6.5" splits / sound setup

dmad_dood · Postby **dmad_dood** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:55 pm

AntHarmer wrote: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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Thank you very much, i might have to take you up on that..

My mates are very clueless with this stuff so unless they want to hand me tools they wont be any use to me. Ill just surprise them next time i blow there ears out hahah.

Any clues on choosing location for tweeters? Ive never played around with splits only ever coaxial, i'm also looking to makes this as clean an install as possible (no drilling holes in trim if i can help it).

If i decide to go down the sub route is there any point getting an active sub if i get an amp for the splits?

Cheers,

Jono.

AntHarmer · Postby **AntHarmer** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 10:35 pm

In terms of choosing tweeter location, it's really about getting it all wired up and then getting some blu-tac and having a play around with what sounds best to you. The high frequency played by the tweeter makes them very directional. Sometimes it is best to "bounce" the sound of your windscreen, with the setup you chose it may not.

In terms of your sub question, if you wanted to get a four channel amp you could bridge the 3rd and 4th channel into the sub and use the front two channels for your splits if you wanted to go down that route. It all depends on what speakers and amps you have your eye on

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dmad_dood · Postby **dmad_dood** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 3:53 pm

OK. I just went past a high end car audio shop and he quoted me out a my "ideal" package for my car.

I probably spent two hours there just asking questions and listening to different speakers and he was very knowledgeable, good to bounce ideas off.

First off he says that he has done several 5's in the past and they turned out very well!

Next off he says that he would do 5-6" splits (size will be at his discretion if he were to install due to clearance and what not).

Then he would do a small amp - This one really intrigued me because basically alpine do a small amp which plugs inline to the wiring harness to give you 45x4 at 4ohms so that means no re-wiring for speakers, which he says is plenty, plus it fits behind the radio BIG SCORE!

And then an active sub and dynamatting.

The gear he quoted me on was just gorgeous i mean the tweeters alone sounded better then my current set up but then again, the tweeters cost $600.00 :twisted:

I wasn't there to buy anything but just get some ideas, which i got plenty of i.e. for the tweeter location he said he would put them pretty much were i was thinking except for wanting to recess them into the top of the door card which i don't no if i wanna do

Ideally he wanted to be them right up on the dashboard reflecting against the glass but they wouldn't look good there plus get in my way.

I thought this was worth sharing incase anyone else is in the same boat for an upgrade in sound.

This sounds like it would be quite an easy instal to do myself but i really don't have experience with acoustics and layout to get those next level of results but you no what, for the $1500.00+ he quoted me just for labour id be dam keen to take a stab at it myself...you've gotta start learning somewhere i guess.

Jono.

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 5:20 pm

Have a look and a listen to an NB, they've got splits from the factory.
I think it sounds great, which is why my one is still stock. But in saying that, I'm not an audiophile. (plus I can't actually hear the stereo when it's under 50% volume because of my exhaust)

The NB speakers are mounted the same place as the NA, but the tweeters are on the top front corner of the door cards (near the air vent) and angled towards the driver.

Here's an NB door card for reference:
http://www.miata.net/garage/door_panel/nbpanel6.jpg

Might be an idea for fitting (you might even be able to use an NB tweeter pod thing, it might just look weird in an NA though)

dmad_dood · Postby **dmad_dood** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 5:47 pm

Thanks for that

basically thats exactly where i want to mount mine. Im' just not sure weather to mount on top of the card or recess them into the panel.

Can anyone give me some pointers with sound deadening. Basically i no to cover all the holes in the door and i'm going to fill behind the speaker cavity as well but is there any specific place to address in the na?

Cheers,

Jono.

hejira · Postby **hejira** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 6:43 pm

If you're putting in an amp for the front speakers and acoustic materials in, it's not worth it, you dont really need it for such a small interior and you're gonna make your NA so heavy it won't be the drive its supposed to be anymore.

I might have a full time job as a music programmer but I still don't believe in spending thousands on audio or luxuries for an NA because that's not what an older MX5 is about.

dmad_dood · Postby **dmad_dood** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 7:22 pm

hejira wrote:If you're putting in an amp for the front speakers and acoustic materials in, it's not worth it, you dont really need it for such a small interior and you're gonna make your NA so heavy it won't be the drive its supposed to be anymore.

I might have a full time job as a music programmer but I still don't believe in spending thousands on audio or luxuries for an NA because that's not what an older MX5 is about.

I don't plan on spending big money on the audio gear, maybe a few hundred dollars if that and the stuff i've been looking at really dosen't weigh that much. Im going as lightweight as possible, the amp weighs maybe a kilo if that which really is not going to be noticeable in driving, it is a drivers car first after all. But as its a daily driver and i'm doing a lot of driving in it, its going to be worthwhile making the cabin quieter and haveing better overall sound.

If i had another car i would be stripping my na8 back to bare bones and turning it into a track car but i dont, so i've made the decision to make it a bit more user friendly and i cannot live with how bad the sound is in the car.

tescoking · Postby **tescoking** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 7:49 pm

If you haven't do it then please don't do it. DO NOT put a sub in the car with you, it is seriously sh*t. I did that before and I knew it.

This is what I first did. Cost me a lot for this stupid design, less leg room for my passager, very bad surrounding sound effect, and it cost a lot because of the design of difficulty.

Now this is what I am having in my boot. The sound is perfect, cost 3 times less than the first one (from a different shop), better look and my passager can be more comfortable. The fuel tank is between the interior and the boot but it is not fully block. Mazda runs all the cable from the front to the end of the car. There are two "holes" right behind the carpet of the seats.

Notice the red cable, thats my grounding cable to the boot. There are not fully seal. Both side have the same "hole". Those two woods are how the drill the amp on it and place behind the seats. The amp is on the carpet not under. Keep the amp behind your seat since you don't need to adjust your seat like the passager side (unless you are very tall).

dmad_dood · Postby **dmad_dood** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 8:19 pm

Great photos of the install thanks for that! That looked like quite a big sub in the first set up?? And it was also pointing more or less at you so it would be louder once again no?

Im not going for outright power of the sub its only going to be like 100-150watt and if i was going to mount it, it would be behind the seat rather then in front so the seat would muffle a lot of it.

That recess in the boot sure is handy

great place for a sub, only thing is i need that indent for when i pack stuff in the boot (my tool bag just fits into that recess with an empty boot so i cant even consider the boot.

Cheers,

Jono.

AntHarmer · Postby **AntHarmer** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 8:41 pm

That is a ridiculous amount of money for an install. The difference between good and high end components is often negligible. And as many have said it's never gong to be perfect anyway. If you want my opinion on brands, if I was in your position I would get a JL Audio XD200/2 amp, which puts put 75w rms into two channels. It's one of the smallest and lightest amps on the market, is a class D so won't heat up too much, and can be bought for ~$200 when JB Hi Fi have their quarterly 30% off car audio sale. In terms of speakers, I like the JL Audio C3 650 for $200 on sale, but if you can afford them the JL Audio C5 650 can be had for $400 on sale. So between 400 and 600 dollars would get you all the front stage you need. Obviously I am a big JL Audio fan, this is because they are what sound best to my ears. The best thing to do is have a listen to lots of different sets. Take your own CD with a selection of the music styles you like and ask the sales guy to audition them for you. The way they sound on the soundboard will be different to how they sound in the car but you will at least get an idea of what sounds good to you.

In terms of sound deadening, I cut the sound deadening into rough 1cm squares, and cover approx 60% of the inner and outer skin, leaving small gaps between the squares. Behind the speaker I put one solid piece of deadening. Using the Jaycar stuff, depending on what thickness you use, this wouldn't add much more than a kilo to each door. This is a big no-no for some on this forum, for me it is worth it. Cost would be around $40.

In terms of installation, i would budget $100 or so for a good amp installation (wiring ) kit and RCA's. Installation shouldn't be expensive as there is little to no modification required. I would be looking to pay no more than $300 or so for a top quality installation with the stereo properly tuned.

Something to note - if you buy your gear from Australian sources that offer manufacturers warranty, the install will need to be done by a recognised installer to get the full warranty coverage.

Sorry for the long post, I could talk about this shiz all day

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dmad_dood · Postby **dmad_dood** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 9:03 pm

I would love to talk about it all day hahah.

Obviously the quote was ridiculous but as i said i went there for ideas. I really really like the idea of the alpine amp. Literally no wiring, hide it in the dashboard behind the head unit and i will be pushing out 95w rms x 4 which should be plenty for a pair of splits. installation wont cost anything (ill do it myself) and the amp can be had for a little over $100.00.

Ive already been past jaycar and bought sound deadening

so regardless i will instal that on the weekend with any luck.

Then for speakers i'm going to have to listen to some speakers and see what i want but i'm thinking maybe the alpine type s 6.5" splits (and no i'm not an alpine fanboy hahah). They come in at around $120.00 - $130.00 and they seem to get great write ups, but ill need to listen to them in person to get a better idea.

Then as for sub ill do everything first then see if i really want a sub but i have no idea what i want for a sub besides a small active.