Soundman's questionable audio build

i guess the trend here is to do the audio build portion in the audio section, instead of burying it within a build log, so here goes.

some of the equipment is a carry-over from my previous '02 ranger build that this truck replaced but i saved all the gear from, as we all know, used audio gear has better scrap value than resale!

that setup consisted of a technically-full-active-but-not-quite:
pioneer 80prs head unit
dayton audio dsp
alpine pdx f4 4.100 amp
sound stream usb-10p all-in-one subwoofer(30-80hz)
peerless hds nomex 6.5" drivers in the front doors (50-400hz)
dayton audio 1x5" dual motor drivers in the a-pillars (400hz-20khz)

the dayton 1x5's, peerless, alpine f4, and sound stream are all getting benched, leaving the pioneer hu, and dayton dsp to carry on the legacy of insanity.

so far, i've already got an alpine v9 4x100+1x500 that is going to take up the amplifier duties, specifically for it's compact size and better-than-average rated power. the f4 might make a reappearance later on, as i'm considering adding rear speakers for a first time, as well as a consideration for potentially using the other pair of it's channels for some tactile transducers/exciters attached to the composite bed(the ridgeline's got it as an option, i'm curious if i can do it better).

the front door speakers will be 7" dayton esoteric, i've got them in the car, and am mostly happy with their performance(very morel-like)

much of the rest of the setup is up in the air depending on space constraints.

tweeters, TBD. i've got some $10/ea alibaba ring-radiators i've been curious to try, as well as some dayton AMT's, some round ribbons, and some dayton planar's, though i typically run larger format drivers(the car has 3.5" dayton point-source drivers currently).

rear speakers are likely to be the current peerless hds if i do them at all.

subwoofer, i'm debating building a passive radiator setup using a dayton low profile 12" sub for the powered unit. the car has a dayton ultimax 10" that i'd really prefer, but the magnet stack is too tall for this application.

the main requirements for the setup are pretty simple with a few twists for added fun.
everything must look oem when done. no fancy door cards or speakers poking up through the dash.
because my sister-in-law is a car-seat fanatic, all car seat restraint mounting points must stick around, and must be accessible. this is likely going to become a major thorn in the subwoofer mounting and box design, but ought to keep it interesting.

 

Make any progress? Or still planning?

 

not much. been too hot in the garage and found too many other excuses.

got my 80-prs into the dash, and re-wired the reverse camera into a replacement rear view mirror that the homelink actually works on.

right now, just mulling it all over. without the horrific stock radio and it's 'tuning', the oem system doesn't really sound terrible, so i'm in less of a rush to alter it as i have been in other vehicles.

i think the only solution to a sub box behind the seats is to cut or remove the entire plastic assemblies back there, and neither option sits very well with me from a completion point of view-- it quickly escalates thinking about attempting to finish off the space with fiberglass and texturing, none of which i really want to do..

 

You could always split the baby like I’m doing. Mr. Marv is building me a box to fit behind just the driver side rear seat so I can keep the bigger storage bin on the other side. Hoping to have that in hand in another week or two.

It’s a balancing act, budget/space/performance.

 

As far as hot in the garage, best money I never spent was a window unit in the garage. Got it for free helping some neighbors move. Can keep the garage in the high 70’s on a hot LA summer day with the garage door shut.

Unfortunately I can’t fit the truck in there with the workbench and toolboxes, so I do all my work in the driveway. 10x10 pop up tent helps provide a little shade, otherwise we just sweat.

 

a few pictures, though much of it is behind the radio.
the sony is just a placeholder because every aftermarket dash kit brand assumes we all want the radio mounted at the highest point in the vehicle, and it's the only extra radio i had sitting on the shelf for reasons i can't explain. it will eventually be replaced with a uniden bearcat cb radio because cb's are cool and i'm stuck in the 80's.




and the mirror, shoutout to bobsmirrors.com for the custom harness, mirror solution, and know-how.


behind the radio lives the AXBUCH backup camera wiring breakout, the camera's 6v power supply, and an AXSWC steering wheel converter.

 

Yeah, that’s half the reason I’m keeping the factory head unit. It looks stock, it’s already there, it does 80% of what I want a head unit to do. If I replaced it with anything I’d be in a fair bit of money, and I’d be stuck with an obviously not-factory appearance.

 

speakers started irritating me, so they got an early replacement. i had been planning on pulling the entire truck apart in one shot, but life got in the way, and i simply can't take it anymore.

after seeing a number of pictures of the stock 6x9's and how over-sized the opening was, i had high hopes i'd be able to shoehorn 2 6-7" drivers in the area. didn't come close to working by about 2"...

but i did get all the measurements to play with ideas!

sudo picturewhore mode:

pulling accurate depth measurements for later




max cutout sizing:


added a 3/4" radius around the screws for added comfort


front adapters cut/laid out


rear adapters, i was too impatient to take all the pictures of


new-ish drivers, 4 6.5" peerless hds nomex, on worlds weirdest adapter harness

direct-soldered 12ga speaker wiring connecting to a 18ga speaker adapter connector.

i've played with using the dayton esoteric 7" in my other car--i had hoped the improved cooling and larger voice coil would've increased some low end and midrange clarity. they don't, so these drivers are more likely to stay. the 12ga wiring is there because i expect i'll likely re-connect it once i run wire to the amps later on


armacell. the best adhesive closed cell foam i've found so far to seal everything up

rear brackets painted


brackets/speakers installed!

a little surprised at how chunky they look installed, on revision 2, i'll likely chamfer the edges to make myself feel better

 

That's one handsome Head Unit.

 

thanks!

i just wish there was a decent replacement for it anywhere! but no brand makes anything that's as simple to use, or has the same sound-shaping tools...

 

realized i haven't updated this with the tweeter change.

so i tried just the door speakers with the oem tweeters. that setup made it exactly 5 miles. low volumes, it was fine, but when i started leaning on the volume knob, the 6db/oct cheap capacitors showed their true character.

the rear speakers also showed me they were useless in even the best of times. they'll get pulled later on. i'm still playing with the idea to put coaxials there for a doors-open party setup, though something doesn't sound right in terms of dampening in the rear doors to allow any speaker to work right there.



so in standard fashion, i did the tweeters with all the wrong stuff.

i needed a method to bypass the oem tweeters to keep the door speakers working. problem was i didn't order anything. i was planning on jumpering the connector with a paperclip. or something.

turns out the solution is right on the oem tweeters.





for a moment, i did seriously debate running a higher quality 12db/oct passive crossover, or at least digging through my stash and attempting to run a nicer capacitor with the oem tweeter to give it the best, but my head unit is capable of full active, i'm not really ecstatic with the oem tweeter anyways, and in the end, it's much easier to run a little more wire than fuss with ordering/shipping parts and then dealing with the inherent passive crossover losses and phasing changes the idea would bring. these peerless door woofers aren't well-known to put up with phasing changes.

first up to bat are some $40/pr aiyima tweeters. they're copycats of the scanspeak ring radiators that tend to go for $600/pr. there's an obvious difference/quality just in the texture of the 'silk' membrane, and a definite curiosity on my part if it's actually got a rear chamber to drop fs, or just the exterior appearance of one.



on listening, they sound, well, cheap. the cost comes straight through at moderate volumes and required some interesting eq-ing to try to get tamed down enough to be tolerable. they will be getting switched out later on for some peerless ring radiators of identical shape/size, the same one's that i'm running in the car without any major eq, that come in without feeling so excessive and harsh.

i'm likely going to be cutting them open just to see what they look like once that happens.




they are functioning currently, and i feel i'm adjusting somewhat to them(i really don't believe in speaker break-in), though windows-down-rock-sessions are still quite harsh and i find myself regretting turning it up too high with these.

 

i've adjusted some to those aiyima tweeters. they're noticably harsher than the peerless tweeters they copy in my other car, so they'll likely get changed as part of the build. it was interesting to try something different, they'll get added to another build later..



audio build is progressing. most of the orderable items are in stock. getting down to the actual work!

now i just need to figure out the panel to mount all the circuit breakers and fuse block expansion. need to break out the Cardboard Aided Dimensioning for that.



wiring for 4-6 pairs of speaker locations(full active front stage, rear fill tweeters, potential rear door 'party' coaxials, and/or bed transducers), 1 dsp, 2 amps(1-4ch, 1-5ch), 1 front winch, custom rca cabling and ends, with planned expansion for 3 more winches, construction strobe lighting, and offroad lighting. not pictured is the winch, mounting plate, or sound deadening