Speakers

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sfcoupe99

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Has anyone got any creative ideas for adding speakers up front?

I am not going for originality but pleasureable use, but will not compromise any future return to originality. For example my coupe came with no stereo hole in the center console so I found a center console that was cut and filed the pristine one away.

My coupe has no front speakers other than the factory? center speaker which is currently not connected to anything and will probably remain that way.

I would like to remedy this without putting any holes in the door panels or dash. This seems to basically leave the kick panels or suspending them in air in some sort of anti-gravity device.

I thought of just sitting a pair of 1" tweeters in the corners of the dash and discretely running the wires down to the center console, but haven't determined the route for the wires or how to keep them from bouncing around.

Alternatively I suppose I could find some door panels that were already cut and similarly file the uncut ones away as well.

Thanks
Mark
 
the most logical is the kick panels, I have mine there and there is space
behind for just such purpose. will not reduce value that much as everone
needs front speakers. they look original there.
 
With the inherent cabin noise, spending any $$ on audio only makes marginal sense. However, I was determined to find this out.

I have rear 3 way mb quarts, mated to 5 1/4's in the front kick-panel via an amp. Separation from front to rear and left to right is decent, not great, over the cabin noise.

Still determined, I added a pair of tweeters behind the center speaker for a bit better separation. The doors is probably the best best location ... but not an aesthetic choice.
 
Doug Churchill did one of the nicest jobs of fabricating front kickpanel speaker mounts that I've ever seen. Doug? You still out there? I'm a big believer in the need for front speakers if you want any sort of quality at all out of your stereo. Obviously there is almost no room fore of the seats in an E9 for them.

I used VERY small speakers, I can't even rcall the size, in that car, and while they helped a bit, they were so small I had to cap them so that the only frequencies they got were very high. No bass and almost zero mid up front. They did act as decent "fill" but you really need at least some decent 5.5" or 6" coaxials (or separates, but then where do you mount the tweets?) if you want good sound. Doug may have found the solution, although I know he spent a lot of time making them.

I'd love to get some up front in the CSL, but I've got bigger fish to fry right now.

TJ
"live in Barcelona"
 
Thanks for the advice.

The kick panel holes are quite small. The top one is about 2.5X4 and the bottom one is 2.5X5, but it has actual car stuff behind it. Which, I assume, is why CoupeKing's panel has two speakers with the small one down.

How did you get 5 1/4s into the space?

Thanks
Mark
 
Kick Panel Speakers

I wanted to put larger speakers into the front, based on comments by an auto sound tech that said it would produce much fuller and more balanced sound.

In looking at the existing space, I knew more depth was needed to accommodate a 5” speaker but there are limits on how big the enclosure could be before the pedals and dead pedal space became issues. My thoughts were to bring the back edge of the speaker out which would angle the speaker more into the interior. I also cut down the top edge to tilt the speaker more towards to roof. Lot’s of fooling around to find the best combination.

I used an expanded metal lathe (sorry don’t know the gauge) to make the templates for the panels. The original kick panels gave me the front edge and a general guide to the top and bottom and the rear was left a little on the generous side to play with the fit. Then it’s just play around until the fit is close. This becomes the form for laying up the fibreglass. A layer of poly prevents bonding to the form.

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The plastic lid is 5" diameter.

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The void form has the basic "tilts" cut into it and is shaped after bonding to the panels.

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Once I got the panels formed with a couple of layers of fibreglass, I shaped the speaker voids out of urethane foam (don’t use the rigid pink as it dissolves in the resin) and bonded them to the panels. Shaping was just by eyeball and isn’t critical to appearance or sound. I laid up another couple of layers of cloth over the whole surface and then finished up with the carbon fibre cloth.

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If I had any doubts as to whether doing this was worth the effort, my first spin after a long winter dispelled them. The difference is profound. Very full throughout the full range and much more balanced. I was going to put a set of 6” speakers under the rear seat bulkheads but ended up putting my battery there instead so someone else can try that location.
 
There are speaker grills of course but there is more room than it appears for my size 11 feet. Hasn't been a problem and one day I'll put in a dead peddle.
 
Funny you should ask.

I emailed Dan K (Coupeguy) about making moulds for him in exchange for some of his products. He was interested but that means I'm now the rate determining step in the process so don't hold your breath. Maybe when I'm doing the layup on a sea kayak I'm building (the current priority) I can do a set and see what I can work out with him.

I would encourage you (or anyone else out there) to try it yourself. This was my first attempt at any work with fibreglass and it wasn't that difficult - just time consuming. A little reading to get stared and then just keep working away at it. Every one of our coupes is just a little different and has had multiple owners (for the most part) so some specifics may vary.
 
Sounds of music in the BLUMAX sans speakers

The "Music of Munich"--even after all the years of caring for the BLUMAX is still the sound I prefer--push the pedal and a hungry intake quickly feeds through the throats of a pair of Weber 38/38's to awaken the "big six" is far more unique than any group and more satisfying than their music delivered from a modern sound system by CD/sticks or other means.

Don't get me wrong--I like music especially the classicals--but can always park and get great tunes with the motor off--or go home to the garage and listen while tinkering--oh well--guess I'm just an old traditonalist now out of step with the desire to have substitutes for the real things that make owning and caring for these classics the treat it is--a treat without requiring going to great lengths to install the slickest modern auto sound system--that--in my humble view is a distraction and inconsistent with the period correctness that this long time enthusiast values. JMT
 
Off the shelf speakers

Does anyone know of a set of speakers small enough to fit in the shallow holes in the kick panels? One option is of course to mount a small side cover to allow them to protrude an inch or so.
 
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