# EcoDave's SQ Audio System



## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

Taking the dash apart was easy using a Trim removal kit that I bought from Pep Boys.
Use a Ratchet extension with a 7mm to undo the bolt screws.


Installed the PAC











I also hooked up the RCA cables to the PAC and then ran them back to the trunk. It was fairly easy tucking them under the door panels.





More to come....


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

Here are some pics of Andrei Terry and I installing more components and even Dave helped out lol.

Andrei installing baffles








Baffles installed








Passenger Door Apart








Our Worksite for the first couple of hours










Terry Installing CLD Tiles on Door








Terry Installing CLD Tiles in Trunk








Terry installing tiles in trunk part two








Trunk Picture








Trunk Picture


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

Lol, was Andrei just chillin in his trunk taking a nap? 

Nice build btw, I cant wait to finally do mine.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

Smurfenstein said:


> Lol, was Andrei just chillin in his trunk taking a nap?
> 
> Nice build btw, I cant wait to finally do mine.


Not resting re installing his sub after we fixed it and we i mean Andrei Terry and I


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

H3LLON3ARTH said:


> Not resting re installing his sub after we fixed it and we i mean Andrei Terry and I


yeah it took 6 hands to resolder the coil on the terminal. PITA!!! hahaha


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

Wait he popped a terminal coil? How? LOL


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

short coil lengths and the excursion bent and broke off the terminal.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Smurfenstein said:


> Wait he popped a terminal coil? How? LOL


Yeah dude. The actual metal terminal soldered to the end of the tinsel leads tore straight off so I had to disassemble the sub (the motor can be unbolted from the cone/basket) and solder it back together with a strip of wire. I didn't know the xlim for this sub is longer than the length of the tinsel lead lol. My own fault for not having a high pass filter on when we played some synthetic bass with a really hard sub-30hz note. 

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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Yeah dude. The actual metal terminal soldered to the end of the tinsel leads tore straight off so I had to disassemble the sub (the motor can be unbolted from the cone/basket) and solder it back together with a strip of wire. I didn't know the xlim for this sub is longer than the length of the tinsel lead lol. My own fault for not having a high pass filter on when we played some synthetic bass with a really hard sub-30hz note.
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com App


This is the song you requested to analyze. It's the one that made the loud pop and we realize something was wrong.
Blackmill - Oh Miah (Full Version) - YouTube [download link in the video description]

right after 1:26 was when we had to shut it down, and inspect the damage lol


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## goinovr (May 6, 2013)

EcoDave said:


> This is the song you requested to analyze. It's the one that made the loud pop and we realize something was wrong.
> Blackmill - Oh Miah (Full Version) - YouTube [download link in the video description]
> 
> right after 1:26 was when we had to shut it down, and inspect the damage lol.



Good lord this song hits. Picked up the album and copying it to my flash drive.


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

How are you liking your components? Haven't seen any reviews from you yet. Lol


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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

I love them, but i was going to wait until XR completes the enclosure and i put it in to do a complete review.
I have gone as high as 36 on the mylink volume with no distortion. the stock speakers could not go above 24 and sound good.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

EcoDave said:


> I love them, but i was going to wait until XR completes the enclosure and i put it in to do a complete review.
> I have gone as high as 36 on the mylink volume with no distortion. the stock speakers could not go above 24 and sound good.


Keep in mind, you also raised your max volume. In other words, due to the way you have the gain set on the amplifier, these speakers are louder at a given level than the factory ones were. These really are some pretty impressive drivers and well worth the money spent. That little Massive Audio digital SQ amp also provides them with quite a bit of power.


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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

I wrapped my Crossovers in Foil, Buzzing and hissing gone.

Also, Subwoofer has been sitting in that corner, getting broken in. You can "feel it" if you sit in the left side back seat, but you can't really hear it. 
And in the last pic, the custom makeshift jerry rigged "Distribution Block" lol
Almost bought one at Summit Racing that was $34 dollars but a light bulb popped up in Andrei's head and we went to Home Depot to gather cheap parts to make our own.
Total cost of the custom Distribution-Block was less than $10. A small plastic storage cylinder with rubber caps on the end, a Bolt, a nut, and a washer.


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## Ahiru (Mar 4, 2013)

I'm happy as **** your noise is clear now. The foil was a last resort trick for me.


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## goinovr (May 6, 2013)

If you really want to test your subs get the soundcloud app for your phone and look up Dum Dum by Baauer. You can probably find it on iTunes or out on the intarwebs in a high quality mp3 as well.


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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

I think I just fried my PAC AA-GM44 with foil.

I opened up the dash, adjusted the PAC gains all the way down to 0 (Shuts off sound completely) then I brought them up to where I could hear something (about 10%).
Then I set the Massive Audio NX2 4ch Amplifier Gain to 0, set it to Pass Through mode (all frequencies), so I could see when the radio begins to clip (w/ SMD DD-1), which was volume 27 at 40hz.
Then I raised the Amp gain until it clipped, brought back a tiny bit until the distortion light went off on the SMD DD-1 and it was all set up .

I wrapped the PAC in Aluminum Foil which I had not done previously, put everything back together, shut the car off and as I was walking away I noticed my amps where still on.
I took apart the whole dash again and wiggled the remote wire on the PAC, the amps shut off and now They will not turn on anymore. I am pissed.

The Light on the PAC doesn't come on. It's dead. The fuse on the main power cable near the car battery is still intact so it's not that.
I will not have any music or radio in my car until I spend another thirty something dollars on a new, cheap POS!

/rant


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## Ahiru (Mar 4, 2013)

I'm having issues with my pac as well. I'm ready to install a real radio, this thing in the cruze is crap! 

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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Ahiru said:


> I'm having issues with my pac as well. I'm ready to install a real radio, this thing in the cruze is crap!
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


You and EcoDave are two of 3 total people that I know of that had issues. I've installed 3 systems successfully with this unit and many others have as well. Maybe there's a bad batch that went out recently? I have no idea, but it sounds like something else is going on.

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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

Maybe it's the darn Aluminum Foil. Perhaps the PAC needs to stay unwrapped to dissipate heat. 
I noticed no improvement of getting rid of any remaining buzzing in the left tweeter, So i am guessing it is completely on the left side crossover picking up noise from the power wire.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Nice looking start! Looking forward to your impressions on that TC Epic once you get it all boxed up.


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## jstoner22 (Aug 21, 2012)

I'm not sure all of the steps you have taken to eliminate noise, but this article has helped me in the past. 
It is old, but perfectly relevant when determine the culprit of hums and hisses.

How To - Car Stereo - In Pursuit of a Noise-Free System: The Ten Commandments of Noise Prevention



Have you tried a different amplifier in there? It could be a faulty channel.
This is where I would start, simply because it is quick, easy, and doesn't involve any panels to be taken apart.

Also, are you POSITIVE is isn't coming from the right tweeter as well?
Our ears are much more sensitive to high frequencies, and it is easy to hear hums and hisses in the left tweeter. More often than not, it is simply the result of improperly set gains. (Remember that as soon as you start turning up the sensitivity, not only are you raising the signal strength, but the noise floor as well.)

The less components in your system the better. Anything added in means an opportunity for noise to enter, in addition to tougher integration.
If you can go active, do it. If you can go all in one dsp/source unit, do it.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

A quick check to identify if its an amplifier or source channel issue would be to swap the RCAa on the amplifier.

Good post above BTW. 

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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> You'll see what I mean when you listen to it. If you get too much bottom end rumble and not enough punch, add more fiberglass insulation. I think the amount I had in there should be pretty good for your needs. It will dig pretty deep and hit pretty hard.


WOW, I have to say I am impressed with the quality of the enclosure, Everything about it is top notch! 
The sturdiness, the internal and external integration of the Port, the carpeting, the physical feel, and most importantly the SOUND!
I love Both the RUMBLES and the PUNCH it gives (and this is at low listening volumes, because breaking it in) , I'm going to leave amount of fiberglass the way it is.... It's Perfect.

The Kraken sounded much better but I think the bass goes too much below 30hz because it doesn't sound much stronger.... Just clean bass.

This is the song blew me away after I installed the Sub and Box (Rumble bass and bass Punch)
Switch to 720p


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

EcoDave said:


> WOW, I have to say I am impressed with the quality of the enclosure, Everything about it is top notch!
> The sturdiness, the internal and external integration of the Port, the carpeting, the physical feel, and most importantly the SOUND!


Nice! Glad to hear that Epic 10 is keeping its promise. I was real close to getting one of those for a car system a while back and kinda wish I had...



EcoDave said:


> The Kraken sounded much better but I think the bass goes too much below 30hz because it doesn't sound much stronger.... Just clean bass.


Can you elaborate on that a bit? It has too much bass below 30 Hz?



EcoDave said:


> This is the song blew me away after I installed the Sub and Box (Rumble bass and bass Punch)


I listened to that on my computer system which is solid down to about 26 Hz and, to be honest, I didn't hear much going on down low? Cool tune, but not much below 40, unless it's all so far below 26 I can't hear it on my system?

I have TC Sounds LMS-R 12 with two TC 12" radiators to build a home sub with, got the subs and plans from Jeff Bagby (pretty famous dude in the DIY speaker community), it should be good down to the mid/low teens in room. I can't wait to get it built this fall/winter... I'm an incurable deep-bass-head!


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Keep in mind the sub will also change the way it sounds as it breaks in. It will tighten up as well as sound a bit cleaner. Give it a week or so.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Keep in mind the sub will also change the way it sounds as it breaks in. It will tighten up as well as sound a bit cleaner. Give it a week or so.


Andei, what are the box xpecs? I'd like to plug it into WinISD and have a look.


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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

Blue Angel said:


> Can you elaborate on that a bit? It has too much bass below 30 Hz?


What I meant was, The Kraken doesn't produce strong Bass with my setup when compared to other songs. Maybe I'm just too used to synthetic bass.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

EcoDave said:


> What I meant was, The Kraken doesn't produce strong Bass with my setup when compared to other songs. Maybe I'm just too used to synthetic bass.


That's most likely what's happening. It is all natural bass so it will sound different. It should sound more...transparent.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Blue Angel said:


> Andei, what are the box xpecs? I'd like to plug it into WinISD and have a look.


1.65 gross cubic feet net volume

21.25" long round port, 4" diameter, with 1.5" radius flares on each end that are not included in that length. 

~3/4 pound per square foot of fiberglass fill.


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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> 1.65 gross cubic feet net volume
> 
> 21.25" long round port, 4" diameter, with 1.5" radius flares on each end that are not included in that length.
> 
> ~3/4 pound per square foot of fiberglass fill.



It's great that you didn't go the full 1.9' that you talked about. At 1.65 the thing takes up nearly half the trunk space!
3/4 lbs per square foot, you actually weighed the fiber glass!? Holy cow, and here I thought you just winged it in there LOL


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

EcoDave said:


> It's great that you didn't go the full 1.9' that you talked about. At 1.65 the thing takes up nearly half the trunk space!
> 3/4 lbs per square foot, you actually weighed the fiber glass!? Holy cow, and here I thought you just winged it in there LOL


Actually it is 1.9 cubic feet, but that's the gross volume once you factor in port and sub displacement. The port really is quite large. You need that volume to dig down to the really deep synthetic bass I know you like without bottoming out. 

The fiberglass isn't weighed, lol, but I've built enough boxes to know roughly how much fiberglass weighs and how tightly packed to add it based on the density I'm looking for. 

You should post some pictures BTW.

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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

I'm still in the process of breaking it in so I'm mostly playing Songs with natural bass. On Tuesday (one week), I'll begin to play more of the heavy synthetic bass music at moderate levels.
I don't want to break my Sub like H3LL did with his, :lala: lol


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

EcoDave said:


> I'm still in the process of breaking it in so I'm mostly playing Songs with natural bass. On Tuesday (one week), I'll begin to play more of the heavy synthetic bass music at moderate levels.
> I don't want to break my Sub like H3LL did with his, :lala: lol


Lol yea please don't its a hassle I might just save up and get a different brand maybe PSI and I might need a new box lol.

Sent From An Antique,
My Original Droid.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

H3LLON3ARTH said:


> Lol yea please don't its a hassle I might just save up and get a different brand maybe PSI and I might need a new box lol.
> 
> Sent From An Antique,
> My Original Droid.


Honestly that was a VERY nice sub you had. It was an excellent combination of SPL and sound quality. Yeah, you can get subs that hit harder and might take more abuse, but it's always a compromise. I'd just get the same sub again. 

Check the total diameter. You might be able to fit a different sub in there.


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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

I got rid off the buzzing from the left side completely. It is definitely the Crossover picking up interference from the headlight relay and the Braking system.
I moved the driver side crossover from the Kick Panel to the B-Pillar behind the seat belt, there is a foam padded area there that will keep it from making any noise, very tight and snug fit  
No Aluminum Foil required.









The right side buzzing is not nearly as audible and I found that I have to put my ear right up against the speaker to hear the interference. 
I'll fix that side at a later time. I am now completely relieved and happy that I have a great sound system without any amplified interference noises lol


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Bump.


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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

The passanger side 6.5 Image Dynamics door speaker blew a couple days ago. The sound was all distorted.
When I took it out, There was no visible signs of damage though. I hooked it up to my Home theater system just to make sure its not anything else. 
Blown speaker confirmed, bass was crackled and weird popping.
.

I went ahead and bought 2 silver flutes last night.


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## hificruzer226 (Mar 27, 2013)

Sounds like it came out of its gap and deformed the former


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

once coil overs, rims/tires, and chassis renforcments then I would love to drop this kind of a system in the cruze


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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

hificruzer226 said:


> Sounds like it came out of its gap and deformed the former


I have no clue what that means lol
Can it be fixed?


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## hificruzer226 (Mar 27, 2013)

EcoDave said:


> I have no clue what that means lol
> Can it be fixed?


Yes but the repair is more than the value of the drivers


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Here is what I have to say ....hehehehahahahaahohohohoho NO .........another speaker for the wall .


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