Stereo overhaul!

[CPDS3]

Hi all!
I've been researching and planning for a few weeks now and thought it is about time I shared where I was up to in case anyone has any interest, input or advice.

I was going to get installed by a shop but wasn't happy with what any of them quoted me so decided I'll probably give it a shot myself.

I'm planning to keep the original hu (not ideal) but will cost a fortune for me to get connects2 here and IMO isn't a clean finish. I guess I'll just have to sacrifice a bit of SQ...

So the current thinking is (everything in AUD):
LOC- lc2i $110

Sub - ALPINE SWR-12D4 1000wrms@2ohm $220
Kenwood KAC-PS917D 1000@2ohm $250
enclosure < $100 (hopefully)

6.5" - Polk MM6501 6.5" 125wrms@2.7ohm $330
Amp2 - JVC KS-AX5102 150wrms@2ohms $150

wiring & deadening ~ $200

I know the amps are not the best brands but the only way I can fit it in the budget. Interested if anyone has had any experience with them.

I still need to investigate how to wire into the front doors, feed up to tweeters (noticed they do just pop out which is great), and will probably need to modify the speaker bracket as they're pretty shallow. So not quite there but definitely at the pointy end!

Would love if anyone has any input!

Chris

[Hyperkev]

Good luck with it

[CPDS3]

Good luck with it

Thanks Hyperkev!

minor update, now going with Soundstream TN1.1200D 1050wrms@2ohms $266.85 rather than the kenwood. (for a bit more oomph and sub remote control)

Have had a good look in the door panel and plan to drill out the pop rivets in the speaker bracket so I can get it out and cut off the back of the casing. Then pop rivet it back in place.

I might (reluctantly) end up running the standard speaker wire into the doors from the crossovers, as at this point I have been unable to find a good way to feed new speaker cable into the doors...

I am yet to track down the tweeter wiring connection point but will hopefully not be too hard when I look tomorrow.

Plan to pick up most of the parts on sat, but will prob have to wait until next weekend to start install as integral parts (lc2i & JVC amp) won't arrive until during the week / next weekend.

Would love if anyone has any experience / advice.

If there is enough interest I may try to take a few pics and document my build.

[BeefMasta]

If there is enough interest I may try to take a few pics and document my build.

Yes please, I'd be interested, I'm sure others would be too

[Lawrence Edwards]

This is what I was trying to say to you it was a tempory fix but it's kinda become permanent

[CPDS3]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10824[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]10825[/ATTACH]

This is what I was trying to say to you it was a tempory fix but it's kinda become permanent

Aaah I see now, thanks.

Obviously that is not the ideal setup but how do you find it?
Is it that noticeable? Does it push the door cover out much to go through the edge? Hmmm

U see you put the tweets in the door too, rather than mount in original location. Any specific reason for this?

[CPDS3]

Install has been set back due to poor weather. Not too far off getting my first sound though.

In the mean time I thought I would post up one of the diagrams I made when I was planning my system to you guys can have a look at the setup. I thought this may help others.

The first amp and LC2i are located under the seats.

[CPDS3]

Ok so I have progressed significantly in the install but not quite done yet.

I'll give a bit of a run down of what / how I have done so far. Tried to remember to take some pics in the excitement of the install, but didn't take them of some things as they don't show much. Happy if anyone has any requests I can do my best to show. I will try to do a reasonably detailed write up so will add to it as I get time.

By far the hardest part of the install was getting through the firewall. 4AWG is near impossible to get through the grommet in the top right of the drivers foot well. Spent a hell of a lot of time working on this with a drill being careful not to run into what already feeds through. Finally got it through but was unable to get the grommet all the way back in (but it is secured tightly).

Once finally getting this through I fed it up to where I could reach it, fed it along the carpet liner in the engine bay, fixed my fuse holder and ring connector. Left this disconnected tucked up in the liner until install was wired up.



I found pretty much all panels in the DS3 come off quite easily! One of the easiest cars I have worked on in this regard. I took the plastic cover that runs down the side of the car and the kick panel that leads into the foot well (just by running fingers under and popping them off).

I ran the power cable into the footwell and then fed it into a distribution block to run to each of my 2 amps. This tucked nicely under the kick panel.





Then ran my power cable to my speaker amp under the drivers seat through the slit in the carpet (nice and discreet). I ran the other into the boot for the sub amp.

As you can see in my wiring diagram I ran the ground for my seat amp to the ground near my distro block (under the kick panel), and the one for my amp into the one in the boot (behind the tail lights). There is conveniently a ground point in all 4 corners of the car!



I decided to use Anderson style quick connectors for my amps so they can be easily removed, works great! can see the clips in the pic of my amp and the below is how you connect to the cable ( need to crimp & solder)




I used bent coat hangers to remove the HU. I then labelled, cut and spliced the wires from the back of the HU which lead to the front speakers and ran speaker cable down the back, down the left of the centre console and under the front passenger seat. I fed this into my line out converter (LOC) LC2i unit then ran some 18 AWG cable down the left side of the car and used a fuse tap to the fuse box in the glove box to feed it power. I used the ground in the LHS foot well for this.





Then I ran RCA & signal wire from the LC2i to the amp under the drivers by running to the centre console, around the back and under the other seat. Ran the others down the LHS of the car, under the carpet and into the boot.




I have a dual voice coil sub so wired it up in parallel and ran it to 1ohm as my amp is 1ohm stable. Drilled it into the box, hooked it up to the amp and the sub is in, cheering!
I ran a remote control dial for the sub down the side of the car and fixed it inside the little storage hole to the right of the steering wheel. This has proven to be a brilliant idea with this sub otherwise it vibrates your face off on every song! haha

I used industrial strength hook only adhesive velcro strips on the bottom of the amps and LC2i to keep them in place and not sliding all around the car. Works well, they're not going anywhere!





Then I ran speaker wire from the amp under the seat to my crossovers (down the centre console), which I put both into the passenger foot well. I couldn't find enough room to fit one nicely in the drivers side. I used 3m dual lock adhesive tape to fit these (kind of like velcro so I can remove and re attach). Hard to get pictures of where these went. I ran speaker wire from the crossovers to the wires I cut behind the HU, soldered and heat shrinked these all up.





I then removed the standard tweeters by popping the cover out of the dash and twisting to remove the tweeter. used pliers to disconnect the wires and remove the tweeters from the car (keeping original wiring just in the dash so it can be refitted. I ran new speaker wire from the crossovers to the tweeter hole and connected my new tweets up. I put my tweeters in the mounts which they came with and used the same adhesive (velcro like) lock tape to stick these down to the bottom under the covers in the dash. I decided to do it this way as it can be removed / replaced easier and they don’t sit too far below the cover anyway.

When I went to fit the woofers in the doors turns out they fit without cutting the back of the case off with the adaptors that come with the speakers, so they pretty much screwed straight in. I have since realised this sits them too far forward and with the movement in these woofers they hit the plastic in the cover. So I will be returning this weekend or next to remove the adapter, cut the back off the bracket and fit them in more flush. For now I have just dropped all the bass from them and they sound ok for the time being.
So still have refit of the speaker brackets to come and to fit sound deadening into the doors (and possibly boot).

More to come....