before I buy...

[o2cavyss]

After hours of planning, asking questions, and changing my mind a million times, I think I finally know what I'm ordering for my 09 sedan. For those of you who have more experience installing in the yaris, please look this list over to make sure everything will work together and that I'm not missing anything.

Already have the Knu 4 gauge 4 channel amp kit
http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=KFX-AK44

The rest of these are the plan
MTX Audio re-Q
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_9855_MTX+Audio+re-Q+-REQ-.html

SPL FX4-840 4 channel amp
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_9172_SPL+FX4-840.html

Alpine SPS-600C
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_11284_Alpine+SPS-600C.html

Pioneer Shallow Mount TS-SW251
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_11097_Pioneer+Shallow-Mount+TS-SW251.html

Hatchback box, .749 cu ft internal volume
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_7586_Sonic+Sub+Box-+1H10-0.7+-AKA-+Metra+S110SE-.html

Scosche Accumat AMT045x2
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_14203_Scosche+Accumat+AMT045X2.html

The factors that went into this plan
-Cheap budget (college student)
-Simple install
-Keep original HU
-Take up as little space as possible without taking out the spare
-SQ, not loudness

Please give me feedback, so I don't waste money ordering stuff that won't work for my application

[derickveliz2]

Looks good to me, looking forward on your install, I'm about to start mine as well.

[o2cavyss]

So I finally ordered all my stuff today with some changes to the plan I last posted.
Here's the new list (changes in bold):
KnuKonceptz 4 gauge 4 channel amp kit
sub box off ebay H 13" x L 14" x TD 10" x BD 13", int. volume .85 cu ftMTX re-Q
SPL FX4-840 4 channel amp
Pioneer TS-W253R - 200W rms
Pioneer UD-G258 - grille for sub
Scosche Accumat AMT050 x2
Hifonics zxi 6.5C

Additional plans:
poly fill in box
6.5 speaker brackets from DIY (it says its for the hatchback only but should work for sedan too, right?)

So hopefully I'll be ready to install next week

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Yes, our front speakers are 6.5", so no need for brackets (most likely). Also, I'd suggest filling the corners (not the actual corner, but where the mdf boards meet, every inch) of the eBay box with some sealant. Mine had air leaks, so I did that, and it sounded much better.

[The Architect]

seems you got my speakers. They're quite nice and especially for the price.

Mine were put in "professionally" and they used spacers of at least half an inch perhaps because it was barely hitting the glass but I'm not sure if its necessary.

[GeneralDon7]

I used a spacer for my front ones, just in case, i pretty much made my own template, since when i made mine i didnt realize there was one on here.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Was he talking about the install diameter or the depth?

[The Architect]

pretty sure for depth.

[o2cavyss]

yeah, i was talking about depth. I know they have speaker brackets for the 6.5" openings but I do want to make sure it clears the window and I want to help eliminate any vibrations I can.

I went with the Hifonics because the Alpines were backordered this morning when placing the order (saved me about $30), but I think I'll be happy with them. How do you like them Architect?

[The Architect]

They're pretty nice I must say when powered well. My amp is only rated for 60 Watts to each speaker which underpowering them quite a bit and they sound nice.

I intend on getting a new 2-Channel amp that will do 150RMS'ish and Ill be using a few layers of sound deadener.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

oh, hahaha, thought you were talking about the diameter. My bad.

[o2cavyss]

They're pretty nice I must say when powered well. My amp is only rated for 60 Watts to each speaker which underpowering them quite a bit and they sound nice.

I intend on getting a new 2-Channel amp that will do 150RMS'ish and Ill be using a few layers of sound deadener.

That's good to hear, that amp I'm getting is supposed to give them 80 watts each so hopefully I'll be safe and satisfied. As for the sound deadening, I'm just getting enough to deaden the speaker area, but later on i'd like to go back and do the entire car like sqcomp is doing. But that is another project for another budget...

[o2cavyss]

oh, hahaha, thought you were talking about the diameter. My bad.

no worries Kaotic, thanks for the replies, I was planning on giving that sub box a good look over to make sure it was sealed up but I guess it would be best to reseal it regardless

[Kaotic Lazagna]

no worries Kaotic, thanks for the replies, I was planning on giving that sub box a good look over to make sure it was sealed up but I guess it would be best to reseal it regardless

Yup, it'll sound more crisp. :thumbsup:

[o2cavyss]

So...nothing with me ever goes as easilly as it should. The company I ordered my stuff from, which is known for its super fast shipping and everything else, supposedly had some crazy special deal over the weekend before I ordered my stuff Monday morning which backed up there warehouse with 3,200 orders and someone a few orders ahead of me took the last SPL amp. They credited me the $5-6 i paid in shipping. They ordered another amp and said it should be in in the next day or two, but you know how that goes sometimes. So I had them replace it with the Jensen Power 760 amp. Similar ratings, but the owner's manual from Jensen's site shows two sets of RMS ratings.

4 ohms: 75 watts x 4 chan.
2 ohms: 100 watts x 4 chan.
Bridged, 4 ohms: 190 watts x 2 chan.

and

4 ohms: 60 watts x 4 chan.
2 ohms: 80 watts x 4 chan.
Bridged, 4 ohms: 155 watts x 2 chan.

IDK, hope it will work well for my application, I am just too anxious to wait for the SPL to come in

[sqcomp]

...brick and mortar stores...

You know what they have in stock. It's right there. Plus you get local support and a real warranty.

Make it happen though! Let's see some pictures when you get rockin' on this.

[o2cavyss]

Everything is supposed to be here tomorrow. Can't wait! Any ideas on how I can make the spacers before the speakers get here? I have the template, but I need to know where to drill the mounting holes and I need to know the mounting diameter for the speakers.

[The Architect]

Everything is supposed to be here tomorrow. Can't wait! Any ideas on how I can make the spacers before the speakers get here? I have the template, but I need to know where to drill the mounting holes and I need to know the mounting diameter for the speakers.

the spacer can be 1/2" and the speakers will fit just fine but if you have 3/4" layin around thats fine too, id hold off on the mounting holes til you have the actual speaker to be sure, it only takes like 30 seconds anyways.

a little ribbon sealer between the door/spacer and spacer/speaker would help too.

[o2cavyss]

the spacer can be 1/2" and the speakers will fit just fine but if you have 3/4" layin around thats fine too, id hold off on the mounting holes til you have the actual speaker to be sure, it only takes like 30 seconds anyways.

a little ribbon sealer between the door/spacer and spacer/speaker would help too.

I've already got the 1/2" inch laying on the kitchen table and was drawing the template. I just wanted to have it all done before tomorrow because I was planning on painting the spacers and I wanted to allow adequate time to dry and not have my door and speaker taken apart while doing it.

[talnlnky]

I've already got the 1/2" inch laying on the kitchen table and was drawing the template. I just wanted to have it all done before tomorrow because I was planning on painting the spacers and I wanted to allow adequate time to dry and not have my door and speaker taken apart while doing it.

if you do a light coat of Spray paint it should be dry in under an hr when cold (say sub 50's), and under 10 minutes when warm (over 80, and dry outside). I swear there's been times when I've done coats close to 5 mins apart when it's been in the sun on a hot summer day.

[o2cavyss]

if you do a light coat of Spray paint it should be dry in under an hr when cold (say sub 50's), and under 10 minutes when warm (over 80, and dry outside). I swear there's been times when I've done coats close to 5 mins apart when it's been in the sun on a hot summer day.

Good to know. I think i'm just gonna wait til I get the speakers tomorrow and get my measurements to draw the inner circle. I'll go ahead and cut it and paint it like that and just worry about drilling the holes when we do the install on Monday. I had wanted the holes drilled to be sealed by the paint but it probably wont matter much

[o2cavyss]

toys came in...
box and polyfil
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000528.jpg
Knu wiring kit
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000531.jpg
Spacers/brackets before speakers showed up today
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000527.jpg
Zeus 6.5c
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000541.jpg
Jenson power 760 4 channel amp
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000540.jpg
Pioneer 10" 1000W/200Wrms
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000539.jpg
MTX re-Q
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000538.jpg
Scosche Accumat
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000535.jpg
After getting measurments from speakers
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000534.jpg
Sub grill
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000532.jpg
Sub box after sealing with silicon caulk and lining with polyfill
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000533.jpg
I haven't used photobucket in several years and I saw some photos of my Focus...made me sad
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/carjan06resized.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/focusmarch20071resized.jpg

[The Architect]

sexy toys, the knu stuff is gorgeous of course.

hurry up and mount stuff so we can see.

since ya know...youre doing it anyways. how much for a nice set of spacers? mine are shoddy thanks to CC

[o2cavyss]

sexy toys, the knu stuff is gorgeous of course.

hurry up and mount stuff so we can see.

since ya know...youre doing it anyways. how much for a nice set of spacers? mine are shoddy thanks to CC

thanks, i'll go ahead and cut an extra set for you and check shipping prices. Not looking to make any money off it, but depending on how much shipping is, it may not even be worth it to you. I'll be taking plenty of pics throughout this process and posting them up. Thanks again for following along.

[The Architect]

put em in a flat rate box if theyll fit, ill do up to 15 for shipping but that seems excessive.

just let me know.

[sqcomp]

I like the stance of that Focus. It looks good!

[o2cavyss]

I like the stance of that Focus. It looks good!

Thanks sqcomp, I loved that car but lost it about 2 years ago when a Houston police officer blindly "gunned it" across traffic and t-boned me. It's like losing a family member when you've put so much into a car

[sqcomp]

oh man...did he give you a ticket for being in his way too?

[_S7V7N_]

I know i'm kinda late on the topic, but since you went hifonics on the components, see how that jensen amp works out if not crunch makes the amp i pasted below, Crunch, Hifonics and MB Quart are all made by Maxxonics. Just an idea if you need a lil bit more power for the components and it runs under 80 bucks.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_11757_Crunch+P900.4.html

[o2cavyss]

oh man...did he give you a ticket for being in his way too?

no ticket, he wasn't running his lights or his siren. We never even saw him, we were just driving down the road and then we weren't. When I looked out my window the first thing I saw was the big ram guard thing they have on their front bumpers. The officer almost laughingly said "I thought it was clear so I just gunned it." Even worse than that, they are protected by the city so it had to be filed on my insurance and because somehow no one was hurt, they took more than three months to settle it with my insurance. I'm getting all riled up again...

I will say, in my two wrecks my cars have been totaled and I have walked away unharmed when I shouldn't have. First one was my Cavalier that hydroplaned on the way to church--you could see the lines in the ditch where my car spun around a street sign without touching it then rolled 3 and 1/2 times. And with the Focus being Tboned on the driver side--the entire driver side was jacked up, but the damage was incredibly minimal only at the driver door...God is good

Sorry for getting off topic, just haven't talked about this in a while.

[o2cavyss]

I know i'm kinda late on the topic, but since you went hifonics on the components, see how that jensen amp works out if not crunch makes the amp i pasted below, Crunch, Hifonics and MB Quart are all made by Maxxonics. Just an idea if you need a lil bit more power for the components and it runs under 80 bucks.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_11757_Crunch+P900.4.html

Thanks for the suggestion, I did look at that one a little before I placed my order. The only thing was I didn't like the power output. Spec sheet says under 60 rms x 4 channels and 225 rms x 2 channels. The Jensen came with a "certification" of the power output of 75 rms x 4 channels and 190 rms x 2 channels. The components are 100 rms and the sub is 200 rms. I just wanted to give them some breathing room. Who knows what the real power output would be, but by the specs the front speakers would get less power and the sub might get too much. I think this should be fine for what I wanted, but if I do upgrade, I'll go with a more powerful 4 channel amp and a more powerful sub.

[_S7V7N_]

I'll let you know how they pair off i'm in the process of redoing my audio, i plan to pair off the hifonics components with this amp, I'm also going to get the brutus 1600 watt on either a pair of kicker cvr's which i have now , or sell them and get some Alpine type R's, I'm trying to see about a ported box since my rear seats don't fold down, Right now the Cvr's are in a sealed box and sound nice for having a crappy amp on them.

[o2cavyss]

I'll let you know how they pair off i'm in the process of redoing my audio, i plan to pair off the hifonics components with this amp, I'm also going to get the brutus 1600 watt on either a pair of kicker cvr's which i have now , or sell them and get some Alpine type R's, I'm trying to see about a ported box since my rear seats don't fold down, Right now the Cvr's are in a sealed box and sound nice for having a crappy amp on them.

Cool, sounds like a bit more power and space consumption than i'm looking for in mine, but be sure and let us know how it goes.

[o2cavyss]

A pair for me and a pair for Architect if he wants them. They are by-no-means done to professional standards, but they should work just fine. I sanded them a bit tonight to clean up some rough edges and plan to use the rattle cans to lay down some primer and flat black paint tomorrow before work tomorrow.
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000544.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000546.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000545.jpg

[o2cavyss]

Partial install yesterday...
I enlisted the help and expertise of a good friend (race car mechanic, master electrician, lots of sound system experience) for the install and we started on it yesterday.
but much of the plans changed...
1. The amp is no longer being mounted under the pass seat, but instead is in the trunk attached to the back of the seat.
2. There was not enough 12 gauge wire in the Knu kit to wire the speakers so we did it in some 16 gauge he had laying around. I don't know how we would have gotten the Knu wire thru the door anyway considering how difficult it was with the much slimmer 16 gauge.
3. Most of the 12 gauge is being used to wire the sub, and leave enough slack so I can take it out of the car while still connected.
4. Instead of wiring the re-Q to the stock headunit, he is disconnecting the rear speakers and using the their wires to get the signal to the re-Q. I'm trusting him that this will work. If it does, we dont have to take the dash apart, we don't have the cut the stock unit's wires, and we don't have to mount the re-Q up front where it would be either hard to access or in the way and in plain-sight.
5. We had trouble finding a good place to flush-mount the tweeters, so we are using the angled mount to mount them near the speaker and on pretty much the same angle as the speaker. Its not as clean as I was hoping, but the position of it should work really well.

I think that's it. Planning to finish the install when I get out of class today, but rain/snow mix here in Houston may hinder those plans.

[The Architect]

yes I am picking up those spacers lol just let me know the shipping sir.

[o2cavyss]

so, finished the install on Monday, but the tweeters aren't working right. They came on briefly then went out with only the woofers and the sub making sound. Tried moving the connection of the tweeters from the -0 to the -3 on the crossover...it did nothing. When we put it back, it still wasn't working until we got out of the car to check everything else. They started working again without us touching anything and continued working until I noticed this morning that only the driverside tweeter was the only one working. Then tonight the driverside tweeter went out too. It seems the problem has to be between the crossover and the tweeters because everything else is working fine. I wouldn't think it is the wiring connection because I had very experienced help and it is affecting both tweeters.
ANY IDEAS?

[sqcomp]

Everything else is fine?

My first reaction is to check the outs on the amplifier...

what kind of crossover do you have on the amplifier?

[o2cavyss]

Everything else is fine?

My first reaction is to check the outs on the amplifier...

what kind of crossover do you have on the amplifier?

originally the first two channels (the ones powering the crossovers for the components) were set at High pass filter on the amp but then changed to full range. The other two channels are bridged for the sub and set on low pass filter. The problem with the tweeters occurred on both high pass and full range though.

[o2cavyss]

I hope I understood that question right sqcomp. Any other ideas?

[talnlnky]

you check the ohm load (DCR) of the tweets yet? do both show the same load?

Also, check your wiring, make sure there isn't a single strand of copper that is frayed at your connections (especially speakers terminals & speaker outs on the amp). Such an event could cause a short... and from there a whole gang of problems.

[o2cavyss]

you check the ohm load (DCR) of the tweets yet? do both show the same load?

Also, check your wiring, make sure there isn't a single strand of copper that is frayed at your connections (especially speakers terminals & speaker outs on the amp). Such an event could cause a short... and from there a whole gang of problems.

how do I check the ohm load?

[o2cavyss]

See anything that could be causing the problem?
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000689.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000688.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000691.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/P1000690.jpg

[Alien Mantis]

What is THIS? A little strand of wire floating around in there?

:eek:

[Alien Mantis]

To make sure you don't have a bad connection in your crossover or component tweeters, try hooking up a plain old coax speaker, see if you get your high's and mid's.

Just test everything with "process of elimination".

That's what I do.

[o2cavyss]

I've been off the site for a while dealing with wedding stuff. Just before the wedding, I got in contact with sonicelectronix and they said "if you've checked all the wiring then it sounds like the tweeters (or the crossover) are bad." So I need to send in the component system so they can test it and determine that it is not functioning correctly. If they find that it is working, they'll charge me a $25 testing fee and charge me for shipping to them and back to me. The other problem is because I clipped the rear speaker wire to get the signal, once the front speakers are out of the car I wont be able to listen to music for a few weeks and I spend A LOT of time in the car. Any body have any other solutions to this problem before taking the speakers out? Maybe finding another set of crossovers or tweeters or just buying another component set?

Also, to add to the diagnosis...I don't know if it's just because i've been listening to this for so long now without the tweeters, but it almost sounds like it's trying to push the full range of sound out of the woofers instead of sending the highs to the tweeters. Its hard to describe...kind of "muddy" when there is a lot going on in the music like the woofer is trying to do too much. Sound possible/plausible?

[_S7V7N_]

You sure the tweets aren't getting caught in the window track and perhaps cut the wire. I'm such a noob and did this so my tweets are cutting in and out. I have the same set-up.

[o2cavyss]

You sure the tweets aren't getting caught in the window track and perhaps cut the wire. I'm such a noob and did this so my tweets are cutting in and out. I have the same set-up.

I was having this problem before ever touching the windows, but i'll check. I'm thinking i'm gonna redo all the connections today just to be entirely sure before I go through the trouble of sending them back.

[_S7V7N_]

Has to be something simple, Let us know if you find anything.

[o2cavyss]

turns out it was something simple (That's why its been bugging me). It seemed highly unlikely that they would have both been messed up. I found that the skinny wires that come off the tweeters either broke when crimping to the 16 gauge wires or they melted. I redid all the connections MYSELF to make sure nothing like this was missed again. Sounds good having the highs back, now I just need to get rid of the induced noise coming out of them and I'll be all good.

[o2cavyss]

both sides like this
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/IMG_0082.jpg

[_S7V7N_]

Yep the shield seems to be very thin, mine looked the exact same way. I may end up throwing some of that wire loom stuff on them just to be sure they're protected. Glad the problem shooting was a success. The induced noise may be from your rca's, are they brand new ? How close to the power did you run them ? If not check the ground on your amp and make sure there's no ground loop. It's all on troubleshooting bro, it's usually very simple fixes.

[o2cavyss]

The rca's are brand new and this is as close as they get to the power wire
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/IMG_0069.jpg
power wire goes from there, under the seat, to the front of the car and rca's go under the mat in the trunk to the left rear corner of the trunk here
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/02cavyss/IMG_0073.jpg
Im getting two noises, a whistling/whining sound that increases as the rpms increase (probably has to do with the crossovers being to close to the front of the car), and a static that is constant regardless of volume level or engine speed (likely some sort of ground loop, idk).

[_S7V7N_]

Maybe some sort of Induced noise from the seats. The back of the seats are metal and your screws drill through them which are touching the amp. That's why they usually tell you to mount your amp to wood. I would start there first see if the Hissing stops. As far as the whining, I'd check your grounds, did you scrape off the paint off all the ground points ? And do you have more than one ground tied to a certain point ?