Toothy Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 In the past 18 months of Zed ownership I've seriously considered replacing the stock Bose system numerous times... I've finally decided to scratch that audio upgrade itch! The kit I will be installing is as follows: - Alpine MRX-V60 5 channel amp - 4 x Hertz DSK-165 component speakers - JBL GTO1014 10" Subwoofer - Kenwood DNX4230BT head unit I intend this to be a stealth install, to keep the car looking as stock as possible. Photo's and build updates to follow soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
un1eash Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 If you really want to do the rears then stick with coxials, not worth going down the component route. Personally i wouldn't even bother with rears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toothy Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 I read lots of people saying just to have a good set of components up front and forget the rears. I do like a bit of rear fill though, so decided to go with some rather than regret it at a later stage. I plan not to use tweeters at the rear however - not sure if that's a good decision or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brummiestormer Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Good luck on this i'll be following with interest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo92 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 A nice step by step would be nice.... I've been considering this for a while now 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psion Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 This should be good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toothy Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Bit of an update, however I've not been taking many photos sorry! Just been doing bits here and there when I get half hour to spare. I have installed the fuse holder and ran 4 gauge power cable through the bulkhead and down the left sill, next to the existing wiring loom. Hoping this wont cause any interference with the front speaker cables which I have also ran down both sills to the rear bulkhead. I will re-route the power cable down the tunnel if it does. All the bulkhead trim has been removed, as have the kick plates and sill trim to do this. I've ran the front speaker cables through the door wiring grommets and installed both front component speakers. Running the cables through to the door was the hardest job so far, it's very tight to get in the shut gap of the doors. My hands have the battle wounds to show for it! I was very nervous in drilling the connections to pass the cable through. One false move and I could have ruined the connections for all the door hardware! Top tip: use a small amount of washing up liquid on the cables when pulling them through any tight gaps, makes them slide through a whole lot easier! I'm keeping all the bose kit so I can return the car back to factory if I so wish. Therefore I haven't cut the front speakers apart to use them as spacers, instead I purchased some Nissan Micra spacers which fitted perfectly. See my comments on this thread for where to and where not to buy from, I had a bit of hassle! http://www.350z-uk.c...20#entry1288931 Tweeters were mounted in the stock location using a glue gun I got two sheets of Dynamat for around £15 each delivered off ebay. I put around a A4 sized section behind each front speaker, on the door skin. Hopefully this will help sound quality a little. With the rear bulkhead stripped I added sound deadening material around the rear speakers and crucially all in the subwoofer area too. I also wired the earth cable to the chassis and drilled holes in the plastic document tray to pass power, speaker and RCA cables through. The Alpine amp is a perfect fit for this tray, so will be placed inside the passenger glove box, which I'm sure you'll see in time. I have also built my subwoofer enclosure! Best way seemed to make the sub downward firing. The dimensions of the passenger glove box happened to create the exact volume require for the JBL sub in a sealed enclosure. Using the glove box as a template, I cut inch thick fiber board to size. Then glued and nail gunned it together. I used a router to cut the subwoofer hole and hole saw for the terminal plate hole. The terminal plate cost a few quid off ebay. Afterwards I fiberglassed the inside to seal and give it even more strength. I re-used the metal bracket which holds the standard Bose sub in place as a mounting bracket for my new sub box. I hope it sounds good! Plenty more to do. One thing left holding up my build is a reverse camera ordered from China. It's been over four weeks since I ordered it and it's still not come. Hoping it will come soon! I dont want to install the HU before then, else I will have to take it all back out to plug the reverse camera feed in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toothy Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 Completed most of the finishing touches to my build now. I drilled holes in the document tray, wired up the amp and have it sitting in there nicely. Headunit is now in too. Just started fine tuning the sound to my liking. Still waiting on my reverse camera so will have to removed a lot of this to fit it at a later date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Looking good so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick350z Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I notice you have factory satnav. Will the voice from the nav still work? I swear I've read on here that you lose the voice with an aftermarket head unit - one of the reasons I've yet to upgrade. I guess if it's something that doesn't bother you it's not an issue but I like the voice talking when I'm driving. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopedmark Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Looking good god mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 (edited) I notice you have factory satnav. Will the voice from the nav still work? I swear I've read on here that you lose the voice with an aftermarket head unit - one of the reasons I've yet to upgrade. I guess if it's something that doesn't bother you it's not an issue but I like the voice talking when I'm driving. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on this. The Kenwood DNX4230BT that the OP is installing has satnav built in AFAIK Edited June 29, 2014 by BulletMagnet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
un1eash Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 I notice you have factory satnav. Will the voice from the nav still work? I swear I've read on here that you lose the voice with an aftermarket head unit - one of the reasons I've yet to upgrade. I guess if it's something that doesn't bother you it's not an issue but I like the voice talking when I'm driving. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on this. You can wire the oem satnav sound into an aux input on the aftermarket headunit, only problem then is you either have music of sat nav source. I never got around to experimenting with using the tel mute to cut music for sat nav or wiring in a separate speaker for the sat nav. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick350z Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 I notice you have factory satnav. Will the voice from the nav still work? I swear I've read on here that you lose the voice with an aftermarket head unit - one of the reasons I've yet to upgrade. I guess if it's something that doesn't bother you it's not an issue but I like the voice talking when I'm driving. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on this. You can wire the oem satnav sound into an aux input on the aftermarket headunit, only problem then is you either have music of sat nav source. I never got around to experimenting with using the tel mute to cut music for sat nav or wiring in a separate speaker for the sat nav. Thanks - I didn't realise that was possible. Sounds like it could be a liveable compromise - it's not like I use the SatNav on a daily basis anyway I just wouldn't want to lose that function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toothy Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 (edited) Correct, the headunit I installed has an inbuilt Garmin satnav. One of the things that put me off doing the install was the fact I already had satnav and that it would be a pain to get it working with a new head unit. However, due to the age of the navigation unit, not being able to use post codes, etc. I rarely used it anyway. Maybe once or twice a year. I always found myself using google maps on my phone, especially for short journeys. The in built sat nav is now mostly redundant, but I can return the car back to stock and have full functionality of it still. People have made circuit boards to mute audio when the satnav sends a voltage. Have a search, I'm sure I remember seeing some detailed info somewhere. Edited June 30, 2014 by Toothy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitherb Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 How does your sub and box sound in the stock location? Would be great if you could provide dimensions and volume for your box as I might like to try the same mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justthejedi Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Completed most of the finishing touches to my build now. I drilled holes in the document tray, wired up the amp and have it sitting in there nicely. Headunit is now in too. Just started fine tuning the sound to my liking. Still waiting on my reverse camera so will have to removed a lot of this to fit it at a later date. Looking good Toothy, I also fitted Hertz components in the doors and they sound great, I've yet to fit my Alpines to the rear, is there an easy way of removing all the plastic surrounds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toothy Posted November 29, 2014 Author Share Posted November 29, 2014 How does your sub and box sound in the stock location? Would be great if you could provide dimensions and volume for your box as I might like to try the same mate It sounds great. No rattles or excessive boom. Bass sounds tight and well composed. For dimensions I just copied the glove box dimensions. You could get away with something a little bigger as there is a ton of room back there. But as the glove box volume worked out exactly right for a closed enclosure for my sub, I didn't experiment and just made a straight copy. Looking good Toothy, I also fitted Hertz components in the doors and they sound great, I've yet to fit my Alpines to the rear, is there an easy way of removing all the plastic surrounds? I did a search on here and some of the US forums. There are a few guides around which detail the order of the panels. I'd never done something like this before and found it reasonably easy. Removal requires a firm hand in places, but be sensible. Too much force and you will end up snapping the trim or clips. Take your time and think things through and you'll be fine! Good luck to you both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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