# My NEW BMW E46 infinite baffle sub system



## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

Im running a single 12" Diamond Audio TDX sub infinite baffle in my 2000 323i. The rear deck is fiberglass covered in suede. (Still finishing my amp rack)
The rest of the system: Dynaudio Components, RF 3Sixty.2, Kicker 700.5.


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## DonovanM (Nov 1, 2006)

Looks downright awesome, I love the suede, but, you may want to fab up some kind of cosmetic cover or grill so it can't be seen through the rear window so easily


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## rekd0514 (Sep 24, 2006)

You need some dark tint. I recommend 20% all around.


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

x2 on the grill and tint but it looks great....i hope you reinforced that rear deck besides just that fiberglass such as some metal bracing and deadener. Those TDXs are huge and i hope your rear deck can handle them while driving and pounding


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## hypnotiq (Jul 5, 2007)

azngotskills said:


> x2 on the grill and tint but it looks great....i hope you reinforced that rear deck besides just that fiberglass such as some metal bracing and deadener. Those TDXs are huge and i hope your rear deck can handle them while driving and pounding


The rear deck in e46's are metal. A lot of people actually use them for IB applications.


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

Alot of rear decks are metal but reinforcing them is a big plus if you doing it correctly, especially if they are thin. Same concept with speakers installed in the doors but subwoofers are much larger in comparision, they have to endure the weight of the driver and energy it produces (ie deadening, bracing, and acoustical treatments. You want to start out with the most stable platform possible to avoid any of this. If this is more for show than sound quality then who cares since it looks nice


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## hypnotiq (Jul 5, 2007)

azngotskills said:


> Alot of rear decks are metal but reinforcing them is a big plus if you doing it correctly, especially if they are thin. Same concept with speakers installed in the doors but subwoofers are much larger in comparision, they have to endure the weight of the driver and energy it produces (ie deadening, bracing, and acoustical treatments. You want to start out with the most stable platform possible to avoid any of this. If this is more for show than sound quality then who cares since it looks nice


Ah, i see. Haha, i learn more everytime i read your posts


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

hypnotiq said:


> Ah, i see. Haha, i learn more everytime i read your posts


thanks i try to help and i learn something new every day as well


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

Thanks for the comments.

Yes, a grill AND darker tint are in the works.

The sub is actually mounted to 3/4" mdf that is bolted to the rear deck metal. The fiberglass/suede deck is really only a beauty board, the sub isnt attached to it in any way. 
I am having a problem though. The rear deck has 6" speaker holes in it, below the fiberglass deck. They arent covered, and when the sub pumps, it pressurizes the trunk causing the new deck to flex and rattle. My plan is to fill the speaker holes with mdf this weekend. What I'm not sure about is the vents where the window and deck meet. If you look in the picture there is a row of vents there and I was told these are for when you close your trunk or doors, they vent air pressure. Can those be covered? If so, is it going to be harder to shut my doors/trunk? 
Thanks in advance


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## Thumper26 (Sep 23, 2005)

great work, very clean, looks amazing!

x2 to putting a grill over the sub. you don't want people checking that out all the time.


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

Since you are working on the rear deck again, put some deadening on the baffle and on the underside of the deck to prevent rattling and resonance. I dont know if i would mess with those vents personally but i know some SQ purists will tell to you seal everything up to fully seperate the rear wave from the front wave. If the vents arent actually causing any noticable problems, i would leave them as they are.


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## cvjoint (Mar 10, 2006)

Rear decks' best friend is the expanding foam! That piece is usually a mix of thin sheet metal that you can't always add deadener to and various plastic components that like to dance.


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

cvjoint said:


> Rear decks' best friend is the expanding foam! That piece is usually a mix of thin sheet metal that you can't always add deadener to and various plastic components that like to dance.


Spraying expanding foam in any part of my car scares the he// out of me!!


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## Paul1217 (Aug 12, 2007)

yeah, ive had some bad experiences with expandable foam, but ive never had a problem with sealing vents. ive done it in every car ive sound deadened. the only thing it does is make it harder to close the doors if all the windows are up just cause the air is getting trapepd a bit. no worries though.


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## strong*I*bumpin (Oct 3, 2005)

Nice setup dt


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## SQ4ME2 (Jul 22, 2007)

dtviewer said:


> Im running a single 12" Diamond Audio TDX sub infinite baffle in my 2000 323i. The rear deck is fiberglass covered in suede. (Still finishing my amp rack)
> The rest of the system: Dynaudio Components, RF 3Sixty.2, Kicker 700.5.


did you do the free air fiber work?


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## SQ4ME2 (Jul 22, 2007)

dtviewer said:


> Spraying expanding foam in any part of my car scares the he// out of me!!


hes right a lil'bit. expanding foam is your friend, jus ask hypnotiq, he'll tell you but i added raam mat bxt to the 325i and it went in smooth. i like to use a handle of a short tool to force it into the various canyons


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## SQ4ME2 (Jul 22, 2007)

i sealed the vents in almost all the cars i do with exceptions along the way. i usually do it to get out the loss of tight seal and i did a t-bird once that with the old 12 solobarics you could hear them flapping a little


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## DonovanM (Nov 1, 2006)

dtviewer said:


> Spraying expanding foam in any part of my car scares the he// out of me!!


In my car my B and C pillars, door sills, and trunk lid are all filled with expanding foam... it's great stuff (pun intended )... you just have to be wary of the mess. I used the triple expanding stuff too.


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

SQ4ME2 said:


> did you do the free air fiber work?



No, I brought it to a shop that did my friends 300M. He has two D9 10" subs on his rear deck, but they are in a ported enclosure. His came out so nice, and the price was very reasonable. 
The shop had never done an I.B. setup with a TDX (D9), but said he would do it. I'm very happy with how it came out. I need to work out some rattles, and the rear deck needs to have another layer of deadning done, but all in all it sounds amazing. 
Also, for what he did, including the dynamat and suede and he also deadened the rear pillars, and built the deck, the price was great.


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## KnightWhoSaysNI (Jul 23, 2007)

Nice! Ive considered doing the same with my Subi. How do you like the 700.5? 

Ive thought about using the same amp myself for my install. I was thinking about having a pair of IB installed woofers firing thru the rear seat myself. 

How's the sub channel power output? Enough with one 12 to feel the bass in your chest? Just curious and gathering ideas


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Why would you seal the vent in the trunk to the outside of the car? It is there for a reason, and leaving it open can't hurt anything.


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

thehatedguy said:


> Why would you seal the vent in the trunk to the outside of the car? It is there for a reason, and leaving it open can't hurt anything.




Its not vented to the outside. It is the vent between the inside of the car and the trunk. And it rattles like he//.


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## forty5cal1911 (Sep 11, 2006)

I'm doing a very similar type install in 98 Lexus LS400. D9 12 on the rear deck and three way front stage. I've talked to you over on ECA. Bimmer looks great!


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## bchandler (Jul 30, 2007)

nice job! But I see the shop let the seat backs rest on the mounting clips for the seat bottoms. I did that during my install too, but caught it and used a towel in between them for the last half. Have the indents in the leather come out yet?


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

bchandler said:


> nice job! But I see the shop let the seat backs rest on the mounting clips for the seat bottoms. I did that during my install too, but caught it and used a towel in between them for the last half. Have the indents in the leather come out yet?


haha bchandler-good catch!!!

I'm going to add some more dynamat to the rear deck tommorrow and will be sure to use your towel trick!!!! (the indents are almost gone)


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

Now I need some new ideas for my amp rack. I dont like the one I built very much. Any ideas? Heres what I have now:
PS I dont want to lose my spare tire.

http://dtviewer.smugmug.com/gallery/3324033#197020082


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## GlasSman (Nov 14, 2006)

Do something that hangs off the rear deck and slopes down a bit towards the back seat.

Thats what I'm doing in my Audi. It can be shown off only when you drop the seat. Otherwise the amps are completely hidden. All fiberglass and light plywood finished to blend with the trunk and a nice vinyl or leather on the side that faces the cabin. 

Stealth 100% of the time unless you drop the seat.


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

2 things.

1) That would be perfect!!! Great idea glassman. 

2) Does anybody else have a problem when they click on somebodies sounddomain link? I click on yours glassman and I get a popup saying I have spyware on my computer and it asks me if I want to install drivecleaner. Also, my Avast pops up and says 'adware found'. (This happens on most all sounddomain links I click on, not just yours)


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

Anyone have the same problem with sounddomain?


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## mach999 (Jul 28, 2007)

dtviewer said:


> Anyone have the same problem with sounddomain?


I do. Sounddomain needs to fix it. It gets terribly annoying.


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## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

mach999 said:


> I do. Sounddomain needs to fix it. It gets terribly annoying.



Thanks. Glad to hear its not just me.


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## illnastyimpreza (Oct 25, 2006)

wow...awesome job.

X2 on the tint and grill though...

gota watch out for them thieves


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## GlasSman (Nov 14, 2006)

I'm on comcast cable and rarely get pop ups. Although I just had my first Popups in a few months just before I got on this thread. not sure where they came from. 

Try running Adaware to get rid of the tracking cookies. I actually just cleaned 70 objects from my computer.


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