Late model stand alone aftermarket stereo.
- Thread starter jlcustomz
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Thanks Fleming. Doing an upgraded stereo install is a little opinionated on what's best to do particularly getting into trying to get the best sound in a more difficult application such as a high roof van, which mine is closed off from the back unlike passenger vans that get upgraded. Small , but tall cab area. I got the back walls & roof insulated & lined, a padded bulkhead wall behind me, & plan to later sound deaden front doors & wheel wells. I definitely have limited area for front speaker mounting & for sub mounting behind me. Low budget doesn't help either. Just getting it together & sounds decent from distance with doors open.
Wanting a good full range loud & clear sound. Wanting more mid bass punch this time around.
Went with custom kick panel boxes fitting 6 x 9's to get the largest front speaker area I could. Could have done 6.5's Definitely need new 6 x 9's upfront first to properly see (hear) where I'm at, thinking one of pioneers better models. Think kickpanel boxes are best for front sound location? The silk tweeters at dash do sound good. Could do door speakers if I had to, but trying to leave stock alone.
Front sound level with kick panel speakers is low compared to rears ,even with rear gain turned way down. As an option I'm considering adding a pair of 4" speakers in custom boxes in lower outer drinkholders these transits have. My kicker amp puts out 60w rms @ 4ohms or 90w @ 2ohms if I paralleled 2 more front speakers. Wondering if this could be option or just a dumb idea???
Rear upper 6 x 9's sound fair, though new ones could be better. Sitting in little premade boxes. Wondering if larger custom mdf boxes could give better mid bass sound??
For sub bass, as i mentioned, mounting speakers behind padded wall as in pic were bad idea. Think firing forwards through cutout into cab behind seat would be best option?? I can't be down at floor like previous van, box is almost 3' up. I'm wanting to have as much reasonably tight bass as i can while being able to control rattles. Box now has padding between it & wall, figured on doing so with perimeter mount to cutout. Older pioneer 12's still feel in good condition, in new sealed 3/4" mdf box, middle of volume range, no polyfill right now.
I think having a better sub amp again that i can have more watts & less bass boost would give more of the sound i want.
Any thoughts, opinions , & general suggestions appreciated. I know this would definitely be easier to understand & give opinions in person. Editing a few details in to first posts.
Wanting a good full range loud & clear sound. Wanting more mid bass punch this time around.
Went with custom kick panel boxes fitting 6 x 9's to get the largest front speaker area I could. Could have done 6.5's Definitely need new 6 x 9's upfront first to properly see (hear) where I'm at, thinking one of pioneers better models. Think kickpanel boxes are best for front sound location? The silk tweeters at dash do sound good. Could do door speakers if I had to, but trying to leave stock alone.
Front sound level with kick panel speakers is low compared to rears ,even with rear gain turned way down. As an option I'm considering adding a pair of 4" speakers in custom boxes in lower outer drinkholders these transits have. My kicker amp puts out 60w rms @ 4ohms or 90w @ 2ohms if I paralleled 2 more front speakers. Wondering if this could be option or just a dumb idea???
Rear upper 6 x 9's sound fair, though new ones could be better. Sitting in little premade boxes. Wondering if larger custom mdf boxes could give better mid bass sound??
For sub bass, as i mentioned, mounting speakers behind padded wall as in pic were bad idea. Think firing forwards through cutout into cab behind seat would be best option?? I can't be down at floor like previous van, box is almost 3' up. I'm wanting to have as much reasonably tight bass as i can while being able to control rattles. Box now has padding between it & wall, figured on doing so with perimeter mount to cutout. Older pioneer 12's still feel in good condition, in new sealed 3/4" mdf box, middle of volume range, no polyfill right now.
I think having a better sub amp again that i can have more watts & less bass boost would give more of the sound i want.
Any thoughts, opinions , & general suggestions appreciated. I know this would definitely be easier to understand & give opinions in person. Editing a few details in to first posts.
Yes, kickpanels are the best location for sound quality. Here's the science behind it; it's really simple. While sitting in the driver seat, the furthest you can get the speaker from your ear is the kickpanel area. The theory is called "psychoacoustics", which is fancy for get your ears as close to center of left and right as you can. The more equal the pathlength, the better sound stage you will "see" in your head. The problems come in while trying to fit speakers there.
6x9s are a cheap way to move air, but often compromise the tweeters in the name of cost cutting. Plus, oval cones aren't exactly the best for movement control, since the surround isn't the same distance from the voice coil all the way around, Ideally, you want round speakers for best sound as a rule of thumb. Speakers are extremely subjective because everyone's ears are different. A lot of it has to do with tweeters: if you listen to mostly strings and drums, you probably prefer a silk or soft dome tweeter. If you listen to a lot of electronic, you might prefer a hard or metal dome tweeter that'll take your head off (maybe even a piezo).
Subwoofer boxes should have as few parallel sides as possible to reduce cancelation from standing waves, as well as the stiffest walls you can provide to reduce flex (also creates standing waves). Polyfill is a crutch for a marginally designed enclosure, as it "fools" the speaker into thinking it's in a bigger box. Sealed enclosures handle more power and provide a tight sound, but a properly designed ported box can give a nice boost.
Any chance you can get an 8 or 10 in the front door?
6x9s are a cheap way to move air, but often compromise the tweeters in the name of cost cutting. Plus, oval cones aren't exactly the best for movement control, since the surround isn't the same distance from the voice coil all the way around, Ideally, you want round speakers for best sound as a rule of thumb. Speakers are extremely subjective because everyone's ears are different. A lot of it has to do with tweeters: if you listen to mostly strings and drums, you probably prefer a silk or soft dome tweeter. If you listen to a lot of electronic, you might prefer a hard or metal dome tweeter that'll take your head off (maybe even a piezo).
Subwoofer boxes should have as few parallel sides as possible to reduce cancelation from standing waves, as well as the stiffest walls you can provide to reduce flex (also creates standing waves). Polyfill is a crutch for a marginally designed enclosure, as it "fools" the speaker into thinking it's in a bigger box. Sealed enclosures handle more power and provide a tight sound, but a properly designed ported box can give a nice boost.
Any chance you can get an 8 or 10 in the front door?
You should see the looks I get in the staging lanes with music in the Sonoma
nice but all that for a 10 second ride seems excessive to me....
It's all that time spent in the staging lanes - relaxing. Enya's "Caribbean Blue" a favorite.
Picked up some DS18 pro 6 x 9's to try up front. Helped a friend fit their 8's in a door, sounded pretty good. Was $160 with tax from local shop I like.
Looks like you agree on kick pods, spent a crapload of effort to make these, so I'll hope for the best with the new speakers. Read a bit of controversy about the newer better quality 6 x 9 ovals overcoming the not round type issues cheaper ones have. EH?
On the sub box , Mine in pic is true 3/4mdf. 27" wide, 21H, 12 d outer dimensions, with divider in center. My tired brain is a little confused on what you mean by parallel sides. My box itself ok or not optimum shape?
Now on the transit doors, was figuring on leaving alone for now at least Particularly leaving the stock speakers alone Also these trucks are known for electrical issues, don't wanna get blamed for any issues.. Not my personal truck here. BUT, these inside panel protrude ALOT. I could live without the pockets in doors. What Ya thinkin?? 🤔
On the question of my cheap rear upper 6 x 9 premade boxes, would larger stiffer boxes add anything for mid bass? Are you thinking not have speakers up & behind my head??
Yea, a lot of different questions, I got the kid in a candy store (or engine shop) thing going right now I guess for this project. Still like it loud at age 51 & ain't apologizing to no one. Hell, AC/DC's singer is 73 now & they got a new album, no need for me to apologize for being me. Most of my loud playing is driving high speed city roads in an insulated van, not bothering too many people.
Was trying to get some(sound advice) on the Ford Transit forum, got tired of waiting. Not a van forum here, but sometimes you gotta just go where your friends are.
Also to add about my overhead stand alone setup, I have 2 extra remote amp turn on switches & wires pre-ran. Plenty of extra 4 ga wire & distribution blocks I bought cheap years ago, more twisted rca cables, etc. Just sayin. I love versatility.
Looks like you agree on kick pods, spent a crapload of effort to make these, so I'll hope for the best with the new speakers. Read a bit of controversy about the newer better quality 6 x 9 ovals overcoming the not round type issues cheaper ones have. EH?
On the sub box , Mine in pic is true 3/4mdf. 27" wide, 21H, 12 d outer dimensions, with divider in center. My tired brain is a little confused on what you mean by parallel sides. My box itself ok or not optimum shape?
Now on the transit doors, was figuring on leaving alone for now at least Particularly leaving the stock speakers alone Also these trucks are known for electrical issues, don't wanna get blamed for any issues.. Not my personal truck here. BUT, these inside panel protrude ALOT. I could live without the pockets in doors. What Ya thinkin?? 🤔
On the question of my cheap rear upper 6 x 9 premade boxes, would larger stiffer boxes add anything for mid bass? Are you thinking not have speakers up & behind my head??
Yea, a lot of different questions, I got the kid in a candy store (or engine shop) thing going right now I guess for this project. Still like it loud at age 51 & ain't apologizing to no one. Hell, AC/DC's singer is 73 now & they got a new album, no need for me to apologize for being me. Most of my loud playing is driving high speed city roads in an insulated van, not bothering too many people.
Was trying to get some(sound advice) on the Ford Transit forum, got tired of waiting. Not a van forum here, but sometimes you gotta just go where your friends are.
Also to add about my overhead stand alone setup, I have 2 extra remote amp turn on switches & wires pre-ran. Plenty of extra 4 ga wire & distribution blocks I bought cheap years ago, more twisted rca cables, etc. Just sayin. I love versatility.
That cab definitely makes it tough. You should probably stuff your 6x9 enclosures. I've noticed huge differences in bass response with free air 6x9s by having stuff in the trunk. They like a lot of air.
Oh, and that thing probably has John Holmes A-pillars. Get the tape measure out and see if the tweets would be better at the bottom corners of the windshield or the kicks.
Oh, and that thing probably has John Holmes A-pillars. Get the tape measure out and see if the tweets would be better at the bottom corners of the windshield or the kicks.
Definitely a difficult cab, Huge *ss windshield. I guess on a positive side for stereo, the seats are strangely closer to center than average vehicles with fat *ss door panels.
Was going to do a pair of tweets on the kicks, but tools or a passenger would be in the way of pass side.
So if a bigger set of 6 x 9 boxes with polyfill will help, it's on the list. If I want new rear speakers with new box, 8" DS18's are cheaper , Hmm. 8's in rear instead of 6 x9 ? Plenty of room for more box area at roof.
Was going to do a pair of tweets on the kicks, but tools or a passenger would be in the way of pass side.
So if a bigger set of 6 x 9 boxes with polyfill will help, it's on the list. If I want new rear speakers with new box, 8" DS18's are cheaper , Hmm. 8's in rear instead of 6 x9 ? Plenty of room for more box area at roof.
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