Hey guys,

I'm a new owner of a 06 TL. As we all do, the upgrade bug is already itinhing in my system. This thread will be ever changing with pictures and all the goods so check back often!

First and foremost, I want to upgrade the audio system. I want to retain the stock navigation and radio but control the EQ, TA, and X-Overs actively.

What the system will look like (tentative):

Drivers:

Front Midbass: Peerless SLS 6.5"
Dash Tweeters: Aura NSW2 (upgrade or keep?)
Center: (keep stock upgrade or delete?)
Stock rears (leave as is or delete or upgrade?)
Sub: IB COnfig (AA Arsenal 12 or PG RSD12?)

Amps:

JL E6450
Undecided Amp for Sub

Processing:

MiniDSP 2x8 (tentative)


Any suggestions, opinions, and help is greatly appreciated!

 

Sounds like you are starting off well, better than most looking to upgrade.

I'd like to hear the peerless 6.5's sometime, they have been rated very high.

So you need a processor? What are you leaning towards? Are you going to pull the signal from the hu or the factory amp?

 

Here is a very valuable thread on using hu signal, which I personally have found to work well

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-94/quick-preview-my-system-project-747397/

You could do this harness, they use a high quality line driver like an ac matrix or a tru ssld 6 then connect to your dsp

 

The Peerless have gotten rave reviews for their midbass, but they drop like a rock at about 700hz. Definitely not 2-way friendly unless you want to run a 3 or 4" mid with it. You might be able to get away with a 2", but that's cutting it close with wiggle room.

Center is completely up to you and the Mini's processing capabilities.

What are you paying for the JL e6450? With a setup like this, you might be better off finding a 5-channel and/or used amp(s).

 

That is a great idea but I think the Minidsp only requires one pair of full-range inputs and then you can split the signal 8 ways.

Ya, ever since I went with the Aura's in my Maxima, there is no going back to tweeters. Full range speakers up top are just something else. But as for the amp, I will need 8 channels of amplifying since the front two channels will be active.

Thanks for the input guys!

 

What are you running the Aura's from? What can you compare them to and why do you like them more than a 1" or 3/4" tweeter? Any loss of detail on the top end (12kHz+)? Just wondering..

How do you get 8 channels? If you keep the stock center and rears (which I would and just keep them on the factory amp..just fade all the way to the front) then you'd only need 5 channels. I'm not sure if the Mini incorporates the center like say the MS-8 does, but you might be fine with the stock one. I have it turned all the way down, though I might replace mine and see what the MS-8 can do with one.

 

I would keep the center speaker because it's used for the navigation prompts. That is unless you find a way to have the navigation prompts come through the other speakers.

 

I think he means he'd replace it with something

 

I ran them from 1k up because that was the lowest the 880 went but with a active crossover I can go down whereever I want and it should take full advantage of both the Aura and Peerless. Other option is sell the Peerless and get a component set.

Good idea on using the stock amp for center and rears.

I think I will just use the stock amp and upgrade the center channel to something more robust.

 

i ran the sls 8's a while back

Awesome midbass, but they were crap above 500hz

Mated them with a tang bang w3

 

Ya, I'm thinking of selling them and implementing the bottom two.

http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com...-woofer-4-ohm/
http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com...ne-full-range/

To implement the full range, I'm thinking of fiberglassing a baffle to fire it on axis (close to) towards the seats.

 

I'd go with the FR88's instead

 

I read about those but I don't know if that will be in my budget for almost +$50 over the set mentioned above. I'm no audiophile.

 

Hey guys,

Couple changes. I think for the sake of convience I'm going to ditch full rangers and go with a tweeter for the stock location.

Here is what the diagram looks like:



I will tap the signals for the front drivers before the stock and leave the stock amp to power the rear and center chanels.

Now one dileama I need help on is the sub. My amp (pic below has two ways to implent the sub. I can use the high outputs from the stock sub's terminal in the trunk and input it into the High Input of the amp and use Ch. 1 and 2 on the amp to power the sub and use channels 3-6 for the front four drivers. from the miniDSP. Would this be feasible? Or should I use the "sum" option on channels 5 & 6 and use channels 1-4 for the frontt drivers?



Also, the front two channels will be EQ'd and time aligned by the miniDSP but since it can only output four channels, I have no way to adjust the sub, center, or the rear fills for time alignment. Is this a big issue?

 

use the front left and right signal only. amp will route the sub signal. use the remote bass control knob for sub control. that is exactly how mine is setup.

 

Go big or go home. 10" midbass as part of a 3-way setup. You barely need subs.

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Music is no fun without subs, lol.

 

BUt those two signals will be going into the miniDSP which will process it with EQ, TA, etc. Do you mean I should tap it for the sub also (before the miniDSP)?

Sure, when do you want to do it?

Amen, sign me up!

 

My bad I misread your issue. Its TA, etc not just sub control. Don't think that will be possible for center and rear fill on OEM amp.

 

There are subs obviously but if you wanted something that will do 40hz and up you could leave the subs off if you choose. Or you can highpass them higher, say 63hz and have all the midbass punch you could ever dream of.

I would feel comfortable doing it for someone now that I see how easy it is. It's literally just as easy as doing a larger 6.5" except you have to be really careful of the placement so it will fit under the door panel.

 

Can't go without subs, imo

Plus, 63hz in a door at 80db..is no fun.

 

80db? I've already tried 63hz with the bass boosted and the midbass level turned all the way up and everything the HD600/4 can throw at it and it doesn't run out of excursion. This is exactly why I wanted to go with a 10", you can cross them low and still get loud unlike a 6.5" that's excursion limited.

I'm not suggesting anyone go without subs but if you're like a lot of people that only want a little more fill on the low end, these will make a sub unnecessary. They are a sub/woofer. Some people use them as subs in the trunk. They do anything any other 10" sub would do. I'm sure I could run them all the way down to 30hz if I wanted to. Obviously I have a pair of 15s in the trunk that I have no intention of getting rid of.

These midbasses allow you to cross as low as you want and still feed them full power if you choose to. If you're into punch you in the chest midbass and up front sub bass, or effortless sound with little excursion at high volumes, this is for you. If you're not into crossing them low, you still end up with a more laid back, low excursion setup with a ton of head room.

In a 3-way system, there is no downside to running a 10" midbass and many upsides with the unexpected one, less door vibrations and rattles at the same SPL. You obviously don't want to do this in a 2-way.

The way I look at it is most people have to do some cutting on the door to fit aftermarket 6.5s in there. What's the big deal about a little more cutting. You still make a MDF spacer, use it to pull the sheet metal flat, cut it in half and mount it to the back side of the door for more support with the speaker flush mounted. You're talking an extra 10 minutes of work per side if that. Obviously that's for the Dyn 182 specifically which is a very compact 10". Most others I'm sure you'll have to space the window track and you might have issues with the side impact beam. I've got about 1/2" clearance between the speaker and beam right now. The window track if it needs to be done is not big deal.

 

Ya I will fade everything to the front when I'm alone in the car and won't be using the rear fills by myself.

What is the depth of the 10" you're using? Seems like a interesting idea but cutting into sheet metal of a car I just bought scares me.

 

It took me 3 years of owning the car before I would cut anything so I understand. The depth is 3".

 

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't updated in a while.

To cu the long story short, I ordered a Coastaletech Lockpick module for the Aux/Video/Backup camera but I got the XM Traffic version for the 07/08 and I have a 06 without it. Ugh! If you know anyone that wants it, I will let it go for $200 (retails for $350).

So then I went ahead and ordered a PXAMG kit and got around to installing it yesterday so now I have Aux function and can finally go ahead and start ordering the system components.

So first dilemma I have is 3-way vs. 2-way up front.

Is it possible I can do a semi-active 3-way (passive midrange and tweeter on axis on dash & active midbass in door) or should I just stick with a full active 2-way (midbass and fullrange/tweeter)?

Madisound has some nice Aura speakers on sale and if the 3-way is possible I can build nice setup with them.

 

Any combo is possible. Depends on budget, what amps you're using or what you can afford (obviously 3-way needs more channels of power)

 

The speakers are so cheap I feel cheap stating the price. lol

But the more I think about it, I think the 3-way will be a headache to resolve.

I'm leaning towards this setup:

Aurasound NS6-255-8A -> Fountek FE85

What do you think?

 

Good luck with the system! I didn't see mention of it in the threads, so my is SOUND DAMPENER, especially on the rear deck. My trunk is done complete as was the rear shelf and the deck still rattles like hell. I'll be adding another layer or something back there.

 

Ya, the deck is alot more prone to rattles then the trunk especially in a IB config. I have a roll of Damplifier ready to go in as soon as it cools down a little.

 

Hey guys,

Need your help.

Do you say I go for a traditional tweeter up top at the dash (can on find Vifa BC25SC06 or Dayton Audio ND28F that fit) or fabricate (ugh) and go for a full ranger?

The fact that the opening is so damn small in the dash, it frustrating I can't fit anything in there.

 

I don't like the tweeterless setups. I play my mids up to 8khz at times but you will likely miss that top end sparkle of the tweeters. It's been my experience that a tweeterless setup sounds good at first but the more you listen to it the more you realize stuff is missing. It also depends on your hearing. I can hear to nearly 20khz. Some can only hear 10khz. If that's the case, a tweeterless setup would probably be fine. You have to be much more careful in the installation, 10khz-20khz is going to be way past a 2-4" speaker's beaming frequency so you must have them on axis if you're going to hear the upper frequencies. Have you thought of a 3-way?

 

I didn't miss anything when i had the w3

then again, im sure my hearing is shit.

IHC, how easy was it to drop in the 9?

 

It was literally almost as easy as a 6.5". I just cut the hole to the right size. The door skin obviously isn't flat. So I cut out a solid circle of MDF the same OD as the speaker and screwed it to the door which pulled the door flat and gave the speaker a decent mounting surface. I did not use this circle or any baffle to mount the speaker. I spaced the window track with a few washers. Even with a very small "10" I had to cut the hole to where it went into the hole next to it and left only a thin strip of metal between the speaker hole and the hole above it. I bought some sheet metal strips from Home Depot and built the areas up a little using self tapping screws. Then put down some Second Skin over everything and screwed the speakers in. The door panel has to be trimmed on the back side just a little. There's a reinforcing rib that runs in kind of a "U" shape right over where the 10 goes. The material comes off in less than a minute with a grinder. It's only a couple inches that need to be ground off.

The speaker flush mounts, the door panel remains 100% stock looking on the outside with very little work behind the scenes. You don't even have to grind the usual material around the outer diameter that most people do with aftermarket 6.5s. The first side took me several hours. The second side from start to finish, removing the 6.5" to actually listening to the new 9" was about 1.5 hours and I wasn't trying to go fast. My fab skills aren't that good, it can probably be done in well under an hour by someone that's good.

And again thanks to Kirk for basically walking me through it and giving me the idea. When you hear drums come alive for the first time with larger midbasses you will never be able to go back to 6.5s, any 6.5. It's such a difference that I want to stop everyone when they're asking which 6.5 they should use and tell them not to bother. But again, the problem is it requires a 3-way.... unless you're running horns.

I know you don't care for Dyn but these are a great mix of a sub and a midbass. They play up to 2khz very well and they will go very low with authority when set up as a midbass. Very light moving mass. Fs is low enough for a midbass and most importantly they're only 3" deep. Of course, a pro audio 10" with a higher highpass and a ton of efficiency would work well too.

I would have to name this as one of the single largest improvements in overall SQ, stage, dynamics, etc. And the best thing is less door rattles at the same output.

 

I've never had good luck with 3 ways.

I think it will have to be a tweeter setup.

 

Put some of these in the door, OP.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=295-376

Get a large tweet that can get down to 2khz


...and profit.

 

Thanks eggy.

I think I'm gonna go with Aurasound NS6-255-8A and Vifa XT25SC90-04 @ 2.5k/18db.

Can't look at anymore drivers. lol