Accurate bass from the trunk

[Daytona Coupe]

I’ve been away for a long time, but I’m finally planning a stereo install for my 2015 GT. Discovering the DYNAVIN head unit was what pushed me over the edge.

Background: I was a professional stereo installer in the 80’s and 90’s - haven’t really done anything with car audio after 2000 when I changed careers. I did hundreds of custom installs and quite a few competition level systems. I am somewhat picky about my sound quality. I used to build and tune national finals quality audio systems. I am not afraid of custom fabrication. Don’t ask me how I’ve gone the last 20 years with stock audio, but I did.

I was originally thinking of just doing the head unit and upgrading my 6-speaker system. If I could find a good clean set of premium door panels, I’d consider going 3-way in the front. Now that I’m going this far, I’m tempted to go down the rabbit hole and add amps and a subwoofer of some sort.

I have looked at a lot of different subwoofer installations and can’t make up my mind which way I want to go. I want accurate bass. I listen to mostly rock these days, and don’t ever listen to rap or hip hop anymore. I want a hard hitting kick drum with some depth to it. I like it loud sometimes, but I don’t want sloppy boomy bass.

This back seat is fairly thick, and I’m concerned about the upper end of the bass range getting muffled. I could take the rear speakers out, but I was still thinking of putting some 6.5” components back there for a little rear fill and maybe some extra mid bass snap. I’m considering making a custom rear deck panel with a center grille for the bass. Ideally I want to keep most of my trunk space and not add too much weight.

What would you do? If you leave the seats and rear deck as is, am I still going to get tight bass coming through? I know we did ok with it 30 years ago, but cars weren’t constructed as well back then.

Thanks for reading this far.
John

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[black22gt]

There are definitely some good threads on here, with lots of good info on the specifics for this car, as the connections game will be a bit different then you remember. LOCs are not the preferred method to get signal from HU to amp. I had a amp and sub in my old car, haven't got one or put in the mustang yet, so i know what you are talking about there, though it's only been 1.5 years.

If you are more concerned with accurate, punchy rock bass, consider getting some good 10s, sealed. I wanted to get the Phantom Fit Enclosure and rig up the amp below the rear deck speakers, 12 sealed in my case as I have 1 Kicker CVR 12 from my old ride. There is also some that mount in the threshold between the trunk and seatbacks, might be more up your alley if you need it to be clear in the cab.

 

[StangTime]

Here's a link to my build if you want to check it out: https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...-satisfying-stereo-build.187266/#post-3763842
See post #3 for the subwoofer I used it might be too big for your requirement but I'm just throwing it out there as an idea. I can remove mine from the car in 2 minutes. It's tight and punchy despite it being ported enclosure. I have it EQ'd and time aligned using a DSP. The group delay of a ported enclosure can be compensated for by equally delaying all other speakers in the car. I removed the rear speakers altogether. They ruin the front sound stage otherwise. I utilized the rear deck holes to allow the bass to come through.

Like you, I did installs in the late 90's. I took a hiatus from car audio due to family. Kids grew up and I got back into audio when I bought the Mustang and boy let me tell you things have come a long way. This install was my first time using a DSP. Those were just coming onto the scene when I stepped away from car audio so I never had exposure to them. I decided the Mustang was going to get the DSP treatment. It was a game changer. It took me a considerable amount of time to learn how this tech worked and the results just blew me away.

For other sub install ideas, you could do free air mounted to the rear deck:

Subs mounted in the floor:

 

[Daytona Coupe]

Here's a link to my build if you want to check it out: https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...-satisfying-stereo-build.187266/#post-3763842
See post #3 for the subwoofer I used it might be too big for your requirement but I'm just throwing it out there as an idea. I can remove mine from the car in 2 minutes. It's tight and punchy despite it being ported enclosure. I have it EQ'd and time aligned using a DSP. The group delay of a ported enclosure can be compensated for by equally delaying all other speakers in the car. I removed the rear speakers altogether. They ruin the front sound stage otherwise. I utilized the rear deck holes to allow the bass to come through.

Like you, I did installs in the late 90's. I took a hiatus from car audio due to family. Kids grew up and I got back into audio when I bought the Mustang and boy let me tell you things have come a long way. This install was my first time using a DSP. Those were just coming onto the scene when I stepped away from car audio so I never had exposure to them. I decided the Mustang was going to get the DSP treatment. It was a game changer. It took me a considerable amount of time to learn how this tech worked and the results just blew me away.

For other sub install ideas, you could do free air mounted to the rear deck:

Subs mounted in the floor:

I did floor mounted subs similar to that in my 91 Mustang - but that was a hatchback and unobstructed. I had a Velodyne servo controlled 12 in the tire well and the hatch floor only had to be raised by about 2 inches. I loved the bass in that car. I think the rear seat might prevent me from getting that this time though. I was also thinking about the free air setup as a space saver. Who makes a sub that works well in free air these days?

 

[Cathul]

Considering a sub is only playing up to 80Hz most of the time i think it's a non-issue.
If in doubt remove the rear speakers and let the sub breathe through the rear deck.
But even if my rear speakers were originally in there i didn't have any problems with "upper" bass from my sub, which in really is just touching kickbass territory. Most upper bass comes from the 6.5 inch drivers in the lower doors anyway, so if "upper" bass was my main concern i would deaden the shit out of the doors and mount the drivers as rigid as possible, maybe even build sealed door enclosures or move the drivers to the kicks.

 

[Evolvd]

Here’s my setup and it plays rock very well. If you’re concerned about trunk space I’d recommend a set of JL 12TW3. They are thin line and require little air space but they hit hard and are very accurate. You could even go with 10s and have enough for rock music.

 

[Daytona Coupe]

I read all 24 pages of the Zenclosure thread and it’s got me wondering if I should just go that way and be done with it. I also like the JL stealth box setup, but that’s on the pricey side. The custom fabricator in me is tempted to do something custom.

 

[Mike Pfeifer]

A few people have installed spacers on the upper latches for the rear fold down seats that create a thin gap at the top of the rear seats when closed. This way it looks decent with the seats up and still allows the bass out of the trunk.

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