Maxus Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 Having had the E46 for a couple of months I have now completed the planned audio install. Bits are: Alpine headunit with iPod control box Steering wheel control module Front - Infinity component speakers Rear - factory speakers Rockford Fosgate amp JL Audio 10" sub Most of the kit I have had in other cars but new for the convertible was the 10" sub. Having considered one of the rear armrest boxes I thought I would give a 10" sub on a home made board a go. And it has turned out great Just changing the headunit and front speakers made a significant difference. Nice and crisp but lacking depth. Most of the install was pretty standard but the sub was what needed a bit of work. Firstly I Dynamated the ski hatch area. This was to cover up the holes as well as help the sound forward. Next up was the board fabrication. I measured up some mdf, cut the circle and covered in vinyl. I then created some grooves in the board to hold it in place. The fit is very tight and was gently hammered into place. I then Drilled some pilot holes ready to mount the sub. The board is mounted behind the ridge at the front of the ski hatch. I was concerned about speaker clearance if flush plus also wanted a bit of space so it can move air. Whether that logic works or not I don't know! The speaker was then bolted to the board and the seat put back in. I have mounted the amp under the boot floor. I have cut out the back of the boot carpet as you would with a ski hatch. The JL Audio sub has a very neat and protected rear so looks OK exposed. The sound test...................................superb. Very impressed with the JL sub. With the roof up I would turn the sub volume down a bit as it booms a bit too much for me (I'm sure experts will point out that using this sub infinite baffle is not getting the best out of it - I run a slightly lower powered amp than is possible to help protect it as well). In a sealed box it would punch more and be give tighter base. But the base is better than my previous 12" Rockford sub in a sealed enclosure. Roof down you can turn it up and feel the music whilst going along at decent speed. Just what I wanted to achieve. And for the purists..............it always stays hidden away All in all a good use of fathers day. Hope you like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n1k_ns Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 Not usually a fan of Subs, but Looks a tidy job mate! Thumbs up from me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spawn Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 sorry to be a bit thick but what does the Steering wheel control module do? does it unable u to use steering wheel controls with aftermarket headunit? if so where u get it from etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amowolves Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 looks good mate..is that a free to air sub? i.e uses the boot as an enclosure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob- Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 Most subs will be ok if the boot is properly sealed. The only disadvantage is that you may lose some of the really low frequency bass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ci-SportCoupe-Scott Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 really really tidy work, id cover Dynomat in something tho dude. Mint job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxus Posted June 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 Thanks for the comments. Really appreciate it after all the hard work. I thought it worth sharing as I certainly got ideas from others posts. Some answers.... sorry to be a bit thick but what does the Steering wheel control module do? does it unable u to use steering wheel controls with aftermarket headunit? if so where u get it from etc Spot on - The control unit allows use of the steering wheel control on an aftermarket headunit (volume / radio channel/track). I think they are unique to each headunit brand. If you search ebay you will see car audio shops selling them for most decent brands. As for the Dynamat - If I was going to ever leave the armrest out then maybe it would have been carpeted/vinlyed but it will never be seen. The whole install is designed to be discrete. I would have prefered to leave the orginal headunit for looks but it really wasn't good. The Alpine is quite a classic looking single disc player with no flashing lights so fits in pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ci-SportCoupe-Scott Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 sweet as then fella, u did a mint job, very impressive. would love to sort out the sounds in mine. my ski hatch is spot welded and i seriously CBA'ed with it lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxus Posted June 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 sweet as then fella, u did a mint job, very impressive. would love to sort out the sounds in mine. my ski hatch is spot welded and i seriously CBA'ed with it lol Cheers. Spot welded hatch sounds like too much work, breaking through that is a bit permenant. Each time I put an install in a car you come across a different quirk. With the E46 the worst bit was trying to get all the wires in behind the head unit. Just no room. The open ski hatch, boot false floor and battery in the boot was a joy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ci-SportCoupe-Scott Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 i was thinking about about trying to cut two decenct size holes in the hatch with a proper hole cutter and trimming with bass ports trim from Maplins just to let some more sound thru??? what u think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxus Posted June 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 I'm not a fan of cutting parcel shelves, they are part of the rigidity of the car. I guess you are talking about putting a ported enclosure in the boot. If so you may be surprised how much sound comes through without cutting holes. I have run subs in boxes without porting into the car and whilst you do lose "closeness" the results can still be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ci-SportCoupe-Scott Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 just worried the arse end would be vibrating its back out while i can hear sweet F A lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mit Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 He doesn't have a parcel shelf, it's a 'vert. Your sub looks like mine Oh and the 'vert has an airtight boot so it's fine to use a free air sub with the boot as an enclosure. If you cut holes in the bulkhead though, the boot is no longer airtight so you'll mess it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danw8986 Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 sweet as then fella, u did a mint job, very impressive. would love to sort out the sounds in mine. my ski hatch is spot welded and i seriously CBA'ed with it lol its really not as hard as it looks or sounds mine took 10 mins with a drill and a hoover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n3lly Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Build looks nice and discreet!. Same as some aboved comments, im not a massive fan of subs but this really does look well done. Good job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VBClubsport Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Looks, good! But i wann build mine so it incorporates a box to the rear f the sub for better bass... Just gettingmy shopping list together ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz 330 Cs Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 A very neat job dude , good work indeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Proxy Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Hi there. I do like the look of this job and currently have a JL 10w7 that i would like to install somehow in the back of my motor. Do you have a template I can cut my MDF from for this type of install? Any help and advice would be greatly received. I was "sold" this speaker, but when i got the users manual it became obvious that I don't have the space where the correct sized enclosure can fit without taking up ALL of the boot space. So this seems like a happy medium solution, albeit with reduced sound quality. It's got to better than no sub at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay. Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 i doubt you'll get a response mate, this thread is almost 5 years old lol cos01 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob- Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Hi there. I do like the look of this job and currently have a JL 10w7 that i would like to install somehow in the back of my motor. Do you have a template I can cut my MDF from for this type of install? Any help and advice would be greatly received. I was "sold" this speaker, but when i got the users manual it became obvious that I don't have the space where the correct sized enclosure can fit without taking up ALL of the boot space. So this seems like a happy medium solution, albeit with reduced sound quality. It's got to better than no sub at all! I'm assuming the large size is for a ported enclosure? Will the sub not work in a sealed box? These tend to be smaller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
