Updated hi-fi system upgrade

[808MGuy]

I've had my basic hi-fi system upgrade for about 2 years now which included a Zapco DC650.6 amp, a/d/s 344is mids and MB Quart QTD 25 tweeters in the doors, and Morel ADMW 9 woofers under the seats. I've been content with what I had but there was always a little devil in my ear telling me I needed something to fill out the low end. So I finally got around to doing it. I decided to give the musicarNW enclosure with a Morel SC10 a try. I also added a Zapco DC500.1 to power the sub.

Here's how it came out.

In this picture you can see everything mounted and uncovered. The DC650.6 remained in its original location under the trunk floor. The DC500.1 was installed above the OEM hi-fi amp. I still use the hi-fi amp to power the OEM rears.


Here you can see where I mounted to circuit breakers for the DC650.6 and the DC500.1. The circuit breaker for the DC650.6 used to be just under the passengers tail light but I replaced that with another circuit breaker for the entire system and installed individual circuit breakers for each amp here. The breakers are mounted to a sheet of ABS plastic which is secured with velcro.


I originally had the main 12V plugged in to the OEM distribution block using the OEM connector but I was a bit concerned about possibly drawing over 100A from that fused link so I moved the main connection to the battery post. You can see the blue wire tapping the battery post under the OEM distribution block. You can also see the 135A circuit breaker mounted under the tail light on the right side of the picture.


Here's a picture of the musicarnw enclosure with the Morel SC10 mounted. Nothing most people on this forum haven't seen before


Finally, everything all closed up


The install is nothing special. Its pretty much a copy of what musicarnw does as far as placement but my work doesn't come close to their level of quality. One thing that is not detailed in the pictures is the installation of a Alumapro CAP5. I didn't really need the capacitor but I used it more as a distribution block. Since I already had it from a previous car and I didn't want to buy new distribution blocks I decided to use it. I also added a relay for the remote turn on leads for the amps because I didn't want to damage the OEM remote turn on lead by trying to turn on 3 amps with it. I also grounded the symbilink shield which I didn't do previously to try to get rid of a little bit of noise. It seems to have helped.

That's about it! The sub still needs to break in so I haven't done the final tuning yet but from what I hear so far, it sounds like this is going to be a winner!

[ShockinM3]

That looks awesome ! How much did the subwoofer upgrade cost, including the amplifier and wires and sub?

[808MGuy]

Originally Posted by ShockinM3

That looks awesome ! How much did the subwoofer upgrade cost, including the amplifier and wires and sub?

I believe this particular upgrade would be similar to the musicarnw level 3 subwoofer system

http://www.musicarnw.com/e90-3-series-sedan/

The wiring was about $200 including the circuit breakers but I had to rewire the entire power distribution for the system to install the subwoofer system so it might not accurately represent what you would spend just to install a sub.

[THE TECH]

That looks great!! Never thought such a monster amp would fit there.

[808MGuy]

Originally Posted by THE TECH

That looks great!! Never thought such a monster amp would fit there.

It kind of does but doesn't. The amp is just tall enough that I needed to remove the handle on the floor (notice the hole where the handle should be). Otherwise, the floor cover wouldn't sit flush because the bottom of the handle would hit the amp.

[taibanl]

Do i see a slime kit on the left or is that something else?

[808MGuy]

Originally Posted by taibanl

Do i see a slime kit on the left or is that something else?

That's just the OEM air compressor and the bag has my wheel lock key and OEM lug bolts in it. I took the fix-a-flat canister out as I'll never use it.

[Technic]

Damn... that's some compact packing.

[808MGuy]

Just wanted to post an update on how this system has been after a few weeks installed. Specifically, how the Morel sub is after its had a chance to break in. I was a bit concerned about how it would ultimately perform because I've always read VP Electricity's post about how this sub is not your typically boomer sub. That is not to say it doesn't get loud because it can still get loud enough to damage your hearing but don't plan on being heard from the other end of the block with this sub. Where it really shines is how musical it is and how easy it blends with the underseat midbass speakers. Considering that its only a 10" drivers in a very small enclosure, the low end extension on this sub is amazing. Its probably one of the best sounding subs I've ever heard.

In my last car I had a Digital Designs 9510 in a 1.5 cu ft ported enclosure and while that sub was louder than you could imagine, it didn't go as low as the Morel and smoothing out the peaks in the response was difficult. That is partially due to the ported enclosure but also a characteristic of the response of the driver. For anyone that is hesitant on spending the $$$ on the Morel, my opinion is that it is one of the best SQ subs I have ever heard. If you're looking to be heard 2 blocks away, look elsewhere.

[dadealus]

Wow... nice...adding this to my mod list