So, I'm redoing it all. I hate my install, and I want to finally use the cool plexi windows that RadioFlyer made.

I took a vacation next week to get it all done.

Here is my first bit of progress:

New A-Pillar:



I'm spraying SEM Texture on it, then Satin Black. Just fixing a few flaws in the paint still.

New Deadening Job using RAAMAT. Which is immensely superior to the Edead I have in there. I peeled most of the e-dead off that was loose, and cut holes in it to apply raamat through it in places it wasn't. Also, I added 8" Deflex pads.




Next, I filled the door cards with foam:



Finished in Ensolite:



Decided to go 2 way for now, because the midranges don't fit in my door. Just running MW172 and MD102 tweets.

New midbass vs old:



Since I'm going 2 way, i needed a 2 way xover. Bench tested this with RTA, and it works very well for the dyns. 2k on midrange, 2.5k on tweeter.


The midbass mount is made from 1/2" mdf, with another 1/2" ring to bring it closer to the door panel. It's sealed in black primer, and backed with a layer of RAAMAT.




Finally got to listen to it

The midbass from the Dyn 8s is very good. And midrange wise, I don't feel that I've lost anything by going 2 way. In fact, I'd say the system is warmer, and easier to listen to now. The new tweeter position sounds excellent without time alignment... I don't think I"ll turn time alignment on, even. Bass blends so much better with 8s up front. Anyone that runs a 6.5 2 way set in the C5 is robbing themselves of bass.

Going from 6.5 to 8 is more of a benefit than going from 5.25 to 6.5!

This is the first time I can say that I'm really happy with the way my C5 sounds.

Next week... The super-ultra-mega-deadening and rewiring, plus new amp rack updates.

 

Future post.

 

Another future post.

 

 

In all Honesty kale...you're still teasing us.

i'm willing to bet you have the system all setup and ar jamming to it right now in your garage while the rest of us sit here in our PJs desperatly waiting to see the finished boom box on wheels

 

Well.. some people would consider it finished.
I want a new amp rack though

I'm thinking about putting those plexi windows you made in the rear speaker locations, and putting avery bright LED behind them. What do you think/

 

Bad ***! looks great and I'm psyhced you had such good luck on this two-way system.

what benefits do you think the deflex pad added to the whole install? is it worth it?

 

Those windows work best with diffused light. you can cut the rounded tip off an LED to get this effect or use neons/cathodes or high flux wide angle LEDs to get this effect.

 

don't know... Figured I'd put them in and find out. They cost me $12, so for $12, I figured 'couldn't hurt'

But I didn't a/b with and without them. My previous midbass only played to 900hz, and the midrange was a dome.

I can MAYBe say they took some ringiness from the vocals, because I remember my Focal 2 way set had that issue a little (Made female vocals sound husky) but the Dyns do not.

But that could just be the driver change.

 

with that being so common lately; personally, i'd switch it up a little and at least go for a two color plexi window etching

 

Progress:

Painted texture and satin finish on the a-pillar:


Isolating speaker from interior of door panel. very important



Added some foam. To everything.






Life was much easier without the dash top.
I also sanded down the face of the metra kit, primed with high build, and finished in satin.


This car has NO room for stuff, hid the ipod adapter in the dead pedal:


RCAs held down with RAAMAT. Does this increase my damping factor?

More soon.

 

Nice job on the texturing.

...no more room for stuff... what more stuff do you have?

 

I just mean I ahd a HELL of a time finding a place for the ipod box.

 

...that's only because you refuse to put your hardware in a place where it will be easily accessable (like under or behind the seat) because you enjoy the excuse to take apart your car just to change a setting or check a connection

It's ok you should have seen what happened when the speaker wires lost their connection on the bottom of my sub box. I had to take parat half the rear section just to get under the box.

 

To tall to go under the seat, and I"m not a fan of putting things behind the seat. MHO, certain parts of the stereo should always be invisible.

this isnt hte worst place i could have put it. Under the passenger side airbag was a close contender.

 

damn your crazy

 

Phew, what a freakin 4 day weekend, just to straighten out my wires and put the 9855 into my car, and run some new RCAs.

I've got a PDX 4.150 now running active to Dyn MD102 @ Dyn MW172s.

Wow.

Setting it at 3.2k lp mid, and 4k hp tweeter, I get none of the nasty reflections from the tweeters that were screwing with my system. And time correcting each driver individually is definitely FTW.

It's a bit thick sounding in some areas, but I also set the gains using the 'guess' method.

I was going to grab another 4.150 and go 3 way active... but I don't hear anything wrong with the 2 way set up yet.

It's great to finally make a change that improves things so incredibly much. The Dyn tweeters just plain rock crossed at 4k.

 

As you know from our other hang out, the closer to 5k you get those tweets crossed at, the more the reflections are minimized. Sounds to me that the 3.15k and 4k combo is a nice underlap point without asking the mid to play beyond its comfort zone. Glad you are happier with the results bro. Install is very solid and the attention to detail/extra mile effort shows.

Fej

 

Thanks. You're coming to the meet, right?


I think aside from changing the crossover point, the biggest improvement came from isolating the front of the midrange from the interior of the door panel with that foam. It reduced the midbass ringing by about 80%, and completely cleaned up the muddiness in the ~1k-2k region.


right now I have only 1 eq band - 200hz narrow, -3db, to fix the last remaining bit of ringing that I couldn't fix by install.'



Also ,being able to adjust my crossover point and levels directly from the head unit is awesome. When playing acoustic/classic type music, I bring the tweeters down to meet the midranges, and set them at 0.

But when I'm playing rock/metal/etc, I gap them and set the tweeters to -4, because I like a soft top end with electric instruments.




Doing this reinstall, I sort of went a little nuts with the zip ties. Somehow I ended up zip tying the connector for the hazard switch under the steering wheel, to the loom tubing I put around some wiring. Had a hell of a time finding it. Hahah.

Also used raamat on all rough sheet metal edges that I had wires running near. I noticed from my last install that my turn on lead was getting worn a bit.


So basically in a nutshell:


Replaced 18 gauge tweeter and 16 gauge woofer wire with 14 gauge.
Replaced pioneer HU with Alpine 9855
Went active
Removed IDMAX and PDX 1.1000
Replaced 6 mile long knu cables with some inexpensive Rockford cables, rerouted those
used a **** ton of zip ties
added ensolite foam under all panels, and to the floor and transmission hump, added MORE damping material behind seats. I think I now have one of the quietest C5s on the road.
Isolated door speaker from door
Painted metra HU kit.


Favorite tool: Right angle bit adaptor for my power screwdriver
Second Favorite: Plastic panel removing tools

Things I learned:

* Don't lose track of wires, especially if it means taking out the whole damn dashboard again to find it.
* Raamat makes good tape for holding wires down.

 

I am trying to make the meet, but if it is the 6th I have no chance, best man in my lil bro's wedding. But afaik any other weekend day in October I should be gtg.

Fej