take a listen to the Polk SR6500 they have the smoothest highs I've heard, better then the Focal setups I've heard which tended to sound a bit harsh in comparison. I know people hate on polk but the SR series is a great sounding speaker that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, ok may it cost an arm. great speakers though, I love em. the crossover is huge though, placement might be tricky but I got it to fit in the door.

 

Bing… you are a professional (and reading your posts and looking at your website, I believe you are among the best installers I’ve seen anywhere) with thousands of installations while I’m only an amateur. I would be a fool to disregard the good advice you consistently and kindly report on this Forum. In fact, many of the A/V stuff I’ve done in my Z is based upon your suggestions posted here. The entire community here appreciates your participation and generous contributions.

For sure your comments…
…did not fall upon deaf ears. I have exactly the problem you describe when mounting my Focals in the front door space using the stock grilles and custom spacers. Fortunately for me the Focals are so good they alleviate some of the problems you describe. It’s not perfect sound, but it’s very good (I would say almost exceptional). I decided against an installation using pods for reasons I mention before on this thread. I agree that the concave door contour and stock speaker grilles on the Z are a challenge when mounting aftermarket speakers (physical placement and generating optimum sound). As you point out, it is much easier doing this in the G35/G37 and some other cars. For some, the kick space is ideal, but with my back problems, I need the dead pedal and room to move my feet around during extended drives.

--Spike

 

spike, i was by no means disregarding your comments, and i for one, defintely am in the thought that in the end, a system MUST accomodate the needs of the driver. so when you say you dont wnatt o do pods, i have no problem with it at all.

I was juts merely suggesting that in my humble opinion, even though you did a lot of extra work and hvae resulted in better midbass performance than just simply putting a speaker in the stock location, there is still a bit more to be gained with a kick panel installation thats all, not saying you must have it or implying you didnt do a good job at all sorry if i came out sounding like that...

thanks gaain for your kind words but i dont think i am among the best installers out there hehe, i merely stay within my humble limits and do things to the utmost of my ability and thoughtfulness

 

Stop being so modest Bing. Let's call a spade a spade here. I have been involved in car audio for 15 years including 5 as an installer for a high-end shop in the early/mid 90's. I am continuously impressed with your work.

Back on topic to the OP, there are so many contributing factors to the audio output of a set of components. And I can't believe nobody asked this earlier, not even myself, but what is your budget for components? I mean we can suggest a set of good comps for $300 or we can suggest a good set of comps for $2000. The suggestions made in this thread so far cover a wide range of price points. And as pointed out, how will you be mounting these? Pods, kicks, stock location?

 

Looking to spend 600-700 for components. Will be installed stock location.

 

OK, this is kind of why I asked those 2 questions. If you are looking to spend that much on components, you obviously are looking for great clear sound and proper staging. And as kind of already captured by this thread the stock location isn't the greatest for staging or on-axis listening. Kicks or pods would be highly recommended for a component set of this price bracket.

 

agreed with the above. Just got my custom kicks from Bing they look amazing. Getting them installed tomorrow at 2 cant wait .

 

What are kicks? And what are pods? We don't have those things in the airplanes Got any pics so I can compare the two?

 

I’m glad someone finally had the sense to ask about budget and installation details. Your budget and location for the speakers matches my project.

I went with Focals in the stock door position. I tried Focal 165 V2, but couldn’t get them to fit. I ended up installing Focal 165 V Slim. I don’t know if there is a much difference between these in sound quality. The 165 V Slim is slightly more expensive.

Focal’s website gives these specs for the speakers:
165 V2 - Depth from wall: 68mm (2.7") Didn’t fit in the stock door position.
165 V Slim - Depth from wall: 56mm (2.2") Fits in the stock door position.

I also put some sound deadening material in the door to prevent vibration and sound distortion. There is a slight problem using the stock door position and the stock grille. The stock grille is dense and its shape is concave. I think the stock grille blocks the sound somewhat. I considered cutting out the stock grill and installing an aftermarket grille (i.e., the Focal speaker grille) that allows better sound passage. The problem was the concave shape of the door panel. Realizing that it would be difficult to align an aftermarket grille to the Z’s concave door panel, my concern was butchering the panel and having a very ugly installation. A search on this subforum shows how a couple of guys overcome the problem by making a custom grille replacing the stock grille. A potential problem I see with this solution is simply that the custom grille is flimsy and may not provide enough protection preventing someone from breaking through the grille with a misplaced foot that damages your expensive component. Actually, I am very satisfied with the sound I get from the Focals through the stock grille. It’s only knowing that it could be slightly better that bugs me. The step-up is pods (either door pods or pods at the kicks, but neither works for me in the Z). Pods provide better sound, staging, and a wider range of speaker selections.

And, there is something else to consider when installing better component speakers: Where to install the tweeters? You would think the sail panels are best. After all, that is where Nissan places the OEM tweeters. The OEM tweeters are cheap and deliver thin sound. The sail panel works with this weak arrangement. If you install quality components, you get great directional sound from the tweeter; and the sail panel position really blasts the highs directly at the driver and passenger. I would consider mounting the tweeters in the A-Pillar, directing the sound at the windshield where it bounces back to the passenger compartment. You still hear distinct right and left channels, but you can direct the sound more towards the center of the car avoiding the direct blast that you get with a sail panel installation.

--Spike

 

Spike gave a great little write-up there. as he described, pods and kicks wouldn't work for his needs. This is something you need to decide for yourself. The Z does have somewhat tight quarters, so you need to figure out if you can spare some to enhance the richness of the midbass.

Pods are "enclosurettes" that attach to the door where the stock speakers currently are. Door pods for the Z are premade by Zenclosures (I have these) as well as Nazar. Or you can make your own if you like fiberglassing. I'm sure Bing could make some for you if that's what you wanted - however I know Bing prefers Kicks.

Kicks are replacement kick panels that are made to house your components down near you feet. This will typically eliminate the dead pedal on the drivers side though.

There are plenty of pics around here if you do a quick search. If you have trouble I'll try to find some for you.

 

Spike: Thanks for the tips!

Street: Thanks alot for the explaination

 

6-700 i typeically do the DLS ms6 in kick panels, or maybe the UX26 high end coaxial in kicks both sound great IMO for theprice and IMO sounds better than any 6-700 dollar speaker installed in the stock location

PM me if you are interested, i have built and shipped over 30 pairs for Z members, and so far, everyone seems to love the way they sound

if you go to my site:

www.simplicityinsound.com click on the 350Z pics, 90 percent of htem have kick panels hehe

b

 

That is where mine are... I know it's not exactly optimal, but its good enough for me, people get in and think it's just a really good factory system... And I figure, heck if that's where bose puts theres too... it's gotta be atleast a pretty decent spot for em.

 

Alpine Head unit
MB Quarts or Boston Components
JL or RF subs
Kicker, JL, RF, MTX Amps

 

I have kicks built by Bing and they sound great. By adjusting the balance a little you can get the sound to come from the center of the dash as opposed to hearing one side more than the other. The kicks point toward the center of the dash, so the sound reaches the center and tends to rise up to the listener. I'm not a expert by any means, this is just through my observation vs. the stock location. But having the tweeter and the woofer mounted close together seems to provide a more balanced output. Def. consider kicks.

Bing does a great job with the kicks and it blends in nicely with the stock interior.

 

mb quarts is the ****!

 

all i have to say after getting my kicks from bing installed today and tuned is. DLS ALL THE WAY. Im speechless at how well these sound. Talk about crystal clear and good imaging. I expected great but these blew me away. Ill do a full writeup tomorrow with pics but im tired tonight so gonna get some sleep. If i had to give advice it would be to talk to bing and let him hook you up the man knows his stuff and his products he sells speak for themselves.

 

i have kicks from Bing , they sound very nice

 

I have Rainbow's

 

fixed