Installed my JBL components today, next question!

[ledvedder 10+ year member]

Apparently, the factory 6x9's in my van's doors provided a decent amount of bass. Now, with the JBLs installed the mids and highs sound my more crisp and clear, but I've lost a lot of bass. I'm thinking now about replacing the 6x9s in the rear panels with something that has a better bass response. Should I just go with a normal 2-way coaxial, or some sort of 6x9 subwoofer? Or, if you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear them.

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[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Id add at the min of a 10"sub woofer @2ohms on approx 4-500 rms amp

 

[av83 10+ year member]

Apparently, the factory 6x9's in my van's doors provided a decent amount of bass. Now, with the JBLs installed the mids and highs sound my more crisp and clear, but I've lost a lot of bass. I'm thinking now about replacing the 6x9s in the rear panels with something that has a better bass response. Should I just go with a normal 2-way coaxial, or some sort of 6x9 subwoofer? Or, if you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear them.

This is a common problem when installing new speakers that sit behind door panels. The stock speakers have a foam seal that rings the front of the speaker and seals off the plastic door panel from the front of the speaker. It keeps the front and rear sound waves from canceling each other out.

This is how the sound wave are behaving now...

The green lines in this pic are doing what the factory seals did...

recreate those seals with weatherstripping and you'll notice a huge difference. Here's an example...

 

[av83 10+ year member]

@keep_hope_alive ; helped me figure it out when I had the same problem. The example at the bottom of the last pic is my car. He might be able to explain the hows and whys of the problem better, but I know that what I just illustrated is the solution. Good luck, @ledvedder ;!

 

[ledvedder 10+ year member]

I simply mounted the 6.5 and tweeter speaker on one of these,Amazon.com: Metra 82-6901 5-1/4-Inch or 6-1/2-Inch Speaker to 6 x 9-Inch Mounting Hole Adapters: Car Electronics, which fit perfectly where the original factory front door speakers were. I also had Dynamat, but I didn't use it, since there was already a black rubber coating on the metal that the speakers mount to. The original speaker didn't have a foam seal on the front of them.

I think they sound really good, I'm just looking for suggestions to replace the rear factory speakers with a set that can give me a bit more bass.

 

[ledvedder 10+ year member]

Would these be decent for rear fill and to add a bit of bass, Amazon.com: Kicker DS693 6"x9" 3-Way Speakers (Pair): Car Electronics

 

[Kingstroker 10+ year member]

sound deadener, a "must do" for door panels

 

[ledvedder 10+ year member]

sound deadener, a "must do" for door panels

Is this what the Dynamat does?

 

[Kingstroker 10+ year member]

Is this what the Dynamat does?

That's one of the brand names of peel and stick deadener, I used Cache'', 2' x 3' for $30. Worked well, you can pay a lot for other products but if your not running high end speakers or in competition don't worry about it. I didn't have enough to do my complete panel so I covered all the holes and most of the large flat areas. You can knock on you metal door panel and hear the difference. I've hear guys talk about using a product for roofs because it's cheaper. I'ts an asphalt based aluminum sheet, smells like tar. I would hate for my truck to heat up a smell like a roof. I like the foam gasket idea also, makes a lot of sense, I'll be doing that next.

 

[ledvedder 10+ year member]

I do have this, Amazon.com: Dynamat 10415 10" x 10" x 0.067" Thick Self-Adhesive Sound Deadener with Xtreme Speaker Kit - Pair: Automotive, but I didn't install it since the metal under the door panel already had a black rubber material completely covering the metal.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Would these be decent for rear fill and to add a bit of bass, Amazon.com: Kicker DS693 6"x9" 3-Way Speakers (Pair): Car Electronics

Those will be fine/Hard to beat at that price..They get down to 30htz from the specs info.Might see if they are on sale elsewhere from a black fri,overlay sale.If you want just bass from the rears, CDT has some 6x9 bass speakers that look great,CDT makes great speakers,i wouldnt hesitate to but a pair 6x9 bass yet a little more than those Kickers..Use some of that deadner behind those when installing, will make a difference, and be worth the extra time involved

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6x9-CDT-Audio-CL-69SUBCF-PLAIN-PAK-Carbon-Fiber-Subwoofer-PAIR-CL-69-/110977260352?pt=Car_Speakers&hash=item19d6c29b40

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Audiobahn-AMS690H-6-x-9-2-Way-Murdered-Out-Coaxial-Car-Stereo-Speakers-/360512444069?pt=Car_Speakers&hash=item53f03756a5&vxp=mtr

These Audio get down there, and handle a bit more power and a bit cheaper..just sayin

 

[Kingstroker 10+ year member]

I peeled the foam liner off my door, it was thin and did not stick well, came off in one piece. I think it's a combination dust/sound barrier and doesn't do either very well. I left the fiber insulation on the plastic inside door panel. Thought about reapplying it (foam liner) after the deadener but there was no point. You need something that sticks completely as possible at every point it covers. The foam liner was only (barely)stuck around the edges and a little throughout the panel. I the back corners of my crew cab I put a good sized piece of deadener around the mounting hole before I mounted the speaker.

 

[ledvedder 10+ year member]

Wow, those Audiobahn speakers are only $40 on Amazon, Amazon.com: Audiobahn 6 x 9 " 2-Way Spkrs 385 Watts AMS690H: Electronics. Can they really be that good? I can't find much about them.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

the plastic liners on the door panels are a water barrier. only remove them if you are going to reseal the door completely with something else. the inside of the doors gets wet when it rains (window seals aren't perfect) then water runs down the interior surfaces, bringing some dirt with it.

seals are required for bass and midbass. otherwise the rear wave just cancels with the front and you hear no bass. it doesn't matter what the speaker is capable of producing - what matters is what you end up hearing. proof is just playing a sub without a box vs. with a box.

dynamat is not the same as peel-n-seal. the former is a damping product made to reduce panel vibrations on a molecular level while the latter is an asphalt product used for roofing membranes. asphalt products stink and don't stick well to vertical metal surfaces and do not provide damping. they do add mass and affect resonance if adhered well. they do provide decent noise barriers though.

the next best thing you can do for door speakers is to put fiberglass batt insulation inside thin bags (like grocery bags), seal the bags with tape (air/water tight - no holes), then tape them to the outer door skin - the more you put in the better, just stay clear of teh window mechanisms. this will absorb the airborne reverberation in the door and dramatically improve the sound from the speakers. the reasons are many, just trust me on this. foams do not provide adequate absorption.

so, for a successful door speaker installation you need seals, a sealed cavity, and absorption in that cavity.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

the front seal is cheap to implement ($3) and will make vast improvements before the effort of sealing doors is made. just remember that to hear bass, you need to prevent the rear wave from making it to your ears - and lower frequencies travel through materials more easily.