Sound System - Has anyone had a go at making a good one?
Discussion
I'm making plans at the moment to have my Chimaera fully re-trimmed, but before I do I am looking at a few other things that need doing first. One big one I have wanted to sort for quite a long time now is the sound system. My current setup is an Alpine headunit which does Ipod and all of that, paired with some Focal speakers in the doors, and a pair of 6x9s in the back which look like they've been there since new.
I am a great lover of bass/treble heavy drum & bass music and would like to create something which can properly present the music, which by its nature is quite punchy and tight (rather than boomy). For that I will need a subwoofer, components & tweeters and probably at least one small amp. My first question is, has anyone done this before? In which case, lets see some photos of installs please!
I want the car to look smart with its new interior so I'm not looking for large speaker boxes and amps laid everywhere, so I'd like it to be out of the way, understated, yet powerful and well tuned. I'm happy to re-glass and change the shape of the door cards or parcel shelf to include mounts/chambers for speakers on the basis that these can be trimmed properly afterwards and hopefully look like they're meant to be there. For this I'd really like to find someone who's done this before and knows what they're doing with a Chim/fibreglass/sound systems. Has anyone had good experience with someone who might be able to take this on?
I know you're all going to say I'll drown out the lovely sound of V8, but if you've heard my car you'll know that no matter how loud the sound system is, you'll still hear that engine loud and clear..!
I am a great lover of bass/treble heavy drum & bass music and would like to create something which can properly present the music, which by its nature is quite punchy and tight (rather than boomy). For that I will need a subwoofer, components & tweeters and probably at least one small amp. My first question is, has anyone done this before? In which case, lets see some photos of installs please!
I want the car to look smart with its new interior so I'm not looking for large speaker boxes and amps laid everywhere, so I'd like it to be out of the way, understated, yet powerful and well tuned. I'm happy to re-glass and change the shape of the door cards or parcel shelf to include mounts/chambers for speakers on the basis that these can be trimmed properly afterwards and hopefully look like they're meant to be there. For this I'd really like to find someone who's done this before and knows what they're doing with a Chim/fibreglass/sound systems. Has anyone had good experience with someone who might be able to take this on?
I know you're all going to say I'll drown out the lovely sound of V8, but if you've heard my car you'll know that no matter how loud the sound system is, you'll still hear that engine loud and clear..!
I can't think of a worse car to try and install a hifi into.
I think you're on the right lines with creating some enclosures to the side of the parcel shelf. The treble seems to get lost with speakers in the 'factory' positions so moving them up higher would help. The S has 3x2" ashtrays in each door that a few guys have replaced with a tweeter. The Chim has a thinner ashtray in the door though.
Moving the battery to the boot might help free up some space for a sub enclosure in the passenger foot well.
What head unit are ou planning on using? The new units that have no CD function - ie they are radios and 'mp3' ports - are smaller which should free up some space behind for wiring for amps.
Perhaps an amp behind the passenger seat?
I think you're on the right lines with creating some enclosures to the side of the parcel shelf. The treble seems to get lost with speakers in the 'factory' positions so moving them up higher would help. The S has 3x2" ashtrays in each door that a few guys have replaced with a tweeter. The Chim has a thinner ashtray in the door though.
Moving the battery to the boot might help free up some space for a sub enclosure in the passenger foot well.
What head unit are ou planning on using? The new units that have no CD function - ie they are radios and 'mp3' ports - are smaller which should free up some space behind for wiring for amps.
Perhaps an amp behind the passenger seat?
Thanks chaps, I know its a bit of a tight fit, but on the other hand, it is easy to change the shape of the interior with fibreglass, so although space may be an issue, fit and form should not be.
I was thinking of having the door cards removed and remade in a different shape to incorporate the tweeters and probably some decent components so yes I agree with the ash-tray replacement idea...
I already have the battery and the boot and the fuse box behind the passenger seat so maybe the amp could go in the boot or behind the drivers seat. I already have a head unit with no cd function, but its a little old so will probably get a newer one with Apple Carplay in it.
Does Dynamat make much difference? I always thought that fibreglass is already a natural sound deadener so it wouldn't have as much effect as in a steel bodied car but I'm happy to be proven wrong...
I was thinking of having the door cards removed and remade in a different shape to incorporate the tweeters and probably some decent components so yes I agree with the ash-tray replacement idea...
I already have the battery and the boot and the fuse box behind the passenger seat so maybe the amp could go in the boot or behind the drivers seat. I already have a head unit with no cd function, but its a little old so will probably get a newer one with Apple Carplay in it.
Does Dynamat make much difference? I always thought that fibreglass is already a natural sound deadener so it wouldn't have as much effect as in a steel bodied car but I'm happy to be proven wrong...
Yes dynamat makes a big difference, its available in spray form too (Dynashield) for those hard to reach areas like inside the doors.
if you like HEAVY bass you will be moving a substantial amount of air with a quality subwoofer or two, the fibreglass enclosure will need to be fairly robust/reinforced to handle the pressure waves created, sub box design is a whole 'nother subject depending what you are looking to do - band pass, ported foldback etc
Have you considered underseat transducers, often used in cinema and video game setups to give you the bass/rumble :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYnpJIMTciM - american but you'll get the idea
http://www.thebuttkicker.com/
or active underseat subs like this :-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kicker-11HS8-Hide-Away-8...
if you like HEAVY bass you will be moving a substantial amount of air with a quality subwoofer or two, the fibreglass enclosure will need to be fairly robust/reinforced to handle the pressure waves created, sub box design is a whole 'nother subject depending what you are looking to do - band pass, ported foldback etc
Have you considered underseat transducers, often used in cinema and video game setups to give you the bass/rumble :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYnpJIMTciM - american but you'll get the idea
http://www.thebuttkicker.com/
or active underseat subs like this :-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kicker-11HS8-Hide-Away-8...
I dynamited everywhere, made a huge difference for road noise but also heat, made it much nicer inside without all that radiant heat coming through.
Then uprated front speakers, speakers in the seat headrest and a small 6 inch kicker sub on the rear shelf but installed stealth so you can't see if from the front.
I wouldn't bother if I were you, it was pretty much a waste of time. With the roof on you can hear the difference and it sounds good at low speed but how often are you going to be cruising around with the roof on?
Roof off and the only thing you can hear really are the headrest speakers and you have to crank those up to overcome wind and exhaust noise so quality just goes out the window. It's good on long journeys to actually be able to hear the music but there isn't any sound quality really with the roof down.
Then uprated front speakers, speakers in the seat headrest and a small 6 inch kicker sub on the rear shelf but installed stealth so you can't see if from the front.
I wouldn't bother if I were you, it was pretty much a waste of time. With the roof on you can hear the difference and it sounds good at low speed but how often are you going to be cruising around with the roof on?
Roof off and the only thing you can hear really are the headrest speakers and you have to crank those up to overcome wind and exhaust noise so quality just goes out the window. It's good on long journeys to actually be able to hear the music but there isn't any sound quality really with the roof down.
Andav469 said:
The best sound system for the Chimaera was fitted as standard, it's under the bonnet 
Not as standard it wasn't... Adding a supercharger, full ACT decat exhaust, ported heads, cam etc etc and it sounds rather more fruity 
ukdj said:
Yes dynamat makes a big difference, its available in spray form too (Dynashield) for those hard to reach areas like inside the doors.
if you like HEAVY bass you will be moving a substantial amount of air with a quality subwoofer or two, the fibreglass enclosure will need to be fairly robust/reinforced to handle the pressure waves created, sub box design is a whole 'nother subject depending what you are looking to do - band pass, ported foldback etc
Have you considered underseat transducers, often used in cinema and video game setups to give you the bass/rumble :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYnpJIMTciM - american but you'll get the idea
http://www.thebuttkicker.com/
or active underseat subs like this :-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kicker-11HS8-Hide-Away-8...
Hmm sounds like Dynamat might be worth looking at then... I used to have a system many years ago with a slotted tuned enclosure but that was massive and probably not practical for this use... I'd like to speak with a decent custom audio builder and see what they can come up with. I like the idea of the rumblers and headrest speakers but I've got Tuscan seats and I'm not sure that either will fit with them... All good food for thought though.if you like HEAVY bass you will be moving a substantial amount of air with a quality subwoofer or two, the fibreglass enclosure will need to be fairly robust/reinforced to handle the pressure waves created, sub box design is a whole 'nother subject depending what you are looking to do - band pass, ported foldback etc
Have you considered underseat transducers, often used in cinema and video game setups to give you the bass/rumble :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYnpJIMTciM - american but you'll get the idea
http://www.thebuttkicker.com/
or active underseat subs like this :-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kicker-11HS8-Hide-Away-8...
I have a valid point !If you are not amped at the moment I would just get a decent amp to run the Focal speakers in the door and some better 6x9s in the back. In such a small cabin I would not want to fit a sub and they weigh a ton
My car has some decent amped door speakers and can get to uncomfortable volumes without distortion. Decent 6x9's would produce enough bass I think.
My car has some decent amped door speakers and can get to uncomfortable volumes without distortion. Decent 6x9's would produce enough bass I think.
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