Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

[keny]

Been trawling the pages here and not much talk about the two 8” woofers under the front seat. I read from other post that they are especially flat units to clear the seat mechanism. Also, Pioneer TS-SW841D seems to fit. Anybody here with pictures of these enclosures? And will changing these 2 speakers make any real difference?

I plan to fit 2 freeair 10” woofers on the rear parcel shelf, change the rear speakers to another set of better 4” components, and change the components in the front doors.

Has anybody here ever cut the bottom portion of their door to fit a 6.5” speaker? Reason I ask these questions is because I have some stuff from my previous rides and I am trying to save some $$$ by utilizing them.

Actually, I’ve got two Lanzar Opti 2 (50x2, 75x2) channel amps, an Infinity (50x4) four channel, a pair of Infinity reference 6.5” splits, a pair of 10” kicker freeair, 1PPI preamp and a Brax capacitor.

I was wondering if anybody here can give me some suggestions on what is the most cost effective solution to utilize the stuff or if anything else is needed to complete my system.

I know I will probably need a new amplifier to power the subs as my Soundstream 705 I used to power the system has finally given up the ghost.

I know that most audio shops shun setups like that because profit margin isn’t too good. Could anybody point me to one that wouldn’t mind using some of my old stuff?

Thanks in advance

 

[vegadonovan]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

Hi Keny,

Profit margin is relative to them. Let them worry about it. State your objectives and your eventual scenarios and make them do it. They will charge you for the labour. It could be 200-300 for labour alone. Or it could be less.

I installed a woofer box in the trunk. They tap the signal from the rear speakers pair. Charged me 100.

They changed out all the speakers( Bought new from them) in my e46 and put in my old AMP and charge me labour 100 also.

They will always make enough to cover their business. So go ahead and bring your own stuffs over.

Enjoy!

 

[vegadonovan]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

Forgot to add. So my thoughts are: Every shop is the same; just make sure they are professional and watch them all the way. Because certain things when not careful can never be mended back to original condition again.

=)

 

[keny]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

Thanks for the info. Any recommendations of shops that are familiar with my car or your personal favourite?

 

[vegadonovan]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

The shop that I went to have my audio done was not satisfactory. So I wouldn't want you to risk it. You could try the audio shop at Odeon Katong. At the ground floor Or Pin Liang. Seems alright.

Go there with a budget and stick to it. If not you can double your spending for some minor enhancements to the overall setup.... Just say you don't have anymore cash.

These 2 are the shops I would try in the future.

 

[oneHeadlight]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

Hi Keny,

u may wanna consider going 3 way in front, rather than using the 4" at the rear, which may cause cancellation if u are not careful.

 

[keny]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

Actually i was going for a 6.5" reference splits in the front doors without the 4" and replace the back with another set of 6.5" kappa splits plus the 2 freeair 10" on the parcel shelf with a cut in the panel. What do you think of this setup? How much power do you think i need for the subs? I'm powering the fronts 100w/ch, rear 25w/ch and 350w for the bridged woofers. Do you think adding an extra amp for the below seat subs would make any difference?

 

[oneHeadlight]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

i m in serious lack of sleep but hopefully i catch u correctly...

u are gonna mod your door such that it fits a 6.5" midbass right ?
i assume your tweets are either to be mounted on A pillar or dashboard ?
there is a pair of 4" u intend to use ?
u will still use those funny stuff under the seats...?
u still wanna have speakers in the rear ?

this is wat i think....

forget about the stuff under the seat.
if u are going 5.1, then maybe u can spend money on the rear, else its not really necessary. If u still wanna have the rear, go for co-axials will do.

100w/ch, i assume its 100wrms. For tweets and mid (4") , its fine.
But for your midbass, its way way lacking.

350w into your free-air subs wouldnt be good enough. Free-air subs are alot more difficult to control, and usually u would want ALOT of power into it/them. Go for as much power as u can afford, from a decent brand at least.

 

[keny]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

Thanks for the tips.

Actually, it’s just a 6.5" mid bass at base of front door (need to cut and modify a MDF plate)and tweeter in pillar beside mirror.

Back its another 6.5" split but might have to mount these on a plate of MDF as the holes are for a 4" split.

Then on the back board, 2 10" free airs.

No 4" speakers anywhere (just leaving the original 4" in the front doors but not connected as have to get a separate crossover). After your advise, will leave the under seat sub running on the stock amp.

How much power do you think I need for the subs? I used about 350w the last time and it sounded ok to me.

Maybe my ear not so sensitive.

Just a simple setup would be ok. Don’t need any fancy stuff as got no more cash liao.

 

[oneHeadlight]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

sorry....i am seriously confused.. u wanna have the subs below the seat...and u want the pair of free-air 10" ?

and basically, its 2 way front components right ? Don't mount the tweets inside the thingy besides the mirror, u are better off having them on the dashboard.

the simplest set up u could go is to disable the subs under the seat, forget about the rear speakers also. So its just

front component speakers
rear - 2 free air subs

if 350w watts sounds fine to u, stick to it. Its easy to get influenced by 3rd party, but afterall, its your money and your ears.

 

[oneHeadlight]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

The shop that I went to have my audio done was not satisfactory. So I wouldn't want you to risk it. You could try the audio shop at Odeon Katong. At the ground floor Or Pin Liang. Seems alright.

Go there with a budget and stick to it. If not you can double your spending for some minor enhancements to the overall setup.... Just say you don't have anymore cash.

These 2 are the shops I would try in the future.

wat i like about pin liang is their friendliness and transparency.
they are also quite careful with customers cars, and the boss usually will QC once the job is done.

i dont think they are regarded as the best around... they are probably like a Tottenham in the ICE industry...you know, the second string.

 

[keny]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

Thanks for the quick reply. I thought of just leaving the underseat subs alone but need a little sound in the back to maybe bring up the sound stage a little and for the rear passengers to hear a little treble instead of pom pom pom.

 

[keny]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

probably drop by pin liang to check the setup out.

oh yes, one more question, will putting the subs on the rear board rattle the auto sunblind in the rear to pieces or will there be really serious rattles? anybody here with that experience?

 

[oneHeadlight]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

just to clarify, i was not recommending pin liang...

check your PM.

 

[keny]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

Thanks again for all your input. My train of thought was born out of an era when people thought that more speakers was better. Anyway for me now, less is always better and cheaper. hehehehe. Will return when ice install is done to report findings, if any.

 

[nemesis]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

Actually i was going for a 6.5" reference splits in the front doors without the 4" and replace the back with another set of 6.5" kappa splits plus the 2 freeair 10" on the parcel shelf with a cut in the panel. What do you think of this setup? How much power do you think i need for the subs? I'm powering the fronts 100w/ch, rear 25w/ch and 350w for the bridged woofers. Do you think adding an extra amp for the below seat subs would make any difference?

From my opinion, having a 6.5" will definitely be better than the 4" in terms of the mid-bass and clarity.

As for the below sub, im just wondering that the more sub u put, the quality of the sound will be messy and it will be difficult to tune. Furthermore, you need to consider what kind of music you are into... clarity or blasting..

And for the amount of watts to support your stuff, it will depend on the RMS of your amps cos some amps are written as 1000W but their RMS is only 100...so if your amps are not powerful enuff to support, you will find that your amp will turn hot in no time and the sub will not give u nice punchy bass...

 

[vegadonovan]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

Hi Keny,

Yes, take your time to find the installer you are familiar or at least comfortable.

The rattle you were worried about; I think I have it at a certain frequency. There are some quick fixs and permanent ones from e46fanatics. Some quick fixes include shoving a deflated tennis ball to the plenum space between metal and board....

I have yet to solve this problem. And the wire mesh that covers the 2 way behind also rattle....

That could be fixed by a bit of felt tape I think... All this are due to too much bass. I mounted my pre amp at the boot to keep the interior original and now its a pita to tune it... haha

I didn't cut the front door for a bigger 6.5 as that will make swapping out of the speakers a problem when its time to change ride. 1-2 years time.

Enjoy!

 

[keny]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

Thanks for the input. All power ratings quoted are RMS at a pooften % of distortion.

 

[keny]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

I actually did an install on my E46 coupe a couple of years back. It wasnt really the rattle that bothered me, it was the creaking of the back board when i fabricated it to attach and take the weight of the woofers. I had to tighten the screws on the board and the speakers every few months to maintain the tightness so as to prevent creaks.

Swapping would really be a problem, just swap with some laupok speakers lah. heheheh

 

[vegadonovan]

Re: Under Front Seat woofer and ICE suggestions for E60

I took back the stock speakers so that when the time comes, I can just swap it out. I had a 2x 10 in sub in the trunk. But audit from my friends were saying yes the bass is loud but not in the cabin.....Sounds very distant and controlled.

They were astounded when they found that Bimmers have a metal enclosed trunk... and realised why...I hope you have more luck with your free air woofers.. I would suggest not going for the under seat ones. Those bring the bass closer but not better in my opinion. I heard one in my friends car and wasn't the least impressed. Wonder if there are better ones....

Just to highlight, I come from the old " BIG and Heavy amps can't go too wrong" kind of world.... hehe