Well I have always been a die hard regular old stereo guy when it comes to music. I am looking forward to hearing the 9 -5 - 1 three ways up front and had no plans for a center channel till I decided to make that darn jump to F1(its Mikes fault imo ). I have always had a center channel on the home video stereo as I am sure everyeone else has and now I have the output for the option, just need an amp and speakers.
The front location will probably be the worst as there is just not much space. There is a clock pot that sticks up from the dash that I might be able to fit a tweeter under it and cover the back half with a grill cloth to help hide it. Other then that maybe at the VERY front of the windshield next to where the defrost vent is there is a few inches and I have considered trying to integrate a tweeter or two into the overhead console I installed to hid the air ride controls. The more I think about that location the more it sounds like the best option for space, worst for SQ.
Anyone done much with center channels in the 12v world that was not a pre-made system? I have seen the din or half din kits that have a few tweeters in it but never installed one or looked much into it. My thoughts are that I would like to stay with the morel/ti line if I can to try and keep them matched but realistically I can probably admit that it would be better to go with a different brand. The F1 will of course give a full eq and time alignment for it to help I blend as If someone knows of a small but full sounding speaker/tweeter that could fit in a small area help a brother out?
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
I have seen those and thought they sounded goof expeciallly for the size. But with the deck an the monitor the 1/2 din areas all spoken for unless I get really creative and move the heater/ac controls..... Never thought about it till just then but I might have a spot in the future for heater/ac controls if I get really crazy someday in the future. As I said before the back of the clock housing faces the windshield and since I only have the radar detector in it there is space for at least one tweeter, maybe 2 if there is enough space.
But that then begs the question what speakers would you use? They would need to be shallow obviously but as far as size or brand what would you buy with my money?
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
Second, at one point I used a Quart 6.5" Coax in the front center console cubby in my Accord with mixed results. I use the center output of the H701, but got some weird judging results (both with it playing and not!!) that led me to ditch the idea. I like the far front defroster area idea the most. My wife's Outback has an OEM center channel that might get some love if I can't sell any of this gear! It's above the H/U where you might expect it to be but I would think for depth purposes as far forward would be the better option.
As for drivers, I've got some old Dyn MD140's (a sealed back 3" dome mid) or my AP RAM3a's. I would think that you won't need alot of volume, or bandwidth so anything bigger than a 3" may be overkill! Or I could be completely out in left field!
Thanks, I think, dick (Please note the smiley = a thick coating of sarcasm on the dick(fuck that sounds even worse huh?)
ANYWHO Back on topic - 3" is probably the absolutely biggest I would do. Like I said the clock pod on the early sn95 mustangs was an external piece that simple snapped on the top/center of the dash. Its not very big is my only real problem but after taking out the stock clock and replacing it with the much smaller radar detector display there is some space in there. How much is the question as well as could I possibly modify/expand the piece a little to get the 3" needed. I can't help but think that with the speaker firing up into the glass that it should make for a nice deep center soundstage area. I have had the defrost cover off before but I don't think there is much space in there for just a 1". Just gotta keep my eyes open to find the right speakers or just bite the bullet and get some moral's to match what I already have. Like you said I would not need a huge volume as I do not like center channels for music.
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
I had a center channel back in the day. I used the audio control system 90 model 11. For the speaker I used a 4" coaxial MB quart, it matched the MB Quarts that I had all around. I mounted it in my grand am just forward of the cup holders, in an open cubby hole/shelf thing. It sounded pretty decent but it did bring the sound stage down a little.
I also did a center channel in my buddies 96 impala. We did a pair of 6.5" macrom mids and a single tweeter IIRC. We did it in the section just forward of the shifter (remember the 96 had a floor shifter). Covered it with black grill cloth and it looked stock.
A few of these and a few of those.
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Sounds like a nice mix of systems. I have done center channels in customers cars but never my own. Its really just for video and as I said above the clock pod is really about the only place I have a prayer of putting it short of the air vent which I have never been a big fan of. Just as you matched your quarts I have been looking more and more into the morel speaker lines to try and keep them close. Their tweeters also seen to have a better freq response then most of the tweeters I have been looking at.
My next question though wasn't there two morel speaker companies going at one time and one was good and the other not so much? Which was which?
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
Hey bud ...Give these a look ...sound incredible and easier installation options. Ran them in both my Camaro's and give CDT a thumbs up ...underrated brand and their stuff sounds amazing ...
Hey bud ...Give these a look ...sound incredible and easier installation options. Ran them in both my Camaro's and give CDT a thumbs up ...underrated brand and there stuff sounds amazing ...
I had been considering their other kit as I thought it would fit where I want to put it but that one I have no idea where I could put it and not have it look obvious. After some thought today I realized I better figure out if I could put it in the clock pod like I thought and that would give me the size I could go with. So I went and pulled the pod out of the car and got to work on it.
I was able to separate the front and the back and then made 2 cuts on it to take the rest apart so I could add some length to be sure that there would be enough space for even a small speaker.
So forgive the mess as the glue is still drying. Tomorrow I am going to smooth the rest of it out by taking the texture off of the plastic and cleaning the grill/plastic joint so I can paint it gloss black like the front is, and carry the green stripe over the top as well. The tweeter will mount using the screw holes the clock use to use. If I don't like the gloss finish(and the tweeter showing through) then I will just throw some grill cloth over it.
After some thought in order to be sure all the speakers match I am probably going to go with the morel MT-220 tweeter. its really similar to the mt-23's the elites use but go a little lower in frequencies then the 23's.
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
I have used a 6 ohm Peerless plate tweeter in the center position and it was a great complementary piece to my front soundstage. Not overbearing but just enough to know it existed when the music/movie called for it. I believe it was crossed over right around 2000hz...
Bchester6 wrote:I have used a 6 ohm Peerless plate tweeter in the center position and it was a great complementary piece to my front soundstage. Not overbearing but just enough to know it existed when the music/movie called for it. I believe it was crossed over right around 2000hz...
Thanks for the speaker recomendation and I have been wondering what freq would be good to at least even start with. My ears will be the final judge but wasn't sure how low/high it should be. It is only for video which probably will not even be all that often but I would like to know it sounds good and looks good when its installed and used. I am also curious to see if it will sound better out of phase or in phase since it will be reflecting off the glass.
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
I'm wondering if you need a tweeter in the center. I think if I did a center now I'd probably just a good wide range 3". You mostly want voice from the center and I think those focus on the freq range of most voices.
A few of these and a few of those.
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I could not agree more. I have been trying to find a nice 3" that would match and would fit(small magnet is needed) but I just not sure I have the real estate to fit it in there. It would be tight to say the least both in its length and depth. The tweeters I have been looking at are a 1.8" that looks to have an ok freq response down to around 1800 hz and is good off axis as well. I am decided to add a small cosmetic addition to the pod that will give me just a tad more space as well and after that I can cut/bend the bracket that will hold the speaker to know how big of a speaker I can fit.
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
I really like the the cdt options and so far its the only brand outside of morel I have considered. the freq response is obviously much better and again I would go with the 3 except I am pretty sure that that huge magnet could be a deal breaker. I still need a little space in front of the speaker to sneak in the radar display and I will probably end up trimming some of the dash below it no matter what happens, just a question of how much. It will all be covered and it doesn't have to do with the mounting so its not a huge deal but just under that is the top of the air vents. I might be able to heat them up and push it down a little if needed but that 3" is just huge!
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
I just purchased the es 02 accent fill set from cdt for rear fill in the pickup. Now that I got the xes system back, (it arrived this afternoon) I can toss these in and let you know how they sound. They look to be a very well made little driver. The crossover that came with the set is of really high quality also. That may not be quick enough for you but I thought I'd mention it. They are definitely very small speakers for the hz range they can supposedly handle, and may be a great choice for the small space you have here.
quickrip wrote:I just purchased the es 02 accent fill set from cdt for rear fill in the pickup. Now that I got the xes system back, (it arrived this afternoon) I can toss these in and let you know how they sound. They look to be a very well made little driver. The crossover that came with the set is of really high quality also. That may not be quick enough for you but I thought I'd mention it. They are definitely very small speakers for the hz range they can supposedly handle, and may be a great choice for the small space you have here.
I would appreciate the feedback. I know they make good stuff but the numbers do all seem a little too good to be true for such a small driver. I will probably go with the single speaker up front. Almost finished with the accent pieces and after that I can make the speakers mounting bracket and see how big I can fit it.
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
At this point your just looking for a capable 3" midrange driver? The CDT CF3 looks like a standard driver that can handle a bit of power (DVC 4 ohm).... If that's the case then you have many more options to choose from.
Bchester6 wrote:At this point your just looking for a capable 3" midrange driver? The CDT CF3 looks like a standard driver that can handle a bit of power (DVC 4 ohm).... If that's the case then you have many more options to choose from.
yes absolutely there are a few more options in the 3" category but looking at the freq responces I am unsure. That one lists 119 hz - 11k so it leaves me wondering if the AF-256/02BL Super Range Accent Fill would be that much better since it lists 100hz-20khz if I can fit two in there or else the AF-256 is from 150-20k. I really only plan on using it for video and its not like it would have some insane bass pumping through it to justify the low end response at the loss of the high range.
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
tonight I was able to get the cosmetic pieces I needed cut and ready which also happen to give me about another 1/2". I have just about 3.5" of space now from the front of the pod to the back(left to right if you look at the pic above) and a usable 4" of space that goes across it now. So I could do the 3.5" or the two 2" so that didn't really make it easier to decide. As much as I want to go for the bigger driver just because I generally try to fit the biggest driver where I can but the freq response of the 2" Just seems so much better. Am I nuts?
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
Clarity in dialogue is what you're after I assume so the difference in frequency response is non-applicable as it should never exceed 11k. Anything beyond that is going to be bright and/or busy so you may flood your center front stage with too much making the blending with your components a tremendous challenge. IMO there is a reason why they limited the response on the 3" driver so if you have good complimentary pieces in place, which I assume you do, they all have their assigned "niche" and do it quite well... and I am super skeptical about a 2" driver being able reproduce that wide of frequency range, especially at 100hz, with any noticeable substance. Specifications are sometimes just porn for guys like us. Sad but true.
yes unfortunately with out the speakers to listen to I must look at the numbers. Funny as this is the first time I have picked out a speaker this way as I always like to hear them first. I have considered that the center should not need to play full range and I too am suspect to how the output graph of that 2" would really look.... The only other question with the 3" is the depth and I can't seem to find those numbers anywhere funny enough.
what else can I say I am a grumpy asshole most of the time.
ttocs wrote:yes unfortunately with out the speakers to listen to I must look at the numbers. Funny as this is the first time I have picked out a speaker this way as I always like to hear them first. I have considered that the center should not need to play full range and I too am suspect to how the output graph of that 2" would really look.... The only other question with the 3" is the depth and I can't seem to find those numbers anywhere funny enough.
Are you taking about the CDT CF-3 set up? ...it's right in the spec off to the side of the link I posted for ya (1.69" is what's stated for mounting depth).
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). I have always had a center channel on the home video stereo as I am sure everyeone else has and now I have the output for the option, just need an amp and speakers.
Sad but true.