JimmyDee

Rockford Fosgate T400-4 (4-Channel Amp) - driving Focal 165V component speakers (front doors and rear deck).

Rockford-Fosgate T400-2 (2-Channel Amp) - bridged mono driving two JL Audio W3 Series Subs (yes - they're 6.5" subs!)

Center channel is an Infiniti Kappa 3.5" and is running off the stock amp.

Stock sub is disconnected.



I built the sub enclosure out of MDF and fiberglass, so it fits perfectly into the back corner. It is sized properly for the two subs.



I built a false platform over top of the Navi DVD Player. It is hinged, so that I can still easily access the DVD player.
I also built a little storage cubby beside it, which is actually a separate piece, and is velcro'd to the trunk floor




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UPDATE:

I did the above installation about 3 years ago, and it has sounded amazing ever since... except I blew one of the 6" JL subs. I was also using Stinger LOC's, and I suspect one of them was starting to fail, because every once in a while I got a bit of distortion through the front tweeters.

With those two issues nagging at me (since the summer), I finally decided to do something about it, and bought myself a couple Christmas gifts:

I got a Rockford-Fosgate 3Sixty.1 on Craigslist for $100.00

I realize that the Version 2 is far superior, but for a hundred bucks I couldn't refuse!

I was also doing a lot of research, with regards to sub replacement... After much thought, it really came down to two decididng factors:

1. I'm 42 years old, with 2 kids, and I use my car as a daily driver, as well as for my job. So the reality is that, I don't want a big sub box taking up my whole trunk.

2. I like to build my systems to be as 'stealth' as possible. I like to hear the sound quality, more than see it.

I decided to venture away from the 'full boom' of a real sub, and experiment with replacing the factory 8" unit, and see what I could get with a free air mid-bass sound. Unfortunately, I got busy with the project, and put it all back together, before I took any pictures. But I bought an Image Dynamics ID8VB4 sub. It is a subwoofer, designed to be in an enclosure, but it's also had a lot of success in a free air environment. I completely Dynamatted the rear deck (top and bottom), and dropped the sub into the stock hole. It fit like a glove!




Let me be the first to say that after a few hours of tuning the 3.Sixty, and mounting foam to strategic points on the rear deck shelf (to get rid of rattle), the free air sub in the stock location sounds amazing! It performs much better than my two 6" JL subs did in an enclosure. It's NOT ground shaking sub bass, but it IS very good bass fill... you can feel it... it pounds.

The 3.Sixty is a wicked unit. I would recommend it to everyone who is considering doing a stereo / amp upgrade. As I mentioned before, my stereo sounded pretty good when I did the original upgrade, but the 3.Sixty has brought it to a whole new level. I am hearing sounds and tones that I never heard before, and am truly impressed!

I also ripped the original trunk layout apart. My goal is to build a 'stealth' system, so with all speakers in the factory locations, I wanted to get the amps out of my face. I built a backboard against the rear seats, and mounted the amps to that. Then I built a false front out of pegboard (the holes in the pegboard help for air movement/cooling). The install is clean, and I have a FULL trunk.



So, with it all together, I am now running the following components:

Stock head unit
Rockford-Fosgate 3.Sixty digital sound processor
Infinity Kappa 3" center driver
Focal Polyglass 165VB components for the front doors and rear deck
Image Dynamics ID8 subwoofer
Rockford-Fosgate T400-4 amplifier - driving the Focals
Rockford-Fosgate T400-2 amplifier - driving the Sub
Stock amplifier - driving the 3" Infinty center channel


Jimmy

wahshi

iTrader: (4)

Looks real clean, nice job!

phampau

Looks good and nice work! Did you tap the 360.1 before or after the factory amp?

JimmyDee

After.

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

very nice like I said in the other thread

JimmyDee

Forgot to mention... I also installed an Acura Music Link for my iPod.

I know there are better units than the Acura one, but a few months ago I brought my car for an oil change and told them NOT to wash my car (because I swear they wash with sandpaper and broken pop bottles). At any rate, the lot boy decided to ignore the big note that said DO NOT WASH, and when I got the car back... guess what! Freshly washed / scratched!

I complained like crazy, and the Service Manager offered to give me a free Music Link to shut me up. It was out of the box, and I suspect it was a return or previously installed, but whatever, I took it. I've had it in my garage for some time, and figured this was the opportunity to get it installed.

The MP3 sound quality isn't quite as good as a CD, but it's not bad. The convenience of having 2000+ songs at my fingertips, without fumbling around changing discs, makes it worth the install.


Jimmy

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Which ID8 sub woofer is that? The ID8 d4 v.3?

JimmyDee

Yes. It originally came with this big plastic cap over the magnet, which you need to pry off to lessen the mounting depth (so that it fits in the factory hole).

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Sweet, thanks.

What's with the watermarks?

dzionny_dzionassi

i have same sub running on stock amp. with two layers of dynamat. Not Bad

JimmyDee

I installed the sub before taking any pics of it... so I pulled those pics off the net. Same sub, but someone else's pictures.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Jimmy-congrats! Hey, if you don't get what you want for the holidays, at least you can get it for yourself. My Mom gave up on getting me anything for the holidays-she just gives me money instead.

Jesstzn

Great job Jim ... Next trip down I'm coming for a coffee & a listen ...

Type Steve -O-

Nice! Looks good.

BlkAc06

Any pics of the components installed in the front door or deck lid?? I wanna upgrade my speakers with components but not sure how much work is invovled and where to place component parts.

JimmyDee

No sorry. I did the original installation about 3 years ago, and didn't take any pics at that time.

The compnenets are fitted into the original stock location. Front door and rear deck take 6.5" drivers, and the tweeters are mounted in the same spot (in the dash) as the factory ones. Many people use components for the front and coax for the rear, but I went component all around, and mounted the rear tweeters onto the rear deck (beside each headrest).

Depending on what speakers you use, the installation can be fairly simple. I used Focal speakers, and they were a bit deeper than the stock ones, so I made a spacer ring out of MDF. The tweeters in the dash just pop out with a small flat screwdriver.

The hardest part about doing a speaker retrofit, is the rear ones. In order to get to the rear speakers, you need to remove the back seat and the cover on the back deck. Once those are out, you will have full access to the stock speakers (2 x 6.5" drivers and 1 x 8" sub).

The doorskins are fairly easy to remove. There is a super-helpful posting on this site, which tells how to remove all of these pieces. I've referred to it many times...


Jimmy

BlkAc06

So JD are the deck lid speakers 6" or 6.5" I'm a little confused by the post. And did you change your sub or just the speakers? Does the Focal give better sound than Polk or Infinity or is it user preference? Rather not do a spacer to have it down the line become a problem.

And with your current setup how is the sound quality compared with stock?? And do you not need as much volume with these?? And thanks for the explanation JD

jda123

Speakers are user preference. However, most users would likely prefer some Focals to Polk or Infinity. In any case, there are plenty of speakers that sound nice out there.

The rear deck speakers are 6.5".

Most aftermarket component speakers will need spacers to work. The door hole is not very big. In addition, some also might require that you cut some metal in the door even with the spacer. You will probably have to use 5.25" speakers if you don't want to use a spacer, but even a lot of those will not fit. The stock speakers even use a spacer of about half of an inch.

JimmyDee

wow... lotsa questions!

The speakers in the door and the rear deck are 6.5"

As the post shows, I also changed my sub to an 8" Image Dynamics unit, and put it in the rear deck (in the stock location). I had originally built an enclosed unit in the trunk with two 6" JL Audio subs, but I blew one of them, and was wanting to re-build the system to be a bit more stealth. The 8" in the rear deck gives way better bass response than the two 6" units did in the trunk.

I originally installed Infinity speakers, because a few other members had recommended them (2ohm direct replacement)... but they sounded like crap (shallow, no bass, and very bright - they sounded like waaaay too much treble, with no way to compensate). As the member above stated; speaker sound is always personal preference... my version of 'crap sound' may be someone else's liking. At any rate, I have used Focal Polyglass speakers in a few of my past cars, and I prefer their sound, so I ran with those again in the TL.

I did not have to cut the door or rear deck metal, but I did have to make a 3/4" spacer for the 6.5" door speakers. It is very simple to make and install, or you can also buy pre-made spacers. Most decent aftermarket speakers are deeper than the stock ones, and the magnet will hit the window guide or not allow the window to roll down, so you need spacers for the front door installation. The Image Dynamics sub was a direct drop-in, no spacer needed. The rear deck speakers are a direct drop-in, no spacer needed.

With regards to sound quality... there is no comparison to stock. This setup completely blows the stock setup away. It is now a very (very) clean sound.

Not sure what you mean by; "not needing as much volume"... I am running my Focals and sub off of Rockford Fosgate amplifiers, so they can be quiet, or they can be loud. Here's an example of levels in my car: Volume level 5 is good when the wife is in the car. Volume 10 is good for everyday driving (by myself). Volume 15 is when it really starts to sound full. Volume 25 is pretty loud, with a full robust sound. Volume 35 is friggen loud, and is really driving the speakers to perform at their potential. Sounds amazing (at its best) at 35. I set-up the 3Sixty to peak when the input volume is at 35, so anything above this is where it starts to distort.

Hope this clears everything up.


Jimmy

BlkAc06

Thanks JD, this does clear things up for me. Sorry for all the questions, but when I do this I wanna do it once and the right way, and seeing you did such a great job on yours and have a good idea of what does and does not work, I asked. Thanks for all the info it will be a big help. Guess I will start looking for my RF 3Sixty and start gathering components for my upgrade.

Rod