Calling all Roadster owners!

I'd like to compile some "success stories" for audio installations in the Z Roadster. I've done a good share of searching, and it seems that most audio installs are taking place in coupes, and most custom audio equipment is made for the coupes. (Which stands to reason, because there are more coupes than convertibles)

This has made it difficult for me to find valid tips on what products will fit nicely into my Z Roadster. I'm looking for suggestions on front and rear speaker installs, tweeter installs, component system installs, subwoofer instals, head units... you name it.

I, for one, have the factory BLOSE system, and have succesfully installed an AVIC-D3 with the metra double din kit... but I'm especially puzzled by the subwoofer behind the drivers seat.

So, start posting away! Help guide your fellow Roadster owners toward having a kickass audio system!

(Pictures are welcome and encouraged)

 

go to my site www.simplicityinsound.com

click on the various install galleries, there are three ZRs at least in there, click on the pictures in the galleries and it will take you to the posts where the entire install is shown.

all three sounded pretty good IMO

b

 

Ive been lookin too. I dont want something thatll blow the canvas off the roof, and I need something concealed and retain trunk space for golf clubs, but also want something that will still sound tight.

This is exactly what Ive been lookin for..

https://my350z.com/forum/audio-and-video/183688-new-convertible-coupe-sub-box-behind-the-seats.html

Not sure if Itll help you any though

 

Any way to just make a wood box like that that would just slip in?

 

the wickedcas box is by far the best solutoin for the roadster. i have personally put in half dozen or more

you can build wood box, but have fun securing it flat, and you wont be able to squeez as much air space out of it

trust me, i did it in this install and probably wont do it again hehe:

https://my350z.com/forum/audio-builds/270231-06-zr-install-done-ceo-style-quite-technical.html

b

 

I'm not interested in spending $300 for the wickedcas box.

How about success stories for other speakers... what fits? I was looking at Infinity Reference 6022si speakers (for the fronts) on Crutchfield, because they are "shallow mount," and I was told by my installer friend that I have little room to work with. Any advice?

Are the rear speakers in the Roadster the same size as those in the coupe? Because... they're not in the same place, really...

 

my opinion stands that if you want any kind of bass in the ZR, the wicked cas box (whcih at 300 is a GREAT deal) is the only way to go.

as for the stock location, i think personally its a poopy location and yield pertty bad output...not to mention its very shallow... and you cant spacer it out too much or it will rub against the front of the door panel...

i say if you must do the stocjklocation just get something cheap like the infinity reference or similar sub 100 dollar speakres, anyhting expensive IMO is wasting money in the stock location

i only offer my opinon becuase you stated you wanted a "kickass audio system"...but what do i know about nice sounding systems in Zs

 

There's no room here for sarcasm. You don't see me making fun of your spelling and grammar, do you? (Well, until now) Nobody has discounted your installation know-how (yet)... so take it easy.

Nazar has apparently made a great product, and you have apparently installed a lot of them. But, everyone that has done any research knows about this option. It's been done, and to a lot of people, it's more expensive than can be justified. (Personally, I'd rather pay my installer friend $300 to make me a box, because I know he needs it) I started this thread to try to open up communication between those of us that have successfully installed ANYTHING beyond the stock radio setup and those of us that are looking for choices... that includes "expensive" and "not expensive" setups. I prefer somewhere in-between, but I'll still consider any range of prices, as long as I'm happy with the result.

 

aiyaya...sometimes I dont know why I try and help people.

Look...all i am saying, if you read through my typo filled posts, is that for the ZR, Nazar's box is by far the best way to get any kind of bass in the cabin, at any cost.

if your friend can make an equally effective box for 300 dollars, then DO IT! cause he must be a pretty gosh darn good installer. I dont think i can even come close to making such a box for that low of a cost...whcih is the reason why for ZR installs, I continuously use nazar's box, versus building my own...it just makes a lot more sense.

Now, when you started the post, you never mentioned how expensive or cheap you wanted, you were asking for roadster success stories and looking to build a nice sounding system.

Well, i would like to think that out of all the people on the Z forum, I probably have as much experience as any in terms of building good sounding systems in Zs, and ZRs. So i chimed in, telling you to look at my site and see if you can find some ideas...

So I am sorry that i have offended you, I had no idea that you considered a 300 dollar box, whcih again, IMO is the best and most cost effective way to get bass into the ZR, as too expensive to be justified...

I thought i have given you plenty of opinions over my posts, but you dont seem to take note of any of them...sigh..

one last time in this post, and i will summarize.

to get good sound in a ZR

headunit: replace bose HU with something at least decent, even a 200-250 dollar range HU will be fine.

front sepaker: a decent set of 6.5" comps in door pods or kicks, plenty can be found 250 bucks and up

rear speaker: none relaly, leave hte stock hookedup if you want

amp: something to throw around 75-100 watts to the front, and 3-400 to the sub. plenty can be had for around 350-450 bucks for everything

sub: wickedcas box with a single 10...total for around 450.

a nice overall balanced sounding system for hte ZR...

take it or leave it

 

bing knows his stuff...listen to him and you will learn....i asked BAMBAM to post pics of his roadster for you...but I think it may be too much for what you are trying to accomplish....he has like 4 10's and 6 component sets or something to that extent

 

Yes those were done for my car. Nazar (Wicked C.A.S.) does amazing work and I have to say, I very rarely even turn on the subs in the trunk except for shows.

The Wicked C.A.S. enclosures provide more then enough kick and if put in a stock car, you would never notice them until you turn the stereo on. As for building one yourself. I am sure someone else could do it, but the guys at Wicked C.A.S have put their years of experience in sub selection, airspace maximization and fiberglass work into building them perfect. They fit well, they use all available space and sound quality is amazing.

Good luck in whatever you chose.
--B

Side note: 16psiBrick made a custom sub box for my Lotus and it freaking rocks. The Audio on the Lotus stock SUCKS. But Noah put together a kicking system and Bing sorted out the sub and custom box to fit in the foot-well.
It sounds great, did not add too much weight and does not take away much space, which is critical in such a small car.

Just my experience anyway.

 

well i got a sub customed installed, but i really never like the way it sounds. It's facing the driver seat, which i think is the reason why it sounds a little flat to me. The acoustic or something is not right. I'm thinking of getting the Nazar one. Are they still available? here's what mine looks like...

 

16psibrick,
You're right. I should have commented on how helpful your site and all of the install pictures were. I meant to do so, but it was late, and I got caught up looking at all the installs. I guess I was too busy marveling at everything. You and your shop are very talented... and your customers have very deep pockets. (Which is good for you, too) I'm not offended in any way, so there's no need to apologize. I just wanted to avoid dwelling on any one specific item or way of doing something, in favor of multiple choices. Like I said, and I should have explained it better in my original post, I wanted to bring to light on the little-known ways of getting a ZR install completed. Nazar's wickedcas box is well-known, and some may consider it to be expensive. Not necessarily a "bad deal..." just more than some are willing to spend. The same way a ferrari for half-price is a good deal... but too expensive. You know?

Noah,
I'm looking forward to seeing your buddy's install. It sounds non-traditional, which will help all of us searching for ways to do specific things. And while you may say it might be "too much" for some of us... if he's got a bunch of subs and 6 component sets hooked up, then maybe at least one of them or a combination of them will be the way that I decide to hook up mine... and someone else may take other combinations and go with that. You can tell him his car is a lot like the "boom room" at BestBuy, where they have multiple TVs and every stereo receiver/speakers sold in the store... Nobody actually has that much $hit in their living room... but lots of people go in there and buy a portion of what is set up and use what they see as a template for their own install. You know?

For me, specifically, I was looking to try to salvage some of the audio from my eclipse that I traded in to get my Z. I've got an AVIC-D3 already in the Z (upgraded from an N2 in the Eclipse... which is probably going in my gf's car)... also a 4ch Alpine Amp (who's model # and specs escape me right now), as well as Alpine Type R components and 6x9's (SPR-17S and SPR-69xxx or something). So, while these are not the most expensive audio components, I'd like to think that they are not "cheap" by any means, either... I know the 6x9's won't fit anywhere without pushing REALLY hard... but I was hoping to get some ideas on the component installation, especially the tweeters. I thought that while I would try to find out about these issues, I could start a thread helping ALL ZR owners with their audio needs, as well... and with any luck, propagate some information on these tough-to-upgrade systems.

So, let's get back on track and get some more pictures of various installs. Sorry for any confusion.

 

Visionboy,

Thanks for your contribution. It's good to know now that the bass may be a little flat with a setup like the one in your picture. Do you think that the problem could easily be fixed? Do you have other speakers installed? How do they sound? Pics? Is your sub box sealed behind the sub, or is that just a faceplate and riser to hold your sub? What's it made of? And... if you don't mind my asking, how much did it run you? Was the price worth the performance?

Thanks again.

 

DrPhantum

The box is sealed, made with 3/4" thick MDF. We dynamat the area surrounding the box, mostly in the rear, to prevent vibrations. I don't think the sound can be fix much. It does sound better when i move my ears center, and forward towards the dash. I think the best way would to have the sub facing away from the driver seat or even downwards, so that it can use hard solid surface to bounce off and produce fuller bass. That is my biggest problem with my stereo system. Everything else sounds find and clean. The sub was installed as part of the whole system package which was about $1,700( labor only) so i don't know how much it was individually.

My tweeters are mounted on the a pillar, and it sounds very good.

 

Thanks for the info, visionboy. Those "tweeters" dwarf the stock speakers in comparison!

 

drPhantum...

i honsetly think you over estimate how much my customers spent on some of htese installs..

then again, having been originally from PA, i guess the definition of deep pockets maybe different than here..

but an example of a budget but very NICE sounding system:

headunit: decent midline : $200
front spekares in kicks: DLS MS6 $500 combined cost
nazar box: $300
image dynamics id10: $125
DLS CA51 amp to power it all: $400

total: $1500ish...

you can shop around for amps and probably save another 100-150, so bring shte total down to about 1350ish for everything...

b

 

Plus a brand new $50k+ vehicle... plus neons and plexiglass and stuff... equals deep pockets. Maybe not in sunny california, but anywhere that isn't littered with exotic cars and women with more plastic in them than a barbie doll factory...

Plus, how many of your Lexus owners featured in the install gallery bought a $200 head unit? Even I wouldn't go that low... and I'm just a stone's throw from Amish country out here in hilly Pennsylvania. Of course, I needed the GPS to find my way around Pittsburgh. We may have been voted "best skyline" and "most livable city" this year... but I think we were dead last in "most navigable"

*No offense to any Amish people that may have read that... but really, if you're reading this, you should be ashamed of yourself.*

 

So after reading this thread Its I believe you need to supply a few missing details.

1.Hardware budget
2.who will install (you or installer)
3.How important is your trunk space
4.double din or single din

Having just recently completed just such an upgrade those were the questions that were truly relevant beyond " I want great sound".

I had a great quality sounding system put in. No plexi no Neon ... No flash. I kept my trunk space but I did go with the nazar box. The reason being that based on the research I did it was either the nazar box or put it in the trunk. Everyone I talked to that tried custom in the standard place were only somewhat satisfied and loosing my trunk space was not an option. I did have the luxury of having factory NAV so I didn't have to spend 2000.00 on a head unit.

E

 

and how do you like the nazar box?