Discussion
Hiya everyone.
I've got a S1 elise and i love the car to bits! I'd like to start upgrading my stereo system.
I've recently installed a decent enough pioneer headunit but i feel the sound is quite poor. I only have the speakers behind either side of my seats and the sound is completely drowned out. I understand that i am driving an elise and there's loads of road and engine noise.
What i'm thinking about is building some sort of speaker pod/s for the front of the car. I'm thinking of a footwell speaker arrangement, or maybe speakers mounted/bracketed under the dash facing towards the driver. Also a pod type of build where the cubby hole area is (where the door sill meets the dash).
Has anybody done this to there car or seen it done?
what are peoples views on this and have they got any advice?
many thanks
andy
I've got a S1 elise and i love the car to bits! I'd like to start upgrading my stereo system.
I've recently installed a decent enough pioneer headunit but i feel the sound is quite poor. I only have the speakers behind either side of my seats and the sound is completely drowned out. I understand that i am driving an elise and there's loads of road and engine noise.
What i'm thinking about is building some sort of speaker pod/s for the front of the car. I'm thinking of a footwell speaker arrangement, or maybe speakers mounted/bracketed under the dash facing towards the driver. Also a pod type of build where the cubby hole area is (where the door sill meets the dash).
Has anybody done this to there car or seen it done?
what are peoples views on this and have they got any advice?
many thanks
andy
theres lots on here and SELOC (also the techwiki) if you do a search...I installed a decent system in my Elise about 5 years ago as i was using the car daily for 25K miles a year - it cures the motorway and traffic jam boredom 
The rears in an S1 are actually 6" - but you are limited on depth, so if you want to have a good choice then get some 1" deep spacer rings too.
Take the rear bulkhead panel off and line the back with dynamat and fill the void behind the speakers with some wadding (and old hollowfibre pillow will do)
As for the best speakers - well you can spend £500 a pair if you like...but theres no point in an Elise with all the road noise and lack of sound deadening in the car - I wouldnt spend more than £100 a pair
Have a look on www.caraudiodirect.co.uk - you just want some 6" coaxials...you can probably fit some 6.5's in there with spacers - any brand up to £100 a pair will do you
For the fronts then Eliseparts do some tweeter pods - actually just having tweeters up front in an S1 will bring the soundstage forward, so you could get some 2 way 6.5" components - put the mid bass in the rear and the tweeters up front.
Or you could make some footwell pods - a guy on SELOC has done it and then get some 4 or 5" up front.
Of course you really want a small amp as the ones in the head units are never pokey enough...then you want a sub - maybe a small powered one on the rear shelf, to fill out the bottom end.
all depends on how much you want to spend, and how much hassle fitting you want.
lots of pics of my S2 install here :
http://rides.webshots.com/album/57887221xRqcTQ
The rears in an S1 are actually 6" - but you are limited on depth, so if you want to have a good choice then get some 1" deep spacer rings too.
Take the rear bulkhead panel off and line the back with dynamat and fill the void behind the speakers with some wadding (and old hollowfibre pillow will do)
As for the best speakers - well you can spend £500 a pair if you like...but theres no point in an Elise with all the road noise and lack of sound deadening in the car - I wouldnt spend more than £100 a pair
Have a look on www.caraudiodirect.co.uk - you just want some 6" coaxials...you can probably fit some 6.5's in there with spacers - any brand up to £100 a pair will do you
For the fronts then Eliseparts do some tweeter pods - actually just having tweeters up front in an S1 will bring the soundstage forward, so you could get some 2 way 6.5" components - put the mid bass in the rear and the tweeters up front.
Or you could make some footwell pods - a guy on SELOC has done it and then get some 4 or 5" up front.
Of course you really want a small amp as the ones in the head units are never pokey enough...then you want a sub - maybe a small powered one on the rear shelf, to fill out the bottom end.
all depends on how much you want to spend, and how much hassle fitting you want.
lots of pics of my S2 install here :
http://rides.webshots.com/album/57887221xRqcTQ
Hey,
I have upgraded the stereo in my S1 and it sounds fantastic. I upgraded the rear speakers for some decent ones to start with and then fitted a sub and amp which I positioned behind the seats in the middle. This add the weight to the music and makes it sounds miles better but front end was still missing.
This is where I got crafty. I removed the two outer dash board air vents and then fitted a 3.5 inch full range speaker into the hole. I didnt block off the air that should come out of that vent, instead i made a cup around the back of the speaker with a thick non breathing sticky foam. (basically the air didnt get to the speaker) Sound wise, its amazing now and will put many car audio systems to shame as the cockpit is small and this helps I think. The best bit about doing this is that more air come out of the remaining two center air vents and this actually clears the window faster if it steams up.
Nice tidy install and improves the air circulation and sound perfect without the hassle of building pods where there is no space to store them in the first place!
I have upgraded the stereo in my S1 and it sounds fantastic. I upgraded the rear speakers for some decent ones to start with and then fitted a sub and amp which I positioned behind the seats in the middle. This add the weight to the music and makes it sounds miles better but front end was still missing.
This is where I got crafty. I removed the two outer dash board air vents and then fitted a 3.5 inch full range speaker into the hole. I didnt block off the air that should come out of that vent, instead i made a cup around the back of the speaker with a thick non breathing sticky foam. (basically the air didnt get to the speaker) Sound wise, its amazing now and will put many car audio systems to shame as the cockpit is small and this helps I think. The best bit about doing this is that more air come out of the remaining two center air vents and this actually clears the window faster if it steams up.
Nice tidy install and improves the air circulation and sound perfect without the hassle of building pods where there is no space to store them in the first place!
I've got a pair of 17cm Kenwood component jobbies behind the rear seats with the tweeters blu-tacked above the main speaker pods, along with a pair of 100cm drivers in the front air vents as Piooly has done. A compact Alpine sub in the pax footwell (I used heavy duty velcro to tape it to the footrest and tub) completes the set-up. Used with a £150 Pioneer head unit it makes a decent enough sound and is plenty loud enough to hear at common-laws motorway speeds roof off or on. The weak point in mine is the front speakers as I used a cheap (£25) pair of sonys which can't cope at the volumes I like. I move the sound stage to the back a bit to compensate and the sonys are then happier. (Must get round to buying some better small speakers - how many times have I said that
)
)TIPPER said:
I've got a pair of 17cm Kenwood component jobbies behind the rear seats with the tweeters blu-tacked above the main speaker pods, along with a pair of 100cm drivers in the front air vents as Piooly has done. A compact Alpine sub in the pax footwell (I used heavy duty velcro to tape it to the footrest and tub) completes the set-up. Used with a £150 Pioneer head unit it makes a decent enough sound and is plenty loud enough to hear at common-laws motorway speeds roof off or on. The weak point in mine is the front speakers as I used a cheap (£25) pair of sonys which can't cope at the volumes I like. I move the sound stage to the back a bit to compensate and the sonys are then happier. (Must get round to buying some better small speakers - how many times have I said that)
My fronts were only £10 each !! but have high power handling and never distort. They are proper hifi speakers. I'll dig out where you can get them. Think it was CPC - do a search for the website. They are full range drivers.)McTreacle said:
Piooly and Tipper,
How hard is it fitting the speakers into the air vents?
Is there easy access to get underneath the dash to run the wires from the speaker?
I cant wait now!!!
thanks again
You have to remove the front dash aluminum panel. This is the one at the top of the dash abouve the stereo. You can then drill a hole in the air vent moulding to pass the speaker wire through. My front speakers are not actually screwed in either. They were a push fit in and dont move around. Its easy to do. Andy, email me your email address and I will send you a pic of mine. Click my username.How hard is it fitting the speakers into the air vents?
Is there easy access to get underneath the dash to run the wires from the speaker?
I cant wait now!!!
thanks again
Oly.
piooly said:
McTreacle said:
Piooly and Tipper,
How hard is it fitting the speakers into the air vents?
Is there easy access to get underneath the dash to run the wires from the speaker?
I cant wait now!!!
thanks again
You have to remove the front dash aluminum panel. This is the one at the top of the dash abouve the stereo. You can then drill a hole in the air vent moulding to pass the speaker wire through. My front speakers are not actually screwed in either. They were a push fit in and dont move around. Its easy to do. Andy, email me your email address and I will send you a pic of mine. Click my username.How hard is it fitting the speakers into the air vents?
Is there easy access to get underneath the dash to run the wires from the speaker?
I cant wait now!!!
thanks again
Oly.
McTreacle said:
Bogie, that looks like a fantastic build. Bet it sounds good too!!! love the way the sub has been finished!!...but my favorite part of your car is the handbrake sleeve!!!!! That is the nuts
that was just temporary - it used to be called the Handbrake Sleeve of Shame and get given to the person that spun the most on a trackday ...I got awarded it for breaking the noise limit at Brands with my stereo rather than exhaust (exhaust was 90dB, stereo 118dB on the day) ! 
....Moose got the HBSOS after me...havnt seen it for many years now...IIRC Tom Rootes was the guy that had it made when we were all in USLOT (pre-SELOC)McTreacle said:
Thats the one. Works very well in the small Elise cockpit.TIPPER said:
McTreacle said:
Thats the one. Works very well in the small Elise cockpit.
If anyone is after an Alpine 1600 sub then I've got one for sale. I just bought one off ebay, but really can't be arsed with the hassle of fitting it & am scared of venturing into the world of chav
Anyone wants it, it's for sale at 70quid, welcome to collect or i'll post it recorded for a tenner. Haven't got the box but have the pdf of the manual & have tested it & works ok. Chuck me a message if you want it.
Anyone wants it, it's for sale at 70quid, welcome to collect or i'll post it recorded for a tenner. Haven't got the box but have the pdf of the manual & have tested it & works ok. Chuck me a message if you want it.
In an S1 Elise, all you need is a decent HU, a small amp'd sub box and two decent rears. I had that in my Sport 160 and it was great. Served me perfectly. Sure the extra fronts are nice to have, but I personally am too lazy to go to the hassle of doing an airvent install. Have seen Oly & Tippers handiwork first-hand though, and can confirm it's good if you have the time and inclination. 
bogie said:
that was just temporary - it used to be called the Handbrake Sleeve of Shame and get given to the person that spun the most on a trackday ...I got awarded it for breaking the noise limit at Brands with my stereo rather than exhaust (exhaust was 90dB, stereo 118dB on the day) ! ....Moose got the HBSOS after me...havnt seen it for many years now...IIRC Tom Rootes was the guy that had it made when we were all in USLOT (pre-SELOC)
Ah the HBSOS! Was only just talking about that last night. Tomr did make it and it was awarded for any act of Lotus dumbassery or gayness. I had it for buying the S2, Ruggs was awarded it for too many things to list (but refused to take it), and Milan had it for trying to put diesel in his S1 during tut towers. ....Moose got the HBSOS after me...havnt seen it for many years now...IIRC Tom Rootes was the guy that had it made when we were all in USLOT (pre-SELOC)http://rides.webshots.com/photo/105197280104002805...
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 3rd June 13:01
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 3rd June 13:11
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