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Since the trend is to fit more/better/larger speakers and such, this topic can be considered to be quite irreverend. If you find installing less speakers offensive, please stop reading now.

J/k off course,

Here's the thing. I want to get rid of my sub. It's in a thick MDF box, and the chassis alone weighs around 20 pounds. So all in all it's causing the right rear (where the box is located) to rub.

In an effort to reduce weight I've come up with the plan to lose the sub, and the spare wheel too. I'm calling it Project Anorexia.



I'll keep the amp to run my components up front, and move the thing into the spare wheel well (which should be empty soon enough).

So far so good, right? I'll just use the front speakers in full range mode.

Well, I did last week, and they suck. Well, their output sucks. There's just no bass, at all! They're in the OE door cards, bolted to the door via an OE bracket. I had high hopes, but all the bass is simply dissapated somehow.

I'm still going ahead as planned, though. It simply means I'll have to mod the door cards to add strength and resistance. Also, the brackets (or adapter really) that holds the speaker in place can be reinforced with polyester. I still have to figure out if the speakers prefer to have a big housing (i.e. the inside of the door) or a small housing (which means I'll close the adapter up as best I can).

Here are the speakers I'm running up front:



Boston's Pro series 6,5". I believe they can perform much better than they do now, so watch this space. I'm also very interested in the total weight I'm shedding. Now where did I put that scale again?

Hi Alex

Are you sure you need to loose the sub?

Can you not make an enclosure in the well when you remove the spare wheel?

I have put dynamat (decent dynamat too, not the cheap stuff) round where my speakers go (I bought the dynamat kit that is specifically designed for use just around the speaker) and it made quite a bit of difference, however IIRC, on the 6N, you don't take the door card off when you mount the speakers, you just take the grille off then screw the speaker in, so I don't know where you'd put the dynamat (maybe behind the door card?)

Anyway, I don't think you're ever going to get enough bass from 2 door speakers in their standard locations (ie without custom door pods) alone.

Much as I dislike them, have you thought about a couple of 6"x9"s in the parcel shelf? I think, if you are really serious about loosing the sub, they are the only way to go to get any real bass into the car without building big door pods.

My advise (because I don't really like 6x9s) is to keep the sub, but just make a custom enclosure in the spare wheel well.

Just my 2€

Yeah I've considered 6x9" speakers too, as they can fill in the bass to some degree. And, given the right filter, can actually sound quite decent. But at the same time, I don't feel like buying new speakers now (for obvious reasons) so I've scrapped that plan.

The reason I don't feel like building a decent enclosure is actually twofold; Firstly it means adding weight again (albeit better distributed in the middle) and secondly it's a lot of work. And right now I'm supposed to do other things, and not build enclosure/ice install number 5, which is something I'm not looking forward to at all to be honest..

So I figured I'd try it - I know the sounds will never be nearly as good as it was, but at the moment I'm willing to accept the loss in quality. It won't win contests anyway.



Another motivation to get rid of it, is the fact it'll come loose in case of a crash. A third reason is the space it takes up (which could be solved with a spare-wheel-well enclosure) since I frequently have a boot full of cargo.

You're right by the way, the speakers up front can be mounted without taking the door card off. I could dynamat the inside of the door, the rear of the door card, and perhaps replace the anti-water-shield-plastic-thing with it too.

This is more or less what I had in mind if I can find a quiet weekend:



Polyester on the rear of the door cards, followed by two layers of dynamat.



Dynamat the inside of the doors. Don't know which type is shown here.

Somthing like that would be nice...

Thanks for the input Josh.

just a few questions so i can get a better idea of your set up.

-what head unit are you running?
-what amp are you running?
-what sub was it?

i have a couple of ideas you ,ay be wanting to try

oh and alex before you go,slapping layer after layer of dynomat over the doors remember that the dynomats` primary ingrediant is tar which makes it heavy

Yeah good point Ash,

I normally use those adhesive tar sheets to dampen things. The name brand stuff is probably more effective, and more expensive too.

Karl,

At the moment, I'm running a Clarion DRX 8635 Rz headunit (or something very near that number), a Kicker S12D (round) Solobaric 12" sub in a small sealed enclosure, and a not-so-cool JVC KS-AX 704 amp. The JVC has 4 channels that each push out 70 watts @ 4 Ohm. Two of them are bridged to deliver roughly 200 watts to the sub, again @ 4 Ohm. The front speakers are cut off at 70 hertz with a 12dB octave filter. The rear plays from 50-60 hertz downwards.

the cheapesr sound deadening is almost certainly flat roofing tar rolls which i gto 25 meters of (1.20 m wide) for 20 euros and after a couple of layers not even flat eric can get out easily (cue new install )

Yeah, but doesn't that stuff have little rock chips on it?

How about this...

sell the Kicker, box and amp. Buy a 'Stealth Shelf' and fit an 8'' free air sub (or 2!) this should give you a punchy bass sound with the weight being fractional.

For example you can get a Pioneer 10'' free air sub for £39. (bout 50euros i think) but a 8 will be lighter.

you will get a good amp from the same brand for about £100.


thats just my 2p

Yeah, but doesn't that stuff have little rock chips on it?

not that i can see




and the full story here which is worth seeing if your serious about killing road noise
http://www.tigerstyle.co.uk/poloforum/v ... .php?t=733

Hey, they should start selling that stuff over here too! We only get the gritty kind...

Karl,

Thanks for the suggestion. I've taken the sub out today (and the spare wheel as well) and I'll seriously consider the shelf-option. As Josh suggested, a couple of 6x9"s can do the job as well, but I'll figure it out in a few weeks time. September should be a bit quieter so there's more time to mod! I think Boston sells 8" subs too. I'll have a look later

I'll keep this thread up to date.

Thanks for the input guys!

sorry-but cant rate the free air subs, they just dont give a quality to the sound.

IMO-use ur spare wheel wel as a box 4 the sub with a false floor over the sub so u can still carry stuff in the boot, although the well is slightly off-centre it is still possible to mount the sub centrally, spreading the weight evenly. also-build the box in fibreglass to save weight.

dont start wit 6x9's and stuff, the quality will never b as good

that said-i have a mk4 polo stealth shelf 4 sale if anyone interested ?