Not so easy door install

[yeager]

Hmm so I get these 17cm Pioneer TS-E177S speakers and (as usual) the guy on the phone says...

"Yeah mate, direct replacement..."

What a crock, so off comes the door (at 12:30am, neighbours wondering whats going on) to find (i presume) a 6x4 speaker in a yellow plastic mount / baffle. darn !

So obviously I gotta make my own baffle and fit these (luckily i have tomorrow afternoon off)

Soooo. questions, questions :)

1. Purchasing some thin MDF (same thickness as the current baffle as to keep the screws in order) and cutting it to a rough shape I presume is the way to go. Right or wrong ? Any pitfalls ?

2. The speakers are a little bit bigger than the standard hole & grille on the door, but the current baffle mounts the standard speakers quite far out and therefore the new units shouldn't touch the grille / door. I once again (such a cad) presume that this isn't going to cause problems.

3. The current baffle angles the speakers up slightly, to give those transient signals the chance to miss your legs and get to your ears. My new baffle (home made wonders) will simply direct the new units right at my ankles, in peoples endless experience here (and I ask you to draw deep) do you think I will suffer a great deal of quality loss... pray tell.

4. Whats the meaning of life ?

If negative answers prevail it's time to get on the phone and ear bash the usual 4uckwit salesman (if only all had Brens knowledge, maybe he should start doing audio) and get something that is simpler to do....

oh and PS, cheers Steve Carter for the (as usual) well described post on how to get those pesky doors off.

[Mike_S13]

Right, answers answers...

1: Yeah, all you need to do is screw a bit of mdf to the door with a hole big enough for the speaker to fit in it. :)
2: Theres plenty of room between the metal of the door and the door card so don't worry about clearance :)
3: You might loose a bit of sound quality from the tweeters as ideally you should have them pointing directly at your ears, but mid/bass is non-directional so no probs there.
4: 42 :D

Hope this helps.

[Amdathlonuk]

You could always fit 6x9 in the front doors, they handle a lot of power....

Or alternatively you could always place some nice little satelite tweeters on the dash running from your fronts, they are VERY effective.

HTH.

JJ

[formula]

i agree with mike..

on everything...

[Scottie]

Three points.

1. I have bought some thicker MDF so as to allow the speakers more room. You can then countersink holes into the MDF to half depth and so use the original screws.

2. Make sure your window is fully wound down whilst you fit these speakers. You don't want to fit them and then find the glass hits them !!

3. Please wear a good facemask when cutting MDF, its nasty stuff to get in your lungs.

Let us know how it goes. :)

[yeager]

Sorted...

Was actually fun making up the MDF baffles etc... one more question tho.

The original speakers and baffles had a closed back, these speakers simply open to the entire car door. This has two effects...

1. At high volume levels I now get some rattles, not so fussed as I dont normally want to deafen myself.
2. The soundwaves are now interfacing with the door and therefore introducing colouration into the final mix.

Do people here try and design a closed system where the soundwaves are directed out through the driver unit or do they let it all pour into the door ?

Simon

[yeager]

Originally posted by formula
i agree with mike..

on everything...

and if he jumped off a bridge ?

oooh I can hear myself turning into my dad already :(

[Mannie]

Definitely make a sealed enclosure behind the speaker as it will make the mid bass so much tighter and you also won't hear as much sound outside the car for the litle scum bags that will want to nick your stereo gear.

I have made enclosures in the past out of short section of drain pipe with mdf ends and a small sealed hole for the speaker cable.

Oh and you should use a silicone free sealant as apparently the silicone stuff likes to eat copper.

Steve

[Scottie]

Are you going to run these speakers from a separate amp ?

And will you be putting a sub in the boot as well.

Am lookin got do the same myself. :)

Can you confirm that 6.5 inch speakers fit in the doors with a bit to spare.

Thanks.

[oliver]

I have the 16.5 cm compo set in the front doors just baffesl not closed behind, the tweeters are on the dash and one sub in the boot. all driven bij a magnat 480 and sound is very good. I might close the back of the speakers when I have done all the other thing i havent found the time for though but my parcelshelf is empty and thats aa good thing and the sounds real good! :D

[yeager]

Originally posted by Scottie
Are you going to run these speakers from a separate amp ?

Nope, I just wanted to ditch the standard radio and speakers to get that little bit better quality.


And will you be putting a sub in the boot as well.

Nope, I dont want any huge bass at all.


Am lookin got do the same myself. :)

Can you confirm that 6.5 inch speakers fit in the doors with a bit to spare.

I fitted these...

http://www.pioneer.co.uk/bighead.php3?id=TS-E1775

And yes, with a simple baffle they fitted with about 1/2 inch or so distance from the window glass when lowered.



Thanks.

Np :)