Hello everyone,

First, our generous thanks to all the members who have provided a wealth of information to these forums. Without this sharing of information, our project never would have left the ground. Special thanks to BerlinasS2k for helping remove and install the dash. Good luck at SEMA!

We wanted a better sound system in the car and the ability to listen to the iPod. The following is only part of the change our beloved S has undergone. I had a looooong write up of my adventures doing this project but elected to simply post pics. Our project took 8 months, cost too much but the results are.... finished. Let's leave it there )

Our audio selections were:
Alpine 9887 with KCE-422 iPod cable and TUA-T550 HD Tuner
Imprint was done with the Alpine KTX-100 module
Modifry Plug-n-Play adapter
JL Audio HD600/4 Amplifier
DLS Nordica 6.5 components
Streetwires positive & negative battery terminals
KnuKonceptz Kolossus Flex 4 gauge power cable
KnuKonceptz mKs silver plated RCA 2-channel interconnect
KnuKonceptz Karma SS 12 gauge bi-wire speaker cable
eDead 80 & v3 sound deadening material
Lots of other stuff

We took apart a good chunk of the interior to do a proper job of sound deadening.





Trunk was cleaned out too


We applied 2 coats of eDead v3 to the cabin and trunk. We used eDead 80 for the doors, transmission hump and foot-wells. Combined with the new carpet, the difference is quite noticeable.










Running the KnuKonceptz 12 gauge wire through the door grommets is a bit tricky. You need the proper fitting tool...

My wife is such a sport!





After we got the wire run, we decided to yank the dash and roll hoops. Doesn't everyone for a audio install? End result is power cables are run down the drivers side, RCA and speaker cables are run on passengers side.






We replaced the spare tire with a amp stand and vertical tray.




We also had to make tweeter pods as the DLS Nordica tweeters are about twice the diameter of stock. Yeah, I've done that before. First I created a tweeter housing using a PVC endcap lined with felt


Then I hacked into the door panels and smeared fiberglass everywhere. You should try it sometime. )


Drivers side smoothed and primered


Passenger side


My wife finished the door and tweeter pod


Hooking it together was rather fun. I built the amp rack to hold the DLS cross-overs vertically. It looked good on paper. Thankfully, my resourceful assistant has the necessary skills to bail me out..


Amp rack has been covered in black vinyl for easy cleaning. Cables run underneath and through grommets to their assigned areas. Speaker cables are further shielded using wire mesh snakeskin. The amp sits on 1/2" risers for airflow.






Alpine HD Tuner is mounted in the secret compartment.


Pics with the amp installed




Showing the top and bottom bracings for the vertical rack.


Battery terminals added


Headunit shot


You can see the DLS yellow driver...


Driver tweeter pod






Passenger tweeter pod


The vertical rack has a large opening covered with gray speaker mesh for airflow to the amp.


Thanks for looking!

 

very interesting and unique

 

I have been wondering about that edead. Sounds like good stuff. Nice install. Got to love it when the wife helps!

 

Hi FuzzKill

We spent about $100 for a gallon of V3 and 20sq ft of eDead 80. The change is dramatic. Some is due to the new carpet / padding we had installed. There's no more transmission whine, no rattles, etc. All we hear is the exhaust - which is perfect for us.

My wife did a lot on this project. We've got a couple of threads going in the Interior section and I'm posting our completed pics now. She wrapped the interior in CF wrap! It came out looking really cool. Thanks for the feedback.

 

Looks awesome.








Does your wife have a sister?

 

Preferably two

How are you finding the Imprint? Do you have your own KTX100, or did you borrow one?

If you have a screen capture of the Imprint setup, please add it here: https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=733733

 

Very nice install, the trunk looks excellent!! If anyone's interested in seeing s2k4trouble's full interior wrap job, it can be found here.

 

I liked the Imprint. You can tell there was a subtle change. It gave the system a dialed in sound - if that makes sense. The system sounded amazing before Imprint but I'm glad we did it.

As for operating it, it was quite simple. The KTX100 is specifically for the 9887 HU. There aren't options to dial it in manually as offered by the other Imprint system. I ran it about 3 times in an hour.

I 'rented' the system from Crutchfield. You pay 150 or whatever for the Imprint (either model), use it and return it. Crutchfield returns your money minus 50 dollars. (Shipping is on Crutchfield). Hard deal to beat.

Truly sorry I didn't know about the screen shots. I'll see what I can work out.

 

Thanks for that, I actually own my own KTX100 kit, so am up to speed with all that.

I think the difference is huge, particularly with regards to soundstage.

(I'm in the UK, so Crutchfield isn't an option)

 

Wow, talk about a quality install. If only I could get the wife to give me a hand installing things.. I can only imagine how much better it sounds with all that sound deadening!