GQ 350z

iTrader: (13)

Wow I am quite humbled. Congratulations on your win! Ahh can't wait to get my install done!!!!!!! It's driving me nuts now LOL. Gotta get that ID max...*sigh*

dream724Z

iTrader: (1)

For the optimal stage the tweeters need wider separation than kicks provide. There is no perfect location since door speakers suffer wall coupling . Paul350Z's idea is best of custom low strut mounts, and look forward to the group buy.

...
I took another look at R's cockpit photo... The vent location appears a great compromise for sound and keeps the foot rest. Not as wide a stage as stock, but lower, further from the coupling door plane, and an unobstructed path. Go for it!

dark_muppet

You've got me half conviced now. I'm still waiting on my parts to come in but once they do I'll fab some kicks or pods and see how the sound compares. I'm running Dynaudio 240GTs. From what I've heard they're smooth enough that I could probably use the stock sails and still get pretty decent imaging. But only one way to find out I guess.

Oh and I ended up going with a Nak MBVI HU. Not the greatest but should serve my purpose until I can import the Denon I want. No way I was going to drop $1500+ on a 700ii only to have it crap out on me.

rotaryrocket7

This is totally dependent on all equipment used in the setup. Kicks are the easiest way to ensure good quality staging, that isn't to say that you cannot achieve simliar or better staging with a different method. I tried stock location for the horns and didn't like the end result. I do have Dynaudio's 3-way setup, and after building the kicks for the 3" and horn I would NEVER go back to another setup. This is obviously just my opinion. Again the equipment used will really determine the outcome.

JimRHIT

iTrader: (6)

For imaging and coherency/phase, I feel that the tweeters should be placed as close to the mids as possible, after all .. the XOs were designed with these speakers coplanar and as close together as possible.

However, Paul is 100% correct in that your leg WILL interfere with the sound. If you try to discredit that, you are fooling only yourself. Another however .... it is barely noticeable once you are situated in the car. If you want to demo your car ... have people close their legs and sit back and listen.

I got Klipsch "horns" in the kicks...its not that hard

JimRHIT

iTrader: (6)

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....=1#post2093018

see here for horn pics

To the OP here ... please do not place these in your heat vents ... that would just look awful.

dream724Z

iTrader: (1)

> If you want to demo your car ... have people close their legs and sit back and listen.<

With kick mounts better not tell your passenger it sounds better with skinny friends!

bixby

iTrader: (2)

Uh, while it's true they don't have to be in the kick panels they do need to be close to the woofers and should be in front of you. Based on that the kicks are probably the best location for both in a component setup. My legs don't "muffle" the sound at all and my focals are in the factory location with the tweets mounted exactly like the picture I posted. The speakers ar angled back and up toward the driver/passenger.

Rasengan

iTrader: (1)

"look"? you won't even be able to see them...and anyways i'm trying to find a place that sounds better than the stock location so in all honesty, looks doesn't concern me too much

and seriously, not to flame because i'm sure they sounded absolutely phenomenal, but the custom fb'd kicks in the link you posted look aweful to me, IMHO...again, not to flame, i just honestly don't like them one bit

bixby

iTrader: (2)

+ 1. I like "Stealth" personally but everyone is different.

JimRHIT

iTrader: (6)

Absolutely.... we all choose different things. I went for an all out SQ install on these ... mainly to demo something that I was working on at work. The flash makes them appear more obtrusive than they truly are, but they are no way shape or form stealth.

Resengnan .... if you want to place the tweeters in the heat panels, would you be planning on taking off the diffusers? These will greatly affect your sound, as they are rigid baffles just waiting to redirect your sound.

Rasengan

iTrader: (1)

i was contemplating that as well...i was thinking perhaps if it doesn't sound right with the diffusers on, i'd take them off and get speaker cloth to place over the hole...i don't see the diffusers being a big deal though, i'd simply direct them more towards my ears

and again as far as them being so close, i think i can play with the 8017's DTA to set them a bit farther forward...also with the unit's SRS Surround II is a feature that enables me to move the mid's stage up vertically, and it really does work well...there's a huge difference when i have it set to "Off" in which the sound clearly comes from the door panel and when i have it set to full, you hear it as if it were all coming from the tweeter location which is about 2 feet up

in either case, since they'll only be a few inches lower and closer, if it doesn't sound good it would only take minutes to put back into the stock location which, IMO, is decent...not great but i can live with it

05-Z

iTrader: (4)

Jim, very different! Can't say I've seen that before.

I would like to find a high quality set of 6 1/2 coaxials for the kicks. Back in the day I used Soundstream Exact coaxials and was really impressed with their sound. Something with outboard crossovers of coarse....any ideas anyone?

JimRHIT

iTrader: (6)

The diffuser will actually make a great deal of difference in the directivety of sound coming out of those tweeters. I'd do the cloth idea like you said .. something very well meshed to allow for some airflow w/o bulging when your A/C is on.

The stock locations will work just as well as these, and are at least more in "line" with your ears ... so as long as you can introduce some time delay .. just use the stock locations.

JimRHIT

iTrader: (6)

Seas makes a very nice set of coaxials (T18RE/XFCTV2) ... give those a look. I am the type of guy to use home stuff in a car .... and no one has ever complained

Ask member KShep what he thinks about his Seas setup that we set him up with ...

sq40

iTrader: (4)

Thanks man! I love Automotive Sound, its been a hobby since highschool and has always been a great source of enjoyment to me.

PM me sometime if you would like to talk Audio, I would really like to see pics of what you have going one there.

sq40

iTrader: (4)

Close to the Woofer is nice, BUT A lot of folks dont realise a Verticle Di-Pole Plane is the most important aspect of speaker placement.

For Instance, if you look at a the Vertical plane of your Speaker Alighnment, your Tweeters and Woofers should be within only a few degrees of level.

Tweeter

o
|
|
O

Woofer

Just like you were looking at a Floor standing Speaker.

The Tweeter should be Eye Level and the Woofer should be as close to it as possible. Since this is rarely and option in a car (Unless you Dash mount both) you can make some adjustments to compensate the distance, as long as you remain on Dipole. With Proper Equalization you can "Move" the woofer up image wize by emphasising the low level of the tweeter OR the crossover point between the tweeter and woofer.

Rasengan

iTrader: (1)

yea i know it's going to sound a whole lot different with them facing me instead of facing each other...as of right now, i have the passenger side tweets turned down because that's all i would hear with my current setup...if i put the tweets in those vents, i'll have it pretty much as similar to how home audio speakers are setup, ear level facing you

if it works well, i'll most likely just block those vents up completely and use them strictly for sound...we have 2 more vents anyway on the dash!

sq40

iTrader: (4)

That's a wild looking rig youve got there man! Congrats on getting the placement to work so well.

I would like to try a more Convention HLCD (Horn Loaded Compression Driver) myself.

Rasengan

iTrader: (1)

ok, got my car back and i must say, having the speakers in those vents is like NIGHT AND DAY...that isn't even an exaggeration...to be honest, i don't even have to play with DTA as when you really take a look at it's position it's actually slightly farther back than the stock location...also, you can't see the speakers at all, they're deep in there

positioning the vent diffusers makes a little difference as well but not much...closing them doens't make a huge difference, just mutes the sound a bit but even when closed it sounds better than having the tweets in the stock position

i'm very impressed with the sound now, it seriously made the system THAT much better, completely different and all for the better