It's 4:00am and I'm finally done installing everything. Just couldn't call it quits until I witness the fruits of my labor...
I installed the following in a 2001 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab:
** Clarion DXZ585USB HU ** Audiobahn A8002T running 2 Diamond Audio 8" Subs in sealed 0.5cf (each) enclosure. (250 x 2 RMS). ** Audiobahn A16000V running 1 RE SX12 in 2.0cf ported enclosure tuned to 36hz. (900W RMS) ** JBL GTO607C 6.5" Components in Front Doors ** JBL GTO527 5.25" Coaxials in Rear Doors ** 4 Gauge Wiring to Each Amp
After using Audiobahn subwoofers for years, I must say that people weren't lying when they say there's a huge difference in SQ. The RE sub sounds clean, simply amazing in comparison. The frequency response is near perfect and hits lows that were completely absent when using Audiobahns. The single 12" has a 36hz subsonic filter, and LPF set at 80hz. To lower tuning frequency a bit, the sub was mounted inverted with motor structure outside the box.
The Diamond Audio 8" subs are set at 50hz HPF, and 120hz LPF. They add a nice solid foundation of SPL and mid-bass, and don't seem the have any major cancellation issues while running with the 12" RE.
The JBL components and coaxials seem like good speakers for the price. There's not much bass coming from the drivers, but they're more or less in an open-air environment so I suppose that's expected. The tweeters are crisp and bright without being overbearing.
The head unit was really the system's saving grace. Lots of crossover options and EQ settings made for a very clean sounding install. I'm really amazed at what I put together on a budget, I'm thinking it cost less than 1000$ total.
Only major snafu was nearly burning up the truck with a bad ground. I'd just finished everything and had the system cranked in a remote parking lot. I walked a good distance from the truck to hear it from outside, and walked back to see the whole cabin filled with smoke (uh oh).
It turned out that what I thought was a solid ground (bolt at the base of the rear seats), was only being grounded through the latch that allows the rear seatback to fold down. The vibrations caused the ground to go in and out many times per second, turning the latch (which wasn't terribly thick metal to begin with) red hot and smoldering everything around it. If the seats weren't made of leather, I'd probably be looking for a new truck..
Was this your first install? Sounds like a good set up. Grounds are very important. I hope you made a new solid ground. Your next investment should be an Alarm, if you dont have one all ready. Good luck.
Please forgive the horrible image quality. Shots were taken in the pitch black, so flash made the pictures look worse than they normally would. Also there was some streaking in some of the images (most notably on the one showing the 8" enclosure) which makes it look like there's scratches which aren't really there.
Enjoy. Interior of this small truck is terribly cramped for room, so 12" sub had to sit on the rear seat, though it mounts nicely with no movement.
But it is the first "decent" install where I really took my time to do things right-- The installation came out great and looks extremely clean. I had the money to buy decent equipment (aside from the A-bahn amps which I already had) and am really impressed with the results.
I did fix the ground by running two pairs of 10 gauge wire from the grounding location to another part of the chassis about a foot away. A temporary fix until I can get some 3 or 2 gauge wire from work and run a single ground.
