Those who've read my Evo system thread know that I like audio and that I went to some effort to assemble a musically satisfying system. Over the course of the last 2 years, I've become increasingly dissatisfied with the sound. The rig can be tuned to sound phenomenal when the car is standing still, but when it's moving all bets are off. As I don't listen to it when the car is parked...

Given the above, I removed the bulk of the gear, kept the amp under the passenger seat (a Zapco Ref200), and reinstalled the stock speakers up front. No rears. I've been driving and listening to music most of the day loving the sound. The system doesn't have the detail and the frequency response of the previous config, but it's more dynamic and there's a better sense of clarity at speed. In essence, it's a lot more fun.

Over the last 4 years I've auditioned a lot of different gear in the Evo. If anyone asks what they should do about a system, this is what I'll suggest - an upgraded HU, a good amp, and stock speakers. If I come across a speaker that's better able to gel with this car, you'll be the first to know.

 

I've been rockin out to my full stock speakers since '06 with a pioneer hu. Still sounds great.

 

Paper cones have always been the best.

 

i dunno man.
im running an active front stage and my dayton reference 7 inch mids are doing a fantastic job playing lower frequencies so well.

 

stockers seem to work great

 

The above said when the car is moving? Hell, my rig sounded spectacular when the car stood still. I've talked about the (sonic) effects driven by the car's noise component before...seemingly over and over. It's the biggest sonic constraint we face.

 

I really don't think anything specific can be attributed to the cone material, itself, other than an arguably valid general statement that paper cones seem to be more sensitive.

 

Since there a bit of interest in the thread, I might as well share a tentative plan for yet another attempt to put together a better usable system. It would be my 4th try, not including that multitude of amps/speakers/subs (along with a few HUs) that I auditioned in the Evo during that time. Each time I do this I come back to the stock speakers, a good small amp, and an upgraded HU.

There's no hope for a great deal of discernible (recorded) detail due to the noise, so what we really need are amplitude, dynamics, and a lack of distortion. Do I know of a speaker that meets these constraints and is able to run on little power? No, but I'm looking and I have my eye on a couple of candidates.

Then there's the bass. It's the biggest problem due to the low-frequency content of the car, itself. This time I'm thinking of taking a different approach - a shallow Earthquake 8" sub siting in a 8x12x3 enclosure under the driver's seat. I only want solid reinforcement and this might do it, but I'm not 100% sure knowing the environment.

I hate to remove the Ref200, as I really like the amp, but I'd need something to power the speakers and the sub. The amp would also have to fit under the passenger seat. Thankfully there is such an animal and it's not a total piece of crap. So, this is where I'm at audio-wise.

For those who care about weight (I do), some numbers relative to stock including wire, termination/fuse blocks, etc:

Last system - +68lbs
Current system - +6lbs
Proposed system - +20lbs (weight located near the car's center of gravity)

 

yeah another option is the shallow depth dayton audio reference 8 inch sub which is about 2.5 inches mounting depth. I am planning on trying to build a sub to fit under the evo seat for a fellow evo owner who needs all the trunk space he can get.

as far as power there are plenty of small footprint amps. i still have this lanzar opti4x400d amp which is 6.6"W x 1.7"D x 11.6"L

 

Whoa! I hadn't checked PE since last summer and hadn't seen it. There's a TB shallow driver, too, that looks very juicy. Thanks!

Perhaps you could build an enclosure for me, as well. Have you seen Earthquake's plan's for a simple horn? Check it out:

http://www.earthquakesound.com/IMAGE...sws_manual.pdf

The mouth of the horn would have to be scaled to fit a 8x12 box. I've never modeled a horn. Have you?

I'm thinking of a 4ch Pioneer with ICE modules.

 

wow interesting enclosure- that should be real easy to build.
now how much is an 8" woofer?

 

Woofers sells the driver for ~$140:

http://www.woofersetc.com/p8884/SWS8...-Subwoofer.htm

I modeled the Earthquake 8" along with the TB and the Dayton in simple sealed enclosures. It seems like the TB and the Dayton would like to see a bigger box. I might give Earthquake a call and see how the horn can be scaled to fit our application.

Amp-wise, I really hate to replace the Ref200. I really like the thing. I'm thinking of packing a small mono amp in the glovebox. I had an ARC Mini in the glovebox before and it worked out well. You're going to laugh, but I'm kind of looking at this one:

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...ony_XM-1S.aspx

FWIW, that hideous chrome cover comes off:

 

arc to zapco to sony.

i'm out of this thread j/k!

 

how much room we we actually have under the seats?

 

To me, the biggest problem is that the component drivers are WAY too far down in the door. I had a 335i with the L7 system, and the mids were smaller, but way up the door, ear level, and lots closer to the tweeter.

Talk about sonically satisfying. You could hear crystal clarity at 75mph.

Keep us updated, FJF!