2012 2.0i Audio Build

[tangredsocks]

Let me preface:
1) This will be my first time ever attempting anything like this
2) I am not looking to enter any sound competitions
3) The goal of this is lower road noise down considerably while bringing the sound stage up to acceptable levels
4) I am looking to keep costs down to a minimum

Other threads I referred to: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=2324770

Going to break it down into three parts:
1)Research / Selection
2)Speakers / Sound Dampening
3)Amp / Line Level Converter

1) So to start I need to find out what I currently have installed and what my options will be down the road.

I have the NAV unit so if I am correct, the unit has balanced output so that looks something like this:
http://i.imgur.com/XHq1z.jpg
If I get an amp I need to get a line level converter or get an amp that has line level inputs. That will go something like this:
http://i.imgur.com/VJfiu.jpg

I am wondering how the speakers are set up. The car has two front tweeters along with two front speakers. The rear has two 6.5"?

I am wondering how the head unit drives all of the speakers. Is it 6 channel out:
http://i.imgur.com/OJd76.jpg

Or is it four channel with some sort of cross over?
http://i.imgur.com/PllkH.jpg

In any case I am considering buying components, does anyone have input on using components vs standard full range speakers?

Edit - 13-FEB-2012

Selection of components:
I am looking to mimic what I assume a lot of other people have done with installing an amp under the front passenger seat and small sub underneath the drivers seat. As of now I have the factory Kicker branded sub in the truck of the car connected to the factor NAVI. In case anyone is wondering this is the NAVI:
http://i.imgur.com/igVhy.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hXppl.jpg

I am hoping to sell the factory sub to pay for the amplifier.

I am looking at amplifiers:
1)Punch compact
2)Boston Acoustic
3)RF Prime

I am looking mostly for something compact so I can mount under the passenger seat and under 300 dollars.

For Subs there really is only two choices that I assume will fit:
1)Basslink
2)Sound Ordnance

I am leaning towards the compact punch and sound ordnance sub. This is where I am looking for the forum members to provide some input.

I also thought about getting a 5-channel amp and making a custom enclosure with shallow mount sub. I think this is too ambitious for my current experience level.

Front components:
1)Polk
2)Infinity

Back (lots of options):
1)Pioneer TS-D1602R
2)Kappa 62.9i
3)Focal 165CA
4)Kappa 52.9i

I am leaning towards the Kappa 62.9i but have yet to put to much thought.

Sound Dampening:
Decided to go with the suggested allotment of Raamaudio materials: RAAMaudio Howto
Total for
1 pack BXT II RAAMmat
3 yards PS Ensolite
was $174 if anyone is interested in total cost.

UPDATE: 25-JUL-2012

PARTS BOUGHT
AMP = Rockford Fostgate PBR300x4 http://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fosgate-PBR300X4-Compact-Amplifier/dp/B004T163SY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343239815&sr=8-1&keywords=pbr300 = $170
Line Level Convertor = AudioControl LC6i http://www.amazon.com/AudioControl-LC6i-Line-Output-Converters/dp/B002T4XR78/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343239871&sr=1-1&keywords=lc6i = $100
Speakers = Polk Audio db651 http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-6-5-Inch-Coaxial-Speakers/dp/B000P0PF9G/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343239940&sr=1-1&keywords=db651 = $55 each (2 pairs)
Speaker Wire : 16AWG http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044YPN0A/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01 = $15
Foam Baffels = XTC 61/2" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002ZPNXW/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00 = $30
Wire Harness to connect to OEM NAV : Metra 71-1761 & Metra 70-1761 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002BEQJ8/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i01 = $15
(2) Fuse Bus = Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Bussmann-BP-15600-06-20-Quick-Connect/dp/B001BXKLNQ/ref=pd_sim_auto_2

Home Depot:
Metal Flashing = $15
1/4" Self Tapping Screws = $5
1/2" MDF sheet = $10
Liquid Nails = $6

Monoprice:
(4) RCA M to RCA M coupler = Monoprice 7234 link (Don't make the mistake of buying these at 5 bucks a pop from Radio Shack like I did)

Sound Dampening:
RAAMmat w/ Ensolite = $175

Speaker Adapters:
Speaker Adapters = phenryiv1 link = $55

TOTAL < $750

I went more of a budget minded approach. The amp is small and probably not as great as other options but it is small enough to mount under drivers seat along with level converter. The Polk db651 are cheap but carry great reviews along with a specification of 92db on sensitivity. The component version (db6501) is 4 times more expensive and still carry the same value for sensitivity. The sound dampening is a must as I can not stand the road noise any more in the car. This car is my DD and I drive 100 miles a day to and from work. Needless to say I would like the exterior sound to be attenuated as much as possible.

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

[tangredsocks]

Reserved : Part Two

Installation of the of the sound dampening is going fairly well.

First thing is remove the trim panel from the door. There are two screws. One is door arm rest and the other is in the door handle.


Once you have the screws out pull on the trim on the bottom. Work your way to the top and then pull the trim panel straight up to remove it.


There are two cords you need to pull out for the door latch and door lock. You also need to remove the clip (small screw driver works best) for the window buttons.

Take speakers out:



Remove the moisture barrier:


I went about dividing my RAAMmat as follows: 4 sheets BXT allocated for each backdoor, 6 sheets per front door(s), one layer of ensolite for back doors, and multiple for fronts. Most people say just use your screwdriver to work the BXT into the outer panel of the door. Here is what it looks like:


Once you have that done cut flashing to fill in holes and screw into door. I pre-drilled the holes before securing the self tapping screws.


Hit up the outer layer with some BXT:


And finally a layer of ensolite:


After doing a couple doors some thoughts:
1) The ensolite is extremely difficult to apply in large sheets. Cut that down into small squares to make your life easier.
2) Sheet metal cutting and installing takes up most of the time
3) I can not tell a huge difference in installing the sound dampener so far.

[tangredsocks]

Reserved : Part Three

30 - JUL - 2012

Worked over the weekend and almost completed the install of the amp and lc6i.

For my 12V I ran a line though the firewall on the diamond shaped plug shown in this thread: LINK

First thing I had to do is solder up the Metra harnesses. I decided to solder the speaker lines to left over 18AWG sprinkler wire I had in my garage. This way I could run one line for each set of speakers (front and rear). This wire is also the gauge as the factory so I do not fear any loss in audio quality.



Then remove the OEM HU:


I ran the lines up underneath the dash, above the steering column, and through the cutout hole in front of the hole that the AC manual line connects to the AC switch on the Bezel. If you ever have taken the bezel off you will know what I am talking about.

To make sure everything will in fact fit in the space underneath the drivers seat I did a rough placement of equipment:


Everything looked like it would fit.

So, I went to home depot, bought a 10 dollar sheet of 1/2" MDF, cut to fit, and applied some liquid nails to bottom of the MDF to the adhere to sheet metal.



I let it dry while I ran the speaker cables from the right side of the car around to the drivers seat. I also ran the sprinkler line to the driver seat while I waited on the liquid nails to dry. In case your wondering I ran the speaker wire back towards the trunk and then fished underneath carpet right above the backseat (I stayed above the footwell area). Then just routed up towards the front of the car to the drivers seat.

Once the liquid nails was dry I did a more detailed rough fit of components and cut my wire to hook up. Everything barely fit. I ended up buying a couple of fuse boxes from Auto zone to route my battery and ground connections. If your looking for a ground, underneath the carpet there is one already tapped to frame, I removed the stock bolt, sanded down the hole to bare metal, attached my ground cable, attached oem ground, and placed the carpet back down.

I tried to hide most of the cables in the carpet out of sight. It think it looks pretty good considering that you will most likely never see it.



I am waiting on the speaker adapter to finish up and set levels on the amp.

UPDATE 31-JUL-12
I am having trouble placing the trim back on the door frame. So some notes for those who are looking to not make the mistakes I did:

1)ONLY use one layer of BXT and ensolite on the outside of the door, any more than that and you will not be able to get the trim to snap back on

2)Be careful pulling off and on trim, I am having to pull the trim off and on a lot because I put too much dampening on, now I broke the window control module. Can't wait to see how much that is going to cost me

3)Baffels are not needed

4)If you buy the adapters for the speakers, you will need to cut the plastic off of the speaker ring on the backside of the trim panel. The plastic extrusion will hit the PVC ring on your adapter and you will not be able to press the door trim on. Cut just the backside of the trim panel.

On a side note this reassembly is giving me hell. For how much time and aggravation of pulling trim panels off and on, this is just not worth it. I have driven the car (without trim panels) to and from work and while the round noise is attenuated it is still there. The sound from my $50 speakers set is not bad. The mids are a little lacking and the highs are a little harsh but the quality is way better than what I was using. At least now there is no clipping.

If I had to redo it all I would only get:
1)PBR300x4 amp and just use the high level inputs straight from stock head unit straight into the amp
2)Keep the db651s
3)Buy a set of baffels
4)Speaker Adapters
5)8 sheets of BXT (or dynomat) and 1.5 square yards of ensolite ccf

I would just pull the trim panel off of the door, install bxt (on outside edge), install ensolite over BXT, install baffel, adapters, and then put new speakers in.

I would drop the lc6i (even though I think it is a top notch device), I would not run higher gauge speaker wire, and I sure would not want to install metal flashing on the door holes.

[speakerpimp]

Congrats on taking the time to plan your system properly, I'm sure you'll end up with great results. Let's discuss some things.
Part 1: I believe you are confusing balanced/unbalanced with high level/low level. The HU drives the speaker in the first diagram with higher level ac voltage. Amps gererally require low level ac voltage signal.(headphone power) This is all done with two wires per channel. People use line level converters to divide an ac signal normally at a 15:1 ratio or 35:1 with adjustability. this also converts speaker wire to RCA.(The chosen car audio mediums for high level and low level respectively) You're right about some amps having the ability to have a high level signal input but most techs I know prefer not to use them. Generally I will grab remote turn on and signal behind the radio so if there is ever a radio upgrade everything is there already.

Part 2: Out of the next two diagrams the second one is correct with a small capacitor in series with the satallite tweeter normally somewhere around 20uF for a 4ohm tweet.

Part 3: Components let you mount the tweeter in a more appealing location then low in the door as well as other benifits.
I hope that helps answer some questions for you. Good luck with the build!

[tangredsocks]

Originally Posted by speakerpimp

Congrats on taking the time to plan your system properly, I'm sure you'll end up with great results. Let's discuss some things.
Part 1: I believe you are confusing balanced/unbalanced with high level/low level. The HU drives the speaker in the first diagram with higher level ac voltage. Amps gererally require low level ac voltage signal.(headphone power) This is all done with two wires per channel. People use line level converters to divide an ac signal normally at a 15:1 ratio or 35:1 with adjustability. this also converts speaker wire to RCA.(The chosen car audio mediums for high level and low level respectively) You're right about some amps having the ability to have a high level signal input but most techs I know prefer not to use them. Generally I will grab remote turn on and signal behind the radio so if there is ever a radio upgrade everything is there already.

Part 2: Out of the next two diagrams the second one is correct with a small capacitor in series with the satallite tweeter normally somewhere around 20uF for a 4ohm tweet.

Part 3: Components let you mount the tweeter in a more appealing location then low in the door as well as other benifits.
I hope that helps answer some questions for you. Good luck with the build!

Thanks for the input, I have been gathering information on possible component choices. I plan to update this weekend.

A couple questions with your post:
1) Why are RCA wires generally used vs say the same size gauge in regular speaker wire?
2) The stock Navi from Subaru does not have preouts, so you suggest using a convertor vs an amp with built in conversion?
3) The 2012 impreza already has tweeters in the dash near the windshield. I was wondering if in past years the car is already setup from the factory with a fixed crossover or not. This is my first Subaru.
4) If given the choice do most people stay with component speakers or do they swap to full range? Currently the highs in stock system are horrible. I am no audio file and do not plan to mimic the custom fiberglass setups in other threads, but I do want decent sound out of the car I sit in 2 hours a day.

[tangredsocks]

I am really considering the Rockford Fosgate PBR300X4 given it is what I am looking for. 75Wx4 @ 4Ohm and compact to fit underneath the passenger seat. It also has built in high level input so I would not need to get a line level converter.

The same spec amp w/ the rail to rail technology from RF is almost $100 more. What is the drawback with this amp? If I look for a review on it all I get is motorcycle installation and review no so much car audio...

[phenryiv1]

Good plan, but one note: A Basslink will not fit under the seat. Maybe under a bus seat, but not a Subaru seat.

[phenryiv1]

Good plan, but one note: A Basslink will not fit under the seat. Maybe under a bus seat, but not a Subaru seat.

[XERO287]

^+1 the sound ordnance is amazing and will fit under the passenger seat leaving the amp to be mounted under the driver seat

[tangredsocks]

Originally Posted by XERO287

^+1 the sound ordnance is amazing and will fit under the passenger seat leaving the amp to be mounted under the driver seat

Can I not mount the sub under the drivers seat and the amp under the passenger?

[XERO287]

I wouldn't recommended it as you'll feel every hit of the sub and it would be very distracting if I was trying to focus on my driving lol. So I mounted mine under the passenger seat so it wouldn't effect me directly. Check out my thread on the unit in this audio forum. It's called the best upgrade for non audiophiles. There are two videos to watch as well

[tangredsocks]

Edit to main post.
Anyone want to weigh in on using this setup:
Stock 2012 NAVI HU
|
AudioControl LC6i
|
Rockford Fostgate PBR300x4
|
Infinity Kappa 60.9 components (front)
&
Infinity Kappa 62.9 (rear)

For Sub:
2012 Impreza NAVI HU
|
Sound Ordnance Sub

Plan is to mount sub underneath driver and Amp/Processor underneath passenger.

[phenryiv1]

Originally Posted by tangredsocks

Edit to main post.
Anyone want to weigh in on using this setup:
Stock 2012 NAVI HU
|
AudioControl LC6i
|
Rockford Fostgate PBR300x4
|
Infinity Kappa 60.9 components (front)
&
Infinity Kappa 62.9 (rear)

For Sub:
2012 Impreza NAVI HU
|
Sound Ordnance Sub

Plan is to mount sub underneath driver and Amp/Processor underneath passenger.

Personally, I don't like the sound of Infinity speakers, but I also don't like most Alpines, and people think that I am nuts.

For "common" brands, I prefer Polk or (gasp) Pioneer (!).

All of the other gear is solid. Very good setup for a small footprint with a substantial upgrade in performance. You might be aboe to get by with bypassing the AudioControl unit and use the speaker-level inputs on the RF amp (it may also have pass-through RCA outs to go to the subwoofer), but if you have the budget you might as well do it all at once.
If you need adapters to mount those Infinitys, drop me a line. I have made quite a few sets to fit them into 2G and 3G Imprezas. It looks like the same adapters will work for the 4G doors.

[tangredsocks]

You might be aboe to get by with bypassing the AudioControl unit and use the speaker-level inputs on the RF amp (it may also have pass-through RCA outs to go to the subwoofer), but if you have the budget you might as well do it all at once.

Never noticed the speaker level inputs on the RF amp. I do not know why I would keep the AudioContol unit.

If you need adapters to mount those Infinitys, drop me a line. I have made quite a few sets to fit them into 2G and 3G Imprezas. It looks like the same adapters will work for the 4G doors.

So these adapters mount onto the door? I was planning on using the OEM location on the dash near the windshield.

Any suggestions for Polk or Pioneer speakers with 4 ohm impedance? The RF is fixed at 4 ohm per channel.

[2012subisport]

Originally Posted by tangredsocks

Never noticed the speaker level inputs on the RF amp. I do not know why I would keep the AudioContol unit.


So these adapters mount onto the door? I was planning on using the OEM location on the dash near the windshield.

Any suggestions for Polk or Pioneer speakers with 4 ohm impedance? The RF is fixed at 4 ohm per channel.

Tweeters in the dash that point at the windshield will not sound nearly as good as the upper door area or windshield pillars.

[phenryiv1]

Originally Posted by tangredsocks

Never noticed the speaker level inputs on the RF amp. I do not know why I would keep the AudioContol unit.


So these adapters mount onto the door? I was planning on using the OEM location on the dash near the windshield.

Any suggestions for Polk or Pioneer speakers with 4 ohm impedance? The RF is fixed at 4 ohm per channel.

Polk dB or MM series. MM if you plan to run an amp; dB if not.

As far as the Pioneers, anything above the "base" level speakers.

The adapters mount in the door and provide a mounting surface for the speaker. The OEM speakers are a 3-hole mounting configuration and the aftermarket are 4-holes, plus the adapters give you greater mounting depth to prevent you from hitting the back of the speaker when putting the window down.

[tangredsocks]

Updated 30-JUL-12.