Just saw in Car Audio mag, this SRT-6 with Kicker solo-x 12" sub. Went to http://www.kicker.com click on sweet rides, then KICKER / Partner Cars.

 

the wheels aren't bad...something different from the norm.

 

They sure did copy a little from my system.

 

With all that stuff in the car there is no way anyone is driving that thing. Besides, if you take a close look at the doors they don't have the same level of craftsmanship as the rear trunk area. This is one of two Crossfires (CDT and Kicker) I have auditioned at CES in the last two years. From a purist with a trained ear neither sounds all that good, but if you go on attention getting you have to give it to the guys that put this one together. If they pulled this one together for CES, I suspect they will address some of the flaws in the doors as time permits.

 

Sorry guys, that thing is butt-ugly. I wish the "tuner" crowd would stick to Japanese machinery because that look just doesn't work on the Crossfire.

 

Amen !!!!!!

 

I absolutely agree - this look is horrible. It is also terribly impractical. Having just taken my Crossfire on a 2000 mi trip, I gotta tell you - every square inch of free space in this car counts.

There is so much more that is important in an audio system than the "bigger is better" mentality that has been shoved down our collective throats by the car audio manufacturers.

I've only had my Crossfire since October '05, and have been slow at upgrading the audio system, as no one that I've talked to really understands how to optimize the stock system without going overboard. IMHO, the tonality and resolution of the stock system isn't all that bad. Frankly, I get more enjoyment out of the stock system than my very pricey home audio system.

I'd be quite happy with a little more SPL without pushing drivers and the amplifier into distortion. I agree with those who've written about putting a high pass filter capacitor series with the door low frequency drivers to limit them to a -6db/octave rolloff below about 100 Hz. Most of the energy going to these speakers go to bass reproduction, which is unnecessary with the subs behind the seat. The only reason I haven't done it yet it that I'm not crazy about pulling the door panels.

I'm not sure why the stock subwoofers have +12V going to them, unless they are amplified as well. Has anyone checked this out? It would be nice to get the most bass possible out of the stock locations.

Certainly if a person was going to go all out with the stock locations, a new head unit could be installed, along with an amp in the stock location and new drivers all around. I'm just not sure where the point of diminishing returns is for those of us who are interested in accurate sound reproduction at a reasonably high sound levels without the need to knock the paint off the outside of the car.

I've tried talking to dealers and car audio outlets about this and it was just a waste of time.

Any discussion in this regard would be welcome, IMO.

 

Well here it goes.

Putting a cap on the speaker to filter out the low frequency information is not going to work all that well. Internally the amplifier and the DSP that drives it has a variable loudness curve which is tied to the speed of the car and the volume setting. Thus in order to get some additional volume from the system you can reduce the bass level on the radio, -3 should result in you taking the volume up to (30) with no issues with a strong recording. Given the bass control is centered at 100 hz this reduction is taken into those calculations.

With the factory amplifier/speaker combo running at 2 ohms you are getting 40 wpc to the doors. To get 3 db more (slightly louder) is going to take twice the power or 80 wpc, 6 db from stock 160, all assuming the factory speaker can take it.

The first step would be to change out the speakers for a 2 ohm set that is more efficient. Not too many of those on the market (Infinity Kappa is one of the few). Assuming the factory speakers are reasonably efficient say 90 db, the move to Kappa 60.7 components would yield 5 more db of output running off the factory amp. You will still retain all the eq, compression, limiters, and speed sensitive volume of the factory system.

If your needs fall to the lower octaves then there are solutions like Infinity basslink that don't take up too much space. This leads me to the answer to your question about 12v going to the sub, well it is either a misprint (some older Infinity systems located the amplifier on the speaker and thus needed a line for power and one pair for signal). I believe in this application what you are seeing is the use of the additional 4 channels from the amp paired up with each sub. In essence the system delivers 240 watts (40 to each door, and 80 to each sub).

Frankly while this car would be easy to retrofit, the space considerations are significant. The trunk has a flat floor with two small pockets but their location is not conducive to building some type of custom enclosure. You could fabricate something in the wheel well, but again your won't gain much. Generally the subwoofers on the market require .75 cft for a small 10" sub enclosure (Kappa Perfect VQ solves this issue - only .3 cft per if you are willing to give up some output around 20 hz (not an issue in this car due to the hatch providing gain), so the question is how much space can you afford to loose, AND, oh year remember this car has a low load capacity to consider, so keeping the weight down is critical unless you plan on doing some serious suspension work.

I have been building my SRT6 over the last year (I travel quite a bit so it is now in phase two) with the approach of integrating everything with the factory system. When it is done it will be a simple two woofer, two amp, one component set system with a HK Drive+Play IPOD controller. No video, no cheap looking graphics or "look at me" paint jobs, just a great sounding system that speaks loudly about craftsmanship and class. The dealer I am working with is www.imagineaudio.com, and so far they have met my criteria for excellence.

System details: Factory Nav with CD changer, Harman Kardon Drive + Play, Infinity Kappa 60.7 CS, (2) Infinity Kappa Perfect 10 VQ, Infinity Reference 1210a, Infinity Reference 7520a.

 

Ahh... music to my ears - thanks for the GREAT response. I just love this forum.


I already figured out there was level and ambient/speed related eq'ing and level adjustment going on. I find myself constantly adjusting the LF Eq when my volume is over about 28-30 to eek out more volume without distortion. It is interesting the way the volume is limited by low freq energy at higher listening levels.

Questions:
Where are you putting your second amp?
Is there room in the stock amp location for a different, higher power amp?
The Kappa VQ sounds interesting - does it work in stock sub locations?
Any other suggestion for higher efficiency door drivers?

We're definitely on a similar path - feel free to PM me, I'd enjoy staying in touch to see how it all works out.

 

this is why we won't ever get aftermarket parts, forum full of haters...

 

The second amplifier is going to be on the trunk floor flushed with the current enclosures, so I will loose about 2" max.

The factory amp is not all that large and it is unlikely you will find an aftermarket unit that will *** behind the plate, HOWEVER, the foam that separates that plate from the carpet, might be an opportunity to build a small - fan cooled enclosure for a small sized amp - caution though this area of the car is noisy and could introduce some issues.

VQ is much larger than stock subs so I would venture to say no, unless you build an enclosure back there. I have yet to take the back wall completely apart, but I would believe by the time you laid down some fiberglass the woofer might restrict the seatback from going all the way back.

Not much in the 2 ohm department on the aftermarket, Eclipse has some at one time, JBL will have some in their new GTO lineup this spring.

 

Maybe if they made some stuff with taste and class. Xfire owners usually don't have 500 pounds of spoilers and NOPI stickers all over our crap.

 

I do think that the paint from the large spoiler forward is pretty cool since is make the spoiler blend into the car. And the wheels are nice.

 

I used kicker and never even knew about this car!!! Click the link in my signature and check out where I put my 8" kicker sub.

 

I think some are forgetting that this is a one-off demo car and practicality probably was not part of the design equation of the car...while not exactly my cup of tea either...it's nice to see some fresh ideas...