i was considering building speaker plates for the front speakers but i'm curious if i mounted the woofer at an angle (say around 20-30deg like a kick panel) if i would get better imaging. Has anyone attempted this and does it sound like it's' worth the extra time/effort?

 

Will it help imaging? It depends. The perceived location of the sound source, imaging, is more noticeable as a function of the higher frequency ranges, probably better than 1KHz. If the drivers already have a good off-axis response, it's less of an issue.

If you're running a two-way component set, then yes imaging might improve, since the mid-woofer is probably playing as high as 2500-4500Hz.

If you're using a three-way set, the mid-bass driver is likely cutting off in the 500Hz range, then you'd pr'y less likely notice a difference.

In my install below, not only is the 3dB downpoint set well below 1000Hz, but all the component drivers I selected had excellent off-axis response.

So why then did I angle the woofer? Because it looks cool.


Nelson V.

 

the speakers in question are Alpine SPX 177R. i'm planning on mounting the tweeter on the A pillar for high staging

how did you make your speaker plates?

 

nice work nelson, what components are you using?

 

Radio-
I'm not familiar with your specific speakers. As far as mounting your tweeters in the pillars, some people use an 18" rule of thumb as max distance between different drivers that make up a multi-way separates system.

FWIW, I'm not a big fan of separating drivers one from another (i.e. mounting mids/woofers down low, tweeters up high). I've never actually tried it; it just never seemed to me like it would produce good imaging to separate drivers within a system. I've always purposed to co-locate all the drivers as close together as possible such that they would be equidistant to the listening position.
Actually, one of the principle ideas behind mounting all your drivers down low (as in kick panels) is that it maximizes the distance between your ear and the drivers. This, in turn, lessens the differential between the left and right speakers, thereby reducing timing differences (in the arrival of sound), and ultimately improving imaging.

With the acoustics in a car, relative distances between the listener and so many speaker elements, it truly becomes a mix of applying sound principles, a little "black magic", and sometimes a lot of dumb luck. What I am a big fan of is trial-and-error. Try doing a mock-up in the car and see what sounds good before you do any hard mounting. We can do a whole lot of speculating, but the proof is in the listening. If it sounds good to you, then that's what matters.



The plates are primarily made out of MDF, with BondoGlass for filleting. The pod holding the tweeter/midrange combo is made out of 6061 aluminum, CNC-machined in my brother's garage/shop.



Thanks Scott. This install is actually 3 years old. My brother now owns the Roadster. He's neither here nor there about the car or the stereo. His wife, however, loves the car and stereo system and won't let me even think about buying my stereo back. (Come to think about it, I think it's about time I borrow the Vette again for another road trip.)
Anyhow, here's the skinny:
Tweeter: 1" Dynaudio D28 (home speaker line)
Midrange: 3" Dynaudio MD140 (automotive line)
Mid-Bass: 6.5" Scan Speak 18W/8535-00
Subs: JL 8W7 (times two)


Nelson V.

 

thank you... i will certainly try that