2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Just BOMBed the stereo

[scz28]

Finished up the install in my truck. Equipment included Diamond Hex 5. 25s in Qlogic kick panels and a JL10 W6. These are being powered by PPI 2100 and 2150 amps. Sounds pretty darn good.



The driver side kick leaves a little to be desired with the mounting angles but there isn't much you can do with the parking brake in the way. Had this setup(in various configs) in a few different vehicles and am pleased with the way it fit and sounds in the truck.

 

[Big_Daddy_T]

You need to relocate the parking brake. Im glad to see you spent your money on good equipment. Lotsa people do it half ass. They also make a stealth box for the middle seat in the 40/20/40. If you want to feel it in your arse.

 

[scz28]

I did move the brake but even shifted over 1. 5" it is in the path of the tweeter when not applied and is noticeable.



I was lucky to get all my equipment at cost lots of years ago and never been disappointed with it. I was keeping the cost of the system(over what I had invested) minimal so that was the reason for not going with a expensive custom box. I build speakers and boxes anyways so it works out well. The W6 hits plenty hard with 600 watts going into it so I didn't want more

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Welcome to the darkside....!!

Did you also include Dynamat in your install? I found it made an amazing difference in overall sound quality in my one ton quadcab. (truck bio with ICE details in profile below)

 

[scz28]

Re: Welcome to the darkside....!!

Originally posted by JohnMcIntyre

Did you also include Dynamat in your install? I found it made an amazing difference in overall sound quality in my one ton quadcab. (truck bio with ICE details in profile below)

I have used Dynomat in previous vehicles but haven't in this one. I didn't want to spend the time or money right now but may do it down the road as it does make a difference.



THe darkside is a dangerous term... I already have my 2 Camaros which eats a lot of money but luckily I am getting rid of one so maybe that will leave some mods for the truck(we have a 12V 97 Ram and 00 Excursion with a Banks setup also) so the mods are floating around

 

[John Berger]

I got bad news for ya DC monitors this site and I'm sure your drive train warranty is already toast No BOMB's allowed don't you know:-laf

 

[rspinks]

scz would you mind sharing more info on your system? What's the advantage of kick panels vs. door mount speakers, is it better imaging, enclosure volume, etc? Is that a single 10" JL sub? Did you build the enclosure and would you share the design details?



Sorry for the questions but it sounds like you're more of an audiophile than a thumper and I like that approach. To be honest I've never heard of Diamond Hex but they must be good quality speakers - coaxial or seperate mid/tweeter?



Thanks in advance.

 

[scz28]

Originally posted by rspinks

scz would you mind sharing more info on your system? What's the advantage of kick panels vs. door mount speakers, is it better imaging, enclosure volume, etc? Is that a single 10" JL sub? Did you build the enclosure and would you share the design details?



Sorry for the questions but it sounds like you're more of an audiophile than a thumper and I like that approach. To be honest I've never heard of Diamond Hex but they must be good quality speakers - coaxial or seperate mid/tweeter?



Thanks in advance.

I am under an alias so DC doesn't find me



The kickpanels optimize the speaker positioning more so than in the door. YOu will get closer to equal wavelengths and they will be a more direct line of travel. Better imaging, clarity and stage are the results. Just think of it as you are moving the speakers closer to where you would put them ideally if you could(most times not ideal in a car application). For an ideal kickpanel you would design it yourself and design around the speaker parameters for air space and frequency response but I don't have the time to glass a custom kickpanel so I bought the Qlogic ones which are pretty decent and can be had for $150. Building my own would be $75 in materials and 15 hrs labor.



I am running a single JL sub and in a prefab . 66cu ft box that is a wedge type(meets airspace requirements and was MDF). I found one that fit well enough behind the driver seat and hadn't decided on if I wanted to build a custom enclosure for this vehicle so I opted for the $45 box and it is holding up well with the high SPLs. I wasn't happy with the cost or construction of the "made for" these vehicle boxes so I went this route and it turned out well and easy for me which I like.



Diamond is a higher end speaker. http://www.diamondaudio.com/ I am using the older style Hex series seperates which are better construction/materials and have a better sound. The newer models have moved more towards mainstream and they aren't the same quality. I have used Focal and MBQ seperates as well and am fond of the older Diamonds and most Focal sets. Just did an install in a buddies Pontiac TransAm with a mid priced set of Focals that turned out very well for the money invested.

 

[rspinks]

SCZ thank you very much, I did some research and I see your stuff is top end. I'll be using cheaper (I mean less expensive) leftover components from my '94 regular cab but I would like to try component speakers in kick panels this time instead of in the doors. I have a 10" Soundstream sub in a similar prefab wedge box that I may chop and hack to fit under the quadcab rear seat. Then I just need a stout 200w sub amp to go along with my Planet Audio 4x60w for the front/rear channels.



BTW are you running 600w RMS into your 10" sub? Is this sub rated for really high power handling or are you using a grossly oversize amp in order to ensure a clean signal with no clipping?

 

[scz28]

Originally posted by rspinks



BTW are you running 600w RMS into your 10" sub? Is this sub rated for really high power handling or are you using a grossly oversize amp in order to ensure a clean signal with no clipping?

JL subs like a lot of Watts as they aren't very power efficient. THey are rated for 300W which might be per coil or total I am not sure. Ratings on speakers are at a certain THD(total harmonic distortion) and if you are playing more clean power to them and are careful about the levels you use on the amp gains you can overate the speaker capacity. FWIW my Diamonds are rated at 100Ws but I have seen people in IASC comps running 600 W into them so ratings don't always tell the whole story. HTH

 

[craftybigdog]

Yeah I feel the same way I had the truck a week and dropped a whole new stereo in my truck I love it I would do it again in a heartbeat!

 

[scz28]

Originally posted by craftybigdog

Yeah I feel the same way I had the truck a week and dropped a whole new stereo in my truck I love it I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Isn't that the truth. THe couple weeks I had the stock one(while the kick panels were on order) were terrible Especially if you spend lots of time in your vehicle you need a good stereo.

 

[rspinks]

If you guys think you have it bad you should spend some time with the stock AM/FM/cassette like I've had to for the last 8 months . At least it's not for too much longer. SCZ28 you're exactly right on the "overpowered" amp vs. speaker rating thing, I finally gave up trying to convince people that underpowered amps can kill speakers faster than overpowered amps because of the distorted waveform. Sort of counter-intuitive I guess.



A few more questions if you don't mind: 1. Do the kick panels get in the way of your feet at all, or are they tucked well up into the corner? 2. How are they fastemed in there? 3. Are there any recommended brands of relatively inexpensive sub amps, or any brands to stay clear of?



Thanks again.

 

[scz28]

Originally posted by rspinks

If you guys think you have it bad you should spend some time with the stock AM/FM/cassette like I've had to for the last 8 months . At least it's not for too much longer. SCZ28 you're exactly right on the "overpowered" amp vs. speaker rating thing, I finally gave up trying to convince people that underpowered amps can kill speakers faster than overpowered amps because of the distorted waveform. Sort of counter-intuitive I guess.



A few more questions if you don't mind: 1. Do the kick panels get in the way of your feet at all, or are they tucked well up into the corner? 2. How are they fastemed in there? 3. Are there any recommended brands of relatively inexpensive sub amps, or any brands to stay clear of?



Thanks again.

In a truck the kickpanels are not in the way at all IMO. With my Camaro they were a little intrusive since you start with much less room.



The kickpanels are mounted with screws and are pretty strudy.



What is your definition of inexpensive? I have used PPI, Rockford Fosgate and Alpine V12 amps. I like the PPI amps I use but the others are good depending on what features you like and what fits your needs. If you are looking to save money there are lots of good deals to be had on new/used stereo equipment on the car stereo UBBs and on eBay. Finding a good seller is important though(just like any transaction). My amps go for under $300 a piece now on eBay so there are ways to get good equipment cheap.



Here is a picture of the kickpanels

http://www.airesearch.com/qlk3001.html

 

[Turbo Trucker]

Cool it must sound good, excellent choices in equipment. I got a question for you, are those kickpanels an enclosure or is the back just open? I'm just wondering how much midbass you can get out of them, if they blend well with the sub.



I just finished adding 2 12" Alpine Type R subs to mine, I still need to do the fronts but I ran out of money for now. Heres a couple pics.



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[scz28]

Originally posted by Turbo Trucker

Cool it must sound good, excellent choices in equipment. I got a question for you, are those kickpanels an enclosure or is the back just open? I'm just wondering how much midbass you can get out of them, if they blend well with the sub.

The kick panels actually do much better than the door since there is a "finite" volume to the enclosure. The back is ope but there is more or less a seal with the carpet and wall behind. You also put a piece of Polyfill behind to reduce and resonances. Not a perfect situation for one specific speaker but very good in general for 99% of the population. Another restriction is you can only use up to 6. 25" speaker which some people might not like.



The midbass is pretty good with these enclosure but it is all about tuning to get the components to match.