I finally made the plunge and installed my Infinity Perfect 6.1's. Since I started this project late last night, I didn't bother to take pictures. (I did this late at night on the streets of Manhattan, so I wanted to do it fast!)

I'll just describe the process of installing. If you just want to know how the speakers sound skip to the bottom.

Getting the door panels off is a cinch. Just follow the instructions on MacGyver's site. Remember to remove those screws in the door handle and latch, though!

Once off, I set the panels aside and unscrewed the speaker baskets. I had JBL 630's in there, which fit into the stock baskets, incidentally.

I then took the door panels and the baskets up to my apartment. I had already wired the Perfect crossovers to the Perfect tweeters. You'll need to get the baskets behind the woofers, so don't wire those to the crossovers yet.

Next, I cut the baskets, which is necessary with these deep speakers. Surprise! I discovered that there is no way to attach the Perfects to the baskets. I decided that I would just lay the woofers into the baskets (a nice tight fit) and then let the pressure of the door panel hold them in place once everything was back on the car. Not ideal, but I could not see a suitable way to attach those buggers to the baskets. Anyways, I put the baskets behind the woofers.

Then, the dreaded moment -- cutting the tweeter holes into the door panels. I laid them down side by side and got the hole saw ready. Yes, I eyeballed it. I drilled into the interior side until the saw barely touched the vinyl. Then I reversed the drill to score the vinyl. Then I cut the hole! Yikes! It worked though.

One problem -- the hole I cut was just barely too big. My tweeter assemblies would cover it, except that the curvature of the door panel really shows any gaps. It's ok, I messed with it a while until I got it just right. Be careful, though, because THAT VINYL IS THIN! AND, there's white plastic underneath it! Just be gentle and position your tweeters and screw on the backing (not too tight, though).

Ok, now I took the whole shebang back down to the car and set the woofers and baskets into the hole in the metal of the door. I was sure to pull the ends of the factory wires out of the hole first, so I would attach the crossover's IN channel to them. I then ran the woofer wires out to the crossover and attached them. Then I took the crossover's IN wires and attached these to the factory wires. Those sure are little wires. I'll replace them later.

Now, I just sort of stuffed everything into the door panel (there's plenty of space in there) and carefully lined it up. It's a bit tricky to get back on, so I fiddled with it for some time. Once I got the top of the door panel hanging from the window sill, I adjusted all the wires inside the door panel so they wouldn't interfere with the locking mechanism, and adjusted the crossover so that the door panel pushing against the bundle of extra wires (I used too much) would hold it firmly in place. Then I made sure that the foamy damping in the door panel's speaker grill lined up nicely with the circumference of the woofer, and once all that was lined up, I pushed the door panel in place. It was a tight squeeze, but it fit ok and seemed worthy of holding everything tightly in place. Don't try to stuff too much in there though, or you will have a hard time lining up the door latch later.

Ok, then I put all the trim bits back together (door handle, latch etc.)

I deliberately only tested the system with a crappy Public Radio station earlier to ensure that it worked. So..

Some guys in a huge SUV had pulled up behind me at some point and were taking an interest in me, so I threw my toolbox into the trunk, got into my car, started her up and went for a quick drive.

I put in Pink Floyd's Animals and turned it up a little ways. At the first crescendo, I cranked it higher and higher.

Now, I have the top of the line Clarion head unit (with the LCD screen, etc.) and I have a 100Wx2 Cadence "Sweet Poison" amp. I just kept going louder and louder and...

THERE WAS NEVER ANY DISTORTION. GOOD GOD!!!

I ran it through its paces, and I noticed that the woofers are true woofers -- not subwoofers. My JBL's had boomier bass, while the Perfects punch hard but don't handle long low bass notes. This might be helpful:

Pink Floyd, Animals: Stunning.
QTip's new record: Clean highs, some low end distortion.
Dr. Dre, 2001: Very clean highs and mids, not enough bass.
Miles Davis, ESP: Stunning.

Now, you should also know that the Perfect tweeters are directional. I pointed them up and forward, so they are directed at the dashboard. This has an excellent imaging effect, and them music seems to come from the sides and center. Very nice.

Big thumbs up. Don't know why I waited so long.

 

SC,

Excellent post...even without the pics (still wish you had the chance to make some, but considering the streets I think we'll let you slide on this one ). Now that my little girl has warmed up to me over the months, I've considered replacing the Sonys with components. Don't get me wrong, those Sonys have done me quite well, but I would like the ability to adjust the imaging a bit more physically, rather than electrically (I love electronic imagers, but the math behind them is a BITCH to understand, even with my background).

Oh, as a side note to all...I have started work (it'll be VERY slow until my thesis research is finished) on my MP3 player. This will be like other HD-based units out there, but it'll be built by...well, ME! Of course, with my desire for sparklies and flashing lights (it's the little things in life, OK), it should sport a sweet display. Keep your eyes/ears open for further news...

 

Great post Sunchild!

I have been waiting for you

Now I can go pick up those Perfects sitting on my dealer's shelf

Tell me if I got it right? You did not screw the woofer to the basket because it did not fit (with the basket cut)? Is there a way to make the woofer fit the factory speaker basket frame? This might be a possible problem. With the speaker not attached to a strong foundation, your base will suffer. Anyhow, keep us posted. I'll wait for a few more days for your additional impressions (read as tips and techniques) before I install mine.

Thanks,
:Kibro

 

The woofer fits into the basket, but the holes in the woofer (really slots, not holes per se) don't correspond to the baskets. In other words, the baskets slot over the woofers, but can't be easily attached. Someone has a creative solution somewhere, just not me.

So...what I did was...since the speaker in the basket in the metal hole in the door pushes pretty hard against the door panel's speaker grill, I just let the forces hold it in place. YES, my bass is suffering. No doubt. There's got to be an easy solution.

BTW, how are people attaching their crossovers to the door panel? With 2-sided tape?

 

Also, I need some little rubber washers to go around the tweeter housings to eliminate the gaps. Good thing I live near Canal Street!

 

Oh, I just reread your post. My dealer put my JBL's on before I picked up the car last year, so I don't have the factory basket frame. I had some special frame that the JBL slot into. I guess that might be the problem.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sunchild
[B]

BTW, how are people attaching their crossovers to the door panel?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sunchild
[B]BTW, how are people attaching their crossovers to the door panel?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MacGyver
[B][QUOTE]Originally posted by Sunchild
[b]BTW, how are people attaching their crossovers to the door panel?

 

That should only be 2 pairs of wires, 1 pair for the woofer and 1 pair for the tweeters. The x-over should now sit outside the door panel (for easy adjustment, customization). The x-over is wired directly to the amp... then the amp to the receiver.

Hope this helps.

:Kibro