03/12/2024
Bay Area Audio Visions to the RESCUE!!!
Posts like this are always a double edged sword.... ON ONE HAND, we see a client who has put their trust in another shop and unfortunately gets the short end of the stick. They spend hard earned money and don't get the results they were looking for or were promised. ON THE OTHER HAND, we get the opportunity to show why so many over the years have entrusted us with their cars of all makes and models and get to produce the results that everyone was expecting from the get go. Sometimes, we don't ever see the vehicle owner after the first installation. They might just decide that all of this aftermarket stuff is not worth it and no one can help them...
Fortunately, this is NOT one of those cases.
After being thoroughly disappointed in the original installation, the owner of this very sharp 2017 C7 Corvette Z06 actually tried a few times to get the original shop to make things right, but it never happened. So thankfully, he brought it to us to show us the many problems and discuss his options. I will spare you all the details, but suffice it to say that things were falling apart, wiring was not up to par, amplifiers were too big to fit anywhere, passive crossovers were being used and stuffed in places that could cause troubles, speakers not mounted properly, and basically, just an overall bad design, bad ex*****on, and not good, reliable sound.
But with that all put behind us, we moved forward.
We consulted with the owner about his expectations and what he wanted to see from the outcome. In doing that, we saved what product we could out of the original installation, and went to work...
Using the factory Corvette head unit, we retained the Focal 3 way front speakers, but reinstalled them. We made the proper adapter plates for the midbass speakers in the lower door locations, since the factory speakers are quite a bit different in size. We used plenty of Hushmat sound deadening material to help ensure a solid, rattle-free mounting location. The midrange speakers in the upper door locations also required and adapter to be made since the previous install had the speakers basically floating and rattling around in the door panel. Foam rings were also used to help seal the speaker's output to the panel. And as for the tweeters in this 3 way setup, we kept them in the dash location with new mounting plates behind the factory grill.
Now that the front stage was installed properly, we moved on to the rear speakers. The previous system didn't upgrade the factory rear speakers and did not amplify them either. To help with more sound to keep up with the low end coming up, we opted to replace the rears with a set of Audiofrog GS62 6.5" coax speakers. When amplified, these will help enhance the front speakers as well as envelop the listener in sound from all sides.
Speaking of low end bass, the owner wanted it all. And by that I mean not only did he want BIG BIG BASS from the small space available in a Corvette, but he also wanted it to compliment the rest of the car's interior and be a highlight of the system that could match the car's exterior looks. We took on the challenge of fitting his existing Rockford 10" subwoofers, which was no small feat considering the large mounting depth and volume requirements. And to make it extra fun, the owner wanted to make sure the removable top could be stored as intended in the cargo area. This was a big problem for him with the previous install. We knew if we wanted all the bass these subs could provide, we wanted to put them in a ported enclosure. With all that criteria in mind, the finished product you see is what transpired. The enclosure needed to use almost all of the footprint of the cargo area available to get the proper airspace, while not blocking access to the batter and small cubby toward the back wall for easy of maintenance. The main body of the enclosure was covered in matching black vinyl with some raised accents to give it some flair. The subwoofers sit on top of rings covered in carbon fiber vinyl wrap to match some of the OEM accents in the cabin. And for that added pop of color, insert panels were constructed and upholstered in the matching tan material of the seats and dash. More raised accents can be see here as well as another insert made of acrylic to designate the Z06 badging. Even the front side of the enclosure has more interesting accents of it's own to further compliment the interior styling.
To power everything, we started by using the proper external pre-amp to get the signal after the radio and before the factory Bose amplifier. From there, we used a TOSLINK cable to send the signal to a Match UP10DSP 10 channel amplifier with built in digital signal processing. This amp was chosen for it's small footprint to fit the space available, but also for it's powerful DSP that now becomes the heart of the system. It feeds 65 watts to each of the front and rear speakers in an active configuration. This is more than enough power to keep up with the subwoofers. To power the 10s, a pair of Audiofrog A600.1d amps were called to duty. Again, these amps not only fit the space, but send 600 watts each to the subs. This is big power to get them moving and have some fun! All 3 amps were mounted to an amp rack built to fit in place of the factory subwoofer on the back wall behind a cargo panel. So when all is put back in place, the amps are completely out of sight. This is a far cry from the previous installation where most of the factory modules were removed and basically shoved anywhere they could fit while the amps just floated on top of everything. Now everything is properly mounted and secured as it should be.
After some much involved tuning and listening, this car now has a system worthy of being in a car of this caliber. Loud and Clear...Detailed and Dynamic...Big and Fun!
You wouldn't think so to see it from the outside, but this little car has ALL KINDS OF BASS! And best of all, the mids and highs can easily keep up and sound great doing it.
When the owner saw it and got a listen, he was pleasantly surprised. Not necessarily surprised that the system sounded fantastic, but that we did exactly what we said we were going to do... you know, the way it should be. 😉
And oh yeah, the top fit too...
