lavamadness

I'm getting a set of components installed on Saturday. The woofer is going into a custom door pod (was going to to with kick panels, but it doesn't sound like they'll be available for a while and it's not worth waiting).

The pamphlet that came with the speakers recommends putting the tweeter in the kick if the woofer is in the door. (It recommends both being in the kick panel, but lists the above as second best.)

The install place says they would sound better if there up higher. (They were going to put them in the stock speaker locations.)

I'm inclined to go with the tweets in the kicks, as I've heard that's the best, however I have no real-world experience, wheras the installer does. (They have a very good reputation.)

I wanted to get other's opinions.

Another option I was considering was installing them in the pods with the woofers, and was wondering how good/bad an idea that would be.

The speakers are Infinity Kappa 6.1 Perfects.

SweetRide45

iTrader: (2)

They say when you put the tweet in the kicks it gives you better imaging. But I like to HEAR my High's...all the cars I've done, I put them in the A-Pillars...not one complaint yet!

Rustydawg

I'd mount the tweeters in the stock location in the dash pad, it reflects of the windshield perfectly.

Justins86bird

If you cross them high enough, then tweets in the a-pillars.

redbird_400

a pillars are the ones your front windshild sits on right? Well if so then YES! Mount them there! I had a friend who had them there and we use to play around putting our hands over them then removing them and saying "MAN! That sounds like krap with out these up here" I need to get some for my pillers, there is a BIG difference I say Good placement.

SweetRide45

iTrader: (2)

Yup, those are the A-Pillars. They start from the back of the dash and go back up on on the headliner and end at the sail panels.

curtis84ta

it depends of what you want

sound or looks and sound

ive seen quite a few on the pillers and they loko good but you need a good quality tweet

if you just want the sound id suggest stock location because i had just got some pioneers and installed them myself and it took maybe 30 min to take apart dash, and put them in and then putting it all back together. the only prob is the magnet you have to find something that will fit, personally i know jbls don't, i m not too sure about others but i know pioneers fit. so depending on type/quality of tweet and placement will pretty much decide for you.

lavamadness

Wow.. everyone says a-pillars?! What happened to kicks being the best spot because of time alignment and such?

Justins86bird, what did you mean by your reply "If you cross them high enough, then tweets in the a-pillars"? How does that affect things?

luke-gr

If you see any systems in serious competition, you wont see them in A Pillars. This puts the tweets too close to your ears in relation to the midrange. The sound from both speakers should reach your ears at the same time. In the A-Pillars, you can hear that your speakers are in different places. High frequencies are much more directional than lower frequecies so the tweets do need to pointed toward you (kickpanel). I had one installer say that ideally the tweets should be on the bottom of the kickpanel since highs travel faster. That looks a bit goofy, though. Sure, having them in the A-Pillar is better than no tweets at all (or covering them up), but that's my .002
Luke

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

have you ever HEARD a car with the tweets in the kicks? I can HEAR mine just fine, and unlike cars with them in the pillars, my car actually has a realistic soundstage from both front seats.

lavamadness, I've done all configurations. Tweets in pillars, tweets in the dash, mids & tweets in the kicks, and the combo you're after... mids in the doors, tweets in the kicks.

By far the best is having both in the kicks, but 2nd best is definately the configuration you're considering. I did this in my old firebird. The mids imaged fairly well, and the highs imaged very well. When you closed your eyes, the staging was at dashboard height. It didnt' sound like it was coming from down low. The highs were crisp and clear. Everybody bugs out thinking that somehow mounting the tweeters low is going to obscure the sound and pull the soundstage down. This just isn't true if you do it right. Your ears are generally too stupid to localize the height of a sound IF (this is an important if) you minimize reflections. Once you start to get reflections, your brain can distinguish a sound's height by deciphering the time differences of reflections from one ear to the other. If you only have the primary sound and no reflections, the ear only gets enough information to determine left & right position.

So... minimize reflections. Fortunately, there's already a lot of carpet around the foot area. If you have the plain plastic kick panels, putting a carpet insert in, or buying carpeted ones will help. You can also carpet the underside of the dash, although I found that unnecessary in my IROC. Aiming the tweeters directly at you, directly at the center of the car, directly at the opposite passenger, or some reasonable combination thereof will also help. Obviously if you aim the tweeters straight across the car, all you're getting is a reflected sound, but if you can aim them up and get a more direct shot, you're better off.

SweetRide45

iTrader: (2)

Well, it's not saying anyone is WRONG by putting them in a certain location. If you are that "****" about sound imaging, put them in the kicks. I just like an overall good sound, and I'm not THAT specific about things. My A-Pillars are just fine for me.

Simply put, if you like how it sounds, then leave it at that. All I'm saying is, A-Pillars sound just fine, and everyone else told me so that I've done systems for.

CAMp3RO

i like mine in the kicks. sound very nice. my soundstage is right about at the top of the dash. people give me a dumbfounded look when i tell them there's no longer a speaker in the stock spot (now being used to hold the crossovers. fit perfectly with a bit of cutting).

one of the big reasons for putting tweets in the kicks is that it is the most even distance for both sides.

SweetRide45

iTrader: (2)

Time Correction Head Unit

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

I am that ****. I didn't spend thousands on my car stereo just so I can do a 20 minute install and be satisfied with the results. It cost me no more to do it right than to do it... um... different.

Yeah, those work great... for 1 seating position. If you have passengers or if you compete, you'll get massacred because if you do the proper time alignment for the driver side, the passenger side will be so far off that there will be absolutely no soundstage whatsoever.

The only way to get a realistic soundstage for both front seats is to equalize path length, which means getting the drivers as far away as possible. In virtually all cars, that means using the kick panels.

SweetRide45

iTrader: (2)

Sorry to say it, but my installs STILL don't take 20 minutes just to do some hack job finish. I'd don't compete, nor would I consider it. My systems have been beyond the $1000 range, and take much time to finish.

To each is own.

CAMp3RO

yeah, i was gonna comment on the time correction thing, but jim beat me to it.

bandaid

Huckster's '84 TA

Have the install shop install your woofers and run the wires for the tweeters with some extra long speaker wire. The get some double sided tape and start playing with the tweeter position. Stick them onto the kick and put them on the dash and stick them on the a-pillars. Then, which ever sounds best to your ears, have them installed there.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

That's an excellent suggestion. Doing that is what first turned me onto the idea of kick panel installs.

FASTERTHANUMARK

iTrader: (37)

IF YOU WANT KICK PANELS, GO W/ KICKS. I HAVE KICK PANELS W/ MB QUART 6 1/2 COMPONENTS IN THEM AND THEY SOUND BETTER THAT WAY. THE KICKS ARE MADE BY Q LOGIC. I GOT THEM AT CIRCUIT CITY HERE IN PARMA OHIO. AS FAR AS SOUND IMAGE FOR EVERYONE IN CAR KICKS R THE BEST WAY. YOUVE GOT AN AWESOME SET OF COMPONENTS, THATS THE WAY I WOULD GO. ILL POST SOME PICS HERE WHEN I GET THEM.