Well, after 3 months of research and much frustration, it's finally done. I guess there's not much to see because most of it's behind the scenes. I ran all of my own wire for the pair of CDT HD-62s that are in the stock front location. I used A pair of Mike's 1" MDF spacers to get them to fit, and even then they had to be rotated, reshaped and new holes drilled to get them around the corner of the window. I used the stock wire and threw a couple of CDT CL-6EXs in the rear location, which run off the H/U's power. The two Image Dynamics IDQ10 subs are also in Mike's box, with some non-descript grills. I wanted to get something a little snazzier, but really couldn't find much.



I also have a sub control **** located in the armrest compartment.

I Dynomatted the stock sub box area, and built a carpeted amp rack using Takhteh's design, but extended it and laid the carpet slightly different to cover up all of the metal. I bolted my Phoenix Gold Ti 500.4 to it, and wired up some blue LEDs for some rice.





Then, I took the stock speaker cover, Dremelled it out and made a custom Z emblem out of air-abraded plexiglass, which I tinted. I mounted a push button switch on the top so I can turn the LEDs on and off.




(ignore the goof in the reflection, it was the only way I could show the LEDs in the sunlight)

Then, what inspired this whole effort (aside from the 9 Bose cd players that I've gone through) was the Sony WX-7700MDX H/U. This was the Hong Kong version, so I didn't have to get a radio conversion kit. Normally, it's black, but I masked it off and had some custom paint mixed to try to match it to the rest of the interior. It's not a perfect match, but it's not bad, and in certain lights it's perfect. I also ordered Nissan's JDM double DIN mounting bracket for a better fit than any of the AI or Metra Kits. I love the H/U because it matched so well with the Z's interior.







Thanks for taking a look. I'm really pleased with how it all turned out. I've tried to do mods to my car that improve its appearance, but by keeping the stock look to it. The setup is about as unobtrusive as I could get while still maintaining the overall feel. The sound is amazing, and I wouldn't change a bit of it. A very special thanks goes out to dragonplayboy/Todd, who helped me pick out my setup and answered my infinite number of questions without giving me any hassle. Thanks also goes out to the poor dude at Best Buy who spent 6 hours over two days helping me do the last bit of the install, after I installed all of the wiring (needed help with the H/U, component, and coax install)...best $100 I ever spent!


Derek
Now if I can just figure out how to set my FM presets, I'll be all set. Anyone know how to do it?

 

looks great! and i love the choice of subs

 

Can you comment on the ID Q's sound?

Good choices as far as products go.

 

nice and clean...how do the 2 id10s sound, i have a single id10 in mikes box and it hits clean and sounds awesome...

by the way where did you get the grills from?

 

Outstanding.

 

Thanks guys. I'm not really an audiophile, so I haven't heard a lot of subs as comparison. All I can say is that at higher levels, they can kick the crap out of my car, and at lower levels they create a nice fill. The funny thing is that when I have them cranked with the doors shut, you really can't hear them much from the outside...but inside, my head is shaking.
The grills were some cheapos from Buy.com:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...0&loc=111&sp=1

The base ring screws in with your sub, and then the grill snaps on over it tightly. I wanted a little more eye candy, but couldn't find anything that really fit with my car. After having them installed, I think they really go with my entire theme of subtlety, so I don't think I'm going to change them.

Derek

 

Where did you order the JDM Double DIN mounting bracket?

 

That head unit is t i t s!!! I want one...whered you get it pm me with info cause I usually don't check the threads

 

Do a search here for this partocular headunit. You'll find the part number that you need in order to get it from japanparts.com. It's about $31 including shipping.

For the rest of you, the H/U can be found at www.melting-pot.com. However, it can be had for cheaper on E-bay.

Derek

 

I used the same radio and double din frame. I did not paint the black area, that was a good idea on your part. System looks great.

 

Can you offer any advice on how to set the radio presets? I've got no instruction manual, and although I consider myself pretty tech-savvy, I can't figure this thing out...and I've spent a good 20 minutes trying every combo I can think of.

 

As soon as I find the copy of the instruction manual that some great guy on here sent me, I will scan and post the revelvent parts. Also, look at some other sony manual you can find online, that helped me with the XM setup.

 

Okay..cool.

 

how much is that head unit?

 

Depends on where you get it, and what type. They can run from $550-750 new, and then you'll have to buy a US frequency converter to get stations in the US (about $60). Otherwise, they run $350-450 used on Ebay. If you're fortunate enough to get a Hong Kong version like myself, the FM frequencies are fine.
Derek

 

The Hong Kong version is the Worldband Tuner version.

To set the radio preset, tune in the station you want and then press and hold the number 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6. on the remote. It will then read out "memory" and have the preset number to the left of the radio frequency. Hope this helps. You can have up to 6 presets per section, that is, you have two AMs and two FMs, so you can have up to 48 presets.

I have a Memory Stick reader, a CD changer, an XM tuner, an additional aux connector that also allows USB music input and a seperate headphone band with volume control if you want to listen to one thing on the head unit speakers and something else on the headphones (like a movie), and a multipule changer unit. Most of Sony's accessories work with this head unit (I haven't found any that don't yet - most unilink stuff works great.) It also has a AUX input in the back of the head unit for IPODs or other units. I chose the Sony XM module because it reads out on the head unit. I had the MyFi hooked up but liked the cleaner look of using the head unit.

 

Very nice, and way to customize everything to your liking.

That HU is crazy, as well as it integrates into the interior it's still too funky for me.

There really should be more choices on the market for a double din HU that doesn't cost an arm and leg.

 

That was the first thing I tried way back when. I just tried it again, and as soon as I hit the "1" button, it automatically switches to my first preset...changing it from the channel that I've just tuned in and am trying to set as the preset. After 3-4 seconds, the MEM lights up, but does me no good because it's already changed the channel to the original preset. On top of that, even with new batteries the remote doesn't work very well. Stupid car...I love to hate this thing

Oh well, I'll keep giving it a try since I know now that's how it's supposed to be done.

Derek