Best car audio forum? (Sorting out the MR2 system)

MrSix

MrSix

MrSix

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I'm looking to replace the standard speakers in my MR2 with some newer stuff in the near future and I'd like to be able to discuss my options with more knowledgable people than the chavs I know who just want maximum volume and bass.

I guess this post is two fold, one asking for a decent car audio forum and the other to ask you guys for advice if you're in the know.

I'm going to need 6.5" component speakers for the front doors and 3.5" coaxials in the rear. Then I'm very limited with my choice of subwoofers, as my car is a T-bar I need to keep the space behind the seats free for placing the roof panels in when I have them off. This means a sub box behind the seat isn't an option (nor would I really want one tbh). However, what I have seen is this:

2v8s4d0.jpg


Now I'm not clued up on these at all, but I believe their called midbass drivers? Basically, my car comes with two very small subs under that panel anyway (that currently aren't hooked up), so what I would do is remove them and fiberglass that box section to seal it and then mount the new midbass drivers as above, but with a grille so I can still place the roof panels behind the seats.

I'm not looking for huge boomy bass anyway as I listen to rock and dance music rather than hip-hop or bassline and with the cabin being nice and small I'm hoping that two of those would do the job for the lower frequencies.

Finally I'll need an amplifier (or two) to power these 6 speakers, I'm open to suggestions on this.

So over to you, what would brands / models would you reccomend? My budget is flexible but I don't want to be paying anything over £400-500 and I'm not adverse to buying second hand.
 
I had a custom sub built for my S3 as I wanted to replace the standard plastic sub with something proper but without compromising the boot or the factory fit stereo. The sub is a 6.5" driver in a custom MDF enclosure that fits perfectly over the wheel arch in place of the original. This is powered by an Alpine V12 amp in bridged mode. The two rear spears were upgraded to JBL 6.5" mids and tops (powered off the other channels) as the Audi ones are rubbish. All kit is stealth installed.

The punchy bass is fantastic, even though its a small speaker and enclosure - it hard to believe how much sound there is without too much volume (if that makes sense).

If you have the right speakers (this is the one in my car http://www.edaudio.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=21_27&products_id=28 - not the most expensive put it performs perfectly), enclosure and amp then you should be OK.
 
I really wouldnt bother with speakers in the rear.

When I got my MR2 I installed a 10" sub behind the passenger seat, vibe sek50 components up front and sony 4" 2 ways in the rear.

You really dont hear much of the rear speakers until you turn your head, i.e. when pulling out of junctions etc, sounds really odd and I found it really distracting. I ended up disconnecting them.

I would just stick with a sub and decent components up front, you dont need a massively powerful setup either, the MR2 cabin is quite small compared to most cars.
 
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Dogbreath said:
All he wants is a sub at the rear (not rear full range drivers), but if you read the OP first post he doesn't want a large box behind the seat.
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Yeah I got the fact he doesnt want a sub in a box, the midbass drivers he is looking at would be a good option, alternatively you can get 6x9 subs which would also fit the rear with some work and not necessitate a box.

However he does say he wants 3.5 coaxials to replace the stock rear speakers

MrSix said:
3.5" coaxials in the rear
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I think they are a waste of time really, as I said above you dont actually hear much of them till you turn your head. Or at least thats what I've experienced.
 
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You wouldn't listen to music with 4 speakers, 2 in front and 2 behind, in your living room, so why would you in your car?

Your best bet would be investing in some quality components upfront and amping them combined with a high quality sub, this is merely my opinion though, I mean, its what I have read else where and been told by other people supposedly in the know, but I cant back up this info personally.
 
The only reason I'd have the speakers in the rear is to replace the ones that are in there. I have the fader set +2 to the front so the rears are currently providing a bit of "fill". I can notice the sound and it is something that I'd like to keep, they're not expensive and they'll be a straight swap so why not? :)
 
brakeinup said:
If you have the right speakers (this is the one in my car http://www.edaudio.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=21_27&products_id=28 - not the most expensive put it performs perfectly), enclosure and amp then you should be OK.
Click to expand...

They look perfect, the right price and you say they perform well?

I'm curious as to what is my best option regarding amplifiers. Should I get a 5 or 6 channel amp to run all four speakers and two subs from, or would a 4 channel for the speakers and then a monoblock to run the subs (bridged) be a better option?
 
The MR2 is actually quite an easy car to install ICE in, the cable runs are short and everything is easily accessible. I had two subs in mine and could still put the T bar glass behind the seats.








I actually changed my subs for a pair of RE8s but I'm afraid I don't have any pics. The boxes required for them are tiny so you have even more space behind the seats.
 
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That's cool, Eidolon. But I wouldn't want two subs taking up that space, I'm going for a stealth install. Out of interest, how did you fit the glass panels behind the seats with those sub boxes in? It looks like there would be no room at all?
 
Dogbreath said:
The mirror mountings in the door, behind the tweeter, have several holes that are not very well sealed and let in wind noise. A few minutes spent with a roll of duct tape sorts that out though.
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Can I suggest flashing tape as an alternative as it has sound deadening properties whilst being as easy to apply as duct tape. I'm applying it in addition to Second Skin/Dynamat in my car at the moment. You can get it from Screwfix.
 
MrSix said:
That's cool, Eidolon. But I wouldn't want two subs taking up that space, I'm going for a stealth install. Out of interest, how did you fit the glass panels behind the seats with those sub boxes in? It looks like there would be no room at all?
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The glass fits over the boxes, no problem. You can only see the boxes when the seats are forward so it's totally stealthy. Auto Acoustics do proper stealth boxes too if you can't be bothered making your own. The RE8 boxes that I had afterwards were about half the size of the Kenwood boxes and gave out as much bass so maybe look into them.
 
MrSix said:
They look perfect, the right price and you say they perform well?

I'm curious as to what is my best option regarding amplifiers. Should I get a 5 or 6 channel amp to run all four speakers and two subs from, or would a 4 channel for the speakers and then a monoblock to run the subs (bridged) be a better option?
Click to expand...

The sound from that speaker is superb and totally fills the car with punchy bass at normal volume levels without giving you a nose bleed - its clear, clean and distortion free. The V12 amp does push out a powerfull signal but the sub handles it very well. And it powers 2 JBL speakers too without a problem. There is a lot of control for frequencies on this amp so the perfect setup can be had.

On that edAudio link have a look at the videos at the bottom where they are testing the speaker.
 
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