Need some sound advice

[smart bird]

There are a lot Of great Ideas floating around In here about sound modifications. Upgrades the factory speekers already that really is a must. Now I want to take the next step but have not a clue and rather severe panic atacks when thinking of making major holes in the trim for rear speekers. So to keep it short and sweet, looking to have it done professionaly and want to make sure I get the best bang for the buck. Not looking to get the biggest and loudest, just a quality set up where it sounds good with the windows down and freeway crusing speed.

1. What is a good mid level speeker?
2. is a 5 1/4 the right size?
3. should I go with a 2 channel or 4 channel Amp, Brand?
4. what would be a reasonable cost for this set up?

Checked with SCSF and they have not had one done yeat so do not have a quote for me.

[SmartTech]

alpine makes a good mid level speaker that fits good. the door speakers are 6.75 and require adapters to work (the alpine 6.5 that i have been using come with them). the alpines also clear the window when installed (if the speaker is to tall it will hit the window when it rolls down)
you must also get a new stereo, the factory ones just dont cut it. you can get single and dual din adapter plates easy enough. scp has them and will ship if needed. If you get a good deck then you dont need and amp unless you want a subwoofer

[brian r]

The front speakers are at least 6 1/2". They may be a European 165mm (or 6 3/4") speaker. Other members of the forum have successfully installed 6 1/2" pairs.

You only need a 2 channel amp as there are no rear speakers. You can cut into the rear panels and install speakers there, but the car is small and using only fronts will keep the sound-stage forward, as it is supposed to be. With rear speakers, it may be annoying to have tweeters right behind your ears.

You don't have to spend a lot for good sound. With a good set of efficient (maybe 92 db/meter or higher) coaxials in the factory spot, you might find you don't need an amp. Alpine, Infinity, Polk Audio, Boston Acoustics, JL Audio, and a few others make nice sounding entry level and mid level speakers for $100-200 retail. Check out some stores in your area, but remember that a demo board will sound different than in your car. Listen for what sounds good to you relative to the other speakers in that store.

Crutchfield has a ton of information on their website, and you can learn the specifics about what you can listen to in stores. Unfortunately they don't have information on the fortwo yet concerning installation specifics.

Most shops haven't seen the car yet, so you should think about letting someone use your car as the guinea pig, particularly since they could break the door skin. Maybe you could find another fortwo owner nearby to help you do your own install.

FWIW, I've ordered a pair of Polk db675 6 3/4" coaxials. The larger woofer may go a bit deeper than a 6.5", and I don't plan on adding a sub. I'm using a lower-power Rockford Punch amp that I had in a company car a couple of years ago. I have some high-end systems in other cars, but think that for the Smart, this will be fine. It's entertaining just driving it.

[tonymcpa]

DISCLAIMER: I never have, nor ever will be mistaken for a handyman or professional installer.

That being said, like others, I was afraid to let installers not familiar with the fortwo touch my car, BUT I desperately wanted to upgrade my stock radio sound.

So with the help and ideas of this site and its members as well as a bit of bravery on my part, I embarked on installing my own sound upgrade.

Stock radio was to stay in since I listen mostly to my satellite radio and iPod, so I didn't have to deal with upgrading the head unit.

For the speakers (the hardest part since you have to disassemble the door panel): http://www.crutchfield.com/S-kfXuUKj...ailed_info#Tab

For the amp:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-YDx08VL...ailed_info#Tab

And, for the sub:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-mZvu3Rs...ailed_info#Tab

Yes, I could've saved a few bucks by purchasing these items elsewhere, but the price premium paid off when I needed Crutchfield support to walk me thorough some of my questions late at night.

The difficult part was taking off (and not breaking) the door panel and getting over the horror of taking a knife (to carve a space the for speakers) and a drill (for the components) to the car.

Getting past that, everything else went well - splicing and tapping into wires here and there and then testing the system.

The amp is behind the driver and sub is behind the passenger. The driver seats goes back and reclines all the way without a problem. And while the passenger seat reclines like normal, I did lose about 0.5 inches in pushing the seat all the way back due to the size of the subwoofer.

All of the wires traveling from the back to the front were stuffed underneath the rug along the side of the car. I know I could've done a better job of concealing the amp and sub wires behind the seats, but since nobody would ever see them, that task could be saved for a rainy day.

The result? A 10,000% improvement in sound. The components make a HUGE difference and the subwoofer is just right (and adjustable) for the size of the car.

So far, it's been a week and the car has not blown up yet, so I consider my installation a success.

In all, it took me (remember, I am a nervous rookie at this) 12 hours (on and off) to complete everything with most of it to study and remove and reassemble the door panels.

Moral of the story: If an idiot like me can do this (my college degree is in accounting, not engineering), anybody can.

If any other rookies need some help, I'd me more than happy to help. Or if any pros out there have any advice, let me know - as long as it does not involve the speakers because I am NOT going to take those door panels off again!

In the meantime, the finished (or so) result:

[brian r]

Tony,

Nice work! I've been wondering if those subs were any good.

Did you have a depth problem with the Polks that required you to use the big mounting lift rings, or was it just easier to install them that way?

[tonymcpa]

Originally Posted by brian r

Tony,

Nice work! I've been wondering if those subs were any good.

Did you have a depth problem with the Polks that required you to use the big mounting lift rings, or was it just easier to install them that way?

Hi Brian,

The sub is great for the size of the car - it'd be lacking if you threw it in an SUV - but it is more than enough for our cars as long as you do not desire to re-live your teen years and rattle windows in the neighborhood.

Under a standard mounting situation, the Polks had no problems clearing the window as long as you cut out the inner ring that the stock speakers were mounted to. I could've gone the flush mount route, but I couldn't visualize how it would mount - so I just went the easy route and used the rings to mount from the inside of the car.

I'm sure a professional installer could school me on how to do that, but in the end, the leg room lost is negligible.

Tony