Sir-Lancelot's Build Log - Updated July 17th - Page 8

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

I have been a busy man the past month and thought I would share the results.

It's been cold and wet so the pics are going to be limited. Work was more important since time was a factor. Next house will have a BIG garage. Working in the elements has it's challenges.

Lets get this party started.

I decided I wanted to try the XCONS out sealed and I sure am glad I did. I still have HUGE output and the SQ improved in a big way. Nice tight bass that you feel in your gut. Amazing. Dont listen to that bullchit that you need a big ported box to get the XCONS loud. That is just not true and the people saying it have no experience actually doing it. These MF'ers wang in a sealed box.

Here is the original box I got from Quentin at Audible Customs as part of his initial free box with woofer purchase. It was a great enclosure and the man has serious skills. I would recommend him to anyone.

Little over 6cf ported to 34hz

Out with the old / In with the new

6cf sealed

Going to paint the box with the same paint I used below on my door pods.

Next up was the challenge of getting some real mid bass up front. I have experimented with various component sets over the past year and spent a ton of cash only to be left with the same feeling. No mid bass.

Finally, I found an excellent deal on a gently used set of Dynaudio 362's and had to jump all over it. I had no problems buying these used because I figured anyone who had these would have taken care of them.

After some serious debate as to cutting up the doors in order to fit the 8" mid bass and watching BigRank's door pod build, I decided to jump right in and make myself some door pods. I had purchased a set of Q logic kick panels already so I went the easy route and used those. The door pods are another story. The woofer was too big to fit comfortably in the stock hole as one side had a dip and I didn't feel I would get a good seal to the door and baffle. Jumping right in with both feet.

Sealed the doors. You can see the dip in the door to the right of the opening, it's about 3/4-1" deep.

I have used a bulk pack of Damplifier Pro and a bulk pack of Dynamat Extreme so far, but all 4 doors and the rear hatch is solid.

Masking off the door

Laying the first layer of glass

Setting up a skeleton

The fleece. I was the only male in Hobby Lobby.

Next challenge was getting a good seal and venting the door pod into it factory 6.5" hole. Home Depot plumbing department to the rescue. Toilet base drain FTW.

Finished product, somewhat. The color is much closer in person that the picture suggests.

I may end up changing this up a bit and trying the woofer and mids in pods and tweeters in the pillars, but if that happens, it will be spring.

BIG BIG BIG think you to BigRank for posting his build log. It was his progress that made me jump right into this. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The passive crossovers are huge, but I found a nice little spot to tuck them away safe and sound. Put the under the cup holders in the center console.

The amps under the 2nd row seats. Going to cover this in vinyl eventually. Crunch GP3000D and MB Quart DSC125.4 bridged to 2ch. 500w x 2 on tap to the front stage. I dare a musical peek to clip my signal.

I was going to take some shots of my battery bank, but it's raining like crazy today so that will have to wait. I will get some pics of that when I do my HO alternator install.

Thats about all I have for pics. Still got lots to do.

On the to do list:

I need to deaden my roof and stop the headliner from vibrating. This is driving me crazy!

I need to add a layer of MLV or Ensolite to the front doors.

I have an Iraggi amputator 260 amp alternator on the way that will need to be installed.

I am very pleased with the way everything turned out. I have HUGE bass in the front doors now and the overall sound is very flat and crystal clear. I crossed the subs over at 50hz and let the Dynaudio take over from there. The only thing right now is my stage height is not as high as I would like. I need to do some EQ and see if I can help that out some, if not I will move the mids and tweeters up. Now that I have popped my cherry with fiberglass I am not afraid to take some risks and move the speakers around a bit to get a better sound stage.

I am always open to criticism and suggestions so please do not hold back. If you see something I missed and can offer some advice I am all ears. I learn by doing and I have thick skin so don't bite your tongue if you know something I don't.

Thanks for looking.

[mbarber25 29]

looks verrrrry clean

[viper167 1]

i like it very nice very clean!

[Mac N Cheese 90]

nice pods!

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind words.

[hero24 0]

I like the way that turned out. Looks great. Now you have me wanting to try this for myself.

[emh9009 199]

wow, that fiberglass turned out amazing! great job. esp. for your first try. props, man. do you think you're going to stick with the sealed box, or go back to ported?

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

SWEET Work with the pods. I have ENVY of your 3-ways.

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

wow, that fiberglass turned out amazing! great job. esp. for your first try. props, man. do you think you're going to stick with the sealed box, or go back to ported?

I think am going to keep them sealed. I do not compete so the 1 or 2 DB gain is not worth it to me. I am serious when I say the XCONS get loud as hell sealed. If I change anything I may add some MDF pieces to take up space and see what happens if I were to go down from 3cf to say 2.5cf.

You wont have that big peak sealed like you do with a ported box, but that's okay with me. They sound amazing sealed.

[chrisommer 4]

Looks great! giving me some ideas.... after I get tired of my ID's of course

[Mark LaFountain 1,054]

looking good. I like how the subs are up-side-down so it spells ASS, clever.

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

Nice work, love the FG. And good to see more people putting the Xcon's sealed.

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

Looks great! giving me some ideas.... after I get tired of my ID's of course

ID's are bad ass. I am a big fan, straight up.

looking good. I like how the subs are up-side-down so it spells ASS, clever.

Ha Ha i didnt even think about that. I just stuck em in there. Going to paint the box the same color as the pods, so I will lose my ass.

Nice work, love the FG. And good to see more people putting the Xcon's sealed.

I should have listened to you long ago denim.

I do have some changes I will need to make on this build. The pods are buzzing away with the woofers so I need to add some mass to them and find a better way to attach them. I was worried about that when i was installing the 8's, but I really wanted to hear them and was hoping for the best. Nothing is ever black and with this hobby, unfortunately.

I was thinking of adding some silicone adhesive to the back of the pods, then bolting them to the door panel again. Then I was either going to add model clay or something like that to fill up the cavity above the woofer and add some mass to the pods. I think they are too light and that's why they are buzzing.

Anyone got any ideas?

Edited January 29, 2010 by Sir-Lancelot

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

I should have listened to you long ago denim.

I don't expect people to take me seriously with this user name.

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

Did you leave the Mid-bass Pods sealed? If so how do they sound? Yes I still have envy of your three ways.

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

Did you leave the Mid-bass Pods sealed? If so how do they sound? Yes I still have envy of your three ways.

Nevermind now I see the toilet flange. Looks good!

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

Did you leave the Mid-bass Pods sealed? If so how do they sound? Yes I still have envy of your three ways.

No, I cut the back out of the pod right behind the woofer and added the PVC piece to vent in to the doors. I sealed the doors up the best I could. It is a big improvment, but there is still some tuneing to be done as well as stopping the buzz created by the woofer pods and the panel. All that buzz cant be helping the sound so I am sure there is more in there if I work them over a bit.

I have always wanted a 3 way set with nice bass. I hope with some more work I can improve on these a little. They are not far off, but I am picky and I want them to hit a little harder than they do. It's in there I just got to find it.

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

I should have listened to you long ago denim.

I don't expect people to take me seriously with this user name.

Change it to Mr. Denim and they will have no choice.

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

I should have listened to you long ago denim.

I don't expect people to take me seriously with this user name.

Change it to Mr. Denim and they will have no choice.

Haha, maybe. Of Sir. Denim.

[Notorious97200 339]

You have about the same sizes for the 2 boxes. The sealed one is huge or the ported one was too small. I can't say that with only 2 pics.

Why did you change ?

You use the same space for the box. You only wanted to hear them sealed ? or what ?

BTW : The ported box is sexier !!! And your 3 way setup is MARVELLOUS !

[Kanaworm$ 292]

Great looking install! I like your midbass pods!

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

You have about the same sizes for the 2 boxes. The sealed one is huge or the ported one was too small. I can't say that with only 2 pics.

Why did you change ?

You use the same space for the box. You only wanted to hear them sealed ? or what ?

BTW : The ported box is sexier !!! And your 3 way setup is MARVELLOUS !

Yea, it was pretty close to the same volume. The ported box was on the lower end of recommended volume because I wanted to have some space back there for a bag or cooler, etc. I built the sealed box on the upper end of optimum so I could add wood to take up volume so I could experiment later if I wanted. With the woofers pointing back, I wont be putting anything back there that could hit my subs. That is the only thing i do not like about this set up.

I changed because the XCONS destroyed my other box. Broke it right in the kerf port so I had to build another box. I just went sealed because I wanted to see how it sounded. I agree the ported box is sexier. Fact is, I didn't lose much output by going sealed and it sounds better. Not to say they didn't sound good ported because they did, but sealed was an improvement and I kinda it better. Like I said the only draw back is I cant put anything back there now. If I go back to a ported box, that will be why I would. If I go back to ported it will be a bigger 4cf tuner a little lower. Right now I am loving the way they sound sealed so it's not an easy decision.

Thank you for the comment re: my 3 ways. I am still playing around with those too. Rain and cold weather probably best to wait until spring to make any changes. I am just going to enjoy the set up the way it is for now.

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

Great looking install! I like your midbass pods!

Thanks man.

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

Got a good bit done today and after a quick listen, it did make a nice difference. My door panels are not buzzing and the mid bass tightened up a good bit more. Once my Ensolite shows up I think I am going to be set. I am really enjoying the hell out of the Dynaudio set. They are sounding better and better.

Bought 3 cans of this

And used it to spray both front door panels.

Also sprayed the inside of both mid bass pods to add a little mass to them

Added some expanding foam to some areas on the door panel as well as the inside of the door pods

Added some silicone to any areas that were not sealed, probably not needed, but I had some and used it anyway.

Added some acoustic foam directly behind the mid bass.

Removed the cassette deck (lol) and cut a piece of plexi to install my digital voltage meter.

Installed my Iragqi 260 amp alternator and a new belt. Damn belts are high. $48. Fuck!

On deck.....

I am going to repaint the door pods bacause I ran a bead of silicone around them to make them air tight from th eback of the mid bass. Plus I think it will clean up the install a little bit and make them look a little more factory. I will take some pics tomorrow when I am done.

I have a pair 18" XCONS that will be here Tuesday. I have not decided if I am going to build my box or let my Friend do it. He owns a cabinet shop and his business is very slow. He is practically begging me to do it and I may let him to help him out as long as his price is not crazy. I am sure he would do the same for me.

The kids are with grandparents so tonight me and the wife are going to a little bar to eat a steak and drink a few. Hopefully I will get her buzzed enough to get lucky tonight. LOL

Edited February 27, 2010 by Sir-Lancelot

[Mac N Cheese 90]

build looks good!

good luck tonight! LOL