Subwoofer under the passenger seat? - Page 2

SteveTOaks · 06-07-2017, 08:00 AM

Good to hear that products like this are available. Unfortunately for me, the panel wouldn't work behind the driver because that's where my kitchen countertop and fridge is.

What's "CNC?" CNC - What does CNC stand for? The Free Dictionary

hein · 06-07-2017, 08:42 AM

CNC = Computer Numerical Control. We use 3D CAD design (Creo, Solidworks, etc.) and CNC machines to produce our products to exact dimensions.

Bass is non directional so could be behind a cabinet. Ours is behind the couch with bedding stored in front of it. It's still thumps.

REDOVAL · 06-07-2017, 09:14 AM

I would also highly recommend FAST Rings for any speaker location in the vans. They are pre-cut and adhesive backed transducer rings that act to seal the speaker to the door panel as well as isolate the speaker from the panel. The result is greatly improved midbass and smoother response. They are available in all the regular speaker sizes. They made a tremendous difference in my E-Series platform. I am not affiliated with this product, just impressed that a simple item can have that much of an effect on output.

Fast Rings

Scott

hein · 06-07-2017, 06:43 PM

Our adapters move the speaker outward closer to the door panel. Then we line the back of the door panel with Thinsulate(TM)

https://youtu.be/g_igBQnMINI?list=PL...wCYLQF6s__fArK

mkkbven · 10-27-2017, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beached

Hi Steve,
The passenger seat area is a great location of car stereo electronics and there is good access to the driver seat and dash. Do you have a stock system now? I agree with Redoval that just adding an under seat sub will likely not get you the sound you want. Replacing the stock 5.25" door speakers with 6.5" separates will be your biggest bang for the buck, ideally with an amp.

I started by adding a 4-channel 180 wpc amp under the passenger seat, 6.5" Focal Expert speakers in the doors and a pair of 10" Morel Hybrid speakers in the ceiling at the back in the dead space between the back of the poptop frame and the rear doors. After listening for a while I added the Kicker Hideaway sub under the passenger seat to round out the low freq. Adding the sub later was easy since all the other wires were already run to the seat, but I'd say the sub was only a marginal improvement. Good for the front but not enough to make much difference in the back.

Beached,

I'm finally looking to replace my OEM stereo system in my Sprinter and was intrigued with your build.

You mentioned in a previous post that you are using a blue-tooth amp that is wired to your house battery. Are you still using the starter's battery when playing the stereo while driving or is it always running off the house battery? Can you provide some info on how you accomplished the power/control wiring? I like the idea of driving the speakers via a blue-tooth device while in camp.

I was also wondering if it is was difficult to stuff the 6.5" speakers into the doors. Is it as simple as installing an adapter or did it require a lot of cut and paste?

thx

hein · 10-27-2017, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkkbven

...I was also wondering if it is was difficult to stuff the 6.5" speakers into the doors. Is it as simple as installing an adapter or did it require a lot of cut and paste?

Our adapters will allow you to put a 6 1/2 or even 6 3/4 sized speaker in the doors. Choose a speaker with a smaller magnet and frame without large terminals so if will fit into the smaller hole in the door's sheet metal. The hole can be enlarged but that means you'll need to trim the metal. The adapter/spacer places the front of the speaker right behind the OEM grill for best sound projection. Highly recommend Thinsulate(TM) behind the door panels when you have those off.

All the best,
Hein
DIYvan.com

mkkbven · 10-27-2017, 01:27 PM

Hein,

thanks for the info. I'll look into that. I plan to take the panel off this weekend to have a look around.

Beached · 10-28-2017, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkkbven

Beached,

I'm finally looking to replace my OEM stereo system in my Sprinter and was intrigued with your build.

You mentioned in a previous post that you are using a blue-tooth amp that is wired to your house battery. Are you still using the starter's battery when playing the stereo while driving or is it always running off the house battery? Can you provide some info on how you accomplished the power/control wiring? I like the idea of driving the speakers via a blue-tooth device while in camp.

I was also wondering if it is was difficult to stuff the 6.5" speakers into the doors. Is it as simple as installing an adapter or did it require a lot of cut and paste?

thx

Hey MK,

I’m kept my stock head unit that has nav and full integration with the dash and stearing wheel. The speaker outputs run to a Zapco st-204d amp under the seat. The amp takes High or low power inputs. They also make a smaller 104d amp. These are d class amps so smaller and much more efficient than traditional car amps.

The amp powers up when the head unit turns on, and I have a small switch on the pass seat that powers the 12v amp turn on when the car is off. There is a diode in the line so the head unit does not get feedback if both get powered. At camp I play music from my phone direct to the amp which is wired to the house bank, so no key needed and no starter batt drain. The powered sub turns on from the same circuit as the amp.

So far it sounds great. I ran new wires for mid-ship speakers, but don’t need them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

mkkbven · 10-29-2017, 01:19 PM

Beached, thanks for the reply. Power connections to the amp appear much simpler than I first thought. I’m looking at the Zapco ST-64D.BT. It’s much less powerful than the 204, but should be more than adequate for me.

When you reference midship speakers do you mean in addition to your front and backs? Or did you decide to delete the backs? I’m considering installing some 6x9 3-way speakers in the back ceiling just below the penthouse. I also plan to pre-wire the space below the passenger seat for a powered subwoofer, but will wait and see if I feel it is needed before I pull the trigger.

kcshoots · 10-30-2017, 11:34 AM

I agree with all of the previous comments. In my last Sprinter I had a Kicker powered sub under the passenger seat and was very disappointed in that it didn't produce great sounding bass, it produced vibration and rattling, but not real bass sound and feel. In my current Sprinter, I did replace all of the factory speakers, added two amps, one dedicated to powering a new 8" subwoofer installed to bottom of a sheet of 1/2" expanded PVC mounted to the top of the passenger seat base. This is a much better sounding experience than the powered sub I had before, and I can control the output better and it also has way reduced seat rattles and vibrations yet more deep sounding and feeling bass. Granted it cost more, yet was still easy to fit the amp and sub onto the top of the seat base allowing me to fully use the seat base for storage.