Hi all, I am pretty new to car audio I had a pretty good set up years ago and things have changed so much. I am ready to put together a new system, but there are so many new brands it's hard to know where to start. I could really use some recommendations for good drivers that don't cost an arm and a leg! - When I watch the You Tube videos by installers the drivers they are using are Big bucks. Are there drivers that are really good sound for the money?
-- I also need recommendations for one inch tweeters to fit my doors.... I was looking at a pair of JBL GTO19t one inch domes ... but am unsure if they are good sounding - I just saw some recommendations of online sites - but I don't if the reviewers are trust worthy.... Anyone have any favorite Tweeters?
- I do have two pair of older used but still supposed to be in good shape Midrange drivers , there are a pair of Crossfire 5.25 midranges that would fit the front doors, and 6 inch crossfires for the rear deck or doors that a friend gave me a Really good price on, I don't know if they are a good brand or how good they sound yet, he said he liked them, but I am open to alternatives too.
- I am learning and am busy applying sound treatment to my car doors at the moment.... hard work in 97 degree Texas weather - lol.
- Our car is a 2000 Buick Century - ( I know it's not the best car, please don't be mean - 🙂 , , , my head unit is an older Sony unit, but I would like to replace that in the future too.
- I listen to top 40s kind of rock, a lot of 70s and 80s rock , Jazz , Bluegrass , Folk , and some audiophile kinds of music - no Rap so I am not looking for monster subwoofers - (I get plenty of that on my street at 3 AM in the morning - LOL).
- I do plan on building subwoofers for the trunk but have not picked those out yet either. I am also needing ideas on power amplifiers too, I need to try and find a good value there as well.
So looking for advice on best value for the dollar Midrange Speaker drivers, Tweeters , Amplifiers , Woofers, and later a new head unit too.
-- I can start out with the crossfire drivers if they are okay and later buy a better set of midranges to replace them, I would just need a good/ great pair of one inch tweeters....
-- Thanks for any suggestions.
-- I also need recommendations for one inch tweeters to fit my doors.... I was looking at a pair of JBL GTO19t one inch domes ... but am unsure if they are good sounding - I just saw some recommendations of online sites - but I don't if the reviewers are trust worthy.... Anyone have any favorite Tweeters?
- I do have two pair of older used but still supposed to be in good shape Midrange drivers , there are a pair of Crossfire 5.25 midranges that would fit the front doors, and 6 inch crossfires for the rear deck or doors that a friend gave me a Really good price on, I don't know if they are a good brand or how good they sound yet, he said he liked them, but I am open to alternatives too.
- I am learning and am busy applying sound treatment to my car doors at the moment.... hard work in 97 degree Texas weather - lol.
- Our car is a 2000 Buick Century - ( I know it's not the best car, please don't be mean - 🙂 , , , my head unit is an older Sony unit, but I would like to replace that in the future too.
- I listen to top 40s kind of rock, a lot of 70s and 80s rock , Jazz , Bluegrass , Folk , and some audiophile kinds of music - no Rap so I am not looking for monster subwoofers - (I get plenty of that on my street at 3 AM in the morning - LOL).
- I do plan on building subwoofers for the trunk but have not picked those out yet either. I am also needing ideas on power amplifiers too, I need to try and find a good value there as well.
So looking for advice on best value for the dollar Midrange Speaker drivers, Tweeters , Amplifiers , Woofers, and later a new head unit too.
-- I can start out with the crossfire drivers if they are okay and later buy a better set of midranges to replace them, I would just need a good/ great pair of one inch tweeters....
-- Thanks for any suggestions.
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If you are in Texas? Stop by G&R research pick up one of their speaker kits for the tweeters. Cost, value, and Sound quality and the fact that Danny makes sure to test all the drivers is how I would tackle the tweeter issue.
Not small form factor, but from a cost/ benefit? How can you go wrong?
For the music you like? My Old value champion went up on price after my post on DIYMA.
The Vifa Tweeter is an all around best buy budget champion. it sound signature is very similar to the Polk Audio drivers in the Better Home Series towers.
I'll do some poking around and see what recommendations I can find for a budget driver I'll be back in a little bit
Not small form factor, but from a cost/ benefit? How can you go wrong?
For the music you like? My Old value champion went up on price after my post on DIYMA.
The Vifa Tweeter is an all around best buy budget champion. it sound signature is very similar to the Polk Audio drivers in the Better Home Series towers.
I'll do some poking around and see what recommendations I can find for a budget driver I'll be back in a little bit
Okay so here are the ones I have USED. And Love!
Metal Domes:
LPG 26NA Aluminum Dome Car Tweeter
LPG 26NA Aluminum Dome Car Tweeter
This tweeter just SOUNDS SWEET! Its not HARSH either. (To my ears) Diamind Audio uses a Version of this on their Auto line. VERY GOOD TWEETER! Love the sound, Loud too. If your into that sort of thing PERFECT for Rock music. Just sounds right.
It has better sound off axis IMO then the others in the metal dome range. This is no Vaporware aluminum. Its the real deal. works well with HIGH 6dB X/O but to get the full monty of what this can do? Use a 18/dB or higher order. The sweetness will reward you. But it tolerates 6dB Cheap cap X/O's as used in some of the diamond audio parts.
Kicker TItanium dome tweeter:
Kicker Resolution R22 1" titanium dome tweeters at Crutchfield
I use these in my system right now. LOVE THEM for the Guitar plucks. It just snaps.
Its REAL titanium, more like Vapor deposited stuff on some kind of mylar or plastic diaphragm. I know this cuz I blew one (Well, it came apart at the surround after Dissection) You can get them still knew from some places as these were also upgrades to stock chrysler systems. VERY GOOD. But they glue that holds these is going to cause issues if you put them in the sun.
They get loud, as long as you keep them WAY out the of the Fs of the tweeter, nothing but sweet sound. Do not use on Low quality noisey gear. IT WILL TELL YOU YOU NEED TO UPGRADE.
They also seem to throw the soundstage RIGHT out of the car. A JOY to listen to On axis as well.
The Oldy but goody!
SEAS Prestige 27TAFNC/G (H1397) 1" Aluminum Dome Tweeter
HEARD but not used in my builds. Its a JOY! Its made by SEAS. You know its going to be good. Smooth. SMOOOOOOTTH!
Did I say Smooth? Good I did. It works VERY WELL with CHEAP systems. Its not Fussy.
You don't have to worry about a Clangy, metalic sound. It sounds more like a very happy soft dome IMO. It won't PIERCE your ears even at close range in a car audio use.
You HAVE to use a MIDRANGE with this or a DSP as you are going to have to cross it over sort of higher then the rest (from what Friends said) with a STEEP 24/dB point to get this wonderful smooth sound. Any Deck running network mode (Pioneer) will do great. But you will often have a "Hole in the sound" of driver placement is not optimized. Off axis, its okay. Not really for bouncing it of the windshield at a 90' angle (IMO) You might have better luck.
The closest I can compare this to is the OLD MB Quart gear back in the late 90's.
SOFT DOMES
BUDGET VALUE LEADER and overall top pick of mine for any build.
The VIFA! (Peerless etc)
The tweeter comes in I think 3 versions. (4 if you count OEM auto use)
Peerless OC25SC65-04 1" Textile Dome Tweeter - 4 ohm
This tweeter use to only be about $6.00 and was a STEAL AT THAT PRICE! Love it. Hands down easy to work with and install in OEM parts.
The PEERLESS honky!
I call it that since it sounds good, but... Not that refined. Just sort of... Jack of all trades.
Does not get LOUD per say, but sounds like it in the car. MIN 3500 Hz X/0 or it gets muffled at anything like Piano music.
It sounds good. May not measure well. But sounds good.
LARGE FORMAT soft dome
SB Acoustics SB19ST-C000-4 3/4" dome tweeter
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/images/products/preview/sb19st-c000-4.jpg
Not for the faint of heart, but the PRICE? And what it can do? This is the overall Budget champ for a 3/4th tweeter. Near field in a car? With Pods? Its HARD to beat this if you are going to do your first build.
Not exactly small form factor, so its here:
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...oustics-sb26stcn-c000-4-tweeter-4-ohms/#tab-3
THIS will KILL just about anything you can buy out there for this price.
If there was a PERFECT Car Audio tweeter? This might be IT!
EXTREME BUDGET
So... Your getting ready for Family court, and you found out your mum is getting to the point she needs help around the house, and your sister has some Mid Life crisis so you end up taking care of her kids? THESE ARE FOR YOU!
You can find these for cheap in Junkyards, and etc.
Volvo Dynaudio Systems are found in many volvo Cars and VW cars. the drivers all work well. Cab be had for less then 4 pair if you get a coupon or deal days.
VW has some Okay parts and the tweeters are made by Philips, but I think they are just a copy of the VIFA. They work great in Line arrays. And work surprisingly well if you know what to do with them.
FOrd JBL Sounds system (6x8 for factor) they have a great tweeter, (Its your basic 8' budget GRS tweeter) but full x/o and works very well after you go active.
Not for the Audiophile, but not bad. It works. Gets loud Does the job. Not super detailed, and kind of lacking detail, but also comes with a 4" woofer, (Midrage) and is a Nice woofer to use as Midrange. Level of sound is about what you get with a Bose Acoustimass system (Stock) if I had to compare the sound of the drivers. Or your Mass market bookshelf speaker. One thing they do great? THEY GET LOUD! And I MEAN LOUD!
Surprisingly very low distortion.
Top tweeter budget pick? The Tweeters used in the PT Crusier and SOME Dodge Neons.
Its a 1" Vifa Clone. (IMO) and is my Champion of "Air" and presence. Works PERFECT off axis, and sounds even better slightly of axis to the ear. Can sound harsh if you use the stock 6dB x/o. Higher order X/0? You just won the lottery. Made in Mexico. Blends well with almost ALL drivers. Not really for low crossover points, but does work. Sounds more like a Mid Tweeter, but going low, Female vocals and Piano will make the driver distort. For a Stock Head Unit using active mode? Perfect! It does use Ferro Fluid, so by now, almost all of them are dried out. So this would be a last ditch option.
Also, many people don't think about this, but the Bookshelf speakers like the SONY make GREAT car audio parts when you find a used pair at a GoodWill or SkankyList or OfferDown.
I had to do this in the 2000's since just about everything I could get my hands on came out of a Circuit city. So Back then, I just used some Polk R15 with some upgraded X/O parts. (THanks to the Polk Forum) It was NIGHT and DAY from what was selling in the car audio section at the time.
AMPS
MY GOTO AMP!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFBW9BLZ7RM
4 channel, and 2
Autozone has a model of this as well.
I HAVE USED THIS AMP FOR A YEAR.... FLAWLESS!
QUIET!
One of the BEST Budget AMPS OUT THERE!
Sound Quality is GREAT! No noise Auto Turn on. And BOY It Never shuts down!
I have used it abused it. It just works.
Best for Newer head units with 4v outputs.
I used these to power my Magnepans. IT SOUNDS GLORIOUS! Not up to a Modded NVX with Opp amp Modification, but unless park your car in a Library? , Or have a SUPER LOW noise floor? You won't hear the diff anyways.
Small easy to work with and just works. VERY GOOD QUALITY!
And I mean If I like it? Its something.
The amp won't even break a sweat running your front stage.
High level inputs as well sound pretty good too if you HAVE to use those.
And the 4 channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23CVp1nczoM
BEST IF YOUR RUN NETWORK MODE OR ACTIVE!
Super BUDGET, but works as a front stage amp and is a good starter amp with some Nursing.
https://www.amazon.com/Blaupunkt-15...ocphy=9061079&hvtargid=pla-567328079936&psc=1
Its... Not my first choice. But its a Good cheap 4 channel amp choice for those with older decks and not active yet. Or those that only have 2 RCA's to work with with Low output on the RCA's.
Its a quiet amp so that's good. Its class A/B so it sounds great on the front stage. And does great with active 2 ohm loads. But BOY does this sucker get HOT. So.. Like I said, you will have to use a FAN with this. Not even vertical mounting is enough for this. You need to use a fan if you like to crank it or run it anything under 4 ohms.
As a semi active system, if you bridge the rear channels, and use the 2 front stage? FAN MANDATORY.
Its here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbA2Vdg3uSo
So This is a Basic 50 Watt per channel amp Class A/B amp.
It SOUNDS GOOD. Not Nakamachi (Old Skool) good, but for a starter amp? Perfect to get you going for a budget system build.
Crossover flexibility is where it shines so you can run this with just about ANY headunit.
(Unless you have a china Headunit, then... It won't be able to drive all 4 Inputs from the RCA's very well unless you turn the gain to MAX.
You ALSO need to have a Spare 1-2 Farad Cap just laying around to hook up to the leads.
So, a PC Large side case fan mounted on top, a 1 Farad cap, and Good Voltage to the amp of at least 13.5 volts, and 2 ohm speakers will get the most out of this amp and will sound Surprisingly good doing it for front stage use. I'm testing this now. And I like it so far with the FEW issues you need to address.
Get the DUAL if you can swing it. Or FInd it. BTW,
Signal to noise ratio 100 dBA (reference: 1 Watt into 4 ohms) is what the DUAL Does AVERAGE!
That's higher then some of the value ZAPPCO amps. Like I said. STOCK UP! You ain't gonna find a better deal you can get at your local Big Box store.
For BUDGET Midbass IN YOUR CAR, what would work really well if you are going to get subwoofers down the line, and wish to cross them at about 100 Hz at 24 dB?
The SKAR Woofers. They take power, they sound good in the doors, and the large door space gives you surprising kick drums and response for the drivers. For $50 a pair? Its a no Brain item to start put with until you are ready to do a FULL door build.
https://www.amazon.com/Skar-Audio-F...ocphy=9061079&hvtargid=pla-605154452555&psc=1
If you want response down to 80-60 Hz from the doors? (Hard to do without rattles?)
This: Was a Great deal when $20 bucks or less. IT HITS HARD! Great for under the seat midbass. Takes GOBS of power no problem on musical transients. And yes, does have output up to 900 Hz till it drops off.
Its marketed as a SUB woofer, and it DOES go down low. But surprisingly? Really works well as a woofer if you have a low Fs Tweeter. Surprisingly sounds good and if you like Kick drums that you can feel in your chest? THIS is it.
SUBWOOFERS:
Budget subs are the Blaupunkt that work really well. But really? Almost any subwoofer that is cheap is just a copy of a old school MTX or Rockford Fosgate subwoofer from the 90's. Almost all of them work well for Rock music. If you want to go lower and louder, then Skar as a Budget subwoofer that bangs low. Easy to work with and takes power.
Budget champs for Ported box is the HiFonix 12 Inch Dual voice coil subwoofer. Works Great in most Stock aftermarket sub boxes and does not need much power to get there. Not for SEALED Boxes at all.
For Sealed? Autotek 12 Inch single or Dual voice coil subs. Great for the stock boxes at big box stores. No much output bellow 35 Hz in Under 2 cube box space. But detail in the bass, and fast slam? It has it. Best used in a SMALL car. I would not use them in your car. You won't even hear them very well in the cabin.
Fart Box subs are the Audioban stuff. Its okay. It goes very low, but just kind of Muddy with the bass if you ask me.
Budget S.Q. Subwoofer? The cheapest Sundown 12" woofer they offer. Full specs. And great performance. GREAT POWER HANDLING TOO! Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
I hope that helps you out.
Metal Domes:
LPG 26NA Aluminum Dome Car Tweeter
LPG 26NA Aluminum Dome Car Tweeter
This tweeter just SOUNDS SWEET! Its not HARSH either. (To my ears) Diamind Audio uses a Version of this on their Auto line. VERY GOOD TWEETER! Love the sound, Loud too. If your into that sort of thing PERFECT for Rock music. Just sounds right.
It has better sound off axis IMO then the others in the metal dome range. This is no Vaporware aluminum. Its the real deal. works well with HIGH 6dB X/O but to get the full monty of what this can do? Use a 18/dB or higher order. The sweetness will reward you. But it tolerates 6dB Cheap cap X/O's as used in some of the diamond audio parts.
Kicker TItanium dome tweeter:
Kicker Resolution R22 1" titanium dome tweeters at Crutchfield
I use these in my system right now. LOVE THEM for the Guitar plucks. It just snaps.
Its REAL titanium, more like Vapor deposited stuff on some kind of mylar or plastic diaphragm. I know this cuz I blew one (Well, it came apart at the surround after Dissection) You can get them still knew from some places as these were also upgrades to stock chrysler systems. VERY GOOD. But they glue that holds these is going to cause issues if you put them in the sun.
They get loud, as long as you keep them WAY out the of the Fs of the tweeter, nothing but sweet sound. Do not use on Low quality noisey gear. IT WILL TELL YOU YOU NEED TO UPGRADE.
They also seem to throw the soundstage RIGHT out of the car. A JOY to listen to On axis as well.
The Oldy but goody!
SEAS Prestige 27TAFNC/G (H1397) 1" Aluminum Dome Tweeter
HEARD but not used in my builds. Its a JOY! Its made by SEAS. You know its going to be good. Smooth. SMOOOOOOTTH!
Did I say Smooth? Good I did. It works VERY WELL with CHEAP systems. Its not Fussy.
You don't have to worry about a Clangy, metalic sound. It sounds more like a very happy soft dome IMO. It won't PIERCE your ears even at close range in a car audio use.
You HAVE to use a MIDRANGE with this or a DSP as you are going to have to cross it over sort of higher then the rest (from what Friends said) with a STEEP 24/dB point to get this wonderful smooth sound. Any Deck running network mode (Pioneer) will do great. But you will often have a "Hole in the sound" of driver placement is not optimized. Off axis, its okay. Not really for bouncing it of the windshield at a 90' angle (IMO) You might have better luck.
The closest I can compare this to is the OLD MB Quart gear back in the late 90's.
SOFT DOMES
BUDGET VALUE LEADER and overall top pick of mine for any build.
The VIFA! (Peerless etc)
The tweeter comes in I think 3 versions. (4 if you count OEM auto use)
Peerless OC25SC65-04 1" Textile Dome Tweeter - 4 ohm
This tweeter use to only be about $6.00 and was a STEAL AT THAT PRICE! Love it. Hands down easy to work with and install in OEM parts.
The PEERLESS honky!
I call it that since it sounds good, but... Not that refined. Just sort of... Jack of all trades.
Does not get LOUD per say, but sounds like it in the car. MIN 3500 Hz X/0 or it gets muffled at anything like Piano music.
It sounds good. May not measure well. But sounds good.
LARGE FORMAT soft dome
SB Acoustics SB19ST-C000-4 3/4" dome tweeter
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/images/products/preview/sb19st-c000-4.jpg
Not for the faint of heart, but the PRICE? And what it can do? This is the overall Budget champ for a 3/4th tweeter. Near field in a car? With Pods? Its HARD to beat this if you are going to do your first build.
Not exactly small form factor, so its here:
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...oustics-sb26stcn-c000-4-tweeter-4-ohms/#tab-3
THIS will KILL just about anything you can buy out there for this price.
If there was a PERFECT Car Audio tweeter? This might be IT!
EXTREME BUDGET
So... Your getting ready for Family court, and you found out your mum is getting to the point she needs help around the house, and your sister has some Mid Life crisis so you end up taking care of her kids? THESE ARE FOR YOU!
You can find these for cheap in Junkyards, and etc.
Volvo Dynaudio Systems are found in many volvo Cars and VW cars. the drivers all work well. Cab be had for less then 4 pair if you get a coupon or deal days.
VW has some Okay parts and the tweeters are made by Philips, but I think they are just a copy of the VIFA. They work great in Line arrays. And work surprisingly well if you know what to do with them.
FOrd JBL Sounds system (6x8 for factor) they have a great tweeter, (Its your basic 8' budget GRS tweeter) but full x/o and works very well after you go active.
Not for the Audiophile, but not bad. It works. Gets loud Does the job. Not super detailed, and kind of lacking detail, but also comes with a 4" woofer, (Midrage) and is a Nice woofer to use as Midrange. Level of sound is about what you get with a Bose Acoustimass system (Stock) if I had to compare the sound of the drivers. Or your Mass market bookshelf speaker. One thing they do great? THEY GET LOUD! And I MEAN LOUD!
Surprisingly very low distortion.
Top tweeter budget pick? The Tweeters used in the PT Crusier and SOME Dodge Neons.
Its a 1" Vifa Clone. (IMO) and is my Champion of "Air" and presence. Works PERFECT off axis, and sounds even better slightly of axis to the ear. Can sound harsh if you use the stock 6dB x/o. Higher order X/0? You just won the lottery. Made in Mexico. Blends well with almost ALL drivers. Not really for low crossover points, but does work. Sounds more like a Mid Tweeter, but going low, Female vocals and Piano will make the driver distort. For a Stock Head Unit using active mode? Perfect! It does use Ferro Fluid, so by now, almost all of them are dried out. So this would be a last ditch option.
Also, many people don't think about this, but the Bookshelf speakers like the SONY make GREAT car audio parts when you find a used pair at a GoodWill or SkankyList or OfferDown.
I had to do this in the 2000's since just about everything I could get my hands on came out of a Circuit city. So Back then, I just used some Polk R15 with some upgraded X/O parts. (THanks to the Polk Forum) It was NIGHT and DAY from what was selling in the car audio section at the time.
AMPS
MY GOTO AMP!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFBW9BLZ7RM
4 channel, and 2
Autozone has a model of this as well.
I HAVE USED THIS AMP FOR A YEAR.... FLAWLESS!
QUIET!
One of the BEST Budget AMPS OUT THERE!
Sound Quality is GREAT! No noise Auto Turn on. And BOY It Never shuts down!
I have used it abused it. It just works.
Best for Newer head units with 4v outputs.
I used these to power my Magnepans. IT SOUNDS GLORIOUS! Not up to a Modded NVX with Opp amp Modification, but unless park your car in a Library? , Or have a SUPER LOW noise floor? You won't hear the diff anyways.
Small easy to work with and just works. VERY GOOD QUALITY!
And I mean If I like it? Its something.
The amp won't even break a sweat running your front stage.
High level inputs as well sound pretty good too if you HAVE to use those.
And the 4 channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23CVp1nczoM
BEST IF YOUR RUN NETWORK MODE OR ACTIVE!
Super BUDGET, but works as a front stage amp and is a good starter amp with some Nursing.
https://www.amazon.com/Blaupunkt-15...ocphy=9061079&hvtargid=pla-567328079936&psc=1
Its... Not my first choice. But its a Good cheap 4 channel amp choice for those with older decks and not active yet. Or those that only have 2 RCA's to work with with Low output on the RCA's.
Its a quiet amp so that's good. Its class A/B so it sounds great on the front stage. And does great with active 2 ohm loads. But BOY does this sucker get HOT. So.. Like I said, you will have to use a FAN with this. Not even vertical mounting is enough for this. You need to use a fan if you like to crank it or run it anything under 4 ohms.
As a semi active system, if you bridge the rear channels, and use the 2 front stage? FAN MANDATORY.
Its here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbA2Vdg3uSo
So This is a Basic 50 Watt per channel amp Class A/B amp.
It SOUNDS GOOD. Not Nakamachi (Old Skool) good, but for a starter amp? Perfect to get you going for a budget system build.
Crossover flexibility is where it shines so you can run this with just about ANY headunit.
(Unless you have a china Headunit, then... It won't be able to drive all 4 Inputs from the RCA's very well unless you turn the gain to MAX.
You ALSO need to have a Spare 1-2 Farad Cap just laying around to hook up to the leads.
So, a PC Large side case fan mounted on top, a 1 Farad cap, and Good Voltage to the amp of at least 13.5 volts, and 2 ohm speakers will get the most out of this amp and will sound Surprisingly good doing it for front stage use. I'm testing this now. And I like it so far with the FEW issues you need to address.
Get the DUAL if you can swing it. Or FInd it. BTW,
Signal to noise ratio 100 dBA (reference: 1 Watt into 4 ohms) is what the DUAL Does AVERAGE!
That's higher then some of the value ZAPPCO amps. Like I said. STOCK UP! You ain't gonna find a better deal you can get at your local Big Box store.
For BUDGET Midbass IN YOUR CAR, what would work really well if you are going to get subwoofers down the line, and wish to cross them at about 100 Hz at 24 dB?
The SKAR Woofers. They take power, they sound good in the doors, and the large door space gives you surprising kick drums and response for the drivers. For $50 a pair? Its a no Brain item to start put with until you are ready to do a FULL door build.
https://www.amazon.com/Skar-Audio-F...ocphy=9061079&hvtargid=pla-605154452555&psc=1
If you want response down to 80-60 Hz from the doors? (Hard to do without rattles?)
This: Was a Great deal when $20 bucks or less. IT HITS HARD! Great for under the seat midbass. Takes GOBS of power no problem on musical transients. And yes, does have output up to 900 Hz till it drops off.
Its marketed as a SUB woofer, and it DOES go down low. But surprisingly? Really works well as a woofer if you have a low Fs Tweeter. Surprisingly sounds good and if you like Kick drums that you can feel in your chest? THIS is it.
SUBWOOFERS:
Budget subs are the Blaupunkt that work really well. But really? Almost any subwoofer that is cheap is just a copy of a old school MTX or Rockford Fosgate subwoofer from the 90's. Almost all of them work well for Rock music. If you want to go lower and louder, then Skar as a Budget subwoofer that bangs low. Easy to work with and takes power.
Budget champs for Ported box is the HiFonix 12 Inch Dual voice coil subwoofer. Works Great in most Stock aftermarket sub boxes and does not need much power to get there. Not for SEALED Boxes at all.
For Sealed? Autotek 12 Inch single or Dual voice coil subs. Great for the stock boxes at big box stores. No much output bellow 35 Hz in Under 2 cube box space. But detail in the bass, and fast slam? It has it. Best used in a SMALL car. I would not use them in your car. You won't even hear them very well in the cabin.
Fart Box subs are the Audioban stuff. Its okay. It goes very low, but just kind of Muddy with the bass if you ask me.
Budget S.Q. Subwoofer? The cheapest Sundown 12" woofer they offer. Full specs. And great performance. GREAT POWER HANDLING TOO! Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
I hope that helps you out.
That Buick is a great car for audio!
If this was a race car forum it might be different, but no problem with having a larger quieter car for tunes.
That’s an amazing write up for budget conscious speakers, I like decent junkyard finds.
If this was a race car forum it might be different, but no problem with having a larger quieter car for tunes.
That’s an amazing write up for budget conscious speakers, I like decent junkyard finds.
I like junk yard stuff too... Till you bring it home and get this really bad feeling... Its FUBAR..
So many of the speakers I have picked up had coil rub. The worst one was the Kicker speakers. The GLUE was GONE. There was this noise. Checked the woofer. It was not even attached to the bobin anymore.
I tested them there at the Yard, but these mechanical defects are hard to forsee till you play them or bench test them.
With the 14 Dynaudio tweeters I have? Only 3 ever worked out of the box with one dying shortly after installation. Hence why I decided to rebuild them with China parts and domes. Verdict? Not even close to the Dynaudio sound.
Same with just one dome Midrange so far. The Coil leads from the former broke. I could do a Repair, but I have like 7 more as a spare.
I love budget finds, and I love a good deal. But unless you know all these things before hand? A good system plan and purchasing your items on sale all at once really is the preferred method that not only gives you detailed specs, but confidence that if something goes wrong, you can quickly get right back to your system build.
If anything? Buy used stuff from other DIYAudio members on here. I give away more stuff I get then use. I just go.. Well,.. If I don't get it? Someone will just destroy it for fun. (I HATE people like that!) So I have a LARGE stockpile of stuff I am going to have to give away at some point.
Anyways...
Back to sound testing and rebuilding the Maggies.
So many of the speakers I have picked up had coil rub. The worst one was the Kicker speakers. The GLUE was GONE. There was this noise. Checked the woofer. It was not even attached to the bobin anymore.
I tested them there at the Yard, but these mechanical defects are hard to forsee till you play them or bench test them.
With the 14 Dynaudio tweeters I have? Only 3 ever worked out of the box with one dying shortly after installation. Hence why I decided to rebuild them with China parts and domes. Verdict? Not even close to the Dynaudio sound.
Same with just one dome Midrange so far. The Coil leads from the former broke. I could do a Repair, but I have like 7 more as a spare.
I love budget finds, and I love a good deal. But unless you know all these things before hand? A good system plan and purchasing your items on sale all at once really is the preferred method that not only gives you detailed specs, but confidence that if something goes wrong, you can quickly get right back to your system build.
If anything? Buy used stuff from other DIYAudio members on here. I give away more stuff I get then use. I just go.. Well,.. If I don't get it? Someone will just destroy it for fun. (I HATE people like that!) So I have a LARGE stockpile of stuff I am going to have to give away at some point.
Anyways...
Back to sound testing and rebuilding the Maggies.
--- Hi guys , Very Sorry that I didn't respond to you, my computer was having problems and lost my password .... And then when I tried to log on diyaudio.com the website said it didn't recognize my email addresses - so I was locked out of responding until someone from the website could help me! --- sorry,
- Thank you phase and - imickey503 for All of the great suggestions!!
- For my door Tweeters I am especially interested in the SB Acoustics SB26STCN-C000-4 tweeter... I am trying to see if I can find a way to mount it either in my stock tweeter position or maybe build a custom pod on my sail panel or on my A-Pillar.... not sure which position is best , If not I may have try one of the smaller Tweeter instead.
---- I was going to post another question on the forum , but thought I would ask you first -- I have lots of questions - lol
- What have you found to be the best materials for treating your doors???
--- I was wondering should I just treat the car door as if it is a regular home speaker enclosure .... trying to make it as solid as I can using some kind of CLD treatments
and then adding some kind of foam to absorb the sound bouncing around inside the door???
- I have started with - Noico 80 mil Butyl Sound Deadening Mat on the inside of my outer door panels, then on the inside of the second metal panel facing the inside of the car too -- then on the back side of the plastic door panel itself, I am going to go to Home Depot and maybe buy some of their Butyl mat to finish up the job ...... I am also trying to figure out how to cover the big access holes in my steel door panels..
- I have thought of maybe adding some kind of foam sheets or Mass Loaded Vinyl maybe too..... but not sure the best way to go??? --
- I was trying to save some money by not buying the top of the line sound treatment materials that combine some kind of foam with the Butyl mat but now I am thinking maybe it would be a lot simpler - lol - 🙂
- Thank you phase and - imickey503 for All of the great suggestions!!
- For my door Tweeters I am especially interested in the SB Acoustics SB26STCN-C000-4 tweeter... I am trying to see if I can find a way to mount it either in my stock tweeter position or maybe build a custom pod on my sail panel or on my A-Pillar.... not sure which position is best , If not I may have try one of the smaller Tweeter instead.
---- I was going to post another question on the forum , but thought I would ask you first -- I have lots of questions - lol
- What have you found to be the best materials for treating your doors???
--- I was wondering should I just treat the car door as if it is a regular home speaker enclosure .... trying to make it as solid as I can using some kind of CLD treatments
and then adding some kind of foam to absorb the sound bouncing around inside the door???
- I have started with - Noico 80 mil Butyl Sound Deadening Mat on the inside of my outer door panels, then on the inside of the second metal panel facing the inside of the car too -- then on the back side of the plastic door panel itself, I am going to go to Home Depot and maybe buy some of their Butyl mat to finish up the job ...... I am also trying to figure out how to cover the big access holes in my steel door panels..
- I have thought of maybe adding some kind of foam sheets or Mass Loaded Vinyl maybe too..... but not sure the best way to go??? --
- I was trying to save some money by not buying the top of the line sound treatment materials that combine some kind of foam with the Butyl mat but now I am thinking maybe it would be a lot simpler - lol - 🙂
For my door Tweeters I am especially interested in the SB Acoustics SB26STCN-C000-4 tweeter... I am trying to see if I can find a way to mount it either in my stock tweeter position or maybe build a custom pod on my sail panel or on my A-Pillar.... not sure which position is best , If not I may have try one of the smaller Tweeter instead.
Better drivers make easier & Simpler high quality builds.
Most will agree, if you are new to this? Going with the better parts will make setting up your system less of a challenge and will give you better flexibility and ease of tuning just starting out. No reason to spend more money twice. Go with your Gut and stay with the SBA tweeter.
Fabricating
Before you build anything, Take a LOOK at EVERY other build and see what they have done. That truck is quite popular with the SMD Forum crowd.
Just put up your post like a dating app for Car Audio Builds. You will get Plenty of ideas and people willing to snap photos of current and past builds. There are more artisans of Car Audio interiors over there. Last time I looked, many have Pillars already built and Measured that latter on went with other drivers or system goals. Lots of Fiberglass builds that just need to be finished off from last time I looked.
Driver Position:
(NOTE, Its Usually best to have your Electronics in first for a first time build out to make testing driver location easy as saying "Alexa, Play song or Stop Song" )
There are 2 schools of thought. One If you have no Friends. That's the Audiophile way. And the Best way since sharing is caring.
Andy Wehmeyer shows his new system at CES 2016 - YouTube
You can Always set custom DSP settings just for you later. But generally, your drivers should be at Ear level for at least the high Midrange on up. And Point source placement depending on your drivers you chose is the rule of thumb.
Peter at PS Sound has a WHOLE video series for free on how to go about this.
Take some time over the weekend and really dive in. Its like Free College classes. He is doing a Build right now. And even goes into detail on what makes some GREAT and i mean SUPERB AUDIOPHILE PILLARS.
Pssound - YouTube
Its not the cost but the time and effort you put into it. BTW, there is a midrange driver by Audio Physics that Digi key has in stock for less then $9 bucks each. Also the Teutonics driver is only a 10 Spot right now at Parts express. Its also the same driver used on a ~5000K speaker with a Ribbon tweeter.
Just like they say, its not your tools, its what you do with them.
Making Proper sized and good performing Pods for your drivers is just as Much of an important factor as is the speakers used.
HOW TO FIND / TEST PLACEMENT
VELCRO BALLS! (Well that's what I do) I set up the drives and Aim them and place them till I find the BEST place. Do it with your Sail Panels of and use Music that YOU know you love and compare with a Good set of Headphones.
Compare that to what you hear from your gear in the car at the same time.
Try to match the sound signature the best you can till you find an Optimum.
Keep your seat JUST where it is and mark it if you need to. You want to have the drivers in your normal listening position area you sit at. Then move your head forwards and thought the front drivers seat just like if you were driving and take note of things like Phase shift, Combing, etc.
Once you have a good idea where it sounds good, then get out the Stanley. Record all these positions.
That FLorida Guy (Dwayine?) who one Installer of the year, has a video on how to do that for time alinement. But will be useful when you are ready to mock up your pods.
If factory locations work for you, all the better! Generally, do what works best for you. You can always upgrade and do rework later. But get the BASE system design in first.
Like they say:
- What have you found to be the best materials for treating your doors???
--- I was wondering should I just treat the car door as if it is a regular home speaker enclosure .... trying to make it as solid as I can using some kind of CLD treatments
and then adding some kind of foam to absorb the sound bouncing around inside the door???
For that, Skizer has a Website for his Firm that has one of the BEST layouts to teach you how to do a Bullet proof Job on Door Panels and door cards and Door skin (metal) Not only does he explain it great? He shows you how and why with Graphs and placement and Why.
https://resonixsoundsolutions.com/reference-information/
SKizer is on CarAudioJunkies. (He is Happy to answer questions, and give you non BS answers. I think his stuff is Made in the USA too.
As far as brands? That's really up to you. Each builder likes his or her own brand due to ease of install, or just price / Performance.
Mark at CAF, (Car Audio Fabrication has a Whole build on how to do it for the laymen.
INCREASE MID BASS! How to Sound Deaden Like a Pro - CarAudioFabrication - YouTube
And his New one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AshruJuqaVc
As far as tips and tricks? DIYMA has some great DIY tips on alternatives for door decoupling of sound waves.
As Peter has said, Doors SUCK...For the Installer. You can only get so far before you hear a Rattle. People underestimate just how much force a Midbass or woofer in the doors can exert on the door pannel, and this does translate to Muddy sound reproduction, or owning some "NXT speakers Surprise" on Accident.
The real problem today is that Doors are rather Flimsy sheet metal today. So Using MARINE GRADE PLYWOOD
or PLASTIC Panels as Mark does is the way to go to mount your new drivers in the doors. CUstom Fiberglass is also an option. In a Pinch? You can use Cutting Boards. (Yes I came up with that!)
I can't explain it all really the art of Acoustic treatment. Its like me hanging out with the TUbe Amp Guy here. I'm lost. I think they do Magic. I'm surprised they did not all go to Hogwards school of GLass Mimicry & Sorcery.
There is a LOT to cover. So read up, watch the videos & see what works best for you and your budget, time and skillset.
Rule Of thumb is? Your doors and windows should all work afterwards.
Plan on taking of your doors multiple times. SO Buy some spare plastic clips. In bulk they are cheaper.
==================
- I have started with - Noico 80 mil Butyl Sound Deadening Mat on the inside of my outer door panels, then on the inside of the second metal panel facing the inside of the car too -- then on the back side of the plastic door panel itself, I am going to go to Home Depot and maybe buy some of their Butyl mat to finish up the job ...... I am also trying to figure out how to cover the big access holes in my steel door panels..
- I have thought of maybe adding some kind of foam sheets or Mass Loaded Vinyl maybe too..... but not sure the best way to go??? --
- I was trying to save some money by not buying the top of the line sound treatment materials that combine some kind of foam with the Butyl mat but now I am thinking maybe it would be a lot simpler - lol -
Like I said, go with what works .. for you. As far as those REALLY big Door voids?
Oh boy.. Here goes...
FOR CHEAP.. DIRT CHEAP Steel or aluminum Roofing sheets with Self Stick floor mats. (The WIDE 2 foot ones that usually on sale for a 10 pence since no one really uses them stuck to both sides of the metal panel opening. Its like CHEAP Dynamat EXTREME. Metal Cutting Shears, then 3M Car Molding double sticky tape with the Back covered in Fiberglass with Gore Tex fabric (Or Silicone spray shoe treatment over Nylon/Dacron Synthetic fabric to have it shed water on the back and front of the panel.
It also works on Door skins (the Vinyl Self Stick Tiles with some Extra Adhesive. ) But.... I DID NOT TELL YOU THAT. And i DO NOT CONDONE IT. It SUCKS to DO. Its a PAIN IN THE ****!
Whatever you do, DO NOT PLUG YOUR DRAIN HOLES or Mess up your WINDOW TRACKS.
Also make sure to DRILL holes for your CLIPS. Plumbers Putty works to quiet those down for about a year till it crumbles and clogs your drain holes in your doors.
Like I said. You have been warned. But its the CHEAPEST (Damn near FREE) way to get there.
For the Door Card? Carpet Padding or fiberglass in Gore Tex or Nylon Treated fabric. You can also use wool instead of FIberglass or (Yummy-) Dacron. (Pillow Fill) Ikea Pillows for a Buck worked as an all in one solution for years for projects....That I NEVER DID.
FOr Extra rigidity in the Metal Panel? Bend your cuts to make Folds and then Rivet them shaping the square panel instead of cutting of parts to fit.
THe Deadest Panel I made had a strips of Polycarbonate in a criss cross pattern with Rubber gasket material you get at the Plumbing section. Overkill, but it worked for a Door Subwoofer build in the rear doors. NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN ON THE CHEAP EVER... EVER!
Okay, so you should be good to go.
Happy trails!
Better drivers make easier & Simpler high quality builds.
Most will agree, if you are new to this? Going with the better parts will make setting up your system less of a challenge and will give you better flexibility and ease of tuning just starting out. No reason to spend more money twice. Go with your Gut and stay with the SBA tweeter.
Fabricating
Before you build anything, Take a LOOK at EVERY other build and see what they have done. That truck is quite popular with the SMD Forum crowd.
Just put up your post like a dating app for Car Audio Builds. You will get Plenty of ideas and people willing to snap photos of current and past builds. There are more artisans of Car Audio interiors over there. Last time I looked, many have Pillars already built and Measured that latter on went with other drivers or system goals. Lots of Fiberglass builds that just need to be finished off from last time I looked.
Driver Position:
(NOTE, Its Usually best to have your Electronics in first for a first time build out to make testing driver location easy as saying "Alexa, Play song or Stop Song" )
There are 2 schools of thought. One If you have no Friends. That's the Audiophile way. And the Best way since sharing is caring.
Andy Wehmeyer shows his new system at CES 2016 - YouTube
You can Always set custom DSP settings just for you later. But generally, your drivers should be at Ear level for at least the high Midrange on up. And Point source placement depending on your drivers you chose is the rule of thumb.
Peter at PS Sound has a WHOLE video series for free on how to go about this.
Take some time over the weekend and really dive in. Its like Free College classes. He is doing a Build right now. And even goes into detail on what makes some GREAT and i mean SUPERB AUDIOPHILE PILLARS.
Pssound - YouTube
Its not the cost but the time and effort you put into it. BTW, there is a midrange driver by Audio Physics that Digi key has in stock for less then $9 bucks each. Also the Teutonics driver is only a 10 Spot right now at Parts express. Its also the same driver used on a ~5000K speaker with a Ribbon tweeter.
Just like they say, its not your tools, its what you do with them.
Making Proper sized and good performing Pods for your drivers is just as Much of an important factor as is the speakers used.
HOW TO FIND / TEST PLACEMENT
VELCRO BALLS! (Well that's what I do) I set up the drives and Aim them and place them till I find the BEST place. Do it with your Sail Panels of and use Music that YOU know you love and compare with a Good set of Headphones.
Compare that to what you hear from your gear in the car at the same time.
Try to match the sound signature the best you can till you find an Optimum.
Keep your seat JUST where it is and mark it if you need to. You want to have the drivers in your normal listening position area you sit at. Then move your head forwards and thought the front drivers seat just like if you were driving and take note of things like Phase shift, Combing, etc.
Once you have a good idea where it sounds good, then get out the Stanley. Record all these positions.
That FLorida Guy (Dwayine?) who one Installer of the year, has a video on how to do that for time alinement. But will be useful when you are ready to mock up your pods.
If factory locations work for you, all the better! Generally, do what works best for you. You can always upgrade and do rework later. But get the BASE system design in first.
Like they say:
- What have you found to be the best materials for treating your doors???
--- I was wondering should I just treat the car door as if it is a regular home speaker enclosure .... trying to make it as solid as I can using some kind of CLD treatments
and then adding some kind of foam to absorb the sound bouncing around inside the door???
For that, Skizer has a Website for his Firm that has one of the BEST layouts to teach you how to do a Bullet proof Job on Door Panels and door cards and Door skin (metal) Not only does he explain it great? He shows you how and why with Graphs and placement and Why.
https://resonixsoundsolutions.com/reference-information/
SKizer is on CarAudioJunkies. (He is Happy to answer questions, and give you non BS answers. I think his stuff is Made in the USA too.
As far as brands? That's really up to you. Each builder likes his or her own brand due to ease of install, or just price / Performance.
Mark at CAF, (Car Audio Fabrication has a Whole build on how to do it for the laymen.
INCREASE MID BASS! How to Sound Deaden Like a Pro - CarAudioFabrication - YouTube
And his New one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AshruJuqaVc
As far as tips and tricks? DIYMA has some great DIY tips on alternatives for door decoupling of sound waves.
As Peter has said, Doors SUCK...For the Installer. You can only get so far before you hear a Rattle. People underestimate just how much force a Midbass or woofer in the doors can exert on the door pannel, and this does translate to Muddy sound reproduction, or owning some "NXT speakers Surprise" on Accident.
The real problem today is that Doors are rather Flimsy sheet metal today. So Using MARINE GRADE PLYWOOD
or PLASTIC Panels as Mark does is the way to go to mount your new drivers in the doors. CUstom Fiberglass is also an option. In a Pinch? You can use Cutting Boards. (Yes I came up with that!)
I can't explain it all really the art of Acoustic treatment. Its like me hanging out with the TUbe Amp Guy here. I'm lost. I think they do Magic. I'm surprised they did not all go to Hogwards school of GLass Mimicry & Sorcery.
There is a LOT to cover. So read up, watch the videos & see what works best for you and your budget, time and skillset.
Rule Of thumb is? Your doors and windows should all work afterwards.
Plan on taking of your doors multiple times. SO Buy some spare plastic clips. In bulk they are cheaper.
==================
- I have started with - Noico 80 mil Butyl Sound Deadening Mat on the inside of my outer door panels, then on the inside of the second metal panel facing the inside of the car too -- then on the back side of the plastic door panel itself, I am going to go to Home Depot and maybe buy some of their Butyl mat to finish up the job ...... I am also trying to figure out how to cover the big access holes in my steel door panels..
- I have thought of maybe adding some kind of foam sheets or Mass Loaded Vinyl maybe too..... but not sure the best way to go??? --
- I was trying to save some money by not buying the top of the line sound treatment materials that combine some kind of foam with the Butyl mat but now I am thinking maybe it would be a lot simpler - lol -
Like I said, go with what works .. for you. As far as those REALLY big Door voids?
Oh boy.. Here goes...
FOR CHEAP.. DIRT CHEAP Steel or aluminum Roofing sheets with Self Stick floor mats. (The WIDE 2 foot ones that usually on sale for a 10 pence since no one really uses them stuck to both sides of the metal panel opening. Its like CHEAP Dynamat EXTREME. Metal Cutting Shears, then 3M Car Molding double sticky tape with the Back covered in Fiberglass with Gore Tex fabric (Or Silicone spray shoe treatment over Nylon/Dacron Synthetic fabric to have it shed water on the back and front of the panel.
It also works on Door skins (the Vinyl Self Stick Tiles with some Extra Adhesive. ) But.... I DID NOT TELL YOU THAT. And i DO NOT CONDONE IT. It SUCKS to DO. Its a PAIN IN THE ****!
Whatever you do, DO NOT PLUG YOUR DRAIN HOLES or Mess up your WINDOW TRACKS.
Also make sure to DRILL holes for your CLIPS. Plumbers Putty works to quiet those down for about a year till it crumbles and clogs your drain holes in your doors.
Like I said. You have been warned. But its the CHEAPEST (Damn near FREE) way to get there.
For the Door Card? Carpet Padding or fiberglass in Gore Tex or Nylon Treated fabric. You can also use wool instead of FIberglass or (Yummy-) Dacron. (Pillow Fill) Ikea Pillows for a Buck worked as an all in one solution for years for projects....That I NEVER DID.
FOr Extra rigidity in the Metal Panel? Bend your cuts to make Folds and then Rivet them shaping the square panel instead of cutting of parts to fit.
THe Deadest Panel I made had a strips of Polycarbonate in a criss cross pattern with Rubber gasket material you get at the Plumbing section. Overkill, but it worked for a Door Subwoofer build in the rear doors. NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN ON THE CHEAP EVER... EVER!
Okay, so you should be good to go.
Happy trails!
Awesome - thanks for the information! ...
- I went and did a bunch of reading , very good ideas - I just wish I had asked you first LOL.
- I had found Mark at CAF and watched some of his videos and they were great but his materials that he recommends - (Soundskins) are big bucks.
- I do wish I had found Skizer at Resonix Sound Solutions sooner , I could have save myself some money on bad material choices..... I also made the mistake of using lots of 6 to 10 inch pieces on the inside of the outer door panels because it was much easier to get the smaller pieces of sound mat through the holes in my doors..... and then I went and used lots of smaller pieces than that on the outside surface of the metal door that faces the inside of the car .... and small pieces on the back of the plastic door panels - Skizer says that you should use the largest pieces you can - - and he thinks off brands don't have very good quality - bummer. --- I am glad I didn't use any asphalt based products - that picture of it melted all over the inside of that guys car is a Nightmare!!
- He also said that you have to use the right closed cell foam - (like his which is unfortunately is very expensive ) . I had just went searching till I found the cheapest closed cell foam that came in the right sizes ..... oh well..... I am learning a lot from the places you recommended! -
- I am amazed at how much premium car speaker driver are! After looking at some of the best car stereo installations I went to look at prices of the drivers they used, and some are much more expensive than most of our audiophile stuff !
- So sad, I went looking and that Dual Amplifier that you are using and measured so well is no longer available........
-
- The original reason I had asked about CLD ideas was that I was trying to think up ways to make the outer door panels more inert ... even though they have one or two Butyl layers over them they still sound pretty hollow to me - Unfortunately Skizer says my multiple layers of Butyl on the outer door skin is a bad idea too - ( oops ).
--- So my original thought was to try and make front doors sound more like a good speaker box ..... I was considering using some left over heavy duty floor laminate which has 3 or 4 layers of materials in it and glued it down on top of the Butyl sound deadener , then some more Butyl mat or Masonite over that..... lol .
- I am considering trying to find a really good 3 inch midrange to go close to the tweeter - not sure which one though,
-- Well off I go to watch more videos! - thanks!
- I went and did a bunch of reading , very good ideas - I just wish I had asked you first LOL.
- I had found Mark at CAF and watched some of his videos and they were great but his materials that he recommends - (Soundskins) are big bucks.
- I do wish I had found Skizer at Resonix Sound Solutions sooner , I could have save myself some money on bad material choices..... I also made the mistake of using lots of 6 to 10 inch pieces on the inside of the outer door panels because it was much easier to get the smaller pieces of sound mat through the holes in my doors..... and then I went and used lots of smaller pieces than that on the outside surface of the metal door that faces the inside of the car .... and small pieces on the back of the plastic door panels - Skizer says that you should use the largest pieces you can - - and he thinks off brands don't have very good quality - bummer. --- I am glad I didn't use any asphalt based products - that picture of it melted all over the inside of that guys car is a Nightmare!!
- He also said that you have to use the right closed cell foam - (like his which is unfortunately is very expensive ) . I had just went searching till I found the cheapest closed cell foam that came in the right sizes ..... oh well..... I am learning a lot from the places you recommended! -
- I am amazed at how much premium car speaker driver are! After looking at some of the best car stereo installations I went to look at prices of the drivers they used, and some are much more expensive than most of our audiophile stuff !
- So sad, I went looking and that Dual Amplifier that you are using and measured so well is no longer available........
-
- The original reason I had asked about CLD ideas was that I was trying to think up ways to make the outer door panels more inert ... even though they have one or two Butyl layers over them they still sound pretty hollow to me - Unfortunately Skizer says my multiple layers of Butyl on the outer door skin is a bad idea too - ( oops ).
--- So my original thought was to try and make front doors sound more like a good speaker box ..... I was considering using some left over heavy duty floor laminate which has 3 or 4 layers of materials in it and glued it down on top of the Butyl sound deadener , then some more Butyl mat or Masonite over that..... lol .
- I am considering trying to find a really good 3 inch midrange to go close to the tweeter - not sure which one though,
-- Well off I go to watch more videos! - thanks!
Pst.. Audible Physics at Digikey. Less then 20 bucks.
YourWelcome. Don't tell everyone.
Also, The TUteonics is about 3 inches. About $10 bucks. If its good enough for a speaker that costs all together about 5K? Might work well.
Also do check out here
Dayton 2 inch Dome Midrange
David Ralph's Speaker Pages - Projects
Dave has some GREAT pages on Software and drivers with REAL Measurements and Modifications to make them better.
David Ralph's Speaker Pages - Home of the Windows Passive Crossover Designer (WinPCD)
A list of Drivers to take a look at with Full tests at Erins Audio Corner.
Driveunits
BTW the review of the 3 in midrange (More like a Full range, but as you can see, very good driver
Tectonic Elements TEBM35C10-4 Miniature BMR(R) Driver Review
The PRICE is ONLY 8.49 cents!
Tectonic TEBM35C10-4 BMR 2" Full-Range Speaker 4 Ohm
Personally, My Favorite revier is this guy:
http://noaudiophile.com/Micca_COVO-S/
Observe:
Listening impressions
These speakers sound like ****.
"But it's small" you say... well if this is the cost for being small the price is too damn high, even if the speaker is cheap.
I'm missing treble, not just upper roll off, I'm hearing half of cymbals and parts missing from guitar solos.
The lower midrange is bloated like a beached whale, in an attempt to distract you from the lack of actual bass.
The distortion levels are just unnaturally bad even at low volumes, smothering vocals with a haze of unintelligibility. "
This is my kind of Audiophile. To the point.
Also Skizer is the MAN.
I know the good stuff costs some coin. But in life. You can can get a Hummer for $20 bucks, or get the REAL DEAL for Free (Just costs you an arm, Leg, Kindey, etc at the end 🙂
For my Volvo build? I'm going with his stuff. Going to keep the car till I die, then pass it on to my youngest son. (Well, I hope he's mine)
For a Daily Driver? Non S.Q. to the MAX competition car? Go with what works. And nothing works better then something that DOES work.
Anything is BETTER then Nothing really. And even though it might not be the best? Or really work all that well? Something is better then nothing.
Just have fun experimenting on the cheap. And when you REALLY get what you like, GO with it!
Time to get more coffee and smokes. Have a good one man! And remember. GO with what YOU like.
Don't bother with what everyone else is doing. Make it your own and you will always be happy!
YourWelcome. Don't tell everyone.
Also, The TUteonics is about 3 inches. About $10 bucks. If its good enough for a speaker that costs all together about 5K? Might work well.
Also do check out here
Dayton 2 inch Dome Midrange
David Ralph's Speaker Pages - Projects
Dave has some GREAT pages on Software and drivers with REAL Measurements and Modifications to make them better.
David Ralph's Speaker Pages - Home of the Windows Passive Crossover Designer (WinPCD)
A list of Drivers to take a look at with Full tests at Erins Audio Corner.
Driveunits
BTW the review of the 3 in midrange (More like a Full range, but as you can see, very good driver
Tectonic Elements TEBM35C10-4 Miniature BMR(R) Driver Review
The PRICE is ONLY 8.49 cents!
Tectonic TEBM35C10-4 BMR 2" Full-Range Speaker 4 Ohm
Personally, My Favorite revier is this guy:
http://noaudiophile.com/Micca_COVO-S/
Observe:
Listening impressions
These speakers sound like ****.
"But it's small" you say... well if this is the cost for being small the price is too damn high, even if the speaker is cheap.
I'm missing treble, not just upper roll off, I'm hearing half of cymbals and parts missing from guitar solos.
The lower midrange is bloated like a beached whale, in an attempt to distract you from the lack of actual bass.
The distortion levels are just unnaturally bad even at low volumes, smothering vocals with a haze of unintelligibility. "
This is my kind of Audiophile. To the point.
Also Skizer is the MAN.
I know the good stuff costs some coin. But in life. You can can get a Hummer for $20 bucks, or get the REAL DEAL for Free (Just costs you an arm, Leg, Kindey, etc at the end 🙂
For my Volvo build? I'm going with his stuff. Going to keep the car till I die, then pass it on to my youngest son. (Well, I hope he's mine)
For a Daily Driver? Non S.Q. to the MAX competition car? Go with what works. And nothing works better then something that DOES work.
Anything is BETTER then Nothing really. And even though it might not be the best? Or really work all that well? Something is better then nothing.
Just have fun experimenting on the cheap. And when you REALLY get what you like, GO with it!
Time to get more coffee and smokes. Have a good one man! And remember. GO with what YOU like.
Don't bother with what everyone else is doing. Make it your own and you will always be happy!
I like these for the $;
https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Ref...finity+Reference+6032cf&qid=1627337594&sr=8-2
I have an earlier version (Infinity 6032) which looks to be the same. The tweeters are awful, but easily disabled, and the drivers actually sound great for the $58 price. I’m getting nearly 100db at 40hz from a pair of these in my front doors, is making it hard to justify the subs I had planned. Are perfect with about 75w to each one.
The installation will go a long way towards the end result. Door sealing, 3/8” thick hdpe (cutting board from WalMart) reinforcement of the area near the speakers, with lots of screws, some medium density close cell foam directly behind the drivers will help a lot. Small rolls of bubble wrap will help kill the back wave inside the doors too. An economical replacement for expensive sound deadening film is the butyl tape from Nashua, meant for use with vinyl window installation.
Can’t comment on any newer/better tweeters, as I haven’t had to buy any for a long time.
https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Ref...finity+Reference+6032cf&qid=1627337594&sr=8-2
I have an earlier version (Infinity 6032) which looks to be the same. The tweeters are awful, but easily disabled, and the drivers actually sound great for the $58 price. I’m getting nearly 100db at 40hz from a pair of these in my front doors, is making it hard to justify the subs I had planned. Are perfect with about 75w to each one.
The installation will go a long way towards the end result. Door sealing, 3/8” thick hdpe (cutting board from WalMart) reinforcement of the area near the speakers, with lots of screws, some medium density close cell foam directly behind the drivers will help a lot. Small rolls of bubble wrap will help kill the back wave inside the doors too. An economical replacement for expensive sound deadening film is the butyl tape from Nashua, meant for use with vinyl window installation.
Can’t comment on any newer/better tweeters, as I haven’t had to buy any for a long time.
- Hi phase , Great sugestions - thats some amazing low frequency output for the dollar! - the 5.25 Crossfire speakers that I had already bought as my OEM speaker replacements are only good to about 100 hz. so I'm looking to maybe add a pair of the Infinity Reference 6532IX 6-1/2" - as Mid- Bass driver to my door panels.
Hi imickey503 , Thanks for more great sugestions, As you sugested I've been doing lots of reading, still more to go -
- I went with Noico 80 mil Butyl sound deadener mat, and I found some 1Lb Mass Loaded vinyl, then bought some 1/8 high density closed cell foam that I am going to glue to both sides of it to make my diy version of the high end products like the Resonix and Soundskins stuff, this will hung between the inner steel door skin and the inner plasic door panel. I realize it's not the best way to go but it's what I can afford for now and it's got to be better than nothing -- I may try to add to this but I'll need to trial fit my door panels and see if there is any more room - LOL.
- Still researching 3 inch midranges......
-
Hi imickey503 , Thanks for more great sugestions, As you sugested I've been doing lots of reading, still more to go -
- I went with Noico 80 mil Butyl sound deadener mat, and I found some 1Lb Mass Loaded vinyl, then bought some 1/8 high density closed cell foam that I am going to glue to both sides of it to make my diy version of the high end products like the Resonix and Soundskins stuff, this will hung between the inner steel door skin and the inner plasic door panel. I realize it's not the best way to go but it's what I can afford for now and it's got to be better than nothing -- I may try to add to this but I'll need to trial fit my door panels and see if there is any more room - LOL.
- Still researching 3 inch midranges......
-
Hi imickey ,
- I went to Digikey looking for the 20.00 Audio Physics driver but couldn't find the listing - Do you know if it is still available there??
- I went to Digikey looking for the 20.00 Audio Physics driver but couldn't find the listing - Do you know if it is still available there??
Do a good job attaching all the deadening materials, ie, clean the painted door stampings well and take the time to reinforce and seal the openings left.
These screws were perfect for attaching the hdpe material after drilling some pilot holes in the steel inner door. Just be careful not to over tighten.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Teks-8-x-1-2-in-Phillips-Drive-Sheet-Metal-Screws-260-Count/3316516
Also, directly behind the speaker, I used some foam to help diffuse the back wave, something like this after cutting some channels into it with a box knife. It stays put with some double sided carpet tape.
https://www.amazon.com/Foam-Ninja-P...2x12x1+closed+cell+foam&qid=1628808576&sr=8-7
These screws were perfect for attaching the hdpe material after drilling some pilot holes in the steel inner door. Just be careful not to over tighten.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Teks-8-x-1-2-in-Phillips-Drive-Sheet-Metal-Screws-260-Count/3316516
Also, directly behind the speaker, I used some foam to help diffuse the back wave, something like this after cutting some channels into it with a box knife. It stays put with some double sided carpet tape.
https://www.amazon.com/Foam-Ninja-P...2x12x1+closed+cell+foam&qid=1628808576&sr=8-7
Just replied to your PM. Linky is there. And there are 194 in stock.
Price went up a bit to $22 bucks.