[willleskowitz]

Hello all,

My name is Will, and this is my first SQ build. I have dabbled with car audio for a few years, but never installed anything more than a few amplifiers and new speakers before this. The install is in a 2014 Camry SE. Here the breakdown of my current system.

• BluMe HD Bluetooth Music Receiver with digital output
• Helix M Four DSP with Conductor control knob
• Alpine and Zapco amplifiers hidden behind the rear seat
• CDT Audio ES tweeters in sail panels
• Audiofrog GB40 midrange drivers in infinite baffle on dash
• Audison Prima AP 8 woofers in infinite baffle under the front seats venting outside
• Acoustic Elegance IB15AU subwoofer in infinite baffle in trunk

In the future, I plan to mount the 15 in true IB in the spare wheel well, fabricate a nice amp rack for the trunk, install differential rear fill, and upgrade the tweeters and mount them in the A pillars. The plans never seem to end lol.

Here are some pictures from my recent IB midbass install.

These are the baffles I made for my woofers. I went with birch plywood, then sealed of the wood with silicon for water resistance. I used threaded inserts to mount the driver. The black fabrics are for water resistance. The bottom layer is quarter inch dryfast reticulated foam to slow down any water that could splash upwards from underneath my car. The top layer is prefilter sheets. They are permeable to air but not water to further protect the driver. The cone is also treated for water resistance, so I am not too worried about water causing an issue even though there are holes in my floor lol.

The cone area of the driver measured roughly seven inches, so I went with a five-inch hole to vent to the outside. That was half the surface area of the cone ignoring the protective grill, and it seems to be plenty. I can also weld the cut back in place if I ever regret this decision.

I set the grill in place with silicon sealant then went back over it with Sikaflex (not pictured). After that, I mounted the baffle in place with Sikaflex sealed from the inside and outside. I also added Sikaflex on the inside with an angle so any water would be encouraged to roll out. The baffle is not going anywhere, but I will probably go back and bolt it down for good measure. I put the speakers as far outward as possible for better cabin gain and imaging.

Here is the driver in place with the baffles. After this, I sound deadened the floor and isolated the nearby wires and air vent. I covered the speakers with acoustic cloth to protect them from any dirt. The carpet and seats went back over without much issue. The speakers are completely hidden.

Overall, I am very happy with the upgrade. Door rattles are completely gone, and I can push the drivers much lower. Clean frequency response as well; no cancellations like I had with the doors. The mounting is more rigid. The sound outside is quieter than I anticipated, so that is another bonus. The power efficiency is also fantastic.

The imaging seems to be compromised a bit, but it may be my tuning too. The stage seems to pull a bit low and right as the positioning is less than ideal, but different DSP settings could help. I imagine IB in the kicks or firewall would have been better in this regard. Road noise is also a bit worse. In my opinion, under seat woofers in true IB are a big upgrade from the doors. I am curious what you guys think. Thanks for reading.

 

[Turb0Yoda]

ahh this car looks all too familiar.
subbed

 

[willleskowitz]

Hey thanks! It’s been really helpful seeing other Camry builds on here.

Here are some older pictures from how I treated my doors.

I added some sound deadening on the panels. This is one of my rear doors.

Next, I added open cell acoustic foam to fill the cavity. This is one of my front doors. CCF was not doing the trick for stopping rattles, but OCF helped a lot. It was a pain to get the door back on. I tried adding MLV too, but there was not enough space.

After that I decoupled all of the little plastic bits like the door latch, clips, and window controls with Tessa tape and gasket tape. Separating the window buttons from the panel was really helpful for rattles.

I also deadened the doors themselves on the inside and outside. The holes were covered with aluminum sheets to seal up the doors. They could be prettier, but I kept adding more layers until I was happy with rattles.

 

[willleskowitz]

This is how I went about installing the GB40s on my dash. I took a lot of inspiration from another Camry build log. This was my first time working with body filler.

Initial cuts and fitment test

I cut holes so the filler would bind to the plastic then covered the top with speaker cloth to make the shape. This was the first one I did on the left side. A thinner speaker cloth with less texture than the one shown would have been a better choice.

Bonded the baffle to the plastic with glass reinforced filler mixed with steel powder for added strength.

Shaped the top with body filler. A sander would have made my life a lot easier.

 

[willleskowitz]

The final products after painting. The right side with my second try turned out better imo.

 

[metanium]

Looking forward to see how the mids look installed.

 

[willleskowitz]

Here is what they look like installed

I am pretty happy with the result, but I think they need some more sanding and maybe a trim instead of paint. The reflection of the silver ring is also slightly distracting when driving. Since it is just cosmetic I am going to leave them for now.

 

[datooff]

Hi, great decisions on install locations and application. Definitely upholster the dash pods with something. And they need more sanding.
If anything I would change location wise is moving the tweeters to the pillars higher and closer to the midrange, but they have to look nice and you can do this later and test for yourself.
Underseats and rear sub in IB are awesome.

 

[willleskowitz]

Hey, thanks for the feedback! I agree. The current positioning was a convenient location to start, but moving them would be an improvement. As for the dash pods I went ahead and bought a small sander, and I’m hoping that will help. I am practicing fabrication some more with my rear fill in the C pillars before I modify the front again.

 

[willleskowitz]

This is where I placed my Conductor

 

[Truthunter]

Very nice!
I'm very familiar with the response and resonance issues the Camry door woofers have.
Would be interested to see the measured responses of the under-seat floor woofers if you get a chance

 

[willleskowitz]

Here are the frequency response measurements with only a 50 Hz LR6 HP filter. Left is in blue, and right is in orange.

I currently cross them at 60 and 180 Hz with LR6 slopes. Ideally I would cross them higher, but I did not expect much above 200 Hz. They are also placed under the carpet, so I will try some measurements without them covered to see if that helps expand the usable range.

Here is the right woofer's response with the target curve for comparison. Previously with the doors I had bad cancelations around 150 Hz on the left and 130 Hz on the right.

 

[willleskowitz]

Still undecided on the best crossover points. I’m going back and forth between 60 and 80 Hz for the HP. I want more bass upfront but am concerned 60 Hz will damage the drivers at full tilt. For the LP, 180 Hz seems to fit well with the measurements. However, something in the the 200+ range would be easier on the GB40s. Ideally I’d use LR4 filters too, but LR6 seems safer and more consistent with the measurements.

 

[Turb0Yoda]

heh- that was originally where I was going to put my conductor. I ended up modifying the plate where the seat heater controls sit in my car. Happy with the idea, not as much with my execution but it's an easy fix if I ever have time:

http://imgur.com/A39CR1y

How is the frequency response on your midranges?

 

[Truthunter]

Thanks for posting the floor woofer responses. Yep 100-200hz nulls from the doors are an issue that aren't present in the floor woofer. I see there is still the driver's side 80hz issue though.

Interested in the dash mid's response also if you get a chance.

 

[willleskowitz]

Here are the frequency responses of the midrange drivers crossed at 180 and 4000

 

[willleskowitz]

I also finished my true IB trunk build.

First I made the baffle out of birch plywood then filled it to the shape of the trunk.

 

[willleskowitz]

 

[willleskowitz]

The grill and protective foam were secured to the plastic tub underneath the car.

 

[willleskowitz]

Finally the speaker was bolted down with CCF to ensure a tight seal.