My Custom Build: Focal, Stereo Integrity, Arc, Zapco, Alpine, etc!

Originally Posted by simplicityins

the zapco is a full digital signal processor: Zapco - Processors

it is 6 channel in 6 channel out, computer controlled with GUI

you have individual controls of 10 band parametric crossover with 1 hz steps

hi/low/bandpass filters with two types of filter and 6 to 24 db/octave slopes

time alignment

input and output gain adjustment

this is on EVERY channel.


think of it this way.

say instead of car audio with high sound quality as the goal

lets say you are building a custom engine for maximum performance.


the DSP would be like a high end stand alone engine management system...that allows you fine tune everything to obtain the best results.

the DSP does the same, except for listening pleasure

b

Originally Posted by BrandonT

I was just curious if it can cascade more than one LP/HP per channel. Looking at the manual it uses only the single LP/HP. I can use that in combination with the PEQ to get the shaping of the roll off I want, but was hoping it could be done "properly".

BTW do you know how Zapco defines the center frequency of the Shelf filter?

Originally Posted by kdo2milger

whats a ballpark cost for the install done in this thread?

Originally Posted by simplicityins

dont like to discuss detailed costs openly on the forum, just PM me if you want...but custom audio work varies greatly from state to state, shop to shop...but i would say...NOT including the headunit, the rest you should be able to get done somewhere around 3500-4k for all equipment and all labor with equipment that is comparable in performance and quality.

this build itself was cheaper since i donated a major piece of the puzzle

Originally Posted by butdamnbrian

onto the build pics.

First I made the flat portion of the enclosure that matches the contours of the OEM foam spacer’s bottom side, and then cut a hole that is a little smaller than the spare tire rim size.



next, this is the bottom portion of the enclosure that sits inside of the spare tire rim...speaking of which, maybe I should go into business making MDF brake rotors? lol





Fleece was then stapled the outer edge of the piece:





then it was put into the wheel, and the fleece pulled and stapled to the inner edge of the flat mdf baffle. After this picture was taken, a 50 lb weight was dropped onto the center piece to pull the fleece tight, and resin applied:



Now the reason why I didn’t just take a profile mold of the inside of the spare tire well is because I want to have a little bit of wiggle room so the enclosure can slide forward and lift out of the trunk easily.

Once the resin cured, the entire thing was lifted out of the car, and a few strips of wood to act as bracing/support were secured:



Next, the inside of the fleece received a dozen layers of fiberglass mat to reinforce it, the center hole sealed off, and speaker cables fed in:



Here is the enclosure from the bottom:



Next the top mounting baffle was fabricated to match the OEM foam spacer's topside profile:



and the two pieces mated to form a single enclosure. I lined the bottom of the enclosure with foam to prevent any buzzing and rattling against the spare tire rim:





the top baffle was then covered with black CF vinyl, and now the enclosure is ready to be dropped into the car:





Moving onto the amp and processor. As mentioned, there is a strip of wasted space at the front of the hatch area, previous occupied by a single foam spacer. Once that was removed, I was left with a wide but short strip of real estate. First an mdf board was secured with stock bolts and nuts and provides the mounting point for the Zapco DSP6.





Next a top board was secured and the Arc Audio XDi amps were mounted and wired up:



I can tell you that bending over the high hatch opening to do the mounting and wiring was one of the more painful experiences of my installation career lol.

Here is the cosmetic trim for the amps before and after vinyl application, and then put into the vehicle:







The front fake floor before and after carpet:





The two side panels:





and the center fake floor portion:





Also the grilles for the amps and the sub:









So that’s it...after some tuning by my friend Scott Welch, the car sounds pretty good...overall tonality is nice and smooth, with good detail and midbass impact. Stage for some reason is absurdly high...like rear view mirror high lol, decent width, depth was okay considering the stock locations and shallow dash, and center is pretty decent as well. The SI BM MKIII continues to impress as without any tuning, it presented us with a very smooth and flat response from 80hz down…with no real peaks and valleys…this is a 12” sub in a .4 cub feet enclosure!!! Sub bass to midbss transition is not too bad either…not as good as say the dodge ram I did recently, but not bad. Overall, I think it’s a nice sounding car given the relatively modest budget.

An hour’s worth of tuning gave us this EQ curve on the RTA, the light rise at the bottom is from the sub turned up, not part of the sub response itself



So yeah, that’s my first 370Z...in many ways this is a better car for audio than the 350Z...and I noticed it’s put together much better and there were almost no audible rattles. The interior doesn’t come apart as easily and working on the amps upfront is very tiring, but overall...pretty cool!

Cheers,

Bing

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so that's my installer's build thread. crazy stuff. can't wait to give it a thorough listen and add some more feedback...