I've found that when faced with the task of sanding bondo, my motivation takes a real hit. Which is precisely what happened over the last month or so with the 4 channel amp trim panel. In any event, the shape is complete and it's exactly what I envisioned. In the picture you can see it about 90% done.
The simple trim panel for the floor amps is now complete and ready to go to paint with the other amp and sub trim panels. I'm in the process of modifying the stock floor panel for viewing access to the floor amps. Normally it would be a simple job of cutting a hole, trimming it with a wood cutout underneath, and re-carpeting the piece. What I didn't count on was how difficult it would be to remove the factory carpet from the floor panel...
Being essentially done with the rear of the car means it's time to go back to the dreaded job of fitting the front speakers in the kickpanels. Fitting the mounting plates should be easy enough, but finding the space for them and the midrange/tweeter combo won't. I'll be detailing this in my next installment.
The plan for the Wagon was always to keep the factory CD player and display in place in the dash, add a factory Sirius module, and somehow find a way to add an iPod without losing the sound quality of the original recording. It was a convoluted setup, but I came to accept it as a given that the CD player couldn't be removed from this vintage of 5 series without losing all the functions of the trip computer. While playing around a while ago I found that if you disconnect the CD player, the display actually ignores the fact that something is missing and it goes on with life. This made me wonder if I should just install the head/CD changer combo that I took out of my Jetta, but because it is so old, there's no good/easy way to add Sirius or an iPod. So I stuck to the plan.
Then, for some reason, I felt compelled to browse the Alpine website last week. I say it like it's a negative thing, but it's not - I just never planned on wanting something so bad. Right in front of me, there's this new head unit that is designed for iPod input. Sure, the idea is nothing new, but this one has a USB input that takes the digital output of the iPod and feeds it to a 24-bit Burr Brown D/A converter. Folks, this is huge. No more expensive modding of the previous generation iPod, no more separate pre-amp, no more need for a trick iPod mount. The album art is displayed right on the head unit itself, so the iPod can live in the glovebox. It's Sirius ready, so all that's needed is a module that runs 100 bucks (half the price of the BMW one) and it's good to go. There's even an add-on tuning module that sets the EQ and time alignment parameters for you. Why nobody thought of this before is beyond me, but this thing knocks my socks off. So what if the illumination colors are either blue or red - they can be changed to orange with little effort. I'm currently accepting donations.
It's Nissan's latest version of their not-for-America Skyline GT-R, but it is finally coming to our shores. 480-hp, 430 lb. ft. of torque, all wheel drive, dual-clutch transmission. 0-60 in 3.5 seconds!
It comes with a Bose audio system, which is nice because some decent speaker locations are already present, with minimal work needed to fit everything.
Great. I finally got sucked into the "blogosphere", a word I despise.
You have heard me mention that I'm working on a big stereo project, and most likely can't comprehend why it is taking months, and not hours, to complete. When I mention that I got my amps, I get similarly confused looks that say, "Amps? You need more than one?" followed by, "So we'll be able to hear you from down the block." Let me explain:
For me, building an audio system is about quality only. It starts with good equipment, like Dynaudio speakers and Genesis amps. I like my system to be integrated with the look and feel of the car, so taking up cargo space, removing the spare tire, etc., are not viable options.
So why do I need 850 watts? It's all about headroom. Doubling amplifier power will yield an increase in volume of only 3dB. Just because the Wagon makes 321-hp doesn't mean I use that power all the time, but in a passing situation or climbing a hill at a high altitude, the car is able to do what I want it to. Same with the stereo - musical transients require large amounts of power to be accurately reproduced. Also, high-end speakers can be less efficient, meaning they require more power to produce the same volume as other speakers. Subwoofers require more power because there's more speaker mass to move, just like heavy cars need more horsepower.
Hearing someone down the block requires multiple subwoofers and large amounts of cone area. I'll be using a single 8" woofer to handle the bottom end. Not exactly enough to crack pavement.
I'll be detailing the install process here in future "installments". Past progress and a photo journal of sorts can be seen on my website.
