This site is evil, after lurking here for awhile, I got the fabrication bug again, so I'm going to upgrade the system! It will take awhile, but should be interesting..
The original install was done on the 2007 Ridgeline. Fortunately, I can leverage off of the initial install.
Switching from a 2-way + sub to a true 3-way + sub made a HUGE difference. Now, its about tuning and positioning the speakers..
Major projects will be to build a sealed box in the door panels for the mid bass and possibly redo the kick panels for better imaging..
Here's the RAAMAT that was installed several years ago.. I am seriously considering installing some Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) to kill some noise. Any suggestions on the best bang for the buck??
I made these kicks several years ago.. Right after I bought the vehicle, that same year I tore into it and made these.. Turned out very nice and suited my purposes until now. Back then the 3" speaker was used as "front" fill, now its being used a true 3 way system. Much better.. Number one rule, don't install mid ranges in the doors!
My first priority is to make sealed boxes in the doors and I may come back to the kicks..
Great looking kicks. I've got my midbasses in the kicks with the tweeter and mid range on the dash. That might be easier than trying to seal off the door, but I have seen it done with great success. The mids on the dash also got rid of the rainbow effect that I had from the mids and tweeters in the kicks.
Yes, I know what you mean about the rainbow effect.. I was playing the 7 drum tracks tonight and picked up some rainbow effect. Not happy w/ how the drivers are positioned. They are set for both driver and passenger. I wish I focused on driver only..
How did you angle your mids?
I have found a way to create a .25 cubic sealed box without cutting any sheet metal or modifying the plastic door panel. And it will be vibration isolated!
I've GOT to get on this "kick panel" bandwagon. Those have got to be
easily within the top 8, best looking kicks I've ever seen! It has made
up my mind to ditch my current set and start over!. The ole "tear drop"
style I've made looks great but just doesn't flow half as good as yours..
They say copying is the ultimate form of flattery. Well, That is surely
the case here. The fitment, finish, and most of all the flow matches
your truck DEAD NUTS perfect
Also, I've never looked at, it really does look like a NICE PIT
OF KIT. Best part is it looks very user friendly....
Best of luck,
SCOTT...
ps.
My way of bumping a thread without saying, SUBSCRIBED
i installed MLV/CCF, after reinstalling all panels and carpeting
i ran into 2 fitment issue, but it was easily alleviated...
the plastic trim that covers the rear seat holder would not snap back in place
-- lift the carpet up, place the plastic trim back on the floor were it should go
trace around it by about 1/2" - 1" extra, then cut that section out of the MLV. (FIXED)
dashboard center lower cover would not even line up
--the issue with this lies in the fact that MLV lifts the A/C duct work (for the rear) up to high.
Cut the MLV back from dashboard center lower cover cage to about 6” past the first
bend of the duct work were it first leaves the dash, I ended placing a 12” x 12” square
of Ensolite in place of the MLV that I cut out. (FIXED)
If you like CDT products, I highly recommend looking at the b-stock. I bought this sub at half price and it is a great value. Check the link. It was brand new..
Ok.. so, here's the main reason why I started this build thread..
I'm currently working on modifying the doors to provide better mid-bass response..
Currently using the QES-670's from CDT audio. I believe these are excellent speakers and they sound great currently installed in the doors.
However, after doing some listening tests, I believe that my midbasses are the weak link in the system right now. I'm getting some vibration in the doors at certain frequencies.. and although the bass sound is good, I want to improve it by making the bass sound "tighter". I want to feel the bass better from the 80 to 400 Hz better.
My ridgeline doors have an inner pocket that could provide me opportunities in building an enclosure.
Below is some pics of the old install. I have used RAAMAT products to dampen the doors and reduce rattles using insolite. In the other shot, you can see the inner pocket that provides the opportunity to do stuff .
Goal #1 - Reduce vibration
Goal #2 - Better bass response, "tighter bass" from 80 to 400 Hz.
After doing some research, I decided to move forward and design a mechanical vibration isolation system for an enclosure. My back ground is in mechanical engineeering, so this will not be challenging. Its a cool idea to mechanically filter out vibrations created by the speakers. And no, this is not a new idea. That "magic bus" guy got it right..
The vibration is coming from the 80Hz to 400 Hz range, so to vibration isolate at these frequencies, I need a system with a fundamental mode less than 80 hz. i.e., the isolators need to have a fundamental mode below this value. I prefer it to be least two octaves away from 80hz. If the fundamental mode comes out anywhere from 10 to 25 Hz, that will be fine.
The worst loads on the enclosure will be from hitting a pot-hole (shock load), so I don't want the isolation system to be too soft or else the box will displace too much causing potential interference issues.
Here's the point of no return.. Pics w/ the inner pocket removed. Drilling out the plastic bonds was extremely easy. Notice the amount of volume I have w/ the existing door panels.
Taking the effort to design a vibration system leads into the type of enclosure. After talking to the vendor and studying the specs, building a "sealed" enclosure should provide a good solution. In a perfect world, I would have a .5 ft^3 volume for opitmal results in a sealed enclosure. This is not doable without cutting up the steel door panels. However, taking the minimal volume of .25 ft^3, I am hoping for good results..
Currently reading through the loadspeaker cookbook to get some sanity checks on this project.. I'll write about some observations later..
So, I'm going all out..
- rubber vibration isolators
- sealed enclosure
- polyfill (dampen)
- rubber coating to damp out vibrations
Stay tuned.. Oh yeah, this is a hobby, for those of you that think this is too much work.
Yeah, its been fun so far.. I bought a house this year and I have a separate workshop from the three car garage. I have plenty of room which makes it more enjoyable!
I didn't want the speaker to hide in the door panel, so it needs to be outside.
There's not really very many options in positioning this driver. To keep it aesthetically pleasing I wanted to follow the lines of the door panel lines. The enclosure would be perpendicular to the base board, so the bottom edge would be sticking out more than the top edge due to the curvature of the door panel.
Some thought was given to angling the driver...
Overall, I scrapped this idea, mainly because because I didn't like the shape of the enclosure. There's a plastic piece to the right which would force the enclosure to have a "necked" down area.
In terms of speaker performance, I was not sure if this would negatively effect the sound.. Thinking of it as a "pneumatic circuit" as described in the loud speaker cookbook.
This is crazy.. I decide to buy some MLV product from Second Skin only because they do business in my home town. The guys say, "sure, come over and pick some product up."
Turns out they are literally 3 MINUTES away from where I work. I had a great conversation w/ Ken. Also, I picked up a couple of speaker pads for standing waves..
That's a ton of lux liner...usually I use about 25-30 sq ft...couldve got lux line pro
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