My Install

[MacLeod]

So I finally got around to tearing into my new Edge and working on my system. Im a very active sound quality competitor in MECA (Mobile Electronics Competition Association) and so I gotta get going on this cause finals is in October and I havent been to a single show this season.

 

I compete in the Street class which uses stock speaker locations so I dont have to come up with anything really fancy. I do this because (A) Im a lousy installer and craftsman and ( this being our main car for trips and baby stuff, I cant be giving up a lot of room for custom amp racks, sub enclosures and kick panels and such......and theres this whole lazy thing about me that likes just dropping speakers into existing holes.

 

I use Polk Audio gear and have since I started competing back in 2006. Dollar for dollar, theyre about the best speakers on the market and theyve served me pretty well over the years. Im using the Signature Reference 5250 speakers which is a 5.25" mid cause the 6.5's wont fit, plus with the plastic door panel, I dont want to put too much stress on it.

 

First off I slapped in my trusty Alpine 9861. First thing is to pop out the little storage tray on top then the inner trim panel pops out. Id start at the top cause those are simple poppers but down towards the bottom of the HVAC controls, theyre wedged in there pretty good so youll have to use some force but be careful.

 

 

Next youll have to pull the trim piece out that contains the vents and covers the CD player. First unscrew the one bolt where the storage tray was. Its a 10mm. Then just pull this trim panel off - its fastened by poppers.

 

 

From here its stupid simple. Unscrew the 4 bolts holding the OEM head unit in place, use the mounting adapter kit you bought and stick the aftermarket head unit back in. Its a drop in fit. Then just pop all the trim panels back in place and youre done. Running the optical and Ai-Net cables was super easy. The area behind the CD player is cavernous so you can literally reach your arm in there and fish the cables down and drop them out right under the glove compartment.

 

 

Running the amp's power wire took the most time. I didnt get any pictures cause it was getting late and I was getting pissed.

 

Under the dash, there is a wad of wires going thru a big rubber grommet. Poke a hole in this and fish the end of the power wire OUT into the engine compartment. Now the fun part, remove the battery and battery tray so you can reach the power wire and pull it out. After you route it and mount your fuse holder, install the battery and tray.

 

I ran it under the trim carpet along the side of the drivers side and back to the cargo area. I havent decided yet how Im gonna mount my amps so its just hanging out there for now. If youre using 8 gauge wire itll be a lot easier to get it under all the trim panels but since I was using 1/0 gauge, its a real bitch.

 

Today I got the door speakers installed. It was relatively easy to get the door panels off - 8 screws (2 on each side and bottom then one behind door hendls and one in arm rest) then it just pops off.

 

 

The panel itself is the worst panel Ive ever seen for car audio. F-ing plastic!!! This thing is gonna resonate and vibrate like a bitch! On top of that, the stock speaker wire goes in a little groove instead of behind the speaker. This lets soundwaves from the back of the speaker cone to come around to the front and can mess up the sound a bit.

 

 

Dynamat is the greatest invention ever. I used 2 layers in and around the speaker opening in an attempt to strengthen it up. Eventually there will be 2 layers covering the entire door panel but this stuff is expensive so I always do it a little at a time. When I got some spare cash, Ill got by a sheet or two and slap it on there. But for now, this will do for a start.

 

 

I cut some adapters out of 1/4" MDF and covered them from and back with a layer of Dynamat.

 

 

And here is the final product. My beloved SR5250 mid securely mounted.

 

 

Thats all Ive got for now. Tomorrow Im going to figure out my amps and where Im gonna stick them. Im thinking of putting my EQ under the back seat and the amps just behind the back seat in front of the spare tire. Not sure tho. Ill post back when I figure it out. Then all Ill have left to do is run speaker wire from my amps and figure out where/how Im gonna mount my tweeters.

[stradt03]

looks like a pretty straight forward install. Do you have matching tweets to go in the pillars? What amp(s) are you running these with

[MacLeod]

Yeah, Im not much of a craftsman so dont expect any cool fiberglass creations.

 

Im gonna start off with the Polk SR tweeters for now. I started trying different brands and types of tweeters last year cause the Polks are awfully directional and I was having a hard time getting them to image that well. The Edge is so wide inside, I was thinking of trying to mount them in the corner of the door where the A pillar meets the window. Theyd be firing to the opposite seat shoulder so they should perform pretty well.

 

For amps Im using the Polk Audio PA500.4 (90x4) and the PA1200.1 (1200x1). I bi-amp the speakers so the amps rear channels will power the mids and the front channels will power the tweeters all running thru my Alpine H700 processor.

 

For subs I used a Polk SR 12" sub last 2 seasons but am going with Polk's MM 10's this year. Ill buy a basic premade box for dual 10's and push them up against the back seat. I would normally integrate the subs into the interior a little more but we bought a SUV for more room for baby strollers and stuff so I want a box I can unplug and remove whenever we need the room.

 

Ive run up on a snag cause the A pillars have no flat surface at all to mount a tweeter to. This isnt a problem to anybody that can fabricate stuff but Im a total loser in this department and rely totally on the mounting cups and brackets that come with speakers and with no flat surface, theres really no easy place to mount them. Ive got a couple ideas on some stuff tho but before I go cutting 2" holes in my new $30,000 car, Im gonna do some planning and thinking.

[Edge12]

in for updates...

[Tribby2001]

 

I cut some adapters out of 1/4" MDF and covered them from and back with a layer of Dynamat.

 

Have you given any thought to what is going to happen to the MDF as it slowly but surely absorbs moisture?

 

http://www.car-speaker-adapters.com/index.php

[medicedge]

in on this as well. very curious on how to take apart the cargo area for sound proofing.