[xDeLiRiOuSx]

demon2091tb, thanks for the complents!

I used two layers on the door itself. and just 1 layer on the outer door panel. I was going to do double on the outer door panel, but it go too thick to close!

To seal off the openings I used thick cardboard. You can use that too, or use plexiglass like npdang did. Anything thick and sturdy would do.

David

 

[xDeLiRiOuSx]

xDx,

From the specs it appears that there is a 4 point gap in input sensitivity, how well matched are they out of the box, or did you attentuate the tweets at all?

Actually the tweeters had to be boosted by a good 2db because they were only getting 7.5 watts rms! After that and with a little slope adjustment, they were pretty well matched.

David

 

[MiloX]

Cool cool cool. Your doors look great. The install looks very clean. Can't wait to get started on mine.

 

[Derek]

for right now:

10 year old mb quart 8" midbasses in door....

silver flute 4 ohm 6.5's in kicks....

mb quart .75" tweets in dash....

heavily deadening....heavily padded front end....

will be swapping in peerless xls 8's soon....and most likely lpg 25na's....

60 watts on each midbass....150 watts on the midranges....and about 90 on each of the tweets...

 

[xDeLiRiOuSx]

will be swapping in peerless xls 8's soon....and most likely lpg 25na's....

60 watts on each midbass....150 watts on the midranges....and about 90 on each of the tweets...

Wow! That's going to sound sweet! When are you going to install all that? I personally would put 150watts on the midbasses and 90 on the midranges, and 60 on the tweeters, just because lower frequency seem to need more overhead power.

David

 

[Derek]

will be swapping in peerless xls 8's soon....and most likely lpg 25na's....

60 watts on each midbass....150 watts on the midranges....and about 90 on each of the tweets...

Wow! That's going to sound sweet! When are you going to install all that? I personally would put 150watts on the midbasses and 90 on the midranges, and 60 on the tweeters, just because lower frequency seem to need more overhead power.

David

there is a reason why i powered it that way

i didn't want to move my tweeter amp to get at the wiring....so it stayed with the 90 x 2 amp....

and i love the dynamics of the silver flutes on 150 watts....

and my old ass 8's are only rated for like 80 watts max rms....

but when i get the peerless' in...they'll be getting the 150 x 2 amp....and i'll hopefully being picking up duals 4 channel eclipse amp....so i'll have 85 x 4 on the mids and tweets...

 

[xDeLiRiOuSx]

Ah I see, Nice future setup. I hope it goes well!

How do your tweeters sound with so much power?

If you were reading the older posts of this thread. You'll noticed that I'm only giving my 25nFA like 7.5 watts or so. They sound pretty good already. However, the amp has hissing when I turn the volume all the way down. The gains are also all the way down. I think it's just an old amp that's why it's hissing. I'll probably pick up a old SQ amp for the tweeters later.

David

 

[Derek]

tweets sound awesome with the power....haven't really noticed any fatigue at all....with all the foam and carpet covering the front of my car....they are not very harsh at all...probably my fave tweeter of all time....

we'll see how the 25na does though i'm not much of a silk fan....unless it's in the house and i'm on the couch

 

[xDeLiRiOuSx]

Update. Spent sometime with my system this last weekend.

Two things to always be aware of when you hear some poping noise. I sware I thought it was the recording, but it turned out that pioneer RCA input box (pioneer headunits don't have auxillary ports built in, you need to buy an input adapter box) was touching ground metal. I wrapped the metal with two layers of ducktape and the poping noises were gone!

Also, my tweeters were sounding spiffy for the last month, but I finally found out why. My midbass were getting roughtly 45watts RMS and my tweeters were getting 7.5 watts! Naturally, you would think that the tweeters needed to be boosted. So I kept it at around +2 or +3 dbs. Yesterday when I finally sat down to EQ the system. I realized that putting it down to -2db smoothed out the LPG and now I can truely say these tweeters are so great! They sound more opened then any tweeters I have every tried! They also sound so sharp and clear! The LPG tweeters are very efficient, seending them only 7.5watts (gains set at zero!) actually was more than enough.... Wow!

David

 

[GhettoSQ]

Hi all, total n00b here...but I wanted to jump in w/ my ghetto fabulous diy component system.

Before you scoff, keep in mind that A) I am pretty new at this stuff but understand the basics, B) my budget is measured in cents due to a baby on the way and a low SAF, and C) I'm a sucker for bargain-basement deals and funny hacks.

So, '05 Mustang, 4" separates in the door plus 8" woofers, 6x8s in back, 2 very small external amps. I got the vifa K10MD mids from PE for $3 each, and dayton ND29TA tweeters for $5 each. Not perfect but blows stock away! Basically, a "proof-of-concept" for me and the wife. I didn't do any matching (although both ohm out around 6 nominally), I mainly went for size and price.

Both drivers are very clean. The tweets are a bit bright but not harsh, and the mids are a little thin but very clean. I suppose an l-pad for the tweeters might help level them out, but I really do like the highs. The factory system came with a crossover which I intend to replace (or at least replace the components; the PCB fits nicely, of course). Surprisingly, the system overall has a little less bass, so I assume the factory mids were designed to go down pretty far. I don't hear any distortion; should I use a HPF or bass blocker anyway?

 

[xDeLiRiOuSx]

I don't hear any distortion; should I use a HPF or bass blocker anyway?

Hrm, I'm not sure I understand your setup. Are you using the factory headunit? If so, then you should know that the factory headunits usually have built in Equalizing that cuts low frequencies. (although some factory system actually have inline HPF's). You have to listen very carefully for distortions. If there are no distortions, and it looks like the speakers are hitting effortlessly, then you'll be fine.

David

 

[GhettoSQ]

Yeah, I am using the factory HU and amps. It has that hidden EQ -- you can actually hear it kick in. Luckily it sounds like it's only one point and not continuously variable, but who knows. I'd like to get a Cleansweep when they're cheaper and I have more cash

I'll unhook the subs and look at the mids, but they do sound fine. Did I mention I mounted them with poster-tack?

 

[xDeLiRiOuSx]

Yeah, I am using the factory HU and amps. It has that hidden EQ -- you can actually hear it kick in. Luckily it sounds like it's only one point and not continuously variable, but who knows. I'd like to get a Cleansweep when they're cheaper and I have more cash

I'll unhook the subs and look at the mids, but they do sound fine. Did I mention I mounted them with poster-tack?

Sounds like you're pretty satisified with your system. What I would do with your situation is make nice baffles and mount the speakers better. That will sound better Take some time to dampen to car.

Once you've done that. I'd recommend you getting a headunit that can do 3 way (for example a pioneer deh-860mp which will cost around $300). That way you can go active and have better control of your speakers. Get rid of the 6x8's in the back. see if you can fit 7" speakers (with 3.1" mounting depth). If they can fit, I'd recommend you getting the CA18RNX and LPG 25nfa combo. (about $180) Then your setup will sound great. You will need 5 amp channels total (2 for mids, 2 for tweeters, 1 for subs).

David

 

[GhettoSQ]

I actually have some Seas CA21RE drivers for the subs (just got today). I'm a little leery of hooking them up since the originals are dual voice coil. If the sub amp is actually a 4-channel, can I safely just tape off the extra set of wires going to each sub? They are connected by a harness at the amp so that end is more tricky. I'm going to test for continuity first too...

I realize the Seas drivers are 8 ohm, but they are rated at a pretty high sensitivity and are a perfect fit. I am worried about how they will sound if they're only getting ~1/4 of the minimal juice the factory drivers get, but if it's safe to hook them up, I'm willing to try it until I can replace the amp.

I am pretty happy, and I think I'd like to keep the factory HU for now (6 cd changer w/ some time alignment). I keep hearing about the LPG 25nfa's so I'll definitely look into it, but right now I'm happy overall. The components came with a neat little box that works as a baffle. I'd like a more solid mounting system but I guess poster-tack has surprising damping qualities

 

[xDeLiRiOuSx]

I actually have some Seas CA21RE drivers for the subs (just got today). I'm a little leery of hooking them up since the originals are dual voice coil. If the sub amp is actually a 4-channel, can I safely just tape off the extra set of wires going to each sub? They are connected by a harness at the amp so that end is more tricky. I'm going to test for continuity first too...

Hrm, I THINK you probably can. But don't take my word for it. You are for sure going to lose half the power. I wonder if you can even bridge it. I wouldn't know, so I don't want to give you wrong advice. Sorry.

About hooking up the 8ohm drivers. Higher impedence speakers are always okay for the amp. For example, if the factory speakers were 2 ohms, then you can do 4, 6 or 8Ohms with no problem. if the factory speakers were 4 ohms, using a 2ohm speaker would probably overheat the amp and cause problems.

My CA18RNX were getting around 40 watts RMS, but I'm thinking of briding my amp and giving them around 80watts. 10K2HVN, told me the difference for him (going from unbridged to bridge) was like night and day

David

 

[npdang]

Look up the term "crest factor" and you can see why your amp is usually outputting far less than it's maximum continuous power rating.

 

[GhettoSQ]

David,

I'm not worried about hurting the amp w/ 8 ohm drivers, but I am worried about not getting enough power. It's called a "500 Watt" system, so I'm guessing the subs are getting maybe 50W rms each. If that's split into 2 channels (one for each VC) it would be 25 @ 4 ohm and maybe 15 @ 8 ohm, which seems a bit too little.

oh, and I just remembered, the factory drivers are 1.2 ohms per coil...wonder if that tiny amp is wired in parallel for a 1 ohm driver on each side? eep.

I am worried about running one of those 2 channels with no load and blowing it, though. What makes an amp bridgeable, and how do I tell if it is?

cheers,
Nat

 

[GhettoSQ]

Update: got them in and they work, but they're barely present. They sound better if I up the bass eq on the deck, but eventually they clip. Is this just a question of not enough power? I would be willing to try another amp in the factory location with wiring harnesses, but I don't want to run new wires and drill new holes, and I can't pay someone else to do it. Any advice?

 

[xDeLiRiOuSx]

Update: got them in and they work, but they're barely present. They sound better if I up the bass eq on the deck, but eventually they clip. Is this just a question of not enough power? I would be willing to try another amp in the factory location with wiring harnesses, but I don't want to run new wires and drill new holes, and I can't pay someone else to do it. Any advice?

Hi GhettoSQ, Glad you took the time to try it out. Hrm, eventually they will clip... My only guess is that the amp is overheating, but I'm not sure. I have no experience with stock amps, but if it's anything like an after market amp here's what you can do.

Find the amp, find out how much room you have for a new amp.
The stock amp probably has high level inputs, remote turn on, power and ground, and speaker output. So you need to find an amp that has high level inputs too.

I'd save up a nice amount, get a sweet 3-way headunit, a nice amp, and a set of good components and you'll be set Trust me, this car audio thing is a bad addiction. My only cure was to buy the best stuff the first time around so I can avoid costy upgrades.

David

 

[BBOYSTEVIE]

My initial DIY experience!!!!!

Hey folks...just wanted to chime in instead of starting another "OMG I love my speakers post"...My novice $.02 about my new DIY drivers...

Got my Ca18RNX's and Fountek Neo's based on reading from mostly this site and ECA. Deadened the living heck out of my doors. Pics will follow, (maybe on ECA maybe put up a Sounddomain page...right now no internet at home)..... Running off my 8053 head unit.

Upon initial hookup (haven't set EQ yet), WOW I'm impressed.


Seas x/o at 80 @12-18 db and 1.6khz at 24db and ribbons at 2.0 at 24, though I've been playing around with 2.0 and 2.5 x/0 points. The seas drivers can be crossed over lower (on my HU, that would be 63 hz I think), but when I really crank it, which I will admit I like to do sometimes, I hear either the driver reaching it's limits or something in a door making some sound....crossed over at 80 hz I can really crank it and it's still putting out some serious midbass.....The deep drums in Star War's Imperial March are darn scary

The seas drivers (off an ESX 1752, getting @75-100 watts each at 8 ohms) are powerful, play strong deep midbass nice and clean midrange. Voices sound natural and they image well from the door. The door deadening was pretty darn successful. A few minor peaks to take care of, but this driver seems real easy to work with.

Now the ribbons......oh the ribbons. In kicks, aimed at ear level, both of them aimed generally center-stagish.....I'm glad I resisted the temptation to get more expensive ribbons, as these sound just right to me (off an old 30x 2 Rodek amp). . Very efficient and detailed, non fatiguing...the "high highs" are about as crystal clear and effortless as I think I've heard. I find myself running through my house looking for CD's with nice highs, scanning my computer for MP3 files, just to hear them on the ribbons.

I'm definately in the ribbon boner club for now.....