how would it sound if the tweeters were placed in the air vents that point towards the driver and passenger (the ones in the doors)? Would there be any complications from putting it in there? I don't think heat would be a factor as whenever the heat comes on, it comes out through the floor, right? Thoughts?

Also, which would sound better/cleaner, a JL 500/1 on 2 10w6 subs or that same 500/1 on only 1 10w6?

here's a good look at those vents:

 

i still strongly believe that the best place for tweets in zs is in the kick panels.

b

 

And I strongly disagree.

Mainly for the major changes in sound that occur as you move your leg - though from your pictures there's not a bunch of room to move around - or put a passenger with legs in the starboard seat. The path between the tweeters and the ears can be big influence on the sound.

I like driving two woofers for twice the volume with half the wattage each vice one woofer with twice the wattage - the volume and quality will be the same, you're just working the two woofers less hard for the same amount of sound. If you really need the extra 3 dB of the second woofer you're working really hard.

 

a big reason why i wouldn't want to put it there is that i don't want to have holes there if i end up not liking them in that area

anyways, at the current moment i have them placed in the stock location pointing straight into the car and i noticed if i lurch forward i get so much better sound coming from them than sitting back against the seat...that's what prompted me to start looking for other places to place them and those vents point practically straight to your ear with a clear line of sight

 

If you have On-Axis Tweeters, this would be a fairly good spot, since they are aimed right at you, BUT you will have some imaging problems due to the close nature of the vent.

The Dash might be a better spot for on Axis, if you aim them at you with a simple tweeter kit.


If they are off-axis tweeters, The stock location or A-Pillar work very well in the Z for best imaging.

I really have a disdain for Kick-Mounted speakers, Like Paul Said above, Leg movement can cause interference. There is also a Heightened risk of damager. Furthermore, I feel to avoid the "Rainbow Effect", Tweeters should be placed at, or near Eye-Level, wide on the sound stage.

 

Best placement for sound quality is:

 

Kickpanels ARE THE BEST location for tweets in the Z, period. If you think otherwise, you haven't heard a well done setup.

There is no comparison--on or off-axis. The leg moving and changing the sound is not true. Too lazy to explain right now.

ravi

 

You definitely don't want high frequency tweeters muffled by your legs. My infinity kappa tweeters are in the stock location. I used a hole saw (dremmel tool was slipping) to snugly fit their mount. The adjustable "bug eye" mount aims ~35o from stock's perpendicular. Both tweeters are set shoulder height, center of car and they sound fantastic!

 

hehehe, i knew this would stirr things up again, but i stil hold to my comment, and i really believe that those who claim that kicks get muffled or blocked by legs have either NOT heard kicks at all, or have not heard well built and tuned ones

but, to each his own...

 

Dude.. I don't mean to flame, But I disagree, Kicks are not alwyas the Best, Especially for the Z with its wide windscreen. You can have a LOT of problems with a Kick Setup if not done right. Granted, Kicks used to be one of the better ways to get imaging, but for many (Now compact) cars it just is not.

I have auditioned the Best out there and built the best, I know what I'm talking about.

 

I don't beleive the the "Muffled by Legs" issue is the real killer here, but the issue with getting the stage at the proper height for the entire wide (and beyond) of the vehicle.

 

again, installation and tuning is the key. as well as the dynamics of a particular vehicles interior. teh Zs and Gs, i have found, and espeically the Zs, they are very easy to get a high stage. in each of the Zs and Gs i have done with kick mounted tweets and midranges, the stage is solildy planted at about a few inches above dash level, in other words, perfect

as far as width is concerned, its no less than the stock lower door loaction

i know you are very knowledgable with this stuff, why not give it a shot yourself, just for kicks (pun intended),

b

 

I have been tempted to build up the Z for competition next season.. Thinking of going with ID HLCDs.. BUT I might experement with kicks in the Z too. When building my Volvo up in '02 I Tried Kicks in several configurations and even with the best of Tuning I still didnt get the width I needed (Out past the mirrors)..

To each their own, If it meets your needs, go for it.

 

I shouldn't have said "always" but JMHO---kicks in the Z sound the best to me..and I too have heard the best, in numerous cars (both install and equipment).

I see your point, but again was recently blown away by a setup I heard

From a constructive standpoint, give the Z's a chance with kickpanels and you'll agree with me. I know you know your stuff, the more knowledgeable audio guys we have on the forum the better!

Interesting comments.

EDIT:
Just saw your new post ...In this case it met MY needs. I don't mean to push my preferences on you, just want the knowledge out there. Look forward to seeing/reading about your new setup.

Ravi

 

Absolutly Cool Man.

I agree, We definatly need all of the experienced audio Folks on here we can get. I really might fab up something and give it a try. One of the things I really like about the Z is the far-out Sail Pannels for tweeters, The Width can be VERY nice, But without any kind of Time Alignment I cant get a good Center focus (Need a Nice Processor).

I wish I could just tear the damn seats out and plop one right in the middle of the car.

 

Lol!

 

sq40

what kind of volvo doy ou have?

i have a 850 wagon, and i agree with you totall, its very very hard to get a good center image, wide stage and high stage in that car, its just how it is, a short feet tunnel with high and protruding dash, lots of angles, high center console, etc etc...

but the 350z is a totally different animal, trust me you will see once you biuld it.

horns would work well but i am wondering if you dont have to hack a lot of stuff under hte pasenger side dash to fit htem correctly

b

 

so...would stuffing those tweeters in the vents be better or worse than the current stock location? my head unit has digital time alignment so being so close wouldn't be much of an issue, i could set it farther back

 

I have a 2001 S40, Pretty Nice car for SQ with the semi-flat dash and near dipole speaker locations. I actually went to and won 1st at the 2002 USACi World finals with it, You can see some picks of my and the car getting sound deadened at http://www.b-quiet.com/volvo.html , I used over 100sqft of deadening on it.

I know there are some challenges to horn installs, but after hearing several vehicles with them (namely one guy.. forgot his name, had horns and a IDMAX 12 in his dash) I thought it Sounded excellent and would be a challenge.

I am looking about about 1k in Equipment to make a move to full ID gear and get a Clarion DSP with TC to mach my head and about another $500 in install materials.

 

I Guess the best thing to tell you is to try it out and see if you like it. Just put some double sided tape on the tweets and mount them on the closed vent for temp to see if it sounds good.