# The Build Will Begin Today.



## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

I'm a compulsive system changer. That is about to end. This next build could be my last for a loooooooooong time. I think I have put together some quality gear that should last. With the exception of some H-Audio love in the way of some new line of drivers and something from Patrick at Zuki which will be the same amp but no processing I consider my OCD system changes to be cured.

Format:
2005 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad 4x4

Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

Ok so it begins today. REALLY!

I decided to start with the a pillars and tweets. I had a temp mount of the tweeters using pvc cut on an angle to find what I wanted in the way of staging and I could move these around up and down the a pillar and cut at different angles. I opted for a 'flat' mount with a tweeter with a wide dispersion aimed at almost the center of the windshield. The a pillars were first painted with Krylon Plastic paint then textured with Rust-Oleum Textured paint then painted back to black with the Krylon. I'll do a finish coat tonight to dry overnight with a satin clear finish.

















































Tweeters are H-Audio Enigma from Mark.


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

Next I started working on the dash. Anyone owning a Dodge Ram knows that the factory openings suck ass. You only have about 65% of open grill area for the driver to work through. I had opened mine all the way when I had a set of Hertz HD500 dome mids in the dash. Since I was changing drivers I decided to change the dash openings to allow for better driver response. I started with a 3 1/4" holesaw to open the dash. I then took a 3 5/8" holesaw and cut almost all the way through some 3/16" composite flooring I had left over from a home project. Its actually really close to mdf. I then took a 3" holesaw and used the pilot hole from the 3 5/8" cut to center my 3" cut. I then returned to the 3 5/8" cut and finished cutting all the way through. I used an orbital sander with 120 grit paper to fine sand and shape the ring down to the size I needed for the dash opening. I finished with a hand file to finish the ring with a flange type edge to fit the opening in the dash. What you see is a sample / test fit with some crappy speaker fabric. I'll pick up some good stuff later. This was just used for test fitting and to see how the finish product will look. I kind of like it so far.










































Midrange drivers will be H-Audio Trinity. More to come tomorrow.


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## alachua (Jun 30, 2008)

That dash mod looks very nice. Can't wait to see the rest of the system come together.


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

Thanks. I forgot this pic of the dash.









Chuck


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## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Nice job on the dash.


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

nice work on those pillars. I think im going to give that a shot


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## mattyjman (Aug 6, 2009)

what's the printing or coloring on the grillcloth for the dash?


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

mattyjman said:


> what's the printing or coloring on the grillcloth for the dash?


LOL..its a stain. I'll go get some quality grill cloth in the next day or so.

Chuck


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

Looking good sir, looking very good sir. :thumbsup:


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

Looking good Chuck! I see a BeM6 and BeM3 in your not too distant futureYou can poke that gynormous phase plug through the grillepper:Those Anarchy midbass drivers should be a killer combo with the Trinity though. You decided on a sub yet? Diamond d6 comes to mind for the power you have.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

That looks really really good so far.


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## spmpdr (Nov 5, 2009)

subscribed!!!!


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

Hillbilly SQ said:


> Looking good Chuck! I see a BeM6 and BeM3 in your not too distant futureYou can poke that gynormous phase plug through the grillepper:Those Anarchy midbass drivers should be a killer combo with the Trinity though. You decided on a sub yet? Diamond d6 comes to mind for the power you have.


Thanks Chris. I've only just begun.



H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> Looking good sir, looking very good sir. :thumbsup:


Not bad for an amateur huh Mark?


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

stereo_luver said:


> Thanks Chris. I've only just begun.
> 
> 
> 
> Not bad for an amateur huh Mark?


Looking good sir, looking good. Not bad, is an understatement. Keep up the great work.


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

I started working on the amp rack under the back seat today. I had to take a trip to the salvage yard today to score some more a pillars. The ones I posted yesterday sold within 30 minutes of the posting. A new set is in the works.

I started with some cardboard for a template for the amp rack. Using 1/2" mdf I copied the template and edged the base with a 45 degree round over bit in my laminate trimmer. I then applied 1/8" headliner foam to the mdf and finished with some wool spun fabric to closely match the existing carpet. A little dye and I think I'm done. This is all I got to accomplish today. More to come.


















































































See you tomorrow!!!!

Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

The amp rack looks a little bland. I'm not sure I like it. A dodge truck is a ***** to find locations to mount amps and have them look decent. You guys have any ideas? I want it to look good but I'm more concerned with sound quality, accessibility and fuction.

I'll concentrate on some wiring today since ALL deadening was done a long time ago. Maybe work on what I'm going to do for a sub today too.

Chuck


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

Can you get a pic of the power and speaker connections? Looks like the same ones I have so you better use heat shrink. If they are the same ones hopefully living in a sauna the shrouds won't rot out causing a short as that was a concern a lot of people pointed out on mine. Patrick lives in nearly ZERO humidity so hopefully he used a compound that won't crack.


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

Hillbilly SQ said:


> Can you get a pic of the power and speaker connections? Looks like the same ones I have so you better use heat shrink. If they are the same ones hopefully living in a sauna the shrouds won't rot out causing a short as that was a concern a lot of people pointed out on mine. Patrick lives in nearly ZERO humidity so hopefully he used a compound that won't crack.


Chris

Thanks for the concern but I got it covered buddy.

Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

I have an idea for the amps (thanks Mark). Update at 11:00

Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

It was a busy day with OTHER CRAP instead of working on the build. I did manage to get a little done. A conference call to Mark concerning what the hell to do to dress up the amps was a major accomplishment. I now have a plan for them and will start working on them later in the week.

Today I did manage to add a little more deadener to the rear of the cab as well as under the back seats. I got the XM antenna mounted to the rear of the roof going through the third brakelight opening, along the headliner and down to the relocated XM receiver now mounted behind the rear seats.


















Next I decided to play with the front doors. Again Dodge smothered the door drivers with a crappy grill design. I opted to cut out the opening and install something that would let the music breath a little better. Using a utility knife I cut away all of the stock grill. I then temp mounted a set of grills from Morel Dotech Ovation drivers with some hot glue. Then I applied a little CA adhesive to lock the grills in place. While I was at it I decided 'what the hell?' why not give the Morel drivers a shot. So out came the Image Dynamics OEM drivers and in went the Morel Dotech Ovation drivers. I'll finish securing the drivers tomorrow when I complete the grill mods with some silicone caulking to the grills and door panel.


















































Tomorrow brings more work on the build. There is also a chance I MAY have to head back to work for a few days. This will allow a stop at the secret headquarters of H-Audio for another listen to some drivers I am currently doing a review / write-up on. I say secret because if you have ever been there you know that dirt road that the GPS tries to send you down is like entering the Bat Cave or something. I think Mark has something going on with the Navy / Garmin / TomTom or whatever to include this to keep unwanted folks from finding H-Audio.

Chuck


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

Wow! Excellent attention to details there!

You are right, it's easy to upgrade things on the Dodge, but when you're ready to get serious, driver selection can be very limited.


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## X-runner (Aug 7, 2010)

Looks great! Giving me some great ideas. Thanks.


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

chithead said:


> Wow! Excellent attention to details there!
> 
> You are right, it's easy to upgrade things on the Dodge, but when you're ready to get serious, driver selection can be very limited.


Thanks

Its all about the install. Taking your time.

Chuck


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## jimp (Jul 12, 2009)

very nice work but what were you wanting in terms of the amp install. the rear seat will hide the amps right? so it didn't have to be "perfect", unless you just wanted it that way. Nice work anyway.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

stereo_luver said:


> Next I decided to play with the front doors. Again Dodge smothered the door drivers with a crappy grill design. I opted to cut out the opening and install something that would let the music breath a little better. Using a utility knife I cut away all of the stock grill. I then temp mounted a set of grills from Morel Dotech Ovation drivers with some hot glue. Then I applied a little CA adhesive to lock the grills in place. While I was at it I decided 'what the hell?' why not give the Morel drivers a shot. So out came the Image Dynamics OEM drivers and in went the Morel Dotech Ovation drivers. I'll finish securing the drivers tomorrow when I complete the grill mods with some silicone caulking to the grills and door panel.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Like the grille install that is in the works.

Now that is funny as H**L:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Yes one more listen as I ready to take down these ugly make shift, rigged up enclosure to honestly may be a little on the small side, but man if they are image Chuck what they would do when mount correctly and in the right size enclosure are given there QTS of .74, mounted IB and with some real tunning.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

stereo_luver said:


> This will allow a stop at the secret headquarters of H-Audio for another listen to some drivers I am currently doing a review / write-up on. I say secret because if you have ever been there you know that dirt road that the GPS tries to send you down is like entering the Bat Cave or something. I think Mark has something going on with the Navy / Garmin / TomTom or whatever to include this to keep unwanted folks from finding H-Audio.
> 
> Chuck


Dang truth, brother. Dang truth.

"did you come down the gravel road? You wouldn't have had to come that way if you had followed the directions I gave you".

whatever, Mark. You and your gravel roads and horse ridin' neighbors.


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

jimp said:


> very nice work but what were you wanting in terms of the amp install. the rear seat will hide the amps right? so it didn't have to be "perfect", unless you just wanted it that way. Nice work anyway.


uh..yes it does need to be.....maybe not perfect...but it needs to be clean and look good if and when the seats fold up. Otherwise I'd just throw the crap in and tell the judges, "don't look back there and mind all the wires on the floorboards". I think even the judges like to see a clean install in a comfortable setting when judging.

BTW:....thanks for the kind words.

Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Dang truth, brother. Dang truth.
> 
> "did you come down the gravel road? You wouldn't have had to come that way if you had followed the directions I gave you".
> 
> whatever, Mark. You and your gravel roads and horse ridin' neighbors.


First of all I saw the gravel road and kept on going. Then this sexy voice tells me I have arrived at xxx on left....I look.....its a damn tree on my left. This place is a secret I tell ya.


Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

I can see a phase plug poking through the opening in the near future. Mark?!?!...hint hint.

*Teaser*









Work has called so the build will slow some. I have to travel to south Georgia for 2 days...home for 2 days then off to Battle Creek, MI. to start a new project. That means I'm back to getting up at 4:00am (CNN, Weather Channel, Set-up subcontractor logs and superintendent logs on the laptop, Check overnight emails from the office, A quick drive-by on this forum, Triple S's and pack for the day) be on the job at 5:00am and CONSTANTLY keep an eye on the subcontractors. Since my left arm is screwed at the moment (torn tendons and ligaments in my elbow with some minor bone fragments floating around) I'll be able to get off work at a reasonable hour when the subs leave for the day instead of the usual 9:00pm - 10:00pm quitting time. This may allow a little work in the evenings while I'm away from home. I REFUSE to get in a rush. If it doesn't get completed before I leave for work (which is a good possibility) I'll finish it while out of town or resume work when I get back in 3 weeks for a follow-up with the surgeon.

Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

BTW: To all Dodge Ram owners. The front door panel openings for the speakers DO NOT center up with the speaker mount. It is offset slightly upwards and you'll need to cut a template / blank to mount where the stock 6x9 speaker is mounted then mark center of the opening before making your adapters for your components. Also you'll find that the speaker will be recessed about a good FAT 1 1/8" back from the door panel when mounted. The thing that concerns me is the available breathing room behind the driver once you build the mount out far enough to get the driver close to the grill. I don't want to 'tunnel' the back waves from the drivers nor do I want to 'tunnel' the music to the front. I'll be playing with this in the near future trying to find a happy medium. I can see hogging out the back of the mount and adding a thin foam ring to the front. We'll see?


Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

Got an early start today since I have to hit the bed early tonight to drive down to south Georgia in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow.

Back to the dash. I needed to make a mount for my mids. Since I was using the factory openings and I have already modded the dash cover it was pretty simple. I started with the factory opening and made a cardboard template. Then I marked what I could see as centerlines in the driver opening. I cut some 3/16" mdf in the shape of the template and transfered the centerline marks. Guys you can flip your template for left side and right side. (Dodge Ram anyway) I did a little shaping and smoothing of the edges with a belt sander on my bench and then cut the opening for the driver with a holesaw bit. I applied a little flat black paint and glued the adapter in place. All that is left is to complete the mount of the driver when I'm ready to get out the solering gun.

























































Stay tuned to this station. We will return after a word from our sponsors.

Chuck


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## jimp (Jul 12, 2009)

guess that's why you call yourself "complusive" huh?? Seems like you enjoy the process as well. GL with it all.


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

I do enjoy it.........ALOT!

Chuck


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## SAABsonic (Sep 15, 2009)

Looking good brah! 
I especially like those Morell grills.. Badass.
Keep it up...


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## spmpdr (Nov 5, 2009)

stereo_luver said:


> It was a busy day with OTHER CRAP instead of working on the build. I did manage to get a little done. A conference call to Mark concerning what the hell to do to dress up the amps was a major accomplishment. I now have a plan for them and will start working on them later in the week.
> 
> Today I did manage to add a little more deadener to the rear of the cab as well as under the back seats. I got the XM antenna mounted to the rear of the roof going through the third brakelight opening, along the headliner and down to the relocated XM receiver now mounted behind the rear seats.
> 
> ...


Im interested to see how you make the grill mod look more factory in those doors. I have a great idea to match up the interior on my dodge. Excellent work by the way!!!


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

spmpdr said:


> Im interested to see how you make the grill mod look more factory in those doors. I have a great idea to match up the interior on my dodge. Excellent work by the way!!!


Go to LOWES and get the gray latex caulk. Its an exact match for the color of the Dodge charcoal interior. I'll post pics after I finish caulking.

Chuck


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## Drgrebo (Aug 22, 2010)

Hey man, I just read the whole thing. You're doing good can't wait to see it completed. I might just have to make the drive one day and come have a look. - Mason


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

Drgrebo said:


> Hey man, I just read the whole thing. You're doing good can't wait to see it completed. I might just have to make the drive one day and come have a look. - Mason


Do it!! Chas gets the next build. Good to see you here.

Chuck




stereo_luver said:


> Go to LOWES and get the gray latex caulk. Its an exact match for the color of the Dodge charcoal interior. I'll post pics after I finish caulking.
> 
> Chuck



EDIT!: Use the BLACK latex caulk. NOT the gray.

Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

OK, so I fired it up today. I temp'd up a sub in the rear for a little low fill. Initial listening with NO tuning and I'm amazed. I simply set a few crossover points for the drivers and gave the Zuki a little extra gain. Its all about the install that makes all the difference in the end reults when it comes to the sound. Pics of the finished a pillars, dash and headunit tomorrow. I'm still working on the amp covers and building a sub enclosure.

Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

The completed dash and a pillars. I searched for a speaker grill fabric for hours. I called ALL the speaker repair and sales places I could find in the metro Atlanta area. I went through all the speakers I have at the house, about 20 pairs, in my stash of used and extra parts. I made trips to about 8 fabric stores. On my way out of the last store I spotted what I used. It is actually a vinyl pet screen and looks like a speaker grill only flexible. Easy to work with and I 'may' use it to cover the Morel grills I used on the door openings. More to come!


































Some Pioneer goodness. I've only begun to touch on what this deck can do. I'll be making some trips to Alabama and south Georgia to get some tuning tips and help from Erin and Mark. (If the offers still stand)










More to come
Chuck


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## roxj01 (Nov 22, 2009)

do you have any more info on the vinyl pet screen?


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

Chuck that looks outstanding sir. Amazing work. Got it done so we can do some tuning.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

offer still stands.

i missed your call the other day, and just now remembered I need to call you back. I suck. lol


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

bikinpunk said:


> offer still stands.
> 
> i missed your call the other day, and just now remembered I need to call you back. I suck. lol


Yep you do been across the street from me again i see.:laugh:


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

roxj01 said:


> do you have any more info on the vinyl pet screen?


All I can tell you is to go to JO-ANN Fabrics and ask for pet screening in the fabric section. 

My receipt reads:
PET SCREENING 400101733348
0.222YRD @ 7.99/YRD

Total $1.88


Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> Chuck that looks outstanding sir. Amazing work. Got it done so we can do some tuning.


Thanks Mark. Wish I could make a living at it so I could quit all this traveling across the country.

@ Erin....You Suck!


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## roxj01 (Nov 22, 2009)

stereo_luver said:


> All I can tell you is to go to JO-ANN Fabrics and ask for pet screening in the fabric section.
> 
> My receipt reads:
> PET SCREENING 400101733348
> ...


awesom thanks! thats actually where i look first for stuff. i always keep a few of their 40 and 50 off coupons on hand too. nice work on the dodge btw, i have an 03 2500 im working on right now with the same color interior.


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

Note to self:
Don't make the amp rack too tall. Back seats will not fit back in when you are done. They won't flip back down into the seating position. Make risers from 5/8" MDF to make them work again. REDESIGN THE EFFIN AMP RACK JARHEAD!!!!



That is all,
Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

I wish I had more to show at this writing, but sadly I don't. Work has called and I'm off to Battle Creek, MI. to do another Jimmy Johns Sandwich Shop. This MAY be my last on the road project. I want/need time to devote more attention to my family and being able to compete and represent my sponsors. Amps may be changing as well as midbass drivers. I feel the need to show my love for a FULL team effort. Team H-Audio/Sinfoni may be on the horizon.

Chuck


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## jimp (Jul 12, 2009)

nice work, hope you enjoy the end results for a little while anyways before the OCD kicks in again. JK.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Chuck, not sure if you got my PM on here the other day. I saw that you called, but didn't answer as I'm in Guam on business right now. You can PM me back if you need anything and I'll help you out.

Zach


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

Boostedrex said:


> Chuck, not sure if you got my PM on here the other day. I saw that you called, but didn't answer as I'm in Guam on business right now. You can PM me back if you need anything and I'll help you out.
> 
> Zach


That is why you didn't answer my text.:surprised:


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> That is why you didn't answer my text.:surprised:


Didn't get your text. But if you email me, I'll get that.


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## Drgrebo (Aug 22, 2010)

Any updates?


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

Drgrebo said:


> Any updates?


Yep! Updates in the SQ forum with the start of the tuning.


I have noticed that the midbass drivers are slightly off-center and pointing every so slightly downwards. I plan on bringing these forward but have been contenplating if I should leave the slight downward firing so the midbass doesn't draw you down to them, or try and do an offset adapter to have them firing more in line with a straight line towards eachother? I'm thinking more downward for more of a low-end fill than a midbass punch. Suggestions?


Chuck


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

UPDATE! Its about to change again. I see some H-Audio / Audible Physics Duo in the really near future. Amps will be changing too. I have some ideas on how to finish the door panels. I have to say this though. What little tuning I've done so far has resulted in some remarkable reproductions of the music I'm sampling. Get this. NO REAL EQ WORK. Everything set flat with a few minor cuts and boosts not to exceed 1.0db. I smoked my Nak sub amp so I scored a Pioneer GM-D8500 from Wally-World since I'm out of town and they were on close-out @ $75 and it still sounds good.

The Zuki goes up for sale as soon as I get my new amps. I have a ton of drivers for sale right now but not seeing any love yet. A few promises and questions but no bucks. I don't give a rat's ass if they sell because my kids get what I don't use to save me some money on buying them new gear for them. They know my OCD towards my gear so they get some really nice stuff and blow away the friends who screeeeech and boom.


Chuck


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## beyondredline9k (Nov 28, 2010)

very nice work


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

Looking forward to it!


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## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

Can't wait to see what you do for the new build. I'm already trying to plan out where my AR3k's will be installed.


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