McIntosh audio in a 914, Sound quality in a fourteener?? Options

[Rod]

Ok a little thread about upgrading the Hifi in a 914....

I Finished the interior today (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) New carpet set went in which I ordered from appearance and performance, I also ordered some extra material so I could cover my sub box.

I'm running some pretty esoteric equipment in this 914, McIntosh MX406 & MPM4000 built int the dash (I deleted the glovebox and built an aluminium panel to hold the HU & meters. The amp is a Mcintosh MC4000M - The mother of all SQ car amps... The sub is a CDT 8" SQ sub, I managed to squeeze a 9 litre enclosure into the footwell. the sub faces up at the dash, rather than be kicked by the passengers..

I'm very impressed with the sub - it is in a TINY box, yet sounds like a much bigger enclosure, I'm chuffed.

Anyway some pics...

The car in question

(IMG:http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h106/rodericdavies/IMG_0436.jpg)

(IMG:http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h106/rodericdavies/IMG_3975.jpg)

(IMG:http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h106/rodericdavies/IMG_4271-1.jpg)

(IMG:http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h106/rodericdavies/IMG_3986.jpg)

The speakers are KEF Kar 160q's (They have the tweeter in the middle of the midrange cone)

Thanks A&P - very happy with your carpet set (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer3.gif)

[Rod]

I think that the standard 914 speaker locations are actually pretty good! They are of a good path length (distance from drivers ears) and can be remade to point on axis pretty easily! If you're not after huge bass then just get a pair of 914ap speaker panels and use them. I started with a pair of these, but found that they wern't on axis enough for sq, so made a wooden baffle and then used fibreglass to build up the angle correctly, then covered in vinyl. In the 914 this is definitely the best location as you don't have to deal with door rattles, (because there are no speakers in them!!) and it looks very cool too. I made a second pair of fully fg baffles recently for a pair of KEF drivers, these were much more in depth!!

If the bass isn't enough for you, then make up a fibreglass sub box in the footwell. A good 6" sub can be surprisingly effective, I have used an 8" too (cdt) and now have moved to a 10" (Velodyne)

Don't use those speakers you mention, get a set of car audio coaxials (tweeter in same basket as the midrange) and just put them in the kicks using one of the ways described above..

With regards to headunit, anything goes really - most do have a built in amp these days which is sometimes enough for some people, just be sure the HU you buy has preouts, so you can hook up an amp of your choice if you need more control/sq/volume.

In a 914 the three things that are very useful to have in a HU are -

TA (time alignment) - you'll be able with a pair of coaxials to get a very decent sound with a good central stage.

iPod or iphone Bluetooth connection - safety first, but also easier to change tracks on your phone than leaning over to change the cd.

Internal active preouts - then you can upgrade and fit amps and use the internal crossovers to control them.

I have loads of 914 builds over here sat in shelves that maybe useful to you guys, but postage from the uk to you would be quite high!!