Honda CRV diy audio improvement input??

[OSS]

I have an 2001 Honda CRV. I write because I want to improve my sound but with something other than what is normally recommended in car audio stores because they fail to convince me. My goal is to maintain original appearance as much as possible. Clear, clean, great mids and highs. Tight, clean lows. Don't want boom, car shaker sound. I've also thought about stores like Parts Express, Madisound, etc and I see very good quality components at great prices.

I have not much space but for frequencies above 80-90 Hz I tough in kickpanels or A pillars. Mdf or fiberglass???.
For frequencies under 80 Hz I want one or two small subwoofers if necessary. I thought (a) under the seats, (b) on the console between the seats (maybe one 8" sub there) and (c) somewhere in the trunk.
The rear doors have no room for speakers they are at trunk sides (6.5"). My head unit is Alpine ida-x305s. I hope for your recommendation and then buy amp, cables, etc.

I'll really appreciate your input.Thanks!

[TheBaronGroog]

All depends on budget:

1st add the subwoofer and use the HPF in the stereo to filter out bass up to 100-120Hz, for 90% of people I find this is enough (but then you're on here so perhaps 0.0001% of people)

2nd get a "good" set of speakers. Car speakers are built for the environment, home speakers will work but sometimes don't last (too much UV/Heat/Moisture) so consider that when designing your system. Into the doors will work well if the door is suitabley treated (dynamat/bracing/sealing of back wave/sealing of front wave) or the kicks can work well too-MDF and fibreglass. IIRC the mids are quite high up in your door? Good for passengers not blocking the driver, bad for PLD. Kicks are better for PLD, but more likely to be obstructed by a passenger.

A-Pillars for the tweeters is ideal (some prefer kicks for these too-but then you can get "rainbowing") bright tweeters off-axis, smoother more laid back ones on axis.

With the IDA-X305 you can add the imprint (audessy) processor-well worth it if you're after SQ as the time aligment makes a big difference as does the extra EQ power.

Personally:
imprint module
Genesis 5ch (or overkill like my install 2x DM 2x ST60
Dynaudio MW162 and MD102
2x 8" isobarically mounted between front seats in a compact sealed encloure
No rears, waste of money in my opinion (unless you fancy L-R for some fill,but never tried myself)

[OSS]

MIDRANGE AND HIGHS: Option 1 - In the A-pillar one or two 2.5" drivers. Option 2 - In the A-pillar one 2.5" driver and a tweeter. Which of the two options is better? I'm looking for a sweet and smooth sound.

MIDBASS: a driver between 5-7" in a small box mounted on mdf. Can you give me some tips on which driver and size for this box?

After install and listen this setup I'll decide which driver to use for low frequencies. Thanks again for your input.

[rvrazvan]

For highs you may try to use a Compression driver. I found a VEEEEEry small one(1.5 inch diameter) and had it in my car for a few days. The improvements very BIG! And this was just a cheap chinese micro CD with no horn on it.
In the future i would like to have some AMT or CD in the pillars, an extra sub and some treatment for the door pannels.

[TheBaronGroog]

3" drivers are better if you can use them-more impact than a 2.5" - have read detailed explanation elsewhere-will try and find link. I'd avoid running 2 x 2.5", combing for one, build for another. 2.5"/3" and tweet in close proximity (so tweeter can be covered when imprint is run).

Go as large as you can for the midbass, work out where you're fitting it and then look for suitable drivers.

[TheBaronGroog]

Couldn't find that link, but this one should be helpful: The Augmented Wideband Approach to Car-Fi: What, Why, and How

[OSS]

Originally Posted by rvrazvan

For highs you may try to use a Compression driver. I found a VEEEEEry small one(1.5 inch diameter) and had it in my car for a few days. The improvements very BIG! And this was just a cheap chinese micro CD with no horn on it.
In the future i would like to have some AMT or CD in the pillars, an extra sub and some treatment for the door pannels.

Do you have information, model, price or a link?

[OSS]

Originally Posted by OSS

MIDBASS: a driver between 5-7" in a small box mounted on mdf. Can you give me some tips on which driver and size for this box?

Midbass 5-7" driver in kickpanel small mdf box.

[rvrazvan]

Driver phenolic Blue Tech COMP 25 Partysound

this is the driver. It's cheap(less than 10 bucks on this site). But i looooove the dynamics