Some new audio ideas

[Billett]

So it's finally getting to me that I don't have a radio. I love the sound of my exhaust as much if not more than the next guy, but with a 4 speed on the highways doing 60 mph for an hour straight it gets a bit monotonous. I used to drive my s10 with a set of pioneer components, 2 12" JL subs, and a double DIN touchscreen radio I could watch DVDs on. Right now, I have an AM/FM radio that I assume has a bad connection between it and the antenna since the signal is terrible, a broken dash speaker, and two computer speakers that the PO screwed under the dash with wood screws. Needless to say it was a bit of an adjustment.

The problem:
I want to keep my gas tank in my cab. I like the way the cap looks sticking out of the side, I like how much fuel it holds, and even if I had the money and time right now, I'm not sure I'd move it anyway. I don't want anything to compete with, but I want to be able to hear my music loudly and more importantly CLEARLY.

The plan:
I measured under my seat and there appears to be about 7" between the floor and bottom of the seat, and roughly 12" front to back. Right now I'm trying to decide between some shallow mount subs or a set of fullsize 6 to 6.5" subs. I'm also doing a quick sketch right now to see if I can tilt them and fit 8s under there. Right now I'm leaning towards the 8" subs and putting a couple of regular speakers under there as well.

I did consider doing a bass tube subwoofer like this in that void behind the passenger side of the seat.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...ka-BT6014.html

They also come in 8" sizes, but I'm not convinced it would fit. I decided against this though since it would put all of the bass in my passengers ear, and while I don't roll down the road so loud that you can hear me over your TV, (there was a time...), I do enjoy a bit of bump in my music. For anyone else interested though. This tube would fit perfect in that space, but you would still need an amp for it though. Mounting it downward firing might make it a bit more balanced between driver and passenger side, but I'd rather not chance it.

I don't want speakers in my doors! Just needed to point that out haha. Nothing against those that do, but I think they look a bit odd in these trucks. I'm sure they sound fine, but I just don't want them.

As I said earlier I'm thinking of doing some components under the seat, but I still want some sound coming from up front, or at least not under my butt haha. If I can find a way to move my dimmer switch over a bit I'll get some kick panel speakers, but I don't want to make the dimmer a toggle switch on the dash so if I can't move it no kick panels.

I'm going to swap out the stock 4x10 dash speaker with a set of 4" speakers. I like the brothers plate and kit, but I want to pick my own speakers and I don't think that making a mounting plate will be all that tough.

My last thought was that there is an awful lot of wasted space right at the very top of the dash. The dash pad sticks up and right behind it the dash just drops a few inches and it's wasted space save for me putting things there that don't belong like trash or truck parts I haven't installed yet. Did a bit of measuring and I'm pretty sure I could make a fiberglass box for both sides and fit a pair of 3.5 or 4" speakers there.

Right now it's about 1 AM here and I have about 20 tabs open going through all my options so if this post doesn't make a whole lot of sense I'll revisit it again tomorrow. Just thought this might give you guys some different ideas and a view as to where this is going.

[BR3W CITY]

Tho i do still have door speakers for bass fill, i fit most of my audio into this little boxy. It was originally designed to sit 3" further forward, and also house a 10" sub. (I didn't really want or need a sub with the sound it put out, so we shortened it for room and made it more functional as a console instead of just a speaker box.

[jimmydean]

I love the console you built. I did something similar with a rear firing 8" sub years ago.

[Billett]

I've done a box before for my s10, so it isn't my first, but I'm going to get a router to do this one. Should make it a lot easier and cleaner.







A console would definitely make my life easier but I like my bench seat. I think a shallow sub would probably be easiest, but I like forward firing subs as opposed to up or down firing. Should give me better quality as opposed to more rattling. Right now I'm torn between using a set of 8" subs and raising the seat a bit or just using some 6.5" subs. I'm only 5'7" so raising it shouldn't give me any problems. The 6s would be easier since I wouldn't need to do that, but I'm not sure they'll give me enough of a low end.

The options I'm considering are:
RE Audio RFX8 D4 - $60
Sundown Audio SA8 - $150
JL Audio 6w3v3 - $135
JL Audio 8x3v3 - $160
Cerwin Vega VEGA084.2 - $65

I'm leaning heavily towards the sundowns or the JL 6's. I know the other 8's are still decent subs but I don't want to want to replace them down the road. I'd rather start with good ones and be done.

[chevy_man5]

I was thinking of trying to do something like this for rear speakers. I have to get my gas tank back in, to see if it is feasible though!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=287987


Then in the front, put some in the dash like you mentioned, and, or put them in the kick panel air vents. They would have to be sealed, so water wasn't running into the speakers, but then you don't have the kick panel protruding into the floor space.

[Billett]

Looking at these right now for the rest of the setup. Not the best of the best, but not cheap and I like the style.

Replace the 4x10 dash speaker with these:
Infinity Kappa 4"

Put these components in kick panels and move the dimmer over a bit (check out the tweeters!):
Infinity Kappa Components

Put these under the seat next to the subs:
Infinity Kappa 6-3/4"

And still up in the air about whether or not I'll make an enclosure for these on the dash:
Infinity Kappa 3-1/2"

Not sure the 3" ones or the extra 6-3/4" inch ones are strictly necessary, but I don't want to have to push the components and I think the 4s alone won't bring enough sound from a decent height in the front. I may just use tweeters instead of the 3's. I like the idea of putting them in the vent, but I have no AC so it's really nice in the summer haha. Those cab corner mounts look nice, but I just don't know if there is enough room. And as much as I like the sound of my brother's boston 6x9's the quality just can't match a good 6.5 component set.

Also I try to stay with the same brand of speakers since... well partly OCD and partly because I assume they'll work better together than a hodgepodge of whatever. Amps on the other hand can be whatever, and I haven't even started looking into that yet.

[jimmydean]

That's not too far from my setup.

I have Kicker 4.5's in the center, Kappa 6.5 components with the mid in the kick and the tweet in the door, Kappa 6.5 coax in the shoulder with 2 10" subs where the tank once was.

[Billett]

Just ran outside to do some measurements. Now I need to hide away in my cave for a while and see if I can make this work...

On a side note I should have forewarned you all, I tend to end up in a completely different place than I started with these types of things. For example, Jason mentioned that link to a pair of 6x9s. Since I've been into cars and first inquired about car audio I have been told by my brother, friends, relatives, and various forum members (not this forum per se) that round speakers are more accurate and have a higher quality than oval speakers. I've heard a few 6x9s in my day, and they sounded pretty damn good, and for some reason today I decided to see if this was true. According to some people it is, but many people are saying that this just isn't the case. As far as I can tell, unless I'm going into an SQ competition, which I am most certainly not, the larger cone area more than makes up for the less rigid cone, which in itself is still a debatable topic, (the cone I mean).

So.... I may be doing something different. Also noticed that instead of on top of the dash I can fit 2 more 3-1/2 or 4" speakers in the dash mounted flush instead. Regardless, before this thread dies there will be pics and I will have sound! God bless you guys if you stick with me haha

[jimmydean]

I made a small wooden plate to mount my Kickers in the center speaker hole on my '66. I have done the smame with 3.5's. I have never been a fan of oval speakers and run rounds in all my builds. But some people like them, to each their own.

[Billett]

Yeah, turns out even if I wanted the ovals they would take up too much space. Under the seat I could only fit a pair of 6x9s. Subs wouldn't fit in there with them, and it wouldn't make sense to do more speakers. I think I'm going to do the JL 6.5" subs and the kappa 6.5" coax's together under the seat. No need for components under there since I'll have the speakers in the dash. Also, thinking more on it I believe that speakers under the seat and speakers in the kick panels is overkill for a truck cab, so I won't be running the kicks at all.

Jimmydean, I wasn't sure how big of a speaker you could fit in there, but I figure since the original was 4x10 that 2 4's would be a safe bet. I plan to do the same thing with a wooden plate at the stock location.

ATTENTION: We interrupt this post that I started about two hours ago to let everyone know that the final plan has been finalized. There were just too many speakers for me to fit the amps in so I simplified it.

-Same 4" speakers in the dash
-No 3.5" speakers
-Instead I'll put the component's tweeters in there and the components under the seat
-JL 6w3v3 subs
-This RE Audio 5 channel amp

Dash speakers will each get their own channel at 2 ohms, components will each get their own channel at 2 ohms, and the 5th channel will be both subs wired to 2 ohms. I'll turn the gain down for the dash, and up for the components and subs.

The only problem now is that the stock AM/FM can't do all this, so I'll need a new head unit too...

Another hour has passed, while I searched through head units, (also I feel like I'm writing in a diary after surviving a plane crash or something), only to realize that I bought a head unit for my fiances jeep just last Christmas. Unfortunately for her the car developed a knock so it's sitting in her back yard. Fortunately for me... it's sitting in her back yard. I just hope it doesn't look too out of place.

Check and mate.

Subs - $270
Components - $180
Dash speakers - $90
Amp - $300
head unit - ~$200 for a decent one

Total = $1040 to keep your tank behind your seat, your feet free to move about the cabin, your doors uncut, your seat able to slide with its full range of motion, your vents free to blow some air across those hairy legs, and you get a (hopefully) killer sound system, all while only cutting 2 optional holes in the dash. Keep in mind, there were a ton of options for all of the things I listed so I have no doubt that you could have the same style setup albeit less powerful for closer to $500.

As things come together I'll be sure to post a ton of pics, so don't worry. Maybe I'll try to get it stickied for those who want to keep everything closer to stock. Phew, now that that's done I can get back to doing my phase transformation homework...

[cori 64]

i spent about the same on my system too!!mine is all kenwood excelon,6 inch components,mounted in vent opening box and sealed off!,tweaters are in holes where the visers were ,good sound with them there i have too turn them down!and the shallow 12 inch subs under seat,they hit hard!and the 5 channel amp is mounted on a rack behind glove box door,and the single din head unit does everthing i need,with built in flash.....i didnt want to move my tank either!

[Billett]

Yeah, the shallow subs would have made things a lot easier for sure, but I'm all about making it a pain in the a$$ for myself haha. Never thought to put the tweeters up there though. I daily drive mine, but if I didn't that's a really awesome spot!

[jimmydean]

Wow, I have barely spent that on my system, but I'm a cheap bastard.

Deck: Nexus 7 tablet $150
Front: Infinity Kapa 6.5 components $80
Center: Kicker 4.5 coax $20
Rear fill: Infinity Kapa 6.5 coax $50
Subs: Polk Audio MM 10" $180/pair
Amp: Massive Audio NX5 $250
Line Driver: Massive Audio EQ7 $50

Total is just under $800 with a ton of wire, most I had. Still need to work on the dual batteries and whatnot when I work on the bed.

As stated before, the tablet in mine does audio/video/nav/internet/alarm/remote start and will also do my air ride as well as tie to my phone so I can do stuff from my phone as well.

Still working on front/rear cameras as well as OBD input for engine stats. My goal was to keep it under a grand and with the alarm its close. But the mids and highs I've had forever waiting to be put in something, so that money was spent YEARS ago.

<edit> I also did power locks in my truck that work off my phone so I don't need a fob. I might get rid of the keys entirely like my buddies C6 Corvette and just use IR proximity.

[jimmydean]

My Polk Audio MM 10's are not "shallow" subs, but are only 4.5" deep and work nice for my application, plus I love these subs.

[Billett]

I'd like to give myself power locks and windows, but at the same time I really like the way it makes the truck feel. I put door poppers on my s10 and I'll never do it to another vehicle again. I'm thinking of putting the stereo in the glovebox because I can't stand the thought of cutting up my dash.

On another note, I started checking around and since I'm still a student I get Amazon Prime free for 6 months. Turns out they have some pretty nice deals there so I can save $20 on the dash speakers, $50 on the components, and $75 on the amp, bringing my total down from $840 to $695 + mdf and time. I probably won't bother with a wiring kit since I should have enough leftover stuff at home.

[jimmydean]

Nice work!

I am torn about power windows. I would like them, but I would keep the crank. My dash will be uncut and the only real mod other than my kick panels are the tweeter pods in the door. Trying to keep my interior looking somewhat stock minus the seats/console but those are stock too, just 2008 stock.

[Billett]

Yeah I like the stock look of these. Keeps them feeling old. I'd rather have old and working than new and me constantly working on it haha.

Bought some stuff for the project yesterday. Got a nice big sheet of 1/2" mdf. I was going to go 3/4" because that's what I used last time, but that was with a pair of 12" subs. These are only 6.5 so I didn't think I'd need it as thick this time. Also bought a router which should make building these damn boxes ten times easier. And for the heck of it, I got a pneumatic drill and sander because I'm always running out of batteries for the damn drill and the sander we have is just beat to heck. Tried both out yesterday and I can't wait to actually build something with them. Gonna do some more measurements this weekend, but I haven't decided how far I'm going to go without having the actual speakers first. Specs tell me how it should fit, but it never seems to work that way haha

[Billett]

Got the fiberglass and bondo in yesterday and I took the radio out of the jeep. As soon as I get a break in my schedule I'll be pulling out the glovebox to mock up the mounts and everything. The dash speakers should be here today or tomorrow.

[Billett]

Got the speakers last week, but didn't get a chance to put them in. This week I'll be putting the head unit in and the dash speakers, and just for ****s and giggles I'm going to grab the amp and Boston 6x9s out of the El Camino to see how it sounds.

[Billett]

Ordered the amp and components yesterday. Should get them in by next week at the latest. Changed my mind again on the components and went with JL c2-650s instead. I'll be running the dash speakers at 2 ohms and the comps at 4, but the wattage of each matches pretty closely with what the amp puts out so I think it will work nicely.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...io-C2-650.html

Here's what I've done with the dash speakers. Made a quick 5" x 10" frame and cut two 3.5" holes in it. Used my new router on the edges to smooth them out a bit, then flattened the original bracket because these speakers were a bit deep. I'm going to go over the wood frame with paint eventually, but for now it works. This weekend I'll put a bolt through the center too instead of that one little screw holding it to the bracket.











The bracket is much flatter than the pics make it look

[Billett]

Oh and I went with the knukonceptz amp install kit. Looked pretty well put together and it was fairly cheap. I'll let you know how it turns out. I wasn't going to get one at all, but I wasn't sure how much spare wire I had at home, and didn't want to piece this one together.

[jimmydean]

Nice work on the center channel.

[astin333]

Hello guys,firstly tell me what types of kit is present in your truck..your ideas are not bad i totall agree with you but i think speaker kit is not adjusted on the place of the cylinder kit..speaker lit is adjust in the door..whats your suggestion??

[Billett]

I'm not quite sure what you are getting at, although I have gotten farther along with this so I'll have to put up some more pics.

[BR3W CITY]

Originally Posted by astin333

Hello guys,firstly tell me what types of kit is present in your truck..your ideas are not bad i totall agree with you but i think speaker kit is not adjusted on the place of the cylinder kit..speaker lit is adjust in the door..whats your suggestion??

???? huh???