I have an original Wonder Bar in my 61 that I take in and out for shows. However for running around town and cruzin I have a little aftermarket audiosound stereo I use i.e thumb drive etc.
I found a little nice two channel amp in my basket of toys and decided I would upgrade my 61 aftermarket stereo with a set of rear speakers along with this amp.

I have done this a bunch of times on fat fender coupes and everytime I think I have the best idea someone always comes through with a better amp/rear speaker placement.

Anyone have an idea where to place the amp and speakers where they are not noticiable on a C1 and the speakers function fairly well?

Thanks

 

I've stuck Custom Autosound speakers behind the seats and that worked OK but not great. I've since gone to a 600W Kenwood 8404 amp behind the seat...the dual input/single cone speaker from Eckler's: http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...1958-1967.html and a BT-6014 Bazooka in the trunk with 4" cut out of it. Don't even think about getting those cheesy dual-cone front speakers...they are cr@pola and distort and decent listening volumes.

This setup sounds sweet and I can hear it at 85MPH with the top down in the '61.

The input is from a repro Wonderbar with an XM receiver going into the RCA jacks.
Hear it yourself

FTF

 

As long as I stay one step behind you I am saved from the learning curve from hell. This is great. Loved the video.
Your are right about the dual front speaker setup. They dont work very good at all.
I am shooting you a PM shortly.
Thanks once again
Rog

 

I should have added that Mike Coletta put me onto my latest setup (61retro and now apparently user name of Mike Coletta). He ran this in a '61 restomod at Old Town and it rocked so I sorta came up with my own version of what he had done. He put the Bazooka behind the seat; mine is in the trunk.

 

my dad installed a custom autosound stereo in his/now my 61 vette. he installed the kenwood krc-3006 head unit (now discontinued, but there are other ones available), the kenwood graphic EQ with subwoofer crossover (mounted it to the dash under the ignition, it fits quite well), and created a custom mount with a latching door for the CD hanger and a 4 channel amp in the trunk on the right side behind the wheel well.

for speakers, he installed two 4x6 speakers where the original speaker was. he also created custom mounts for 6x9 speakers in each kick panel and sealed the compartments behind the speakers. lastly, he mounted a 6 inch bazooka subwoofer behind the seats in the front of the convertible top compartment (there's just enough room to still be able to fold down the top). it thumps you through the seat when it's turned up

the sound quality is decent, but definitely loud! the graphic EQ is a must, as it will require some tweaking. the sub doesn't have much frequenct response below 70Hz as it's just a 6 inch, and the two 4x6s are very mid-rangey, so i turn them down quite a bit. when all the compartments (trunk, convertible compartment) are closed, the visible evidence of a stereo are the kenwood head unit (although one of the new wonderbar radios could help that), the graphic EQ, and the 6 inch holes in the kick panels. although,with a black interior and black covers on the speaker holes in the kick panels, they're not very noticeable.

so, more to answer the OP's line of thinking, the "rear' speakers being mounted in the kick panels has worked well in my 61, with that main sound being enhanced with the sub and 4x6s. when i get my car back from the shop, i can take pictures and provide more information on the custom mounts for the kick panels and for the mounting box for the cd changer and amplifier in the trunk for anyone who is interested

 

Shoot me some pictures if you get a chance.
Thanks
Rog

 

These are all the ones I have that showcase the stereo so far. When I get the car back from the mechanic (should be a week or so), i'll post some of the mount in the trunk, and I'll take off the kick panels to show how the speakers were mounted. If there is interest based on those pictures, I can take the trunk mount out and take measurements and more pictures and take measurements of the kick panel mounts to help people make their own version of what my dad designed

(side note.... i don't know if the depth of the speakers had any bearing on my dad's decision making, but all of the speakers are blaupunkt (speling?). didn't know if some 6x9's would be too deep to fit, since I haven't seen behind the speakers and am not gonna take it apart that far. some 6 inch speakers would probably do quite well in the kick panels if 6x9s are a tight fit these days. I'm pretty sure he custom cut a piece of plywood to fit flush behind the kick panel with a 6x9 hole that the speaker is mounted to, so the only change would be the size of the speaker mounting hole in the piece of wood)

the subwoofer, uncovered, top not down


subwoofer, covered with the top down


the head unit with the graphic EQ (forgive the tape adapter wire for my ipod). Yes, the vent control arm can still move fully, although it does hit the EQ. dad put a piece of felt on the bottom of the EQ where the control arm hit so neither piece is damaged.

 

Apprieciate all the information and pictures. This really helps when make a final decision on where to place you conmponents. The more information and different placements helps out alot.
Thanks
Rog

 

I guess the main thing is to realize when to stop playing around with things. The C1 environment is just not conducive to great sound -- very acceptable sound but not great. And undistorted volume trumps all...equalizers and optimal cutovers hardly matter if you can't hear anything.

 

Frank did you get the email I sent you? It got sent back once with an administrative error.
Rog

 

I'm an audio engineer, so I can be pretty picky when it comes to audio quality. You're definitely right when the C1 doesn't lend itself to great sound. However, if you have loud, undistorted sound that doesn't have fairly even frequency response, it will sound harsh and empty because, even though it's loud, your ears will be hurting from the emphasized frequencies, but the sound won't be full because of all of the frequencies that aren't emphasized. Most modern stock car stereos have EQ curves built into the hardware that make up for speaker placement and environment, even though the speaker placement is usually optimal.

The best car stereo sound IMO comes from a fairly even frequency response with a wide stereo image, that of course has plenty of volume. A lot of the fullness of car audio comes from the placement of the left and right speakers being as wide as the car interior, so both of the listeners' ears have sound going to them.

In my opinion, the best place to get a full, wide stereo image is the kick panels (using component speakers with separate dash mounted tweeters would be best, but there's not a good spot to mount the tweeters in the C1).

For an even frequency response, it has it faults. the highs are a little muffled because the sound is directed at our legs and at the center console, and the ultra low frequencies don't have a big area behind the speaker to resonate. To make up for this, the graphic EQ can be used to shape the frequency response to be more even to the listener. The sub woofer was supposed to help with the low end, but because it's just a 6 inch sub, the frequency response isn't much lower than the 6x9s (I just like the thump in my seat )

Now, is where we get to the loud, undistorted volume. The amp that my dad installed in the 61 (i think) is around 60 watts x4 channels. The small 4x6s are extremely loud because the sound goes directly to my ear, but they sound harsh and midrangey (due partially to the bass blockers used to keep them from distorting, but also because they're small speakers), so I turn them almost all the way off. with 60 watts going to the 6x9's in the kick panels, it is PLENTY loud. with the noisy soft top up or down, i've never had any trouble getting the volume I want (and I think the "premium" JBL stereo in my Solara convertible isn't loud enough with the top down). Most 6x9 or 6 inch speakers these days will take at least 100 watts, if not more.

Overall, the sound quality isn't as good as the JBL stereo in my Solara, mainly because of the low frequency response, but I've tweaked it to the point where it doesn't bother me and sounds pleasant at loud volumes.

Frank, i'm sure the center speaker you have sounds better than the 4x6s in my 61. I just love the wide image that comes from the kick panel mounts. Just 2 different approaches to solving the same problem

I'd also be curious if anyone has installed speakers in the doors, as the frequency response might be better than the kick panels. Also, Custom Autosound does make replacement kick panels that have speaker holes built into them. We used their kick panels for my mom's 1972 Buick Skylark, and they worked ok, not great. the vent system in her car doesn't really work anymore. They're just ABS plastic, so they won't look as nice as the rest of the C1 interior, but figured i'd mention it in case anyone would be interested.

 

I'm elbow deep in my doors right now putting power windows in the '61...I simply don't know where you could mount decent speakers without impinging on something (regulators, operating rods, etc.). Frankly, after working on a Navy flight line for 6 years I'm not sure my hearing is even close to connoisseur status. However the trunk mounted Bazooka is pretty awesome and its where the manufacturer suggests mounting it. I have to barely crank it in or the bass is overwhelming.

And yes -- most receivers have a built in equalizer setting....I like the "disco smile" myself where the equalizer ***** are sort of a semi-circle with the opening at the "top".

My stuff sounds great to me when playing "Radar Love" or "Stairway to Heaven" or "American Band" so I'm good-to-go !

 

Allot of information to suck in! I agree 100% with your recommendation for placement of speakers in the C1. I have always done kick panel speakers and speakers in the doors on Fat Fender streetrods and 55-57 Chevys. The problem with C1's is the resale. (not to mention a $1000.00 set of door panels. I like to keep the vette as close to the orginal look as possible and still place speakers where I get a fairly decent sound. That actually limits oppions a bunch i.e. behind head in the deck lid compartment or behind the seats, or stuffed under the left and right front of the dash. Since I buy Custom Auto Sound at wholesale I have the 200 watt 4 channel stereo in the vette that I bounce back and forth when neccessary with the orginal Wonder Bar for shows. Frank had a set of their self contained 6x9 speakers under the deck lid in his vette that looked like it might work out. However, I was worried about the muffled sound. I also have a little Kicker 2 channel Amp I was going to use since that was a freebie.
By the way Frank do you still have those speakers in your car and where did you eventually place them? I did not see them in your last photo.
That's my delimma.
Rog

 

Honestly, if I want excellent sound in my 62 I'll just take my I-Pod. The ear-buds produce far better sound than I could probably accomplish in an old car like this, and they help muffle the minor rattles that these old cars make.

No modifications to the car required, although hyper-awareness of nearing emergency vehicles is necessary.

 

If i was installing the stereo on my 61 for the first time, I would copy Franks setup, with the mounting of the amp in the convertible compartment, and a Bazooka sub larger than 6 inches mounted in the trunk to get better low frequency response, the 2 input center speaker, and the new wonderbar. I probbly wouldn't include the CD changer my dad installed with ipods dominating things these days, and the changer skipping quite a bit (he did install the stereo in 1996, so CD changer was the best they had). I would add the kenwood EQ for more precise EQ and subwoofer crossover control and the kick panel speakers for a little wider image

I think that would get the best of both worlds

 

Bad idea IMO Jeff....I see people do that very thing and then hearing approaching motorcycles, wimpy ricer car horns, and screaming kids playing near residential streets is a problem...not counting sirens... I think it used to even be illegal in some states.

 

No!....the Eckler's front speaker cited above and the rear Bazooka driven off the Kenwood 8404 600W amp is the best combo I've found. The "Undercover" big speakers were muffled under the deck lid as you suspected. They are free to a good home if anybody wants them (cost of shipping and packaging)....I'm not sure I didn't 'blow' one though.

 

My setup is totally inconspicuous except for the satellite receiver and antenna. The antenna mounted right on the front speaker grille and works top down, hardtop or softtop.

[rant]But since XM radio is going to cr@p I'll probably wind up pulling it out and going iPod. My 'oldies' channels are no longer non-stop music and include DJ commentary on the music, dial-in conversations with listeners and too much sports info...commercials can't be far off...sucks[/rant]

 

Frank,
Whick speaker from Ecklers are you talking about the 8572? The rest are all dual cone?
The one in my front is a 6X9 Dual Voice Coil 140 Watt Dual Tweeter 4 OHM Sensitivity 93 67hz to 20 Khz 15oz. Magnet. Whatever that means.
Rog

 

This one: http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...1958-1967.html
It has single large rear cone for decent bass and dual smaller cones in front. Part #38151.
The 8572 is a low end front speaker replacement for original and doesn't even have stereo leads.

Trust me you'll hear the difference.