Featured KHA 2023 SS Camaro - SQ Build Log

I'm not targeting a specific curve, since there are too many curves to be useful at this point. :) The car sounds pretty good. I have a one-seat tune with a deep soundstage and I have a two-seat tune that I also use when windows are down and music volume is higher.

My sub peak is at 26Hz, which doesn't correlate to those curves. My goal is for bass to blend with the soundstage and not be perceived behind me. Additionally, I don't want speaker locations perceived, i'm aiming for soundstage depth. This means left and right need to match in response, level, and time - at the sacrifice of curve matching as a goal.

Bass in this car is interesting, it plays so low, so easily (those subs are in series for an 8 ohm load on the amp) it's different than what I've had in a long time. These doors are more well treated than any doors i've ever done, the doors are capable of response down to 30Hz with my Hertz Milles (though 40Hz was a more sane cutoff). I really want to cut the door panels to use the Alpine grills because I want more of their sound in the cabin and to bypass the waveguides in the stock door panels. The midbass in the doors is awesome and was one of my main goals with the build. Bass guitars are detailed with no holes or peaks, they sound the way we want and I attribute Guardian for their success. Guardian is better than any of the DIY solutions I've come up with in the past. Fibermat is also an awesome solution that we've needed. Our industry is plagued with a lack of sound absorption, it's a game changer.

The mid/high pods are just Gen 1. I already have ideas for Gen 2 that will increase airspace and deal with the rear wave better, I just need the spare time to model them. They sound good, but they can sound better. The door woofers sound great also, the mids are almost not needed, but obviously help with flexibility and stage height. The tweeters are so smooth, they are exactly what I want in a tweeter - not a hint of harshness.

Overall, i'm pretty happy that this is my starting point. I'm still planning on transitioning DSP and amplification to Alpine, but since that will go in a different location i'm fine with the hidden JL gear for now.
Man that sounds like passion to me. I have been plagued with my past two cars having very shallow depth for the lower door speakers. My Pontiac G6 coupe was the complete opposite. In fact, I fit the 6.5" Silver Flute speakers in the factory door speaker locations and I was really impressed with the bass/mid-bass. That kind where you can feel bass guitar and high toms in your chest.

As far as the door speaker grills... can you design and print some with more acoustically transparent openings? I know you can add your own Alpine badges to them.

Alpine Badges Link
 
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As far as the door speaker grills... can you design and print some with more acoustically transparent openings? I know you can add your own Alpine badges to them.

Alpine Badges Link
What's great is the Alpine 3-way set included round grills for the 6.5! So I just need to integrate them into the door panel and recover the rest of that panel. My plan is to make new door mounts that bring the woofers out to the panel face with a round cutout in the panel for the grill face - that way the door panel is totally detached and separate from the woofer mounts/grill.
 
What's great is the Alpine 3-way set included round grills for the 6.5! So I just need to integrate them into the door panel and recover the rest of that panel. My plan is to make new door mounts that bring the woofers out to the panel face with a round cutout in the panel for the grill face - that way the door panel is totally detached and separate from the woofer mounts/grill.
Those surrounds confuse me on those Alpines. What they have been doing for years makes sense. These look different. I guess I would have to see them in action. The corrugated surround seems like it would fight it moving in and out. I am sure Alpine knows what they are doing I am just not sure why they would design the surround like that.
 

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Ya wanna see wacky surrounds?

These drivers are seriously one of the cleanest, most amazing drivers you can own, bar none!


I had an opportunity to get 4 of the PTT6.5X04-NAA-08 6.5" for $350 each for a friend's build, and he could not get past the look.

We're no longer friends.
 
Ya wanna see wacky surrounds?

These drivers are seriously one of the cleanest, most amazing drivers you can own, bar none!


I had an opportunity to get 4 of the PTT6.5X04-NAA-08 6.5" for $350 each for a friend's build, and he could not get past the look.

We're no longer friends.
I saw those a while back. It's all interesting. Lots of tech goes into the weirdest things.
 
Those surrounds confuse me on those Alpines. What they have been doing for years makes sense. These look different. I guess I would have to see them in action. The corrugated surround seems like it would fight it moving in and out. I am sure Alpine knows what they are doing I am just not sure why they would design the surround like that.
"Drawing inspiration from the AlpineF#1Status system, the HDZ-653 features a unified carbon composite cone construction throughout the speaker components for a unified timbre identity. Alpine Proprietary Double Gathered Edge Surround technology gives the speakers ultra-low distortion and linear diaphragm movement that reproduces music true to the artist’s original intentions."

g500HDZ653-o_other3.jpg


g500HDZ653-o_other6.jpg


I suspect the surround is controlling edge diffraction effects (which doesn't really matter when behind stock door panels), and they seem to allow for excursion without the kind of resistance that a typical half-roll has. The surround certainly seems like an interesting place to reinvent the wheel and make much more complicated.
 
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Reposting to fix the image links.

The trunk floor was very resonant and in needed of a lot of treatment.

20231027_200929.jpg


20231027_200931.jpg



After full coverage of CLD, the floor is very dead.

20231027_204209.jpg


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Then I covered the floor with CCF from my stock of Ensolite that I’ve had for a while.

20231028_011955.jpg


I also treated the bottom of the rear deck with CLD

20231028_004210.jpg


Then I covered it with CCF in order to hide the silver deadener since the rear deck is visible.

20231028_012008.jpg


With the side panels fitted in place, the scope of CCF is sufficient, even though it’s not a perfect finish, it is hard to get a seamless install.

20231028_013631.jpg



And here is a first look at where I plan on mounting the amps, a MV600/6i and a MV1000/1 with the MVi Hub.

20231028_013350.jpg


The CCF has been really handy to reduce noise as well as more attractive when visible.
 
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Now, if you really want to quiet the airborne noise that the foam and the CLD don't catch, a layer of this will do the trick!

You already have the CLD, the foam, which acts as the perfect decoupler; then a layer of the MLV really sends it home.


Very nice attention to detail, well done!
 
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Now, if you really want to quiet the airborne noise that the foam and the CLD don't catch, a layer of this will do the trick!

You already have the CLD, the foam, which acts as the perfect decoupler; then a layer of the MLV really sends it home.


Very nice attention to detail, well done!

I have a roll of MLV for that purpose! next time i gut the interior, the MLV goes in.
 
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