Bigpete123

Hey everybody. Some of you might have read some of my previous threads, but I thought I'd start an official one that documents my progress. First off, here are the details of the installation: Car: 1990 Mercedes 300ce HU: Nakamichi CD-400 Amps: JL Audio 500/5 and JL audio e2150 (rear fill) Sub: Infinity Kappa Perfect 10vq (to be installed via infinite baffle) Front Speakers: Focal Polyglass 3-way components Rear Speakers: Focal Polyglass 4" 2-way components EQ: Audio Control EQS 6-channel Sound Deadening: 2 layers of Damplifier pro, and Second Skin's Overkill (foam pad on top of damplifier) Other: Rockford Fosgate Omnifi (MP3 harddrive-mostly for friends). Highlights of installation plan: -Custom fiberglass enclosures in front doors for 6" mid-bass where the map pockets are -Custom Fiberglass enclosures for rear speakers (stock holes are sealed for infinite baffle sub installation) -AUX inputs/bass knob in ashtray -Front 3-way components bi-amped off of 500/5 -Infinite Baffle sub (sealing the trunk has been a challenge) -All cabling running under seats down factory channels -Amps and EQ mounted in enclosed, ventilated box in trunk Currently, I'm 90% done with sound deadening, I've run the cables, and I've mostly sealed the trunk off with caulk, damplifier, and expanding foam. I will have to make custom sealed enclosures around the headrest mechanisms, the trunk hinges, and the holes where my wiring goes through. Most of the tedious/boring work is done. But I still have a ton of work to do. Estimated completion date: End of August (before I get married, hopefully!) Here are some pics. Not much to look at since this is just be boring part of the project.

hmm, I'm not sure... I'll try to spread the word though!

I think you're looking at the drivers' side rear speaker. I had the grille removed at the time. That hole is now sealed and covered with sound deadening material... So I'll be making a custom FG enclosure there. More fun!

Yeah, reading my last post, I didn't explain myself very well. But I would probably build mini-enclosures around the mechanisms... The enclosures would have to be large enough for the headrests to be able to collapse. Here's a pic of the interior dash. Note one headrest is up, one is down: And here's one from inside the trunk showing the mechanism: Let me know what you guys think! Thanks for the input! Peter

I know... it's a pretty PITA the more I think about it. I wonder if I could find a boot similar to one you'd find on a stick shift... Of course, if the material is too soft, the pressure caused by the sub will make it move... so it won't do any good. I might have to build a "boxes" around the mechanical apparatuses and seal it up that way, but with the gas tank located where it is... it might be hard to pull off. We'll see. Troubleshooting things like this is part of the fun of it! I also need to seal up the areas where the cables come into the trunk on both sides of the gas tank. I'll probably build small boxes out of MDF and caulk to do that. Good times!

Yeah, the sub I'm using is the Infinity Kappa Perfect 10vq. The "vq" in the model number stands for "variable Q"... You can alter the Q of the sub by changing out some inserts that you stick in the magnet. Thus, it can be used for ported, sealed, and IB applications. The suspension (to the touch) is more stiff than any other sub I've used... And I'm going to back off the input sensitivity on the amp to match the sub's ~200watts RMS IB spec. So I think I'm cool in that arena. My rear deck is very well-sealed, but I may have to caulk some spots and do a very detailed inspection to make sure it's perfectly sealed up. I've already used some metal from some HVAC ducting, some caulk, and self-tapping screws, and some damplifier pro to seal up the more major holes... But there's more work to be done, I guess. One problem is that the rear headrests can go up and down... So they have a hole through the rear dash, and I haven't figured out how I'm going to seal them without making them unusable. But we'll see. I'm excited to hear that this will sound good! Peter

Cool, thanks. I'm actually only running 250w RMS to my sub... so I'm not terribly concerned about power. According to my owners manual, my sub can handle around 200watts RMS via IB. I'm surprised that you mentioned the transient response is excellent. Is it better than that of a sealed enclosure?

Hi! I was hoping to get ya'lls (sorry, I'm not from the south so I may have spelled that wrong) input on infinite baffle setups. To preface, I'm not very interested in SPL... I'm an SQ guy. So I know one of the downsides is that I won't get loud booming bass with my setup. But what are the other drawbacks and/or benefits, assuming that I seal my trunk off perfectly? All I've used in the past were sealed enclosures and I really liked the quickness of my subs. Due to the way my trunk is laid out, though, it makes it pretty tough to build an enclosure that's attached to the rear deck (trust me!). So IB will be the easiest installation, I think. So set me straight!! Peter

Yeah, I hear you about the rear fill. I already have all of the equipment, so I figure I might as well put it in the car... Cuz I'll lose money trying to sell that stuff on ebay. I'm concerned about setting up a good stage in the front... With the 6" speakers in the doors and the 4" speakers and the tweeters in the dash, I am a little worried it will sound wierd. And with the door speakers, I don't really have room to aim them like you would aim kicks. So my hope is that the mid-bass won't be directional enough to matter much. Oh well, we'll see!! Thanks for the kind words. I'll keep you guys posted on my progress... i'm going very slowly, though! Peter

oh and by the way, my wheels aren't real AMG's. They're very accurate replica's (minus the AMG stamps). Saved myself a couple of G's on the fakes!

Yeah, I have the dreaded gas tank in the trunk. But it makes for a relatively easy IB installation since it's fairly well-sealed from the cabin for safety reasons. But you have to cut a huge-ass hole in the rear deck... which means you throw that whole safety thing out the window. Oh well! Thanks guys. I'll post up some pics when I have things that are worthy of posting. So far, the damplifier isn't too exciting to look at...

I live in Seattle. When the weather is nice, there is no place I would rather be in the world! Regarding the install, a wise person once told me to do my due diligence and research everything- that good components alone do not make a system sound good. So I sure hope it turns out alright! I have access to a spectrum analyzer, so I should be able to get the frequencies set pretty well. I'm just worried about whether I will be able to create a good sound stage... We'll see!

Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself. I heard about this forum from Denim, who is also a member over at MBworld.org. I drive a 1990 Mercedes 300ce (same coupe model that denim drives). Check out the pics at the bottom of this post. I am currently installing and planning my new system which includes the following components: Head Unit: Nakamichi CD-400 Front Speakers: Focal Polyglass 165 V3E slim 3-way components Rear Speakers: Focal Polyglass 100 V-slim 2-way components (4" mid) Subwoofer: Infinity Kappa Perfect 10 VQ (installed via infinite baffle) Amp #1: JL Audio 500/5 (for subwoofer and fronts via bi-amp) Amp #2: JL Audio e2150 2 channel amp (for rear fill only) Equalizer: Audiocontrol EQS 6-channel trunk-mount EQ Sound deadening: Damplifier Pro & Second Skin Overkill I also have an Omnifi installed... this is mostly just for my friends, as I prefer the SQ of CD's... especially since I love my Nak HU. Some of the more challenging parts of my installation are as follows: -sealing trunk for IB sub (not too hard because it's already pretty well-sealed... The gas tank is mounted inside the trunk behind the rear seats, so Mercedes sealed it off pretty well already) -Cutting a 10" hole in the rear metal dash for the IB sub (I have already done this... it took some serious cahones for me!) -Installing the Damplifier Pro. I'm currently in this phase of the project. It is a huge PITA, as most of you probably already know!! -Fabricating custom door pods for the 6" speakers. For those familiar with Denim's setup, I want to do something very similar. Only, mine will only have one speaker in each door, rather that 2 speakers and 2 crossovers in each. I've never used fiberglass before, so there will most likely be major trial and error... -Fabricating custom enclosures for the rear speakers... Since I had to seal off the trunk, that meant I had to seal off the OEM speaker holes in the rear dash. So I'm gonna need to fabricate something. Well, any advice you guys have is much appreciated!! I look forward to learning tons and maybe even helping others learn a few things too! -Peter