Kenwood and Elemental Designs Install...

rreign

I would say just make sure you have insurance on everything. Atleast then if something happened you could get part if not all of what was damaged/missing replaced

sig11

Awesome! Thanks!

DIGItonium

Only static images are supported like JPG and PNG. It appears the head unit literally saves the image file from the USB drive to its internal flash. You can always revert back to the original Kenwood startup image.

@rreign, I'll see what options my insurance can provide.

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rreign

smart move my friend

Luv'n my Z

Hey is it possible to put 2 12s in that box???

Shunya

awww that bear is cute :P

DIGItonium

[blushes]

I don't think so - only twin 10s. You may have to resort to some other configuration. IMO, a single 12" is PLENTY. My setup is very conservative and there is already AMPle power to rattle things.

My biggest issue is with the Kenwood. For some reason I can't seem to tune the sub as well. It produces deep bass, but anything around the 150-220Hz area is subdued. The sub hits hard on the low end when I play hip hop and trance. With everything else (pop/rock), there's not much bass. IIRC, I have it set to 150Hz and -18 db/Hz slope (as punchy as it gets). With the 13-band EQ, the sub is unaffected. It would be nice if it did since the lower range is useless for front speakers rolled off around 150Hz and -12 db/Hz slope.

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Shunya

wanna give me your teddy?

DIGItonium

Haha, you'll have to take on my gf over Peanut (the bear). [Grabs camera and popcorn]

On an unrelated side note... the surface mount LEDs arrived last night. Hopefully I'll find time to mod the HVAC controls. I couldn't get the mirror switch LEDs to light up, so I may end up changing out the resistor or simply stick to a single LED. It should be enough to light up the switch.

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Shunya

oh no! i'm gunna lose no more mr. peanut

2fast4thelaw

Ouch!! Thats a really high crossover setting for a 12" sub plus 18 db/Hz is pretty steep too. I set my subs at 60Hz @12db. It sounds like you need some mid bass up front. Try dropping your crossover points to the fronts and sub to 60-80Hz and it should sound a lot better.

12" subs make terrible mid bass drivers and your sub has a heavy high mass cone which is optimized for really deep bass.

As far as crossover slopes, steep slopes like 18/db and 24/db are best left to mids and highs where fatter slopes give you more overlap for the subwoofer. If you can, mix the two such as running 24 db/oct on your fronts at 60Hz and the run your sub at 12/db at 60Hz. This would be ideal in your situation to optimize mid bass in your car. Your sub will sound much cleaner at this setting and your fronts will give you that punch your looking for.

DIGItonium

Yea, I wanted a bit more mid-bass from the sub and failed. You're right, the sub is VERY deep. I was afraid of pushing the front drivers too hard, so I set a conservative cutoff (120-150Hz) hoping to get some warmth of an electric bass and acoustic bass drum from the sub. Unfortunately, it can only be heard when listening to house and hip hop.

BTW, the amp x-over is set to thru and bass boost is disabled (not so clean).

Thanks! I'll give it a shot!

[EDIT] It sounds much better now. Guess I shouldn't have to worry about the front speakers so much. Thanks!

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Ricochet48

I will most likely have the same setup when I trade in my Type S for a 370. Here's a shot of my Nine.1 and Nine.2 powering my 13ov2 and edi 6500s in front. I also have FULL deadening and an overall hell of an install (took me a month). Props to a great install! I'm sure it sounds amazing (with that sub and) in an even smaller cabin compared to my RSX.

Also if you notice in my pics, I bolted mine down in the 4 corners b/c I track my car quite often (and they do NOT like that I have a sub, neither does my suspension). How's the stability of the enclosure, did you do anything else to secure it?

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I feel like some RWD and torque!

DIGItonium

Thanks!

Not much power is needed to push the sub. I also bypassed the Kenwood crossover for the sub. I managed to get more mid-bass using the amp crossover. Else, it's just too deep or lacks punch depending on the song.

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DIGItonium

The e5.12 started making more noise from the core indicating some expansion and rubbing. The sub never really impressed me after over a year of ownership. It only produces hard deep bass when playing trance and hip hop tracks, but is barely responsive to classic rock and 80's. So far several months I had issues getting good electric bass and mid-bass sounds from the classic tracks. The sub definitely lacks mid punch.

This morning, the sub was replaced with a JL Audio 12W6v2 (Yup, finally going back to a tried and true formula). The sub was a bit taller, so I had to rotate it to provide clearance for the terminals.

Even before retuning the sub settings, the improvements are immediate. I finally get warm and punchy mid bass response from my classic tracks! Once the weather warms up, I should be able to give it a proper tune and break in.

Stay tuned... the DDX-814 is stupid slow. I'm currently thinking about getting an Alpine iXA-W407 since all I need is USB and an FM/Tuner, and maybe add a backup camera this time around. Also, the eD amps still perform admirably, but is fading pretty badly. I may be open to suggestions for a single amp that can power the front speakers and a sub. JL HD series, maybe?

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