4kq Audio installation

[roger@mostro.sps.mot.com (Roger Albert)]

Hi Mark,

You asked about subwoofer(s) for you 4k.

Well, I'm not a big fan of a free-air rear-deck install for that car, and
have, for now, nixed that idea on my own 4ks.  Reasons:

Would require fairly substantial carving, and reinforcement of the entire 
upper deck.  The top (cosmetic) cover is very flimsy, and it and the seat
and the rear metal, with all its wholes, collectively don't offer much of 
a seal between the passenger compartment and trunk.  You need that for a 
"free-air" design, where the trunk effectively acts as an infinite baffle.
(on top of which, even if it did seal well, the relatively small trunk to
passenger compartment volume ratio makes it not-that-close to a true free-
air or inf-baffle system.  Best solution is probably some sort of sealed
(or perhaps ported) sub-enclosure in the trunk which vents into the the
passenger compartment.  These don't have to be very big, for the bass fill
you want.  Next best is a cabinet of any type which does fire through the
rear.  That actually doesn't sound badly at all.  I wouldn't reject that
solution due to sound concerns, but probably would, due to your trunk space
concerns.  

Have you looked at a Crutchfield catalog lately.  They have
two solutions which might work well for you.  The first is a sort of tube
sort of affair (much different than the old Bazookas) which sits vertically
and vents into the pass-compart.  Its not too large.  Seems like it was from
one of either Sony or Clarion's high-end/luxury lines.  I'd say that's your
best bolt in installation/good-quality/minimum-size solution.  

A cheaper alternative would be (I think Pioneer's)  disc shaped subwoofer 
which mounts in the otherwise wasted space in the inner volume of your spare 
tire's rim.  Not exactly audiophile, but will definitely provide some of the
fill-bass you want, lower the load on your primary drivers, and take up minimal
space.

Anyway, that's my $.02  good luck and let me know what you go with.  For now,
I'm using a giant cabinet that I had lying around.  It easts up most of my 
trunk, but I never use it, so I went for the already paid for solution.

regards
roger

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Roger Albert (go Illini!)  Motorola.  Austin, Texas 
roger@mostro.sps.mot.com   Wireless/DSP Div.  56xxx
Red 94 Ducati M900 Monster  and  White 65 BMW R60/2 
Blue 1976 BMW R90/6 and  1974 R90/6 Sidecar project
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1986 Audi 4000S -- Yup, sometimes you need 4 wheels
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Opinions expressed are always mine --, never Moto's
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