# 2010 Subaru WRX hatch build



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I wanted to introduce myself here and save a place for my build that I've started on. My name is Clint and I'm a Mechanical Engineer from Morgantown, WV. I've had stereo setups in several vehicles previous to this, but skipped audio upgrades on my last car, a 2005 VW GTI. I traded the VW on a new 2010 WRX hatchback in October of 2009 and it really is in need of an audio upgrade.

I have some of my equipment so far, but as of today (3/4/11) still need an amp and subwoofer. My install will consist of the following:

Alpine CDA-117 HU (already installed)
Alpine PXA-H100 Imprint box (for 3-way active capability)
Alpine KCE-250BT bluetooth module (w/ firmware update, same as 400BT except for streaming audio)
H-Audio Trinity wideband drivers
H-Audio Ebony midbass drivers
Massive Audio NX5 5-channel amp (still to be purchased)
Image Dynamics ID10v3 sub (still to be purchased)

I attached a quick system diagram.

I'm installing the Trinity wideband drivers in the a-pillars, aimed mostly on-axis. I'm going to use the grille cloth, resin, duraglass milkshake method. To complicate things, I need to build a gauge pod into my driver side pillar too since my existing one came down too far on the pillar. I should be OK going tweeterless with this arrangement. The Ebony midbass drivers will be installed in the stock door location on 3/4" MDF baffles, sealed with spray on truck bedliner. The doors will be sealed well with RAAMmat BXTII and Ensolite (ordered a pack of RAAM and 3yd of Enso), which will also be used to deaden the remainder of the car. I'm building my own short RCA cables to run from the Imprint box to the amp, since I can use the AI-net cable to make the run from the HU to under the passenger seat, where the amp will go. I'll use KnuKonceptz flexible power and ground wires along with an in-line fuse for the amp.

As far as the amp, I wanted something compact with enough power to run everything nicely. These Massive NX5 amps seem really nice and are priced well. A bonus is that the size is near perfect to fit between the seat rails. The subwoofer choice is still a bit up in the air, so it could change still. That will be the last part of my install. I want something that will have good SQ, but can go in a small fiberglass enclosure in the driver side corner of the hatch without sticking out too far. I'm open to opinions in this. Also, nice thing about the NX5 amp is that I could run 800W @1ohm sub load if I wanted to. I'll likely shoot for 400W @2ohm though.

So, I'll start posting as I make progress. I already have part of my RCA cables finished and the pillars mocked up. I'll get pics up of those soon.

Thanks for looking!


----------



## voltij (Feb 15, 2011)

What kind of box are you going to be fabbing up? Hatchbacks make it interesting as far as sub location and firing direction goes.


----------



## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

Sounds like a nice setup! I'm curious to hear how you like the Alpine setup with Imprint for tuning.

Are you getting the Audio Integrations enclosure for the trunk? Or making one yourself?
If you haven't decided 100% on the IDQ I would ask DAT about the Massive Audio DC10. They're similar sq to the ID but more output(if you like that). I'm super happy with the Massive DC10 in my car. I'm glad I gave it a shot. 
I've had ARC, ID, DC sound labs, kicker, etc. and so far I like the Massive the best.
Good luck on your install and keep us posted. And let me know if you have any subie questions.


----------



## Chayse (Nov 23, 2010)

Looks good. Need more Pics!


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

brocken said:


> Sounds like a nice setup! I'm curious to hear how you like the Alpine setup with Imprint for tuning.
> 
> Are you getting the Audio Integrations enclosure for the trunk? Or making one yourself?
> If you haven't decided 100% on the IDQ I would ask DAT about the Massive Audio DC10. They're similar sq to the ID but more output(if you like that). I'm super happy with the Massive DC10 in my car. I'm glad I gave it a shot.
> ...


Huh, I hadn't considered the Massive. I like the look of the amps. I'll definitely look into them. I'm planning on building my own fiberglass box. If I was gonna buy a pre-fab, I would go with the Wicked CAS box. But pricey. I'm hoping to have resin leftover from the pillars that I can use on my enclosure. The box will go in the driver side corner of the hatch. Something like this: Wicked C.A.S.*::*Magic Boxes*::*Subaru*::*Subaru - 08+ Impreza WAGON /WRX/Sti 1X10 / 1X12

Although I haven't totally ruled out a false floor setup. Just don't want to lose the spare and I throw bikes in the back a lot, so it would need to have a really solid top.

And as far as Imprint, I'll see what it does. I am mainly gonna use it to get active capabilities out of my HU. I think I will pick up a generic Audyssey mic off ebay though since I already have the Imprint software. But not sure if I'll like the auto-tune. If nothing else, it can serve as a placeholder until I get a H701 or the new H801. Hopefully when they come out a bunch of used 701's will hit the market.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

OK, so here are some pics of my limited progress so far. I finished building 6 channels of RCA this morning. Real short (1/2 meter or so) since my Imprint box will be mounted right next to the amp. They are Rean NYS373 plugs and Dayton mic cable from PE. 

Then I also have pics of the speaker baffles mocked up on my a-pillars. I used hot glue and wood dowels. The driver side also has a ring for my boost gauge since my old mount was too low on the pillar. I'm going to try my best to make things as smooth as possible so I can wrap them in grill cloth (or maybe vinyl, but probably not). If nothing else, I have a friend that works at a body shop who said he could paint them for me. Going to try to get my grill cloth stretched today. Maybe apply resin tomorrow, but we'll see.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

OK, well I got my pillars wrapped with grill cloth. The passenger side was no problem. I have a few wrinkles here and there, but not too bad. Plus I have a whole tub of Duraglass and have Bondo too. The driver side was a bit tougher. Because of my boost gauge pod, I couldn't pull the cloth tightly toward the top of the pillar since one side of it had to cover the gauge pod. I think I got it decent though. There are some wrinkles, but mainly they are where the speaker will be, so that portion of the cloth will be cut out in the end anyway. There may be a few small ridges on the baffle surface itself, but I think I will be able to sand them out.

I plan to start by putting resin around the edge of each baffle and the boost gauge pod, then put a layer over the whole thing. Once dry, I'll trim the excess cloth around the edges and proceed to fill any dips with Duraglass. I guess at that time, I'll decide if I need to actually use any fiberglass cloth. I'm going to try not to so it's easier to finish. Then I'll pour the Duraglass/resin milkshake into the pod from the backside and let it harden up. After that, I'll see about sealing off the back of the pod with a piece of fiberglass cloth. I may make use of some floral foam to make sure I get the maximum volume while still allowing the pillar to attach to the car. If that all goes well, I'll also see about adding an additional support bolt through the pillar and into the sheetmetal of the car. Not crazy about drill holes in the sheetmetal of a new car, but this thing will probably have some weight to it when finished. A small threaded hole shouldn't be too bad. Alternatively, I might use some double sided tape for extra support.

Also was able to make my grilles that will cover the Trinity drivers. Turned out cleaner than I expect actually. Cut out 1/4" thick rings that sit in the baffles flush, attached grill cloth with hot glue.

And that is a bumper pool table the stuff is sitting on, just in case someone was confused about the little red and white things in the pics


----------



## MTopper (Nov 4, 2009)

nice! haven't seen a bumper pool table since we sold ours 6 years ago. miss it but it was too much space.

pillars don't look half bad


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

OK, so I wasn't happy with my wrapping job on the pillars so I tore the cloth off and started over. Found a better technique. I pulled the cloth really tight over the whole baffle (even though it was not tight over the actual face where the speaker will mount). That eliminated all wrinkles. Then I took a second strip of grille cloth and wrapped it around at the intersection of the baffle and a-pillar, pulling the previously stretched cloth flat over the baffle. Much better, no wrinkles. So now I'm gonna pick up some brushes and mixing containers and put resin on today.

Also, I've decided on a different sub. I think I will try the SSA Dcon instead (10 or 12). Thoughts on this sub vs the ID10? The reviews seem good and it's priced very well. I need to figure out how small I can go on an enclosure though. Still wish I could do a Dayton ref 10" sub (I have a really nice ported 12" RS that I build for my home theater), but alas, I need a 2ohm final impedance. They need to make the 10" in a dual 4 config like the 12 and 15.


----------



## voltij (Feb 15, 2011)

You should be taking and posting pics bro!


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I will. I'll post some up once I get a full coat of resin on them. Maybe today. 

And actually I don't think that SSA sub will work for me. Didn't realize how big of a box it needed. So back to the ID10. Unless I find something better.


----------



## jackp311 (Jun 7, 2010)

Subscribed.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I've decided to get extra 4GA wire and ring terminals to do the "big three" and grounding upgrades when I install my amp. Has anybody done this on the newer model Impreza/WRX/STI? Just wondering how much wire I should get. I suppose just: batt(-) to GND (where is a good place to ground, I assume as close to the battery as possible on the chassis), alt to batt(+) (fuse this or not?), then engine block to chassis GND (same location as battery GND, but where on the block?). I'm sure I can figure these placements out, but if somebody has already done this I won't reinvent the wheel.

Resin application of the pillars went well yesterday. It was warmer out and I used more hardener. Pics tonight.


----------



## Chayse (Nov 23, 2010)

Pics?
Sorry, can't help you with your Big-3 info yet.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Crap. Yea I forgot to upload them. I will tonight. Promise.  I wanna try and get the duraglass/resin "milkshake" stuff poured in if I can. We'll see.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

OK, so I was able to pour the duraglass/resin mixture on the inside of the pods tonight. Went really well. I kind of got the hang of it as I moved around the inside of the pod. Not sure how thick I will want to go on it. I will wait for it to fully harden and then kind of see how rigid it is. I also need to add some of the mixture to a few spots on the outside where I had wrinkles on the driver side pod (because of the boost gauge pod). Or I may end up laying a piece of chopped mat on it, not sure yet. I'll see how everything turns out as I finish them more. 

Couple of pics of the outside of the pods. No finishing work at all done on them yet. I need to borrow a Dremel (or buy one) to make it way easier to clean up the edges.


----------



## slade1274 (Mar 25, 2008)

Dremel FTW!

Once things are finalized and you are happy, my local upholstery guy specializes in Subarus.... he may be a good source to really tie things up and make them look like the time and effort you put into them!

PM sent with some links for you!


----------



## kenikh (Jan 17, 2011)

Use straight filler to smooth the wrinkles instead of the resin/bondo mixture. You'll need the extra viscosity to build it up. Use sandpaper and a rasp to smooth it.


----------



## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

Fellow BSME with a WRX! Subscribing to see what you find out about the big 3 because I'm worried about the capabilities of the WRX power supply.


----------



## slade1274 (Mar 25, 2008)

Die hard platinum and I never had a problem.


----------



## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

slade1274 said:


> Die hard platinum and I never had a problem.


Didn't the STi have an 110amp alternator?


----------



## slade1274 (Mar 25, 2008)

LOL... no clue actually; but good point when comparing the WRX to the STi. Sorry to steer those wrong if the electrical system is "better" in the STi. 

I can say my stock battery was dog **** and I contemplated other electrical upgrades, but the DH Platinum did the trick with flying colors.


----------



## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

slade1274 said:


> LOL... no clue actually; but good point when comparing the WRX to the STi. Sorry to steer those wrong if the electrical system is "better" in the STi.
> 
> I can say my stock battery was dog **** and I contemplated other electrical upgrades, but the DH Platinum did the trick with flying colors.


If you say the DH Pt batt helped, then I'm definitely looking into it. What is the primary benefit? On the charge or discharge (ease load on alternator, or provide more engine-off listening time, relatively?). Or something entirely else.


----------



## slade1274 (Mar 25, 2008)

Never had an issue engine running- at any point in the myriad of amplifiers selections I went through- but the power off listening was greatly improved. That thing could go all day with the 5.1k pulling off it.


----------



## Chayse (Nov 23, 2010)

Do you remember what size battery you put in the STi? My bone stock '08 would always have issues with slow starting in cold weather. It always started, but it took longer than I thought it should. My '11 showed some of the same issues this past winter. I always thought the battery was a little underspec'ed, probably to meet a price point.


----------



## slade1274 (Mar 25, 2008)

More likely weight, the one I got was 2x the weight of the stock battery. Just went to sears and went with what their computer said was right for the vehicle.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I'm gonna get back to this build now. Spent a week in Hawaii on Oahu  Amazing place!

I've seen the JPM coachworks stuff before. Really nice. I actually did consider shipping them to those guys to get covered in alacantra or something. May just try what I have first. Grill cloth is pretty stretchy.

I haven't thought about upgrading the battery. Still planning on upgrading the ground and batt to alt wiring with 8GA or something.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Ordered the PXA-H100. Not as much tuning capability as I wanted originally, but oh well. I already have the damn CDA-117, and using Imprint/active x-overs in a single HU was one of my only reasons to get it. Otherwise I would have just tried for a DD screen or kept OEM unit plus a processor. For around $100, it will be an OK experiment and a starting point for me. If I decide the Trinity doesn't have enough top end, I may buy a set of the Enigma tweets and put a cap on them to cross high, and let the Trinity roll off naturally.

Should have more progress on the pillars today/tomorrow. I hope to get them cleaned up, the backs sealed up (between 0.5 and 0.75 L), and sent off to my friend in a body shop for finishing and priming later this week. I really just need an amp at this point. I'm debating on doing an under seat install or under the hatch floor. My amp selection will depend on which route I go. I'm gonna take some measurements later today.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

The pillars are coming along nicely. I had some trouble actually getting them to fit back in the car because the stock pillars have a good bit of flex to them. With the fiberglass on them, there isn't that flex. I had to grind material off on the bottom edges so it fit into the dash. 

The pic I attached is them before adding any body filler. I'm gonna hand them off to my friend in a body shop Monday and have him add body filler and do the finishing sanding, etc. Then he is gonna spray them with a high-build primer. He is gonna mix the primer to try and match the OEM pillar so they should look OK installed temporarily. I've decided that I am gonna do flocking (black or charcoal or the OEM-ish beige) on them in the end because I don't think I'll be able to wrap them with grill cloth very well. Plus it will look better I think.

The one thing is, I don't think I'll be able to seal up the backs of the pillar. I'm gonna wait and see, I may be able to stick a piece of fiberglass on the back.

I'm gonna order a Massive NX4 next week as well as an amp wiring kit. Not sure if I'll get battery terminals also. I was gonna go with a massive NX5 for a single amp install, but am reconsidering now going with a NX4 for mids and widebands, then an N3 for the sub to get more power. I think I'm gonna just break down and get an IDQ10v3. Not sure if a 400W @ 2ohm channel would be good enough for that. The 650W with low gain would probably be a better option (let me know if anybody has another opinion on the sub/power). Plus with this arrangement, I can always get an NX2 amp to bridge the NX4 for more midbass power in the future. Downside is now I'm gonna have 3 amps. But at least they're really small.


----------



## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

Wow how did i miss your build. Coming along very nice, very nice indeed. Can't wait to see it done and here your thoughts.

Keep up the great work!


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Yea. The only thing I'm disappointed in is not sealing the backs of the pods. At this point it may just be too much hassle. Those pillars fit really really tight into the car, so that may even be good enough. If I put them in and am not happy, I'll look into sealing them more.


----------



## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

ecbmxer said:


> Yea. The only thing I'm disappointed in is not sealing the backs of the pods. At this point it may just be too much hassle. Those pillars fit really really tight into the car, so that may even be good enough. If I put them in and am not happy, I'll look into sealing them more.


I'm sure you will be ok with them IB venting down to the under dash area. If they are venting to that area you are good to go.


----------



## knifedag007 (Mar 14, 2011)

nice build love the WRX


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Audible Physics said:


> I'm sure you will be ok with them IB venting down to the under dash area. If they are venting to that area you are good to good.


Yep, that's how they are. Good to know. I'll run with it. Thanks Mark!


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Things are shaping up! Just ordered an IDQ10v3D4 sub from Rick at raamaudio that he was blowing out. Amp and amp install kit is all that's left!


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

More progress! The A-pillar pods are REALLY looking good! My brother-in-law took them to the body shop he works at. I guess it pays to have the right tools at your disposal. These pics are before he really even got them smooth. He put high-build primer on them and sanded and they were damn near flawless. He offered to try painting them the OEM interior color that he could find on the paint code. I think I'm gonna try that first to see how they look. May not need to worry about flocking or wrapping.

Ordered my KnuKonceptz 4AWG wire and fuse. I got enough wire to run to the amp and ground it, as well as grounding the batter (-) to the chassis. I'm gonna start with that, and if I have dimming I'll try doing the Big 3 upgrade.

I've also decided to go with the NX5 for sure as my single amp solution. I was toying with some other amps (DLS/Zuki or Massive NX4+NX2+N3), but I just cannot fit them without doing a false floor, which I don't want right now. So the NX5 will be mounted under the driver's seat and I'll build a little wall behind it to protect it from getting kicked by passengers. But it's so narrow (5.5") that it should be well out of the way. I may have to figure something to do with the under-seat vents, but I'll decide when the time comes. Just waiting for DAT to get some more in so I can buy one!

Also, my Imprint PXA-H100 and the tuning kit came in yesterday. That thing is small, which is great. Should be sufficient for the time being along with my CDA-117. Although I am having an issue with a high pitch noise coming from my 117. Read online about some other people having it on them before too and I called Alpine about it, who said there were a few people that had to have them repaired because of it. I bought mine on Amazon, so it should have full warranty, just need to figure out how to get it swapped. On the other hand, if I can turn of the internal amp and it goes away, I might not bother worrying about it.

Planning on installing the mids in the front doors this weekend and fully deadening the doors. Maybe get to do the widebanders if the pods are done as well as the Imprint and bluetooth module.


----------



## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

Those look great! We're following a fairly close parallel path, it seems. Which isn't surprising since the car defines the installation. Also planning on the NX5 under the driver's seat since I don't want to mess with the hatch area (ordered an NX4 for now, until the NX5's come in). Also experimenting with wideband locations (Tang Bands in PVC cups, for now) and already ordered a spare set of a-pillar covers since it'll be my first time fiberglassing. Keep up the great work!


----------



## kenikh (Jan 17, 2011)

Ooh, compression drivers. Very cool.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

saMxp said:


> Those look great! We're following a fairly close parallel path, it seems. Which isn't surprising since the car defines the installation. Also planning on the NX5 under the driver's seat since I don't want to mess with the hatch area (ordered an NX4 for now, until the NX5's come in). Also experimenting with wideband locations (Tang Bands in PVC cups, for now) and already ordered a spare set of a-pillar covers since it'll be my first time fiberglassing. Keep up the great work!


Thanks! Yea, it's not too bad doing the fiberglass stuff. This is my first time making something that I want to have a nice finish. The worst part for me was trying to wrap them being aimed so on-axis. The grill cloth didn't want to conform to the shape I wanted. I had to use a second piece of cloth to kind of pull the cloth down so it conformed to all the angles. I think I have some pics of how I did it. You should check on sonicelectronix for those massive amps. I didn't even realize they stocked them. I got that NX5 for like $321 shipped and it was in stock. Use the "make offer" button.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

OK, more progress. Got my speaker baffles made. I used 3/4" MDF and then sealed it up with resin. They turned out really good IMO. I might get some longer screws to mount them still. I beveled the backside of the baffle to give the driver some room to breathe, but that might have been for nothing since the sheetmetal sticks out further than that. Oh well.

Got the speaker pods back from my brother in law at the body shop. He put on some nice thick primer after the body filler and I just need to sand it down to a final finish. Then I'll either have him paint them the interior color or do the flocking or grill cloth.

Tomorrow I need to work on mounting the midbass drivers and running wires through the doors. Should be tons of fun. I'll also seal and deaden the doors. These doors have tons of big holes. I need to get another piece of sheetmetal from Lowes. I'm gonna use duct seal to hold the metal on (thin bead) and then will put Raamat over them. I think it will work well. I'll also use the duct seal around the baffles. Should have more to post tomorrow or Monday. My NX5 amp, Knu wiring, and IDQ sub should all be here Monday or so.


----------



## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

ecbmxer said:


> Thanks! You should check on sonicelectronix for those massive amps. I got that NX5 for like $321 shipped. Use the "make offer" button.


I jumped on that last night! Out and offer for $325 and they came back with $326 so that's on its way! 
I started with CLD tiles on the outer door skins and discovered that Subaru has some funky NVH reduction ideas. How about the big plastic block with the Styrofoam on it?


----------



## req (Aug 4, 2007)

baffles look real nice for the doors. id put a little more sanding on the pillars if i was me though 

looking great


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

req said:


> baffles look real nice for the doors. id put a little more sanding on the pillars if i was me though
> 
> looking great


Yep. I haven't gotten to the sanding yet. It's been drying yesterday. I should be able to smooth them out this morning.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

saMxp said:


> I jumped on that last night! Out and offer for $325 and they came back with $326 so that's on its way!
> I started with CLD tiles on the outer door skins and discovered that Subaru has some funky NVH reduction ideas. How about the big plastic block with the Styrofoam on it?


Nice! Yea, there are some serious holes in the door. Are you talking about that white thing in the lower hole? I don't know what I'm gonna do with it. Tiles are going on the outer and inner skins, then some tiles or Ensolite on the backside of the door trim, then Ensolite on the inner door skin over the tiles. I'm gonna use enough of my deadener to properly do the front doors, then do the rears and hatch area as best I can. I may have to order another pack later to do under the carpet. I really would like to do the roof too, but not sure. I'm sure you know how much you can hear rain hitting our roofs.


----------



## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

Yeah the white thing. I'm going lay some aluminum flashing over it with a layer of RaamMat over it because it does buzz in the door when I apply a LF transducer (Audax Shaker). I hope I have room to hang a sheet of MLV and CCF and fit the door card back on. 
I'd definitely like to treat the roof with CLD tiles but I don't feel like messing with the headliner right now. These clips don't come on and off very easily on Subaru!


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Oh yea, I'm not PLANNING on doing the roof, but it would be nice to. No way I have enough tiles to get there anyway. I'm not really expecting to have much leftover for the floor after the doors, firewall area, and hatchback area.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Made a bunch of progress today! I had set out to totally deaden the doors and install my midbass drivers. I covered the MDF adapters in resin and let them dry for about 36 hours. I started out by making up harnesses for each of the widebanders and midbass drivers. I made them all up to reach to the kick panel area and put bullet connectors on the ends. I also labeled each of the leads so I knew what was what. The wires were connected to the speakers with standard spade terminals and heatshrinked and techflex'd.

The first pic shows the view of the wideband drivers from the middle of the back seat. Turned out really nice I think, hopefully it sounds just as good. The pillars are just raw primer right now and not totally smooth yet. After I get the whole system together and decide everything is how I like it, I'll wrap them in something or flock them. Before I could get to installing the midbasses, I had to extend the wiring for my boost gauge, which was a PITA. I techflex'd and heatshrinked the boost gauge wiring from the kick panel area up to the gauge to make sure it didn't get cut up on any metal parts within the dash.

I started on the doors by pulling the wire from the kick panel to the door. There is a really nice little tunnel going from the kick panel into the door connector. I pulled the rubber boot off on both ends and cut a small slit in the door side. I pulled the speaker wire through the boot with a coathanger. I applied a bit of grease on the end to make it easier to pull through. Made it way easier! Then I techflex'd the wire on either end of the rubber boot. 

To mount the MDF midbass baffles, I started by putting some duct seal on the metal. I then squished it down with the baffle and tightened it on. Then, I built up a bit more duct seal on the sides of the baffle and tightened the driver on. Prior to doing this, I applied Raamat to the outer door skin in strips. I covered as much as I needed to have the door feel solid. Probably more than 25% coverage, but not totally covered.

Next, I cut out a few pieces of thin sheetmetal I got from Lowes to cover the big holes in the door. I used a small bead of duct seal around the perimeter to seal the sheetmetal to the door. Then I covered it with a larger piece of Raamat, sealing the edges to the door. On the biggest hole, I also stuck another piece of Raamat on the inside of the sheetmetal. Then I covered the rest of the door (not total coverage) with Raamat and then Ensolite over top of that. I also used a square of Ensolte behind the midbass driver.

Holy crap what a difference in how solid the door feels! Just shutting the door it's noticeable. This isn't my first time sound deadening a car, but this time I put more effort into it and I think it was worth it. Unfortunately, because of having to lengthen the boost gauge harness and taking more time than I thought to pull the wire through the door, I only got one completely done. I have the wire through on the other door, but need to get longer bolts to mount the MDF adapter to the door. Just for peace of mind, I'm gonna replace the bolts on the first door too, since I only grabbed a few threads because of the baffle thickness.

Now the plan is to finish the passenger side door and deaden both of the rear doors and hatch area this week. My sub should be here on Monday and my amp will be here by Friday. Next weekend should be the biggest install day. I plan on pulling out both front seats and the center console, then pulling back the carpet for running wires and deadening the floor with whatever material I have left.


----------



## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

Nice progress. Of course you would have liked to have gotten more done but it's better to take the time to do it right once than to have to redo something later!


----------



## Chayse (Nov 23, 2010)

Looks good. Sounds like what I did with my doors. I removed the white plastic thing though, I didn't see any point for it with what I was doing to deaden the door. 

I'm not sure if you will have room to put an MLV between the door panel and the CCF on the door skin. My panels fit tight. 

I would put some CCF around or under the white plastic box on the door panel though. I was getting a lot of rattles from it on the passenger side. The plastic "welds" were done when the box wasn't tight enough. it seems to be a common issue on recent model WRX's and STi's.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Yea, the MLV isn't gonna happen. I decided to just do the Raamat and Ensolite. It's a Subaru, so I don't expect it to be BMW quiet. I just put a big piece of mat over the white thing. If I had removed it, then I would have had to use more sheetmetal and I didn't have enough at the time. But it's pretty well deadened now I think. I hope I won't have any rattles, but won't know until I get power to the midbasses. I am gonna put some more Ensolite on the backside of the plastic trim before reinstalling to hopefully make everything nice and tight.

Update: I just realized the door panel won't fit back on. Gonna have to trim down the nice baffles I made. It might not be the depth that is the issue. I'll have to investigate more tomorrow. But I had to pull the baffle and all the duct seal back off. On the bright side, I am gonna remove the crappy plastic inserts that the baffle tightens into and just stick a bolt on the other side of the sheetmetal for a more secure mount.


----------



## Chayse (Nov 23, 2010)

Did you trim the backside of the door card right where the speaker is? There is a lip there that comes out toward the speaker. I trimmed that off just to be sure it didn't hit. 
Also, how deep are your drivers in the door? Mine are about 3" deep. I only used 3/4" spacer and two thicknesses of Rammat to space the driver out and the window clears.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Yea I trimmed that ring. The drivers protrude about an inch into the door past my 1.5" spacer, so total of about 2.5" depth. I think the main issue might be the width of the baffle in a couple spots. It is hitting on the door pocket and I think the support for one of the door pins. I'm gonna start by taking those areas in a bit first and see if it clears. If it still doesn't I'm gonna try to mill down the baffle with my router. Lots of fun, when you think it's all ready to button up! 

But whatever, I don't even have a head unit right now since I just mailed back my CDA-117 to get it replaced. Terrible high frequency noise from the unit itself. Even present when just hooked straight to 12V outside of the car. Should just be an easy swap I hope.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Have to re-build the midbass mounting rings for the doors. Grrrrr. Annoying. I really thought they would clear. Oh well, going to just do a single layer of 3/4" MDF this time and put a layer of duct seal between it and the door.

Also, just a note to anybody replacing speakers in a newer Subaru, take out the little plastic inserts that the OEM speakers mount to in the door sheetmetal. Then just use a larger bolt with a nut and lock washer. It will be way way more solid. I originally mounted them with the plastic inserts and was able to pull the whole piece off, with the plastic inserts still attached. Not too solid. Improving on the mounting rigidity is the only consolation I have to re-making my baffles.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Alright! Making lots of good progress. I re-made my speaker baffles out of a single layer of 3/4" MDF. It cleared the window track and the door panel went back on without any issues. I sealed them with resin before re-installing. I also used duct seal around the inside and outside of the baffle and a layer of Raamat over top of that. Overall, the front door speaker mounts are very rigid. 

Next, I deadened the rear doors similar to the fronts. I didn't bother to seal up the holes since there aren't going to be any speakers in the door. But I did re-use portions of the plastic sheet over the holes to keep water out. I also removed the speakers since they won't be hooked up anyway.

I also deadened the whole hatch area. Let me tell you, taking the side panels off in the hatch was a huge PITA. There are a lot of clips and screws and you can't really get the entire panel removed at all without removing the rear seat. I undid it enough that I could reach in and put Raamat and Ensolite on the wheel wells. Overall, the panels fit on much tighter and it's more solid. I also put a layer of Raamat and Ensolite within the spare tire area. I haven't put any on the actual hatch door. Not sure if I will or not. I'm going to wait until I do the floor and then I'll see if I have a sheet left or not. At the same time as all this, I ran speaker wire from the hatch are to where my amp will be mounted under the driver's seat.

I drove the car around a bit and the deadener and foam made a bigger difference than I anticipated! I currently have no speakers actually hooked up, so just for general road noise it was a big improvement. It also just makes the car feel more solid since none of the panels make any noise now. I did notice it makes it more apparent where there is no deadening. Like I can hear more road noise from under my feet and from the firewall area.

I'm getting ready to go down and peel back the whole carpet, remove the center console, and both front seats to deaden and run wires. Hoping to get it all back together by tonight so I can drive to work in the morning!


----------



## tronik (Sep 1, 2009)

I'll be buying a 2011 WRX in a few months so I'll definitely be following this thread closely. Looking forward to seeing how things progress!


----------



## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

Wow looking great sir, keep up the great work.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

More progress. On Sunday I pulled out both front seats and the center console and peeled the carpet back to the rear seats. Why the hell did they decide to staple the carpet down along both edges of the car. I think I'll hot glue it back down when I reassemble. I don't really like the idea of running staples into plastic. Might crack it. Surprisingly, the center console was really easy to take out. By far the worst trim panel to remove in the whole car is the big pieces on either side of the hatch area over the wheel wells.

So I got all the small clips and screws out, I was able to roll the carpet back. I started by putting the rest of my Raamat and Ensolite down. So far, I used a whole bulk pack of BXTII and 4yds of Ensolite, except for one sheet of mat and two 1 sq ft squares of Ensolite. I'm gonna save those until I have music to see if I have any rattles I need to fix. I put mat on each backseat foot well and the front seat foot wells on the metal. I also put as much mat and ensolite on the transmission tunnel because I hear noise from that area a lot.

Once that was finished up, I moved on to making a speaker wire harness for each side of the car. I ran wires from the a-pillars and doors into each kick panel area. I connected the harnesses to these wires with bullet connectors and everything was wrapped in Techflex and secured with sticky zip tie anchors or zipped to other wires. The passenger side I ran along the same path as other wires and over the transmission tunnel right in front of the parking brake. 

Next, I shoved the 4AWG KnuKonceptz power wire through the firewall in the driver side kick panel area. I was able to poke a hole in an existing rubber boot with a screwdriver and shove it through. It made a very tight seal, so I didn't even bother to use any silicone or anything. I ran the wire up through the fender and into the engine bay. It followed the same path as my boost gauge sender. The wire was Techflexed along it's length on each side of the rubber firewall boot. The KnuKonceptz fuse holder will be attached to the sheetmetal with a piece of this really sticky outdoor double sided tape I had. I used the same thing to hold the ballasts for my HIDs and they haven't moved in 2 yrs. It's pretty awesome. I was able to get my seats back in before bed on Sunday so I had a car to drive to work in the morning.  

Yesterday I pulled the driver's seat back out to lay things out for mounting the NX5 amp underneath. There are these existing threaded studs that stick up under each front seat. They really are perfect for mounting something to. So, I traced out the amp on a piece of MDF and test fit it under the carpet. Because of the contours of the floor, I had to cut it into two strips instead and drilled and countersunk a hole in each to attach to the studs. To make things fit nicer, I had to trim off a chunk of foam under the carped above each piece of MDF. I didn't get to mount the amp, but it looks like it will fit perfect. I'm going to attach a 2.5" piece of MDF in front and back of the amp to protect it from rear passenger's feet and to block it somewhat from the under-seat heater/AC vents.

That's it for now. I sent my Alpine CDA-117 back to the place I bought it from and am currently waiting for a replacement. Things are now on hold until I get it. I need to finish up mounting my amp and need to run all the wires between the HU and amp (AI-net for Imprint, amp remote turn on, power for Imprint). The Imprint box should mount under the driver seat toward the front so the USB and mic inputs will be accessible. I also need to mount my bluetooth box and place the mic somewhere.

I really hope to have music later this week!!


----------



## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

Did you notice any difference in road noise after covering the floor?


----------



## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

Nice work! Keep up the detailed build! This is all a preview of what I'm going to be seeing in the next few weeks. Loving the fact that there's so much room under the seat! With the NX5 raised like that, you could almost get airflow beneath it from the underseat ducts.


----------



## slade1274 (Mar 25, 2008)

brocken said:


> Did you notice any difference in road noise after covering the floor?


I did not in the STi; the only thing that helped was some MLV in the rear hatch around the wheel wells, but moving to a quieter tire than came on it stock made significantly more of a difference than the sound insulation.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

brocken said:


> Did you notice any difference in road noise after covering the floor?


Honestly I did notice a difference. Not so much real road noise, but going over 40 mph it's like it feels smoother overall. I think maybe it reduced some vibrations that could be felt through your feet or that you could hear maybe. I was actually quite surprised.



saMxp said:


> Nice work! Keep up the detailed build! This is all a preview of what I'm going to be seeing in the next few weeks. Loving the fact that there's so much room under the seat! With the NX5 raised like that, you could almost get airflow beneath it from the underseat ducts.


Well, there isn't THAT much room. If you look under the seat, you will see that the carpet is suspended on a 1.5" thick piece of foam. So you can put MDF underneath that. But if you set the amp straight on the foam and carpet, the clearance is real tight. I cut away the foam directly above the MDF and the carpet fits nice and snug on top of it. Once the amp is screwed down it will clear by maybe 1/4". But the limiting factor is the amp length. Because the low part of the seat is the rail. If you have an amp narrower than maybe 12" or so, it could be taller. Another nice thing, since the NX5 is so narrow, you almost can't even see it from behind the seat. An issue I still need to figure out is the under seat heater ducts. Ideally, I would re-route them somehow, but probably don't want to get into that. I might just put a vertical piece of MDF an inch or so away from the duct exit to force the air to flow up or go around. And cover the MDF with carpet. If I'm feeling fancy with the woodwork, maybe I'll add some kind of angled or curved action to the MDF.  I also have a bunch of fiberglass mat and resin. Hmm....



slade1274 said:


> I did not in the STi; the only thing that helped was some MLV in the rear hatch around the wheel wells, but moving to a quieter tire than came on it stock made significantly more of a difference than the sound insulation.


Yea, this was even with my snows still on. In the next week or so I'll switch back over to the summer tires and it should quiet down even more!  Man, did you find it as much of a PITA to remove the hatch side trim over the wheel wells? I never got them all the way off, just reached through and applied mat.


Oh yea, and super psyched that my new CDA-117 shipped out on Monday!! Should have sound by the end of the week! Audio Kraze off amazon hooked me up with a new unit after I shipped my defective one back to them. They were real cool about it. Thanks!!


----------



## slade1274 (Mar 25, 2008)

ecbmxer said:


> Man, did you find it as much of a PITA to remove the hatch side trim over the wheel wells? I never got them all the way off, just reached through and applied mat


Actually had to cut them off.... right where the rear seat back pivot is. The trim goes on at the factory before the seats- and I didn't want to remove the seats so I cut a slot to remove them. Other than that, I didn't find it too hard......


----------



## subiemax (Nov 19, 2007)

The under seat air vents only blow when you set the hvac controls to blow on your feet. If you don't use those setting, which I never do, you don't have to worry about them.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Yea, I do use them sometimes. I may just not worry about it though since in the summer it would be A/C, which would cool, and in the winter it's cold so the heat might not be an issue. I'm going to just stick the amp under there temporarily until I have my gains set properly and my sub box is done. Then I'll build a more permanent mounting solution. I need something for the amp and my Imprint box. At least I've got the base material bolted down under the carpet.

And my damn replacement CDA-117 still hasn't shown up. I hate UPS. Just waiting on that and I'll be able to wire up my AI-net, remote turn on, and Imprint power wires and button the interior back up. Probably gonna start some fiberglass work on the sub box this weekend. It's nice today so I'll try to get some MDF rings routed outside while I can to avoid filling my garage with MDF dust.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

OK, got some more work done on the car. I configured all the speaker wires and power/ground wires, remote turn on, Imprint power/ground, and AI-net so they all came out under the driver's seat and are ready to be hooked up to the Massive NX5 amp. I soldered fork terminals on all the speaker wire to make it cleaner and easier to hook up. Because of how the amp is going to ultimately be mounted under the seat, I won't have access to the gains and filter controls. So until I get the sub box finished and my new head unit, I left the amp at an angle under the seat, with the gains sticking out the back of the seat. Once everything is set properly, I'll screw it down permanently to the MDF under the carpet. I'll also mount the Imprint box more securely.

Right now, I'm just waiting for my replacement CDA-117 to come in so I can make the final connections to the amp, wire up the bluetooth kit, and finally hear some sound! Monday after work should be the day!

After that, I started to cut out some MDF rings for the fiberglass sub box I'm going to build. I forgot that my Jasper Jig only goes up to like 7" diameter. So I had to make one from a scrap of wood I had. Tomorrow I should finish up the rings and maybe lay some fiberglass.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

FINALLY! I have sound! I got my CDA-117 back from the Amazon.com vendor. Not thrilled. I think they just sent me back the same unit. It still makes the high pitch sound. I should have written down the serial number so I could compare, but it came in the same box/packing and had my same wiring harness with it. I need to contact them again. But it's really not an issue unless it's at very low volume. 

So, I started by installing bullet connectors on the harnesses and soldering some others. The 250BT bluetooth module and Imprint module both had bullet connectors pigtailed to the end of their harnesses, so they were easy plug and play connections. I also popped out a wire tie behind the dash that was attached to a nice metal support in an existing hold. I used it for my HU and bluetooth module grounds. I also dremeled out the mounting holes in the dash kit so the faceplate would sit more flush with the dash. I mounted the bluetooth module to the top of the HU with double sided tape. After making all the connections to the units I screwed it into the dash. 

I set the initial crossover points at 63-315Hz for the Ebony midbass, and 315Hz+ for the Trinity. I also took some driver distance measurements and set the time alignment. I will definitely need to fine tune some things, but as an initial setup it sounds GREAT! I haven't heard a wideband setup before, only read about the benefits, etc. But I can say I really like the way it sounds with so much of the midrange up high in the pillars. I definitely need to let things break in still and do a ton more tuning. I also noticed that the parametric EQ can be moved all the way up to 20kHz, which is nice so I can boost the very top end of the Trinities.

I set the gains at like 1/4 initially. Since the speakers are not broken in yet, would there be any issue with turning the volume up very high in order to set the gains properly? Or should I let things loosen up and break in first and just keep the gains down low until then? Previously I just set them without being broken in, but now I just want to ensure longevity of the speakers.

Still need to put all my interior back in and attach the 4AWG ground strap in the engine bay. I'll post up some final pics of everything later today. Next up after that is to build up my sub box. I have all my rings cut from MDF, just need to get to laying fiberglass. Once that is finished, I will come up with a clean final mounting solution for the amp under the seat. I want to build some kind of walls the same height as the amp to keep feet from hitting it from the backseat and keep the vents from blowing straight on it. The some covers to hide the connections on either end. All covered in black carpet, the same as the sub box.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I'll try to get some pics up of the current state of things. I was able to up the gain a bit on the midbasses today (maybe 1/3-1/2 tops) and man that little bit made the difference. Now I have to tame some rattles in the doors. They are well sealed except the stupid window switches/trim is rattling. I have some Ensolite left, so I'll try to see if I can quiet things down. Not terrible, only on those notes that are right in the meaty midbass range. Really pleased with the Ebony drivers though. Still need some more time with the Trinities to get things dialed in more. They sound very nice, I just wonder if I am missing anything without a tweeter. Anybody have a good example track that would show off the high range (or lack of)? I downloaded all of the focal disks but need to read up more on how to make the best use of them.

I also got my iPhone 3G to pair up with the Alpine BT box very well. Seems to work great and my phonebook is easily accessible through the HU too. And one last tidbit. After talking to Alpine, they told me to just mail them the CDA-117 and they would warranty it. I told them I don't have a receipt for it and they said it was OK. So I'll probably send it out first thing Monday. If possible I'm gonna try to make progress on the sub box this weekend.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Alright, so I got going on my sub box build next. I taped off the driver's side corner of the hatch area. Then I cut out a base from 3/4" MDF to give some additional structural rigidity. Prior to taping off the area, I removed one grocery hook and a cargo tie down, each of which are held in place with a bolt. These will be the mounting points for the box. I will back each location with a big fender washer or a piece of MDF maybe to spread out the load. I got a thin initial mold made and pulled it out of the car. Yesterday I added a few more layers to it and it's starting to get some decent structure. Today I am going to cut the excess area off of the mold and prepare it for pulling some fleece across the front. The speaker baffle (just set in place in the pic) is a 3-layer 3/4" MDF piece. The speaker mounts to one layer, then another acts as a flush mount, then the third allows a press fit grill to be mounted. I am going to put a piece of mesh across the grill and wrap it with the same black carpet as the rest of the box. I'll have some more pics as I make progress!


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Also, I don't have a ton of fiberglass experience. I made the mold and saw there were a few bubbles. I didn't want voids in the fiberglass so I ground them down before adding the next layer. I figure that's the best way to make sure the box is solid. Not sure why the formed or if it was just the mat sticking to the brush and getting pulled up a bit without me noticing. I'm gonna try to be better about it and get a roller for the next layers.


----------



## Chayse (Nov 23, 2010)

looking good.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Time to get back to the build. The sub box is coming along. I have maybe 3 layers of fiberglass cloth and 2 layers of chopped mat on the back mold. Gonna put another layer of chopped mat on there and then clean up the edges and pull some fleece across it. I hope it ends up as snug against the hatch wall as the mold initially was. I also need to find some tough mesh to go over my grill so the sub is protected from random crap hitting it. I'm gonna try to not have to order any more resin. I just bought Bondo brand fiberglass mat and am gonna get some Bondo chopped mat cause I used all of what I bought from US Composites. I hope it's OK. I still have some duraglass though. Hopefully enough to finish this.

Then, build my amp rack and cover it with black carpet too.

Ah, and the latest development, I am exchanging my CDA-117 for a new W900BT! Also gonna get the JDM AV bezel for the 08+ Impreza for a clean look. That and a PAC TR-7.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Well things are moving along with the sub box. I put a few more layers of chopped mat on the back portion and it's really solid now. In the pics, you can see some of the spots I dremeled out and filled with duraglass that I thought might be air bubbles. It should be good now and free of any voids. I used hot glue to mount the sub ring to it along with some pieces of MDF and wooden dowels. I had to do it twice because the first time the whole thing collapsed when I stretched the grill cloth tight. :mean: The second time worked out though and I just finished putting a layer of resin down. I had a hard time getting the cloth stretched without any wrinkles at all, so I left one portion that had an overlap and didn't cover it with resin. Once the rest of the cloth is hard, I'm going to just make a cut in that portion of the cloth to remove the wrinkles and pull it tight and glue in place. Then I'll put some resin on it and maybe just start building up mat. I'm hoping to make a bunch more progress tomorrow. After I get a decent amount of mat down, I'm going to mix up a duraglass/resin milkshake and coat the inside. When done, I will be able to stand on this thing easily. I also have a bit of Raamat left, that I will put on the inside to dampen the box.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I also wanted to post up some better pics of my a-pillar pods. They obviously aren't done, just primed and sanded, but they are pretty decent. The driver side needs a couple of spots fixed and both need the surface to be further smoothed to get some lumps out.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

More progress on the sub box. I got more layers built up on the front portion of the sub box and poured several cups of duraglass/resin milkshake in the inside. It's really solid and sealed well now. You can easily stand on the thing. After the last layer of chopped mat, I painted on another layer of resin to try to get a smooth finish. It actually worked out well enough that I don't need any body filler before adding carpet. The carpet is pretty thick though, so it covers and small imperfections. I also got a piece of steel mesh that I cut into a circle for the grill. I'm going to wrap the grill in the same black carpet. 

The plan for today is to get it wrapped with carpet today and hopefully installed. My 900BT nav unit is on it's way to me right now, so I want all of this to be done for when it arrives. I also got the bypass for it, and bought the JDM bezel for it. The stock radio is bigger than a double din (width). And this piece is exactly identical except it's a true double din. I want a cleaner iPod hookup than just having the cable sticking out somewhere. So I got this PAC panel mount USB. It's gonna get installed in place of the stock AUX plug in the center console. I also need to grab a panel mount RCA plug for the video connection, but I think Radio Shack has those.

Edit: Anybody know what happened to all of the pics I uploaded previously? I can't see them.


----------



## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

Looking good!
You should repost the a-pillar pics. I'm curious to see how those are turning out.


----------



## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

ecbmxer said:


> My 900BT nav unit is on it's way to me right now, so I want all of this to be done for when it arrives. I also got the bypass for it, and bought the JDM bezel for it.


Hope you didn't pay for the bypass. You don't need it. You have to move a wire in a plug (usually the mute wire, and tie it and the parking brake to ground.)
Check out AVIC411.com for more info.

Also, did you get the map and software updates? The 900BT is like 3 generations ago now...(Not necessarily a bad thing, but the new software updates are supposed to add some features as I understand it. I have a 90BT -- Premier version of the 900bt.)

Jay


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Oh, I should have clarified. It's the Alpine INA-W900BT. It does need a bypass. I forgot it has the same number as the Pioneer model.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

brocken said:


> Looking good!
> You should repost the a-pillar pics. I'm curious to see how those are turning out.


They should be there now. But now the ones I posted yesterday aren't showing up. Weird. I got the sub box totally wrapped and it fits amazing in the car. Way better than I imagined. I have an issue with my grill now. I didn't account for how thick this carpet is. I wrapped the grill and box and it wouldn't press fit. I need to cut a new ring and re-do. Sucks cause the grill I made turned out perfect. Hot glue + carpet is a really tight bond! I also put some Raamat on the inside of the box on the large flat portions.

I'll get some pics of the final sub box put up later today. I need to get some hardware to bolt it into the car today too.


----------



## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

Pods are looking good. Did you say if your final step is paint? Or are you wrapping them?


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Well, right now I really want to wrap them in grill cloth. My plan is to get the entire system done (getting close!) and listen to it for a bit. As long as I'm happy with it (and don't want to get more complicated by adding tweeters) then I will pull them out and do more finishing work (there are a couple places that need grinded down, and some that need built up). I plan to experiment with some dye and paint to match the stock interior color exactly with the grill cloth. I have a good size piece of white grill cloth, so I should have enough to experiment with. In the end, if all else fails and I cannot match the color or wrap the pillars, I'll do some SEM texture paint.


----------



## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

Grill cloth is a good way to go. It stretches really easily and has a nice texture.
I wouldn't worry so much about matching colors exactly. As long as you don't have a stark contrast it should blend with the grays and blacks in the car.

Painting can turn out really good but it's a LOT more work getting that finish just right.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Well I'm reposting the pics from a couple posts up because they seemed to have disappeared. 

I also put some final pics of the sub box. I bolted it into the car using two existing bolts. One is near the hatch and used for a tie down, the other is where the grocery hook used to be (directly behind the box). In the tie down bolt hole, I just stuck a stud (cut the head off a bolt). This is how Audio Integrations does with their box for the 08+ WRX because you really can't reach in and get the bolt to thread. With that stud and the other bolt, this thing isn't going anywhere! I had to install the sub with the box installed. As a result I noticed that the bottom edge of the sub appears to be out a bit more than the top even with all of the screws tightened. I need to pull them all back out and see if I can get it more even. I'm gonna see about sticking a Ensolite gasket under it to help. I also found that I had an extra MDF disk leftover from cutting holes for the mounting baffle that will fit exactly for a new grill. I just need to cut the center out and reattach my grill and carpet.

My nav unit will be delivered friday and I can FINALLY hear the complete system. Psyched!! I'm gonna get this grill finished up today and work on my USB/composite video input panel for the center console.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Forgot the other sub build pics. There is also a pic of the JDM double din bezel compared to the original one, which is wider.


----------



## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

ecbmxer said:


> Oh, I should have clarified. It's the Alpine INA-W900BT. It does need a bypass. I forgot it has the same number as the Pioneer model.


Ooops. My bad. Carry on. 

Jay


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Ahaha it lives! Friday afternoon after work I got the new Alpine 900BT installed and finally got to hear my sub. So far seems pretty good, but I need time to dial things in. What I will say is the 900BT fits AMAZINGLY in the JDM double DIN slot. Maybe better than any double din I've seen in a Subaru. The top and sides are essentially totally flush with the trim. I'll post pics of all this later today. I'm also thinking about trying an Imprint run to see what I think of it. It sounds great, but I will say that I really liked an old setup I had with DLS Ultimate amps on everything. There is something about the way those amps sound that I like. May have to plan an upgrade in the future.  But they're pretty much as big as my car, so not sure if I can.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Alright, got some pics of things as of now. There are some of the 900BT screen installed with the JDM bezel, the custom USB/iPod video panel I installed in place of the OEM aux jack in the center console, and some more of the sub box along with the new grill I built.

The grill is just a MDF ring and some steel mesh I bought for $10 from Lowes. Cut it out with snips and painted everything black. Then attached the grill with hot glue. I should note that the strength of hot glue on MDF is amazing. I had to re-do my first grill because it wouldn't press fit in (too thick of carpet). I was pulling the carpet off of the MDF, which was hot glued, and it literally ripped apart the MDF.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

OK, so I also had a chance to play with Imprint today and wanted to give my impressions. 

First off, you need to make sure and install the software correctly. I did mine wrong at first and kept getting Error -2 and Error 0014. It worked for me when I took my computer out to the car, plugged in the mic to the H100, then plugged the H100 to my computer and turned the ignition to ACC. Then I started my computer. Once it was started, I installed the software. First, make sure and open the USB drivers folder and install them. Then, install the sound manager program. I then restarted the computer and was good to go.

So I took all my measurements from the driver seat. For this preliminary run, I just took 3 measurements. One right in the center of the seat where the middle of your head would be, then two more, one to the left and one to the right, probably about where your ears would be. 

I set my crossover points PRIOR to doing the auto-tune. I am sure now, that Imprint respects your midbass high pass and low pass, as well as your tweeter high pass. I am sure of this because of how Imprint considers an active arrangement. It combines the high and mid into a single driver for EQ and determine the crossover point between the sub and midbass. I verified this using sine waves at a variety of frequencies and listening to when the sound starts to come out of the tweeter (widebander for me). It just uses whatever crossover values you have set prior to running MultiEQ.

I set the gain for my highs (Trinity widebander) prior to doing and auto-tuning. Then I put my midbass and sub gains at maybe 1/8. This seemed to work very well for me. I was able to turn them back up to normal levels afterwards and get pretty good midbass and sub bass performance.

In general, the Imprint tune resulted in a well defined soundstage. I had done a quick manual time alignment before and Imprint improved it further. It significantly improved the stage width for me, which I was happy with. It was also able to really tame a few frequencies that were fatiguing before. Overall it added more detail. 

Now, I don't like the fact that I cannot see the exact settings it ended up with. Here are the calibration results. The results here back up what I was saying about respecting crossover values. You can see in channels 3 and 4 it does not show any crossover values since it just uses what you have already set. But, the sub low pass and midbass high pass are shown. It shows the crossover frequency and then the cutoff frequency (20 Hz here). I think that means below 20 Hz it fully cuts it to zero output and uses a 2nd order slope between 20 Hz and 60 Hz for the midbass. Also note the different settings between left and right. Now, what I am afraid of is the cutoff frequency for the sub. It shows 40 Hz and then the crossover frequency is at zero. So I guess the sub is only 40 Hz and below. I'd like that to be higher.

I'd like to do some more runs to see if I can get even better results, but for now I'm pretty happy. I'm most happy to know that it respects the crossover settings for the tweeter and midbass. I think it will be OK until I can eventually get some money together for an H800, which would be a straight drop in replacement for the H100. So now all I need to finish is building an amp rack for the NX5 and finish and wrap the a-pillars. I'm gonna give it a couple weeks before I mount the amp so I can change gain settings easily.

- <SOAP-ENV:Envelope xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:SOAP-ENC="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/" xmlns:SOAP-ENV="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:clr="http://schemas.microsoft.com/soap/encoding/clr/1.0" SOAP-ENV:encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/">
- <SOAP-ENV:Body>
- <SOAP-ENC:Array SOAP-ENC:arrayType="a1etectionResult[6]" xmlns:a1="http://schemas.microsoft.com/clr/nsassem/Audyssey/MultEQ%2C%20Version%3D2.2.6.0%2C%20Culture%3Dneutral%2C%20PublicKeyToken%3D3e91b7b9144c24c3">
- <item>
<Channel>1</Channel> 
<TrimLevel>4.64300156</TrimLevel> 
<MEQTrimLevel>4.64300156</MEQTrimLevel> 
<SpeakerType>SPEAKER_SMALL</SpeakerType> 
<Delay>4.25</Delay> 
<Polarity>-1</Polarity> 
<Crossover>70</Crossover> 
<CutoffFreq>30</CutoffFreq> 
<CutoffOrder>2</CutoffOrder> 
<scores href="#ref-3" /> 
<bestCutoffIndex href="#ref-4" /> 
<bestCutoffSlope href="#ref-5" /> 
<positionDelay href="#ref-6" /> 
<Level href="#ref-7" /> 
<TrimShift href="#ref-8" /> 
<mayBeLarge>false</mayBeLarge> 
<selectedCrossover>70</selectedCrossover> 
<filterSampleRate>48000</filterSampleRate> 
<filterOffset>-9</filterOffset> 
</item>
- <item>
<Channel>2</Channel> 
<TrimLevel>7.138218</TrimLevel> 
<MEQTrimLevel>7.138218</MEQTrimLevel> 
<SpeakerType>SPEAKER_SMALL</SpeakerType> 
<Delay>4.14583349</Delay> 
<Polarity>1</Polarity> 
<Crossover>60</Crossover> 
<CutoffFreq>20</CutoffFreq> 
<CutoffOrder>2</CutoffOrder> 
<scores href="#ref-9" /> 
<bestCutoffIndex href="#ref-10" /> 
<bestCutoffSlope href="#ref-11" /> 
<positionDelay href="#ref-12" /> 
<Level href="#ref-13" /> 
<TrimShift href="#ref-14" /> 
<mayBeLarge>false</mayBeLarge> 
<selectedCrossover>60</selectedCrossover> 
<filterSampleRate>48000</filterSampleRate> 
<filterOffset>-9</filterOffset> 
</item>
- <item>
<Channel>3</Channel> 
<TrimLevel>INF</TrimLevel> 
<MEQTrimLevel>INF</MEQTrimLevel> 
<SpeakerType>SPEAKER_UNDETECTED</SpeakerType> 
<Delay>0.104166664</Delay> 
<Polarity>1</Polarity> 
<Crossover>0</Crossover> 
<CutoffFreq>0</CutoffFreq> 
<CutoffOrder>0</CutoffOrder> 
<scores href="#ref-15" /> 
<bestCutoffIndex href="#ref-16" /> 
<bestCutoffSlope href="#ref-17" /> 
<positionDelay href="#ref-18" /> 
<Level href="#ref-19" /> 
<TrimShift href="#ref-20" /> 
<mayBeLarge>false</mayBeLarge> 
<selectedCrossover>0</selectedCrossover> 
<filterSampleRate>0</filterSampleRate> 
<filterOffset>0</filterOffset> 
</item>
- <item>
<Channel>4</Channel> 
<TrimLevel>INF</TrimLevel> 
<MEQTrimLevel>INF</MEQTrimLevel> 
<SpeakerType>SPEAKER_UNDETECTED</SpeakerType> 
<Delay>0.104166664</Delay> 
<Polarity>1</Polarity> 
<Crossover>0</Crossover> 
<CutoffFreq>0</CutoffFreq> 
<CutoffOrder>0</CutoffOrder> 
<scores href="#ref-21" /> 
<bestCutoffIndex href="#ref-22" /> 
<bestCutoffSlope href="#ref-23" /> 
<positionDelay href="#ref-24" /> 
<Level href="#ref-25" /> 
<TrimShift href="#ref-26" /> 
<mayBeLarge>false</mayBeLarge> 
<selectedCrossover>0</selectedCrossover> 
<filterSampleRate>0</filterSampleRate> 
<filterOffset>0</filterOffset> 
</item>
- <item>
<Channel>5</Channel> 
<TrimLevel>-7.11943436</TrimLevel> 
<MEQTrimLevel>-7.11943436</MEQTrimLevel> 
<SpeakerType>SUBWOOFER</SpeakerType> 
<Delay>5.20833349</Delay> 
<Polarity>1</Polarity> 
<Crossover>0</Crossover> 
<CutoffFreq>40</CutoffFreq> 
<CutoffOrder>2</CutoffOrder> 
<scores href="#ref-27" /> 
<bestCutoffIndex href="#ref-28" /> 
<bestCutoffSlope href="#ref-29" /> 
<positionDelay href="#ref-30" /> 
<Level href="#ref-31" /> 
<TrimShift href="#ref-32" /> 
<mayBeLarge>false</mayBeLarge> 
<selectedCrossover>0</selectedCrossover> 
<filterSampleRate>48000</filterSampleRate> 
<filterOffset>-9</filterOffset> 
</item>
- <item>
<Channel>6</Channel> 
<TrimLevel>-7.138218</TrimLevel> 
<MEQTrimLevel>-7.138218</MEQTrimLevel> 
<SpeakerType>SUBWOOFER</SpeakerType> 
<Delay>5.20833349</Delay> 
<Polarity>1</Polarity> 
<Crossover>0</Crossover> 
<CutoffFreq>40</CutoffFreq> 
<CutoffOrder>2</CutoffOrder> 
<scores href="#ref-33" /> 
<bestCutoffIndex href="#ref-34" /> 
<bestCutoffSlope href="#ref-35" /> 
<positionDelay href="#ref-36" /> 
<Level href="#ref-37" /> 
<TrimShift href="#ref-38" /> 
<mayBeLarge>false</mayBeLarge> 
<selectedCrossover>0</selectedCrossover> 
<filterSampleRate>48000</filterSampleRate> 
<filterOffset>-9</filterOffset> 
</item>
</SOAP-ENC:Array>


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Still screwing with Imprint. I just noticed that the sub trim level up there was a NEGATIVE 7.xxx relative to the positive 4.xxx and 7.xxx on the front sets. That would explain a decrease in bass. Gonna try some other things after reading a bunch of Imprint threads to see if I can get it to improve. Also tentatively looking for some DLS amps to replace the NX5 with. Not 100%, but looking into it.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

My flocking supplies came in yesterday! So this weekend I may pull the a-pillars back out a do some final shaping and smoothing, then try to flock them next week.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Just wanted to write a quick update on things.

I bought an additional amp, a Massive NX2. I went to a MECA event near me and my car actually did well, I won the modified SQ class. But, the major criticism was a lack of overall volume. So I will be bridging the 4 ch portion of the NX5 to put more power to my Ebony drivers and then run the Trinities from the NX2. I noticed if I turn the gains up on the Trinities as is, they easily overpower the midbass and sub. With the new arrangement I should be able to get more midbass volume without distortion and then up the Trinity and sub gains accordingly. Along with the amp, I got a fused distro block from KnuKonceptz and some new speaker connectors and extra wire. 

I also decided I will be re-making my a-pillar pods from scratch. I took them out to see about flocking them and the trim is separating away from the pod in a few places. I learned a lot making them though and it will be way better to just re-do them. I will also eliminate the boost gauge pod from the driver's side and get a new gauge cluster surround to mount it in. That should make the new pillars significantly easier to build. 

For now, I will be sticking with the H100 Imprint box, but I think I will focus on manually tuning things rather than relying on the auto-tune. Eventually I will replace it, but I'm not sure what with and still need to RTA my car to see how bad things look. The major thing I wish the H100 had right now was L/R independent EQ. For some reason you can get independent L/R crossovers, but not EQ. I might be able to use different L/R crossovers to help with some EQ.

Finally, I plan to get another 10 sheets of Raamat and 1 yd of Ensolite to add to the backside of the door trim and hatch trim, plus deaden my roof. The roof on my car resonates soooo bad if you knock on it. Worse than any other panel on the car.


----------



## subiemax (Nov 19, 2007)

Nice job on the win!
That's basically what I run for amps, as far mids and highs. Have nx4 and nx2 and have no trouble getting loud and staying clear.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

subiemax said:


> Nice job on the win!
> That's basically what I run for amps, as far mids and highs. Have nx4 and nx2 and have no trouble getting loud and staying clear.


When did you get the dayton sub? I run one of those in my home setup in a big ported box and it shakes the foundation, haha. And what amp is on it?


----------



## subiemax (Nov 19, 2007)

Actually I have 2 of the DVC HOs running at 1 ohm off a n4 sealed. 2k watts. My rear deck hates me! Lol! It sounds good on some rock and country, but really is not listenable on rap or anything with alot of bass. I have damplifier and ccf set aside for the rear deck, but have not gotten around to it yet. It's honestly aweful right now and might be too much when im done. Might have to just use one sub in the end, but we'll see.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Holy **** dude, haha. Does your electrical system keep up or you get bad dimming?


----------



## subiemax (Nov 19, 2007)

So far no dimming. But I can't push them at all without the rear deck going nuts.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Well I finally decided I need to really know what my sub box volume is. So I took it out, plugged up the mounting hole, and filled the whole thing with water. It came out to exactly 0.635 ft^3 to the bottom of the trim ring. So a good bit smaller than I was hoping and what I estimated with packing peanuts. So I may end up trying to swap my sub with an IDQ10v2 or TC sounds epic, etc. 

I also temporarily hooked up my NX2 amp. Midbass is so much better with the additional power. Probably the best my system has sounded so far. Still needs a lot of tuning, but getting better. I'm going to be remaking my a-pillar pods after I finalize my amp install. The NX2 is gonna go under the passenger seat and the NX5 back under the driver seat. I may make some kind of trim to hide the wires on the ends. I plan on aiming the Trinity widebands very similar, maybe a touch more off axis to try to make the pillars less obtrusive. But not by much if any. They will be higher up the pillars slightly and will be made a bit different to avoid any glassing of the end that transitions into the dash. If all goes well, I'm going to send them out to JPM Coachworks to get wrapped with alacantara with red stitching to match the seats (depending on price).

Once I get all that done, I'm going to try to pick up a new Alpine processor. Hopefully by then the H800 will have the kinks worked out and I can get one, otherwise I'm going to look for a used H701. If I ran a H701, can I just plug the RUX in when I want to change settings and then unplug it and put it away? Or does it need to always be plugged in.

I'll make sure to get pics of all this stuff to liven up this thread.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Alright, got my rear hatch deadened (mainly plastic trim), sub box was re-sealed (and I also stuck the rest of the duct seal I had around the inside of the baffle just to add some more mass), then I fully deadened the plastic trim for both front doors and made some nice gaskets around the speakers to seal them to the door trim piece.

On the sub box, I had it out of the car to check the volume and thought maybe it had a leak that was causing it to sound less than optimal. It doesn't really sound much different, so I think it was fine. Oh well. 

The work I did on the front doors really made a difference! Specifically the gaskets I made out of RAAMmat. I think it really decreased the amount of sound that was getting into the door because the trim doesn't vibrate as much as it used to. I also noticed I could get the floor under my feet to vibrate now with some real heavy midbass, which was awesome. 

Next project is to permanently mount the amps under the driver's and passenger's seats.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I've still been working on finishing things on the car. Since getting my Massive NX2 amp, I played around with gain settings, etc and got it where I want it now as far as the NX2 on the Trinities, bridged NX5 on the Ebonies, and sub channel. I really shouldn't have to change anything on the amps since all my crossovers and EQ is through my head unit. So I took both seats out and re-screwed them to pieces of MDF under the carpet, attached by an OEM bolt. I somehow managed to fit my KnuKonceptz distro block under the carped along the driver's side footwell. It was a tight fit, but I made it work.

Everything sounds good, still need to play with tuning more. Couple of pics of the amps, including the Imprint H100 box, attached through an OEM bolt. Still planning on switching it out for an H701 or H800 (once kinks are worked out), or maybe something else. I'm getting a Behringer mic and USB preamp so I can RTA my car.


----------



## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

Anxious to hear your impressions with the additional NX2. Still thinking about wiring in that NX4 I've got standing by to give the midbass some more headroom. Right now the gains are close to max on the NX5 for the midbass channels.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Way better with the NX2 added. All my gains are just a tick below halfway pretty much (with bridged midbass channels). Midbass is much improved. The other thing that really helped was sealing around the mid to the door card with Ensolite. That and adding more mat to the backside of the actual door trim. My crossover on the mids is 63Hz at 24db/oct (same as the sub). I'm waiting on my RTA setup, then I can tune things better. I have totally given up on the Imprint auto-tune process. It just plain does not work. Eventually I'll get a proper processor.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Got my RTA setup all hooked up to TrueRTA and have been playing around with it a bit. Tascam usb preamp (that also has a bunch of other ports to plug stuff in), Behringer ECM8000 mic (and calibration file from AVSforum RTA thread). I attached a preliminary RTA with the EQ settings I made by ear. Still needs a good deal of work and I am really limited by 5 PEQ bands and no independent R/L settings. Why woudl Alpine give you L/R separate crossover settings but not EQ? Doesn't make sense.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Haven't updated anything in a while. I was considering swapping out my IDQ10v3 for some sort of 12" sub or putting it in a larger box to get better low end out of it, but decided against it because I really cannot put any larger of an enclosure in the back since I carry BMX bikes in there often. I decided to try stuffing the enclosure with pink fiberglass insulation vs the polyfill stuff I got from Michaels. Surprisingly it made a decent difference. I didn't figure I would be able to tell. I think my lows are better and I have a more even sub-bass response. Gonna RTA it to see if I can tell a difference that way.

Tomorrow I'm gonna re-seal the doors. I wasn't happy with the normal steel sheetmetal I used, so I got some plastic sheet and cutting knife from Lowes. I'm gonna just replace the sheetmetal to get better/cleaner seals and also remove this big white block that comes stock in the Subaru doors and extend the plastic sheet over the hole. I'll have pics to better illustrate what I'm saying. I'll RTA after also to see if I improve midbass at all.

Thats about it for now. I got a new set of OEM pillars from Subaru, so a new pillar build will be coming up soon to try and clean up my first try. The fiberglass is kinda separating from the pillar and they are a bit warped. Also gonna lose the pillar-mounted boost gauge in favor of a new cluster that houses it and (in the future) a wideband AFR gauge. Next round, the goal is going to be able wrap them with black vinyl, so gonna try to minimize hard curves. We'll see how it turns out.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Alright, finally an update. I got the new a-pillars from Subaru and made new rings for the Trinities. This time I decided to try to minimize the outer diameter of the ring as much as possible. This way the pillars should be less obtrusive. So instead of routing a multi-step ring like I did before (PITA). Rather than having a step for the grill to sit on, I wanted it to sit right on the speaker frame. So I made a single ring from 3/4" MDF the same outer diameter as the speaker and then wrapped a piece of wood veneer I had around the outside.

The goal of these new pillars was to be less obtrusive and be able to wrap them with black vinyl. So they are going to be less on axis than my originals (which were essentially fully on-axis). I put the edge closer to the driver as far into the pillar as possible and the other edge set on top of the pillar trim. So they are probably 30 deg off axis.

I tested them this way just glued up before fiberglassing them in. I was actually pleasantly surprised. I didn't really notice a big loss in top end like I thought I would. Maybe if they were 45 deg off or more it would be worse, but I think it pushed the soundstage much further back (on the hood) and widened it. I also think it helped smooth out the response a bit. I RTA'd the new setup and compared it to the old setup (unfortunately not sure what the volume was at for the old measurement, so only good for a qualitative comparison). The top end roll off doesn't seem too different. I still have a weird peak at 7.6 kHz that I kind of can't get rid of, but thats a whole other issue.

I found it interesting that this new setup changed how the midbass sounded. It seems like I have better midbass now and now it seems better bumping the sub low pass crossover up to 80 Hz as well as the high pass from the midbass.

Well, here are some pics of the build process thus far. These pillars are going to be so much easier to finish than the others, especially since I purposely avoided the whole portion of the pillar that connects to the dash so it will fit back together than my original pillars.


----------



## vapor77 (Mar 12, 2011)

Following this, good work there. I'm about to try the same thing with XR3M LE's in my STI. Any tips are appreciated.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

vapor77 said:


> Following this, good work there. I'm about to try the same thing with XR3M LE's in my STI. Any tips are appreciated.


Nice! Yea I definitely have some tips. There is a build from Bing on a 2008 Acura MDX on here that you should look at and copy if you can. First, when you make your rings that the speakers will mount to, make them as small as possible (not sure if you will have a press in grill or not, but try to make them the same overall diameter of the speaker, then wrap some material around the ring to give a recess if you want). Second, stay away from the very bottom of the pillar where it mounts to the dash. I know I had fit problems with my first pair because I pulled the cloth over the bottom end of the pillar. It also helps to keep that part flexible for reinstall, it can be a pain when its really rigid from fiberglass. Third, play with your mounting angles a bit. With yours, it will probably be fine totally off axis so maybe not a big issue, but take your time marking out where the rings will mount so everything is symmetric between the pillars, it would really bother me if mine were different. Fourth, when you pull your grill cloth, minimize the area of the pillar that you work with. On my first ones, I had the grill cloth covering half the pillar and finishing was a huge PITA. My new ones extend maybe 1-2" above and below my rings. And the last thing, would be make sure you don't mix your resin too hot, because it will warp the pillars. My first ones warped a bit I think. Good luck and be sure to post up some build pics!


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

So I haven't updated this thing in a while. I finished my new set of pillars and wrapped them in vinyl. However, I made a bad choice on vinyl. I got the stuff local for free and it turned out when I pulled it tight, the textured lines really opened up and became noticeable. I finished them still, but will re-do them soon with All Sport 4way stretch vinyl. I will post up pics of the crappy vinyl and awesome pillars when I get a chance.

I also just today picked up a proper processor: Alpine H700. So I'm definitely psyched on that. I will be running it via AI-net from my W900BT head unit. I also believe that in the spring I am going to swap out my Massive Audio amps for some JL HD amps. I don't feel these amps are anything special, and I really cannot get to any of the controls with them mounted under my front seats. With 2 JL HD amps (600/4 and 750/1) stacked under the passenger seat, all the controls will be right there at the back. Then the fused distro block and H700 will be mounted under the driver seat. The HD amps should have a much lower noise floor than the Massive amps I suspect. I have my gains at about half or so and have some hiss on a silent track.


----------



## phenryiv1 (Jan 3, 2007)

I just saw this thread here and was wondering if you ever installed the PVC midrange baffles that I made for you. I see the MDF ones on an earlier page but nothing on the new ones from earlier this year.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I never bought PVC midrange baffles from you.


----------



## phenryiv1 (Jan 3, 2007)

ecbmxer said:


> I never bought PVC midrange baffles from you.


Must have had you confused. Maybe I found your thread when researching for the other guy.

Sorry.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

No worries man!


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Time to update this old build thread! I'll get some new pics of where my system sits as of today, but I recently bought a Massive NX4 amp to replace my NX2 and a pair of H-Audio Enigma tweeters. I'm going to be installing them in the coming weeks very close to my Trinity midranges. Because of the limited 6ch processor output, I'm going to construct a couple of simple 12 dB/oct passive filters to HP the tweeter and LP the midrange. They will be LR2 and if I flip polarity of the tweeter, they should be in phase with the midrange.

Since installing my mids more off axis, I feel like am losing some detail and top end compared to when they were on axis. I'm hoping this will help with that significantly. I'm still debating on where I want to mount the tweeters and what kind of crossover point I want to use. I'm leaning toward a pretty high crossover, like 9kHz. But I am evaluating the tradeoff between going high and taking advantage of the wideband response of the Trinity or going lower (like 5-7kHz) to try and reduce beaming from the 3" mid. I do need to actually measure the true diameter of the mid to see what the actual beaming frequency is. Or I may throw one in a baffle and measure the off axis response at different angles to see what it looks like.

More updates will be coming! (with pics)

Edit: Oh yea, and I moved to Pittsburgh, PA last year. Just an hr down the road from Morgantown, WV, but there's probably more of an sq car audio scene here.....although I haven't met anybody who's into it yet


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Haven't updated this thread in a while! Been doing some work on the car recently. Primarily, adding tweeters so I have a 3way front stage. I was running the Massive NX4 amp from a single 2ch RCA and had it bridged to the Trinities. Now since I'm adding the tweeters I had to run another set of RCAs over and get some splitters for the HI output from my processor. That way I can set the highpass for my Trinities from the processor and cross the mids to tweets passively. Right now just have a cap on them real high for testing. Maybe 8-9kHz. I am going to put in proper LR2 crossovers on the mid and tweet in the next week or so.










Right now I unmounted the amps from under the seats so I can get to the connections and gains while tuning. 



















Next I had to build some tweeter pods. I decided to mount them in the sails as a compromise between good sound and aesthetics. I could have done them above the mids but it would have been really high and the driver side tweeter would have been pretty close to your ear. The pillar kind of creates a bit of an edge near the sail panel, but its probably better than more reflections from being mounted closer to the windshield.




























Since I decided to mount them in the sails, I had to run new speaker wire into the doors. Always a PITA, but I managed to do it relatively easy. Used a piece of coat hanger with the speaker wire taped to it and some grease on it to push through the rubber boot.

While I was running the speaker wire into the door I had a chance to look at my door speakers and resin-coated MDF rings to see how they have been handling the weather. Not too bad! Just a bit of surface discoloration on the magnet, but nothing serious.



















To build the pods I first cut out the face of the blank sail panel. I sort of traced around the tweeter and made it a bit larger. I played with the angles in the car playing some music until I was happy. Pointed a bit up and a bit back. More on axis than the Trinities, but not fully. I cut out some rings from a scrap of 1/4" MDF with a router and jasper jig. I glued them up with some hot glue and toothpicks, then pulled some speaker cloth over and brushed it with resin. After drying, I poured a mixture of duraglas and resin in it and made sure it filled in the corners.




























Yesterday I applied some lightweight body filler. Today I did a quick rough sand. I still need to finish sand them and might need to still fill a few dips.

Ultimately, I'm going to wrap these in some black vinyl. I'm planning on pulling out my a-pillars as well and re-wrapping them. I used some cheap vinyl the first time and I stretched it so tight some of the wrinkles opened up. I'll probably get some 4way stretch.

After that I'm going to re-make the mid grills. I want to do something to match the tweeter grill. Like a black mesh style. I'll hopefully get some spare speaker grills from the local car audio shop that I can cut up and mount to the existing rings for my speaker cloth grills.










Also, while I was at it I finally got a new battery! I looked at DHPs and Optimas, but saw that Advance Auto is now carrying an AGM Platinum battery for $180. And there is a $50 coupon right now, so it was only $130! Best deal I've found on a proper AGM battery. Start ups are way quicker and now I'll be able to actually tune my system in the garage. My old battery would die if I ran the stereo for 5min with the engine off. FYI, anybody with a Subaru that takes a 35 size battery, you can fit a 34 which has way better specs than a 35.


----------



## evilspoons (Jul 5, 2012)

Interesting about the battery, and thanks for all the info... but why are your pics so tiny? Hahaha.


----------



## TheBetterMethod (Sep 19, 2012)

I like the way those tweeter pods look. Good work.

I have an 05 Outback, that came with the group35.
I pulled it out and put a 34 in it's place. Huge improvement.
It's about 25% more battery.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

evilspoons said:


> Interesting about the battery, and thanks for all the info... but why are your pics so tiny? Hahaha.


Yea, not really sure, haha. I should have just uploaded them here instead of linking to Flickr. I'll fix it for the next round of pics.


----------



## WRX2010 (Jun 11, 2011)

I have a 2012 STI and shows that my battery is a Group 35. good to know that the 34 will fit. Seems like most of the Subies use the same battery, except maybe the H6 engines.

Also, I am going to be modifying my sail panels to fit ESB Bluenote 25MM tweets similar to the way you did. Hopefully this weekend. Do you mind PM'ing me bigger pics of your pods since they are so small on here? Did you modify the attachment between the two pieces? I was thinking of epoxying them together without the screws because my tweets attach by a ring that threads onto the tweeter so I need room behind it to snug down the tweeter and will be cutting out quite a bit of the back part.

thanks and keep up the good work.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

WRX2010 said:


> I have a 2012 STI and shows that my battery is a Group 35. good to know that the 34 will fit. Seems like most of the Subies use the same battery, except maybe the H6 engines.
> 
> Also, I am going to be modifying my sail panels to fit ESB Bluenote 25MM tweets similar to the way you did. Hopefully this weekend. Do you mind PM'ing me bigger pics of your pods since they are so small on here? Did you modify the attachment between the two pieces? I was thinking of epoxying them together without the screws because my tweets attach by a ring that threads onto the tweeter so I need room behind it to snug down the tweeter and will be cutting out quite a bit of the back part.
> 
> thanks and keep up the good work.


Yea no prob. I'll actually get the finished pics up on here of the tweeter pods. I'll upload them this time 

I have them smoothed out and the tweeters installed right now with a crappy HP cap on them and the Trinities running without a LP. Still need to order some proper 4way stretchy vinyl so I can get them wrapped and the xover components to build passives to cross the tweeter to mid.

And if you need a battery, check out that deal at Advance Auto. Can't really beat it. I've run the stereo with car off up to 1/2 hr so far at decent volume and the car starts right up no prob. So I'm definitely liking the battery.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

So I finally got around to setting it up where I have a loopback setup for using REW, etc. I have this Tascam external sound board thing that I use to plug my Behringer mic into and provide phantom power. It also has RCA outputs, which is nice. So I used an extra RCA cable from my AUX in on my HU to the Tascam output. Works perfect! I should have some measurement data to put up soon.

Also, want to say that I like using REW way better than TrueRTA. It seems more intuitive and is easier to save and compare results. The main thing I want to try is doing some impulse measurements. Need to do some more reading first.


----------



## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I wanted to throw up some preliminary pics of the newly wrapped a-pillars and tweeter pods. I think both turned out great. I'm just waiting on some crossover components and I'll have the tweeters running and can re-tune. 

I'll post up some details later on of the wrapping process, etc.


----------



## evilspoons (Jul 5, 2012)

Very nice. Makes me want to put a processor in my STi while it's parked until my doctor says I can drive again.... but then I'd also want to go active on the front channels... I'd better just finish putting the basic upgrade stuff in my wife's car first, lol.


----------

