Kick Pods Wanted
- Thread starter orion1210
- Start date
see my reply to your p.m
id advise that you use the doors of the a3 as i doubt you will be able to get enough internal volume for the enclosure for the speaker to work properly
i do have other suggestions such as venting the backwave of the speaker
into the inner sill but this is difficult to do and quite time consuming
are these going to be run full range or simply for midbass ?
its possible to get good results from the doors if your willing to put a little effort into the actual installation
id advise that you use the doors of the a3 as i doubt you will be able to get enough internal volume for the enclosure for the speaker to work properly
i do have other suggestions such as venting the backwave of the speaker
into the inner sill but this is difficult to do and quite time consuming
are these going to be run full range or simply for midbass ?
its possible to get good results from the doors if your willing to put a little effort into the actual installation
Dualmono
how do you use the door of the A3? The speakers are usually atached to the door card. are you suggesting actually attaching the driver to the metal frame of the door?
i'm interested as I have had an A3 before that caused me mega problesm in this area and I have to do my girlfriends soon. was thinking of making some kick pods butthere doesn't seem to be enough space on the drivers side.
cheers
how do you use the door of the A3? The speakers are usually atached to the door card. are you suggesting actually attaching the driver to the metal frame of the door?
i'm interested as I have had an A3 before that caused me mega problesm in this area and I have to do my girlfriends soon. was thinking of making some kick pods butthere doesn't seem to be enough space on the drivers side.
cheers
AndyMac
Retired from service
There's absolutely no space in the A3 8L for building anything, you're limited on depth (55mm) and all round where the speaker fits. It's a non starter without redesigning/rebuilding the whole door card. If you want decent bass upgrade the sub. This is exactly the issue I had with my A3TS, and resulted in my stealth sub route. Because of it's size it provides all the mid bass you need without touching the door speakers. Obviously upgrade the fronts to something of better quality but don't expect any mid bass from them.
the older a3 is a difficult car to install there is no question about this but it is not impossible
my experiance in car audio would suggest a slightly differant approach to andys
the majority of the sound comes from the components themselevs not the subwoofer (this is no less important but plays a far smaller frequency range compared with the components)
i woud suggest removing the door cards from the a3 degreasing the interior of the door and treating the doors to a layer of dynamatt extreme
carefully using a roller and a heat gun to apply the material properly
i would then use a product called dynaliner on top of the dynamatt
around the area where the speaker is going to be installed but not directly behind it i would use diffuser pads to break up the sound and frequencies
the materials to do this will be somewhere in the region of £100
which sounds like a lot of money but considering you could spend
£3000 on a set of components and install them in the audi for them to sound exactly like the bose set up
once done you should be able install whichever speaker you like in the door at whatever budget suits yourself
as the groundwork and the hard bit have been done
my own personal reccomendation would be a make called rainbow but
there are a host of companies producing slim fit speakers nowadays
which are ideal in this circumstance
for the doorcard itself exactly how far are you willing to go ?
would you like to go the full hog and re-build the outside of the card or would you prefer the more conventional method of adapting the back of the doorcard without affecting the front ?
to re-build the doorcard is quite a major undertaking but its been done quite a few times by various people such as source of sheffield and megawatt
keeping a stock apearance but modifying the back of the card is no easier than the above but has the benefit of stock appearance
the way this is done is to add mass to the doorcard to give the speaker something solid to kick against you then add soft material so as it doesnt resonate and lastly improve the actual fixing of the doorcard to make a solid fixing
again products like dynamatt which is then covered in dynaliner (this can be purchased in various thicknesses )can work wonders (this is currently the preffered method for other audis such as the a6 which have no inner doorskins inside the doors simply doorcard and outer doorskin )
for the weight section you can add a machined piece of mdf to mount the speaker to the doorcard as such the speaker still mounts to the doorcard
and the mdf fits BEHIND the speaker not in front
the machined piece should be painted first to stop water ingress
another important change would be to mount the tweeters in the a pillar as opposed to the door (it will cost you the price of a pair of scrap a pillars but the rewards far outweigh the cost )
mounting the tweets up higher and also further forward help with with providing a more realistic sound stage
(anyone who knows a little about music and hifi will know tweeters are meant to be at ear height not elbow height)
my experiance in car audio would suggest a slightly differant approach to andys
the majority of the sound comes from the components themselevs not the subwoofer (this is no less important but plays a far smaller frequency range compared with the components)
i woud suggest removing the door cards from the a3 degreasing the interior of the door and treating the doors to a layer of dynamatt extreme
carefully using a roller and a heat gun to apply the material properly
i would then use a product called dynaliner on top of the dynamatt
around the area where the speaker is going to be installed but not directly behind it i would use diffuser pads to break up the sound and frequencies
the materials to do this will be somewhere in the region of £100
which sounds like a lot of money but considering you could spend
£3000 on a set of components and install them in the audi for them to sound exactly like the bose set up
once done you should be able install whichever speaker you like in the door at whatever budget suits yourself
as the groundwork and the hard bit have been done
my own personal reccomendation would be a make called rainbow but
there are a host of companies producing slim fit speakers nowadays
which are ideal in this circumstance
for the doorcard itself exactly how far are you willing to go ?
would you like to go the full hog and re-build the outside of the card or would you prefer the more conventional method of adapting the back of the doorcard without affecting the front ?
to re-build the doorcard is quite a major undertaking but its been done quite a few times by various people such as source of sheffield and megawatt
keeping a stock apearance but modifying the back of the card is no easier than the above but has the benefit of stock appearance
the way this is done is to add mass to the doorcard to give the speaker something solid to kick against you then add soft material so as it doesnt resonate and lastly improve the actual fixing of the doorcard to make a solid fixing
again products like dynamatt which is then covered in dynaliner (this can be purchased in various thicknesses )can work wonders (this is currently the preffered method for other audis such as the a6 which have no inner doorskins inside the doors simply doorcard and outer doorskin )
for the weight section you can add a machined piece of mdf to mount the speaker to the doorcard as such the speaker still mounts to the doorcard
and the mdf fits BEHIND the speaker not in front
the machined piece should be painted first to stop water ingress
another important change would be to mount the tweeters in the a pillar as opposed to the door (it will cost you the price of a pair of scrap a pillars but the rewards far outweigh the cost )
mounting the tweets up higher and also further forward help with with providing a more realistic sound stage
(anyone who knows a little about music and hifi will know tweeters are meant to be at ear height not elbow height)
AndyMac
Retired from service
Also remember to get your bodyshop to flare the outer doorskins to accomodate the above, rebuilding the window regulators at the same time so your windows still go all the way down.
would you like me to give you a list of suitable components
with less than 55mm mounting depth ???
as usual because you have been unable to do something
you are skeptical other people are unable also
hence the sarcasm in your reply
with less than 55mm mounting depth ???
as usual because you have been unable to do something
you are skeptical other people are unable also
hence the sarcasm in your reply
AndyMac
Retired from service
At least I've actually done a few A3's. I know from your comments on other similarly optimistic threads that you've never even had the door card off of an 8L A3.
The speaker depth is not the issue, but suggesting building baffles and other reinforcement is well meant but impossible on an standard A3 door card, there just isn't any room, it's as simple as that.
How do you suggest the doorcard be fixed to the door? as at the moment it's just loosely hooked to the door with the only strong fix behind the grab handle.
The machined MDF fit's behind the speaker? Where exactly? Somewhere in the 2mm of available depth you have left once you've fitted the components and the required MDF spacer rings? I don't think so.
As always you are giving advice based on theory and what should be doable. My advice is based on experience and practicality. Obviously most things are possible if you want to throw huge amounts of money at it, but why bother when for £300 you can achieve a much better result for 4 hours work?
The speaker depth is not the issue, but suggesting building baffles and other reinforcement is well meant but impossible on an standard A3 door card, there just isn't any room, it's as simple as that.
How do you suggest the doorcard be fixed to the door? as at the moment it's just loosely hooked to the door with the only strong fix behind the grab handle.
The machined MDF fit's behind the speaker? Where exactly? Somewhere in the 2mm of available depth you have left once you've fitted the components and the required MDF spacer rings? I don't think so.
As always you are giving advice based on theory and what should be doable. My advice is based on experience and practicality. Obviously most things are possible if you want to throw huge amounts of money at it, but why bother when for £300 you can achieve a much better result for 4 hours work?
andy i full well admit i have limited experiance with this particular a3 model i admit i have a lot more experiance with the newer shape but to say i have none with this particular model is not true
perhaps you should read again what i said about the baffle being behind the speaker I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT A BAFFLE BEING IN FRONT OF THE SPEAKER also
remember the conversation was talking about modifying the back of the door card BUT NOT CHANGING THE FRONT
to strengthen the door mountings you can buy from specialist car installation places something called "load bearing strips"
they are used a lot in classic and kit cars to try to give a more substantial
mounting to doorcards and various other fitments like dashboards and headlinings which otherwise may have not been possible
as for £300 and four hours versus
the end results are directly related to the quality of the installation there is no debate about this its down to basically how far do you want to go to get the best results
thats not upto me or upto you thats down to whomever bothers to read the thread !!!
perhaps you should read again what i said about the baffle being behind the speaker I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT A BAFFLE BEING IN FRONT OF THE SPEAKER also
remember the conversation was talking about modifying the back of the door card BUT NOT CHANGING THE FRONT
to strengthen the door mountings you can buy from specialist car installation places something called "load bearing strips"
they are used a lot in classic and kit cars to try to give a more substantial
mounting to doorcards and various other fitments like dashboards and headlinings which otherwise may have not been possible
as for £300 and four hours versus
the end results are directly related to the quality of the installation there is no debate about this its down to basically how far do you want to go to get the best results
thats not upto me or upto you thats down to whomever bothers to read the thread !!!
AndyMac
Retired from service
That's exactly what I'm saying. You would have to do so much more work trying to get a decent result from such a project, with no guarantee it'll work, when there's an easier & much better route staring you in the face. Been there, done that, many times.
andy the original thread title suggests going above and beyond normal installation which without wishing to offend is im afraid where your knowledge stops and where my knowledge begins
please dont assume that your suggestion would sound anything remotely like an identical car done with mine as i will guarentee it wont
there are numerous shows up and down the country where i would be willing to show you the differance between them if you ever wish to show your car
please dont assume that your suggestion would sound anything remotely like an identical car done with mine as i will guarentee it wont
there are numerous shows up and down the country where i would be willing to show you the differance between them if you ever wish to show your car
AndyMac
Retired from service
He just wanted to install some kick pods if I remember correctly?
I wouldn't call that above & beyond a normal install.
"please dont assume that your suggestion would sound anything remotely like an identical car done with mine as i will guarentee it wont"
I guarantee it won't either, mine will sound better and for far less money and far less time. Without wishing to offend, you haven't heard one of my installs either so keep your naive assumptions to yourself.
Please tell me when you will be showing your 8L A3 with the tardiss doors and I'll be more than happy to give it a listen. Oh that's right you haven't ever done one have you, so what will I be listening to exactly? I different system in a different car, ummm that's a worthwhile waste of time then isn't it? Or are you talking about your mate who's windows don't go down anymore? Nice.....
I wouldn't call that above & beyond a normal install.
"please dont assume that your suggestion would sound anything remotely like an identical car done with mine as i will guarentee it wont"
I guarantee it won't either, mine will sound better and for far less money and far less time. Without wishing to offend, you haven't heard one of my installs either so keep your naive assumptions to yourself.
Please tell me when you will be showing your 8L A3 with the tardiss doors and I'll be more than happy to give it a listen. Oh that's right you haven't ever done one have you, so what will I be listening to exactly? I different system in a different car, ummm that's a worthwhile waste of time then isn't it? Or are you talking about your mate who's windows don't go down anymore? Nice.....
You 2 always give me something to look forward to reading.
A good debate is never a bad thing as there are more ways thanone to solve a problem, and the audi A3 (old one any way) is a problem unless you are car audio nut/ expert installer.
Keep it up guys!!!
A good debate is never a bad thing as there are more ways thanone to solve a problem, and the audi A3 (old one any way) is a problem unless you are car audio nut/ expert installer.
Keep it up guys!!!
andy i will say again as you obviously have trouble reading i have done both the older and the newer a3 there are not many vag cars i have not worked on and this includes bentley
just because i dont own one doesnt mean i havent done one
yes a friend of mine does have an a3 where the windows will not go completely down but i cannot claim to have built this he did it himself
as a no compromise venture with modified front and back door cards
it also won various awards for sound quality
ive been doing car audio for over twenty years and in that time i have
won the uk finals for car audio competition been awarded 2nd place in the european car audio final in the very highest category there is in car audio competition and also been a judge at the world finals of car audio competition on more than one occasion
my credentials are plain and simple for all to see
from the very beggining of me coming on this forum it wasnt my intention to upset anyone but it now seams clearly obvious that i have and at every oppurtunity you will attack and flame anyone who may appear to have more knowledge and perhaps a better understanding of car audio than yourself
whether or not your decision to do this is based upon you yourself having a monetary interest with things like your your own a3 sub box package
is a matter of speculation for other forum members and nothing to do with myself
i appluade your spirit and dedication to trying to give forum members tips and short cuts in dealing with in car audio related matters
however a quick search through some of your previous posts where i have responded reveals you still possibly have a little to learn and perhaps some research before making bold statements would be a wiser approach
no doubt you will respond to this post in your typical acidic tone
i have stated on more then one occasion that i do not wish to have a ******* match on the forum with yourself
so this will be my last response to this thread
you can lead a horse to water but you cannot force it to drink
just because i dont own one doesnt mean i havent done one
yes a friend of mine does have an a3 where the windows will not go completely down but i cannot claim to have built this he did it himself
as a no compromise venture with modified front and back door cards
it also won various awards for sound quality
ive been doing car audio for over twenty years and in that time i have
won the uk finals for car audio competition been awarded 2nd place in the european car audio final in the very highest category there is in car audio competition and also been a judge at the world finals of car audio competition on more than one occasion
my credentials are plain and simple for all to see
from the very beggining of me coming on this forum it wasnt my intention to upset anyone but it now seams clearly obvious that i have and at every oppurtunity you will attack and flame anyone who may appear to have more knowledge and perhaps a better understanding of car audio than yourself
whether or not your decision to do this is based upon you yourself having a monetary interest with things like your your own a3 sub box package
is a matter of speculation for other forum members and nothing to do with myself
i appluade your spirit and dedication to trying to give forum members tips and short cuts in dealing with in car audio related matters
however a quick search through some of your previous posts where i have responded reveals you still possibly have a little to learn and perhaps some research before making bold statements would be a wiser approach
no doubt you will respond to this post in your typical acidic tone
i have stated on more then one occasion that i do not wish to have a ******* match on the forum with yourself
so this will be my last response to this thread
you can lead a horse to water but you cannot force it to drink
AndyMac
Retired from service
Fascinating, still don't see any pictures or info on how to get decent sound out of 8L A3 doors.
I'm not questioning your ability to win awards in car audio competitions, I'm sure you have a wonderful array of trophys. But as before you are applying the same OTT theory to someone who just wants to upgrade their door speakers. My advice is don't bother and upgrade the sub instead as it's a lot less effort & money and will sound better.
With all your wealth of experience on the 8L A3 can you tell me what is wrong with this advice please?
As to making bold statements with nothing to back them up, I seem to remember that was your area of expertise as you've clearly shown.
I only make bold statements when I have all the data to back them up. Show me where I haven't.
For the record I make very little money from my stealth subs, £95 for an enclosure that takes 6 hours to make and uses £30 of materials? Yeah I'm really raking it in!
I don't have any trophy's however just 50+ customers on here who absolutely love it.
Enough said....
I'm not questioning your ability to win awards in car audio competitions, I'm sure you have a wonderful array of trophys. But as before you are applying the same OTT theory to someone who just wants to upgrade their door speakers. My advice is don't bother and upgrade the sub instead as it's a lot less effort & money and will sound better.
With all your wealth of experience on the 8L A3 can you tell me what is wrong with this advice please?
As to making bold statements with nothing to back them up, I seem to remember that was your area of expertise as you've clearly shown.
I only make bold statements when I have all the data to back them up. Show me where I haven't.
For the record I make very little money from my stealth subs, £95 for an enclosure that takes 6 hours to make and uses £30 of materials? Yeah I'm really raking it in!
I don't have any trophy's however just 50+ customers on here who absolutely love it.
Enough said....
Please don't stop guys.
this is better than eastenders!
infact I reckon people will start making up threads with problems just to see you 2 at it.
Lol!
this is better than eastenders!
infact I reckon people will start making up threads with problems just to see you 2 at it.
Lol!
