhattyT (Jul 20, 2009)

wow that's a sweet job!


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Thank you. I hope that it will turn out looking nice after the cosmetic work gets taken care of. I still have to figure out how I want to finish off the door pods. I'm thinking of wrapping them in something instead of texture coat and color.


----------



## flomofo (Apr 30, 2008)

I need to see the finished result!

Hoping to come around when your close to done, I finished that basic install in my car but never tuned or anything, after picking up the new job. Haven't even had time to wash my car in a few weeks, which is of course sacrilege.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Flo!! Good to see you on here again. I was wondering where you've been. Youknow you're welcome to swing by whenever bro.

And it looks like this project is going to get delayed again. I broke my left hand in the gym and now get to spend the next 2 months in a cast. 

Zach


----------



## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

Boostedrex said:


> Flo!! Good to see you on here again. I was wondering where you've been. Youknow you're welcome to swing by whenever bro.
> 
> And it looks like this project is going to get delayed again. I broke my left hand in the gym and now get to spend the next 2 months in a cast.
> 
> Zach


Damn! That sucks. How the hell did that happen?

By the way, thinking about the SLS8... Have you heard of anyone using these in sealed enclosures?


----------



## flomofo (Apr 30, 2008)

I'm sorry to hear that, I know your foot bailed on you last time.

So if you need help let me know, because I don't have time to work on mine during training right now. I'm just doing some more planning...


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

kfish323 said:


> Damn! That sucks. How the hell did that happen?
> 
> By the way, thinking about the SLS8... Have you heard of anyone using these in sealed enclosures?


I broke it training for a fight that I was supposed to take in October. These things happen in the sport sadly.

I modeled the SLS8 for a sealed enclosure and it looked pretty good. But I have no real world experience with them. Sorry I can't be of more help.


Thanks for the offer Flo, I appreciate that.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

You must be gettin old...


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

quality_sound said:


> You must be gettin old...


LOL!! I'll still whoop your scrawny butt.


----------



## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

That's cool, I'm waiting to hear back from Madisound to see what they have to say.

Kickboxing?


----------



## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

Zach, did you get those pods done yet? If so, can you give us a comparison to when they were IB?


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

fish said:


> Kickboxing?


BJJ.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

fish said:


> That's cool, I'm waiting to hear back from Madisound to see what they have to say.
> 
> Kickboxing?





fish said:


> Zach, did you get those pods done yet? If so, can you give us a comparison to when they were IB?





quality_sound said:


> BJJ.


Sorry for the delay in my response. Paul is right. I broke my hand during Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practice.

I haven't finished the pods yet as my left hand is still in a cast and I can't work with it this way. I hope to have the cast off in about a week or so. then I can finish things up and post my impressions. The Dayton's will be seeing 200 watts RMS each so that should be plenty to get them moving.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Dude, that's gonna be crazy. 
On another note, did you get the bottle stand?


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

I did get the bottle stand. Did you not get the thank you email I sent from my .mil account? Damn, I must suck as a friend. LOL!

Also, the new Stereo Integrity BM prototype arrived here the other day. After some quick measuring, they WILL fit under the front seats of the xB.  Pending listening tests, I may be moving the DIYMA R12's into my home listening room and going with a pair of SI BM's. Talk about up front bass! 12" subs under the front seats should accomplish that.


----------



## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

awesome Zach, there are still some trick you gotta do to get the bass up front regardless of physical location, but I know you can pull it off


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

BigRed said:


> awesome Zach, there are still some trick you gotta do to get the bass up front regardless of physical location, but I know you can pull it off


Thanks Jim. And I have no doubt you're right. If I get hung up, you know you'll be getting a phone call.


----------



## mSaLL150 (Aug 14, 2008)

Progress looks great Zach. Those pods look sweet and i bet they will sound even better!

I'm gonna see if I can free up some time in the next week or so to meet up with you to have you listen to what Ive got and maybe play around with the BM a bit. I'll PM you later.


----------



## edanell (Jul 13, 2009)

Well done!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Boostedrex said:


> I did get the bottle stand. Did you not get the thank you email I sent from my .mil account? Damn, I must suck as a friend. LOL![/uote]
> 
> I could swear you had but I could find anything so i wanted to make sure.
> 
> ...


----------



## norcalsfinest (Aug 30, 2008)

i wanna see these pods!


----------



## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Me too.


----------



## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Me three! LOL!  I ran out of resin and the E-glass that I need to start the top of the last pod. As soon as I get the supplies I need in, I'll finish off the pods and post plenty of pics.


----------



## johnmasters (Mar 30, 2009)

Hey Zach, this is the first I am seeing your pods. Very nice. Using the foam must have made life easier. I guess the foam also allows you to be more confident about your internal airspace before glassing?

As you know, I discovered fiberglass a few weeks ago and have finished my passenger side door pod for the RX7. Thanks to some of your advice. I would prefer to wrap it but the shape is pretty strange. Do you have any experience with the SEM paint that so many people seem to like?


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## norcalsfinest (Aug 30, 2008)

Zach, are they supposed to mount behind the door panel? or did you cut the whole bottom of the panel for the pods to replace?


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

WHERE. ARE. THE. PICTURES.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

johnmasters said:


> Hey Zach, this is the first I am seeing your pods. Very nice. Using the foam must have made life easier. I guess the foam also allows you to be more confident about your internal airspace before glassing?
> 
> As you know, I discovered fiberglass a few weeks ago and have finished my passenger side door pod for the RX7. Thanks to some of your advice. I would prefer to wrap it but the shape is pretty strange. Do you have any experience with the SEM paint that so many people seem to like?


John, I like the SEM texture coat and color. That's actually what I'll be finishing my dash pods off with.  Go for it!



norcalsfinest said:


> Zach, are they supposed to mount behind the door panel? or did you cut the whole bottom of the panel for the pods to replace?


Joey, I cut the bottom half of the door card off completely. I'll end up using some Rage Gold (bondo, etc..) to create a smooth transition to the remaining door panel. That way, once the pods are covered with fabric they'll look like they were meant to be there. It was the only way that I was able to get the airspace I was wanting for these pods.



HondAudio said:


> WHERE. ARE. THE. PICTURES.


Hey, there are lots of pictures in this thread. Don't be greedy. LOL!!  I'll be taking some pictures this week of Stereo Integrity BM that I'm doing a demo of. I'll also be making a full review thread about it. I can say for now though that my beloved DIYMA R12's are coming out of the Scion for good and I'll have a pair of BM's in my car for the 2010 IASCA season.

Zach


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

Nice , lets see some pics of the new setup that you won 1st this past show.

We would love to see them.


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## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Please.


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## ECLIPSEsqfan (Sep 2, 2007)

Great job man!

I still follow your threads though I have been MIA for some time.
Glad to see the progression.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

I had the pleasure of listening to Zach's car this past weekend. It was fantastic in every way. The sound was balanced, incredibly detailed, and accurate. The realism and believability was exactly what you would hope for when listening to a great system.

The H-Audio Trinity’s were a great addition, all of the delicate midrange material we threw at them came through perfectly (even the not so delicate Slipknot). I think the 8” Dayton’s in the sealed enclosures have been the best sounding 8” drivers I have heard to date. The SI BMs really worked well under the seats. 

I have heard some very nice systems in the last few months, but Zach’s xB is certainly a favorite of mine. It is a system I would love to emulate as I continue to tune my simple set up. Thanks Zach for giving me the opportunity to hang with you at Vince’s shop - listen to some great instruction by Fred, but especially for allowing me to have a thorough audition of your system.


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

bertholomey said:


> I think the 8” Dayton’s in the sealed enclosures have been the best sounding 8” drivers I have heard to date. The SI BMs really worked well under the seats.


8" midbass drivers in sealed enclosures under the seats of a 1st-generation Scion xB? You have my attention, good sirs.


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## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

HondAudio said:


> 8" midbass drivers in sealed enclosures under the seats of a 1st-generation Scion xB? You have my attention, good sirs.


No, the 8" Dayton's are in sealed pods in the doors. The SI BM's are in sealed enclosures under the seats.


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

fish said:


> No, the 8" Dayton's are in sealed pods in the doors. The SI BM's are in sealed enclosures under the seats.


Do you have build pics for that? I want to start overthinking another idea for my install


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## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

HondAudio said:


> Do you have build pics for that? I want to start overthinking another idea for my install


I haven't been over this build thread in a while, but IIRC I don't think there are any of the sealed door pods. Zach said he was gonna update with some new pics shortly though.

There are some pics of the sub boxes for under his front seats in his SI BM review thread.


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

fish said:


> I haven't been over this build thread in a while, but IIRC I don't think there are any of the sealed door pods. Zach said he was gonna update with some new pics shortly though.
> 
> There are some pics of the sub boxes for under his front seats in his SI BM review thread.


Do you have the URL for that thread? I couldn't find it :\


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

DAT said:


> Nice , lets see some pics of the new setup that you won 1st this past show.
> 
> We would love to see them.


Thank you for the kind words. I have really been working hard to try and get the car to sound good over the past who knows how long. 



ECLIPSEsqfan said:


> Great job man!
> 
> I still follow your threads though I have been MIA for some time.
> Glad to see the progression.


Great to see you posting again! You still living in Napa?



bertholomey said:


> I had the pleasure of listening to Zach's car this past weekend. It was fantastic in every way. The sound was balanced, incredibly detailed, and accurate. The realism and believability was exactly what you would hope for when listening to a great system.
> 
> The H-Audio Trinity’s were a great addition, all of the delicate midrange material we threw at them came through perfectly (even the not so delicate Slipknot). I think the 8” Dayton’s in the sealed enclosures have been the best sounding 8” drivers I have heard to date. The SI BMs really worked well under the seats.
> 
> I have heard some very nice systems in the last few months, but Zach’s xB is certainly a favorite of mine. It is a system I would love to emulate as I continue to tune my simple set up. Thanks Zach for giving me the opportunity to hang with you at Vince’s shop - listen to some great instruction by Fred, but especially for allowing me to have a thorough audition of your system.


Jason, as always you are FAR too kind brother. It was great to see you and we were glad you hung out with us for the weekend. You know that you're welcome in our house whenever you'd like to come back out and visit. I actually did some more tweaking after you left and got my midbass to image a little higher and quite a bit deeper on the stage. 


To everyone else, I apologize for not checking this thread more often. For a couple of questions:

Yes, I am running the Dayton RS225's in .72ft^3 sealed pods bolted to the lower half of each front door. And there is an SI BM MKIII under each front seat in .5ft^3 sealed. Yeah, my midbass drivers have more airspace than my subs. LOL! 

I actually did take some pictures of the car as it sits right now. I'll be sure to load them into photobucket and post them in here this week. Sorry for the unreal long delay in updating my thread. Been REALLY busy trying to make sure I can stay competitive in MECA this season.

Zach


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

HondAudio said:


> 8" midbass drivers in sealed enclosures under the seats of a 1st-generation Scion xB? You have my attention, good sirs.


So if the thought of 8's under the front seats struck your fancy, what does the fact that I have 12's under each front seat do for you? LOL!!!!


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## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

HondAudio said:


> Do you have the URL for that thread? I couldn't find it :\


Here ya go... 

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/member-product-reviews/68653-stereo-integrity-bm-prototype.html


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Boostedrex said:


> So if the thought of 8's under the front seats struck your fancy, what does the fact that I have 12's under each front seat do for you? LOL!!!!


That is... even more intriguing! Now I'm just thinking of ways to avoid having to run wire into the doors


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

HondAudio said:


> That is... even more intriguing! Now I'm just thinking of ways to avoid having to run wire into the doors


Running wire into the doors was a piece of cake. Just go through the factory wire loom. I was able to run 2 runs of 12awg speaker wire through it with very little effort. Just unseat the loom from the door and the bulkhead so that you can straighten it out temporarily. Then use a touch of vaseline and snake the wires right through. Then just re-seat the loom at both ends and you're done. 

Zach


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## mSaLL150 (Aug 14, 2008)

Boostedrex said:


> I actually did take some pictures of the car as it sits right now. *I'll be sure to load them into photobucket and post them in here this week. * Sorry for the unreal long delay in updating my thread. Been REALLY busy trying to make sure I can stay competitive in MECA this season.
> 
> Zach


Patiently waiting.


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Boostedrex said:


> Running wire into the doors was a piece of cake. Just go through the factory wire loom. I was able to run 2 runs of 12awg speaker wire through it with very little effort. Just unseat the loom from the door and the bulkhead so that you can straighten it out temporarily. Then use a touch of vaseline and snake the wires right through. Then just re-seat the loom at both ends and you're done.
> 
> Zach


Sounds easy until I actually go at it. I haven't yet "practiced" on the loom. I was just tossing around the idea of doing midbass under the seats... maybe some JL 6w3s?


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

HondAudio said:


> Sounds easy until I actually go at it. I haven't yet "practiced" on the loom. I was just tossing around the idea of doing midbass under the seats... maybe some JL 6w3s?


Why waste that space on midbass when you could tuck subs or amps under there??  And if you were going to put midbass drivers under the seats I'd hope you would go with something more substantial than a 6.5" driver. 

As for the loom, it is honestly really easy. Don't be afraid to just dive right in. It will take a little patience, but other than that it's actually really easy. The xB is one of the easiest cars I've ever taken apart/put back together. And I've gutted the interior of my xB all the way down to the sheet metal. Dash and all!


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## sutherds (Feb 2, 2010)

Nice Setup


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## kelrog (Apr 11, 2009)

Recent pics of the SI BM installed?


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

kelrog said:


> Recent pics of the SI BM installed?


The pics don't look any different than the pictures of the prototype BM that I had installed. They are tucked up under the front seats of my car and you can't even really see them unless you pull the front seat completely out.


That said, I was tired of getting hit in MECA competition for having stage width problems. While I admit that I did have width issues, I wasn't happy about it. So I took the last 2 days and rebuilt my dash pods from scratch. I was able to get the mids and tweets a little more on axis as well as getting the midranges mounted about 2.25" wider than they used to be. Here is a quick shot to show the pods before any cosmetic finishing.


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## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Pods looking good bro.


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## slade1274 (Mar 25, 2008)

Dood... your VBA cracked the windshield! SI BM FTW!


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

tintbox said:


> Pods looking good bro.


You want the old pods? They're far from perfect, but they worked pretty well for me this season. I'll ship them out to you loaded with Dayton RS100's in the midrange position and no tweet included for $60 shipped if so. If not, no worries.




slade1274 said:


> Dood... your VBA cracked the windshield! SI BM FTW!


Tell me about it!! LOL!! Actually, several rocks on the wonderful Cali public roads cracked the right side and my impatience cracked the left side. Did you know that fiberglass, when used as a lever with the dash as a fulcrum, is strong enough to crack a windshield?? Want to ask how I know this now? LOL!!!!!!!!!!


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Fred did the same thing in his Saturn. Didn't sand down a small protrusion, tried to force it in place and cracked the windshield.


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## JayGold (May 12, 2010)

Not to shabby...rookie


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## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Let me know if you still want to sell those pods. I'm always up for trying out new stuff.


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Nice work. Check out what I've been doing on my toaster recently:

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/product-selection-comparisons/76902-ppi-jl-my-install-options-2.html#post1072907


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

I hear your doing good with the xB in the lanes in California...

Great Job..


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

DAT said:


> I hear your doing good with the xB in the lanes in California...
> 
> Great Job..


Thanks DAT. Yeah, the car isn't doing too bad in the lanes. 5 1st place finishes and 1 2nd place finish in MECA's Modified class this season. Sitting in 1st place in the state as of right now. I'm very pleased with the results so far. It's going to get MUCH better though. Have a few tricks up my sleeve yet.


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## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Nice.


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