Another audio upgrade thread

[Jamesp]

What the heck, it's been done before but those threads are buried so why not do it again.

The old Nokia POS dash speakers are already replaced with infinity reference, there's a current thread on that. I did mine a little differently using the old Nokia frames and connectors as the base of that installation, to each his own.

The new head unit is last years Lanzar SNV695B. 80 watts per channel, 4 channels, on sale for $189, I quite like it. A boss 2000W amp goes in the frunk to drive an Infinity 860W reference subwoofer in a band pass enclosure. The 200 watt amp will only drive 1000 watts due to the 860's impedance. Infinity 62.11i 6 1/2 inch speakers go into the doors and will be driven at 80W each. This should be plenty of volume and thump for a little Box.

Here are some pics:



Modified stock bracket to support the new double DIN, Pink Styrofoam house insulation wrapped in lack electrical tape on the base of the bracket supports the back of the unit


A screw hole is added to anchor the unit to the modified bracket (circle) and a similar front support (Arrow) covered in Mier's insulation tape from Home Depot - Looks great.



The final installation - note the new position of the AC controls



I fired up the sub using my home stereo and almost took out the glass in my book case.

More pics as more is installed

[tommy583]

Where are you putting the sub? In the frunk? I don't think my wife would go for that That spot is reserved for her luggage in my car

[particlewave]

Since the frunk is sealed, are you planning to port to the cabin somehow?
If not, it's just going to rattle like crazy.
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/44815-stereo-subwoofer-question.html

[Jamesp]

Unlike higher frequencies, low frequency sound passes through most materials fairly readily which is why aside from their size, subs end up in trunks. We've all experienced this at stop lights when we get to enjoy someone else's subs from the inside of their car to the inside of ours. What we miss in that case is all if the mid and high frequencies. Those have to be generated in the cabin. It's not optimal but I don't think that communication between the air in the trunk and the air in the cabin is critical for good performance, meaning the windows will still rattle at low frequencies. Having said all that there's bound to be a loss of performance so its a bit of a gamble. I'll report out after it's running and let the forum know how well it worked. As for luggage, I'm looking for a connector so I can put a handle on the sub and make it removable. Particlewave, any ideas on a connector? I was thinking a standard 3 prong might work, but it will look like something Jed Clampet came up with.

[tommy583]

I would use banana plugs for the connector.
http://www.parts-express.com/parts-express-gold-recessed-5-way-banana-speaker-terminal-cup-rectangle--260-309

[JayG]

Those trunk subs are annoying and disrespectful to everyone outside of the car.
Do you really want your German sports cars to sound like some getto car?

As far a a connector, you can use any connector including standard 3 prong electrical connectors. Just make sure no one tries to plug it into a wall outlet!

[particlewave]

Actually, most cars have them in unsealed rear trunks with nothing but some upholstery foam between them and the passenger cabin. Not like our cars at all. I don't think you're going to like it and it's going to be farting air through the seal.

What size is that sub? I kind of like what this person did, but I'd stick with my smaller 8" kicker and 0.5 cubic foot enclosure. Best of luck!

[alm001]

I must chime in to say skip the sub for a number of reasons;

1) There is no way it can effectively delivery bass to the cabin
2) That "2000watt" amp is more than likely less than 200 watts.

You can go ahead and TRY... but you will not like the results, and will have wasted your time.

Focus on getting what you can out of the door speakers.

[Giller]

Originally Posted by alm001

I must chime in to say skip the sub for a number of reasons;

1) There is no way it can effectively delivery bass to the cabin
2) That "2000watt" amp is more than likely less than 200 watts.

You can go ahead and TRY... but you will not like the results, and will have wasted your time.

Focus on getting what you can out of the door speakers.

False. You can effectively get base to the cabin. Not overwhelming BOOMING base - but a good base non-the-less. My old ride had the Bose surround system and had the sub mounted behind the seats where the cubby is. It delivered solid surround sound base. I can only imagine if you had hooked that up to a more effective amp, you would have some solid booms behind your head. The rear surround speakers also helped to fill the cabin with a nice sound.

[particlewave]

Yes, but he is talking about mounting a sub in front trunk which has no air flow to the cabin.

You'll get some sympathetic vibration frequencies through the metal of the car, but minimal sound/pressure waves.

[Jamesp]

Originally Posted by particlewave

Actually, most cars have them in unsealed rear trunks with nothing but some upholstery foam between them and the passenger cabin. Not like our cars at all. I don't think you're going to like it and it's going to be farting air through the seal.

What size is that sub? I kind of like what this person did, but I'd stick with my smaller 8" kicker and 0.5 cubic foot enclosure. Best of luck!

Ok - this is an awesome idea, and really well executed. I'm jealous. I'm still going with the sub in the frunk, and if it sucks I'll try something like this, but with a band pass enclosure to hide the driver if I can get away with the additional volume. My convertible GT has a small pass through with at least 4 inches of foam along with trunk lining etc. between the cabin and the trunk. There is zero airflow between the trunk and the cabin. Admittedly no metal but plenty in the way and it freaking rocks.

[Jamesp]

Originally Posted by JayG

Those trunk subs are annoying and disrespectful to everyone outside of the car.
Do you really want your German sports cars to sound like some getto car?

As far a a connector, you can use any connector including standard 3 prong electrical connectors. Just make sure no one tries to plug it into a wall outlet!

Please, it's "ghetto". And yes, I'd like my German sports car to have "Some freakin' big stupid thump!", and be "dope!". Thank you for your interest.

[JayG]

Originally Posted by Jamesp

Please, it's "ghetto". And yes, I'd like my German sports car to have "Some freakin' big stupid thump!", and be "dope!". Thank you for your interest.

I guess there is no accounting for taste.
Dopey is the operative word.

[Jamesp]

Originally Posted by JayG

I guess there is no accounting for taste.
Dopey is the operative word.

PM me and I'll send you a cane to shake at the kids on your lawn.

[Jamesp]

Originally Posted by particlewave

Yes, but he is talking about mounting a sub in front trunk which has no air flow to the cabin.

You'll get some sympathetic vibration frequencies through the metal of the car, but minimal sound/pressure waves.

Ok doubters 1, Jamesp 0. The verdict is in, Subs in the frunk aren't worth the effort. There goes my "low frequency sound waves" theory. Here is a pic of the test setup:



The result was the sub and amp combination worked very well together. It was impressive with the hood open. While it could be felt inside the car, it made little difference in the overall sound quality over the dash speakers alone and is not worth having in the car. The trunk latch was buzzing like mad (I think it would eventually wear out / break) and there was much more bass response outside the car than inside. I'm glad I didn't go to the trouble of making things pretty or running wires to the frunk, this would have been a disaster. As it is I got to do a little design and play with my table saw. Thanks P-wave for your comments, they drove me to test this before doing a full install. Back to the drawing board.

[paulofto]

I'm with the old geezers.

There used to be a term back in the day that meant something in the world of sound reproduction . . . High Fidelity. It has lost all meaning in a world where loud obnoxious thumping bass is construed as 'good sound'. It's too bad all that engineering that effectively produces a rolling 4 wheeled sub woofer can't be better used to produce truly clean, high definition sound across the whole audible band rather than just a concentrated peak below 100hz.

Just an opinion from an old cane shaker.

[JayG]

Maybe you should shake your cane at yourself :dance:
Adding a sub to the frunk is an exercise in futility, but nothing ventured, nothing gained

I like a good car stereo, its I just don't like listening to someone else's car when I am in mine, or worse feeling some thumping from another car when they are stopped at a light next to me or when they drive by

All seriousness aside
Add rear speakers if you don't have them. They make the single biggest difference
Add a sub to the passenger seat area. They are several threads about this

BTW, how is that Lanzar SNV695B? Looks pretty good, especially for the price.
Is the NAV any good?

[Jamesp]

Originally Posted by JayG

Maybe you should shake your cane at yourself :dance:
Adding a sub to the frunk is an exercise in futility, but nothing ventured, nothing gained

I like a good car stereo, its I just don't like listening to someone else's car when I am in mine, or worse feeling some thumping from another car when they are stopped at a light next to me or when they drive by

All seriousness aside
Add rear speakers if you don't have them. They make the single biggest difference
Add a sub to the passenger seat area. They are several threads about this

BTW, how is that Lanzar SNV695B? Looks pretty good, especially for the price.
Is the NAV any good?

I have 1000W subs in my Mustang GT. I turn them down at lights from common courtesy.

The Lanzar is amazing for the price. 80 watts per channel into 4 channels. Really brought the Infinity replacement dash speakers to life. The only slap I have is that it has run out of memory and rebooted twice on me now during navigation. The GUI is intuitive, the maps are updatable and currently contain many smaller businesses. Even with the reboot issue I'd likely buy it over the more expensive units I was ready to buy. One other thing it has that I didn't know I needed but is now imperative for any future unit is the ability to tilt the screen in small increments. This allows you to eliminate glare in any lighting condition.

[Jamesp]

Originally Posted by paulofto

I'm with the old geezers.

There used to be a term back in the day that meant something in the world of sound reproduction . . . High Fidelity. It has lost all meaning in a world where loud obnoxious thumping bass is construed as 'good sound'. It's too bad all that engineering that effectively produces a rolling 4 wheeled sub woofer can't be better used to produce truly clean, high definition sound across the whole audible band rather than just a concentrated peak below 100hz.

Just an opinion from an old cane shaker.

I've been waiting for you to show up. One of my older hobbies (along with my engineering student buddies) was loudspeaker design. I was all about the Thiele and Small equations, 12 db/octave Butterworth filters, balancing SPL between drivers, cabinet design, imaging and the like. My multimeter measures Henrys as I still occasionally wrap my own crossover coils. Having said that,the inside of a Boxster isn't the best listening environment available. Running down the road with the top down un-distorted volume is going to be king. Along with multiple drivers to adequately cover the audio spectrum.

[particlewave]

No harm in trying

I've seen several attempts on this forum over the years and they all had the same result. Now you can build the box between the seats.