Audi A3 SQ installation

[Konni]

Hi guys,
I'm from Germany and just decided to show you some pictures of what we did here overseas.

My car is an Audi A3 (2003) and the aim is a sound quality installation with enough dynamic reserves in midbass. I want to hear drums and guitars in realistic level of dynamic and loudness.

The installation is just in progress and not finished yet.

Already done:
- doorpods with sealed enclosure
- tweeterpods (a-pillars)
- power (batteries & cables)
- headunit & DSP

To do:
- cosmetics a-pillars
- subwoofer and trunk

Installed equipment:
- Pioneer DEX-P90 + DEQ-P90
- Tru Steel S44
- Micro-Precision 5.28 MK2 tweeters
- Micro-Precision / Goerlich Z170 midbass

First some pictures of the doorpods with sealed enclosure made out of massive wood. The volume is ~12,5 Liters (~0,44 ft^3) - enough for most 6" midbass drivers.



























More pictures later, if someone is interested ...

Greetings from Germany
Konni

[beerdrnkr]

Those door pods are SICK!!! Good work so far.

[rasahman]

now THATS something we dont get to see everday! good work there...

Originally Posted by Konni

looking at the pics above, i understand you've made a completely sealed enclosure for the mids but why the hole behind the drivers as in the second pic?

[Konni]

The hole is just for experiments (venting inside the door) and more install depth behind the speaker. It's sealed now. =)

[rasahman]

i had similiar plans to do work on my install until i read somewhere about needing 'space' directly behind the drivers for it to perform well...and my 8" needs 13litres of volume. now after seeing ur post, i'm thinking whether i should just give it a shot

[Candisa]

Nice work!

Did you try it with the hole left open? A lot of people with Micro Precision drivers get best results in a big leaky door, but I don't know it that Z-series is different.

You could also try making the enclosure smaller (by stuffing something between the first braces right next to the midbass) and experiment with dynaudio variovents vented into the doorspace...

Endless possibilities with a pair of enclosures built like that, I like it!

Greetz from Belgium,
Isabelle

[poochieone]

wow, that's inspiring!
btw, why the two different drivers in lef and right doors?
Marco

[bikinpunk]

*jaw hits floor*

*shuts jaw with hand*

*jaw hits floor again*

repeat...

*closes thread*

[Konni]

The advantage of the A3 is that the door is very straight and so I have not to use glass fiber. The doors are very long and give a lot of volume without making big pods.

@Isabelle
You're right - the most Micro-Precision speakers are designed for doors or big enclosures (~25 liters and more). But the installed series Z midbasses are home-HiFi drivers and work very good in this enclosure. I have also measured Thiele-Small parameters.

I know Thomas Hoffmann very well and he gave me some of his speakers to find the one that works best in my car.

I tried not opening the hole yet. But so i'm saving a lot of sound deadening.

@Marco
^^ I tried different speakers in the doors. The pictures are not from the same day.
I am using this one at the moment:



Cheers

[Ianaconi]

Looks awesome!

[quality_sound]

Nicely done! Ithink I just got a new idea for my Rabbit.

[bretti_kivi]

I was thinking about this, but it's really, really difficult to do with my doors without splitting the inner door skin and that would probably compromise stiffness... which I'll find out when it's too late.

sieht sehr schön aus.

Bret

[hugo23]

Those are amazing door panels did you use the existing holes to secure it to the door? it looks pretty heavy... if not, can you show us some detailed pics of how did you do it?

[Konni]

Originally Posted by hugo23

Those are amazing door panels did you use the existing holes to secure it to the door? it looks pretty heavy... if not, can you show us some detailed pics of how did you do it?

I used some of the existing holes and made some new. There are 5 screws per door panel directly into the metal sheet of the door. This is bomb proof ...

The screws are coveres by the aluminium-butyl, so you can't see them.

I think I have ~10 kg (20 pounds) more weight each door. Maybe a little more.

What pictures do you want? Attachment to the door?

Cheers

[glidn]

Nice install thus far man,
Also i'm liking the beginning of the tweeter pods.

[downwind4final]

wow.......wow

nice, dedication above and beyond

[bigwise1]

Nice door pods!

[hugo23]

Originally Posted by Konni

I used some of the existing holes and made some new. There are 5 screws per door panel directly into the metal sheet of the door. This is bomb proof ...

The screws are coveres by the aluminium-butyl, so you can't see them.

I think I have ~10 kg (20 pounds) more weight each door. Maybe a little more.

What pictures do you want? Attachment to the door?

Cheers

Yes man those are the ones that I would like to see I have used sealed kick panels and I love how controlled the midbass response is, but It is almost imposible to make ones with enough internal space for a mid bass to perfom at its best, so I think a door panel like yours is the best option, I just wish I have the skills to make something like that .

by the way, your install looks familiar to me, are you a member from this forum "forum.m-eit-audio.de"?

[fury]

Very nice, i love the steel finish

[Konni]

Thanks for your comments! I am having a lot of fun with these door pods ...

@Hugo
Yes, I am member of that forum. That is one of the few german mobile audio forums with focus on SQ. You are registered there, too?

You can find a lot of more pictures, if you browse my file folder on my webserver: KLICK

Here some pictures of my tweeters in the a-pillars. Sadly without leather yet.









Cheers