Amp or Deadener

[James Coyle]

Hey everyone. Sometime in the near-ish future I'm going to be deadening my front doors OR amping them.

I have Infinity Reference 6502ix in both doors. They handle 60 watts RMS.

Currently I have no deadener anywhere at all, and they are also running on a Pioneer DEH-X66BT which puts out 17 watts RMS per channel.

I would like to know what you guys recommend. Which should I do first? What amp do you recommend? What deadener?

I am not going to go cheap on materials. I am still in high school with a very busy schedule between work and school but have the ability to do both projects myself so no money will be spent on installation. This to say, if need be, I will come up with the money if it takes me a couple weeks extra or whatever because I am not willing to compromise quality with expense, I want the stuff that won't melt lol.

I drive a 1996 Toyota 4Runner if anyone has had experience with this vehicle before.

Sorry if there are any formatting errors, I'm on mobile.

Also, I'm not going to worry about the rear at all right now (I know, I know, it's usefull for a complete fill). I'm just not too worried about it right now since this is just a vehicle I use for school and work and rarely has people riding in the back.

Thanks everyone and hope you all had fantastic holidays.

James

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[Volvo_S80]

I'd Say deaden first. I'm not one of the pros here but after some searching around I've found that Deadening can make a huge difference. I'm starting a build myself and I started with deadening. Raamaudio is where i got my stuff Package # 1 -------- 20 Sheets of RAAMmat BXT II (37.5 sq ft) and 3 yards of Ensolite IUO Peel and Stick Foam (41.625 sq ft) - RAAMaudio Inc. It the cheaper bundle deal. It will be plenty for the doors and leave you some for the trunk

 

[big scott]

you really need to do both.

i would buy what you need, pull panels CLEAN EVERYTHING then deaden. run your wires to an amp.

just make sure you cover all holes. try and get it as close to a sealed box ( door ) as you can.

i took me 4 days to do both of my doors.

and now they are solid.. if i had to give you a % i would say im about 95% sealed up. as my felt needs to be replaced. so i can get a better seal at the window.

 

[big scott]

o for deadener i use q-mat sq stuff. love it....

but the knu stuff is good also.

 

[James Coyle]

Thanks very much both of you, I'll check out the RAAMaudio. I've been looking at the Soundqubed mat for a while too.

@ big scott I'll probably end up doing both at the same time, good idea, thanks!

Anyone have any recommendations for a two channel amp at 40-60 watts RMS per channel?

 

[big scott]

are you going active ??

 

[big scott]

i would look into this amp. its a 4ch so that will give you 2 extra ch to add....

Q4-90

but thats a great amp and you can run active with it... and you will have some head room witch is a good thing. if its to much look for a used one.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

buy an amp used, look for a good deal, in the $50-$100 range.

deadener is the least helpful part of door treatments, despite being the only thing most people do. deadener only reduces resonance in panels, but that's not one of the major problems in a car door speaker install. lack of seals, lack of absorption, and lack of barriers are the major offenses. simply adding wood ribs to the door panels would be more effective than deadener (stiffening is great).

making door speakers sound good doesn't cost a lot of money, but takes a lot of time. i spend at least 15 hours per door.

the speaker install should be like this:

using $3 weatherstripping foam can make a HUGE difference.

adding sound absorption in the doors costs about $10 and makes a HUGE improvement

covering the holes in the door also makes a big difference and you can use just about anything dense (even vinyl flooring), DB3 MLV from Home Depot pictured here:

cheap can sound great, like this build

http://www.caraudio.com/forums/car-audio-build-logs-cars-trucks-suvs/611961-2002-camry-basic-sq-khas-wife.html

an amplifier is required, no exception. but low budgets call for used gear.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

i don't use rear speakers either, and i have dozens of speakers sitting around, with as many spare amplifiers. when i add 8 channel processing, i'll work rears in for processed room reflections.

 

[big scott]

yes 100% true.

i did all that to my doors. thats why it took me 4 days lol.. allot of work but well worth it. my 8"s sound so much better.

 

[big scott]

i don't use rear speakers either, and i have dozens of speakers sitting around, with as many spare amplifiers. when i add 8 channel processing, i'll work rears in for processed room reflections.

what processor are you going with ?

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

what processor are you going with ?

i snagged another Alpine PXA-H701 and controller. controller will go in the sunglasses holder, like my old Accord. i haven't decided which amp i want running the rears, but they will be the Dayton 100RS in the rear seat side bolsters. Dayton are already mounted, waiting patiently. Rear deck speakers removed and closed off by the amp rack.

 

[big scott]

ok nice unit. was going to run one when i had my alpine h/u . love the alpines great h/u's.

i think im going with a jbl- ms8 . was going to get the ppi 88r but im liking the jbl.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

ok nice unit. was going to run one when i had my alpine h/u . love the alpines great h/u's.
i think im going with a jbl- ms8 . was going to get the ppi 88r but im liking the jbl.

the MS-8 is a nice piece, but not as user flexible - more of a set it and forget it. the Alpine is great for user adjustments.