I remember seeing that pass floor install somewhere - looked like a pain to put in, though.

The rear panel was definitely a loser - not enough space. I would have built something there instead of the plastic though!.

45hz is good enough for me - I guess I don't have an appreciation for true subs, I don't feel the need to go lower, I just need to feel more of the thump where the notes are now. I don't want to rattle things loose and I would like to note that I don't have an ounce of dynamat in my car.

However, since that posting I also read on their website that if you build a ported enclosure correctly it will actually go down 33hz/38hz or something. I'm not ready to get that precise yet, BUT the current plan is to replace the 5" midbass in the RSX sub with 5WS, power it with a bigger amp, and see how the RSX chamber/port does with it.

-JD

 

And it continues...

How much did you pay for your speaker wire at home? It makes only a small difference to sound but it's pricey. Dynamat on the other hand makes a huge difference in sound (depeding on the vehicle, but this is generally true in the S2000) and is very inexpensive (especially offbrand stuff). You're are almost certainly not getting the full range of sound out of your Focals without sound deading in those doors.

 

You mean speaker wire at home? I've never been a believer in the $1000 speaker wire so just generic 10ga "low oxygen" at 90 cents a foot. Some people allege they can tell the difference - I've auditioned all kinds and frankly I just can't hear it. Patch cables, to a point, I can tell - but it is always GA and shielding and not brand name. Like people with $5000 CD transport - certainly DA converters can vary widely, but the $10 CD transport in my PC gets the same 1's and 0's out every single time so I just don't get it.

My windows are always down so sound is reflecting off glass, not the Dynamat behind it... I took great pains to seal around the speaker mount so no reflections are popping out there.

I'll wait until you hear it and see what you think. I think the car is heavy enough already with my fat a$$ in it <grin>.

-JD

 

what parts of your car have your dynamatted?

 

Me? Just the doors. Could be a difference in speaker, but with MB Quart QSDs it's mandatory. My speakers also get down to 35 hz which is gonna shake the plastic door panels much more than a speaker at midrange. With full Dynamat Xtreme in the doors it takes painful volume and the exact right frequency to hear any kind of distortion, shaking, rattling, etc from the doors. I could imagine that with a different setup and a good install it would be unneeded -- it's the first time I've heard an owner say that though.

(And I hear ya about the weight gain from this audio crap. My sub amp is 28.5 lbs! I cringed at the thought of putting asphalt in my doors too!)

I have two 8" subs in the trunk and it's right on the edge of needing Dynamat. At most volumes though there is absolutely no rattle. This is a well screwed together little car!

JD, you going to the Oct 9th run?

 

flitcroft, oatnet;
no need to call Focal to talk warantee coverage. At the price quoted above you will be getting these via "gray market" with unmatched serial numbers and won't be covered anyway unless you have a friend that's an authorized dealer install & register them. Focal is very touchy about this stuff during the warantee claim process. Been there. Be prepared to putting that kind of power thru. What was that? Did I smell smoke?

 

Good point, but these should have matching serial numbers. Focal, MB Quart, Eclipse, etc are old school and have dealer networks of installers with literal turf areas. The Internet came along and spoiled everyone's ultra-high-profit fun because any dealer can now sell anywhere s/he wants to, just not with official factory permission.

Since selling intrastate is 100% legal the only recourse the companies have is to revoke contracts to the dealers and to not honor the warranties from the customers that buy online. Pretty dispicable in my book (it's not like these $1000 speakers are stolen or something), but the companies do it in the name of "well (or 'factory', etc) trained installers".

I think JD got his Utopias on eBay so he doesn't care about a warranty anyway.

 

I did notice that at extreme volumes, the doors shake less now than they did with the factory drivers. I attribute that to the fact that I have the foam in the lucid mount and extension compressed down to 2/3 their intended height - I was afraid it might dampen the woofer, but instead it seems to have isolated the door.

I will be there Oct 9th - and with luck, I will have my replacement Alpine CDA-9835 installed!

-JD

 

[QUOTE=djweaver,Sep 26 2004, 07:39 PM] flitcroft, oatnet;
no need to call Focal to talk warantee coverage.

 

New development in the install story. After analyzing and measuring and thinking of how to install the monster Tarantula amp in my trunk, I have decided to send it back and go with the smaller Van Gogh series 500.4. It has identical specs yet its about 30% smaller in size allowing me to mount it vertically, and not take up my whole trunk. Best part is that I save about $300, so I can go ahead and order the alphasonik 8 inch sub and wlaurent box too. Should be done sometime in November, when I get back in town.