Hello all!

I'm new here, and not new to the "Search" feature. I looked around, and didn't see what I was looking for. Here goes...

I'm wondering what everyone was doing for their front stage in the Ford trucks? Has anyone done any research on proper mounting locations for correct imaging with component speaker systems? Usually I use a couple bags of rice (as temporary enclosures) to hold component speakers in a few different locations while playing music that I've heard performed live. This tells me where the speakers are going to actually sound the best, and then I build/customize from there.

Has anyone done anything custom with their front stage? Got any pictures that you would like to share? (NOT SUBWOOFERS)

Like I said, I'm new here. You never know, I might have something to share with all of you about the car audio hobby. I have a background in Audio Engineering, I have VERY good hearing, and I have trained SQ and installation judges for three of the four Car Audio competition sanctioning orgs. I've had influence over some of the rules that these sanctioning orgs publish. I am not in the Car Audio business, this is just a hobby for me.


-Bill
2003 IASCA Amateur Street World Champion
2003 SLAP Amateur Street National Champion
Linear Power - Dynaudio - Sony - Scosche
My Little Truck
My Other Projects

 

I haven't seen or read much here about staging. I do like to work with mine to get them closer, but I don't do fiberglass fab work. It's usually into the stock location or pre made parts to change the location.

My 89 was pretty good, but I have a good bit of hearing damage. I used the stock holes for 6.5 woofers (cut to make them fit) then mounted tweeters above them a couple of inches. Then tweaked the phase adjustment for the tweeters to my liking. Once I get the cash flow to play with my crew cab superduty, I'd love to see what you come up with. I have a set of q-form kick panels to try as well as making a plate for the stock location fronts. The rears I don't plan to do much with. I was told the idea of rear fill was disliked by audiophiles by an instructor, so I am going to try it without and with the stock speakers.

 

on one of the new super duties have some tweeter that go in the door section by the A-Pillar. What pickup are you specifically asking about? this will influence the options you hear about.

 

I am no expert in this, but in general moving the tweeters more than a few inches from the woofer has some phase issues. Its been a while since I did my MECP, but I think the instructors said ideally you want to mount the tweeters no more than 2" away from the woofer. Obviously not center to center, but I think the idea was primarily you don't want to hear two audio sources (the mid range at your knee and the highs near shoulder level.) While it works, I think that is a different option from what the OP was wanting.

 

I was being non-specific, because I was hoping to see what everyone was doing in all of the full sized truck types. I actually own a 2006 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat, but I didn't want to limit the responses. I've done my fair share of these types of things in the Dodge trucks, but I wanted to ask about Fords here, as I am recently converted to Ford. (Pictures of previous works are in the link below)


This is a total myth. Those MECP instructors generally do not have a background in audio, nor do they teach you anything about music.

-Bill
2003 IASCA Amateur Street World Champion
2003 SLAP Amateur Street National Champion
Linear Power - Dynaudio - Sony - Scosche
My Little Truck
My Other Projects

 

Perhaps some of the other schools are that way, but II had a lot of info on the music. Joe has done quite a bit of work and seemed like the obsessive ******* type that wouldn't just blow smoke, but that was my take on him. I didn't do the full advanced course, but in the three weeks I took, we covered quite a bit about phase, frequencies, locations and equalization.

While it might be a myth, I can hear the difference in locations of the tweeter and don't like them to be up in the sail or A-pillars.

 

I think you may have just proven my point. While these are "audio" terms, none of these terms really deal with teaching folks how "music" is heard by humans.

You misunderstand. I'm the first to admit that you can definitely hear the difference. Your original statement was that "ideally you want to mount the tweeters no more than 2" away from the woofer." There are definitely occurrences where it is NOT ideal to have the tweeter that close to the midrange/midbass.

Look at most home audio speakers. They're almost always more than 2 inches away. (I know, poor example when you talk about cars)

In many cars/trucks, it is much better to have the speakers mounted to take advantage of the acoustics of the interior, rather than sticking to someone's arbitrary measurement for "close". (This was quite a popular philosophy in the early 90's)

-Bill
2003 IASCA Amateur Street World Champion
2003 SLAP Amateur Street National Champion
Linear Power - Dynaudio - Sony - Scosche
My Little Truck
My Other Projects

 

Each tweeter should also point at the opposite seat if possible.

The closer the tweeter to the mid the easier it will be to image properly but the benefit of proper placement helps fill the cabin with sound better I think. There needs to be a happy medium.

I put mine in the sails and it's way better than stock but agree with reax it's a little bright in the ear and could be better. Pics in gallery

I wish I had mounted the tweeter in the pillar against the windshield bouncing to the opposite seat. I still might do it but would need new sails now lol.

I think alot are having good results going into the lower kick panels as well with both tweeter and mid and having a solid box. This may be your best option for sound and would keep the tweeter closer to the mid.

I am curious to know what placement others think sounds best in our trucks with a component system.

 

Then to cure my ignorance, beyond fletcher munson curves, the sound pressure waves impact the hammer and anvil which send a signal our brain interprets as audible sound, the differential in the speed the two (left and right) inputs reach the brain determine location, what else is there?

Is there some trick like light? The ears are just as passive a system as the eyes, but sound waves are easier to think about, to me any how, than how we only see the light that is produced or reflected.

 

I run components in the doors, with the tweets just above the stock location. I also have a set of tweets mounted in the lower A pillars directed at the glass, and another set mounted in the dash mounting screw covers, which are located more towards the center. My sound stage is excellent, but I do have the Alpine Imprint correcting time and distance anomalies.

 

I have 1" tweets in the pillars 6" midrange and 8" midbass in the the doors on an active processing system. The build up on the doors is in the wifes 250 thread on here.

 

Didn't see the tweeters in the pillars, but rather in the sail panels on that one.