2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Have a cool car stereo? Post your install pictures here! No PG? No problem! Competition grade or sub-in-box setups: ALL are welcome!
Kirghiz
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

ttocs wrote:Did you get to heave that thing up into position? I know my kinetic 1800 was a pia to get up and into the trunk.
It had rope handles on each side. I got on one side and Jimmy (the installer working on it that day) got on the other. I'm tall and not really averse to lifting heavy things, so lifting up over the grill wasn't really all that bad. Doing it by myself might be a different story though.
Being loud without good sound quality is pointless, but having good sound quality without being loud is also pointless.
Kirghiz
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

I have been toying with ideas on upgrading my subs yet again for the past two months or so. I started out considering doing a camper shell, removing the back window and firing the subs through the window, but I have grown fond of my Roll-n-Lock bed cover, not to mention camper shells look like ass. Then I was looking at briefly pulling the back seat and doing a wall, but the wife won't have it. She says i can do what I want so long as there is two seats in the back, so I did some internet searching and found this thread.

http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/showth ... cket-seats

I loved the idea, if not his execution, and went out and started looking at how this might work for me. Further searching showed many trucks where they put Tahoe bucket seats in the back opening up the middle enough to put 12's or 15's sealed. The problem with Tahoe seats is they cost you the under seat space because of the way they bolt down. By cutting the Silverado seat you retain the under seat space, and by doing that, it looks like there will be enough to mount my Elite amps under the seats, and potentially get a pair of ported Elite 12's in there comfortably. There is 2.5 cubic feet under the seat in my current sub enclosure, so in theory the new enclosure wouldn't have to rise up in the middle much at all to accomodate the Elites.

But.....the seat is still a problem because I didn't want to cut the one in the truck. Where the hell would I find a seat? Amazingly enough, someone had one on Ebay that came out of a brand new 2011 crew cab, identical color to what I have and everything. I became the proud new owner of that seat. It is now at a custom upholstery shop up the road from me where it will be turned into two bucket seats.

I'm optimistic that I'll have a pair of ported Elite 12's in my truck before Thanksgiving. ::fingers crossed::

On another note, I find it amusing that what started out being "a little $3,000 system in a truck" is now going to involve a custom seat modification that few ever attempt in any truck, much less a 2012. My wife however finds nothing amusing about it. LOL
Last edited by Kirghiz on Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ttocs
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by ttocs »

If you already have a roll up cover, thought about a blow through? You mount the box in the bed, cut out the area under the window and use a flexable boot to connect the bed to the cab and then all the bass plays in, and no lost cab space...
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
Kirghiz
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

Believe it or not I haul stuff in the bed quite a bit. On the other hand, I have never had five people in any vehicle I've had since I was in high school. Four yes, but never five. The bed cover is about 95% water proof, so anything that needs hauled other than people can go in the bed. Doing it this way seems to fit my needs for my truck the best. I've spent a lot of time contemplating what to do, and the idea of cutting the cab wasn't appealing either. This way, since the original seat will be intact I can still go back to original if I ever decide to.
Being loud without good sound quality is pointless, but having good sound quality without being loud is also pointless.
Kirghiz
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

Kirghiz wrote:I have been toying with ideas on upgrading my subs yet again for the past two months or so. I started out considering doing a camper shell, removing the back window and firing the subs through the window, but I have grown fond of my Roll-n-Lock bed cover, not to mention camper shells look like ass. Then I was looking at briefly pulling the back seat and doing a wall, but the wife won't have it. She says i can do what I want so long as there is two seats in the back, so I did some internet searching and found this thread.

http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/showth ... cket-seats

I loved the idea, if not his execution, and went out and started looking at how this might work for me. Further searching showed many trucks where they put Tahoe bucket seats in the back opening up the middle enough to put 12's or 15's sealed. The problem with Tahoe seats is they cost you the under seat space because of the way they bolt down. By cutting the Silverado seat you retain the under seat space, and by doing that, it looks like there will be enough to mount my Elite amps under the seats, and potentially get a pair of ported Elite 12's in there comfortably. There is 2.5 cubic feet under the seat in my current sub enclosure, so in theory the new enclosure wouldn't have to rise up in the middle much at all to accomodate the Elites.

But.....the seat is still a problem because I didn't want to cut the one in the truck. Where the hell would I find a seat? Amazingly enough, someone had one on Ebay that came out of a brand new 2011 crew cab, identical color to what I have and everything. I became the proud new owner of that seat. It is now at a custom upholstery shop up the road from me where it will be turned into two bucket seats.
I'm so excited I could vomit. Behold, a 60/40 bench seat converted to two bucket seats.
:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
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The seats should be in the truck tomorrow if all goes well.
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Drock
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Drock »

That is awesome. Great idea. Can't wait to see updates.
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

Stitch-it Upholstery in Princeton, WV did a hell of a job on the seats. You really can't tell by looking which one was cut. When I first started planning this everyone I talked to thought I was nuts, and people that should be qualified to handle a job like this didn't want any part of it. I found Stitch-it Upholstery on Facebook of all places, and quite randomly in fact. One of my facebook friends liked their page one day and it was randomly on my news feed, so I checked out their work. The best part was that they were about 20 minutes away from me.

https://www.facebook.com/StitchItUpholstery

When I took them the project, they wanted to do it, but weren't sure how. After a little bit of going over it, showing them how to cut it and how to weld it, the rest was easy for them and they said, "Yeah, we can do that". That has kind of become a running joke now, and I half expect that'll become their new company slogan. LOL
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by bdub »

Wow, impressive work. Can't wait to see the new box/subs implemented.
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Drock
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Drock »

That is very nice. They look perfect.
I'm jealous.
Kirghiz
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

The truck will be going back to Sound Decision Monday night, and I'll get it back on Friday. They'll be building the sub enclosure and new amp racks, as well as perhaps deadening the roof because the subs will be pointed up.

Incidentally, earlier in this thread I mentioned that there was no one local that I would get to do car audio work on my truck. Stitch It Up-Holstery shares a building/garage with a car audio company that they are friends with, and that building was formerly home to one of the car audio companies that I avoided. They kind of work together on projects as needed. They went into business up there in 2012. They don't carry Phoenix Gold, but I wouldn't have a bit of problem with letting them do car audio work on my vehicle. You know, if I didn't already have a relationship with Sound Decision, and I was okay with going with something other than Phoenix Gold, which I absolutely am not. I'm loyal to my brand and my installer, but I'd certainly refer local folks that aren't as picky about gear as me to them.
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Drock
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Drock »

Can you take a pic of how you mounted the new seats? I'm curious as to how you did it.
Kirghiz
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

The 40 side is factory. They didn't even pull the original seat out. The 60 side was where the work was done. The 60 side was stripped down to the frame. The inside mounting brackets were left intact, and that portion of the seat was cut off about 6 inches in, where all of the horizontal frame pieces are straight. Then it was cut off on the other side at a point where the total left over pieces equal 18 inches. From there you just brace and weld the cross pieces of the inside inside bracket portion to the outside bracket portion. It's actually a pretty easy cut and splice job if you can weld. The hard part is the upholstery, unless you're in the upholstery business.

The outside brackets and bolt position by the door are GM. For the inside bracket I had ideas of simply drilling two holes, but the gas tank is under that, or weld studs to the floor. They came up with a plan C, which was weld wings onto the mounting brackets and piggy back the holes for the driver side seat belt and another existing hole in the back. Those would be the three options of doing it.

As far as the seat back goes, you just retain the one hook by the door. The 40 side only has one hook by the door from factory, so it stands to reason you'd only need one on the driver side as well.

I'll take a picture of it tomorrow in the daylight.

It's really not THAT complicated if you can weld and you can sew. Finding someone that can do both is the trick. The first thing I asked Lisa at Stitch It Up-Holstery when she looked at it was, "do you know someone that can weld?". She did.
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

Got the new subs put in last weekend, but just now got around to getting pics of it. The new amp racks aren't done yet, so it's still a work in progress. I'll post pics of that when it's done, but it is still the Elite.4 and Elite.1 amps. One amp is under each seat. The subs are recessed into the enclosure which helps reinforce the grill, making it rugged enough that people can lean right on it as an arm rest/console and not cause problems.

The box is only 3.5 cubic feet tuned at 36hz, which is dead on with Phoenix Gold's recommended SPL enclosure. I was wanting at least 4.5 cf tuned to 34, but I didn't have the space to do that and have it look right in the truck. That being said, you really can't tell that this is the smallest recommended enclosure because they actually sound pretty damn good in it. I was surprised just at how good they actually perform in that enclosure. I went around and around and finally decided on the dual 4 ohm subs, dropping the Elite.1 to 1 ohm. Basically I just wanted to be able to say that I have 5,000 watts rms. The electrical system handles it very well, staying within 14.5 and 15 volts consistently, even when wailing on it, and honestly, with over 4,000 watts rms available to the subs, I really don't find myself in a position that I feel like I am abusing either the subs or the amp. They get plenty loud without having to overdrive them, and they aren't even broken in yet. This is the third time I have upgraded the subs in this truck, and I have finally gotten to a point where I can say that I am happy with the sub output and the sub sound quality. My great lament with this install has always been the fact that I couldn't fit Elite subs in my truck, while having Elite amps and Elite components. Now everything that can be Elite is Elite, and the Elite 12's are some phenomenal sounding subs. They don't meter that well, 140-142 at best, and if that is what you are looking for you should look elsewhere. But, if you are looking for a great sounding sub that moves a ton of air and will remove the dental work from your mouth, these will do that very well. Kick drums hit you in the back with the authority of a kidney punch while maintaining accurate sound, and EDM bass shakes you until you're dizzy. It sounds cliche when I say that I'd recommend these to everyone, but over the next few months, you'll probably see me do that on this forum.
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Drock
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Drock »

Very nice. Looks great. Can't wait to see the amp rack


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yeddy
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by yeddy »

NOOICE!!!! that's beautiful man... I gotta find me one more Elite 12... how is it compared to the 4 12's from last install?
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

The four 10's were in 2.5 cubic feet sealed, which is the SQ size sealed enclosure for the 10's. Obviously being sealed there is no comparison in SPL. The Elites in their vented enclosure, not to mention seeing more power, are far and away louder. Easily a 10 DB difference. As far as sound quality it's tough to compare the two. I tend to think from an audiophile standpoint the tens sounded better, but not by nearly as much as you would expect when comparing four tens in a sealed SQ enclosure versus a pair of 12's in a vented SPL enclosure. Another variable is the amp's load, and the fact that the THD at 1 ohm is four times higher than at 2 ohm. With all those factors working against the Elites in terms of sound quality, the fact that it's even close is a testament to how great these Elite subs really are. I would love to hear these subs in something closer to the SQ size enclosures, but it won't be in this vehicle. Maintaining the ability to seat four, and keeping the enclosure to where it sort of blends with the interior are more important.
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by bdub »

How did the amp rack turn out?

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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

bdub wrote:How did the amp rack turn out?

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Badass, I'm well pleased with it. I think this install is finally done. I went and got the truck yesterday morning, just ahead of a snowstorm, and the weather has been bad all day, and I wanted to wait until after dark. Just got out to get pics. It's hard to get pictures of it, but I got a few. I'll try and get better ones when it's nicer out. You can kind of get an idea what it looks like though. I had to turn the flash off and use a longer exposure to get the lights to show up well. The pics of the amps might be a bit blurry because of that. The white LED's under the plexi actually appear to be like a light blue shining through the smoke tint on the plexi, so it matches the blue LED's under the amps very well. Take the grills off the subs, raise both seats, and turn the lights on and it looks like you are in a UFO, but it's a very tasteful UFO. LOL The amp lights really aren't as bright as they look in the close up pics. It's just enough light to show off the board, but not enough to light up the cab in the dark. The subs on the other hand cast a bright blue glow, they're much brighter than the amps, which is what I wanted.
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by bdub »

Looks great man. Are the LED's powered using the remote lead?

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PG Elite.2 (midbass)
PG TI21300.1 (subs)
PG Bass Cube
PG TI9 midbass
ScanSpeak 10F/4425G00 midrange
ScanSpeak Illuminator R3004/602000 tweets
Acoustic Elegance SBP15 subs
Kirghiz
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

bdub wrote:Looks great man. Are the LED's powered using the remote lead?

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No, they are external, on the same circuit as the lights for the subs. That is tied into my alarm, and I use a button on the alarm's key fob to turn them on and off.
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Drock
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Drock »

Very cool idea.


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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

I found myself wanting new subs recently. I was looking for more SPL, and went into that on the understanding that I would lose a little SQ. I went with Digital Designs Supercharged 9500 12" subs. I figure since many regard them as the greatest SPL sub of all time, I would be hard pressed to find something better in terms of "louder". The fact that DD engineers told my installer they'd be fine to drop right into my existing enclosure was an added bonus. The super charging option on these subs increases the motor force, and that supposedly increases the cone control, resulting in better sound quality. In case there is any question about the motor force of the sub, the mounting screws were laid in the cone during installation, and the magnetic field actually caused them to stand on their ends.
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The sound quality is surprisingly good on these subs. I honestly wasn't expecting them to sound as good as they do. Granted, the Elite 12's are slightly more musical, but I was expecting a much bigger drop off in SQ than it actually was, so I am ecstatic. It really isn't noticeable at all most of the time, just on certain tracks here and there, and even then it really isn't enough to upset me. I went with the light blue cones to match the lights on the amps. All in all I am well pleased, and it is noticeably louder than the Elite 12's I had, and that at the end of the day was what I was looking for.
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by brenzbmr@sb »

nice log and build. nice DD woofs btw
You may have subs in your car........but my doors sound better!
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Re: 2012 Chevy Silverado (Full Phoenix Gold Install)

Post by Kirghiz »

Been having alternator troubles this summer, but this ought to solve those. This goes on tomorrow. :D
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