Project Speaker and Tweeter Pod Build!!

[Renshaw]

Hey guys. Right, after much research and nagging a few people for hints and tips about fiberglass i've decided to build my own speaker pods for some new Focal 6.5" Components in the front of my Dynamique. I plan to make them mould into the exiting door card as much as possible so that they don't appear too much out of place. The mids will be directed towards the driver and passenger and the tweeters will be mounted into the 'A' pillars for a much better soundstage! To improve the sound quality and volume of the system i am going to soundproof the front doors and the boot lid as much as i can. A new Vibe CBR 10 Blackair II active sub will provide some nice punchy bass to the system! The components will be amped using my old Directed Xtreme 2300X which will be mounted to an MDF board on the back seat. two new Vibe wiring kits are gonna be used to connect the lot together.

A big thanks to Laura (cliosport.net) for the guide she gave me about making her pods and to the guys on talkaudio.co.uk!

A few pictures of the speakers. Focal Access 165 A1, Vibe CBR 10 Blackair II Active Sub and my old Directed Xtreme 2300X amp:

right here we go...

first i had to remove the doorcards as i am using these as a mould to build the fiberglass pods up from. i used Fubar's guide on fubar.net to help me with this.

then masked EVERYHTING!!

then a layer of foil over the tape to make sure the resin doesn't soak through to the plastic behind!

this being my first time using fiberglass i bought both matting and tissue as i wasn't sure which would be best. i used the matting first, cutting it into strips and then cutting slits down the sides of each strip to help it take the shape easier!! i soon realized that the matting was too thick to fold and take the shape of the lip around the top edge. never the less i carried on with a plan to fill in and build up a lip later using some fiberglass P40 bridging filler.

first attempt EVER at using fiberglass. i think i've done ok for a novice!

then i got stated on the other pod. i realized first time round that the matting was too thick for the intricate stuff so i used a few layers the much thinner tissue around the top lip and then blended in some of the thicker matting to add bulk and strength.

much better than the first attempt i think! the tissue has taken the shape much better!! im really happy with this one!


i also made some fiberglass covers too. the two parts will be joined together and will help me get a much more natural shape later on rather than just stretching fabric over the whole thing and then building up the shape with body filler. all will become much clearer soon...

gonna let these all cure for 24 hours and then get cracking with the speaker baffles and positioning of the mids!


all comments and advice are welcome

Renshaw

 

[N!CK R]

Read it properly now... makes sense.

 

[Laura]

good stuff, id probably do a couple more layers 1st tho

 

[Renshaw]

thanks laura. the cups have anout 4/5 layers of matting and the covers have around 2 layers of matting and 4 layers of tissue. gonna layer some more over the covers later on

 

[Renshaw]

right neglected this for a while due to starting a new job and having to get up at stupid o'clock in the mornings! im still waiting on my speaker baffles - im having the speakers recessed into the baffle and the outside edge will be rounded to help me with the shaping later!

anyway i started on a few other jobs and i've finally finished the sound deadening on the front doors!

pics:
initial sound deadening using Stinger Roadkill

i know it looks a mess and a bit like patchwork but trust me it does the job well! make the door sound more solid too when you shut it.


covered ALL the holes in the frame using gaffer tape and more Roadkill over the top!

also added more layers around the speaker area using Dynamat and some cheap Ivanhoe stuff (looks like thick tin foil haha)

i also tidied up a few of the wires hiding them under the trim and carpet and found a nice place to put my crossovers underneath the passenger airbag. i've also mounted my amp in the boot to the back of my seats too using fubar's guide (http://www.fubarnet.com/amplifier.html) works a treat!! sorry no pics of this as of yet!

let me know what you think and/or if you have any questions!


Renshaw

 

[Renshaw]

its been soooo long since i worked on these i nearly forgot about them lol ...anyway managed to find a bit of time after work this week so cracked on with them. i've currently got my Focals up for sale too in the for sale section as i think i now want a more uprated set

ok so i originally had an idea about using a fibreglass mould of the renault speaker grills to extrude my speakers out from but in reality when i test fitted and angled the speakers in the car there was so little room for my foot on the accelerator i scrapped this idea. tbh im really glad i id because they're looking great so far!!

when i found an angle for the speakers that i was happy with i measured it and then built the skeleton frame using the mdf baffle ring, dowel and plenty of hot glue! gluing straight into the fibreglass base. its all pretty sturdy too!! i trimmed away the excess fibreglass around the edges using a hacksaw, rasp and a file to neaten things up. came out really well i think.

and how they look in the door cards

getting the angles right was a proper pain in the bum because i did it on my own. if anyone is going to do this then i suggest gettin a friend to help - one to hold the speaker at various angles and the other the listen and then take measurements!!

i've never before used hot glue so i left the glue for 24hrs just to make sure it was all completely set! found out later that i dries fully really quickly. then i set about stretching the material over the frame ready to resin it! i used a pair of my girlfriend's old leggings for this as they were perfect for the job - really stretchy and quite thick so can hold a lot of resin at once!

material stretched over the frame and hot glued at the back to hold it in place whist the resin soaked through and set!

then i brushed a few coats of fibreglass resin over the frame making sure it soakes through into the mdf and fibreglass beneath. this is what will be the initial 'bond' before i can reinforce the joins with more fg.

left these to dry and harden for a couple of hours. then i was able to neatly cut out the hole for the speaker and trim away the excess material at the back! the resin soaked through great, better than i expected to really, so i was able to get neat result.

i used more hot glue on the inside around the join just to make myself feel better really as i can't believe how little and thin the fg is that the material has bonded to.

cut out the port on the back of the pods too just using a hacksaw and file! not sure about the size of it at the moment, i just used the existing speaker locations in the door cards to mark it out. if it sounds gash then i'll play around with different port sizes and more fibreglassing lol

then i realised i may have got ahead of myself a little by skimming the 'skin' with some body filler. looking back on this i think i should've layered another couple layers of fg matting over the top just to make the structure extra strong before skimming the filler!! i think im gonna try and have a go at doing this over the inside. not sure how well fg bonds over filler though :S


think i've got the bug back now so hopefully wont be long until i finish these now lol

any comments and questions welcome people! thanks


Renshaw

 

[Dooby]

If its Sq your after? (which i assume it is for all the hard work you put in). Put the bung in the vibe port, i was playing with one of these in a fiesta the other night and got miles better results with the unit sealed. Also look out for a genesis profile 2 for the focal's. You'll find a it a different league to your directed and they can be picked up for around £80 off ebay.

 

[Clio1.6Rxe]

A sealed unit would vibrate as a unit putting a strain on the joins etc. if its ported itll ease the pressure on the joints. Plus if you want crisp bass you want it ported... Another thing is how far up the A pillars are the tweeters being mounted? I wouldnt suggest head height maybe at the top facing down?

 

[Hutchie]

im glad my 6.5" rainbow components just fit in behing the standard grille without this much hassle, needed to cut the plastic the sits behind the normal speaker out so its just a standard round hole but its work fine, or at least its good enough for me

 

[Dooby]

A sealed unit would vibrate as a unit putting a strain on the joins etc. if its ported itll ease the pressure on the joints. Plus if you want crisp bass you want it ported... Another thing is how far up the A pillars are the tweeters being mounted? I wouldnt suggest head height maybe at the top facing down?

Pressure on the joints, have you been somking something?
The box is designed to be run sealed or ported and comes with
a special plug to go in the port from vibe.
A sealed box is alot tighter and more controlled than a ported design
Ported will gain maybe 3db in spl at the tuned frequency but roll off very steep after.

No serious SQ seeker will run a ported box in car. End of.

As for running speaker up high on the A pillars you are never going to get
a good image and transfer between mid and hi's.
The stock locations on the clio are not bad but low on the pillars is the best choice. ( Do a search for Tiggers old clio for an example)

 

[Clio1.6Rxe]

A sealed unit would vibrate as a unit putting a strain on the joins etc. if its ported itll ease the pressure on the joints. Plus if you want crisp bass you want it ported... Another thing is how far up the A pillars are the tweeters being mounted? I wouldnt suggest head height maybe at the top facing down?

1.Pressure on the joints, have you been somking something?
The box is designed to be run sealed or ported and comes with
a special plug to go in the port from vibe.
A sealed box is alot tighter and more controlled than a ported design
Ported will gain maybe 3db in spl at the tuned frequency 2.but roll off very steep after.

3.No serious SQ seeker will run a ported box in car. End of.

4.As for running speaker up high on the A pillars you are never going to get
a good image and transfer between mid and hi's.
The stock locations on the clio are not bad but low on the pillars is the best choice. ( Do a search for Tiggers old clio for an example)

1. I meant where the box joined the door/ door card. A sealed box vibrates as a full unit rather than vibrating the air inside...
2. Unless its for an immensely high volume usage then ported is better no?
3. Im am assuming these arent the main bass units and will be running other frequencies rather than just 20-30khz. If not you are correct.
4.The sound ends up being muffled when they are lower down. The higher up they are the better quality the sound especially from a tweeter and a higher volume. Maybe its personal preference...

 

[Renshaw]

A sealed unit would vibrate as a unit putting a strain on the joins etc. if its ported itll ease the pressure on the joints. Plus if you want crisp bass you want it ported... Another thing is how far up the A pillars are the tweeters being mounted? I wouldnt suggest head height maybe at the top facing down?

tweeters will be mounted about should level mate.

 

[Renshaw]

im glad my 6.5" rainbow components just fit in behing the standard grille without this much hassle, needed to cut the plastic the sits behind the normal speaker out so its just a standard round hole but its work fine, or at least its good enough for me

yaeh i could quite easily fit these behind the standard grill too by cutting away the plastic but they sound soooooo much better when positioned and angled right! my ears aren't at my feet so with them pointing in an upwards direction the sound levels are in a whole different legue!! another plus to doing it this way is that the door card is completely untouched so if i ever fancy selling my car and returning it to stock its a piece of cake!

Renshaw

 

[Dan R]

1.Pressure on the joints, have you been somking something?
The box is designed to be run sealed or ported and comes with
a special plug to go in the port from vibe.
A sealed box is alot tighter and more controlled than a ported design
Ported will gain maybe 3db in spl at the tuned frequency 2.but roll off very steep after.

3.No serious SQ seeker will run a ported box in car. End of.

4.As for running speaker up high on the A pillars you are never going to get
a good image and transfer between mid and hi's.
The stock locations on the clio are not bad but low on the pillars is the best choice. ( Do a search for Tiggers old clio for an example)

1. I meant where the box joined the door/ door card. A sealed box vibrates as a full unit rather than vibrating the air inside...
2. Unless its for an immensely high volume usage then ported is better no?
3. Im am assuming these arent the main bass units and will be running other frequencies rather than just 20-30khz. If not you are correct.
4.The sound ends up being muffled when they are lower down. The higher up they are the better quality the sound especially from a tweeter and a higher volume. Maybe its personal preference...

Not always. Tweeters work well positioned as close to the mid as poss. They do also work well on a pillar builds but can be tricky to get right due to reflections from the windscreen etc. Ive got my tweeters mounted on the bottom of the door and have got great imaging

 

[Dan R]

A sealed unit would vibrate as a unit putting a strain on the joins etc. if its ported itll ease the pressure on the joints. Plus if you want crisp bass you want it ported... Another thing is how far up the A pillars are the tweeters being mounted? I wouldnt suggest head height maybe at the top facing down?

wrong wrong wrong. Putting the tweeters at the top of the a pillars are probably the worst place to put them!!!! And as for the sealed box theory!!! pmsl. sealed boxes sound so much better