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(nrr) speakerboxx!!!

street_muzikstreet_muzik 3,919 Posts
edited June 2005 in Strut Central
Any car stereo heads around here? I just inherited a 1970 VW Beetle for the summer. It has no stereo and Taza doesn't play like that. I'm gonna build a box for it. Anybody here have any advice or know of a good spot in LA/Hollywood to get parts? Not enough boom boom around here. I'm bringing it back. Get your DJ Magic mike and "Everlasting Bass" tapes ready, I'm about to shake the dishes out of your cupboards.

  Comments

  • z_illaz_illa 867 Posts
    Umm, I'm not quite sure what kind of advice you're looking for, but if you're building the box yourself, make sure you know what size / type of box is best for your sub. Look at the manufactuers recommendations and do some research on your own and see what people in the real world have tried. Make sure the box is sealed to perfection. Nothing can ruin a good sub (physically and aurally) like a poorly designed / built enclosure. That being said, you always get more outta things when you do them for yourself. Don't be that guy that drops his car off at best buy for a new cd changer and square kickers.

    Hope that helps.
    Too many old people around here I guess.
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    There's a spot in Burbank that sells just speakers, prolly be your best bet...I gotta look for the name. I bought replacement tweeters for my monitors there...cool spot, real cheap.

  • SouthCrackalackSouthCrackalack 3,853 Posts
    be sure to post the flicks when you are finished
  • ScottScott 420 Posts
    Everything z_illa says is golden. It helps to do it yourself, but if you don't have the experience, take it to a dedicated car audio place. Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. mainly deal with installing stereos; they really don't know jack about setting up an entire system.

    First, you need to define how much bass you want. Do you want to wake up the neighbors? Then you'll probably need to drop loot on a pair of nice 12" or 15" that can handle at least 300 watts RMS. Or do you want something that'll highlight the bass tones, provide a little thump, and not break the budget? A single mid-priced 10" sub in a slotted/ported box should work.

    But it's not all about the bass; definitely don't skimp on the speakers. A nice 4-channel amp powering the front & rear speakers is just as important as the bump. And I can't stress sound dampening material enough, especially on older cars. Dynamat will make the system sound 100 times better.

    You can probably get all the things I've mentioned above (speakers, sub, amp, Dynamat) for around $1,000 to $1,500. Do your homework; higher prices don't necessarily mean better sound. Also, I'm not sure how much space you'll have to put everything in that bug, but good luck. Feel free to PM if you have questions.
  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    And I can't stress sound dampening material enough, especially on older cars. Dynamat will make the system sound 100 times better.

    Also, I'm not sure how much space you'll have to put everything in that bug, but good luck.

    My question - how solid is the frame/floor on your Beetle? I'm not really a sound installation guy, but you've got to get your servicedude to check out your pre-existing situation. Those Beetles can have some maintenance issues that might lead to the dreaded "ghetto rattle."
  • street_muzikstreet_muzik 3,919 Posts
    Thanks. That's exactly what I was looking for. Some good words. Damn, I didn't even think about "ghetto rattle"

    I'm going to do the measurements and design the shape first. I want to be able to switch it out between the the Beetle and the Civic. I had a friend back in the 80's who had a VW with the back seat out and two 15's in it's place. That shook the whole block. I'm not going that far but bass is the point here. I'm about it.

    I'm not worried about the wiring and all that. I can do that. I'm mostly concerned with design.

    The cat that mentioned the sound dampening. good lookin', that's another thing I wasn't thinking about. Overall good advice. Thanks djdaze for the hook up. And everyone else, peace.

    be sure to post the flicks when you are finished

    Oh yeah, f'sho

    Another question. Are there any amps available that have alternate ins, like rca or quarter inch. It would be kinda tight to plug the tables in...hahahaha! Park jam.
  • MondeyanoMondeyano Reykjavik 863 Posts
    ...and Taza doesn't play like that

    Gotta show love for the referring-to-yourself-in-3rd-person item.
  • street_muzikstreet_muzik 3,919 Posts












    I finally got the stereo working. That's the first step, right? Haha!!

  • volumenvolumen 2,532 Posts
    I'm sure you know, but I would use partical board. It's pretty dense. I've made a lot of speaker boxes out of that stuff for guitars. If you want you can even cover it in that felt carpet stuff, but you don't have to.

    Design is kind of really based on the space you have. A square or a rectangle will work, but if you can make an angled one that's often the best. Also, make a good size hole for the "bass air" to come out of. (kind of hard to put it into workds, but I'm sure you know what I"m mtlaking about). If your really crafty you can make a scoop but a round hole will work as well.
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