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| Using 6x9 speakers as mini subs.; More bass with no loss of boot space | |
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| Topic Started: Tue May 5, 2009 5:15 pm (246 Views) | |
| sportline_stu | Tue May 5, 2009 5:15 pm Post #1 |
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I thought I would share with you a quick idea I had to get a bit of extra bass in the car without losing all the boot space. This is an idea I originally had for my other 190 but practiced on my own after not being 100% happy with my sub install. I felt my twin boxed 10's produced too much bass and too much vibration. I came to the conclusion that for the full and rounded sound I wanted I needed to get the bass directly into the cabin. I also am a regular user of the boot and so a big sub box is just not right for me. I wasn't prepared to cut the metal under the shelf so was not going to be able to get really powerful 6x9 speakers with big magnets in the car. The only downside to this idea is the need to cut the first aid box flap from the parcel shelf. Luckily mine was already gone and I have a spare shelf anyway. First I took a pair of speakers I had purchased to install in my old BMW and had not got round to fixing before I sold the car on. Cost was only Ģ25 from Maplin. They are also rated at 250 watts each (apparently). It was a simple job to remove the mid/tweeter unit leaving only the drivers. This took 5 min if that.  Then I knocked up a surround for them using 12mm MDF. Cut the holes for the speaker so the magnets hang down through the first aid box hole. Add the edging for the cloth covering held on with panel pins and used some thin MDF offcuts to act as spacers so the edging sat higher than the speaker itself.. A quick spray of the wood with black paint and off for a coffee and a chill. Took no more than 30 min (plus coffee time!).   The frame was covered with two layers of stretched black tights and stapled underneath. The frame and speakers are just sat in place in this picture. The covering was fiddly but easy and about 20 mins worth of work. You can see I got the measurements very slightly wrong hence the speaker edges can be seen under the covering!  In order to secure the speakers and surround in place I simply used cable ties that went round the speaker cage and through some holes in the metal shelf that were already there. I also screwed a piece of wood tight to the metal behind the seat for some of the ties. I just removed the seat and the holes for the screws were already there. I pulled the cables very tight and they are now held in place very securely. Also very easy to remove.  I have an amp under the rear seat in the space under the passenger side. The amp is bridged to mono and filtered to about 90htz. No boot space lost for a sub box or an amp and imo it sounds really good. The cabin speakers are filtered by the head unit so they don't get anything below 80htz and the amp is run from the sub-woofer control on the head unit - just like a normal sub would be. The whole lot took less than 2 hours and though a bit rough (it was supposed to just be a quick test of an idea) it is still in place in the car. I had all the bits anyway so it only cost a bit of time. As I said earlier this was just a test of an idea. It's no substitute for a proper build but maybe an option for a quick,simple and easy way of more bass without big boxes or expenditure. Stu |
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| BabyBenz | Tue May 5, 2009 6:48 pm Post #2 |
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Very nice guide, I think I might have to try this out as I do not wish to lose boot space. How big is the amp you have under the rear seat, and how's the ventilation? those things can get pretty hot. |
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| CrysAk | Tue May 5, 2009 7:30 pm Post #3 |
Moar Bass!
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for them to sound right youl need to seal the cetners m8, thats what im doing on my rear 6x9s and reloating the tweaters for them 
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| alan | Tue May 5, 2009 7:45 pm Post #4 |
this looks like fun
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how do you go about sealing the centres as i quite like this idea |
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| matth190 | Tue May 5, 2009 8:03 pm Post #5 |
super idiot
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Same here. Need some more information, cause its more econimicaly than a sub!   I'm sooo short in money right 
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| sportline_stu | Tue May 5, 2009 8:28 pm Post #6 |
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Cheers. It worked out better than I thought it would. Not sure if you mean dimensions or power? The amp is the one pictured below on top of an old sub box. The sub is a 12" sub for scale. I think its rated at 2x150w.......so 300w in bridged mode. Not massively powerful as its old and cheap. It fits snugly in terms of length and width with a good inch and a half above it. I used some pieces of polystyrene to 'wedge' it in place so it doesn't move. No fires yet! 
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| sportline_stu | Tue May 5, 2009 8:29 pm Post #7 |
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Yeah tell me more! I've seen the pics of your install progress and its clear you know what your doing so I'm happy to take any advice. Stu |
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| CrysAk | Tue May 5, 2009 8:30 pm Post #8 |
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Moar Bass!
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i cant remmebr what they are called, theres a name for them.. im sure the guys at your local audio place will know, ill ask tommorow if i remmber when i pick my car up something "bullets" |
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| sportline_stu | Tue May 5, 2009 8:34 pm Post #9 |
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Thought I would just add that with the cabin speakers powered by the head unit and the 6x9's powered by an amp and only getting the bass sounds, they seem to sound more powerful than just 6x9's in the rear powered by a head unit. Ive had 6x9's on a reinforced parcel shelf in hatchbacks before and this is better. Maybe they could also be boxed for even more effect? Stu. |
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| sportline_stu | Tue May 5, 2009 8:38 pm Post #10 |
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Cheers Crys. If its cheap and simple I will give it a go! Maybe if I stick with this idea, I may plan to upgrade the speakers to Pioneer ones and the amplification to Alpine to match the rest of the system. Stu. |
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| CrysAk | Wed May 6, 2009 6:27 pm Post #11 |
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Moar Bass!
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they are called "phase plugs" m8 also apprently a company sells 6x9s as mini subs, cant rmember the name he said though  lol
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| alan | Wed May 6, 2009 6:48 pm Post #12 |
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this looks like fun
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had a quick google for phase plugs and they seem to be a lump of diy shaped mdf hows that gona do anything??? |
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| CrysAk | Wed May 6, 2009 7:39 pm Post #13 |
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Moar Bass!
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i havnt looked myself but its jsut to seal the cone where the tweater was placed in the middle. cone wont work as well with a hole in it m8 lol |
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| sportline_stu | Wed May 6, 2009 9:32 pm Post #14 |
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Maybe it makes the cone stiffer and I suppose it does actually make the speakers surface area bigger - although not by much! |
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| highwayman | Fri May 8, 2009 7:09 pm Post #15 |
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The principle for a speaker is that the membrane creates waves in the air, which are recognized by our ear. But if there is a hole in the speaker, the air around the speaker is just flapping through the hole back and forth and this way the speaker doesnīt work as well with a hole in it. This same thing have I also seen when I tried some 6x9' and didnīt secure them in anything. This way the 6X9' sounded like some crappy 4' speakers. 
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| kentronix | Fri May 8, 2009 7:38 pm Post #16 |
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Also a cone with holes in will have less air resistance which will make it flap at low frequencies and large throws if its not designed for it. |
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| frank n stein | Fri Sep 4, 2009 7:41 pm Post #17 |
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Im thinking about doing something along the same lines, having aquired a pair of Pioneer TS A6911, 6x9 speakers, and also a sony explod 300w amp, guy in the ice shop advised me not to chop out the tweeters on the pioneers, said it was better to use the filters on the amp/ head unit to stop the tweeters from working. My head unit is a sony cdx m800, and with with a set of kenwoods in the back and the standard mb spealers in the front sounds quite good to a deaf old git like me, just want the base to kick a bit, Also i dont want to modify the car too much and would like to keep the first aid box so was thinking that i would just fit the 6x9's in boxes in the boot, powered by the amp, im hoping to be able to fit them in the wells either side, in mdf boxes. Any ideas on this? |
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| sportline_stu | Sat Sep 5, 2009 1:38 pm Post #18 |
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Hi mate, I dont think that the 6x9's would generate enough volume/power if placed in the boot. Also if the first aid box is not removed. I doubt you would hear them. Some 6x9's will fit on the rear shelf without the need to cut metal (shallow mount speakers) but they are more expensive. This was just an idea I had and if I did it again I would either install better quality 6x9's or a 6 or 8 inch sub in the same way. What about installing the 6x9s in the rear shelf and reinforcing the shelf underneath with MDF? Stu |
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