Putting a sub into a non-Monsoon Vibe?

[headcold]

I was at a scrapyard today and I saw an 06 Vibe with what looked like a monsoon sub in the back. It was missing the plastic cover panel, but the rest of the hardware looked like it was there.The guy wanted $150 for the hardware, then I'd have to find the panel somewhere else. What all does this hardware contain? I see the sub itself, but is the rest of it an amp, baffle, etc?Is this a good deal for the hardware? I'd like to install a sub, but I don't want to lose much cargo space. So it seems that the monsoon sub thing would be a good bet.Attached is a pic of the hardware I sawedit: doing a little more reading, I'm seeing that some of the monsoon subs are installed under the passenger seat. I suppose that's an option too. So is a shallow sub in the spare wheel well, options, options...the more important question is will my 08 base even have the holes in the frame to attach this to?

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[Sublimewind]

I can't say about the sub and all, IIRC the amp for everything is under the passenger seat, but it could be different, I haven't delt with the "preimum" systems myself.. So I generalize... I ask you this though, would a small box with a 10" sub that you could move or RE-move, suffice? For the money yyou would spend on that enclosure, possibly the amp and the trim panel.. I could set you up with something that would FAR out perform that set-up... The only drawback would be a small box.. This is just what i'm talking about here... example) http://forums.nasioc.com/forum...79843If you were willing to do that, many many possibilities open up... AND, should you need the space, you could simply remove the box, protect the wires from shorting, and tuck them away.. Leaving the box in the garage...!!

[headcold]

I'm afraid that I'm more interested in keeping the cargo area unadulterated than the performance of the sub itself. I do like the fact that it can go into the floor of the backseat, that's pretty nice. i've lived my whole life without a sub, so a small sub is going to be better than no sub. i'm not terrifically worried about extreme sub performance, just that there's a little bass and it doesn't wreck the cargo area functionality.i was also thinking about a shallow sub attached to the spare on the lid and using the negative space in there as the baffle.i have a lot of reading to do!

[Sublimewind]

Oh no, I understand, you want what you feel the stock sub will provide.. Perfectly normal.. I'm not trying to sell you a system here, I'm just saying that for the money spent getting the stock system up and around (and potentially blowing it, cause OEM system are anemic) Something aftermarket would give you what the OEM would, plus a little more.. Not neck snapping, but body pleasing.. lol.. Even a 8" sub in a decent enclosure (not the OEM) would out perform the OEM.. You could get a cheap 8" with a box and small amp for 250$ maybe .. maybe less.. And it would still out perform the OEM.. Now, another option would be to get the OEM enclosure and trim.. But power it with an aftermarket amp.. and maybe puts a cheaper aftermarket OEM replacement sub.. I'm all about options Sir, I just know that aftermarket is always better than stock.. The shallow sub idea.. It would work, but it's not that simple.. A sub needs a box to work in ... It also needs to be stiff or you get very little out of it.. it's wasting it's energy on moving the box and not the cone.. Have a look at AudioVibes garage and his former install, he had a single 8" in the spare tire well, in a box, sitting inside the spare tire..!!Something to consider.. Cheers..

[duster_do86]

8" MB Quart sub $55...1/2" MDF, screws, and caulk to build the .5ft^3 box ~$20...nice cadence amp to power the sub $100. Then all you need is wiring. That right there would sound a LOT better than the stock sub, and would cost about the same when all is said and done.I think all sublime is trying to help you with is the fact that you won't be very pleased with that oem sub, especially after paying $150 on it.

[headcold]

the more i think about it, the more i believe it. i need to look at all of my options instead of getting caught up in the stock look. thanks to the both of you.

[Sublimewind]

Well, the stock "look" is fine, but stock gear just isn't up to snuff.. Again duster and I aren't trying to build you a boomer.. But again, having better than stock is easy and possibly CHEAPER than if you were to piece together the stock parts.. If you mount the aftermarket amp under a seat, it's out of sight.. You could get a 50x4 4 channel amp, use ch1-2 to run the front speakers and then bridge ch3-4 out to a small sub, maybe something like the MB Quart, duster mentioned... You could run the rear speakers from the head unit and be golden... Options man, options.. lol..

[duster_do86]

yeah, and with a 50x4 amp you wouldn't need to upgrade the alt or anything.

[headcold]

I was hoping, in the future, to replace the HU with a car pc or something similar. If I remove the HU, then I'll need an amp to power all the speakers, right?A few years ago I ordered a sub and amp (http://www.woot.com/Blog/ViewEntry.aspx?Id=359 (removed), 4 years ago) that's been sitting in a closet at my parent's place forever. I just remembered it, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to use it in this car. It's a 10" sub in there, probably not the best quality, but at this point, free. It would just mean waiting till the end of the summer to get it from them.if i used that amp to power the sub, then i would need a 50x4 amp to power the front and rear speakers, right?Is there anything awesome about those tweeters that mount in the corner of the window and A pillar? If i wanted those two extra speakers, then I'd need an amp with 6 outputs?

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by headcold »I was hoping, in the future, to replace the HU with a car pc or something similar. If I remove the HU, then I'll need an amp to power all the speakers, right?A few years ago I ordered a sub box (http://www.woot.com/Blog/ViewEntry.aspx?Id=359 (removed), 4 years ago) and amp that's been sitting in a closet at my parent's place forever. I just remembered it, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to use it in this car. It's a 10" sub in there, probably not the best quality, but at this point, free. it also came with a small amp to power them.if i used that amp to power the sub, then i would need a 50x4 amp to power the front and rear speakers, right?Is there anything awesome about those tweeters that mount in the corner of the window and A pillar? If i wanted those two extra speakers, then I'd need an amp with 6 outputs?CarPCs are great, look at Audiovibe's install page in here somewhere, he's running one and on heck of a system.. That sub system would be perfect Sir, or a perfect place to start... you don't want or need much, but I would almost guarantee that even that would be better than the factory system you mentioned.. The nice thing about it is, if you need the space, you just pull the box out, sit it in the garage, and tuck the wires away.. (protecting the ends from shorting of course)If you had that amp, under a seat, and maybe another 2 or 4ch amp under the other seat, you'd be golden.. I personally don't care for rear speakers, so I don't recommend amping then with anything besides the HU.. but if you went carPC, you WOULD nee the amplification, if you wanted rear speakers... AFA the tweeters, that is usually part of a "component" system... They usually consist of a pair of tweeters, a pair of mid and a passive crossover (a little box, thing you have to use with them) Do yourself a favor and search out Phenix Gold RSD 6.5.. It's a really NICE component set and about the cheapest you can get (they get REALLY good reviews, which you can search out as well) at Again, I'm just providing you options, you do with them what you will, but if you allow me, we could build you something that YOU want, with quality components, for a lot less than you might think... You are half way there, with a sub system.. Cheers..

[headcold]

Dang, you weren't kidding about cheap.http://www.sonicelectronix.com...oogle$80 shipped for 6 speakers! would the 4 speakers fit into the spaces where the stock speakers are (front and rear doors)?Those tweeters, where would they go in the car? Are there aftermarket cases that would fit into the A pillar, or would you fab them into the door somewhere?edit: oh, wait. it looks like it's only 2 of the bigger speakers. what would i do with the rear door speakers? just leave them stock?

[headcold]

I just want to bump this and say that I ended up getting the Phoenix Gold 6.5 set here: http://www.woofersetc.com/p6952/RSD65cs ... System.htmI got it from their eBay store for the same price, but free shipping.They're really really great, I'm amazed. I tried them out halfway through the install and was less than pleased, but something happens when you put it all together that's just fantastic. the bass is great and the tweeters are fantastic for things like snare hits and cymbals. thanks for the recommendation, they're great.I should have taken photos of the install, because I came up with a few tricks that I didn't see elsewhere on the board.when you drill out the rivets, make the holes a little wider to get a bolt in from behind. that way, you can get the speakers in and put the nuts on the from the front, to hold them tighter to the door. I didn't trust that screws were going to hold it in place with all the abuse I gave those poor rivets.using the bolts, i was able to apply much more pressure against the door to ensure a solid, tight fit that would not have much give and would not fail in the future.i also had a sheet of neoprene from another project and i made two rings out of it to fit between the speaker and the door, to minimize vibration and seal in the air/sound. they go where the old plastic speaker ring already has that foam padding.going from inside the door to the speaker it looks like thisbolt-metal washer-rubber washer-door-neoprene ring-plastic speaker ring-rubber washer-metal washer-nutdoes that make sense?the bug's bit me, i want to get that sub installed asap and maybe replace the rear speakers too!edit: here's a pic

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[Sublimewind]

Good job brotha...!!I am VERY happy that you are happy with the PG's .. it's an even more amazing deal now that you've herd them, isn't it.. lol.. I'm all about overkill, in the right places.. the more solidly you mount the speakers the better.. NOW, now that the bug has bitten... it's time to start thinking about some other things... If you really want to make those speakers sing, applying some sound deadening to the doors will help a LOT.. you don't need a lot, but some is better than none... Let me know if you are interested in that path and we can discuss further.. Do yourself a favor and look at the PG RSD subs, i've herd as much good about them as I had the mids.. CHEAP too.. lol.. Do you have an amp?? It would be a good idea... I recommend a 4 channel for a basic system.. You can easily run the fronts off from ch1-2 and then take ch3-4 and bridge them to power a small sub... You can power the rears from the head unit.. so simple, but works very well for this sort of thing...Have a look at Cadence Audio, they have an outlet section right on the front page, this links you to FACTORY DIRECT deals on Cadence audio.. Which is proven to be a solid company time and time again, on my audio forums.. Much like the PG's.. (I personally just bought 2 Cadence amps on Ebay (B-stock, no warentee) for 30$ each, BNIB)Factory direct means no retarded mark-up and full warrentee..

[headcold]

I was definitely considering sound deadening in the doors, what's that all about?I saw one guy, audiovibe I think, who took the whole car apart and put deadening on every surface.would it suffice to only put it on the doors? also, what's the deal with the blue plastic sheet and the pieces of foam? would the deadening negate the need for that junk?

[Sublimewind]

Sound deadening gives the sound something to work against.. I like the coffee can analog I use a lot.... Take a large empty coffee can, talk into it... rap on the side of it... sounds hollow and "bright", it rings and echos... Well, now fill the can half full of water and repeat... You just sound deadened the coffee can.. Same principal in the car... you have very thin (metal) doors, you put the speakers in and you just installed them into a coffee can... Adding sound deadening can really help the speakers sing, because any sort of resonation (ring, vibration..ect) from the surrounding metal is a loss in sound energy.. Now, you don't need a huge amount of deadening to reap the benefits... some around the speakers mounting hole and some on the outer skin of the door would suffice.. Some like Audio, me and others here have gone to that extent, but 99% of the world wouldn't and doesn't need to... I've got ~200lbs of sound deadener in my Subaru.. I'm part of that 1% though.. lol.. Companies make "door kits" of sound deadening, just for this purpose... I personally like Second Skin products.. but there are 20 different companies.. AFA the blue plastic and the foam chunks.. The plastic is a water barrier, helps keep the water out of the car... the foam is spacers to hold the door card in place.. (If i'm thinking of the right things.. )

[headcold]

so do I want to install this on every surface of the door? I really really don't want to remove the speakers again, the cuts haven't healed from the first time. would it go on the door metal where the speaker in installed, or the metal behind the speaker too?

[silvrhawk7]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »Well, the stock "look" is fine, but stock gear just isn't up to snuff.. Again duster and I aren't trying to build you a boomer.. But again, having better than stock is easy and possibly CHEAPER than if you were to piece together the stock parts.. If you mount the aftermarket amp under a seat, it's out of sight.. You could get a 50x4 4 channel amp, use ch1-2 to run the front speakers and then bridge ch3-4 out to a small sub, maybe something like the MB Quart, duster mentioned... You could run the rear speakers from the head unit and be golden... Options man, options.. lol.. I have to agree with you sub, the stock stuff has never been up to snuff, (at least the HU) after i installed my sony, i noticed a considerable difference in sound with the stock amp and speakers (all 7 of them) but i had to use a lot of the advanced settings, and install a filter to the stock wiring harness as well because of other issues with the factory wiring and amp having poor ground. I will be replacing that amp and speakers in the distant future as well.

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by headcold »so do I want to install this on every surface of the door? I really really don't want to remove the speakers again, the cuts haven't healed from the first time. would it go on the door metal where the speaker in installed, or the metal behind the speaker too?If you got a 12" square behind the speaker on the outside skin and a 12" squares worth around the metal that the speaker mounts to, it would be better than nothing.. You don't need a lot and I think you can buy sound deadener "tiles" (12x12")from Partsexpress.com (great site if you've never been..)

[headcold]

Here's a pic of the tweeter installedhttp://forums.genvibe.com/zero...l.jpg

[Sublimewind]

I'd be very interested in hearing how much bass you would gain from those, sound deadening the door and sealing the holes in the door frame... Both would make a fair to huge amount of difference..

[audiovibe]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »I'd be very interested in hearing how much bass you would gain from those, sound deadening the door and sealing the holes in the door frame... Both would make a fair to huge amount of difference.. If you completely seal up the door the improvements were huge even with the stock speakers. the mid bass had so much more dynamics you could feel some kick in the legs.Aron

[vrecksler]

Sublime, I checked out Partsexpress and was wondering what the prevailing thoughts were on damping sprays? I saw audiovibe's thread and he used the shiney sheet stuff (dynamax?) but sprays seem fairly common and likely easier to install.I am just in the planning stage and am willing to put in a little more work if the benefits are there, but all things being equal I prefer the quicker and easier route. And I am not looking to become part of the 1% club with my entire car deadened. I am thinking of just doing the doors if I go with a just speakers, and if I go with a sub I will do the hatch as well.