And so it begines...

[beardog03]

Okay guy`s...

I now have 4 amps...c4oo.4, c5oo.1,and 2-c.300.2`s

I have two 10"momo`s, and two 12`s on the way..

I have a pair of 5 1/2" momo`s on my list for the front, and a pair of 6x9`s for the rear..
still contimplating 6.5" 2 way momo`s for the rear..

I would like to go with the SR`s but I`m broker than a broke...well you get the idea.. :rolleyes:

a new Alpine is going in the dash, been thinking of getting a dvd type player (saw one for salehere at the forum...

I`m new to installs and this will be my first attempt at a complete beardog project...I had help with the truck..!

I`m going for SQ, and I`m sure SPL will be there also..

I`m going to start this weekend and take my time so I`ll be askin alot of stupid questions..
I understand that BMW`s have touchy computors in them and I REALLY can`t afford a new one for this car..
I`m getting a deep cycle battery through work , since I work in the shipyards, I have a good source to get a good deal on one..
Not sure about this type of cars altenator, as this is my first foriegn veehickle..

Where to start ?
which amps would you use ?
which subs I use depends on space, as either way it will hit hard enough, but after drooling over the Polk Civic that`s for sale, and knowing I can`t have it, has made me want to try to do something that I can pretend is close..!! :D

Probably going to put it in the garage for a winter project, along with my bike that needs to be worked over, so let`s get some idea`s to get me started..

Thanks in advance

Bear

[MacLeod]

Wow, thats a lot of gear.

If it were mine, I would go the simple route. 5.25's and 6x9's ran off the 400.4 and then the two 10's running off the 500.1. Thats plenty o' power and speakers and would sound great.

But then again, Im not very creative and prefer to do things nice and simple.....cause Im really lazy!

I also advise Dynamat, and a lot of it. Line your doors inside and out especially. This will drastically inprove your sound quality. Wouldnt be a bad idea to slap a layer on the back deck as well where the 6x9's will fit. Ya cant have a mounting surface too rigid!

[beardog03]

I have 3 rolls (dynamat) so far..

The back deck is going to be the worst part...thin , buzzes, odd shape, and a weird web of metal braces...

I don`t want to have to turn it way up to get the full SQ..

I`m kinda lazy, but I want to have Joshes car..!!

PolkFest got me when I sat in that car..!!

[beardog03]

just got the two 12`s from Cody..!!

Monsters they are..!
but will they fit..?

If I get a Q-logic box that fits them both , it will take most of the trunk, and which way should it face..?
If it faces forward like I think it should , you can`t see them..
If I turn it so it faces the back ,and you can see them , the sound will be going towrds the back of the car and out into traffic..!!

Should I mount the amps to the sub box, or will that jiggle them too much and make them fail..?

[hellohello]

well, to mount them facing the trunklid isnt a bad thing, it gives the sound something to reflect off of, and if u dampen enough, (dont forget the liscence plate) it should be fine.. to face them toward the back seat may also work, but u have to give the woofers some clearance, dont butt them up against the back seat

[Dennis Gardner]

Mount 'em backwards. You gain at least 3 db, similar to putting your home sub in a corner. It also seems to make the bass fuller in my experience. Mounting them forward facing the back seat makes it seem leaner and requires more amp power.

I'm sure that BMW seals the trunks nicely and you should get great sound.

[MacLeod]

The reason rear facing your subs in the trunk sounds louder is that when theyre facing up or to the front they get a lot of cancelation from the wave bouncing off the back of the trunk. If you face them to the rear it solves this by sending all the bass into the trunk before it goes thru the rear seats and into the passenger compartment.

[beardog03]

facing rear...got it..!!

That seems to be a problem in my truck..
they are up against the back of the seat and there is not enough air space between the speak and the seat..
That`s why I was going to trade the 10`s in for 8`s..

I`m going to dynamat the trunk as much as possible anyway..

two 12`s don`t leave much airspace around the box in such a small trunk..
may have to stick with 10`s or just one 12...

[MacLeod]

Make sure you Dynamat the hell out of the license plate area. Having your subs facing the rear is what makes all that sheet metal rattle, which will be a big hit in the ghetto but nothing worthy of a Beamer!

[beardog03]

I hear ya..
I hate it when a car rattles down the street..!

It might sound good inside the car, but it sure is annoying on the outside..

[MacLeod]

Usually, in a car like that, it doesnt sound good inside either. For the owner of a car like that its all about getting noticed. SQ is waaaaaay down the list of priorities.

[beardog03]

Wow, thats a lot of gear.

If it were mine, I would go the simple route. 5.25's and 6x9's ran off the 400.4 and then the two 10's running off the 500.1. Thats plenty o' power and speakers and would sound great.!


this is probably the route I`m gonna take....
I just really want to hear these 12`s..!!
and now I have 2 of the c3oo`s......


can you hook car gear to a battery, then the battery to a battery charger/tender, or a converter and run this in the garage..?!!

or would it draw too much juice..?

[exalted512]

you cant have the amp going if the battery is being charged, youll get a weird noise out of it.
-Cody

[beardog03]

is there a way to make a garage rig out of car audio gear..?

just to hear what things sound like together..?

[ND13]

is there a way to make a garage rig out of car audio gear..?

just to hear what things sound like together..?

Yes, you'll need a power inverter, but it can be done. How do you think they bench test car gear?? How do they run it at the stores?? Same principal. just only on a smaller scale.

But, it really won't be a good indicator of how it will sound in you car's environment, at all.

[MacLeod]

True but it will let you know what it sounds like in its purest form and uninterfered with by glass, hard plastic and other things in a car that screw up their sound.

[beardog03]

I`m gonna build one...!
need to get some info on what kind of inverter (power/amps) to get

[ND13]

True but it will let you know what it sounds like in its purest form and uninterfered with by glass, hard plastic and other things in a car that screw up their sound.


Like I said, it won't be a good indiacator of how it will sound in the car environment. :) Just like at the retailers, it'll give you an IDEA of how the gear COULD sound, but not in the real world. That's not to say that it's not helpful, just don't expect it to sound the same way once it's installed.

[beardog03]

Ya, I realize that, but I want to hook stuff up and test, and see how it sounds...and play with it..!!

besides...it could make a really cool garage system.. :D

[audiobliss]

You got that right! Sounds like fun!

[cam5860]

Ive never been a fan of subs in a trunk unless you have a opening in the back seats were it lays down. First off it sounds like shit because it's almost impossible to stop all the rattles. Did i mention the license plate rattle that sounds shitty as well. Second if you don't have a opening most of the sound is going to the outside. My point is basically it's for people that want everyone else to hear there bass instead of them.

[MacLeod]

Youve obviously never heard a proper setup then. It isnt that hard to get good SQ out of sticking your subs in the trunk. If it were you wouldnt see 90% of SQ competitors with their subs in the trunk.

[cam5860]

Im not talking about a competition. Im talking about your average joe.

[Dennis Gardner]

Im not talking about a competition. Im talking about your average joe.

Didn't you see his list of gear? He is not your average Bear! ;)

What is the difference, a trunk is a trunk, and is a much better place for a couple subs than either the front or back seat. :D

It is all in the install.

I purposely used the word install since that indicates a much higher level of effort than simply thowing a box in the trunk. With the proper level of attention put into deadening all panels and tightnening all seals, a trunk makes a great place for a sub, and don't even worry about the 3-4 inches of back seat foam since it won't be a match for the pressure coming back into the cabin.

[beardog03]

At Polkfest the car I sat in Had it in the trunk facing sideways..

no boom inside or out..

pure SQ..!!

[cam5860]

yeah you have a good point. I guess I have just never heard a good setup in a trunk, because all of the one's Ive heard at local audio shops rattle like hell.

[neomagus00]

like you said, that's the VAST majority... i like to think we're the minority here (yes, i am being a bit of an elitist bastard right now, and I LIKE IT!!)

[SportsFan]

can you hook car gear to a battery, then the battery to a battery charger/tender, or a converter and run this in the garage..?!!


This brings up a question I have....

If you have an amp installed, and need to "jump" the battery....are there any risks that would warrant disconnecting the amp wire from the battery? Or is just making sure that the stereo is turned off enough? What would be the proper procedure to take in this instance?

[neomagus00]

when i need a jump, or when i give one, i disconnect my amp and hu before attaching the jumper cables - better safe than sorry... you do have to write down all the settings on your HU first (i keep a running list - every time i decide to keep a change i've made, i write it down in my car's owner's manual's notes page)

[nadams]

neo- sounds like waaaay too much work for me :). I've had to jump my truck many times (crappy battery) and I've never unhooked anything... from car to car you're just running off hte other cars alt instead of your own. You should, however, always unhook everything from the batt before doing an extended charge (like on a battery charger).

[MacLeod]

I dont know crap about electical engineering or physics, but I dont see how jumping the car off with the amps hooked up could hurt anything. The inline fuse would protect the amp from any massive power suge wouldnt it?

[neomagus00]

from a massive surge, yeah, but for a short blast the fuses won't do a thing... and this could still melt the inputs on an amp / HU...

[audiobliss]

Which means you would then have nice, solid, soldered connections! :D:D

[exalted512]

youre not going to hurt anything by jumping it with the power wire connected. Trust me, if something bad enough to hurt your amps happened...those amps will be the least of your problems. Totally unncessary
-Cody

[1996blackmax]

I have had to jump my cars many times :(. Finally got another battery for this one :). I have never had a problem with having my audio gear hooked up. I just always made sure it was off.