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Old Apr 30, 2009 | 02:21 AM
  #1  
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speaker insulation

I'm looking to get better sound out of my entire system. I don't want subs but I do want to have some low and mids. Its all trebel now. Is there any boxes or insulation or anything that goes inside the holes behind the 6x9's? Behind mine its just the hollow body. I cant even hear the music over my exhaust lol. Im looking for something in the range of these "monsoon" or "bose" systems that come in a lot of new cars that get great sound without having subs. Not looking for anything crazy, just a good system. Any suggestions?
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Old Apr 30, 2009 | 02:27 AM
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Re: speaker insulation

Ive heard of people putting cotton "stuffing" like what you would stuff a doll or something with, you can get it at walmart to get deeper sound out of components...
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Old Apr 30, 2009 | 05:45 AM
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Re: speaker insulation

Do you have a amp on the 6 x 9 speakers in the sail panels? Are they baffled good with no air gaps around the speakers?

Because if they are good quality speakers there shouldn't be any reason why they shouldn't sound as good (or at least close to) as a "bose" or "monsoon" system.

But to answer your questions, the firebirds with the performance sound system option came with plastic enclosures that fit in the sail panels and had a small woofer mounted in them.
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Old Apr 30, 2009 | 10:37 AM
  #4  
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Car: 89 Camaro RS
Engine: 350 TPI L98
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Axle/Gears: 2.77 one tire fire!!
Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by 88TransAmFreak
Do you have a amp on the 6 x 9 speakers in the sail panels? Are they baffled good with no air gaps around the speakers?

Because if they are good quality speakers there shouldn't be any reason why they shouldn't sound as good (or at least close to) as a "bose" or "monsoon" system.

But to answer your questions, the firebirds with the performance sound system option came with plastic enclosures that fit in the sail panels and had a small woofer mounted in them.
No, I dont have an amp but my head unit is like 250 watts. It's not that they arent getting enough power, it just seems like the space behind them is WAY too large to produce good lows.

As for the 6x9's, they came with the car so im not sure exactly what the specs on them are. I do know they are Jensen and they look pretty nice. They certainly are an improvement from any stock speaker.

Is there anywhere to get those plastic inserts you are talking about? That is exactly what im looking for.
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Old Apr 30, 2009 | 01:47 PM
  #5  
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Re: speaker insulation

You head unit is not 250 watts. It is probably ~18 rms per channel. They all are. An amp would help a lot.
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Old May 1, 2009 | 02:49 AM
  #6  
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Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by 87350IROC
You head unit is not 250 watts. It is probably ~18 rms per channel. They all are. An amp would help a lot.
It's not the stock head unit. I guess I should have mentioned that.
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Old May 1, 2009 | 02:52 AM
  #7  
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From: Chicago IL
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Axle/Gears: 2.77 one tire fire!!
Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by 88TransAmFreak
Do you have a amp on the 6 x 9 speakers in the sail panels? Are they baffled good with no air gaps around the speakers?

Because if they are good quality speakers there shouldn't be any reason why they shouldn't sound as good (or at least close to) as a "bose" or "monsoon" system.

But to answer your questions, the firebirds with the performance sound system option came with plastic enclosures that fit in the sail panels and had a small woofer mounted in them.
Do you know of any place I can get those plastic inserts? I am not at all opposed to aftermarket BTW. I just dont know what will fit and what won't. Thanks!
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Old May 1, 2009 | 03:07 AM
  #8  
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Re: speaker insulation

I have some polk momo's, front, rear, & 10" subs. The 6x9's are hooked to a 400watt amp, & sound so loud that I had to turn the amp down under halfway, & still fade them, by one third with the head unit. They are so loud that I cant stand it. I would recomend a high end speaker, with an amp any day. Reason being, is that you will never have, to have more. Sound quality is just down right amazing too. You can hear me loud, and clear, even from in the house.
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Old May 1, 2009 | 03:08 AM
  #9  
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Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by riphc06
Do you know of any place I can get those plastic inserts? I am not at all opposed to aftermarket BTW. I just dont know what will fit and what won't. Thanks!
Look on ebay. I have seen them their in the past.
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Old May 1, 2009 | 10:01 AM
  #10  
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Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by riphc06
It's not the stock head unit. I guess I should have mentioned that.
Its still not 250 watts. Its not more than 20 watts rms per channel. Get an amp and be happy.
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Old May 3, 2009 | 04:17 PM
  #11  
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Car: 89 IROC
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Axle/Gears: Strange 3.42 w/ Auburn
Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by riphc06
It's not the stock head unit. I guess I should have mentioned that.
A head unit alone will not power the speakers properly (even an aftermarket). You need an amp...plain and simple.

Also you need to get rid of the Jensen 6 x9's you have and get a decent set.

As for no bass.....try a little Dynamat Xtreme behind the 6 x 9 on the body panel.

Next...put together a budget for the speakers and amp and decide if you want a sub or two..or not (you'll need a seperate amp for the sub).
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Old May 4, 2009 | 10:18 AM
  #12  
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From: Chicago IL
Car: 89 Camaro RS
Engine: 350 TPI L98
Transmission: 700r4 w/ shift kit and 2500 stall
Axle/Gears: 2.77 one tire fire!!
Re: speaker insulation

Well i think im gonna try to find the plastic speaker boxes. If I cant find them then ill try some dynamat and better 6x9's. If that doesnt work then I will do an amp. I just dont want the extra clutter. I know they arent the best and an amp would definitley help out but I know they should sound better than they do. I have a ford taurus fleet car with the basic tape deck radio and 5x8's or whatever the smaller size are, and it sounds much better than the camaro.
As far as subs go, I would love the sound of maybe one(I dont need to be rattling everything on the car that isnt bolted down lol) but I again, dont want the extra stuff in the car.
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions guys. I think i'll start with some new 6x9's. Any more ideas? I'm just trying to get the best I can without going with an amp.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 11:07 AM
  #13  
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Car: 89 IROC
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Transmission: Stage 2 700R4, LS1 driveshaft
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Re: speaker insulation

MORE power (yes an amp) will make the speakers sound better

Ditch the Jensens as they don't sound good, PERIOD.

Underpowering the speakers make them sound weak and "tinny/shallow".

If you don't want clutter you could....

1. Mount the amp under the drivers front seat (did I mention to replace the Jensen's).

2. Put some 5 1/4" speakers in the dash (yes they will fit), put a 8 or 10" shallow sub where the drivers side 6x9 would go (and Dynamat the back) and buy a small 4 channel amp and mount it where the passenger 6x9 would go.

Some choices......

Amp
http://www.woofersetc.com/p6038/FXA4...-Amplifier.htm
http://www.woofersetc.com/p6033/ZRS7...-Amplifier.htm
http://www.woofersetc.com/p3789/ZX35...-Amplifier.htm

Sub
8"
http://www.woofersetc.com/p6642/TSSW...-Subwoofer.htm
10"
http://www.woofersetc.com/p5803/TSSW...-Subwoofer.htm


6x9
http://www.woofersetc.com/p4494/GTO9...oudspeaker.htm

5 1/4"
http://www.woofersetc.com/p3133/P552...y-Speakers.htm
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Old May 4, 2009 | 11:29 AM
  #14  
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Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by riphc06
Do you know of any place I can get those plastic inserts? I am not at all opposed to aftermarket BTW. I just dont know what will fit and what won't. Thanks!
I just sold a set of performance enclosures to a member on here...you can't buy them new anymore.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 11:33 AM
  #15  
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Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by riphc06
Well i think im gonna try to find the plastic speaker boxes. If I cant find them then ill try some dynamat and better 6x9's. If that doesnt work then I will do an amp. I just dont want the extra clutter. I know they arent the best and an amp would definitley help out but I know they should sound better than they do. I have a ford taurus fleet car with the basic tape deck radio and 5x8's or whatever the smaller size are, and it sounds much better than the camaro.
As far as subs go, I would love the sound of maybe one(I dont need to be rattling everything on the car that isnt bolted down lol) but I again, dont want the extra stuff in the car.
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions guys. I think i'll start with some new 6x9's. Any more ideas? I'm just trying to get the best I can without going with an amp.
Make sure your speakers are wired in phase, if the negatives / postives are flipped on any speaker that can hurt your bass....it will cancel out.

Make sure your using good quality 6 x 9's and they are securely mounted and baffled in the sail panels....no air leaks around any spot on the mounting surface.

The ford most likely sounds better because the speakers are properly baffled on the rear deck and using the trunk as the enclosure....big difference.

Also some aftermarket radios have built in high pass crossovers on the speaker outs..make sure yours are set to full range if it has this feature.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 11:52 AM
  #16  
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Re: speaker insulation

Yea, those speaker boxes he was speaking about were sold to me . They do tighten the bass up a lot more than 6X9s do by themselves, then again i never tried sticking poly-fill into those stock fiber baffles or using dynamat. You can keep your eyes open for a set of boxes, but the odds that you will find a set are hard. It's all about timing. Just for reference, here is a link to a picture of the boxes 88TransAmFreak and I are speaking about:

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/k...7/DSCF3030.jpg

good luck!
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Old May 5, 2009 | 01:55 AM
  #17  
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From: Chicago IL
Car: 89 Camaro RS
Engine: 350 TPI L98
Transmission: 700r4 w/ shift kit and 2500 stall
Axle/Gears: 2.77 one tire fire!!
Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by The Project
MORE power (yes an amp) will make the speakers sound better

Ditch the Jensens as they don't sound good, PERIOD.

Underpowering the speakers make them sound weak and "tinny/shallow".

If you don't want clutter you could....

1. Mount the amp under the drivers front seat (did I mention to replace the Jensen's).

2. Put some 5 1/4" speakers in the dash (yes they will fit), put a 8 or 10" shallow sub where the drivers side 6x9 would go (and Dynamat the back) and buy a small 4 channel amp and mount it where the passenger 6x9 would go.

Some choices......

Amp
http://www.woofersetc.com/p6038/FXA4...-Amplifier.htm
http://www.woofersetc.com/p6033/ZRS7...-Amplifier.htm
http://www.woofersetc.com/p3789/ZX35...-Amplifier.htm

Sub
8"
http://www.woofersetc.com/p6642/TSSW...-Subwoofer.htm
10"
http://www.woofersetc.com/p5803/TSSW...-Subwoofer.htm


6x9
http://www.woofersetc.com/p4494/GTO9...oudspeaker.htm

5 1/4"
http://www.woofersetc.com/p3133/P552...y-Speakers.htm

Wow...I did'nt realize 5 1/4" would fit in the dash. Any serious mod? Thank you for putting that together for me. It never crossed my mind to put a shallow sub in the 6x9 hole. If I cant find some cheap enclosures to fit in there, that is what I will do for sure. THANK YOU!
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Old May 5, 2009 | 02:01 AM
  #18  
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From: Chicago IL
Car: 89 Camaro RS
Engine: 350 TPI L98
Transmission: 700r4 w/ shift kit and 2500 stall
Axle/Gears: 2.77 one tire fire!!
Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by 88TransAmFreak
Make sure your speakers are wired in phase, if the negatives / postives are flipped on any speaker that can hurt your bass....it will cancel out.

Make sure your using good quality 6 x 9's and they are securely mounted and baffled in the sail panels....no air leaks around any spot on the mounting surface.

The ford most likely sounds better because the speakers are properly baffled on the rear deck and using the trunk as the enclosure....big difference.

Also some aftermarket radios have built in high pass crossovers on the speaker outs..make sure yours are set to full range if it has this feature.

Thanks for the tip! I checked the wires and they are correct however I know the 6x9's arent baffled or sealed right and thats why I was originally looking for some kind of box or enclosure to fit in there. I thought there would be some kind of foam padding or something behind them but no...nothing. Maybe a previous owner ripped it out. And your right about the taurus lol. (Yes a taurus is my daily driver lol.) It has some foam enclosure type things that almost look like carpet padding.
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Old May 5, 2009 | 02:06 AM
  #19  
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From: Chicago IL
Car: 89 Camaro RS
Engine: 350 TPI L98
Transmission: 700r4 w/ shift kit and 2500 stall
Axle/Gears: 2.77 one tire fire!!
Re: speaker insulation

[QUOTE=84redta;4145404]Yea, those speaker boxes he was speaking about were sold to me . They do tighten the bass up a lot more than 6X9s do by themselves, then again i never tried sticking poly-fill into those stock fiber baffles or using dynamat. You can keep your eyes open for a set of boxes, but the odds that you will find a set are hard. It's all about timing. Just for reference, here is a link to a picture of the boxes 88TransAmFreak and I are speaking about:

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/k...7/DSCF3030.jpg

good luck![/QUOTE

Thanks for the pic. I know what you mean about timing. I found a hurst dual gate shifter about 6 months ago on here. I had always wanted one but they discontinued them before I splurged lol. I got lucky like you did with the timing.
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Old May 5, 2009 | 07:09 AM
  #20  
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From: Manteno, IL
Car: 1987 Iroc-z
Engine: 350 TPI
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Axle/Gears: 3.73 posi
Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by riphc06
Do you know of any place I can get those plastic inserts? I am not at all opposed to aftermarket BTW. I just dont know what will fit and what won't. Thanks!

I bought mine at pepboys for 10.00 they slide right in drill a small hole in the bottom (for the wires) and u have ur inserts
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Old May 5, 2009 | 08:48 AM
  #21  
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Engine: 305 TPI / ZZ4 cam
Transmission: Stage 2 700R4, LS1 driveshaft
Axle/Gears: Strange 3.42 w/ Auburn
Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by riphc06
Wow...I did'nt realize 5 1/4" would fit in the dash. Any serious mod? Thank you for putting that together for me. It never crossed my mind to put a shallow sub in the 6x9 hole. If I cant find some cheap enclosures to fit in there, that is what I will do for sure. THANK YOU!
Gald you found the info helpful. As for the 5 1/4" you will need to do some minor cutting around the metal for the speaker to fit. Just premeasure the depth and make sure you don't get a 5 1/4 that's too deep.

Do a search as I know this has been discussed on here before.

I ran a set of 8's in the rear (not sealed) and they sounded very nice. You could see the metal on the outside of the car move.

Todays shallow subs are good at producing bass.
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Old May 5, 2009 | 10:19 AM
  #22  
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Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by riphc06
however I know the 6x9's arent baffled or sealed right .
Try something like this, not sure if it will fix the problem...but couldn't hurt.

http://www.autotoys.com/x/catalog/SP...ER_p_1583.html
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Old May 6, 2009 | 12:29 AM
  #23  
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From: San Diego
Car: 87 IROC
Engine: 305 TPI
Transmission: 700R4
Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by 88TransAmFreak
Try something like this, not sure if it will fix the problem...but couldn't hurt.

http://www.autotoys.com/x/catalog/SP...ER_p_1583.html
Hey thats neat!! Little sealed boxes will help with midbass for sure,.. I just wonder if they will fit,...
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Old May 6, 2009 | 06:23 AM
  #24  
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Re: speaker insulation

Make sure your using good quality 6 x 9's and they are securely mounted and baffled in the sail panels....no air leaks around any spot on the mounting surface.
The ford most likely sounds better because the speakers are properly baffled on the rear deck and using the trunk as the enclosure....big difference.


Super cars
Sports cars
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Old May 9, 2009 | 02:46 AM
  #25  
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From: Chicago IL
Car: 89 Camaro RS
Engine: 350 TPI L98
Transmission: 700r4 w/ shift kit and 2500 stall
Axle/Gears: 2.77 one tire fire!!
Re: speaker insulation

You guys are awesome....thank you all for the ideas and tips. Now I have some options. Ill let you guys know how it works out.
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Old May 13, 2009 | 08:54 PM
  #26  
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Re: speaker insulation

I really don't know about those speaker baffles. I had a set laying around and put them behind my Pioneer 4 way 6x9s in the sail panels and they actually cut my bass severely... It sounded a lot better without them. I did end up amping all of the speakers; dash, and sails with a 600watt 4 channel amp and it sounds amazing now. I don't need subs, these even can make the mirrors rattle. I mean unless I was supposed to do something with the baffles, I even tried cutting a little half inch hole in the side of them and it still sounded like ****.
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Old May 14, 2009 | 01:17 AM
  #27  
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Re: speaker insulation

Originally Posted by riphc06
Do you know of any place I can get those plastic inserts? I am not at all opposed to aftermarket BTW. I just dont know what will fit and what won't. Thanks!
crutchfield sell them for $20 for the 6x9 pair, they are made outta metal
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