Simplistic car stereo question:

[speeder]

I have an old Nissan PU truck, (1983), that I want to put speakers in. Right now it just has the small factory speakers in the kick panels, those only hold very tiny speakers so I'm planning on putting a set in the doors. It's a King cab but there is nowhere in the back to do a clean install and I don't want any kind of speaker boxes + I want to keep it simple.

I guess my question is about how to optimize the acoustics of speakers in tinny doors, I was thinking about some Dynamat maybe(?) TIA as always.

[idontknow]

spray on bedliner or undercoating perhaps?

Cheaper, quicker, and easier than dynamat but not as absorbant. How much do you want to spend and how high of quality are you looking for?

[Hugh R]

I'm not a speaker expert by any means, but I'll bet you'd be amazed at how good you can get little speakers. I have four on my Sony surround sound and they sound amazing, each one is about the size of a golf ball.

[legion]

Look into some component speaker, then you can mount the woofer and tweeter separately.

[Gogar]

Denis,

There are baffles that you can mount behind the speaker, kind of the shape of a soup bowl, that will sort of 'isolate' the speaker on the backside, and might give you a little more sound out of the front of the speaker.

I don't think dynamat is the way to go re: bang for the buck. Won't change a whole lot as far as sound to your ears goes.

[RWebb]

Dynasorb is the name, IIRC

[tangerine911S]

Im in the midst of installing a pretty high end system in my IS300. Had to do a lot of learning first though. Go for a nice set of component speakers and mount the tweeters up high (a pillars or dash). Most decent sets will take at least 60W RMS so to souund their best, an aftermarket amp should be used. If you want to run them from the stock head unit amp, a high wattage rating isnt important but a high sensitivity is.

At least some dynamat (look for an alternative bc dynamat is expensive and there are products just as good out there) could benefit you. I have some on the way but have never used it so I cant speak from experience although I hear it is well worth the time and money spent. Also sealing your doors will help boost the mid bass from the door speakers. Aluminum flashing siliconed over the holes in the inner door skin with dynamat on top will do nicely.

Its all a matter of how much time and moeny you are willing to commit. The easy route would be to just buy a decent set of component speakers and hook them to your stock head unit. Dont go with coaxial speakers. You want the tweeters seperate and located higher.

[spuggy]

Subaru sub-woofer under the front seat. Or seat(s). Component speakers for the original holes (or close to it) where the tweeters can mount on the mid-range frame.

Minimum deviation from stock, good compromise for sound. Get better high range with the tweeters mounted entirely separate, but extra holes in the doors...

[speeder]

Thanks guys. What are some better (cheaper) alternatives to Dynamat? Is there such thing as a light-weight sound-absorbing insulation on the market, something that looks like thinner home insulation?

[porsche4life]

Foam Speaker Baffles at Crutchfield.com

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by speeder

Thanks guys. What are some better (cheaper) alternatives to Dynamat?

B-Quiet sound deadening material

I've used this stuff and it is quite nice at a lower price point.

The thing with dynamat (and the like) is that it's not going to 'drastically' change anything (IMO.) It will stop all the sympathetic vibrations from your door panels, yes. But in your situation, I don't think that's what you're looking for. If you were working on your Lexus, sure, no prob.

If you're insistent on trying something like dynamat on the cheap, then you can just take a 1' x 1' square and put it smack in the center of any big unsupported panel (like on the inside of the door skin), and it will do 90& of the job of covering the whole panel.

As far as something a little thicker, that will help too, just make sure you can secure it so that it doesn't interfere with the action of the windows, and make sure you get something that doesn't shed too much.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by speeder

Thanks guys. What are some better (cheaper) alternatives to Dynamat? Is there such thing as a light-weight sound-absorbing insulation on the market, something that looks like thinner home insulation?

I have a ton of FatMat leftover from the truck that is just sitting on the shelf. Will be in MN Monday after next. How much do you need?

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

I have a ton of FatMat leftover from the truck that is just sitting on the shelf. Will be in MN Monday after next. How much do you need?

That's really nice but I'm in Los Angeles. Is it very heavy? (Thinking shipping cost). Not sure how much I need, new at this and haven't decided how much of cab to do. Might wind up using a lot, mostly on back wall and sides. (Below windows).

[speeder]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Foam Speaker Baffles at Crutchfield.com

These are marketed as just for keeping the back of the speakers clean, do they also have an acoustic benefit?

[RWebb]

the "cups" help protect the speaker from rain intrusion, which will degrade the cones over time

so, yes, sorta

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by speeder

That's really nice but I'm in Los Angeles. Is it very heavy? (Thinking shipping cost). Not sure how much I need, new at this and haven't decided how much of cab to do. Might wind up using a lot, mostly on back wall and sides. (Below windows).

Yes, definitely heavy, but if you let me know how much you need, I can send it out if you like.