# 1998 Dodge Viper RT/10 Stereo Install



## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Hi everyone,

I thought I share with you the stereo installation I did on my 1998 Dodge Viper. 

I was always very interested in car stereo but took a break from this hobby for a decade due to driving a company car where I could not change anything.

3 years ago I was lucky to afford my dream car (which is not a daily driver, of course). Although my main sound system is made up of my 3" Corsa catback system ;-) the idea came up very quickly, to replace the OEM Alpine system one day.

So, a year after getting the Viper, I was looking for something in the basement and stumbled over some old car stereo gear I had installed in previous cars many years ago. In this moment, the idea was born to go "Old School" and to use my old stuff instead of putting in fancy new components. I thought, it would be nice to use components that were on the market when my Viper was built.

So please stay tuned...


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## carlr (Feb 27, 2011)

Always in for an old-school build, subd!


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## run2jeepn (Mar 21, 2015)

Oh HELL YES.... Count me IN...

First Walled Viper....lol


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## ben54b (May 30, 2014)

I'm definitely tuned. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Ok, so what were the things I was stumbling over in my basement?

I had there a Sony CDX-C910RDS and my old MD changer Sony MDX-65. Back in the day I also had some Pioneer amps (GMX-904 and GMX-802, if I remember correctly). But those were long gone, so I had to go and find some good amps for my project. What was missing, too, was the Sony optical adapter XA-D210. That one I had sold with my old car including a Sony CDX-C90 head unit and the digital preamp Sony XDP-210.

I then searched the Ebays and Craigs Lists for another XDP-210 and XA-D210. I was very lucky as it did not take too long until I found those. I guy in a city close by had both so I went there and picked them up.

Here's the Sony with and the OEM Alpine head unit (I had test fitted the OEM frame of the Alpine Radio but since it did not look very well, I did not use it for the Installation):


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

New old head unit installed:


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## carlr (Feb 27, 2011)

My98RT10 said:


> New old head unit installed:


Old-school p*rn


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

I decided to make use of the OEM wiring harness as much as possible (well, maybe not the best decision in the audiophile's view) without cutting into it. As the OEM Alpine head unit used a DIN connector for the line out to the OEM amp in the trunk and no RCAs I had to fabricate my own adapter to connect the CDX-C910 to the OEM harness. Although I was planning to connect the Sony via fiber cable to the XDP-210 I needed the analog RCA Connections for the AM/FM tuner as the Sony only transmits the CD signal via the digital out while radio will use the RCA's. Actually, I had to fabricate 2 of the adapters because the OEM Alpine amp in the trunk used a DIN connector, too, and I wanted to replace the amp as well:


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

So here's the general setup of the new system:


Headunit Sony CDX-C910
Processor Sony XDP-210
MD Changer Sony MDX-65 (connected via fiber cable to XDP-210)
Frontsystem Alpine SPX-177R
Subwoofer Wavecor SW22BD01, 8" (ok, not really old school, sorry)
Alpine MRV-T757, 2 channels bridged into 1, powering the sub
Alpine MRV-F409, 4 channels bridged into 2, powering the front system

Processor, amps and MD changer will be installed in the trunk, front system will be installed in OEM locations (doors) and subwoofer will be installed in custom footwell enclosure (the only way to get some real bass in this car).


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## Victor_inox (Apr 27, 2012)

I love having badly disorganised basement and stumbleupon buried goodies while looking for something trivial like painting supplies or patio furniture. 
Keep up a good work! overpowering that 3"catback would be not easy task to accomplish.


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## knever3 (Mar 9, 2009)

Sweet, bet you don't see too many Vipers in Germany!


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Victor_inox said:


> .... overpowering that 3"catback would be not easy task to accomplish.


To be honest, that is not possible with the setup. Also, it is not the Intention either. Driving topless is by far too noisy (V10, wind) to appreciate some decent stereo.

Main purpose for my stereo is to be switched on sitting in the driveway or parking lots LOL

When driving, the sound of the V10 is where the adrenalin comes from


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

knever3 said:


> Sweet, bet you don't see too many Vipers in Germany!


True! But I know from some US owners, that also in the States they are quite rare (as opposed to Corvettes e.g.)!?


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## Victor_inox (Apr 27, 2012)

My98RT10 said:


> True! But I know from some US owners, that also in the States they are quite rare (as opposed to Corvettes e.g.)!?


Here in US we have no roads to drive fast cars or bikes. legally that is.


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Update for today is about the wiring mess for the new head unit. I had some difficulties to get all the new cables lined up properly so that the Sony would just slide in...


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## few35t (Dec 10, 2014)

Definitely in for updates on this one.


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

Love these cars. I'll never forget the first viper I ever saw. It was when they first came out and our local dealership was lucky enough to get one. It was green and beautiful. The owners son decided one night that he wanted to "borrow" the car from the lot and take for a joyride. This was also probably one of the first vipers to be wrecked as well. 

Still get excited everytime time I see a viper though. One of my favorite cars. Whats not to like?


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

In to see how this one turns out as well.


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

After I installed the head unit and the additional cables (which was a pain in the extended back to route the cables from the dash to the trunk!) I temporarily connected the XDP-210 and the MD changer in the trunk to check for proper operation. The amp you see here I only used for this test. I had removed already the OEM amp but did not have the Alpines available at this point in time. 

Doesn't it look nice and clean??? 










You should know that the Viper RT/10 comes with a pretty ugly trunk, meaning there are no cover/trim pieces or carpets. It's naked plastic...

So I then started the making of a back panel that would hold the processor and the amps and a floor panel to cover the spare wheel and to achieve a cleaner look at the end. The idea was to install the processor on the backside of the backpanel so wouldn't be visible and the 2 Alpine Amps on the visible side.


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

This kick ass man !!! Sucks the back is kinda fugly your bare wood already looks better ! Love your old Sony gear ! Head units need to come back to simple ways again regarding looks.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Love that first pic of the car! I really like that head unit as well.


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## audacious nick (Apr 30, 2015)

Nice


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Thanks for all your kind comments! Much appreciated :thumbsup:


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## Vacas (Oct 15, 2014)

Well tuned for this thread.. 

Waiting for more updates.. but do show us the wiring setup and its management


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Alright, let's follow up on the amps...

Here's the backpanel under construction with the Alpine amps. The opening in the middle of the panel is needed to route the cables from behind the panel to the corresponding terminals of the amps.



















Here are some pics of the MRV-F409 which was considered the first (inofficial) F1 Status amp. I was lucky to finally source one on Ebay for very reasonable money and in a very good shape, no scratches etc. The plan was always to get this one instead of the "normal" edition, the MRV-F407, just to make the installation a bit more special ;-)




























As mentioned earlier, this 4 channel amp is driving the front system whereas the MRV-T757 is driving the sub. The MRV-T757 is very well suited for subwoofer applications because of its parametric equalizer, offering even variable adjustment of the Q factor.










Here are the amps partly installed, the panel already covered with fabric:


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## Vacas (Oct 15, 2014)

I happened to use combination of both amps in my previous installs and kept these bad as*s for being power engines... simply no second opinion about the quality sound of f409 and 707... thumbs up..


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Time for an update, I guess ;-) So let's talk about the Speakers...

As mentioned earlier, the Viper RT/10 comes with Alpine Speakers, but certainly not the best ones. There is a kind of a 6.5" 2-way front System in the doors and one 6.5" woofer between the seats. I am not sure, if this one is really supposed to deliver some bass... in any case, it does not due to the missing enclosure volume.

OEM Tweeter










OEM Woofer










The OEM crossover of the front system consists of a capacitor in series with the tweeter, so the most simple one you could think of.

The challenge then was to find a decent system that would fit without cutting the doors or door panels (this was something I wanted to avoid under all circumstances). Now you may say, hey, not a big deal, plenty of high end 6.5" systems available. Well, that's what I thought as well, however, I quickly learned that most 6.5" aftermarket woofers do NOT fit the door openings. The OEM woofer is something between 6.5" and 6.0", so the door openings are too small in diameter for normal 6.5". The OEM speaker grill sits flush in the door panel and it is this grill that has the 6.5" diameter.










I have seen a couple of aftermarket installations using the aftermarket frame & grill installed on top of the door panel. This looks kind of cheesy to me and can cause issues closing the door as the grill can damage the knee bolster if not installed flush with the door panel. Another thing I wanted to avoid! 

During my search for a system with the right specs I came across a couple of 6.0" sytems (Kicker, JL...) that would fit, however, these systems were not their top line systems and I wanted something real good ;-)

I also found out, that the basket dimensions of aftermarket Alpine 6.5" were somewhat different (smaller) and seem to fit into my openings. So I went and searched specifically for Alpine sets. On Ebay I finally came across a barely used Alpine SPX-177R set and bought it...


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Here's a pic of the new old set:


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## ben54b (May 30, 2014)

Builds coming along well. What is the sub on the floor in the open door pic?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Krave (May 10, 2015)

Love the Viper (still want a 2nd Gen GTS) and love the fact you are doing this to it!! I could not afford one so I bought one of these instead:

Poor man's Viper stunt double









Then I traded it in on a MKVI GTI.....kick myself everyday for that.


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## Vman455 (Nov 7, 2009)

This makes me miss my old car...you get a bit more room to work with in the GTS.










I'll be curious to see how yours turns out. I remember people on the old VCA forum talking about footwell subs, but no one ever did it to my knowledge.


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

ben54b said:


> Builds coming along well. What is the sub on the floor in the open door pic?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I will spend some more time on that in one of the following updates


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Krave said:


> Love the Viper (still want a 2nd Gen GTS) and love the fact you are doing this to it!! I could not afford one so I bought one of these instead:
> 
> Poor man's Viper stunt double
> 
> ...


Well, for many years I couldn't afford one either, but one day I realized when bringing down expenses in other areas it might work. I did a lot of TCO calculations and cost chase programs to finally make my dream car come true! So, please don't give up, it might just take some more time...


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Vman455 said:


> This makes me miss my old car...you get a bit more room to work with in the GTS.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks very nice! Seems like 2002 FE!? I was also studying many threads on VCA regarding subwoofer installations. Overall conslusion for RT/10 owners wanting some bass in their car was that a footwell sub was the only option. In this regard I envy the GTS owners but then again, this wind in the hair feeling of the open roadster is something I don't wanna miss, never.

I did see a few pics of RT/10 (also SRT10) footwell subs on VCA, but I think you are right, not very many did this. There were actually quite a few that installed even 8" sub between the seats. But I don't think it will perform well, unless you can really create an adequate enclosure in this spot....


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## Vman455 (Nov 7, 2009)

My98RT10 said:


> Looks very nice! Seems like 2002 FE!? I was also studying many threads on VCA regarding subwoofer installations. Overall conslusion for RT/10 owners wanting some bass in their car was that a footwell sub was the only option. In this regard I envy the GTS owners but then again, this wind in the hair feeling of the open roadster is something I don't wanna miss, never.
> 
> I did see a few pics of RT/10 (also SRT10) footwell subs on VCA, but I think you are right, not very many did this. There were actually quite a few that installed even 8" sub between the seats. But I don't think it will perform well, unless you can really create an adequate enclosure in this spot....


Good eye--yes, FE #318. I had a blast with that car. It was a hard choice between that or an RT/10. The GTS wasn't much better stock with it's two 6.5" subwoofers in back; I think I ended up putting full-range coaxials in those spots when I built the sub box.


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Initially, I installed the crossovers in the doors but moved them later to the trunk for 2 reasons:

1. They just look to nice to hide them in the door
2. This way I could play around with the different settings the crossovers offer

Here's a pic when mounted to the door panel:


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## MotoCARR (May 27, 2015)

Victor_inox said:


> Here in US we have no roads to drive fast cars or bikes. legally that is.


Closest we have 


Texas: 75, 80 or 85 mph on specified segments
Utah: 75, 80 on specified segments
Wyoming: 75, 80 on specified segments
Arizona: 75 mph
Colorado: 75 mph
Kansas, 75 mph
Louisiana: 75 mph
Maine: 75 mph
Montana: 75 mph
Nebraska: 75 mph
Nevada: 75 mph
New Mexico: 75 mph
North Dakota, 75 mph
Oklahoma: 75 mph
South Dakota: 75 mph


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

MotoCARR said:


> Closest we have
> 
> 
> Texas: 75, 80 or 85 mph on specified segments
> ...


California... Posted at 70, but if you aren't doing 80 through central California, the trucks will run you off the road.


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Well, I guess it is really time for an update here... apologies for not working on this thread for half a year now... 

This is what the door panel looks like with the speakers from the visible side...



















I had to fabricate a spacer ring for the woofer as the basket was a little bit too deep. Without the spacer ring it would touch the glass in the door and that needed to be avoided.

The neat thing was also, that the metal grille coming with the new woofer fit into the door opening without using the plastic frame. No cutting or modification required. Plus, it looks very nice and clean.










And here back on the car:


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Let's get down to the bass department. Although the Alpine SPX-177 is quite a decent system, it does not reproduce really low frequencies, so there is obviously something missing which only a subwoofer can add to the overall sonic experience. The OEM system comes with an additional 6.5" speaker located between the seats above the glove box. Many people think that this is serving as a sub but in fact it is not. It is running full range in the OEM setup and is transmitting a bridged left & right channel signal. Many people replace this speaker by a specially designed subwoofer chassis. However, also this does not really improve the sound as there is just no real enclosure behind that could provide the required volume to increase low frequency response. So, the only way to add serious lows in a roadster (trunk is no option either) was by installing a subwoofer in the footwell. 

Thus, I was measuring the volume of the footwell and came to the conclusion that the enclosure would be limited to approx. 10 liters net. Then I was searching for the ideal driver that performs really well in 10 liters. It was obvious from the beginning, that even 10" driver would be too big, so I was looking for 8" drivers. After checking all the known brands I came accross a company called Wavecor, which I did not know before. I figured that the SW223BD01 would be a very good candidate so I ended up getting one of those.


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Here's some more information on the driver:


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## Shrek (Aug 25, 2015)

I really miss my Alpine Type Xs, They were great!
I've very envious of the vehicle this is going in as well.


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

The footwell has some odd dimensions and angles so it was a bit of a challange to fab an enclosure that fully utilizes the space available. Since I don't have any experience with fiberglass I decided to construct it from plane wood panels. I then sanded all the edges and filled the gaps to have a smooth surface bevore I covered the enclosure with fabric. I turned out very nicely and sounds awesome!


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Here is what it looks when installed. The color difference between the enclosure fabric and the interior of the car is hardly noticeable in person. For some reason it looks awful on the picture (same it true for the floor mat).

The cutover frequency I use is 99Hz for both the sub and the mids. The XDP-210 only offers some pre-defined values and everytime I try other values I come back to 99Hz which blends in the sub very nicely. It is driven by my Alpine MRV-T757 and given the small enclosure, I needed to do some equalizing using the onboard filters of the amp. After a lot of testing (frequency, boost level, q-factor) I finally came to a setting that provides the sound I was looking for. The bass is very "natural", it is rich, defined and provides the desired punch. It is not ultra low though. I can say that it sounds a lot better than the Dynaudio system in my new VW Passat.


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

Viper! Wow! A Viper build! I am very envious. Keep up the great work!


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

I think I still owe you a picture of my finished trunk. There you go:


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## Victor_inox (Apr 27, 2012)

That is some clean trunk, damn it!


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Thanks!


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

I just came across this little fellow... maybe I will hook up a CD changer now together with my MDX-65. What do you think?


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Time to reanimate this thread ;-)

I started tearing apart my installation for the sake of replacing the XDP-210 by its big brother XDP-4000x. I am doing it mainly for the following reasons:

1. Car is in hibernation mode for 3 months
2. Need to do SOME work on the car (getting weired withdrawal symptoms if not)
3. Bring the SQ to the next level
3.a due to better DACs
3.b due to more EQ tuning possibilities
3.c due to individual time alignment of ALL channels (will run the front system in bi-amp mode so that I can align the time of the tweeters independently from the woofers)

Will post some pics soon... so stay tuned ;-)


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

So, this is the unit I hooked up...










And this is what my previously well organized trunk looks like at this moment...










Meanwhile I know how to handle the DSC software. I am using version 3.03 which was the last official version from Sony as I believe. 

Mainly focused on the x-over and time alignment features so far, EQ will come later... and this will probably take a lot of time to sort out the best settings...

I don't know what possibilities todays DSPs offer but as far as I am concerned I am pretty impressed by the versatility of this box ;-)


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Finally found a C90 headunit in decent shape and with both remotes. Will most probably replace the C910 with this one 

It works perfectly, almost no scratches on the faceplate. The only minor issue was that the faceplate would not stay in place as the small spring in the latch was missing. Luckily, I could use the spring of another Sony radio I have sitting on the shelf (CR-900)...


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

Loving this build!


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Thanks!


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Nice equipment. Love the old skool sony & alpine bits :thumbsup:


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## mumbles (Jul 26, 2010)

First off, great work on the install and equipment! I'm a big fan of Mobile ES stuff!

Secondly, awesome vehicle! A Viper... just wow! What could be better? I mean;
A) You have a Viper! Win!
B) You have a Viper! Win!
C) You have a Viper and you get to drive it in Germany! Double Win!


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

question, if you had a second set of door panels, would you had tried a different size driver? my thought is with it being a rt/10 and a V10 with side exhaust, the real details in music would be lost, so maybe a more robust midbass driver would be more enjoyable or do the alpines get pretty loud? I'm following because after checking the prices for a gen 1 and gen 2, they are way more affordable than I thought, and I will be in the market for a toy in about a year. And if I can find a second set of door panels, I'm going to go with a set of Stereo Integrity TM65 mkII and some tweeters and a nice 5 channel. Again I love your choice of equipment! how does everything sound at speed?


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Thanks for the kind comments!!



manish said:


> question, if you had a second set of door panels, would you had tried a different size driver? my thought is with it being a rt/10 and a V10 with side exhaust, the real details in music would be lost, so maybe a more robust midbass driver would be more enjoyable or do the alpines get pretty loud? I'm following because after checking the prices for a gen 1 and gen 2, they are way more affordable than I thought, and I will be in the market for a toy in about a year. And if I can find a second set of door panels, I'm going to go with a set of Stereo Integrity TM65 mkII and some tweeters and a nice 5 channel. Again I love your choice of equipment! how does everything sound at speed?


Well, I need to admit that the stereo in an open roadster like the Viper is only good for standing in the driveway or parking lot. Once driving, all the details in the music are gone. The surrounding noises are just too much. Especially, if you have upgraded your exhaust system (like most Viper owners do, including myself). Therefore, I don't think a stronger midbass driver would be a cure... In any case, I enjoy my system a lot when sitting in the driveway, I barely turn it on when driving but I would not want to miss it ;-)


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Finally got the CDX-C90 installed... what a PITA! The C910 already has a lot of cables coming out at the back, very tricky to get everything lined up so that I could slide in the unit without getting stuck or crimping cables... but the C90 has even more of them. Plus I had to fab an extension of the Unilink bus cable as the cable I installed with the C910 appeared to be too short because the C90 has the connector at a different position in the back...

But now it's done. The C910, however, looked more stock. Also because the C90 has a thicker faceplate which lets it stick out a bit more. Anyway, I now have my dream combo installed, C90 + XDP4000, yeah!!


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## lashlee (Aug 16, 2007)

Looks as good as I remember! I had a C90/XDP combo years ago and wished I still had it. I also had the MD changer and a CD changer in the mix. My biggest complaint with all of the extra cabling!


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

Question, is there a safe way to do a slot cutout from the trunk to the cabin say where the factory subwoofer is located at between the seats? I was thinking a nice 10" in a custom box that plays through an opening, of course, welding braces to maintain structural rigidity is required.


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

My98RT10 said:


> Finally got the CDX-C90 installed... what a PITA! The C910 already has a lot of cables coming out at the back, very tricky to get everything lined up so that I could slide in the unit without getting stuck or crimping cables... but the C90 has even more of them. Plus I had to fab an extension of the Unilink bus cable as the cable I installed with the C910 appeared to be too short because the C90 has the connector at a different position in the back...
> 
> 
> 
> But now it's done. The C910, however, looked more stock. Also because the C90 has a thicker faceplate which lets it stick out a bit more. Anyway, I now have my dream combo installed, C90 + XDP4000, yeah!!




I had to thank this post because that head unit looks sooooo goooodddd man miss head unitsike this. Glad Sony has brought back high end units again with it's hi res unit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

mumbles said:


> First off, great work on the install and equipment! I'm a big fan of Mobile ES stuff!
> 
> Secondly, awesome vehicle! A Viper... just wow! What could be better? I mean;
> A) You have a Viper! Win!
> ...


Thanks! Just took it out for a spin today. Soon, it will go into hibernation mode for 3 months :-(


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

manish said:


> Question, is there a safe way to do a slot cutout from the trunk to the cabin say where the factory subwoofer is located at between the seats? I was thinking a nice 10" in a custom box that plays through an opening, of course, welding braces to maintain structural rigidity is required.


I am not sure if this would be possible. I know though, that the gas tank is between the seats and the trunk. Not sure, how much space is between the seats and the tank...


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## My98RT10 (Dec 25, 2014)

Time for an update on my build (well more a teaser now)....

I did replace the front speaker by the later combo SPX-17PRO. I came across a set of it and installed some months ago. That was the system I had in mind when I started the build but never got a hold of one... until some months ago.

So, some more pics to come soon ;-)


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