So, you think the OEM system is terrible?

[RAAMaudio]

A single 15 will rock these little cars, especially when coupled well being up fired in the rear floor.

I also noted the baltic birch plywood, I never use MDF, a proper BB and glass enclosure utilizing the stock bodywork is my favorite, as in a PM, I did a 2.2 cube sealed one that was just 20 lbs and very very solid.


My ST is just getting a single sealed 12 but you have me thinking now about ported due to the stock HU lack of low end voltage out though I will have a processor so I will try sealed first.

Going to keep an eye on this build

Rick

 

[TaylorFade]

I do have horns in my truck. I tried to fit them in the FiST but it was a no go. The motor just has nowhere to fit.

ALLLLL of this I am saying is based on the base, non NAV system. I haven't heard the upgraded whatever so I can't say. Maybe the tweeters are hotter or something. And my listening position selector really does wonders for the stage in my car. But I've heard mixed reviews from others. It does it so well that I'm probably going to try to do all of my processing analog (old school style) and fore-go time alignment. Maybe.

When I'm done with the 12" roundup I mentioned earlier, I will be doing a budget 6.5" midwoofer shootout.

But I am pretty sure I am set on these designed by one of the best in the business. AND bonus... they're American made!!

http://meniscusaudio.com/eclipse-w6520r4-p-1406.html

Those woofers have been drawing parallels to ScanSpeak. And I know you know what sort of comparison that is, Rick.

As for tweeters... I really don't think you can get a better tweeter for our factory locations than this one (for the money)

http://www.parts-express.com/vifa-ot19nc00-04-3-4-fabric-dome-tweeter-4-ohm--264-1122

Vifa OEM's for ScanSpeak and that tweeter is just a flangeless version of Scan's Illuminator.

 

[TaylorFade]

A single 15 will rock these little cars, especially when coupled well being up fired in the rear floor.

I also noted the baltic birch plywood, I never use MDF, a proper BB and glass enclosure utilizing the stock bodywork is my favorite, as in a PM, I did a 2.2 cube sealed one that was just 20 lbs and very very solid.


My ST is just getting a single sealed 12 but you have me thinking now about ported due to the stock HU lack of low end voltage out though I will have a processor so I will try sealed first.

Going to keep an eye on this build

Rick

I'm actually testing a passive radiator setup in my CRX right now. You know what sort of pain porting a small box is. PR's are an easy solution to our space requirements. Lower tune in a smaller box without the pain in the butt of an aero port and weight savings over a slot port (extra wood).

 

[RAAMaudio]

Very interesting

I have 10 or so W17RC38 Silver Flutes and 7 or 8 or more Seas aluminum mids, crossover boards, DIY in wall mounts, etc from Meniscus I bought years ago and never installed, I was going to order Seas mids, forget which ones, they said the SF were just as good and around 40% of the cost and worked perfect with the crossover designs. I have extra tweeter as use a pair in my ex competition Tacoma for years and had some in my sons transmission lines he built but later went coax.

I bet that Eclipse sounds even better, much so possibly

----------------

I never hooked it all up but with Eric Stevens help I went from a giant folded horn, dual ID15's, 1KW PE H class amp, amazing sub setup but ugly and I around 72 cubic ft, to 4 sealed ID 15's in separate PE enclosures, using the crossover and EQ of the PE amp feeding two Peavey 1600 watt H class amps...I never actually hooked it all up as two of them on the 1KW PE amp really was enough.....they did not even touch that big folded horn which I added a ton of mat, angle iron, rubber pad on top, a few hundred pounds of plants.....to keep it from bouncing off the floor as originally it was a church organ sub with about 100 watts, just plywood.

----------------

I am doing the low weight install so decided to try the PE, Dayton Esoteric mids, did you take a look at them?

----------------

 

[RAAMaudio]

I was actually going to buy a set of those tweeters, really

But, I have a pair of older, never used, Alpine, made by Vifa, that are VERY similar and was going to use them in my truck at first, mounted in the stock BLOWS, pillar mounts, even had them installed, took them out when I bought the ST to use in it, I wonder if the same driver...

Very cool not using car audio branded stuff, I usually don't but am still a dealer and Arc has been great to me for many year so I use what I can from them and anxiously waiting for Eric Stevens Designs new line but it has been forever in the works. I have a long history with Arc, some Zapco before that, lots with Eric and Matt when they were ID.....I had $20k in inventory of ID stuff and dumped it at cost when he had to leave there.

Did you see my old Taco comp truck, my component set was worth about what the truck was back then, Rainbow Refs, they were the closest thing to a properly setup horn I have ever heard.

 

[RAAMaudio]

I have never done a PR setup, just one of those things not done yet......perhaps you can help me make a final decision on my sub for the ST, I have a few Arc 10's, a 12 and a Black line 12 but they do not make PR drivers. I have a wholesale account at PE, it has to be a low weight, fit in the tire well, amp and processor and battery as well, two big dogs and a bit of grocery hauling take up the rest of the area past the front seats.

I have already hammered out the floor of the well but can do a bit more, more rounded, stiffer, less glass needed. Battery is small, amp and processor as well, need some survival, safety and tools but they can right on the floor behind the front seats, when not on track....

I was considering cutting the back of the tire well out to make it an angle, welded back in, part of a really serious diffuser design I have in mind.

I do not have a lot of airspace, 600 or so RMS for power, I can make a false floor in the whole back of the car to gain more airspace if needed, most of it will be aluminum angle, channel and Alumalite so will not weight much, just stiffen up the sub area.

This is fun, glad you are here
Rick

 

[TaylorFade]

Very interesting

I have 10 or so W17RC38 Silver Flutes and 7 or 8 or more Seas aluminum mids, crossover boards, DIY in wall mounts, etc from Meniscus I bought years ago and never installed, I was going to order Seas mids, forget which ones, they said the SF were just as good and around 40% of the cost and worked perfect with the crossover designs. I have extra tweeter as use a pair in my ex competition Tacoma for years and had some in my sons transmission lines he built but later went coax.

I bet that Eclipse sounds even better, much so possibly

----------------

I never hooked it all up but with Eric Stevens help I went from a giant folded horn, dual ID15's, 1KW PE H class amp, amazing sub setup but ugly and I around 72 cubic ft, to 4 sealed ID 15's in separate PE enclosures, using the crossover and EQ of the PE amp feeding two Peavey 1600 watt H class amps...I never actually hooked it all up as two of them on the 1KW PE amp really was enough.....they did not even touch that big folded horn which I added a ton of mat, angle iron, rubber pad on top, a few hundred pounds of plants.....to keep it from bouncing off the floor as originally it was a church organ sub with about 100 watts, just plywood.

----------------

I am doing the low weight install so decided to try the PE, Dayton Esoteric mids, did you take a look at them?

----------------

Silver Flutes are one of my go-to suggestions when people ask about budget woofers. Great low end and sensitivity. Tough to beat for the money. Maybe impossible.

I ran across the Dayton Esoteric when shopping. They look really good but haven't heard any reviews on them. But forget the Dayton. You need these in your life.

http://stereointegrity.com/product/tm65-6-5-woofer/

XBL^2, neo and a TON of stroke. That's your winner.

I am really, really trying to do an "all American" made build so the Stereo Integrity's are tops on my list right next to the Eclipse.

I even went so far as to eschew the typical "car audio" wire and got good ol' American made welding cable for all of my power and ground. Personalized, of course

 

[RAAMaudio]

Cool on the welding wire, I turned down a free $5k retail sponsorship on Monster because I was overweight, over priced, and used DIY RCA's, Wire King speaker and Welding wire for power and then Stinger for fuse and distribution and had to pay for it....I did not want to support products I did not believe in, this when I put in a $7k set of components and barely could buy food or pay rent....

-----

Also cool on the labeling

-----

 

[RAAMaudio]

Just looked at those mids, damn fine!!!!!!!

I might have to get a set

I will not have the system done for some time, the rest of the car comes first and nearly done but never done, ever......

 

[RAAMaudio]

After the insane build I did in the Taco I sold it to help fund my growing business and installed an 8443 Eclipse, aluminum full size tweeters, Dayton Ref 6.5s, two Arc 10s, XXK 50x4 and 200x1 amp and love it for years and years.

I like really simple systems the most, I did an install in a Matrix with an 8443, forget what home audio mids and tweeters, tweets off the HU, mids and sub off a smaller Arc amp, IDQ10, and never used the EQ, it was incredible when I first turned it on, never before or since has that happened and I did my first install 46+ years ago.

 

[TaylorFade]

I have never done a PR setup, just one of those things not done yet......perhaps you can help me make a final decision on my sub for the ST, I have a few Arc 10's, a 12 and a Black line 12 but they do not make PR drivers. I have a wholesale account at PE, it has to be a low weight, fit in the tire well, amp and processor and battery as well, two big dogs and a bit of grocery hauling take up the rest of the area past the front seats.

I have already hammered out the floor of the well but can do a bit more, more rounded, stiffer, less glass needed. Battery is small, amp and processor as well, need some survival, safety and tools but they can right on the floor behind the front seats, when not on track....

I was considering cutting the back of the tire well out to make it an angle, welded back in, part of a really serious diffuser design I have in mind.

I do not have a lot of airspace, 600 or so RMS for power, I can make a false floor in the whole back of the car to gain more airspace if needed, most of it will be aluminum angle, channel and Alumalite so will not weight much, just stiffen up the sub area.

This is fun, glad you are here
Rick

PR's will weigh in the neighborhood of 2-3lbs depending on the basket being used. I'm not sure what the Xmax is on the Arcs you have, but general rule of thumb is at least 1.5x displacement of the active driver. So... if you used a 10", you could use a single 12" PR with similar stroke. Or... (2) 10" PR's if having mismatched sizes would annoy you. Lol.

You tune them according to moving mass. The moving mass of the radiator mimics the weight of the mass of air in a traditional port. Some PR's will give you the ability to add or remove mass to suit your needs. I love them.

The ones I have were made to match the subs I was using at the time and I've tried them in a ton of different applications. They're lightweight and very shallow so they go anywhere.

 

[TaylorFade]

Just looked at those mids, damn fine!!!!!!!

I might have to get a set

I will not have the system done for some time, the rest of the car comes first and nearly done but never done, ever......

I'm really trying to hold off on the performance mods. It's proving very difficult. Lol. So stereo keeps me preoccupied.

And I think I just talked myself into the Stereo Integrity's. Lol.

 

[RAAMaudio]

Did you check out my list of mods....I was going to do a minimal modded car this time......ooops!

Those look like TC baskets, Eric and him buddies?

What you think would play the lowest, weigh the least, less space, loudest and best SQ, overall of course, 10 active and dual 10 PR or single 12 PR? Or the Arc 12 sealed?

I do not need nuts loud, need to conserve space and added weight.

Thanks

 

[Phreak]

Compared to the audio system in my Hummer and Audi (both of which are the base stock systems, and not the optional Monsoon / Bang & Olufsen systems) the OEM Fiesta system blows. Sorry, but it is true, it sounds like crap in comparison.

Then again I don't really care that much... I didn't buy it for the stereo system

 

[RAAMaudio]

I have owned dozens, if not more, cars and trucks and hardly ever heard a stock system I thought was worth a damn so I just planned to make it better in all of them and have done so many I cannot remember them all.

I have not owned some of the EU cars with Dynaudio speakers, etc....and not heard some of those but supposedly great systems.

Best I owned stock was a 2007 Tundra LTD, JBL, other than needing more bass and more power it was close to sound quality audio competition level with incredible imagining, depth, etc....I just did some sound deadening and a bit more and it was great!

Worst, BLOSE (Bose) cars and trucks I have heard and those I owned like an 06 Vette, 06, 07.5 and 2012 Duramax trucks, pure garbage but the Sony in the ST, no offense, not much better......

 

[TaylorFade]

Did you check out my list of mods....I was going to do a minimal modded car this time......ooops!

Those look like TC baskets, Eric and him buddies?

What you think would play the lowest, weigh the least, less space, loudest and best SQ, overall of course, 10 active and dual 10 PR or single 12 PR? Or the Arc 12 sealed?

I do not need nuts loud, need to conserve space and added weight.

Thanks

Murphy and Eric are buddies. But that's just an open tool 12 spoke that everyone and their mother uses. It's cheap and effective. But I may get the passives redone with a Ti basket so I can get more displacement from the same size (since it allows for larger spiders and longer stroke). Maybe I can get it done with a single PR.

I'm going to have to check out your build logs. Maybe I can get some ideas of my own.

Update on my Lithium battery... I spoke to my guy and he's going to custom make it so that I can tuck it away nicely in the hatch area. Very little real estate, weight savings, weight relocation and more power to boot. It's a win.

As for your sub, I think you're on the right track with the Stereo Integrity BM MK IV. Thing is a small box beast. And it's so shallow that you have a ton of mounting options.

 

[RAAMaudio]

I need to call Eric and check the progress on his new gear, he has a processor in the works as well but it has been taking a long time to get anything on the market. I used to drive 100 miles after work, weekends, etc, to the plant and help Matt work on cars, sometimes all night than back to work in the AM, where I learned most of what I know about real car audio

Cool idea on the custom passive(s).......

PM me about a battery please, custom, just right amount of "Juice", etc....what you recommend and cost to expect, I might sell some things off and get one

The BM sub in a glass and BB plywood .5 box would save a ton of space and be very low weight for sure, I can then fit more safety gear, etc...all has to fit in the tire well, amp, processor, battery, sub and safety gear, tools, etc......

Calling about the sub and the mids today or tomorrow, lots to do right now, catching up online then out to the shop to play with my toys!

 

[Sourskittle]

This car has a radio !!!!? Holy crap !!! Upgraded turbo = no radio for me, lol

 

[RAAMaudio]

I always upgrade the audio in my street vehicles, then hardly ever use them, did my first one 46 years ago

I still own most of a sound deadening business so I have to do this and really enjoy demoing them as few have ever heard real high end car audio. Fun to go to an audio shop and let them listen to what can be done as few have a clue and just stuff as much as they can sell into a car with little regard to how it really can and should sound.

I have sat in many vehicles with a $1,2,3,4,5......k install that sucked compared to ones I have done for under $1k,

 

[SirSlaughter]

I always upgrade the audio in my street vehicles, then hardly ever use them, did my first one 46 years ago

I still own most of a sound deadening business so I have to do this and really enjoy demoing them as few have ever heard real high end car audio. Fun to go to an audio shop and let them listen to what can be done as few have a clue and just stuff as much as they can sell into a car with little regard to how it really can and should sound.

I have sat in many vehicles with a $1,2,3,4,5......k install that sucked compared to ones I have done for under $1k,

Over here the MECA Audio competitions are a thing in Lebanon and Nashville. I've listened to a lot of systems and I can tell you I know how you feel. Some sound truly great and I have loved that rare gem with a superb system that was both crystal clear, loud, and bad proper balance in their sound.

Then you get the guys that just cram as many 12s, 15s, 18s, and even 20s that their square box they made can hold. Yeah it's loud. Sure you got some decent pressure numbers, but I know my father had a rating of 140+db when he did a custom system in Germany. It was literally 2 subs in a custom fiberglass setup. It sounded outstanding.

Then I look over here and I got a bunch of people with at least 10-20 subs in their car that are barely pushing the 150 mark.

My dad and I are looking into trying to make our own boxes that aren't just big squares