New Noise-maker

[D'Ecosse]

This is how my 4th July went .......

[D'Ecosse]

CDT-Audio ES-620

Man, that crossover was a %#@&* to fit in there - originally had made full length baffle which attaches to the rear half of the original Bose clam shell, but the c/o was just too fat so had to slice the end off!

[D'Ecosse]

Here's where the tweeters go - these also were not easy to find a mounting spot .....

[D'Ecosse]

The Sony Head unit - MEX-5DI

[D'Ecosse]

The fun part of the job was making the baffles to mount the speakers - I started by making a pattern in 3/8 mdf by using a pattern bit in my router table & using the bottom half of the Bose clam shell as the original template. Then I cut the mounting hole for the speaker using a dremel with router attachment (full size router too big to make a 5 3/4" hole).
That completed my mdf pattern.
Now I could use my table router again with the pattern bit on the 3/4 mdf with the 3/8 pattern stuck to it with double-sided carpet tape - follow the edge around the outside, then the inside speaker cut-out. Finish up with a round-over bit to ease the edges & inside radius of the speaker cut-out.
As I found out after I made the full length baffle plate, the c/o was just too big to surface mount - so just chopped it off! A less monstrous c/o would have fit surface mount nicley.
The plate mounts to the original back plate of the Bose clam-shell.

Worst part of t he whole job? Pulling the speaker wires through the door harnesses!!!!!!!

[BostonNSX]

I luv it ken it looks great.. and I hope it sound great toO!

[Sketchy]

Very nice MP3 Player :)

32000 Color Combinations, Spectrum Analyzer, EQ7 7-band Equalizer with Presets, Dynamic Soundstage Organizer, SSIR-EXA Adaptive Reception Tuner and more, more thinks :)

It looks great in Acera NSX :)

Maybe I too bought it :cool:

ByyByy

[Jonathan]

Is that a golf game you got going there on the display? :D

Don't know if you ended up making it to the meet today, but if I had known you had new goodies, I may have made the extra effort to get there myself :cool:

[D'Ecosse]

Hi J
I left you a vm on your cell this am, thought i might see you there - another hot one, nice hospitality from Ted.
No golf game - although you can really load anything you choose via the memory stick. Has some nice stuff pre-loaded already. Maybe a bit gimmicky but it looks neat.
The new speakers are killer!
Hey - on a related note - whats a good mp3 converter s/ware?

[Jonathan]

Hey Ken, are you looking for software to convert your CD collection to MP3?

If you want something quick and simple, Music Match is a safe bet, there are literally thousands of applications, ranging from very simple and plain, to wildly complicated and customizable.

However, the two I would recommend to start with are:

1) Music Match: http://www.musicmatch.com
2) CD-EX: http://www.cdex.n3.net/

If you are using MP3, I would recommend using no less than 160kbps, leaning toward 192kbps as a good minimum for encoding your music collection.

As for downloading MP3 files online, my two favorite places are:

1) Win-MX http://www.winmx.com/
2) Kazaa http://www.kazaa.com

But of course, it is illegal to use the above sites to download music you don't own, and I don't condone or promote the use of these sites and/or applications

:D

[D'Ecosse]

Here's the pattern for the new baffle plate -

[D'Ecosse]

& how it looks mounted to the rear half of the clam shell -
(of course the pattern is skinnier than the finished item)

& this makes post # 1111 !!!!!!!!!! http://smilies.sofrayt.com/%5E/w/super.gif

[D'Ecosse]

Originally posted by Jonathan

But of course, it is illegal to use the above sites to download music you don't own, and I don't condone or promote the use of these sites and/or applications

:D

hahaha - soemhow the UBB code didn't work! Nice one, very funny!http://smilies.sofrayt.com/%5E/w/thumbs.gif

I guess I don't know as much about mp3 as I thought I did - what is the difference in the bps rate? Does it compress it less or something? I might just have to Google that one ...... (although I bet the sites you referred will tell me about it)

[Jonathan]

bps is all about quality vs file size

For home / car stereo I would recommend the following as a good balance:

MP3

192 kbps

WMA (Windows Media)

160 kbps (as many hardware devices don't support WMA, of course all of mine do, this is often not an option, but XP offers it as a nice built in option with Windows Media Player)

For portable devices, MP3 @ 128kbps or WMA @ 64kbps is generally good enough, unless you are very particular about quality, if so, you better have good earphones to start with.

This can often be a holy war with many people when it comes to bit rates, codecs, blah blah blah, but the basics come down to (just like everything) the one that's best, is the one that's best for you.

Try some out and see what you like, you may find that MP3 at 128 (or possibly even lower, although not recommended) is worth the extra music you can fit in a particular amount of space (say for example, a 700MB blank CD ;) )

Good luck -

JS

[D'Ecosse]

Here's the amp - this is temporary install, going to re-do it. Maybe the tool-kit will have to go to install it in that nice space!

[Smoothaccel]

Hi D'Ecosse, Nice Amp and work! HiFonics makes great amps.
After all this work how much weight difference is this compared to the factory bose?

[ChrisK]

Nice job. I did the exact same thing for the door mounted speakers. I used 3/4" wood and mounted it to the base just like you did. I thought I was the only one :D Anyway, I think I might redo mine using 1/2" because I found it to be a very tight fit when putting my door panel back on. Did you run into any fitment problems?

Also, I'm just mouting up my Honda nav pod with Alpine monitor and Alpine 7996 DVD player. It took my a while to hand cut the SOS center console section. I have a question though. Where did you run your power wires for your amp? I'll be wiring up my amp next, but I'm not sure how I'm going to route the power wires through the trunk, or into the cabin if I mount it inside. Also, where are you running you interconnect wires? I've been looking at my Helm for the OEM wire harness routing, but I haven't actually looked for them on the car itself yet. Like you I'm thinking of using the tool kit space for my amp. I'm not sure where I'm going to put the jack and compressor though. Anyway, looking good.

Chris

[D'Ecosse]

Originally posted by ChrisK
.... Anyway, I think I might redo mine using 1/2" because I found it to be a very tight fit when putting my door panel back on. Did you run into any fitment problems?
Thanks for comps, Chris!
There is plenty of room for the speaker - the problem I had was with the crossover, which is particularly large on the CDT set-up. I couldn't have surface mounted that even using 1/2"., hence the chop-job!
[ Where did you run your power wires for your amp? I'll be wiring up my amp next, but I'm not sure how I'm going to route the power wires through the trunk, or into the cabin if I mount it inside. Also, where are you running you interconnect wires? I've been looking at my Helm for the OEM wire harness routing, but I haven't actually looked for them on the car itself yet.
For the power cable, that is one part I did not do myself - there was a previous set-up in the trunk. The power cable comes directly off the battery & I believe it comes under the car - I need to check that out for you later tonight.
I did run a new rca interconnect however - I got a good quality Monster 4 way cable (much easier than pulling multiple singles or pairs) and it runs down the center console, then up the rear firewall over to the right (passenger side - left as you're looking at it from inside car) at the top - there is a convenient grommet there, above the ECU right in the top corner. From there, into the engine bay, then it tucks behind the fan unit & if you follow it round, you can pick up another grommet feedthrough into the trunk (it ends up being almost directly opposite the one in the firewall from a reference standpoint).
I will take pics later to clarify.
For the speaker wires, they follow a similar route but on the drivers side, before coming back down the center console. The previous installer had just used the new speakers wires back to the stock head wiring, then used the original signal wires to carry the speaker current out to the doors! So I pulled new speaker cable out under each side of the dash, then down through the harnesses into the doors - that is one really tight squeeze but it is worth it in the end if you're pumping any serious power there.
You just have to do that in stages - it's easy to get it to the door bulkhead, so just pop the grommet out & pull the cable through the hole without worrying about the sleeved harness yet; then also pop the grommet off from inside the door - this makes the sleeved harness must easier to work with. I used a fish tape wire to go up through the sleeve from the bottom end, then pulled back down a single wire. I then soldered the speaker wire to the single wire so I could minimize the bulk & pulled it on down through. It sounds easy enough but it is a royal PITA!

[blknsxnoc]

Please answer a stupid question for me.

I noticed in the photos that D'Ecosse 93' NSX has "green" lighting for the clock and climate controls.

Is this factory or customized?

All of the lighting in my NSX is red (orange).

Which one is normal and if this is custom, how was it done?

[D'Ecosse]

Originally posted by blknsxnoc
Please answer a stupid question for me.
There are no stupid questions (nor stupid people) on NSXPrime
I have learned so much from this board it is incredible. - & learn something new almost every day from it.

I noticed in the photos that D'Ecosse 93' NSX has "green" lighting for the clock and climate controls.
It is more blue than green I would say ....

Is this factory or customized?
Customized

All of the lighting in my NSX is red (orange).....
Which one is normal
Yours is normal

how was it done?
There are a few articles on this if you search - basically there are just simple colour filters in front of the LCD displays but behind the plastic screen of the faceplate, for both the clock & the A/C control module. It is quite intuitive if you take them apart to see what to do.
The A/C one just peels off - The clock one is not so simple to remove (but not impractical) as you have to dremel off some small plastic rivets to remove it - The big part of the job is just removing the console to get to the A/C controller!
There are some more pics here (http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18717&highlight=clock+filter)

[D'Ecosse]

Update 8-24-03:
I re-did the console - mounted the head behind the console rather than surface (top) mount - got a real clean smooth finish on the Science Of Speed replacement console (http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/interior_performance_products/NSX/center_console/) - think this looks cleaner with the main body of head behind the fascia. It is also much easier to remove the console now, leaving the head unit installed (similar to OEM)
I also removed the perimeter frame from the vents & painted them to match the main console.

[D'Ecosse]

Here's a close-up of the slot cut-out - again made a template then cut it with the pattern bit on the router table.

[POWERED by HONDA]

Great Job. I like the new look better. It looks much cleaner and doesn't scream "aftermarket" as much!

[gheba_nsx]

I agree.

Ken, now it looks perfect! :)

[BoneZ]

And to think my console started it all :) and is still the one used as the primary mold for all the ones sold! (Hey should I get some royalties? Naw im just playin)

Stereo looks real good, and I dig the color removal of the AC/Clock. I was going to do this myself but feared it would look too white and clash against the guage panel/speedometer (which im never takin apart again because its a pain in the ass).

-BZ

[D'Ecosse]

Thanks for comps Guys
I hear you on the speedo BoneZ - I would have liked to do that but probably won't for very reasons stated. The lens filters on the clock & A/C are no big deal though, pretty easy job.
Incidentally I also stole the idea for the speaker baffles from your car, but modified it slightly by using the stock rear clam shells - then of course I had to cut them down because of the humungous crossovers! Credit where it's due, not quite original idea on my part.
System does sound good too - those CDT's are real nice - like to check it against yours for side-side comparison. Still a long way to go to match up with your trunk set-up & eventually would like to go with the sub in the floor too.

[D'Ecosse]

The saga continues .........
I did 2 stereo projects this weekend - put after-market speakers to replace the Bose set-up in the 300ZX (yes, same crappy amplifiers - 4 of 5 were blown!); did the same trick with having to replace the front Bose shells with home-made baffle plates, although the rears were actually 6 1/2" which dropped right into the stock Bose box. I used Dynamat for the first time, having read good reviews on it & since it was right there at the check-out at Good Guys, picked some up. I was pretty impressed with the results, so decided to do the NSX too, especially since there was some vibration in the doors present when the Watts were cranked up. I did more on the NSX than the ZX because of the higher power (200W vs 40W!) - installed some inside the door on the outside skin, as well as around the speaker enclosure on the inner skin & covered the baffle. I am very impressedwith this product - it made a huge difference & I can crank up the volume even louder now.
Here's how the project looks -

[D'Ecosse]

& with the speaker assembly re-installed:

[princxixor]

wow, i'm absolutely blown away by the craftsmanship of this install. especially since you moved the head unit under the console. when i saw the original pics (http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18717&highlight=clock+filter#post155803), i did not like the look as the lines were just not right. it was too bulky looking. now, well now, i just love it. very very nice. great job on the speakers too, the custom baffles are superb! :)

p.s. hope to see (and hear) you at the lunch on sat.

cheers!
~eric

[nsxxtreme]

That looks much nicer!!

[NSXBenny]

Does anyone know how to make the dashboard light brighter?

I mean all the lights for the meters and the buttons

[STLNSX]

center console looks great! where did you get it painted? does the paint match the stock color perfectly, or is it just close enough?

i plan to install a mcintosh mx406 head unit in my dash, and would like to filter the color to look like the oem red/orange. It is blue green from the factory.. can anyone recommend a place to do this?

thanks for any info
Randy

[D'Ecosse]

Originally posted by STLNSX
center console looks great! where did you get it painted? does the paint match the stock color perfectly, or is it just close enough?
Thnaks much - Did it myself - this was metallic black (but really more like charcoal) aerosol spray paint from Home Depot - I think it was Rustoleum if I remember correctly? (or Krylon - those are the 2 predominant brands at HD)
It's not perfect match - I also did the surround of the vent assembly though; your eye doesn't really catch the slight difference between the console & the door panels
Sorry - can't suggest a place to take your mac head - you'll probably blow the warranty if you do, but honestly modern electronics are so reliable, probably not an issue. Open it up & see for yourself how feasible it might be!

[Ties]

Would you mind telling me how much you have into this install. It looks great and is one of the nicer jobs I have seen.

Thanks

[D'Ecosse]

Update 12-29-03 - New Amp (Arc Audio 4150XXK)
Next will be to add a protective (& cosmetic) acrylic panel across the face - maybe even add a few foo-foo neon lights at the top & bottom of the amp! :D

[GQ NSX]

Arc Audio makes a very clean efficient amp. Awesome install!

ravi

[D'Ecosse]

This Baby (http://www.phase-linear.com/html/aliante_si.html) in a DIY custom NSX passenger footwell box will complete the project .......... for now!

Incidentally I saw from another thread you favour the Elemental Designs subs - excellent choice & one of my considerations, but pretty big piece of hardware - they are great prices though.

[D'Ecosse]

Latest addition to the "family" - Alpine DVA-7996 plus Alpine TME-M760 in Nav Pod replacing the Sony. I was sorry to see the Sony go, it was agreat set-up but I'm really pleased with the Alpine, both in performance & the additional features (of course DVD!)
I can add a navigation system to this at any time - very pricey though. I have a rear-view camera to install next!

[racerX]

Amazing - looks great. very nice.
I hope you enjoy it. Let me ask you about the Alpine media expander that alpine claims

enhances the musical sparkle of CDs, MP3s, FM stereo, optional XM Satellite Radio — any source that has been compressed or transmitted. Three discrete settings per source plus "off" give you lots of sonic choices

So does it work? I trust your judgement. Also does it sound better than your Sony when playing a CD?

btw- looks like I get to rate you on the speaker door templete deal. Bet your quakin in your boots:)

[92NSX]

I have my door speakers in the same place. MB Quarts;)
However I wanted to conserve as much trunk space as possible so had amp(Xtant) mounted in tool space.
I like the fact of you color matching the illumination though. That is a nice touch that so many others overlook.

[ChrisK]

Originally posted by D'Ecosse
Latest addition to the "family" - Alpine DVA-7996 plus Alpine TME-M760 in Nav Pod replacing the Sony. I was sorry to see the Sony go, it was agreat set-up but I'm really pleased with the Alpine, both in performance & the additional features (of course DVD!)
I can add a navigation system to this at any time - very pricey though. I have a rear-view camera to install next!

Awsome. I think you will really like the 7996:D I also like what you did with the console around the 7996. After my brother took a look at my set up he suggested I do something similar to make it more OEM like. He said he could tell it was done by me and doing some kind of bevel like you have or similar to how the OEM console is would make it look more like factor. I'll probably do that later when I get the rest of the system hooked up.

[ChrisK]

Originally posted by racerX
Amazing - looks great. very nice.
I hope you enjoy it. Let me ask you about the Alpine media expander that alpine claims

enhances the musical sparkle of CDs, MP3s, FM stereo, optional XM Satellite Radio — any source that has been compressed or transmitted. Three discrete settings per source plus "off" give you lots of sonic choices

So does it work? I trust your judgement. Also does it sound better than your Sony when playing a CD?



I have the same 7996 and also have used other Alpines with the Media Expander (MX) and I personally leave it OFF on everything but the radio. With my Alpine PXA-H700 the MX mode has 3 settings and can be individually set to the different sources (For example radio on MX2, CD MX off, DVD MX off, MP3 MX1 and so forth). I use MX1 for the radio and leave everything lese in the OFF. To me, the more you use MX the more artiicial the sound becomes. It starts to sound processed.

[D'Ecosse]

Originally posted by racerX
... Let me ask you about the Alpine media expander that alpine claims enhances the musical sparkle of CDs, MP3s, FM stereo, optional XM Satellite Radio — any source that has been compressed or transmitted. Three discrete settings per source plus "off" give you lots of sonic choices

So does it work? I trust your judgement. Also does it sound better than your Sony when playing a CD?
I actually like it - I think the name-game actually fits in this case - it really does "expand" the effect. The Sony has a very similar feature which they call DSO - Digital Sound Organizer, which is a processor similar to what you have on your home set-up for hall, teahtre, concert etc. Then Sony also has the graphic equalizer with one pre-set called Xplod - these features collectively are very similar to the effect of MX.
I've been running mine on 3 quite honestly - I like the fullnesss of the effect. I haven't tried with MP3 yet & that is supposed to make the biggest difference - I know that previously I could tell that the MP3's, althoug hconvenient, definitely lose something, although you can compensate somewhat with your EQ & DSO settings.
I do think the imaging is better with the Alpine - the staging is really up front & middle, even with the balance neutral. I always had to offset the balance on the Sony to keep the left side from being too dominant. One of main reasons I bought it was for the time alignment feature - I will ultimately probably run each tweet & mid off a seperate channel to get the ideal sonic path length from each component. I've yet to try that, although just delaying both of the left components as set currently (one channel from amp split by passive C/O) is probably what is giving me better imaging already.

btw- looks like I get to rate you on the speaker door templete deal. Bet your quakin in your boots:)
LOL! - I need to put the gold-leaf foil on yours now, I guess!

[Jonathan]

Wicked setup, Ken. When are you going to swing by my office on your way home so I can see it? :D

[D'Ecosse]

get your butt out of bed & swing by the meet today!

[ZEROBREACH.COM]

Very nice setup. Have you considered center console placed sub? I really like the floor board as tight as it is.. I recall seeing one built but the sub was faced in and firing into the console with the magnet exposed and pertruding into the car. Kind of much for me.. Have you all seen any other attempts and console based sub enclosures?