EX Audio Build: Completed!

[tuck4x4]

Ive got the EX. So far Ive added an Alpine MVR-500 pushing a pair of Kenwood 12s and Im happy with them. I tried a JL 12" Basslink ported system and it does not sound as musically accurate as the pair of 12s in the sealed box, so Im going back to them.

I have a cheap line converter for the sub amp and am wondering if it would make a difference in SQ if I upgraded it to a better line converter?

Also, Id like to eventually upgrade the front components to hertz DSK's, but am doing things in small steps. My plan was to buy an Alpine power pack and have it installed running the stock speakers for a while, then installing the Hertz' a bit later. (My wife is the one setting my timeframe). However, I talked to Cartoys today and they are quoting me $150 to install the power pack, + 2 line converters and RCA cables. This is going to be $210 or so which sounds expensive.

I do have a 2 channel Kenwood kac-5206 I could have installed instead, saving me the cost of the Alpine power pack.

What would you recommend I do? Do you think the Power pack would be enough to drive the Hertz's?

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[sinewave]

There are a couple of questions here so I'll do my best to answer them.

I also prefer the sound of a sealed enclosure over ported or bandpass.
Better Line level converters like the LC2I from audio control (you can find these for under $60) will help because they will bring back bass to the signal for you sub amp. Depending on how much EQing you want after that and the cost of better line converters/DSPs will rise quickly. But then you will need a multi-channel amp to take advantage of this additional eq controls.$$ down the rabbit hole you go.

It all comes down to your final goal for your sound system.
The alpine power pack is good if you are trying to save on space and gives you 4 channels of amplification but it's only a slight improvement in system power. It will sound a little better but not a huge change in sound. You will most likely want a larger 4 channel amp down the road. The power pack takes high level inputs and your Alpine sub amp is already installed, so I'm not sure why Cartoys wants 2 line level converters and RCAs are needed for this configuration?

There is enough power from the stock system to run the DSK speakers. If you don't plan on replacing the rear speakers anytime soon?.. I would personally use the Kenwood amp that you already own on new Hertz speakers for now. The kenwood amp can take speaker level inputs thus no line level converters needed, also has more power than the power pack. Upgrade you line level converter to your sub amp to a LC2I and roll that way until you want better rear speakers.

 

[DontDrinknDerive]

Finished! And damn this thing sounds good.

I ran 9 wire from the deck to passengers seat for the DQ-61 signal. Then ran power and RCA from the DQ-61 to the drivers seat. The wires are all cleanly hidden under the carpet and along the trim.

Under the Passenger seat.

Driver's seat, the wires drop into the hole in carpet for rear AC vents. This make for a very clean install. The amp is mounted to with only two screws (rear) to a piece of wood under the carpet. This way I can still remove the rear floor mats.

Wiring to the rear speakers is also hidden.

As you can see the rear speakers are over sized 6.5 midbass drivers. I get ZERO rear deck rattle from these. I also feel if someone wanted to add some bass they could easily drop in some 6.5 subs, sound deaden the rear deck and add a small 2 channel amp. Just an idea.

I then placed the ARC control for my sub level and delay controls in the knockout blank on the left of the steering wheel. It took some work the fit it but it looks stock.

Conclusion: This system rocks! The DQ-61 fixes all of the weird factory eq issues and provides clean signal to the amp. I have plenty of adjustment and it easy to get to from the driver's seat if I push the passenger seat forward.
(From drivers seat)

The midbass drivers in the rear fill nicely and give a nice warm kick in the mid FQ but I have been most impressed by the DSK165.3 Hertz Components. Vocals are smooth and clear. They blend well with the mid driver and have good midbass. I crossed them over at 70HZ with no problems. I have installed much more expensive components that don't sound as good as the Hertz DSK. I don't think you can beat them for the price. I will caution that the tweets need to be tamed, they can get bright quickly if you push the treble. The tweets also install easily into the factory locations.

The sub is buttery smooth but with a turn of the ARC it will hammer. Cabin gains from the trunk are good and very little rattle from the trunk lid. Overall this budget system turned out great.

Hey what's up sinewave, first of all, dope install man. I'm truly jealous.

I know you know your stuff when it comes to car audio (source: you're in every sub install post here lol), so I was hoping you could help me out with a few of my questions:

1) I have the ext and I want to install my old sub. I have a 500w amp, sub, and enclosure, which I installed in my old whip so I understand the general procedure. I bought an lc2i to tap into the rear speakers and plan on taking advantage of the bass restoration features. My question is, how do you suggest I power the system? I originally thought about sending one power wire to the trunk, but my gut tells me splicing power wire for two systems isn't smart? What did you do for your DQ-61 and amp?

2) Are there any good locations for ground in the trunk that you spotted?

3) How do you suggest I tap into the rear speakers for the lc2i?

 

[sinewave]

Hey what's up sinewave, first of all, dope install man. I'm truly jealous.

I know you know your stuff when it comes to car audio (source: you're in every sub install post here lol), so I was hoping you could help me out with a few of my questions:

1) I have the ext and I want to install my old sub. I have a 500w amp, sub, and enclosure, which I installed in my old whip so I understand the general procedure. I bought an lc2i to tap into the rear speakers and plan on taking advantage of the bass restoration features. My question is, how do you suggest I power the system? I originally thought about sending one power wire to the trunk, but my gut tells me splicing power wire for two systems isn't smart? What did you do for your DQ-61 and amp?

2) Are there any good locations for ground in the trunk that you spotted?

3) How do you suggest I tap into the rear speakers for the lc2i?

DDD,

Thanks for the complements. I try to help others when I can.
1. I would run one power wire from the battery (as I did) into the car. The LC2i has GTO signal sensing turn on for the amp. So I would run 3 16-18 gauge wires from the LC2i to the amp. (Power, Ground, remote) this way your LC2i and amp share the same power points for an easier install and less noise.

2. Seatbelt bolt under rear seat. Put a ring terminal on the ground and bolt it down.

3.if you don't have a factory sub, solder wires from the factory rear speaker wire in the trunk and run them to the LC2i. Check the forum for speaker color code to make sure you get + and - polarity to the LC2i correct. (It makes a difference) you should be able to hide the wires under the trunk interior.

If you have any more questions let me know.

 

[greyclocked]

Looking good. I got badmouthed in another thread when I mentioned the sound quality of the higher trim models was not that big of a improvement over the base model LX. Not certain if it is a generational thing but sound quality ≠ bass, which seems to be a big part of perceived fidelity (quality). Once a carplay aftermarket headunit comes out that is super refined, I plan on replacing the wiring (if necessary) and putting some new speakers in place of the factory ones. I probably will not get a sub since I cannot use it with my small children but the factory speakers on both my model and the 1.5t leave a lot to be desired when pumping lossless audio.

 

[sinewave]

Looking good. I got badmouthed in another thread when I mentioned the sound quality of the higher trim models was not that big of a improvement over the base model LX. Not certain if it is a generational thing but sound quality ≠ bass, which seems to be a big part of perceived fidelity (quality). Once a carplay aftermarket headunit comes out that is super refined, I plan on replacing the wiring (if necessary) and putting some new speakers in place of the factory ones. I probably will not get a sub since I cannot use it with my small children but the factory speakers on both my model and the 1.5t leave a lot to be desired when pumping lossless audio.

Greyclocked,

I get what you're saying. Bass is important but not the end-all-be-all. Aftermarket gear (even inexpensive product) properly installed and tuned will be superior to factory. There are times I miss having a CD player for the improve signal and dynamic range but connected CarPlay sounds pretty good depending on service (Spotify premium has been great) and format.

If installing a sub is not in the cards, I would recommend oversized 6.5" speakers/subs in the rear deck to pick up your lower frequencies. There are some great headunits with CarPlay already in the market now and having the LX platform gives you great flexibility add one.

 

[greyclocked]

Looking through crutchfield every other day or so but I think I will be forced to go with a kenwood deck (not that there is anything wrong with that). I will only upgrade if I can maintain a physical volume knob so it looks like I will also have to go with a 6.2" screen instead of the full 6.95. Have not settled on the speakers though, but I know I will go for something that is as low profile as I can as we really pack our trunk sometimes and I think the stock ones even hang down a little bit.

 

[sinewave]

Looking through crutchfield every other day or so but I think I will be forced to go with a kenwood deck (not that there is anything wrong with that). I will only upgrade if I can maintain a physical volume knob so it looks like I will also have to go with a 6.2" screen instead of the full 6.95. Have not settled on the speakers though, but I know I will go for something that is as low profile as I can as we really pack our trunk sometimes and I think the stock ones even hang down a little bit.

There are more affordable option than Crutchfield. Kenwood is solid but I would
Choose the execellon line.

 

[greyclocked]

There are more affordable option than Crutchfield. Kenwood is solid but I would
Choose the execellon line.

Any tips beyond the Kenwood/execellon? The prices are not a big turn off for me (400 -600 range is what I am looking for for the HU by itself). I know I can probably get the new dash trim adapter for cheaper elsewhere though.

Edit: I went to amazon to feel around what the price difference was huge.... $100 on
Kenwood Excelon DDX6902S


https://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-DDX6...=UTF8&qid=1469988666&sr=8-2&keywords=DDX6902S

vs

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DDX6902/Kenwood-Excelon-DDX6902S.html?tp=20217

That is a HUGE difference. Thank you for the tip.


Unfortunately though it seems like kenwood has not refreshed any of the models since 2015..... I am not going to go through all this trouble until a non 1st gen carplay receiver is out.

 

[frnkp]

Kudo's sir.. Very nice work.. (I Installed for 15 years professionally for what it's worth) I would love an enclosure just like yours for my coupe.. (I'm in south Alabama and the heat index has been over 100 every day so it may have to wait till fall)

 

[DontDrinknDerive]

what's up everyone, I just want to thank everyone who has posted on here. I got my sub (Polk DB1040) installed with the lc2i for bass restoration. I messed around with the threshold, bass, and accubass on the lc2i along with my amp gain and LPF freq to get it to sound just how I like it.

One thing I couldn't figure out was: how exactly is the threshold knob working? In the mean time, I just cranked it all the way up so that I get consistent bass restoration even at low volumes . If anyone would like to chime in, or share their settings, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[sinewave]

Kudo's sir.. Very nice work.. (I Installed for 15 years professionally for what it's worth) I would love an enclosure just like yours for my coupe.. (I'm in south Alabama and the heat index has been over 100 every day so it may have to wait till fall)

Thanks for the complement. I would not lay glass or install in that heat either. Reminds me of working in non-ACed garages back in my trunk monkey days...it was miserable. The civic trunk is a pretty easy platform to pull a mold from, I expect a universal enclose to come soon.

 

[sinewave]

what's up everyone, I just want to thank everyone who has posted on here. I got my sub (Polk DB1040) installed with the lc2i for bass restoration. I messed around with the threshold, bass, and accubass on the lc2i along with my amp gain and LPF freq to get it to sound just how I like it.

One thing I couldn't figure out was: how exactly is the threshold knob working? In the mean time, I just cranked it all the way up so that I get consistent bass restoration even at low volumes . If anyone would like to chime in, or share their settings, I would greatly appreciate it.

Congrats on getting your system and opting for the sub.

Threshold is when bass restoration begins. Example: If at volume 14 the bass begins to drop out then you would rotate the knob until bass came back to begin restoration at that "Threshold" of volume. You can just crank the threshold to full and then adjust the Accubass level to your taste, the "Thresehold" for bass restoration would then begin at volume 1. The down side to cranking the Threshold and Accubase this is that is it is likely you are sending clipped signal to your Sub amp. Loud bass isn't always clean bass.

The best way to set it is with a o-scope but if you critically listen you can get pretty close. I set my Threshold to begin around 12 volume little over 1/2 way up

 

[DontDrinknDerive]

Congrats on getting your system and opting for the sub.

Threshold is when bass restoration begins. Example: If at volume 14 the bass begins to drop out then you would rotate the knob until bass came back to begin restoration at that "Threshold" of volume. You can just crank the threshold to full and then adjust the Accubass level to your taste, the "Thresehold" for bass restoration would then begin at volume 1. The down side to cranking the Threshold and Accubase this is that is it is likely you are sending clipped signal to your Sub amp. Loud bass isn't always clean bass.

The best way to set it is with a o-scope but if you critically listen you can get pretty close. I set my Threshold to begin around 12 volume little over 1/2 way up

Sweet! I'll do it again with volume at level 12 and see if I find the threshold position to be similar to the one you found. I will check back in with my results afterwards.

 

[thatlilwhiteone]

where did you ground the amp?

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