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UPDATED, COMPLETE! Final pics posted: Started my big install today...

18K views 43 replies 15 participants last post by  radarcontact 
#1 · (Edited)
UPDATED, again! MORE Audio install, more pics...

Part 1 - Sub box and amps
Part 2 - Interior wiring and LOC hookup
Part 3 - Door speakers, tweeter mounts
Part 4 - STEALTH!
Part 5 - (coming soon...rear coax install mods)

(Complete build log posted in this single thread)
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I finally started my big install; today I cut-up my sheet of MDF...there's no turning back now! :excited:

I designed my sub box a few months ago, bought my speakers last month, got the final parts for my amps yesterday.

I have an '06 Vert, so I'll be replacing the H/K speaker system, but I'm going to keep the head unit (for now...closely watching to see what Dynavin evolves into).

When done, the system will consist of the stock business cd, my current GROM USB/XM Satellite setup (posted on e46fanatics), plus the following upgrades:

- CDT front Component 6.5"/1"
- CDT rear 6.5" Coax
- Alpine MRP-F240 4-ch amp driving the CDTs
- Alpine MRP-M350 2-ch amp driving the sub box (will be bridged to 2-ohms)
- Custom-designed dual-isobaric sub (four 2-ohm SVC 8" woofers, two internal, two external, wired series/parallel for a 2-ohm load to amp)

Going for good, clean, sound. Nothing over-the-top, show-quality, or ear splitting. My goal is to be able to drive at highway speeds with the top down and get clean music and still feel some tight bass. We'll see...I made some compromises in order to keep most of my trunk space.

Thanks to member CA1242 for some additional wiring info that I needed! :thumbup:

It will be a few weeks (maybe a month?) to complete, but I'm going to take lots of pictures and put together a long post when all is complete.

Till then...
 
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#5 ·
Got the sub built. Very pleased so far. I just hope all my calculations are correct...this thing is bullet-proof! Mounted my amps and crossovers, still need to do some "permanent wiring" before continuing with the install. Gonna try to write this up as I go, adding to this thread continually. Should have some pics posted by early next week if not sooner.
Picked up some great ideas from other installs I've seen here, gonna steal 'em!!
 
#6 ·
are you going to be using LOCs to get RCA signals for your subwoofer?
I can help you with wiring information if you need to splice into the amp for rear deck speaker wires and amp remote turn on. I've done that setup before but i am now using the dynavin subouts
 
#7 ·
Actually the Alpine(s) accept balanced speaker-level inputs, so LOC unnecessary.
The HK system in the vert is different than others so I don't think the wiring would match up exactly, but thank you for the offer!
 
#8 ·
Actually the Alpine(s) accept balanced speaker-level inputs, so LOC unnecessary.
Oops! I called Alpine just to double-check, and it turns out I was wrong.
I'll be using an AudioControl LC6i LOC to manage the signals to the amps.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Part 1 - Sub box and amps

Here's a build log on the sub. I am using the KISS principle here, in order to keep it short and sweet.

Cut my MDF...I always use MDF. Best for speakers, easiest to work with. Clogs a shop-vac in a heartbeat, though!
Cardboard Paper Wood Paper product Floor


Cut my holes for the drivers, cut holes in brace, ran dadoes into my sides.
Floor Circle


Busted out the woofers, Elemental Designs 8" variety.
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Mounted in (painted) baffles with wood screws in every hole, after putting silicone bead on back side.
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Glued and screwed baffles and brace to one side using gorilla glue and coarse thread drywall screws.
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Attached other side, same way.
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Ran all wires. Soldered all connections. Attached bottom.

WIRING DETAILS (if interested):
The woofer pairs at each end are ran in series = First wire (the positive wire) from hole in box (eventually from amp) to positive terminal on speaker "A"; a second wire connecting negative terminal on speaker "A" to positive terminal on speaker "B"; a third wire from negative terminal on speaker "B" to hole in box (eventually back to amp).
Repeat for other side.
The two positives from the woofer pairs (and similarly the two negatives) will eventually be connected TOGETHER, or in parallel, at (or prior to) the amp. Since each woofer is 2-ohms, this wiring setup makes each woofer pair 4-ohms with the series connection. Then as both pairs are connected together in parallel, the load goes back down to 2-ohms at the amp, so the amp will see a 2-ohm load.
Product Machine Room Electronics Rim


[NOTE: Normally, when building any speaker, I will silicone all internal seams to prevent air leakage. This time I really couldn't due to the way the box was constructed. By using very tight tolerances and dado joints, I feel confident that this box will never leak, despite the missing silicone.
If you use silicone when building a box as mentioned above, be absolutely sure to wait a few hours before closing the box up, otherwise the silicone gassing-out will be trapped inside the speaker box forever, causing eventual damage to your drivers.]

Ran my two sets of positive and negative wires that will go to amp through two very tight holes in box back-side, sealed with silicone (liberally!) on both sides. I could have used a terminal cup, but there are 3 reasons I didn't:
1. Except for you guys, no one will ever see the back.
2. Terminal cup has greater chance of leaking air than my holes.
3. Amp is physically, permanently attached to the box, so there will never be a need to disconnect the wires from the box. They are one "unit", so to speak.



Loosely stuffed internal chamber with high quality fiber fill. This chamber gets filled, the two constant-pressure chambers that are between the woofers do not get any acoustical stuffing.
Room


WOOFER CONFIGURATION DETAILS (if interested):
This double compound isobaric configuration serves my purposes to the tee! I wanted a small box (don't we all!), and this allowed me to cut my internal volume by half. The woofers are not your typical automotive long-throw high X-max super woofers; they are standard woofers that have a low Fs, medium magnets, and medium power handling. So by using this configuration, each woofer will only have to throw 50% as much as it normally would (essentially doubling that spec), and can now also handle twice the power. Additionally by doing it twice, two sets, I get the benefit of a 3dB volume increase! All in all, a perfect solution; for me.
Subwoofer Loudspeaker Audio equipment Sound box Electronic device


Covered all except for bottom and back in matching carpet (old school, I know :rolleyes:). Mounted amps and crossovers. These will all face front. All future wiring will be hidden behind box.
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There is also a set of 6" pieces of wood stacked 2.25" thick (if I remember correctly) and attached to the "passenger-side" of the box on the back, no pic. This makes up the difference in the distance in depth on left side versus right side.

Here's the single 8" HK woofer in the vert with the luggage compartment maximized. For those that don't know, it's a way to get more luggage in the trunk if needed, but once you do this the top has to stay up. I had to design the box to fit with it NOT maximized, of course!
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And not maximized, normal ops. This is where my design had to fit.
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There was an small issue I had to contend with in the design. I needed to be able to get to the spare tire in case of a flat. My solution was to psuedo-suspend the woofer just above the spare tire cover. I cut an angled groove along the bottom of the box, and then pounded copper tubing in the groove, to protect the wood from wear. (That's cardboard you see protecting the woofers in the pic)
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Then I ran aircraft cable through the tubing and locked the box to the trunk. This holds the box tight, and doesn't allow it to move at all. But there's still that space underneath...:hmm:
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In place with top-down capability. (Ignore the wiring in the pic, some of that's just temporary)
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To further support the box and provide a better overall look, I built and carpet-covered a support piece. This piece slides under the box, not physically attached, but cant move either. If I get a flat, I simply pull this piece out, then very carefully manuever the spare tire cover out of the car. Box never needs to be removed. :D
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In place.
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[NOTE: The entire unit, subs+amps+crossovers+carpet+everything = 48 pounds. Not too bad...centered along the width of the car, and not in the very back. Now my front to rear weight distro is 49.09-to-50.01!] ;)

Well, that's it for now.
Waiting on my LOC and time to do the doors, rears, wiring, etc.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I've been building speakers since I was 16...I'm 45 now...so I did a lot of long-hand math and used some volume calculators to verify my results.

This particular project was based on the question, "What can I get in this space right here?". So the 8" woofers were chosen. Then it was, "how much bass can I get using the 8" driver?", which ultimately led to the finished concept.

Glad you like it. It is a little old-school considering what others are doing with fiberglass, etc., but my main interest is in the sound quality. With 350 watts available, I think it'll definitely be an improvement over the single HK sub setup.
 
#17 ·
Thanks! Yes, the stock wired are plenty for the amount of power I'll be sending. I always hate running to the doors, however, this is the first time I've chosen not to.

I plan on trying to get the rest done this Friday. Continue my write-up after that.
 
#15 · (Edited)
love it, you just took me back 15-20 years.....to when the emphasis was on proper (and often complex) design, great sound, and clean installs. I had a couple of killers systems back then, 32 band EQs, amps that weighed 30 pounds, horns (ID....sweeeeeeet), high quality components, all the good stuff........ahhhh.....the good old days. Remember when 400 watts was a lot! (and 400 REAL watts would knock your head off) Now all that matters is the ipod connection and how well your cell phone transfers over bluetooth.....
 
#16 ·
I hear ya! Funny how times have changed!

My first "system" was a 10 watt/channel "CONCORDE" cassette tape player (yes, that was considered a high-powered unit) running back to 2 JENSEN 6x9's, that's it! :thumbsup: And my buddies were jealous!! So sad...

(Glad I'm not the only relic around this joint!)
 
#18 · (Edited)
Part 2 - Interior wiring and LOC hookup

Wow! I never thought it would be as much work as it's been to install this system!
Here is a breakdown of what I've gotten accomplished since my last post. I still have about a day's work before I get to see if anything works! Still need to wire up the fronts, put the door panels on and then start making all the electronic adjustments. Hopefully there are no glitches! I'm really tired of listening to my iPhone through the speakers as my auto sound system.

[NOTE: Unfortunately, the 6.5" coax's that I had planned for the rear fill will NEVER fit. Close, but not quite. I'm looking at some different CDT units to go back there. Another day, soon.]

Pulled the back seat bottom, trim panels, rear seat back.
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Audio equipment Subwoofer Auto part Vehicle Trunk

Pulled woofer. To disconnect woofer, lift up on this area and you'll find the plug. Figuring that out took me about 15 minutes! Pulled the hinge pin so that I could leave the woofer out but re-use the frame.
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This is how this comes off.
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Pic showing the amp housing (black metal piece, amp is behind it, 3 screws once you get the bracket off).
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Lots of trunk carpet.

The HK in comparison to the Alpine(s).
Machine Electronics Technology Electronic device Room

This is the black (vs. grey) half of the plug that went into the amp. It's one of the bundles I'll be cutting into! I really hope that the wiring info I used (posted from other Fanatics) turns out to be correct!! The grey has about the same amount of wires, and many of those had to be cut/spaded as well.
Wire Electronics Electrical wiring Technology Electronic device

Would have gotten more done, but my wife was a distraction, even after 25 years! :drool:
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Pic of the door panels off.
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Labeled all my wires.
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Ran all MY wires through the ski pass to where the amp sits. Put spade ends on everything. I liked the way "RSL" did his connections and it lets me make any needed corrections without any unsoldering/soldering. Thanks RSL! I think I spaded 64 wire ends that day.
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The finished product! Whew, that sucked and my lower back still aches! The wood is mounted where the HK amp was; I took the amp out completely. I REALLY hope I don't need that amp connected for any other reason.
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Mounted my AudioControl LC6i to the back of the woofer box. To the left you will see my homemade distribution lugs. I spent $2 versus about $60, so criticize all you like.
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Working well into the late night, beers still flowin', I have almost all my connections made except for the speaker-out bundles.
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Everything tucked back neatly.
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Hole cut into the ski pass side for cable passage.
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Trunk-side view.
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Power and ground connections. Yes, both are red. I know which is which, and didn't have any black 4ga. The local shop wants $3/foot. :jack:
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View from the front.
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This is where I'll do all my adjustments to the LOC, from INSIDE the car! (Leather padded piece will hide it when I'm done, of course). I really like this, whatcha' think?
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#19 · (Edited)
Part 3 - Door speakers, tweeter mounts

Pieces for the doors. I am using a hybrid design that is hopefully going to work out well. I like the idea of door mounting, but don't like where the woofer sits (back too far and many times not "aimed" correctly). I like the idea of door panel mounting, but there isn't enough solidity there. So here is my hybrid solution...close to the grill, angled correctly, and solid. Hope it fits, I actually haven't even checked it yet...I have faith!
Vehicle

Brass Metal

Audio equipment Loudspeaker Subwoofer Technology Electronic device

Marked my door cut locations. I used a Dremel tool with the new super-cut-off wheels. I went through about 4 per door. Lots of hot sparks so I protected the car with a tarp. I cut on either side of the window "track", instead of trying to cut across it without hurting it. Coated my cut edges with silicone for rust prevention.
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Tweeter templates (traced the OEM ones). Hole sawed them. Mounted tweeters to templates, then to the doors. Easy stuff!
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That's all till next time. Probably a few day till completed if I don't hit any snags!
 
#21 · (Edited)
So far, I have the sub, amps, OEM rears, CDT fronts all hooked up and playing. Could stop here but I'm not going to...but so far:

Results: Sounds great, but I really need to balance and tweak the system. I'll have to mess with crossover settings, phase, etc.

I had the woofer(s) cranked up pretty loud and they move a lot more air than I expected! I'm a little paranoid to really crank it up though, I want to wait till everything is just a little more broken-in.

The AudioControl LC6i (LOC) is very, very nice. I'm very happy with it; didn't even need to run a remote turn-on from the head unit to anything - the LOC senses the signal and then delay-powers on everything else (the Alpines). Sweet feature!

The rear fills are still OEM for now. Once I get some new CDTs for back there, I'll throw in some more fill power to "bring up the rear".

Thanks to everyone who helped along the way, either directly, or through thier posts that I took ideas or inspiration from: CA1242, Orion329, and RSL to name a few. :bow:
 
#22 · (Edited)
I used foam to try to keep all the sound away from the baffle, but I have a feeling (through listening last night) that I may have created too small of a chamber. Not sure yet. I'm going to remove the foam and do some more listening tests, by ear. Before assembly I did use some window seal on the doors, a poor man's DynaMat, to reduce resonant frequencies. So I'm gonna try the doors with out the foam to see if I like it better.
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EDIT, Thursday September 23rd: I pulled the foam out (above pics) and like the sound better. Seems a little more open, and door panels do not rattle.
 
#23 ·
Brilliant install, thanks for sharing, certainly shows dedication and attention to detail.
What are your thoughts about this, I recently upgraded all my speakers and with the front door speakers I put back the factory foam that surrounds the speaker magnet, does this have any negative effect on the sound at all, am I better off without it?
 
#28 · (Edited)
just a quick question about the front doors, why did you need to trim the door if the window rail was still there blocking the middle? if i mount directly to the door panel (not the metal) , how much clearance would you say is back there 1-2" from the metal to the grille?
 
#29 ·
The speakers I used are 2.75" total depth from front of speaker to back of magnet. There is a plastic ring that is about .5" deep that the speaker sits against. So you have between 2.75-3.25", depending on how you decide to mount the speaker. I think mine was about as close as you can get. In other words, don't buy a speaker that's more than 2.75" (MAX 3.25") deep. If you don't use the plastic spacer ring, you'll need to trim some plastic...using it you don't.

The cutout isn't for clearance purposes, but rather to give the speaker a larger "enclosure", like a woofer box. There are no real numbers to substantiate this procedure, but it makes sense. The door panel doesn't really give much area to act as a box, so by cutting a passage into the metal door cavity you probably increase the volume 3x (maybe more).
 
#30 · (Edited)
Sound Results

Made a few adjustments and now the system sounds great!

I pulled out my tweeter mounts and made them a little different (sorry, no pics). Basically I made recessed wood blocks that now allow the tweeters to be aimed at the dome light area (even though the vert doesn't have a dome light). This is the proper positioning for the tweeters.
I have to say that BMW couldn't have chosen worse speaker grill materials on the E46. The mid-woofers are thick plastic that aren't the most acoustically transparent with holes that face straight out at my calf muscle. And the tweeter area is a metal (METAL!) grill. What could be worse for a tweeter???
Oh well, I guess I'm stuck with them.

As far as the sub box goes...it plays on-level all the way down to 30Hz! Nothing at 20Hz, but thirty is very strong! Can't ask for more than that from a couple of 8" drivers! Very pleased.

I am waiting for my new rear-fill drivers from CDT. This is an awesome company with great customer service. Straight swap-out for the old ones. I just have to get them to fit. They are the 5.25" CL-5EX coaxials : http://www.cdtaudio.com/coaxials_08.htm#
Hope I can get them to fit! I will post pics of that operation when I do it.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Part 4 - STEALTH!!

Cut out a board to fit the area in front of the amps: pics are back (grooves/dadoes) then front, just hole cut -
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Painted it black, mounted angle braces in the grooves, covered with a rubberized mat (Lowe's) -
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Pre-fit fan...works! -
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Covered other side (front) with matching carpet -
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Mounted fan, wired to relay (only comes on with stereo system) -
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Pics of it in place. It just slides in/out easily. Pressure from the box keeps it in place with no mechanical fasteners.

Covers up the amps, box, etc. Now I can open my trunk at the grocery store and not worry about someone following me home.:shhh: Amps actually stay cooler than without! I love it. :thumbsup:
(I didn't notice it, but one of my screw covers fell off...thats the one silver screw you see in the pics. It's fixed now and all four corners are black again!)
[Click on pics to see them bigger and better.]
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Coax install in the rears soon...
 
#34 ·
First off, thank you for the compliment! :thumbsup:

As far as the wiring goes, I assume that you are talking about the OEM amp-to-speaker wiring. I kept the OEM wiring. I used 16-ga to go from the OEM HK amp to my new setup, then back to where the OEM HK amp would send info to the speakers...but from there it's all OEM. Sub, of course, has all new wiring as I bypassed the HK sub completely.

If I could snap my fingers and have all new 16-ga, I definately would! But I asked myself the following:
1 - how much power is going to the comps?
2 - how much of a PITA would it be to run all new wiring?
3 - how horrible is the OEM wiring?

I answered them like this:
1 - ~40w/ch...not that much
2 - Extreme, and with permanent "damage" (although it would be hidden)
3 - Not too bad, really. I don't know about non-HK, but the wiring in my car was prob 18 and 20-ga. That's acceptable, though not ideal.

Bottom line - if I were to do it again, I'd do it the same way.
 
#36 ·
impressive work radarcontact, thanks for the shoutout.

did you notice any negative changes in bass when you put on the stealth panel?

i liked your front door mounts--good staging is really hard to accomplish when mounting to the door metal. if you didn't already, i'd advise sealing up the MDF mounts. took a look at mine after i lost the old car and they had pillowed up a bit around the edges from moisture. i wouldn't want to see your clean install getting messed up.

... still floored by your sub enclosure design. nice.
 
#37 ·
Hey, thanks buddy!

Good call on the MDF...didn't even think about that!

The stealth may have actually helped. It definitely didn't hurt. I left space on each side for the air to load up the trunk still, so it doesn't contain the pressure by any means. I say it may have helped because theoretically since the woofers are firing at 180 degrees to each other, and are so symmetrically placed in the trunk, I got concerned about frequency cancellation. (Think pool table). Having the board play interference possibly "mixes things up" a bit. No way to confirm.

My biggest gripe is the factory grills. I think I could have it sound a lot more transparent had they used a better design on them (both locations).

Also, I'm so pleased with the current setup, I'm going to forego replacing the rears. No need.
If I decide to go stage 2 (DSP, center channel) then I will. But that's a lot of $$, and a lot of wife pandering from now!! :)
 
#38 · (Edited)
Replaced the woofer with 12" IDQ

UPDATE:
I have since replaced the dual isobaric sub with this:
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=835936
Not that it didnt sound good, it did. In fact, I was continually amazed by it's sound and output.

Two reasons, well three reasons:

1. One of the wiring tabs on one of the woofers broke off. I may have knocked it or something during assembly. Well, an isobaric needs all woofers to work, so I noticed a decrease (BIG decrease) in SQ. Unfortunately I never planned on dissasembly, so I basically had to destroy the box to get to it. After that, haveing Been There Done That, I started drawing up other plans. That's the fun for me, anyway.

2. I missed the trunk space that the box took up. Wasn't much at first, but seemed to have grown over time! lol

3. I had an itch to f*ck with fiberglass, no pun intended. Just something I wanted to do. So I built the FG side unit, which I love.
 
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