altoncustomtech

Thanks guys! With everything I've read about them over the years I'm looking forward to playing with them and seeing how they do. The Bravox mids have surprised me at just how well they do. It doesn't seem very common to me to find a mid from many component sets that can be felt in your chest. I figure that if the Bravox mids are doing that good a real and actual woofer should be an improvement. Plus, if the size specifications I found in an old thread on the forum here are accurate I shouldn't even have to modify the baffles on the doors. So that's a plus too. I went to install the Peerless HDS's I bought from hondakilla98 but I'm going to have to make a couple of 1/4" thick rings to adapt them to the baffles. When the MLI-65's get here I will try them out first (cuz it's easier) and probably even try dropping in the Fountek FR88's as well to see what kind of improvement they make over the FE85's. As always I'll report back my thoughts and findings.

to the forum!

Damn dude, this is the first pictures I've seen that I really paid any attention to the stance on the truck. Oh that poor truck's suspension! Squattin' like a boss with that California lean, lol. Entire thing is bad ass BTW brother!

Well, I can never help myself but to scroll through listings on ebay, typically the ones that are about to end so that if it's what I want and a good price I can nab it up without getting into a bidding war. Anyway I was scrolling through listings this morning and came across a BNIB set of Mach5 MLI-65's a guy was selling and I got them for $75 with free shipping. I thought they might be fun to play with as an alternative to the Bravox mids from the CS60K component set was being used before going to the FR + dedicated midbass setup. Hopefully I'll have them before the end of the week and can get them tossed in before the weekend!

LOL, I'm with you on that one. We've had the Traverse for about a month now and all I've got done is the Kenwood dropped in. I even have all the equipment and accessories on hand. The primary thing holding me up is figuring out exactly how I'm going to fab up the sail panel. Don't be like me and take multiple years to complete a build, lol. ( Van & Jimmy BTW )

to the forum!

to the forum!

I got mine!! Never did hear what I owed for shipping tho....

Thanks brother! It really feels good to finally be driving it again!! It's been over two years and right around $4,000 including the engine, transmission, all related parts and fluids and mechanics fee (for the trans). Sean was right, I probably should have just gotten rid of it in the first place, lol. Ah well, it oughta last another 10 years easy now.

Ah, I see. I would imagine that with the sale they've had going on that they are very likely backed up pretty bad. It's true they're not the best at updating build times on the site, but it's worth the wait. My Q's have been the best subs I've spent money on EVER. I should be able to say the same about my SSA XCON soon as well.

What did you order? If it was an SSA sub you did read that there's a 21+ "BUSINESS DAY" wait time, right? I placed an order for a pair of 10" DCON'S on the 30th of June and don't expect to see them for another two or three weeks. Have patience, the hand built goodness will get to you when it's done being built.

Thanks man... Only problem I'm having with it right now is trying to figure out why my iPhone 5S won't work with the CZ702. I thought the Clarion might need an update and did that this morning but it didn't help any at all. I just don't understand why the iPod function of the phone doesn't want to work with just that head unit. Hell, my wifes iPhone 5 (not "S" version) is working with it just fine. I just don't get it.

Well, nearly a month after I got it to the mechanic and I have the Jimmy back!!!! New engine, new transmission, the starter noise is fixed, rear U joint is replaced (didn't even know it was bad) and she's running like a top! The stereo as it sounds right now is pretty damn impressive so I'm going to put the permanent installation of the full ranges and the 8" midbasses off until I get the build work in the wife's Traverse done before I take on the finishing of the build in the Jimmy. Damn it feels good to be driving it again!

Dunno what Quentin's using, but the best tool I've found for cutting panels like that is an AIR SAW with a shallow cut tight turn blade. Works wonders if you have a steady hand. Kind of like using a hacksaw blade by hand only not near as hard to manipulate and much faster.

Finally got started on this! Took the opportunity yesterday to start installing the Kenwood and Maestro. I would have finished it yesterday except a storm came through and made it a little tough to be working outside, lol. After getting it finished up this morning I gotta say I'm a little disappointed in the Maestro. It basically works as it should but the factory mic wouldn't work through it and pressing the voice/call button doesn't do anything. No voice prompt, no SIRI (if I turn it on), no other indication that it works except when someone calls it does answer a call when someone calls in. Aside from that it seems to work just fine. The HU isn't too shabby but besides the touch screen and bluetooth has the same functionality as the KDC-X492 I originally had in the Jimmy. Tearing into the truck to do the HU was very insightful though and I'm beginning to get a good lay of the land (so to speak) on where and how wires are going to need to be ran and things of that nature. I did find out that getting new speaker wires into the doors is going to be an absolute nightmare. Well, onto some pictures. Soldering and heatshrinking the stereo harness to the GM05+ T-harness for the Maestro unit. Got the dash apart and started getting things hooked up. At this point it really is as simple as plug 'n play. The end result. Also the pair of Soundstream Harmony's arrived today while I was outside finishing up the HU install. I know it really seems to be a waste to Sean, but I didn't feel it was a bad deal and I think it will be a fair stepping stone going up to the mDSP or similar.

Those connectors are really cool. I will have to do a bit more research on them. Curious to know how much pore they can handle. They're rated for 40A contiuous current (like DC) and 50A of Audio signal. Depending on the amplifier design that could be 2,500 watts and more. It could also be less it just depends on the amplifier, it's design, and whether or not it's ran at those levels for long periods of time. What kind of terminal do they use? I currently use banana plugs to make my box easily removeable, but I like how these can't short out the amp. Good looking build osiris. Box turned out nice! It's hard to explain, it's a proprietary connector. Here's a picture to help with what it looks like.

I'm using a pair of the 8" model IB in the rear deck of the Olds. Last time I crawled in the trunk to look at them everything seemed just fine. Do pretty damn decent for their modest price as well.

I was wondering the same thing...

Too bad you're not willing to ship. I'd pick them up for the hell of it.

I just picked up a pair of the Soundstream Harmony DSP's. The PPI DSP-88R is the same thing as well. They've got the majority of the power of the miniDSP, 31 band EQ's, up to 48dB crossovers in LP, BP & HP, individual channel gain, time alignment, etc. They lack the parametric EQ though the graphic does have adjustable Q for each band. I guess that makes it a quasi-parametric or something of the sort. They're also good for up to a 5V input voltage level too. Anyway, when OCS gets them back in stock they can get picked up for $209 from them or for around $250 at other locations. I got one for the Traverse and the other for the Jimmy. As far as the highs and midbass, it's hard to beat the FR88 and SLS 8 combo.

Got the HU today! I'm going to take the harnesses for the HU and the Maestro to work tomorrow to solder and heat shrink up nice and clean. The only thing I'm waiting on now is the install kit for the 4 channel amp, SDS deadening products, and the Soundstream Harmony DSP. I ordered the Soundstream instead of the PPI because the PPI was out of stock at OCS and if I was going to have to pay the same prices I figured I would get the one that was a little more pleasing to look at. Otherwise they're the exact same unit. Again, I KNOW it's a little bit of a waste but it's only wasting the active capabilities of the DSP. The EQ, time alignment, independent channel gain adjustments, and crossovers are still worlds ahead of the controls built into the Kenwood so it's not a complete and total waste. I got one for the Jimmy too which will be VERY nice for it with the full ranges and dedicated midbasses in it. Plans as of now are to use the Bravox set. She decided she's okay with a little bit of work showing so I'll be installing the Bravox 3-ways the only way I could figure out. It appears the sail panel is removable from the door panel so I'll be fabricating a new sail panel to house the midrange, the tweeters will go in the factory location on the A-Pillars and the woofers into the factory locations in the doors. DEFINITELY not optimal but I'm hoping to get lucky like I did with the components in the van. Even though the tweeters and mids were separated so far from each other it worked VERY well. If it sucks, well, it's just going to have to be subpar until she either gets over me doing the custom work to it or she wants me to do something different. I just have to be happy with it until she isn't, no biggie, I got the Jimmy for the SQ listening anyway!

Believe me man, I KNOW what you're saying and as always I appreciate your help and insight. The problem is that I also KNOW my wife and doing anything more than what I've got her talked into so far is just not going to happen anytime soon. While I may be worried about exactly how it's going to sound first and what it's going to look like second those aren't her priorities. Since she's the one driving it most often and feels like it's HER vehicle I'm at her mercy on it. Besides that I subscribe to that good 'ol saying, "A happy wife makes for a happy life." So as long as she's happy I'm happy enough and in a few years when the new wears off and/or she detonates the components I can go the route of making it exactly as I want it. Sure, it's a bit of a waste of time and money but at this point I just look at it as an opportunity to gain more experience with the different equipment and installations.

Certainly. I picked them up from a place called Exquisite Collectables. The website and place looks pretty generic but they're straight up legit. Not only did they have the lowest prices I've found on the web for the amps (only $30 cheaper average tho) but at the time they were running a 20% off special that applied to the amps so I got them for $640 and shipping was only $5. They also shipped the amps the same day, I ordered them Monday and got them Thursday. Pretty tough to beat IMO, just do a search on their website for Zapco. EDIT: I think the collectibles site is just another part of their business. When I looked closer all the car audio stuff is on a site called Creative Car Audio that had all the same info, pics, and prices at the collectibles site. Oh, and the 20% off is still going on. Why buy the PPI when you can buy the source. Just a pair of miniDSP's in a box. My concern is if PPI limited the software...If you do that though, buying a comp set would be dumb as well as there is PLENTY of processing to do everything active. Then even some mediocre drivers and you can outperform the Bravox you wanted to put in originally. From what I've read the PPI DEQ.8/Soundstream Synthesis are the MiniDSP built units. The software screenshots even have the MiniDSP logo on the software. The new PPI DSP-88R/Soundstream Harmony are their own units that utilize a different processor and have different software. They lack a few of the MiniDSP attributes such as the Parametric EQ and input assignment but are simpler to operate and setup and they can handle a higher input voltage than the MiniDSP/DEQ.8/Synthesis units. I could easily be wrong, but that's what I've found while reading up on them. Trust me, I know that having a DSP would make messing with components pretty asinine but the way I look at it is like this: 1. My wife doesn't know shit about this equipment but she does understand cutting holes in the panels, lol. 2. Having the DSP now gives me a much better eq and such to use on components which gives an advantage over the horribly limited controls in the HU. 3. I'll have it already installed for the future when she blows the components and we've had it long enough she no longer cares about what I cut up and modify to fit speakers in so a great active setup will be exactly what is done. I'm at this as more of a help for now, need for the future kind of purchase. That makes $400 and up kinda hard to justify but $209 is doable.

I'm thinking hard about taking a leap of faith. Apparently new for 2014 PPI and Soundstream have released new DSP's that are just about as powerful as previous models but with an easier interface and much lower price points. I found the new PPI DSP-88R at OnlineCarStereo.com for $209 with free shipping and at other places for around $250. At that price point and with the same power it's hard to imagine a better deal on an 8 channel DSP. The only thing I've found so far that it's lacking is the Parametric EQ. Not sure how much of a show stopper that is but the 31 band graphic EQ, Fully 20-20khz 6db-48db high/low/bp crossovers, time alignment and gain/attenuation for each individual channel is still there. They can also handle up to 5V of input signal. So I dunno. EDIT: Nevermind, each band of the EQ has it's own Q adjustment just can't select the frequencies so Hell I really don't know now.

Those connectors are really cool. I will have to do a bit more research on them. Curious to know how much pore they can handle. They're rated for 40A contiuous current (like DC) and 50A of Audio signal. Depending on the amplifier design that could be 2,500 watts and more. It could also be less it just depends on the amplifier, it's design, and whether or not it's ran at those levels for long periods of time.