Stereo Upgrades
Even daily drivers need love. My daily driver consists of a simple system with serious horsepower.
dash
The dash is where the stereo is really visible. I have an Eclipse Flip out TV, the Sony top of the line C-90 and Concept Audio DVD player all in-dash. To make it fit I have to seriously hack the dash.
I have “Star Wars” on the tube at the moment. Click the picture on the right for a better look. >>
The Sony is a awesome unit because it can control the sound of for radio, CD, CD Changer and an external DVD from Concept. It also controls the SONY XPD 4000X digital crossover and parametric EQ. The digital signal from the CD unit actually passes through the Orion DEQ 30 30 band fully digital crossover. The video and audio of the Concept DVD is routed through the Sony XT40V which is also controlled by the Sony C-90. All the signal level cabling used is made by Monster Cable.
headrest monitor
Not to leave the kids out. I installed two 7″ 16:9 aspect ration high res monitors in the driver and passenger headrests. This is not an easy fit. These monitors are from Concept Audio and are actually a flip down monitor that is highly modified. to fit headrest. On the right is how the monitor comes from Concept Audio. Click the left pic for a larger image.
front pillar tweeters
I mounted my tweeters in the front part of the “A” pillar. I wanted to hide them from view. (Try to make it less noticeable to thieves.) so I recovered the entire pillar with a medium dark gray grille cloth. I got the idea when I was inside my friends Audi and really liked the look of grille cloth on the side panels. On the right is a close up. I originally had the tweeters on the side of the pillars but decided to move them forward. The slightly yellow tint circle you see is high density fiberglass like the type used in absorption panels in high-end audio rooms. I needed to fill the void left by the tweeters so that the sound would not bounce around inside the pillar panel.
trunk
The trunk houses my amplifiers and subwoofers. I am using two 12″ Concept Audio EX subwoofers in a “V” configuration that fire through the armrest hole. Although it looks like an enclosure it is really an infinite baffle. I used two layers of damping material in side the cabin to seal all the leaks and prevent the panels from rattling. I used one layer of damping material in side the trunk on the backside and underneath the rear deck. The results is great sounding bass without a box. The baffle plate is made out of 3/4″ MDF and is covered in black vinyl.
My overall system uses two 1″ tweeters , two 5.25″ midrange and two 12″ woofers. I have three amplifiers a Concept 2002 for the left channel, another Concept 2002 for the right and big Concept 2400 for the subwoofer. Maximum system power is 950 Watts for each 2002 and 2400 watts for the subwoofer making a grand total of 4300 watts.
The amplifier rack is made from MDF bondo and fiberglass. It houses the two Concept 2002 amplifiers that power my left and right speakers. The Concept 2400 that powers the woofers is mounted in the well below with the Monster Cable wires and fuses.