Hiding audio components in interior

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Mar 17, 2008 | 10:02 PM

ChrisGene

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Hiding audio components in interior

I am looking to put a real audio system in the Ex. A 50k dollar vehicle made in 2005 should have had a much better sounding system. I want it to be invisible(except the head unit). I was looking for a place to mount one of the small Alpine digital amps, and I may have found one good option. Has anyone had the rearmost interior panel on the drivers side out? I popped out the little armrest box to look inside and it is cavernous. Does it come out easily or is it a clip breaking nightmare?

Mounting the amp under the 3rd row is an option also, but if I need to take the seat out I have an amp with exposed wires laying in the middle of the floor. Front console is not an option, because I plan to put a JL stealhbox in there.

On a related note, does it seem that almost everything in the Ex interior was an afterthought? The 3rd row seat has about 3 inches clearance on either side. There is probably another 2 or 3 inches of air behind the trim panel. It is strange to have such a huge interior, but no more seating space than my old Suburban. No storage room under the seats either.

Mar 17, 2008 | 10:12 PM

aortizexcursion

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisGene

Have you looked in the access panel where the jack is in the cargo area? What do you think about that area?

Mar 17, 2008 | 10:13 PM

ChrisGene

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There is some room in there, but thre is also a huge blower motor for the rear air. That could cause some problems with electircal noise. I also do not want to impede access to the jack or tools.

Mar 17, 2008 | 10:56 PM

william_04_x

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i don't know exactly which amps you're talking about, but i fit 2 under the second row seats..

there might even be enough room to stack a third..

i made a pathetic try at getting that panel off in the rear..too lazy to pull the seat belt mount...all i was doing was running cable anyway..it started prying off easily though..just a PITA to finish the deal and remove it..

Mar 17, 2008 | 11:15 PM

ChrisGene

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I wish I had a 2nd row bench, for the seating capacity and the hiding spot. I have captains chairs, they have very little room between their brackets.

This is the alpine amp I am looking at, it is a class D (digital) and it is very small for its output.

Mar 20, 2008 | 01:34 AM

mlshelton

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From: New York

I had the factory stereo (if you can call it that) / 6 cd unit taken out and a Pioneer AVIC installed - it fits the double DIN perfectly, has DVD, NAV, Sirius and ipod cable. Had an optional amplifier installed, small - sorta looks like yours, in the center console, standing end on end towards the front. Same issue as you, captains chairs in the 2nd row and no where else real handy to put it. He almost installed under the front passenger seat but opted for the console which still has plenty of room in it for other crap. Doing it this way left the rear dvd system in tact too, so kids can actually watch a movie while I am using Nav or have one going up front. Most recently, added the MITO rear back up camera, which is a factory fit for the 3rd brake light area and it integrates with the NAV screen up front when the vehicle is in reverse...only thing I didnt opt for was the tel blue tooth option (another $49) merely because it's a diesel and too damn loud to hear over anyway...good luck.

Apr 1, 2008 | 11:14 PM

krcole

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Can't tell how big the amp is from the pic. But the cup holder on the center console just above the rear radio controls pops out. Not a huge space but I have an inverter mounted in mine and wired an a/c outlet with a snap in receptacle from the bottom. Still has room to keep my, uh, uh, well let's just call it a personal defense device..

Might also consider a false bottom in the center console itself if you can find a way to let it breathe.