Install 2007

[MacLeod]

Started on my new install for the 2007 season and just got back in from 3 hours sitting in my truck and listening to my mids in all kinds of locations.

I was really wanting to go with the dash but I just couldnt make them work. After hearing all the great sounding systems at finals with dash mids I was sure it would work but I rekon with my 40 acre windshiled it was just too much glass and reflection to EQ out.

It did require a lot less volume to crank em up and everything was very nice and high but everything just had a harsh, metallic sound to it. Plus, it wouldve been a pretty big chore to get them to fit up there.

So I decided to go with the kicks but, oddly enough, the angle that worked best was with them firing straight back to the rear of the truck. I tried them firing straight across and at the opposite head rest at varying angles but them firing straight focused up the image a lot more.

The downside is that it dropped the stage. It used to be about 6" above the dash, with the mids in the dash it was eye level. With them in the kicks its barely above the dash at all.

Ill have to play with crossover points and phasing and maybe I can get that fixed but Id give up some height for a better focues image.

So now Im off to Home Depot for some supplies and then to Radio Shack for speaker wire and then Ill get to it.

Ill be the only guy with custom kick panels made 100% out of MDF! :D

[beardog03]

Go Mack !
I got your back....
Your gonna take em all this next year !

[audiobliss]

Ill be the only guy with custom kick panels made 100% out of MDF! :D
You'll be the only guy with kicking SR6500 components, mids, custom kicks,....and speaker wires from RS. :rolleyes: You're pathetic.


























:p :D


J/K





Kinda. :o

[beardog03]

I wish he lived anywhere near me....my ride would be finished !
So far it`s all still in the box`s !


Team Mac / `07

[MacLeod]

LOL!

Dont knock those Rat Shack wires!

I get the 14 guage flat wire. Theyre a lot easier to snake thru tight corners. 50' for $20! Plus theyre stiff as a board. At first I didnt like that but that also makes it a lot easier to push them thru tight spaces.


I wish he lived anywhere near me....my ride would be finished !
So far it`s all still in the box`s !

Dont bet on it! I work pretty slowly. I aint the greatest craftsman in the world. I dont see how pro installers do this everyday! If it werent my own ride there is no way Id have the patience for it! ;)

[MacLeod]

Well got a lot accomplished today. Now that it gets dark at 5PM I didnt have a whole lot of time.

Im not good enough to look at something and know what I need to do, I have to work at it trying different things til something works right. I started out going to go like Thom and Josh did with their Silverado having the mids in the kicks against the sheetmetal firing straight across but there isnt enough space and way too many wires and wiring harnesses down there so that wouldnt work with my limited abilities, tools, work area and talent.

So after several evolutions I figured out the best way.

Since I want this to look good as well, I decided to use the stock kick panel. Yeah its flimsy but I figure I could either fortify it with modeling clay or something then I thought why not slap a piece of wood on the other side. So that what Ill do. I cut out a piece of 1/4" MDF in the shape of the kick panel and then Dynamated (actually Schoshe Acustamat I picked up at Walmart for $5) the back of it which will be sandwiched between the MDF and plastic.

http://i10.tinypic.com/48colxx.jpg

http://i16.tinypic.com/3ypc2lg.jpg

This is the finished product. I will screw the panel to the inside of the kick panel and then cut out a space around the actual box for the mid. The box isnt sealed. It cuts thru the panel and vents into the kick panel area and thru the sheetmetal which has 2 big holes which are perfect.

http://i11.tinypic.com/2h6vc3n.jpg

Here is a shot of the box from the back before I put the back plate on. I decided on 1/4" wood because I dont have much room to work with under therer and since these werent going to be sealed and are going to be midrange only, I was too worried about flex. Still I decided to brace em up a bit just for good measure.

http://i12.tinypic.com/48dckmp.jpg

Here is the finished box with the mid in. Fits perfectly. Theyre not finished yet. I still have to Dynamat the outside of the box and seal the inside with caulk and then carpet the box part and then cut out the kick panel and screw the panel to the wood panel. Then I have to start on the passenger side!

http://i16.tinypic.com/4btg8p2.jpg

These will place the mid right where I thought they sounded best. Down in the kick panel area and as far forward as possible. Theyll be firing straight to the back of the truck and slightly. Im sure Ill have to chase down rattles and buzzing panels but I feel pretty good about these.

All comments and opinions are welcome. If anybody sees where Im screwing up pretty big, tell me now before I get these done! ;)

http://i11.tinypic.com/2h6vc3n.jpg

[exalted512]

cant wait to see the finished product

and how bout those titans!!!
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Did they win today?!?! I was outside working on this all afternoon!

[exalted512]

yup. Three TD's by their defense. 24-17 over the jags
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Woohoo! Theyre on a tear! Vince baby! I knew as soon as they cut him loose he would be good for em!

[exalted512]

yea yea, hes still a longhorn in my book
-Cody

[Greg Peters]

http://i16.tinypic.com/4btg8p2.jpg

These will place the mid right where I thought they sounded best. Down in the kick panel area and as far forward as possible. Theyll be firing straight to the back of the truck and slightly. Im sure Ill have to chase down rattles and buzzing panels but I feel pretty good about these.



That driver looks familiar- a Polk SR5250 :D

So did you buy those as raw drivers for a 3 way setup, or did you get another complete set?

So what's the plan- tweets in a pillers, SR6500 mids in doors, and SR5250 mids in kicks? With external processor to divide up amongst the three for front stage?

I'll have to say "Team Mac / '07" too.

[Thom]

Looks good, what's the plan for finish materials? Tuck the boxes behind the carpet? Or wrap them in vinyl?

[MacLeod]

Actually it would be Team Polk! We're all in this together. ;)

The plan as it stands is 5250's in the kicks running 200'ish and up. Tweets stay where theyre at in the A pillars running 4K-5K and up. 6500's in the doors handling 200-60 or so and then assuming KIM EVER READS HIS PM'S Ill keep my MM2104 running 40 and down. I may later on put a box in place of my center console for a SR104.

I still short an amp for my sub now since my VR302 will be running my midbass so Ill have to get an amp for my sub before I can get everything running.

I was going to wrap them in vinyl but figured with them being down in the footwell and this being my daily driver, using carpet would hold up a little better. So Ill run down to Radio Clinic and see if they have any tan carpet to wrap em up with. Ill use the SR grills.

A buddy recommended coating the inside of the box with non hardening modelling clay since the box itself is kinda smallish. He said this would work like polyfil in a way and by rounding out the edges and corners would do more to direct the wave thru the cutout and into the kick panel. Never tried that before but I figure its worth a shot.

[MacLeod]

Alright. Got them finished.

Here they are covered in a layer of Dynamat for good measure. I also stuck some strips of Dynamat on the back wall hoping it will help some in breaking up standing waves.

http://i16.tinypic.com/2ibjhvm.jpg

And here they are carpeted and finished. Luckily, Radio Clinic had some carpet that was very close to the stuff in my truck.

http://i13.tinypic.com/2cgh7j9.jpg

This one was a pain cause the staples kept popping out from the back.

http://i10.tinypic.com/440fr7t.jpg

Tomorrow Ill figure out where and how Im going to mount them. I was originally going to attatch them to the back of the factory kick panel and still may, but with the Dynamat, carpet and speakers installed, these things are heavier than I thought and the back of the kick panel may not be a sturdy enough mounting spot.

If they dont work or sound like crap then Im chucking them and going with Qforms. Radio Clinic has a set they said theyd give me for $100.

[exalted512]

i think you wouldve been better off putting polyfill in it than strips of dynamat. I would think the foil backed dynamat would be more reflective than anything. Now lets see em in the truck!
-Cody

[avguytx]

To solidify the factory kick panels (if you are), you might do some fiberglass resin and lead shot. That was something we used to do years ago for the Q-Logic kick panels when we used them or did something with the factory ones. It didn't take up any depth and it was rock solid. I agree with the polyfill in the box, too. Experiment with different amounts because it will yield different sonic qualities from the enclosure.

[Thom]

I was originally going to attatch them to the back of the factory kick panel and still may, but with the Dynamat, carpet and speakers installed, these things are heavier than I thought and the back of the kick panel may not be a sturdy enough mounting spot.


Or screw them to the steel, and then trim the kick panel plastic so they can snap on after...

[MacLeod]

Thanks for the input.


i think you wouldve been better off putting polyfill in it than strips of dynamat. I would think the foil backed dynamat would be more reflective than anything. Now lets see em in the truck!
-Cody

I really dont think standing waves will be too much of a problem with the big hole in the side of the box. I was just wanting something to break up the big flat back piece a little. The polyfill is a good idea and I may very well try that.


To solidify the factory kick panels (if you are), you might do some fiberglass resin and lead shot.

The factory kick panel is there strictly for looks. The speaker box itself is mounted to the large flat piece of MDF which will be mounted to the sheetmetal in the kick. The kick panel will be attatched to the flat piece of MDF but the box wont be relying on the kick panel for support so I should be ok. But just for good measure Ill be laying on a layer of Dynamat to the kick panel.


Or screw them to the steel, and then trim the kick panel plastic so they can snap on after...

I cant mount the panel right up against the sheetmetal due to a whole bunch of wires and wiring harnesses that would be a huge PITA to move. So what I figured Id try would be to slap the speaker box onto the back of the kick panel as planned and then using 2" screws drill them into the sheetmetal. There would be a 2" gap between the sheetmetal and the kick panel but I figure since this is an IB setup anyway it shouldnt matter and itll still let the waves vent into the frame thru the pretty good size holes in the sheetmetal.

[MacLeod]

Well I got them in and I dont like them. :mad: :mad:

http://i10.tinypic.com/2v3n85i.jpg

http://i11.tinypic.com/2ppxb4h.jpg

1) They look like crap. Nothing like the way I imagined them looking.

2) The way my stupid sheet metal is slanted in and the way the kick panel fits, they kind of angle in which makes the speaker fire out into the door as opposed to straight back which makes the left speaker localize A LOT!

3) They look very amateurish. I know Im a horrible craftsman and installer but I usually am kinda proud of my installs. That aint so with these.

I have $130 to my name right now and I think Im going to run down to Radio Clinic tomorrow and dump $100 on those Qforms. Goddammit!

However, these 5250's sound simply amazing! Theyve only got maybe 15 minutes on them but they are awesome! I think I like them better than my 6500's! They dont have quite the midbass the 6500's do of course but the midrange is so much sweeter! This is going to be a great competition season!!

Hopefully theyll sound just as good in the Qforms.

The bright side I guess is that although it took me 3 days to build and install these things Im only out $30 ($3.50 wood/$20 Dynamat / $5 carpet / $2 screws) so I guess I cant bitch too much. :mad:

[joeaudio26]

Hey, mac not everyone can be GARY BIGGS, wood working is a art and art takes time i'm with ya team polk...:)

[black magic]

lol. i think you're beating urself up too much. i think u deserve a little more credit than you think.

where do you guys buy your "carpet" for enclosures and such. the sub i ordered finally got here and i built an enclosure for it, its got exactly the right amound of volume (i was pretty impressed with myself :D ) but i cant find any material to cover the wood with. most ppl i've talked to order it online but i dont want to wait another week or 2. i wanna get this **** done!

[avguytx]

Gary Biggs? What a dork! No, seriously. I've known him and his wife for about 14 years. We worked together at Car Toys in Tulsa for about 7 years and we both left the same year (2001). He's a great guy. Boy, the stories I have on him!

[MacLeod]

After getting over being tired and pissed off and looking at these things some more I actually am kinda proud of myself. Considering I have little room to work with, very few tools, zero work space and limited talent, I dont think I did that bad. These things are rock solid too. No vibrations or resonance at all.

Still, I bought a set of Qforms today. These things are sturdier than I thought they would be but Im still going to coat the backs with Dynamat. Best of all though, they look like the actually belong in the truck!

I get my carpet and all my installation supplies from one of the local shops here, Radio Clinic. Ive been buying stuff from them for years. Got a great deal on the Qforms too. Got them and a 4 ft2 pack of Dynamat for $120! Thats about $80 off retail.

Of course now Im flat dead broke for another week.

[MacLeod]

Just got thru damping these things.

Anybody wanting to use these, get a Dynamat Wedge Pack. Its 4 ft2 and it was enough to completely cover the back of the kicks with 2 layers each and I still had a little left over!

It made a huge difference! These things are hard as a rock now!

http://i10.tinypic.com/34yqz36.jpg

Assuming it doesnt rain, I should have them installed tomorrow.

[exalted512]

tweeter hole going to be empty or r u putting the sr tweeters there?
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Im going to leave it filled in. Im keeping my tweeters on the A pillars for stage height.

[exalted512]

you should put your momo tweeters in there. Dont hook them up or anything, just tell the judges it helped your stage width:D
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Good Gawd I love these Qforms!! These things look great, look like they came with the truck, take up very little legroom and I can still use my emergency brake!

They went in extremely painless and after 2 layers of Dynamat, are very solid.

They image great! At first center was all over the place and I kinda panicked and then remembered Id flopped the polarity of the tweeters while experimenting with my homemade kicks. After putting the tweets back in phase, the image focuses up quite nicely. Its still not as good as it was with them firing straight back but its still very good.

Most importantly, they sound great! These 5250's sound a lot better than I thought they did! Apparantly my homemade boxes werent right somehow cause theses things have come to life in these Qforms! The midbass is excellent now. First impressions are that they are as good as the 6500's! If these things get much better after breaking in, I may not have to go with a 3 way setup after all!! God I love Polk speakers!!

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny so Ill get up early and finish up the kicks, running wires and everything else and should hopefully be done with everything by tomorrow afternoon and will finally be able to clean my truck!!

http://i18.tinypic.com/2e0n5a1.jpg

http://i18.tinypic.com/4fwqq9t.jpg

[Topper]

very interesting post bud :). Following your progress closely :)

[swerve]

mac thse look nice

[MacLeod]

They sound even better!

I finally got everything in except my EQ. I spent about an hour listening trying to decide on going 3 way or not.

Man I can not say enough good things about these 5250's!! These things have not only as much midbass as their big brothers, but I think its a little better! Now granted the 6500's were confined to a horrible door location so Im sure its not all their fault but these 5250's just sound "fatter". Snare drums, male voices all have more thickness to them.

I love these things so much in fact that Im going to stay with a 2 way system and not use midbass speakers which is what I was wanting to do anyway. I just wanted to stay away from having 6 different speakers in 6 different locations in my front stage. Plus, I really dont have a whole lot of room to be mounting extra amps. But what gets me tickeled the most is that these things are only 2 days old! I cannot wait to hear them in a month!!

[1996blackmax]

Mac, why do you have the x-over setting on the high side for the tweeter? Did the lower frequency give you some problems?


I am liking the Q-forms, they look good. I thought about doing the same for my car, going with a 3way system and using them. My doors can actually accommodate pretty good sized midbass speakers. I am happy at the moment though..... I'll see a little later :D.

[audiobliss]

Great to hear that you're loving your new setup.

I personally thin kyou did a good job with your homemade kicks, too. But it sounds like the Qforms are the way to go.

Go Mac!!

[audiobliss]

Ok, after actually reading the second page...

Very interesting that you prefer going 2-way with the 5250's. That's good, though, I suppose.

Good luck with getting everything wired up, tweaked, and ready for competition!

[MacLeod]

Mac, why do you have the x-over setting on the high side for the tweeter? Did the lower frequency give you some problems?


That was a hold over from my last setup. Id had them crossed at 3.2 KHz but I got a little better results tonally by bumping the tweets and mids to 4 KHz.

Funny you should mention that too, I was sitting in the parking lot tuning some and dropped the crossover point down to 3.2 again. It slightly brightened up the sound a hair but it brought up the left side of the stage a ton! I went down to 2.5 KHz but that started thinning out the upper midrange too much so I think Ill stay with 3.2 at least til the first show in Feb.

Its weird how you can make all kinds of changes without much difference, then stumble upon one little thing and make a world of difference!

Speaking of the first show, itll be Carl Casper Nationals in Kentucky. It was my first national show ever last season and I had a great time. 200 competitors and 600 car show competitors. All kinds of cool cars to see! Cant wait for this years!

[1996blackmax]

I know exactly what you mean, guess that's why the tuning of the systems keeps going :).

I found that having a lower crossover point on the tweeters can help bring the stage up. It's a balancing act at times though.

[MacLeod]

Definitely.

Ya gotta find that point where the lower frequencies in the tweeters can bring the stage up and widen it to an extent, but yet not so low that it thins things out.

Hopefully I can get my EQ installed tomorrow before doing all the family stuff. Then, instead of only have 5 bands to screw up, Ill have 150! :D

[1996blackmax]

What eq did you get?

[MacLeod]

Alpine H700.

[1996blackmax]

Nice.....

Are you going to get a unit with an digital output later?

Did I say nice... :D

[MacLeod]

FINALLY! I have everything in.

I stuck the 700 under the passener seat where it fit like a glove. Running the wires wasnt too much trouble however, rather than buy $75 in RCA's, I kept my 18' JL Audio cables. The funny part is that I only needed 4'. So Ive got 3 channels of 14' cables rolled up under the carpet of the rear passenger side! Same thing with the remote. Its about 18' as well so Ive got 14' of it rolled up under the carpet of the drivers side rear seat! Oh well. What can ya do?

I will be upgrading to a HU with a digital out eventually, Ill have to as youre always going to have hiss when you turn a digital signal to analog, back to digital and then back to analog again. The hiss isnt that bad and hopefully it wont cost me any points for noise but I definitely need to have an Alpine with digital out by finals next year.

I did learn one thing today. While tuning for SQ competitions with only a 5 band EQ is hard, tuning for SQ competitions with 31 bands per channel is even harder! Im going to have to learn how to tune all over again!!

Anyone know if they have a "31 Band EQ's for Dummies" book out? :D

[1996blackmax]

I was going to mention the thing about the hiss to you, but thought you were probably aware of it. Just remember, not all the bands need to be dialed in ;).

[MacLeod]

Yeah, digital processors with analog inputs are legendary for their hiss.

Im using the Ai-net connection so the hiss isnt probably as bad as it could be and its still not that awful bad. Im hoping I can dial it down with gain settings.

Still, I aint bitching! Id much rather have a 700 and some hiss than no hiss and no 700! ;)

[Thom]

Anyone know if they have a "31 Band EQ's for Dummies" book out? :D

Cut rather than boost. If you have to boost, don't go more than a few db.

[MacLeod]

Funny you should say that. I just got back in from yet another 2 hour tuning session and my curve is mostly cuts by 1-2 db. I was thinking that looked wrong! I guess Im doing it right then. :p

I also think I may go 3 way now. While I was loving the clarity of the 5250's, I just couldnt get enough "ass" out of them. So I hooked up my old Alpine 50x2 amp and am running my SR6500's as midbasses. I did lose some clarity but I have a whole lot more energy in the midbass now.

Ive got both the 2-way and the 3-way curve stored in the presets so Ill get some 2nd opinions but I think Im going to keep the 6500's.

[Greg Peters]

Funny you should say that. I just got back in from yet another 2 hour tuning session and my curve is mostly cuts by 1-2 db. I was thinking that looked wrong! I guess Im doing it right then. :p

I also think I may go 3 way now. While I was loving the clarity of the 5250's, I just couldnt get enough "ass" out of them. So I hooked up my old Alpine 50x2 amp and am running my SR6500's as midbasses. I did lose some clarity but I have a whole lot more energy in the midbass now.

Ive got both the 2-way and the 3-way curve stored in the presets so Ill get some 2nd opinions but I think Im going to keep the 6500's.

Do keep the 6500s. While I too love the sound of my 5250s, there is a distinct "lack of ass" :D .

The 6500s should sound killer used as a designated midbass, with the 5250s crossed over around 80-100 hz and the 6500s playing from there to their lower reaches.

[MacLeod]

Right now, Ive got the 6500's cut off at 80 Hz with a 12 db slope and then low passed at 200 Hz with a 24 db slope. I dont want to run the 5250's any lower than 200. 165'ish is where they start thinning out a bit.

[beef316]

Right now, Ive got the 6500's cut off at 80 Hz with a 12 db slope and then low passed at 200 Hz with a 24 db slope. I dont want to run the 5250's any lower than 200. 165'ish is where they start thinning out a bit.

If you feel the 5250s thinning out around 165, there may be something wrong with your install. They should play down to 100hz w/ pretty good impact and clarity. :confused:

[Greg Peters]

If you feel the 5250s thinning out around 165, there may be something wrong with your install. They should play down to 100hz w/ pretty good impact and clarity. :confused:

It could be just because they're relatively new drivers still breaking in. The fact that they are mounted IB in kick panels without any kind of actual enclosure probably has something to do with their frequency response also.

I have my 5250s mounted in the door, and I run them crossed over at 50 hz (with a 24db/octave slope). While I don't get the solid fundamentals a 6 1/2" woofer would provide at the same crossover point, I also don't get any kind of breakup in the mids- just the roll off of the lowest frequencies designed into the 5250's response.

I would guess Mac's 5250s could be crossed over in the 80-100 hz range, but also agree that the 6500 mids mounted in a sealed door would do a lot better in the lower midbass region than 5250s mounted in the kicks.

Knowing Mac (from the forum), I'd be willing to bet he'll be experimenting with those SRs in three-way mode for a long time to come before he's satisfied with everything. It may just be a matter of powering the 6500s with the Crossfire amp and using the 50x2 Alpine on the 5250s, albeit crossed over much higher.

There are some differences between the Polk passive crossovers provided with both the 5250 and 6500 drivers also (with different tweeter attenuation settings), but it sounds like Mac will be going active with crossing over the three way setup.

[PolkThug]

Good Gawd I love these Qforms!!

Please find me some for the 05+ Mustang!!!

[MacLeod]

Im already running active. Currently (but this changes every day since there has yet to ba a day go by that I havent spent at least 2 hours sitting in the parking lot tuning) my crossover settings are:

tweets - 5 KHz @ 24 db slope
mids - 180 Hz @ 18 db / 4.5 KHz @ 30 db
midbass - 80 @ 18 db / 280 @ 30 db
sub - 40 @ 18 db

As for the mids playing low, dont misunderstand, they dont suck by any means. I would have zero problem running them forever crossed over at 60-80 Hz. However, Im wanting to get the best sound I possibly can because Ill be in the big leagues next season and Ill have to have all my I's crossed and T's dotted and my beloved 6500's can simply move more air than the 5250's can and will have a little more energy in the midbass dept. Plus, having the mids not having to play below 180 Hz, means the midrange will be cleaner.

Also, like Greg said, theyre just a week old and havent had time to break in properly but most of all, while I love the Q forms, they are NOT something youd want to do if you wanted serious midbass. Maybe if I fiberglassed the back of them and sealed them against the sheet metal so they could vent into the frame they would have a chance but even heavily Dynamatted, youre not going to get great midbass out of Qforms without extensive midifications. However, theyre perfect for midrange applications.

Thuggy - youre out of luck bro. They make em for the 97-04 Stangs but havent got to the new models yet.

[MacLeod]

OK, I think Im on to something.

I took out my 6500's and have decided to go with this setup instead. It really pounds now. The egg crate does wonders for reducing standing waves.

http://i10.tinypic.com/30ry1sj.jpg

[beef316]

Is that a 3 way 6x9? Awesome!

[audiobliss]

BINGO! You've got it, Mac!

Glad to see you've finally come around, man! Here comes the world champion, now!!!

:D:D

[MacLeod]

Is that a 3 way 6x9? Awesome!

No, I dont skimp. Those are 4 ways! If ya dont have a super tweeter, you aint got squat!

Took out my kicks today and slapped 10 pounds of modelling clay on the inside of each! These things weighed like 2 pounds each when I got them; now theyre about 15 pounds each!! LOL I dare these things to resonate!

Finished them off with some Dynaxorb pads against the wall of the kick and topped them off with some pollyfill. Since theyre only playing 100 Hz and up, these Qforms are now worthy!

[exalted512]

shouldve added some clay to the egg crate as well.
-Cody

[audiobliss]

BTW, glad to hear you're going with the three-way setup. Awesome.


*would insert thumbs up smiley here if I knew how*

[MacLeod]

Yeah, I really wanted to stick with a 2 way setup cause its just so much easier to keep everything in phase and all that, plus I dont have to mess with an additional amp but those 5.25's just couldnt get down low enough to meet my sub. I still dont have the 6.5's running that high either, just enough to bolster the 5.25's. Im closing in on my final setup and right now the midbasses are playing 50-200 Hz with the 5.25's running 110-6.3 KHz.

[MIwrestler]

haha thats so cool.

[MacLeod]

Finally got everything in and buttoned up. And I finally was able to clean my truck out!

Finally got the tuning dialed in too. It was giving me fits and I was about ready to rip out my EQ and go back to the HU cause my old install sounded better. No matter how many hours and how hard I worked I just could not get it right! I was getting really pissed off.

Then, just by chance while sitting in the gym parking lot last night, I decided to flop the polarity on the speakers 1 at a time and when I got to the left mid, BOOM! Everything fell into place at once! The midbass fattened up, the upper midrange lost its tinny sound but most importantly, the imaging focused up 100% better! So much so that Im currently running only .25 ms of time alignment as opposed to the 1.6 ms I had before and no TA on the other 5 speakers!!

That seemed to odd to me that would work so I pulled out the mids and checked that they were wired in phase and they were and at the amp. I dont get it! Both mids firing pretty much right up at me yet they were out of phase at 0 degrees but perfectly in phase at 180! When I had the mids in the doors with one of them 90 degrees off axis, they worked at 0 degrees. I dont understand it but Im happy!

[MacLeod]

And here is the finished product.

My trusty Alpine 9855 HU
http://i18.tinypic.com/3yq6phk.jpg

Runs to my Alpine H700
http://i16.tinypic.com/47dttz9.jpg

With the remote in the center console
http://i11.tinypic.com/35hk0tw.jpg

Polk Audio Signature Reference 5.25 mids in Qforms kicks fortified with 2 layers of Dynamat and 10 pounds each of modelling clay. Dynaxorbs were used agaisnt the sheet metal and a lot of polyfill was used inside the kick panel itself
http://i13.tinypic.com/48x1vkl.jpg

Polk Audio Signature Reference tweeters in the A pillars mounted 1" above the highest part of the dash
http://i14.tinypic.com/2w20sg3.jpg

A Polk Audio MM2104 10" sub and that box is 100% wood! Im most proud of it since it was a major PITA to get it built with all those oddball shapes and still fit like a glove.
http://i17.tinypic.com/2vjq0zb.jpg

Powered by 2 Crossfire amps and an Alpine amp running my midbasses which are Polk Audio Signature Reference 6.5's in the stock door locations with a 1" baffle covered in Dynamat and mounted to a 6x9 adapter also covered in Dynamat. The doors are covered in Dynamat on the inner and outer door panel and the door skin has a layer of Dynamat plus a 1" thick layer of anti fatigue foam mat and a Dynaxorb was used for good measure right behind the speaker.
http://i10.tinypic.com/2ue44yc.jpg

It aint fancy by any means and is downright boring but its solid and safe and doesnt use up all my storage space so I have a little left over.

Future upgrade will be Polk amps at which point I will make an amp rack to fit them which will probably take up all my useable storage so Ill have to buy a toolbox for the bed. Ill also be getting an Alpine HU with a digital out eventually as well.

[MacLeod]

Looking at this thread makes me want to cry.

Oh well. Spilt milk and all that.

You guys would be proud of me. I used T/S parameters just now!!

Since Ive got acres of space in my trunk, I decided to build the optimum enclosure for my trusty MM2104. Came up with a .92 ft3 sealed for the flattest response and Qtc of .707.

Poor thing has been choked to death trying to work in that tiny ass box I had it in before. If its not crappy weather this weekend, Ill probably start on it.

This one should be easy! I only have to carpet the front and sides because you wont be able to see the back of it. Best of all, no weird angles or nooks and crannys to fit around. Just a plain old simple square (rectangle actually) box................with 4 sides.

[joeaudio26]

What are you some kind of audiophile?...that's absurd...and you will never, never do it again...;)

[black magic]

very nice install

[MacLeod]

I will no longer make fun of Cody for taking so long on his installs. I spent 4 hours yesterday trying to get my head unit hooked up and running and I just spent another 4 hours installing my tweeters. Its a whole other ballgame when youre working on a car youve never worked on before. You go out there thinking "Ill just do this" and then realize after about an hour that "this" aint gonna work then spend another 3 hours trying to figure out what will work.

Anyhoo, here is my progress so far.

It took me about an hour to figure out how to get the dash apart. Yeah its got clips, its also got 4 screws that are hidden in certain spots that are NOT obvious. This is what it looks like with everything off and gutted out.

http://i17.tinypic.com/2mdgher.jpg

And this is what it looks like all buttoned up. Its not in a very "natural" position but it does look clean and I can use my Ai-net cable to my H700.

http://i19.tinypic.com/47so5ec.jpg

I mounted the tweeters in the stock locations. It was a bitch too. Its a very small space and there is nothing to mount them securely to. I tried surface mounting them on the OEM grill with my old MM6 tweeter surface mounts but it wouldnt fit under the windshield. I ended up using the SR's compaxial gadget. It fit right down inside there fairly snug and wont move.

http://i9.tinypic.com/455umar.jpg

http://i19.tinypic.com/4beie7b.jpg

The grill is very odd. It looks like a grill, but its not. Its a solid piece. I started out by trying to poke holes thru there but we're talking a lot of holes and it skinned it up and look like crap. So I decided to use the SR grills. I used the adhesive off the back of Dynamat. Drilled holes into the grill where the tweeter would be firing and stuck em on. At first I thought they looked kinda amateurish, but after a few minutes of looking at them I kinda like it.

http://i18.tinypic.com/2h5sft0.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/42i4vq1.jpg

And here is my box. Its 3/4" MDF sealed up with silicone caulkI slapped a later a Dynamat (actually Scosche Acustamat I had lying around) on the mounting suface to help seal around the mounting point. Interior volume is .67 ft3 total and I threw in a handfull of pollyfill for good measure. Im not going to carpet it because you wont see it. Itll be mounted in the front of the trunk firing into the cabin and Ill cut out a piece of 1/4" MDF and carpet it and mount it right behind it. This is also what Ill mount my amps and processor too. The box is only 9" deep so Im only using 9.25" of trunk space.

http://i9.tinypic.com/2m85w01.jpg

Tomorrow if its not raining, Ill have to cut out spacers for my 6.5's out of 3/4" MDF in order to get my SR6500's to fit and Im not entirely sure if they will! Hopefully this wont be like the tweeters and HU and be a straight forward job.

Ill also apply a layer of Dynamat to the inner and outer door panel as well as the door skin.

One thing that is super easy is running wires! The panels just pop off really easy and there is plenty of room to run wires. The back seats fold down so its unbelievably easy to run it thru under the seats and into the trunk. Ive got all my wires ran except for the wires running to the 6.5's.

[Josh]

You could just cut out a larger section of the dash grill and wrap it with grill cloth.

[MacLeod]

That is a good idea. I hadnt thought of that.

Do you think that grill on top looks kinda cheesey? Its almost the same color as the OEM grill and blends in pretty good. At first I thought it looked kind of gawdy but then I figured its no different than if Id surface mounted the tweeter there.

One thing I like about it is something the Polk logo. Since the sub will be hidden and the 6500's will be in the doors there wont be any sign of Polk gear.

[dolfan87]

For the future Mac (to late now of course) by a drill bit small enough to fit into each little dimple of the factory grill. It will take some time, but you sit there and "unplug" the holes around where your tweet fits, and it all looks factory.

For now, I would leave them alone. They don't look that bad as they are. Also stealth is cool, when someone asks, you just tell them it's all Polk gear.

Gram

[brettw22]

I like the grill cloth idea myself.....something like a jigsaw or bandsaw to cut out the dimpled area.........

The grill on top of a grill I'm not so much a fan of though......

[MacLeod]

I actually tried drilling out the holes in the stock grill first but theyre just too small. Ive got a very tiny drill bit that I used and it still was too big and chewed up the edges.

Ill come back to it I suppose. I still need to get everything else installed and once Im up and running Ill see about wrapping them. Times a wasting. Gotta be competition ready by the 10th.

[exalted512]

I'd def. get some black grill cloth. I covered the factory grill on my doors with it so you couldnt see the 8" behind the door panel and it looks much better than factory, especially with my dark gray interior.

At least now you know how everything comes apart. I'm not sure on that year model, but my g/f's civic and most compact cars in general, you can pull the bottom of the back seat entirely out. 9 times out of 10 theres 2 clips, one where the crotch area is of each side towards the front, just give it a tug and it should come right up. If it doesnt, stop trying, but it makes things a lot easier
-Cody

[MacLeod]

I bought a Dremel today. That should come in most handy for the odd cutting that I need to do. $60. Sheesh.

That makes over $300 Ive spent so far and I dont even have everything installed yet!!!

I will probably go with the grill cloth then. With the new Dremel it should be a lot easier to cut out the grill.

[Josh]

PM'ed you, Mac.

[dolfan87]

I actually tried drilling out the holes in the stock grill first but theyre just too small. Ive got a very tiny drill bit that I used and it still was too big and chewed up the edges.

Ill come back to it I suppose. I still need to get everything else installed and once Im up and running Ill see about wrapping them. Times a wasting. Gotta be competition ready by the 10th.

Again, for the future...if you go to a hobby supply store, you can get drill bits down to .015...TINY.

The grill cloth will look great Mac, and you are doing an awesome job. Can;t wait to see it finished!

[Jstas]

When I was looking at the pictures, I was asking myself why you didn't go with the grille cloth. Grille cloth would look way better, more refined and as opposed to plastic grille holes, it's acoustcially transparent. If you are competing, that's defintly the way to go.

The sound deadener on the front of the sub box, that worries me. I think you are going to get more surface reflections off of that than you would the bare MDF. Since you are going to put it in a confined space facing the rear of the back seat, that may cause you problems. I'd either cut the extra off and peel it off, then carpet the front or just carpet over the sound deadener to minimize reflections as best as you can. I know it's a sub and unlikely to get distortions, especially with the MMC sub's cone design but all you need is one good note to pressurize that small area just enough to cause an uneven pressure wave and it can cause the sub cone to wiggle in the surround and it'll make a racket that will send chills up your spine.

[exalted512]

I think he plans on putting a baffle in front of the entire sub box and span the width of the trunk and the deadening is there to prevent rattles b/t the box and the board so no sound waves should ever get back to the front of the box directly to cause any reflection
-Cody

[black magic]

Wow, Mac. You get things done quickly... I'm still building my damn enclosure... havent even touched the speakers yet. good job!

[MacLeod]

You have a good point John, but I dont think surface reflections or any reflections should be much of a problem with my application. Especially since my sub will likely be cut off at 40 Hz. That low a frequency, the wave isnt even going to form til its 10 feet outside the car! LOL

What Im planning is to set the box in the middle of the trunk up next to the rear seat but itll be about 4" from the back seat. And since its a fold down seat, its not totally solid so its not like itll be firing agaisnt a hard solid surface.

Directly behind the sub, Im going to build a piece that follows the contours of the trunk (as well as I can get it considering my limited carpentry skills) and completely hide the sub. Ill mount my amps and EQ onto this. I kinda like the look of not seeing any speakers.

The only reason I stuck the Dynamat on there is mainly to give a better seal for where the sub mounts. Ill also use some along all the outside seams of the box as well. Makes it ugly as hell but ensures itll be airtight.

[MacLeod]

Here is what I got accomplished yesterday. Took me 4 f*#$@ng hours too!

I aint too proud to admit, this is kicking my ass! Every part of this project is taking 4 times longer to do than Id planned. Ugh!

After figuring out where all the stupid hidden little bolts were, I managed to get the door panel off without losing my temper and ripping it in half. I Dynamated the outter panel with a single layer and the inner panel has a layer on BOTH sides of it! Plus I slapped a layer on most of the door skin. This thing is solid!

http://i17.tinypic.com/4cwzux5.jpg

http://i17.tinypic.com/2wd0axu.jpg

I had to cut out a shroud that extended about 1" from the door panel in order to get the SR6500 mid to fit. I also had to make a 3/4" baffle AND use the 1/4" spacer to get this thing to fit!

http://i17.tinypic.com/2u7skug.jpg

I also discovered there really isnt anywhere I can run speaker wires thru and there isnt enough room to get my drill in there to drill a hole so Ill be tapping into the stock wires. But, like I said, we're only talking 12" max so I cant see there being any signifigant voltage loss.

Next up, the amp board. God help me!

[MacLeod]

And here is my new amp board.

As usual, it doesnt fit perfectly but what do you expect from a guy that builds 4 sided boxes.

http://i15.tinypic.com/30257oz.jpg

Since I dont have anything with the Polk logos showing in the trunk or really anywhere for that matter, I decided to put an old bumpe sticker to good use. ;)

So tomorrow, Ill install the amp board, hook up all the wires, still have to run wires to the mids in the doors and find a ground location and I should be done!!! God that will be great because I am so ass whipped over this thing already!! Im ready to listen and start tuning!

[Tim B.]

Next time I go to Memphis with a friend of mine. I am going to have to come check you out and hear this thing. You put in some serious work Mac

[exalted512]

Man I wish I could get back to work on mine...

6 tests in a 1 week period when i only have 4 classes is a mofo...
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Fellas, I aint too proud to admit - this install is KICKING MY ASS!

Christ! Everything is taking 5 times longer than it should!

Good news is I was able to run wires thru the doors to my mids so I wont have to tap into the OEM wires. Bad news is it took 3 F'ing hours! Even worse news is that now my speakers arent hooked up to anything so I get to drive around singing to myself.

Did manage to get my amp board mounted......then realized I mounted it about 2" to far back and cant open my spare tire cover now.

This is the first time Ive ever done a complete bumper to bumper install all at once tho. I usually always just buy a HU, then a couple months later some speakers and so on.

Im soooooo ready to get this thing done!

[brettw22]

I feel ya on the spare thing........I just realized the other day that my spare isn't comin out unless I completely empty the trunk with the size of the boxes.......oh well...lesson learned for next time, cuz I'm sure the **** not gonna do anything about these boxes at this point

[Tim B.]

Well you guys are both still lucky at least you will still have a spare. I will have to get rid of mine when I complete this install or give up the space to place overnight bags and T-Tops in.

[exalted512]

Ive been driving around for 2 years without a frontstage, I have no sympathy :p
-Cody

[dolfan87]

Looking sharp though Mac! It may take a lot of time, but you are getting it done right.

G

[MacLeod]

Ugh. The amp board looks like crap. It isnt wide enough. The trunk has so many funky angles to it and I dont know how to cut out a piece of wood in the shape that would fit.

I think what I may do is leave the board in there and then take some cardboard and make little end pieces and cover them with carpet and hopefully they will blend in enough to fill in the gaps on the ends.

[Greg Peters]

Thin cardboard as a template, then transfer to wood.

You could also mount your amp board you've built, and simply build an overlay that flush fits around amps and processor, better fits the confines of the car to cover the gaps.

[MacLeod]

Thats not a bad idea there Greg. I think I might give that a try.

[Tim B.]

So did you finally get the front finished up.

[MacLeod]

Yeah. The whole front stage is complete. Tweets and mids are mounted. Doors are extremely Dynamatted and my HU is in.

All the wires have been ran except for the remote for the H700 but that will be easy. And I still have to find a ground in the trunk somewhere. Its pouring down rain today so Ill have to wait til tomorrow to finish it up.

[Tim B.]

So you did not go three way in the honda right. So what you do with the SR5250s.

[MacLeod]

Holding them in reserve for now. I may yet go 3 way just not yet. Not ready to give up my leg room.

[MacLeod]

DONE!

Started last Friday and just now walked in the door. I am exhausted.

Ive still got to touch up a few appearance items and hide a wire or two. All the wires are just lying behind the amp board so Ill have to tidy them up but other than that, Im done!

Coolest part was after I hooked up the power wire to the battery and turned the key, everything worked! Suprised the hell out of me.

I dabbled with the tuning a little and got it sounding decent but its not anywhere near as good as my truck was, but Im starting from scratch again.

Gawd Im glad thats over!!!

[exalted512]

I wish all i had to do was tune my truck...
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Pulled out my 6.5's today and swapped them for the 5250's.

Ever since I put the 6.5's in there I just couldnt get them to sound right. I knew something was wrong as everything sounded "artificial" but I couldnt fix it.

I thought maybe because I used such a deep spacer that it wasnt letting the speaker vent to the side like its supposed to but today I got to looking at it and the speaker was also being blocked by the door panel itself! So the speaker was essentially being sealed off. It couldnt vent to the sides and only had about an inch behind before it ran into the door panel!

So I tried the 5.25's in there and they were a much better fit with much better clearnace and breathing room. The difference was immediately noticeable. My midbass came back and male vocals sounded more realistic.

Ive got my first shows coming up this next weekend with a double header in Nashville on the 31st and 1st so Im going to drive around with them this week and see what I can do with them but Im pretty sure Ill be going to bat with them instead of the 6.5's.

Just goes to show - just because you can stuff a speaker in a tight space doesnt mean you should!

[MacLeod]

Really stoked now and feel the need to share.

My system continued to sound like hammered **** even with the better midbass from the 5.25's. Over the last 2 months I have not been able to figure it out and have been frustrated to the point of giving up car audio in favor of knitting. Then it hit me. I was bitching to a buddy at the gym about it today and said "it sounds like Im listening to it inside a plastic garbage can."

Well on the drive home, I got to looking at the door panels. These things have all kinds of swoops and bubbles in them and there are all kinds of pockets inside it. Plus, the mid is right up against the door panel with a good 4" of free air space before the grill.

So on a hunch, off came the door panel and in went a bunch of foam and pollyfill to fill in all the gaps and crevasses. Boom! A whole new system!!

It made all the difference in the world and sounds like it should now. Apparantly I really was listening to it inside a plastic can! The speakers were playing into the big cavities inside the door panel and thats what I was listening to!!

Also, because my doors are completley acoustically dead now, the stand up bass on Spanish Harlem is very tight and dry and sounds even better than it did in my truck!!!

I still have some kinks to work out with the EQ'ing and I have a couple imaging snags but I should be able to get those ironed out as the season progresses. The important thing is everything is now at the level it should be and ready to be built on.

I am sooooooo relieved! I was seriously stressing out over this! No matter what I did or how I tuned, it constantly sounded like ****! Now its back to almost the level my truck was when I let her go.

[Jack from Indo]

Very interesting post. So, I take it to mean that you filled the smaller, odd sized nooks and crannies, but not the main hollow space in the door, right? Or is the whole inside of your door filled with polyfill?

[MacLeod]

All the nooks and crannys inside my door panel (the door skin, not the metal part of the door) is filled with pollyfill and foam.

Ive still got a tiny bit of "echo" simply because the speaker is 4" inside the door skin but the only way to fix that is with a 4" spacer and then Im back to my original problem of choking off the speaker.

Im going to leave it like this til the 2 shows this weekend and see how it goes. If I get ass raped by the judges, Ill look into figuring something out.

[Thom]

Kicks will fix that problem.

[black magic]

I was afraid I'd face a problem similar to yours, Mac. I'm getting some kicks and i'm gonna try to fit the 6 1/2" in there because they'd be kinda tight in the door. If I do this, I'm gonna throw the 5.25" in the door and i bought the mmc690's to fit in the back for some better mid-bass and rear fill ...just for the fools who arnt fortunate enough to ride shotgun :D. if the 6.5" dont fit in the kicks, i'll have to custom mount them in the doors and throw the 5.25's in the kick panels. All this is just talk, though. I've purchased everything and its piled up in the basement. I really dont have the time with exams coming up and final projects being submitted. However, I'll get crackin on this install the day right after my last exam!

[MacLeod]

Kicks will fix that problem.

Along with that pesky problem of having legroom. ;)

[Josh]

No legroom lost. Actually gained some room.
http://www.polkaudio.com/images/car/systemsPolk/14_45_big.jpg

[black magic]

Wow, that looks really good. Nice job. I'd love to have some fiberglass that looks like that but that, but its too much work for me.

ps. What car is that? looks like a civic.

[exalted512]

youre talking about aaron here josh, c'mon.
-Cody

[Thom]

Along with that pesky problem of having legroom. ;)

You shouldn't lose any. Is there a fuse box in the kicks? In my Protege I had to move that, which was a pain, but other than that it was easy. Just because you've seen so many people online show how to build gigantic kicks that leave you as much room as an old Corvette, doesn't mean you have to build them that way.:D

[MacLeod]

Actually I was looking at the Qforms kicks. :D

They dont replace the fuse box but replace the dead pedal which is right where my foot goes.

I have nothing in my passenger side kick but the drivers side not only has a fuse box but a hood releas latch. Cody is a dick, but he's also right. Im not good enough to relocate both of those and fab something up that still looks good. Im a pretty good installer as long as there are factory holes to drop speakers in. When it comes to fabricating, I suck. Need I remind you of my homemade kicks in my Dodge? ;) :p

The door spots may not be that bad. Theyre not that much closer than the kicks would be and my pathlength difference is about 10.5". A teammate of mine, Kirk Proffit, competes in a '05 Acura TL using the exact same speaker locations as my Accord and he was undefeated last year, won World Champion 2 years in a row and came within half a point of beating Garry Biggs at SBN last weekend!

Not saying Ill never do it, I may try something one day or come up with the cash to get it done but I for now I think its best to stick with the OEM spots.

[exalted512]

Cody is a dick, but he's also right.
hate it when that happens:p
-Cody

[bknauss]

No legroom lost. Actually gained some room.
http://www.polkaudio.com/images/car/systemsPolk/14_45_big.jpg

And why did you get rid of that car? I've got a half torn apart Mazda3 if you want another project car.

[Josh]

I've got a fix for that car:










http://www.pressomatic.com/scrgov/upload/handgun.jpg

AND








http://stopdesign.com/present/2004/ddw-seattle/beauty/img/bullet.jpg

[MacLeod]

The 2 shows in Nashville went ok. I won 1st place in both shows but my scores werent that great.

77.5 and 75.5. Those are better than average but if I am going to be competitive with the big dawgs I have to be in the 80's. If any of the big dawgs showed up for these shows I wouldve got spanked like a little bitch.

This system is giving me fits!! Im having all kinds of trouble with it. I cannot get it dialed in to save my life.

I got a chance to work with an RTA today for an hour or so and it showed my many interesting things, namely how drastically different the response was from left to right. Right side is ok but left side is all messed up. Huge bump in the 300-500 Hz range.

Something about this car just doesnt take well to SQ.

[black magic]

Nice job! I'm sure you'll get the scores you want once you fix ur tiny echo problem.

[MacLeod]

Actually got the echo taken care of by cutting the 250-500 Hz range on the left side. According to the RTA, 315 was between 6 and 9 db more on the left than the right!

Crappy thing is when I weed it out, it makes the vocals sound better but it also shifts the image to the right too far.

I need a beer.

[MacLeod]

Had a couple shows this weekend.

One was in Atlanta hosted by Scott Buwalda. I finally got to meet him and talk to him a bit and get some pointers for tuning. That was very cool!

Matt Roberts also showed up in his work van. Yeah, the van he uses for work, he took and cut out the dash and set some speakers in there and this thing sounds awesome!! Oh my God this thing sounded great!! It was just funny to hear something that good sitting in a beat up old work van! This dude has talent for days.

I won my class at both shows so Im 4 for 4 so far this season but my scores are not where I want them at all. Im in the low 70's which is good for a stock class but not good enough to be competitive with the best.

Thankfully, because the SR5250's RULE my tonality is pretty good. My 2 problems now are imaging and dynamics. The imaging is just because Im not experienced enough yet. I can hear things that are wrong but I just dont know how to "move" them.

The dynamics is easy to fix. I need a LOT MORE power. Im running 50 watts per driver and 300 on my sub. This was ok in a rookie class and in the cab of a truck but it aint gonna cut it now. I need 100-150 per driver and near 1000 watts for the sub.

I listened to Kirk Proffits Acura this weekend which uses the same stock speaker locations as I do but he's got 4 Zapco Reference amplifiers running about 500 watts per driver!!!! It sounded sooooo good. You could actually feel the midrange impact of the snare drums and feel the pluck of bass guitar strings. Yet nothing was overwhelming.

I WANT THAT!!

[1996blackmax]

Congrats Mac! Maybe not the scores you are aiming for, but 4 out of 4 sounds darn nice.


I totally understand what you are saying about power, nice clean power. I actually really liked the way my Germaniums sounded when I had all the power from my 4150xxk running to them. Each side was getting a tad under 200 watts RMS (100 watts per driver). I may bi-amp them a little later....thinking about getting a pretty small amp for the rear speakers for when I have passengers in the car. As far as tuning of the speakers (really the tweeter), the x-overs are excellent in this respect. I just want to give them more juice like I did before. I am pretty happy with my sub setup, just had to lower the gains some as the sub I am using right now wont take the 1100 watts from my amp. Once you give your system more power, things will really come alive :).

[MacLeod]

Wont last for long. The big dawgs will start coming out later in the season more. Plus the reigning, 2 time world champion in my class (the guy with the Acura) is doing more judging this year instead of competing as much in the local shows so I get a reprive for a while! :D

I just ordered a dashmat from Dashmat.com. That will make a difference.

I threw some towels up on the dash today and it really focused up the stage a lot. But since Im in a stock class I cant modify my interior to affect SQ but a dashmat is made to protect from the sun and so long as its a legitimate dashmat from an aftermarket company and not a "homemade" one, its legal.

I didnt want one because I thought they looked fugly but a dude at the show today had a suede one and it looked pretty cool so since the suedes were only $10 more I figured it was worth it.

I wish to God I had a credit card! Id be at Tweeter right now snagging some Polk amps while theyre on clearance! LOL

[exalted512]

Thats what I liked on my old MM6s. A good clean 225 to each side. I didnt have the ability to bi-amp, but the imaging and staging was there :)

I'll be able to work on the truck a tad this week and wont be able to touch it again until after the 12th of may. After that, its non-stop until it gets done.

Right now, I have the RCAs and remote ran from the radio to the bottom of the dash where the processor will be...now that might not sound like a lot, but its all loomed, ziptied together every 6", and between the 6" spaced zipties is a cable clamp screwed into something...that is not an easy thing to do behind the dash...Amp rack is done, wired, and actuators working. I have to install a few fans, but its done. Project for this week is to get the processor housing finished and the dash back on the truck:D

After school is out, the next thing I'll be working on is the battery rack and run the power wire from the toolbox to the cab...then the rest should go fairly quickly....im so excited :D
-Cody

[MacLeod]

I made it onto Buwalda's website! Ive officially "made it." :D :p

http://www.hybrid-audio.com/news5.htm

[black magic]

Nice job, Mac. Be thankful you don't have a credit card. They only call for trouble. The cool (and worst) part about it is that you can spend more than you make! lol. I got one mainly so I can order products online faster, but now its pretty much used for everything. I've been able to make all of my payments, though. :D

[exalted512]

I have a few credit cards. Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, my wells fargo mastercard and a travelocity card. Since I have no credit at all, I use them to get it. When I opened my home depot and lowes, both had 1 year no payments no interests, so by the time the year came around, they were both paid off. Wells Fargo card is used in emergencies, its only been used once, and the travelocity card I got because when I booked my flight to las vegas for ces this coming year, if you signed up it gave you a certain percentage off. I had the money to pay it off but I ended up blowing it on tools...damn the snap on guy! I have the money again now and its only the second round of payments so I didnt pay much interest.
-Cody

[black magic]

Thats true. Building credit is important if you want to lease a car or buy a house some day... unless you can easily dish out 200 grand. I don't know how it is in the States, but here even your monthly bills like the telephone, internet, cable, etc. determine your credit worthiness as well.

[audiobliss]

damn the snap on guy!
Woohoo!! Thanks for putting food on our dinner table! :D

And you've gotta admit...there's just nothing quite like a SnapOn tool!

[exalted512]

actually, theres a lot, like craftsman for instance. Except when I break a craftsman tool, i can take it to sears the same day and get it replaced. If I break a snap on tool, I gotta wait until he makes his round again.
-Cody

[MacLeod]

Now Ive REALL made it! I got my picture on Performance Auto Sound's website!! Well, Im in the background but oh well. :p

http://pasmag.com/audiolabs/gallery_select.asp?ID=23