# A College Student's Attempt at SQ



## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey guys first and foremost I have been reading this forum for a couple years here now and have enjoyed the knowledge that is available on the site. Thank you all for giving me the oppourtunity to learn about a "correct and quality install!!" 

So heres the patient or should I say victim, a 2000 Chevy Blazer:









I began by ripping out the interior in preparation for laying the power wire and rcas. Heres a stripped picture, I do not have the $$ for a deadening job but it will come in the future:









I looked for a proper spot to run the power wire all over the firewall but I could not find a spot to fit 1/0 cable except on the driver's side. So I wired the Big 3 with 1/0 cable and installed a small grommet on the hole before applying fireproof sealant to the hole. Oh and I know the grounds for the Big 3 aren't run in this picture but they are there now don't worry!


















I don't have any pictures of the wire run under the carpet, duh!! All wires are secured every 4 - 5" with adhesive zip-tie mounts. But anyways the rcas are run down the center consule to the front seats where the wires cross over to the passenger side. I power wire runs under the carpet and follows the driver's side the whole time. The carpet breaks under the rear seats so it offered the perfect spot to run the wire out from the carpet:


















Here is a completed picture of the install at the current point in time. I have built a sub box for two 10" Type R subs. The box is 3.5 cubes and tuned to 34hz. It plays a kick drum amazingly but also allows me to blow the gang bangers away when they come near :laugh:

Also all wires are extra long as I plan on building a false floor sometime soon in preparation for my planned 3-way install!!!! Here are the completed pictures as of now:


















Please comment on the install and feel free to critique me. Oh and techflex combined with heat shrink might just be the best combination man every created, I will use this stuff on everything for now on. Again thank y'all for all the information I have learned from you and I just want to have the best install I can, so please comment on my progress and let me know what you think of my progress! :laugh:


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

hmmm, where did you get that box? seems a bit large, also sealed would probobly be wayyyyyyyy better in an SUV friend, especily in an SUV. you'd save so much cargo space, and wouldn't just be a car going brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr as the muisc plays


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

1/0 wire under the hood just looks funny. always heard of the big 3 just never really looked at pictures of it. its bigger than most hoses and pipes under there, and almost as big as the 1-2 bigger than it.

whats your ideas for front stage so far?


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Well I found the plans online and built it myself. It does seem quite large once I built it but its fine on low levels of volume. Once I turn the volume up I lose a lot of the tightness and quality of the sound  I plan on building a whole new sealed box when I build the false floor but thats at least a few weeks out. I also can't figure out a way to make the box easily removable from the false floor below so I can remove the box with banna clips and a couple bolts but leave the false floor below intact and unchanged.


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

ahh sounds good  im excited to see that. those subs are alright for a budget system though, ive seen em do some pretty sweet things.


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## Bower (Nov 19, 2010)

Looks pretty good man...whats your headunit?


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## MTopper (Nov 4, 2009)

hey there, i ran my 0 gauge the same way in my 04 2 door. do you notice less voltage drop with the big 3 done? i have my negative upgraded but don't see anything yet which i know doesn't do much. i just need the time to do the charging and block ground.


box doesn't look horrible. i have a single 12w7 ported and lost a lot of trunk space but still have a backseat like you


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey MTopper it's great to see another Blazer owner here! But yea with the Big 3 completed my headlights only dim when I am severally pushing the subs (ex. standing outside of the car and seeing how loud it will get, I know stupid). Before the Big 3 my headlights dimmed while just operating the windows. Also I have a complete back seat that remains empty like 85% of the time so I am not worried bout the box size at the current moment.

Bower:
I have a cheap Pioneer 5900ib that came with the Blazer when I bought it. I can't complain about the headunit as I do have a good bit of processing for the subs but once I add a front stage the head unit's limitations will become obvious. The headunit also allows me to control my ipod and play pandora through my phone while doing all the basics as well . I have been watching the diyma classifieds for a good headunit but then again with those miniDsp units I might just keep my current headunit.


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

When I was in college, my SQ attempt started with the frontstage first then subwoofers to compliment it. No bashing you at all but I dont understand how the logic worked out


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

azngotskills said:


> When I was in college, my SQ attempt started with the frontstage first then subwoofers to compliment it. No bashing you at all but I dont understand how the logic worked out


vehicles dont have subs, so logic says ur missing those frequencies. so the smartest thing would be to get those frequencies into the spectrum. then replace the crappy stock speakers.


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

Cruzer said:


> vehicles dont have subs, so logic says ur missing those frequencies. so the smartest thing would be to get those frequencies into the spectrum. then replace the crappy stock speakers.


Really, the smartest huh??? And how much of those frequencies in the listen spectrum are attributed to subwoofers versus woofer/tweeter frontstage drivers? Hmm....


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

azngotskills said:


> Really, the smartest huh??? And how much of those frequencies in the listen spectrum are attributed to subwoofers versus woofer/tweeter frontstage drivers? Hmm....


but what is sq when u cant even hear certain frequencies???


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

Cruzer said:


> but what is sq when u cant even hear certain frequencies???


What is sound quality when all you hear/feel is 80Hz and below over exaggerated?


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

hey, were not talking about his subs, were talking about implementing subs in general. u didnt say he made a poor choice in subs and/or box. u said he made a poor choice in going sub before upgraded front stage


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## WLDock (Sep 27, 2005)

Many oem systems back in the 90's suffered from a lack of definition, detail, highs and low bass.

The SQ update I installed for several back in the day was to add a 2 channel amp to the stock front speakers. Then I would parallel wire some cheap decent tweeters and mount them to the dash, upper doors, or pillars. Next, I would wire in a small sub in a tri-way configuration. I would use passive caps to 6db/oct high pass the mids and a inductor and cap to 12dB/oct low pass the sub. 

This cheap upgrade was enought to satisfy the needs of many none enthusist. Many were just simple music lovers that wanted a fuller sound than the tinny sounding OEM stereo.

The car that made the most amazing transformation from this simple upgrade was my cousin's mid '90s Mitsubishi Eclipse. We added a Kenwood CD player, tweets on the dash, a 2 ch amp, and an 8" ported sub to rest of the OEM system. The system was a night and day difference and even did some nice staging and imaging.

But, things are different today. Many start with a ton of bass then upgrade the rest or not.

IMO, I think a 4 ch amp, a set of cheap decent comps and a single sub with as solid of an install within the budget makes for a nice sound quality focused attempt. *But what really matters is the DIYMA spirit.*..that is what should be reconized about the op's post. In time he will learn as he goes along and as he puts more money and time into the system. Keep it up man...and keep reading, asking questions, listening to good sounding systems of others, and keep dreaming about the possibilities. You are off to a good start. I will be following when you install the 3-ways.


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

Cruzer said:


> hey, were not talking about his subs, were talking about implementing subs in general. u didnt say he made a poor choice in subs and/or box. u said he made a poor choice in going sub before upgraded front stage




Don't argue with Cruzer, he's the latest ''know it all" to come aboard...LOL


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

As long as it sounds good to you, that's all that matters


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Well currently the sound coming through the 6.5's in the doors is pretty good for non-amped speakers with no eq. I added the sub because the 6.5's were so weak I had to add a 125 hz. lpf. in order to prevent distortion. So my initial thought was to fill in the missing frquencies. It made sense in my head :laugh: Also it didn't help that I caught the "bass bug" young and will always have a sub in whatever vehicle I own. I love a good kick drum tooo much to miss that bam in your chest!

I know alot of people on this forum probably are frowning at my choice of Type R subs but I got the subs BNIB for $80 a piece and I jumped on the deal. The subs sound very good when compared to JL's 12w3 and for the price I am extremely impressed with the output of the subs.

Also this whole install was done for less than $350 with all new equipment. I know some of the equipment may be sub-par to some but I am enjoying my choices very much and I am soooooo happy!


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## Fast1one (Apr 6, 2007)

azngotskills said:


> Really, the smartest huh??? And how much of those frequencies in the listen spectrum are attributed to subwoofers versus woofer/tweeter frontstage drivers? Hmm....


I've had a lot of success amplifying stock speakers and adding a sufficiently high crossover point. With a subwoofer, it can make listening to music quite bearable for some time. I did this with most of my friends and family who just wanted a small improvement. 

I think its a great way to start off. What better way to improve sound quality then to remove the ABSURD amount of non-linear distortion existing in unfiltered transducers? I have a hard time listening to music without output below 120-150hz, which is where many stock systems roll off or have any kind of impact. They sound very forward to me with most music.




ocblaze said:


> Well currently the sound coming through the 6.5's in the doors is pretty good for non-amped speakers with no eq. I added the sub because the 6.5's were so weak I had to add a 125 hz. lpf. in order to prevent distortion. So my initial thought was to fill in the missing frquencies. It made sense in my head :laugh: Also it didn't help that I caught the "bass bug" young and will always have a sub in whatever vehicle I own. I love a good kick drum tooo much to miss that bam in your chest!
> 
> I know alot of people on this forum probably are frowning at my choice of Type R subs but I got the subs BNIB for $80 a piece and I jumped on the deal. The subs sound very good when compared to JL's 12w3 and for the price I am extremely impressed with the output of the subs.
> 
> Also this whole install was done for less than $350 with all new equipment. I know some of the equipment may be sub-par to some but I am enjoying my choices very much and I am soooooo happy!


Good for you, I'm glad to hear it! This is what's it all about, we all start somewhere (still a college student over here).


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

ocblaze said:


> Well currently the sound coming through the 6.5's in the doors is pretty good for non-amped speakers with no eq. I added the sub because the 6.5's were so weak I had to add a 125 hz. lpf. in order to prevent distortion. So my initial thought was to fill in the missing frquencies. It made sense in my head :laugh: Also it didn't help that I caught the "bass bug" young and will always have a sub in whatever vehicle I own. I love a good kick drum tooo much to miss that bam in your chest!
> 
> I know alot of people on this forum probably are frowning at my choice of Type R subs but I got the subs BNIB for $80 a piece and I jumped on the deal. The subs sound very good when compared to JL's 12w3 and for the price I am extremely impressed with the output of the subs.
> 
> Also this whole install was done for less than $350 with all new equipment. I know some of the equipment may be sub-par to some but I am enjoying my choices very much and I am soooooo happy!


I am definitely not frowning on your selection of gear. Here is my thinking: if your OEM speakers were distorting at 125Hz, why didnt you just replace them to begin with? Lots of components can get you at lease 80Hz down low. Then 1 Alpine Type-R in a properly designed ported box would do you wonders.

I question your choices because your title sounded like SQ was your priority not hitting pounding bass notes. I started with two 12" audiobahn and lanzer monoblock, but my goal in high school was to be the loudest not necessarily sounding the best 

Regardless, I am happy you are diving right into this hobby and happy with what you have installed already....it can only get better


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## S10Okie25 (Jun 18, 2010)

Hey ocblaze, great job on the install, the techflex always seems to add a LOT! And giving yourself breathing room with the wires is always a good thing, something I always seem to forget... I find it odd that you couldn't run your 0 gauge on the passenger side though... I have a '99 S10 and there was a very large hole and grommet right above the feet of the passenger side on the firewall... Guess I was lucky 

Anyway great job and keep up the good work!


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey guys I have sorta a update, I have been collecting the equipment for my planned 3-way front stage. First and foremost this front stage will be on the budget side compared to what most of you are used to seeing on this forum.

So I began awhile back when Parts Express (P.E.) was having a sale on the Tangband W3 Bamboo fullrange speaker. They were $20 a piece so I grabbed two because of a review I read on this forum and decided for the price I couldn't pass them up.

Later I read a review on the Vifa XT25 tweeter and saw that P.E. was having a sale on those as well for $20 each here recently so i snagged a couple again. 

Heres some pics of the speakers:









I saw that JayMI has the same speakers and I promise I didn't copy you man, I hope you don't mind. We just have similiar taste I guess.

Here's my problem I don't have a mid-woofer in mind and I need y'alls opinions on possiblities. I wouldn't mind spending a few extra Hamiltons here cause I would rather seal the doors up and be done with it! I would like to find a a small 8" or better yet a 7" speaker that is somewhere below $200 but alot closer to $100 if possible.


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Ok so I recently bought two Massive Audio NX4 amps for DAT here on the board. I am so impressed with these amps and the quality of the shipping and service that DAT provided that I will look at Massive Audio first before other brands and contact DAT before anyone else. I mean y'all the box the amps come from factory in were nicer than some jewelry boxes I've seen and I'm not b.s. at all! Also DAT provided excellent service and gave me a great price on the two amps. 

So heres a picture of the box the amps come in from Massive Audio:









Heres a picture of the contents of the boxes, again guys these are so well packaged:









And heres my future front stage minus a mid-woofer:









Oh and just so you know the mid-range and tweeter will have 60-70 watts rms at 8 ohms and if the mids are 4 ohms I will be able to have 400 watts rms to each mid. I now know what they mean by headroom from testing the amps on my home theater set-up, hahaha!! Can you say worried neighbors, haha!


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

lol thought you were a broke college student? them some nice drvers and amps for a college student


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey guys I forgot to post a picture of everything I found out about HDR alittle bit ago and have been toying with it for alittle. Anyways heres the picture:









I am a college student, but one who works 30 -35 hours a week, doesn't drink, saves every penny, and works hard in school to keep scholarships alive so I don't have to pay a cent for school! Plus it took me 4 months to acquire the theoretical front stage, so it is not a fast process but slowly and surely I'm trying to do the best I can with what God has given me. 

I am blessed for sure but I have worked hard everyday of my life and don't believe in free rides so I earn everything I have and have a very hard time accepting help from others. Shoot for my Spring Break all I did was take Mon. - Fri. off of work and relax for 5 days, thats it. But yea I am a College Student but not that typical drunk everyone thinks of thats whys I am able to afford nicer stuff since I don't waste my money on stuff.


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## Mythstery (Jun 8, 2010)

Man i been on this site now for about a year and have been reading and reading and reading and now TWO blazer builds at one time! haha

i have been collecting amps and speakers over the past year and im about to sell it all and go a different route.

Question about you running the mids / midbass / highs off the NX4's 

does this mean you will be running active? I thought the NX4 could only go to 200HZ per channel. what do you plan on doing for the upper freq?

( i am still new at this and learning more and more about the FREQ's and stuff)


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

Looking good. I have kindof a Blazer fetish.
Staying tuned.


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## kustomkaraudio (Jun 20, 2009)

Good for you !!! I am sincerely glad to hear it. Keep up the hard work, it will pay off in the end ( both school and the audio system )


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## RedAggie03 (Jun 7, 2009)

Where did you get the wire wrap and shrink tubing? looks nice!


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

To respond to everyone's ?'s

Mythstery:
I plan on running active I just haven't decided on which way to go active yet. However, the minidsp units look pretty promising but then again the MS8 is pretty sick and looks to be better to understand for a newb.

RedAggie3:
I got the wire wrap and shrink tubing from partsexpress.com It has all kinds of things that make a simple install look amazing!! Also just so you know the wire wrap stuff is called techflex. If you type that into the search bar a whole bunch of it will pop up.

Thank you kustomkaraudio for the kind words, it always helps!

And to acknowledge the Blazer/S10 stuff, these vechicles are amazing and I truely love my Blazer so much. There dependable, quick, roomy, and just plain tough.


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## Mythstery (Jun 8, 2010)

Im not a fan of hauling around more then 2 people in my blazer. I had the back seats out for awhile so i had more room to haul my bike around. I then put them back in and now the head rests are in my site when looking out the rear window. 

I have been thinking about making a false floor over that section that sits flush with the rear cargo area. Mounting the amps below some plexi there... I live in an apartment and dont have the tools so i might have a buddy of mine who works at the local cartoys do it for me.


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## voltij (Feb 15, 2011)

Hey, by all means if you aren't having problems don't change anything, but it looks like your ground could be improved.

Try to get the ring terminal flush against frame metal, in the pic it looks like you've got it attached to a bracket. It could be as easy as popping the ring terminal in between the bracket and frame.


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## Mythstery (Jun 8, 2010)

any updates?


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## Cablguy184 (Oct 7, 2010)

I'm interested to see this front stage setup ...


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey guys I have been svaing money for a processor  so currently there is no progress other than rockin out and enjoying the set-up as it is now! I have been planning everything out down to the detail but I haven't been able to start because of school. Hopefully, I'll get back on it in two weeks after I take 7 tests and 4 finals in a matter of 14 days. 

Ok guys here my questions:
1. I need help choosing the easiest processor for a front stage. I am thinking MS8 or Bitone, please help me find one cheep!!!!!

2. Would anyone be willing to help me design a properly fitting sub enclosure, i.e. one that is designed for my subs instead of a generic box. I am interested in how much difference there will be in the sound.

3. What are my options when it comes to LED's that I need to use in my install for edge lit plexi and a few other things? I would really like the ability to change colors and a strobe effect would be ballin!


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## MTopper (Nov 4, 2009)

what are you looking to do for the sub box? i have a 2 door and have played around with lots of different subs over the last few years. 

pm me and i can see what i can do


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## S10Okie25 (Jun 18, 2010)

ocblaze said:


> Ok guys here my questions:
> 1. I need help choosing the easiest processor for a front stage. I am thinking MS8 or Bitone, please help me find one cheep!!!!!


See my thread post here! http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...sion-no-question-dumb/103386-new-minidsp.html

and review of another unit by Bikinpunk, here! http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...punk/80665-minidsp-excellent-alternative.html


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## baker001 (Nov 5, 2006)

Hey OCBLAZE, I live in Athens also. I have an Eclipse 5303 laying around. I will sell it to you for a fair price if you want it. I think it's a great SQ hu for starters.


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Ok guys I have a huge update! I have been saving for a few months and last week pulled the trigger on a MS8 from DAT. Heres the proof of purchase!!! I am soooo excited.










I have a couple questions for the users of the MS8. Which rca's do I connect to the inputs of the MS8? I have front, rear, and sub outputs from my headunit and I know the manual says "connect thr front outputs to the MS-8's RCA-type inputs 1 and 2 only." I know this is a stupid question but I need help guys. 

Ok so the bottom line, which color of the front rca goes to 1 and which color goes to 2?

I have another question, how do you "cloud" plexi-glass and attach L.E.D.'s to the plexi-glass? I am about to begin my false-floor build and want to figure everything out before I start


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## theothermike (Dec 20, 2006)

i dont know about the jbl ?'s or plexi but if u need help designing a box i have been designing and building boxes for about 3-4 years and can definately help you out with that for free if you would like....

im am also a college student, but i got into car audio and even hit the sq bug way before college. i was rolling around in hs with about 5k worth of audio gear... not bad id say... =]

man i miss my hybrid legatia 4's and 1's paired with my id oem midbass.
had those connected to a alpine w200 with a h701 optically. running to sundown 100.4, 100.2, 1500D, and had 2 15" oz me's sealed with gain's turned down, and a car completely stripped with about 250 sq ft of deadener. all in a 94 camry lolll. stereo was more than the car....

anyways i also second that you should remove ur ground at the seat bracket and grind away the paint under the bracket and put it under it connecting to the chassis of the vehicle sandwiched between the bracket and floor...

i was attending fsu but transferred to usf now.

gl


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

OC:

I'm not mad atcha.  I haven't put the tweeters in yet. I am VERY happy with my Dayton RS-180's for midbass.

For LED's check superbrightleds.com...they make strip leds...work pretty good for edge lighting plexi.

BTW, are you on S10forums? Your name looks familiar.

Jay


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey JayinMI,

First off I look up to your build thread alot so just seein that we choose the same drivers put a grin on my face! Thanks for the comment on the Daytons, it's between that and the peerless 6.5"!

And yea man I am on s10forum.com it's a great resource of information and inspiration! the only probelm is most people don't look to much into the sq side of things over there but theres a ton of info. on dropping a lsx into a s10/blaze!!!!


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## PottersField (Mar 18, 2011)

For frosting plexi you can use a palm sander and a fine grit sanding disk. The LEDs would just need to be mounted along the edge of the plexi but not necessarily attached directly to it. If you don't have a palm sander you can use a glass acid etching kit but it's very difficult to get an even finish if you're doing large pieces and you have to be careful not to leave it on too long. The sander is the easiest way to go.


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Thanks for the answer Mr. T! Can you correct me if I'm wrong but you "frost" the top and bottom and by doing that it keeps the light between the layers of "frosting?" I hope that makes sense


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## iroc2nv (May 15, 2009)

Hey, i'm on S10Forum also and go by my name on here. I have a pair of Pioneer 251R subs running on a JL Audio e1400 and PG 6.5 RSD's on a RF 400.2. I'm thinking about moving my tweeter up to the dash, it's in the door panel right now. What are your thoughts about doing that or should i just go with some 4x6 plates. Infinity or Pioneer are who i'm looking at.


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey man it's great to see some guys from s10forum over here (I recognize your name and your Blazer). First just so you know I have had tweeters in both the door panel and dash plates before in a Blazer. From my experience having the tweeters in the dash produces a better stage height and a much louder experience. I'm guessing the reflections from the wind shield spread the sound completely across the car but this makes it hard to find a stage center! So by moving the tweeters up to the dash you lose some clarity and center but gain width and a much louder and present sound. 

So it's up to you but I am still trying to decide between the dash or door for my primilary locations until I have the time to experiment with fiberglass!


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## theothermike (Dec 20, 2006)

howd the box come out?


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## iroc2nv (May 15, 2009)

Glad your here, recognized your name also. Thinking about a piller pods ...... or 4x6 plates.


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey theothermike I haven't actually got a chance to work on the new box yet but hopefully next week ill get a start on it!!!! Thanks again for all the help you've given me!! 

With regards to the pods or 4x6 I plan on eventually having a 3 way with the mid and tweeter in the a pillar but for times sake I think I might start by building 4x6 plates to hold the speakers while I work on the pods. Hopefully I can have all this done by the end of summer but a bunch of stuff keeps coming up whenever I get some money set aside to buy the parts needed to finish.


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Calling all plexiglass users!!! I am about to begin my false floor build but I have a question regarding the plexiglass used for backlighting. What thickness plexiglass do y'all use when you build edge-light cut outs? I bought a rgb led strip from superbrightleds.com and a rgb controller but I don't know how thick the plexiglass needs to be in order to function properly?  Oh and where are y'all getting the plexiglass from?

Thanks for reading this and please offer any help you can!!


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## Schnitz (Jun 26, 2008)

I used 3/8" acrylic for my false floor window and sub surrounds. I also used silicone encased LED strips to edge light the acrylic. I copied Bing from Simplicityinsound. Sanded all sides of the sub rings with 60 and then 150 grit. I didn't sand the floor window at all because I wanted as much light as possible to reach the etched logo in the middle.
Check out simplicityinsound's thread about his biggest project to date. He explains the LED thing perfectly.


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## Mythstery (Jun 8, 2010)

any updates on this?


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## Mythstery (Jun 8, 2010)

Where did you run off too i want to see some updates lol


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

eviling said:


> hmmm, where did you get that box? seems a bit large, also sealed would probobly be wayyyyyyyy better in an SUV friend, especily in an SUV. you'd save so much cargo space, and wouldn't just be a car going brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr as the muisc plays


There are two sides to this coin, you know. Depending on the vehicle, an SUV can be worse in many ways for sealed enclosures. The longer form factor means cabin gain will kick in at a lower frequency and sealed can be anemic with its' early rolloff.


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey Mythstery sorry for the lack of updates. I just recently (2 days ago) got all the wire I need for the install, now I just need a distribution block for the ground. I am hoping to grab a CBR44 and then I got to grab some midbass speakers. But I have began building the false floor so I am extremely close to beginning the build!!!! However, my heater core blew so I need to replace that which took 15+ hours in my bro's Blazer :-( So hopefully within two weeks I'll have that heatr core changed out and all my speaker wire layed down!!!!


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## MrUntouchab1e (Mar 23, 2011)

Can't wait for more!


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## gokiburi (Jul 20, 2007)

Good stuff - I like the HDR pic as well.


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

So I've finally got all of the maintenance done on the car that should be needed for awhile. In case y'all care I have:

Flushed the coolant system to get rid of dexcool (5 hrs)
Changed out my heater core (30 hrs)
Changed the lower intake manifold gasket (22 hrs)
Changed the fuel pump (4 hrs)
Changed the door pins in both front doors(2 hrs)
and gone to school 15 hrs a week while working 25+ hrs a week

But I have finally begun working installing my front speakers. This past week I have cleaned off all of the old epoxy and the door panel to prep for sound deadening. I have installed Damp Pro in both front doors and I am in the process of installing Luxury Liner Pro but I need some help guys!!

Here is a picture of the stock door:









Now here is what I have installed:
Driver's Door









Passenger's Door









Here are some pictures of the LLP installed on the outer door skin


















I need some help on figuring out how seal all of the holes in the door  I was going to make a simple mdf speaker baffle but the speaker opening is not level at all, so that was put on hold. I thought about putting a layer or two of damp pro around the speaker opening to level it out and then using silicone to seal up the remaining open distance. The large square opening on the bottom of the doors is going to be sealed up with 1/16 acrylic and silicone. I just do not know how to seal up the pockets that are near the door latch and the upper door hinge. 

Here are some pictures of the said area:
Door latch









Upper hinge area









Any and all advise is welcome as I am just a newb when it comes to sound deadening; so I need some help with how to seal the openings and how to put LLP on the inner door skin!


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## Mythstery (Jun 8, 2010)

I know i didnt add any stability in that huge hole but i just covered both holes with a sheet of sound deadener. i really dont have the means to do a lot of fabrication.


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Thanks for the pic! Does the mid sound a lot better now with the holes sealed with deadener? Also I can't figure out what to do about that stupid flimsy speaker baffle since my mid is about 3/4" to big in the diameter to fit ... AHHH


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## MTopper (Nov 4, 2009)

i don't know why but with 3 cars i've done where i just covered the holes with deadener, the deadener was torn to shreads, so, i started fiberglass molding the openings or sheet metal over them held in by rivets.


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## NoelSibs (Jun 21, 2010)

I love the DIYMA spirit on here... that's what I love about this forum, lots of support, lots of information and lots of productive healthy criticism.

I totally agree with e grounding advice on here... You do need a better ground because god forbid a bad ground causes issues for you in the future! Imagine the frustrations you'll go through... Also, a lot of people have used several different methods to seal those holes in the doors... I myself have temporarily placed a sheet of deadened on mine. What many have done here is get HDPE (or chopping board) secured it to the holes and sealed them up. This seems logical because water does get in there and wood will probably just corrode. Pulse you can use the extra materials to make your speaker baffles!

Couple of questions, how is the sound quality on that Massive Audio Amp? A friend of mine is looking to get one and if it's any good, I may get one too! I know there are a couple of bad reviews here but I take that with a grain of salt... All products have their lemons after all...

Good luck and I'm loving the work you're doing on here. Truly is an awesome start to a potentially great SQ truck 

Sub'd...


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## gokiburi (Jul 20, 2007)

Good pictures - how's it look now?


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey gokiburi, thanks for the interest and not much has changed at all. I have just been way to busy this summer to work on it at all. I am hoping to install my Alpine 9887 soon and finish sealing the doors as well. But finding time between a serious relationship, work, and a 2.5 acre garden its hard to find more than 30 minutes of free time to get away and work on my baby. I do however see a light at he end of the tunnel finally!!


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey y'all I have an actual update for this thing finally! I began wiring up my 9887 harness today but ran into a little issue which I could not decide what to do about it. So I figured that y'all would be happy to help and with all the experience on here I figured I would find the best answer!

I got everything wired up except for the ground and constant power wires. The harness that came with my 9887 had a fuse block hard-wired into the harness and it's longer than the rest of the harness. The pictures below describe the situation.

Here is the entire harness as a whole:









Here is the constant power wire pulled tight with the rest of the harness, notice the length of the 9887 end of the harness:









I opened up the fuse block and here is what I saw:









So I can't decide what to do about the situation. Also the size of the 9887 ground and constant wire are significantly larger than the GM harness end. Does that matter much or should I not worry about it?

As always that y'all for your time and I can't wait to hear from y'all about what you suggest!


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey guys so I am back to working on the Blazer. This past week I have been working on installing the Audio Development MM1 Tweeters and a new ground location. 

I installed the 9887 a while back and finally got the tweeters installed so I could take advantage of the 9887's tuning ability. Well I got the tweeters installed and I have to say they sound great! I know I haven't painted the adapters yet but I wanted to make sure I liked the installation location before I painted them. Once I got them installed I meet up with Grayson and Alleye in Atlanta a few weeks back and they showed me how to tune an active set-up. HUGE thanks to them for all the help as I would have been lost without them! Anyways, here are the tweeters installed in the dash.





I finally took everyone's advise and installed a new ground location straight to the body and upgraded the ground wire to 1/0 size. I do have a problem though since the hiss is still present, it is not quite as loud as before but I would like to get rid of the hiss asap! Anyways this was a easy and quick upgrade that I should have done much sooner!



Hopefully by the end of next week I will have a new false floor build complete and a new sealed box built. Thanks for checking out the new additions and please give me any advise you have.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Glad to see you back at it again! I think you will find that your improved ground location helps in more ways than one.

*soapbox*

I feel bad for not noticing your comment about dash-mounted tweeters in 2011 and saying something earlier, but comb filtering is not your friend. Comb filtering occurs when you have an early reflection (such as off a windshield) or two different physical locations playing the same frequency (such as a multi-way speaker system with too shallow a crossover slope) so that the original signal has to fight a similar secondary signal. The result is to waves overlapped with a misaligned phase; the resulting analysis of your usable frequency range would be a comb-shaped graph (hence comb filtering) with dead spots that cannot be overcome through equalization of any type. Note that this effect is much more problematic in the upper frequencies due to shorter physical wavelengths.

It is likely with your current tweeter installation that you will run into comb filtering. Whether or not you learn to hear it is another question, and not every manifestation of it is unpleasant, but you do risk tangling with a difficult and unnecessary problem with that tweeter location.

FWIW and YMMV. I have installed tweeters firing off a glass surface like that only once, and realized quickly that they were not performing as intended. Fortunately the bass was so loud in that car that I never really tried to _listen_ to anything...



*/soapbox*


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## WhereAmEye? (Jun 17, 2013)

Respect man, looks good. As a soon-to-be college student myself I'm glad to see that a decent system is possible on a...fun budget.


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## strakele (Mar 2, 2009)

Hey man, I never knew you had a build log on here! I'll definitely keep an eye on it. What ever became of the Vifa tweets and TB mids a page or two back?

Hope everything's going well for you.


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## eisnerracing (Sep 14, 2010)

alpine decks with larger power and grounds sound better with a larger power cable and a body ground - in the past i have noticed and heard a diff - really in the older 4 volt decks 
using power at the harness i noticed distortion at a lower volume number in the deck


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## jvctan16 (Jun 11, 2013)

Good choice of equipment. Doesn't look like you're a broke college student  no pun intended.


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