blownby

I am debating using the stock location or flush mount somewhere...
Looks like door panel may work, front corner door window area (not sure enuf depth), or the door section in the pocket just above the door speaker?

I can't find links for 05 tl's with pics for reference or if it really makes much difference.

I am looking to keep the look as "stock" as possible.

Thanks,

DiamondJoeQuimby

iTrader: (2)

Mine are in the kicks right next to the mid. Honestly, the stock tweeter location is poor imo.

blownby

in the kick panel?
Sounds good all the way down there? Do you have a pic off hand?

DiamondJoeQuimby

iTrader: (2)

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-94/after-almost-2-5-yrs-my-stereo-finally-done-now-853485/

pohljm

others have made pods for the A pillars

njkode

Quick question, with your set up do does your backup camera still work as OEM?

xxx_busa

here are mine best spot YET "SAILS". I've had tweeter in stock, doors, A-Pillars and the sails........

DiamondJoeQuimby

iTrader: (2)

No. replaced the OE camera.

blownby

Wow, tons of great customs mounts!!

For now, i mounted (polk audio MM6501)
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-989ZPFx...io-MM6501.html

woofer in the door behind panel and tweets in stock location. I sound deadened the door panel as well. want as OEM as possible. Plus I can easily replace stock grills and move tweets later if so desire.

The fronts sound very "hollow"? not sure if it is the door panels muffling, just the way the speakers sound(don't think so as great reviews) , way its crossedover or what? I have the HP to theses set at 50hz from apline pdx-v9 amp

I am also using the audiocontrol lc7i for line output.

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

IMO putting tweeters in the kick panels don't make much sense. Woofers don't need to be directional but tweeters do for a proper sound stage. It's better having them higher up.

A pillars are a nice choice but take some fabricating. Back in the day I had these awesome budget tweets mounted on the sunscreen area of the windshield with 3M tape. These sounded AWESOME for it's time.

Next thing you know everyone in my college copied me. The only drawback is that the tape came off after about 3yrs. The tweeters have a bit of heft to them. But my passengers would always say how nice they sound because of where I placed them.

In my TL and the car I had previous I have gone a different route. I have mounted my tweeters in the B-pillar. The wire runs up to the top and comes out at the junction between the panel and the headliner so you don't see it. There is no fabrication, there is no permanent installation (no drilling) and can be removed anytime without a trace. I don't see a lot of people who put speakers in the B pillar and I wonder why not?

Best of all it ends up and providing a "surround-like" effect because this places them up above and behind the front seat occupants heads. It isn't directly towards the ears so I do set them slightly more harsh than I usually would if they were direct. By doing so I get a nice crisp high end without being annoying. For the rear passengers it ends up filling their front stage aside from what they are getting reflected off the rear glass from the shelf.

DiamondJoeQuimby

iTrader: (2)

Whoa. So much here. First, I'll start here; it's your car, do what floats your boat. Sound is subjective, it's up to the listener's ear as to what sounds good. Now that that's out of the way , let me understand your logic. Kicks for a tweeter mount (which I'm assuming you are referring to my install since I mentioned them) are bad, but placing them 4 feet from the mid up in front of the listener, or 5+ feet from the mid behind the listener is preferable because they "provide a surround like effect" in one of the few cars that has actual surround sound?

Also, you are basing your assessment on college buddies copying your idea, and are baffled why no one puts tweeters in B-pillars behind the listener's head.

A couple of things specific to my install and why I placed them there. 1) I listened to different locations extensively before I finalized my kick panel design. Like different locations for several months extensively. 2) In my particular install the tweeters are on axis with the listener. The are in the rear of the panel that actually clears the overhang of the dash. 3) They are very close to the mid, creating more of a point source which is widely accepted as a good way to minimize the need for additional processing and help with cohesion between the mid and the tweeter. 4) by putting the tweeter and the mid in the kick the path length difference is minimized, again requiring less processing to align the speakers.

Finally, a question; have you ever listened to a car with properly designed kick panels that places the tweeter in the kick? If the answer is, "Yes, scores of them. That is what has formed my opinion of the kick panel being a less than ideal tweeter location." I'll shut up. If it is, "No, why would anyone put them there? I can't even wrap my head around why that would be a good idea, so it just doesn't make sense." then I'd ask you to not judge and dismiss what I did until you hear it.

The whole point of my installation was to create a wide, realistic sound stage with good height. I succeeded. Are there things that can be improved? Sure. Will I improve them? Probably, at some point. But guess what, the tweeters aren't the issue.

And yes, I have placed speakers at the very peaks of the a-pillar in my fist car, before I really knew what I was doing, so yes, I have heard what you are describing. Let's just say I haven't done it again because in every new system I do, I try to improve on my last design.

And finally, "woofers aren't directional and tweeters are" is an incredibly broad and generic statement that honestly is just wrong, but that is another can of worms.

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

The first 2 sentences you wrote is what I agree the most with. I started my post with "IMO". I didn't say I know everything about sound systems, I don't install them for a living. But I have had my share of decent installs in all my cars for the last 20yrs. so I'd say I know a thing or two.

OP's subject was for tweet locations other than stock. No need to defend your setup. I'm sure it's nice. Actually the answer to your question is in fact "Yes, scores of them. That is what has formed my opinion of the kick panel being a less than ideal tweeter location." As a matter of fact I've done kick panels on almost every car I owned till I abandoned the idea on the TL. It was just more work doing it that way custom fabbing it all. You say you have tried tweeters high up. Didn't work for you. OK. So we have both tried a little of this and that and do what sounds right for each of us. No need to be baffled. I am not baffled about your install. I know because I have done something similar.

I will admit though I didn't use really high end equipment in those past installs. I used the top of the line Kenwood/Pioneer and of the like. Decent but nowhere near what's available today. I know it could sound a lot better if done with better equipment and properly installed cost be damned. Actually that is the real truth, if your budget allows you can build a killer system. You can build pods or housing that swivel up towards the passengers from the kick panel. I get it.

My present system is not on a competition level. It is decent. I didn't want to put a ton of new speakers in the car and wanted to retain a factory appearance from the outside as much as possible. One easy way to get the flat sounding ELS to sound better is to brighten them up with good tweets and keeping them higher up. So that's why I wanted to put the idea out there for anyone wanting to try something different. Even if they aren't aligned they don't sound any worse, it makes the whole system sound much better than without them.

You may not like to separate the tweets from the mids and it probably doesn't make sense to you. I understand what you are saying about the alignment. I would argue even the mids would sound better in that position as well. Think about your home system. I have Polk towers that are ear level directed at me. Not inwards from the side. It's just not physically possible to mount them in a car this way in a reasonable way because it needs an enclosure/housing. A few of the pics we have here are some good attempts at that with small mids in the A-pillar. Great efforts and workmanship but IMO they aren't my cup of tea aesthetically. And should I say subwoofers are not directional but woofers and tweeters are? Does that sound better or are you going to disagree with that too? If you can convince me to take my 12" subs out of the trunk and mount them in the interior and stick my tweeters in the trunk, I'll do it. lol. Just kidding around.

Speakers up high can provide a "surround-like" effect. A fill in if you will, that's all. Of course it provides no delay or separate channel. Yes our car has 5.1 but are you seriously using DVD-A all day? lol. I'm not. Who cares about actual surround? It is something that had real promise in 2004 but turned out to be a gimmick for us since the format didn't get the recognition it deserves.

I was mentioning the feedback from others. Granted not all these people are true audiophiles, yes. A few were past TL owners and were blown away about how stock everything looks but how different everything sounds from their car. Perhaps you and I would know about sound more than them but that does not discount their opinion totally. Like you said, sound is subjective. But it just tells me that it's not just my ears, it sounds good to a lot of people.