Love, the car ......Hate the audio system.

I need some input as to the best way to upgrade the stock system. I've got JL Audio 6.5 componets for the fronts. Now I need help as to what to do with the rears, coaxials or just Midbass drivers?

Also can I use the blank panel behind the drivers seat for a sub some how?

Oh I forgot to mention it does not have the Bose setup.

 

i leased my 350Z roadster with Bose system and would like to improve the audio with the least amount of modification possible. i'm not looking for great sound or even good sound, just "acceptable" sound (stock Bose system being "unsatisfactory"). for now, i can live with the high's but the bass is just not there.

1. does anyone know of any links that map out the Bose system in the roadster? i will definitely take the roadster to professional installers cuz i'm not good at all with these sorts of things, but i would like for them to have some idea where all the wiring/amp/... is in this car.

i was thinking of having the stock subwoofer replaced with a 10" anything (probly eclipse though cuz i have 2 of these in my civic and i'm very happy with them) and a separate amp to power it. is this a bad idea?

any advice on upgrading the roadster audio system with minimal change would be much appreciated.

thanks.

 

I don't know about the roadster specifically (mine's a Track model coupe), but I believe there's an amp in the factory sub area and another one under the foam on the driver's side of the spare tire. If you're leasing and serious about upgrading the sound system, I'd just leave all the factory wiring in place and install new stuff--new headunit, amps, speakers, wire, etc. That way you can easily return the audio system to stock when/if you return the car after the lease is done. All the plugs and stuff will still be there, and it isn't that difficult to take the car apart.

I assume the roadster has the same glovebox/sub location as the coupe, so yes, You can use the blank panel area behind the driver's seat for a 10" sub. You'll have to order the bose sub panel from www.courtesyparts.com (it's less than $10 I think) If the roadster is like my (non-bose) coupe, it will have the metal sub mounting panel piece already installed in the sub area.

 

Some people don't believe in using rear speakers. Personally, I like having the rears, even in a cabin as small as the Z's. All you need for rears is some cheapie coaxials, since the rears should not have a large impact on the sound. They should be set so you are not conscious of them, but if you concentrate you can hear them. It helps a lot to have time alignment on your headunit as well. With time alignment, you can fine tune the acoustic center of the system to be exactly in the driver's seat where it should be.

Anyway, the rear speakers I installed are JL Audio TR 6.5". They're more than adequate for the purpose.

 

hey thanks for the replies. i was wondering about the rear speakers on the 350Z. seeing as how they sit right behind the seats so that they are completely obstructed, are they of much use at all? in my civic, my rears are stock and i actually fade toward the fronts anyway. i wonder how useful rears are in the Z.

the Bose system already has a sub enclosure behind the driver's seat. the boys at the audio shop took the cover off mine and we discovered a subwoofer that looks like a dinner plate. also, it appears to work backwards (with regards to how the magnet is set up). i was hoping they could replace this sub with a 10" eclipse and separate amp. anyone here have any suggestions how this would be done with the least amount of modification?

thanks!

 

You can install a 10" sub right on the metal bracket where the POS Blose sub is. The problem is that you can't put a big-*** sub in there due to the angle of the bracket--the sub will hit the floor in that area. If you are going to have them install there, it would behoove you to use a free-air subwoofer. Also, have your installer seal all the little holes in that compartment, and there are many.

Regarding rear speakers: Civics (and just about every Honda except s2000) and other cars that have rear deck speakers have a horribly rear-biased soundstage due to the rear speakers being much larger (usually 6x9s) and reflecting right off the rear window. In cars like that, it is often better to not put rears at all and use their mounting locations as a vent of sorts for the bass from a trunk-mounted sub to get into the cabin better. Before I did my install in the 350z, I ran the stock system with a slight front fade and with the rears as low as possible. I found that I preferred having the rear speakers over not having them. I would advise that you try both ways and decide what you like better.

After thinking about it a little, I'd think that having more speakers (every doubling of power or cone area gives you roughly 3 dB more loudness) in an open roofed car would be desirable since the cabin is most likely noisier than a fixed roof car; but I'd test it with rears on and off with the stock system before you spend any money.

 

i'm still having problems finding roadster specific info regarding audio mods. how come i cant find any roadster pics?

anyhoo the installers that i deal with mentioned that if you install a subwoofer in the spare tire well of a roadster, the bass might not transmit properly when the roof is down. i suppose the roof folded down creates a sound barrier between the sub and the passengers of the car? anyone else know anything about this?

 

Any one install aftermarket subs in a roadster? Where did you put the amps and how did you run the power to the amps without messing with the roof?

 

i'm still having problems finding roadster specific info regarding audio mods. how come i cant find any roadster pics?

anyhoo the installers that i deal with mentioned that if you install a subwoofer in the spare tire well of a roadster, the bass might not transmit properly when the roof is down. i suppose the roof folded down creates a sound barrier between the sub and the passengers of the car? anyone else know anything about this?
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Ok...
If you put a sub in the stock location it will sound like total sh*t.
Getting good bass in a convertible is always difficult because of the amount of material between the passenger compartment and the trunk. I have a 10" Diamond Audio sub in my trunk and I really have to crank it to get any good bass.

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Any one install aftermarket subs in a roadster? Where did you put the amps and how did you run the power to the amps without messing with the roof?
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My amp is an Eclipse 5 channel and it is also in the trunk with my sub. There is one power line going straight from the battery, through the firewall on the driver side, down the kick panel, under the carpet, up the carpet into the compartment behind the driver, through a pre-existing hole into the soft-top storage area, and through another pre-existing hole into the spare tire well. The wire then comes up and connects to the amp along with the speaker wires, ground, and trigger wire.

 

Do you have any pics of your install?

 

Lots...

 

This is where my Sirius antenna is mounted...

 

i have 2 amps on the left and 10" sub on the right. Rear speaker and tweater.




Nothing is impossible with Roadster. The sub sound beautiful if the audio shop know how to build a box to fit in the stock area. Just be creative and you will have everything.

 

here is the close up look at the 10" sub i have at night.

 

I didn't know that I had room back there for two amps. If you could send me more detailed pics of your install. It would be much appreciated.

vienhuynh@yahoo.com

 

take out the compartment plastic on the left side then you will see you have lots of room in there. Layer the amps. BTW, i have 2 amps and 2 capacitors in that area.