6.5" splits / sound setup

[dmad_dood]

Hi there everyone. I love my music and i find the stock layout in the na pretty average. Ive replaced the stock fronts with some good 6" rounds and a nice head unit but it really dosen't give a good all round sound i'm looking for

Has anyone played around with 6.5" splits in the na?

What i'm thinking is 6.5" splits in the front. An amp, and a small slimline sub behind the passenger seat.

Ive also got some really nice 6 x 9's lying around which i wired up in my car for fun the other day and i found the 6"s were taking all the bass while the 6x9's were taking all the treble??? And no i didn't have the speaker pairs back to front. I would love to be able to get the 6x9's in my car somewhere but cant see anywhere for them besides boxes on the rear shelf which wont work with the soft top.

Would love some feedback on a good setup that works in the na. And for the record the headrest speakers are out of the question.

Thanks everyone,

Jono.

[Lokiel]

> Hi there everyone. I love my music and i find the stock layout in the na pretty average.

It's a convertible, you're never going to get great sound.

I have JL Audio ZR650-CSi door speakers and a JVC KS-AX3002 Amplifier (see http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=40694&hilit=jvc for amplifier mounted in driver-side tunnel) and with the top down at speed (100kph), it's hard to hear. At slower speeds it's better but not great.

My advice if you want to upgrade your sound system in a convertible is to NOT spend lots of money on the top of the line stuff, you're just wasting your money, accept that you'll never have a great sound system and spend accordingly.

[dmad_dood]

i no its going to be difficult with the top down but i'm going more for when the top is up. Most of my gear is donor gear from old cars and i'm not looking at spending big money on gear im just trying to get the car reasonably good. Not looking at extreme effort, im not gonna cut holes for 6x9's etc i just want to get a more comprehensive sound in my car instead of just highs and nothing else.

Thanks.

Jono.

[AntHarmer]

For what it's worth, I think you have a lot of options in an NA due to being able to source "flat" door cards. If I had an NA I would go a 3 way set, with 6" midwoofers and 4" mid range in the doors and tweets up in the dash somewhere. You could either buy a component set with crossovers and run them off a two channel, or just build your own set and run them active off a 6 channel amp. Wouldn't be too hard a job to tackle yourself. In my opinion, if you are looking a tamping speakers and looking for something with a fair bit of volume, having speakers behind you is going to really ruin your front stage. Headrest speakers and speakers behind you are fine for a bit of rear fill , but I wouldn't be putting lots of power through them and having high volumes coming at you from two directions.


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[Jeo]

Just listen to an assortment of 6.5" splits until you find something you like. Being a convertible, strong mid-bass is particularly important. A few hundred dollars should get you something pretty decent.

[hejira]

Rockford Fosgate T16.

I've found these to be the most cost effective/best sound quality front speakers for an NA.

I have these now & with some double sided tape around the edge in between the speaker frame & the door you get a nice seal for bass.

I run these from a Pioneer head unit without an amp, and an 8" active sub in the boot to fill out the sub-100hz sounds.

I found them on sale at auto barn I don't think they still stock them, try ebay.

[and1]

I'm running:
-Pioneer DEH-9350SD head unit
-Morel Maximos 6.5" component speakers
-Kicker ZX350.4 4ch amp
-Genuine Bazooka 8" sub tube

If you have a look at the reviews for the Maximos, they mostly all rate it highly. As do I. Slightly on the brighter side than I'm used to (crossovers have no adjustment built in)

Realistically if you want some sort of bass you will need a sub and amp. I really like my 8" bazooka as it doesn't take up too much space in my boot compared to the 10" enclosure that was in there previously.

Like everyone has said, audio is always going to be compromised with a soft top, even with it up.

[dmad_dood]

For what it's worth, I think you have a lot of options in an NA due to being able to source "flat" door cards. If I had an NA I would go a 3 way set, with 6" midwoofers and 4" mid range in the doors and tweets up in the dash somewhere. You could either buy a component set with crossovers and run them off a two channel, or just build your own set and run them active off a 6 channel amp. Wouldn't be too hard a job to tackle yourself. In my opinion, if you are looking a tamping speakers and looking for something with a fair bit of volume, having speakers behind you is going to really ruin your front stage. Headrest speakers and speakers behind you are fine for a bit of rear fill , but I wouldn't be putting lots of power through them and having high volumes coming at you from two directions.

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Im thinking using splits with crossovers and maybe a small 2 channel amp.

Wheres a good spot for tweeters in the na? I was looking and i cant really see anywhere "ideal"

I no this is a subjective question but do the splits but out enough bass to not warrant a small sub bear in mind im looking for a nice clean all round sound i dont want people hearing the bass before the exhaust

Thanks for the help everyone.

[AntHarmer]

Two way splits are never going to play low enough to satisfy you if you like want sub bass. They will However give you lots of fast, kicky mid bass if you buy a quality set, amp them and sound deaden behind them. Tweeters will sound good on the dash reflecting off the windscreen for many setups, can also be mounted in the a-pillar quite easily if you are a little bit handy. There are plenty of how-tos on the net regarding this.
Many people in MX5s seem to use the active slimline subs with built in amps such as the Focal, Vibe or Pioneer models. Never heard them myself but I would imagine that they are good in that you can install and remove them if you need the space urgently for something else, and they are slim enough to fit behind the passenger seat or something if you wanted to


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[dmad_dood]

Yep, thats exactly the sorta set up i was looking at doing, splits up front with a slimline sub and an amp as well as sound deadening the doors.

Do the 6.5" splits fit in the doors without any modifying?

[chrisearl88]

Would definitely suggest sound deadening the doors. You can get everything you need at jaycar.

[AntHarmer]

6.5 inch splits will fit with no modifying, you MAY need to drill new holes to screw in the speaker as as far as I am aware the factory speakers only have three screws to secure the speaker so your new speaker won't match up. As the post above says, sound deadening material can be bought very cheap by the roll at Jaycar, with a $20 roll being enough for at least one door. This comes in different levels of thickness and deadening so the choice is yours. Don't pay 5-10 times the price for the Dynamat or other brand name stuff


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[AntHarmer]

Sorry, that post reads terribly bit I am sure you get the drift


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[dmad_dood]

Thank you....so much!! Ive been wanting to sound deaden the car since i got it but that stupid dynamatt is so damn expensive! I no what i'm doing next week.

Now im also a complete noob at car audio so if i instal the amp is it just the rca cable that runs back to my headunit from the amp. And then do i need to wire from the amp back to the speakers?

I also think i found a good spot for the tweeters. On top of the door card (where it meets the glass) then right up against the a pillar - if you can imagine it?

Cheers!

Jono

[AntHarmer]

No worries. In terms of cables;

Power cable from amp to battery
RCAs from head unit to amp
Speaker cable from amp to crossover
Speaker cable from crossover to mids and tweets

In terms of tweeter location it is more about where they sound good rather than where they look good. Have a play once you begin the install.

In all honesty, I would get a mate who knows a bit about stereos to possibly help you install splits. Proper tuning makes the difference between an average install and a great install. The pros can make your factory system sound like a thousand dollar plus system using only speaker location, tuning and sound deadening. If not just spend a lot of time reading. I am always happy to talk about car audio and other ICE and it is good to see this section of the forum getting some posts in it


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