# Thanks DIYMOBILEAUDIO -- Finished Pics



## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Hey guys, I just want to thank all of your for your help, support, and most of all, great prices on used equipment. This system went in my father's Chevy Avalanche and everything except the wiring was purchased from members of this community to stay within a $500 budget. It's been installed for a few months now but I finally got around to taking some photos. Take a look and see how it turned out...

*Equipment 
*(specs are a little foggy since some gear was purchased over 6 months ago...correct me if I'm wrong about any of this)

*Amplifier*: NeXT 5-channel 4x30 +1x200 ($145 shipped)
*Subwoofer*: NeXT 10" ($30 shipped)
*Speakers*: Dayton Woofers, Seas tweeters (I think), with pods ($215 shipped)
*Crossover*: PPI X3 3-way crossover ($26 shipped)
*Interconnects*: Short runs made from CAT5 and Street wires end caps ($13 shipped). Long runs purchased from KnuKoncepts
*Other wiring*: purchased from KnuKonceptz
*Total thus far: $429. *

I think the order was about $50 from KnuKonceptz and I spend $50 on a PAC OEM-2 line out converter (could have got one cheaper but I wanted it to be plug-and-play). Then I spent a little more for supplies at Parts Express, Home Depot, and the local fabric store. So the total was probably around *$600*. Of course, it is wired and ready to go if/when my Dad wants to upgrade the head unit (currently the weakest link in the system).

Ok ok, enough with the mumbo jumbo, How about some pics?



























































































Stock head unit left in place to save money









Remote bass knob above traction control button.


















Just an FYI, this wasn't the first time I've installed audio gear before. It was however the first time I pieced together DIY speakers and bought non-car-audio components. It is my second active setup (I am running DLS Iridiums in a 4-way active setup in my car)


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## robbyho (Oct 21, 2005)

wow, for $600 that is pretty sweet! Of course all the fabrication work would probably quadruple that, but I'm sure you do it cause you love it. 

One question, why is the mid recessed so much but the tweeter isn't at all?

Rob


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## AzGrower (May 30, 2005)

Those are beautiful pods...and yes those are the Seas 27tdfc tweeters...

Do you have build pics of the short runs where you used Cat 5 cable?

That amp-sub cover piece doesnt quite fit to cover the amp-processor area, you can see a small line...but thats just me being anal.


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## stormtrooper (Dec 10, 2005)

Nice job, dad should be happy....plus you can buy him a HU for father's day...lol


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## zfactor (Oct 19, 2005)

AzGrower said:


> Those are beautiful pods...and yes those are the Seas 27tdfc tweeters...
> 
> Do you have build pics of the short runs where you used Cat 5 cable?
> 
> That amp-sub cover piece doesnt quite fit to cover the amp-processor area, you can see a small line...but thats just me being anal.


where i missed this and i am picky???? great job man looks awesome for a diy job


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## ocuriel (Oct 7, 2005)

That is some great work. Very skilled install. Dad should be proud.


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## |Tch0rT| (May 7, 2005)

Dude that's awsome! Nice install and a nice PPI X3 you got there. 

Ryan


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## legend94 (Mar 15, 2006)

i need some custom work 
great job, my testicles just shrank


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## shinjohn (Feb 8, 2006)

Dude,
Nice job. True DIY and budget setup. Great craftsmanship!!!!

So... how does it sound?


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## unpredictableacts (Aug 16, 2006)

wow....what is the final beauty ring made out of????1.5" ABS plastic?


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## rcurley55 (Jul 6, 2005)

zfactor said:


> where i missed this and i am picky???? great job man looks awesome for a diy job


my only guess is that the gap around the x-over isn't 100000% perfect - looks to be off on the top edge - but that's being ocd.

I REALLY like that install - except for lack of grilles on the front components. The way you trimmed out the amp/sub is just beautiful


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## fit_tuner (Aug 14, 2006)

omfg, that looks sooooooo nice! slick and it looks pretty slick, simple, nothing flashy, but it gets the job done, good job!


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

Looks great! Get some grills over those mids and tweets!


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## AzGrower (May 30, 2005)

unpredictableacts said:


> wow....what is the final beauty ring made out of????1.5" ABS plastic?


Nope my guess is just plain ole' sealed and painted mdf. Of course sanded down like a mofo and painted with automotive grade paint...


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## khail19 (Oct 27, 2006)

zfactor said:


> where i missed this and i am picky???? great job man looks awesome for a diy job


If you look at the top left of this pic, you can barely see where the corner of the trim board shows, past the edge of the darker round trim piece. Hard to see unless you look closely. It's a very nice looking install, and very functional. Looks like you used barely any cargo/passenger space.


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## AzGrower (May 30, 2005)

I like the way the front stage is exposed...but then again I am partial to them since I made them


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Very clean.


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## bobditts (Jul 19, 2006)

wish i could see the pics. all red Xs for me. stupid miltary firewall. I will check it out when i get home!


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## evan (Dec 2, 2006)

Looks killer! What is the shape of the sub enclosure?


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## rekd0514 (Sep 24, 2006)

Very nice install! You did a great job.


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

The pods also look amazing. For some reason that picture didn't show up earlier. I would just feel uneasy having those unprotected soft domes. Suprised you didnt go with the metal dome seas with the grills or the dayton rs.

Also, how is that next sub? What made you chose that sub?


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Khail19, what you are seeing is actually a square of vinyl that I accidentally cut out while looking for the hole for the push pins. You can see in the photo below how close the two spots are. What I was feeling when I made the accidental cut was a screw used to mount the baffle to the rest of the box.










The vinyl trim piece is completely hidden by the painted trim piece, which as you guessed, is 3/4" MDF, routered, sanded, primed, and painted with automotive paint (spray cans). The fit and finish of everything is about as close as I could possibly want to get while using Vinyl (so +/- 1/16 of an inch). It is snug. I'll take your criticism as a compliment...since you couldn't find anything larger to discuss 

As for grills, I kind of wish there were grills for the tweeters but I told my Dad he just had to be careful. That could be a possible future improvement...but that would add more money to the budget.

How does it sound? Well the head unit kind of kills some of the SQ but the bass is pretty solid. Each time I go over I tinker with the crossover points a bit. The bass is obviously coming from the rear so that is something I need to work on.


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## coffee_junkee (Jul 13, 2006)

Man that looks better than many "pro" installs that I have seen around town. I especially like the use of a budget and sticking to it. Sometimes it's fun to say "I have $xx to spend and not a penny more" then see what happens to your creativity! That's why I have dollar amounts behind my cars', hope to show others that a good stereo need not be real expensive.

I'd let you work on my car anytime!

Great job.
Kris


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

evan said:


> Looks killer! What is the shape of the sub enclosure?


Sorry, I missed this question. Because it was raining, I didn't get any shots of the rear. It is completely covered in Bed-liner because at times it could be exposed to the elements. The box is a two-parter. There is a back portion that runs the lenth of the amp rack and a front portion that is just to make the subwoofer flush with the tops of the amps. See the attached drawing I sketched up in mspaint. The total volume is about 0.75 cuft and I added two braces along the back half and a little bit of polyfill.


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## Arc (Aug 25, 2006)

Is there any chance that you could ellaborate more on the construction of the rca's? I am going to makeing some for my car and the only way I have seen require $60 crimpers and stripers.
Also any links to where you got any ideas.
Thanks.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

CAT5 cable has 4 TPs (twisted pairs) in them. I used two TPs for one channel (left) and two for the other channel (right). For each channel, I split the two TPs and used the solid colored wires for ground (outside) and the dotted colored ones for signal (pin) but you don't have to do this. I used heat-shrink tubing to clean up the look and soldered the leads to the rca end caps. There is a how-to on how to do this with photos but I don't have a link for it.


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## 3.5max6spd (Jun 29, 2005)

Indeed, great work


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## khail19 (Oct 27, 2006)

chuyler1 said:


> CAT5 cable has 4 TPs (twisted pairs) in them. I used two TPs for one channel (left) and two for the other channel (right). For each channel, I split the two TPs and used the solid colored wires for ground (outside) and the dotted colored ones for signal (pin) but you don't have to do this. I used heat-shrink tubing to clean up the look and soldered the leads to the rca end caps. There is a how-to on how to do this with photos but I don't have a link for it.


I'd assume CAT5 is unshielded? So it's OK in your situation with very short runs, but not a good idea for longer HU to amp runs. Sound right? 

I might start making RCAs for the home stereo if I can use CAT5, I hate having to buy 3 or 6 foot lengths. Some of my runs are only 6-8 inches.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

you can also use coax cable if desired.


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## NaamanF (Jan 18, 2006)

Arc said:


> Is there any chance that you could ellaborate more on the construction of the rca's? I am going to makeing some for my car and the only way I have seen require $60 crimpers and stripers.
> Also any links to where you got any ideas.
> Thanks.


I just did a little how-to
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8158


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## yermolovd (Oct 10, 2005)

Talkin about RCAs, there's a 700mb avi video file showing the whole process. I downloaded it in torrent, not sure if it's still available. Worth a search.

And awesome install, everything looks so neato!


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## ronp (Nov 24, 2006)

Nothing better than the challenge of placing a set of constraints on a project and getting the satisfaction of the most bang for the buck. Nothing except for the satisfaction from actually seeing it through to fruition and seeing someone close finding enjoyment in your efforts. The trim ring really finishes it off nicely. Gives me a lot of ideas for my own system. Well done!


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## drocpsu (May 3, 2005)

wow...excellent install! That looks great. Your dad is lucky! I wish I could get my own stuff looking that nice!


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

The trim ring is my fav also. The concept for it had been bouncing around in my head for a while and I finally found a project where I could do it. I looked at designs people had done at www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com and thought to myself, I could do better than that. 

All of the custom boxes that they sell are $250+ and the JL Audio stealth box is well over $1000. So the way I see it, I probably saved my father over $2K. $600 at the local audio shop would have bought my dad a set of speakers and perhaps a 2-ch amp. Instead, he gets a fully active setup with a subwoofer and custom midgate he can show off to his friends.


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## Viperoni (Oct 14, 2006)

Great install!


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## pahhhoul (Mar 14, 2008)

*chuyler1*, you are truly an artist of the craft.


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## circa40 (Jan 20, 2008)

Wow, you can't beat that for the money. It turned out very nice!


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Thanks guys, I went for a short road trip with my Dad a few weeks ago. The system still sounds great.


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## turbotuli (Jan 30, 2008)

Very nice install! Especially for the budget


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## 328iBMW (Aug 16, 2007)

Looks very professional.

The most exspensive component that you bought was the four front speakers. Is that the best use of the money? Would some cheaper parts express speakers with a more powerfull amp have better results? 

I've never used speakers over $20, that's why I'm asking.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

The RS-180s are between $33-39 at PartsExpress (depending on whether they are on sale). That is hardly considered an expensive speaker. Regardless of power I really won't go with anything cheaper. More power won't make a cheap speaker sound any better. The 30w per channel from this amp is more than enough to fill the truck with sound. The subwoofer is crossed over high to make up for any lack of excursion the mids may encounter due to low power.

For a review of the RS-180 and other comparable 7" mids please check out ZaphAudio.com.


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## ArcL100 (Jun 17, 2005)

Dayton RS + Seas27tdfc... been there 

Nice install - not sure how I missed this one! I love it!

-aaron


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## 328iBMW (Aug 16, 2007)

chuyler1 said:


> The RS-180s are between $33-39 at PartsExpress (depending on whether they are on sale). That is hardly considered an expensive speaker. Regardless of power I really won't go with anything cheaper. More power won't make a cheap speaker sound any better. The 30w per channel from this amp is more than enough to fill the truck with sound. The subwoofer is crossed over high to make up for any lack of excursion the mids may encounter due to low power.
> 
> For a review of the RS-180 and other comparable 7" mids please check out ZaphAudio.com.


So the tweeters were the most exspensive components in the system. I went with some Audax tweeters that were ~$17 each. Are the SEAS worth the extra money?... I guess they are to you or you would have went with something cheaper. I just found that suprising. But I don't have much experience.

Anyway, nice work.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Were the Audax large-format? The Daytons are nice speakers but they really need to be mated with a large format tweeter.

The price you spend on each component really depends on your goals. If my dad really wanted to thump rap music I would have allocated more funds for subs and amps. If he liked to blast rock music I'd spend more on midbass...but he just listens to top-40 at moderate levels so I went the all-around SQ route.


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## King Nothing (Oct 10, 2005)

really interested to know if you were able to get the results you wanted using the crossover you used instead of a more expensive digital unit with T/A and all. Ive been thinking about doing this but i dont know if Ill be happy with the limited flexibility of the crossover


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