kcase14

Im working on building a stereo system for my trans am. All new speakers rewired with amps and what not. Im not sure whether to wire the middle speakers (ones in the back seats) to front or rear output. Ill deffinatly have the speakers in the "truck" wired to rear but not sure what to do with the middle speakers. Would it be better to have more front or rear sound in the trans am. Im thinking front because the rear ones will be "extra" loud due to the sound bouncing of the rear window and pushed it into the the actual car. What do you think?

thanks

slowpoke96z28

iTrader: (2)

i think most people going your route dont use those rears and wire the b-pillar speakers to the rear output. idk as i've never been baller enough for an entirely new system lol.

dragonrage

In my opinion, leave the sail panel and hatch speakers out completely and just use the rear as output to a 10" or 12" subwoofer in the back. The car isn't big enough to have any use from rear speakers. In my G8, I leave the rears on just a liiitle bit since passengers can actually fit back there...

bobbo489

iTrader: (1)

Once I get a working amp from the company I bought mine from, my sails will be hooked up to the rear outputs on the amp and the hatch speakers will be run to the head unit. At least that is what the guy advised me to do when I called in, and for the 5 secs the amp worked before blowing a capacitor or something it sounded pretty good. Now there is just an audible clicking sound coming from the front channel of the amp at every volume level, turning the gain up makes the speakers have a seizure, and the amp won't come out of protect mode. lol

Capricio

Personally, I like having the effect of midbass in the cabin. A 10-12" sub will never fill the gap in the 100-300 Hz range, unless your door components get enough power drive those low freqs effectively. I think its a nice low end boost that you will notice.

dragonrage

Front speakers will handle 100-up just fine, and a good 10-12" sub will handle up to 300Hz fine if you really need it to, but it would sound like crap if you attempted that because it will be too obvious that the sound is coming from the rear of the car (due to the location of the sub).

Make sure to seal off the doors. It helps immensely.

Capricio

I've played around with the LPF on my midbass. 100-300 blends seamlessly with the hatch fill speakers. Beyond that, 400+ really does pull the soundstage backward. Maybe my perception differs from yours.

At wavelengths greater than 10 times the speaker diameter, cone movement is so great it becomes non-linear and inefficient. Some manufacturers of full range components or two-ways make the suspension tight to limit cone movement, compromising bass performance for a higher power rating. A dedicated midbass cone will not make this kind of compromise.

For a tone of f = 100 Hz the wavelength is lambda = c / f = 343 / 100 = 3.43 meters, about 20x or twice the approximate limit of a 6.5". An 8" would probably provide a better midbass transition but GM didn't give us nice factory mounts for one of those.

Drawing your main door components down that low only compromises their performance at higher frequencies, the power available is only so much. Adding another amp and set of speakers to assist in the more power hungry bass range will only help achieve a fuller midbass sound. Ask anyone who has configured midbass drivers correctly if they miss them when they're gone.

dragonrage

I'm not putting anything >100Hz behind me unless absolutely necessary, and then as little as possible. My 6.5"s do just fine down to 80Hz. I'm not sure where you've gotten the idea of the wavelength stuff, because then even most subwoofers wouldn't be good enough for low bass.

Capricio

It's all about efficiency and the power hungry nature of low freqs. Also just contrasting how a 6.5" midbass will have a higher excursion for bass than a component woofer. The 10x rule of thumb is directed more towards full range speakers, not purpose built sub-bass cones. Take it leave it FWIW.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

The calculations are correct but the assumption that "At wavelengths greater than 10 times the speaker diameter, cone movement is so great it becomes non-linear and inefficient" is somewhat suspect. For example, it fails to take into account the distance of the listener from the speaker. That's the reason headphones can produce decent bass - they're very close to your ears. In a car, the subs are closer to the listener than the wavelength of the sound they produce.

Capricio

Well we're talking apples and oranges, to an extent... energy efficiency and spectrum linearity producing low freqs for different size drivers vs listener perception regardless of efficiency/linearity. Not saying small drivers can't make bass, just they aren't as good or effective at it, and that not all 6.5" drivers are equal or even built for the same purpose. ...that's all. As you get closer to the driver, efficiency becomes less of an issue.

Dragonrage and I disagree on whether it's worthwhile to keep midbass drivers in the back. He says a good component pair is good enough and midbass drivers aren't worth the expense. I say it's okay but can be improved upon and the expense is worth it. As always, try listening to both applications, if at all possible, and make your own decision.

If anyone wants to read a can of worms, get on the AVS forums and read debates on subsonic freqs and when bass becomes perceived as directional.

kcase14

Im gonna be runnin 2 jbl 12s in a sealed box. So im gonna run speakers everywhere in the car they already are just to get more mid/treb. Ive been lookin around and i think what im gonna do is wire the front and middle speakers to the amp then just run the hatch speakers off the head unit. until i get kick panels then ill hook up another 4 chanel. then be runnin 4 pair of compenent speakers, so that would be 16 speakers plus 2 subs. should scream pretty good

bayer-z28

iTrader: (14)

I ran all my own wiring, except the HU Power harness stuff... it's not that bad... Just gotta gut the interior..

And I haven't used the way-back speakers in a LONG time. No need for em. Sails are rear and fronts are front. Subs in the back... that's it.

slowpoke96z28

iTrader: (2)

yeah, i've got great (i think) mechanical skills, but i have no faith in my craftsmanship when it comes to interior stuff. plus the whole keep rca's and power wires and speaker leads separate. then there's the stainless steel hose running to the engine compartment. idk what thats for though...