[agent orange]

a shameless plug on the side


Just got the Elise back from Sound In Motion - they installed an incredible system into my Lotus. The sound system in the car was god awful and obviously I didn't want to turn it into some escalade or something but I work in music and to have things sound that dreadful was just not flying. So I brought it to them with the task of turning a 4 speaker no sub system into something solid. What they did was awesome. They built a custom sub into the passenger foot rest area and only took about 1inch of room out from what used to be ther e- they blended the carpetting so it looks totally smooth and normal - they put in 5in MB Quartz speakers that just sound insanely good in the fronts and then put in two MB woofers in the rear for some bass support - however the rears aren't loud - just some reinforcment - then we swapped out the horrible face plate for an Alpine system with built in XM and Ipod attachment - when you plug int he ipod all info shows up on the screen of the Alpine. They hid the XM antenna under the support frame behind the seat - because of the carbon material the signal goes right through it so the antenna is totally invisibile. THe sound is just amazing. Probably because the cabin is so small but it's just massive for suhc a small simple system. We mounted a Zapco amp in the trunk with stock bolts so no drilling needed. The whole system was about 3800 and a decent chunk of that was labor on the custom sub box. They are really great guys and did a fantastic job!


And for a shameless plug - if you are in Boston/Cambridge - Caroline is playing a CD release show tomorrow and celebrating her b-day (we will indeed have cake - or so i'm told) - at the SkyBar on Somerville Ave. Come check us out! It may be my last show with her so i'd love to see a few of you guys!

her new CD just came out - check out her site for more info - it's only 7bucks - you drive a lotus- feel free to help new artists hahaha I'm shameless and proud!


http://www.carolinegulde.com


pics of sound system tomorrow

 

[BrianK]

 

[Brian 111]

I've used MB Quart systems in several cars, and have never been less than amazed. They do require a lot of power, though. Did they use a separate mounting position for the tweeter, or under the dash grill? I'm planning to use the same rear woofer with a set of separates in the front. Their 1/2" tweeters will go into the doors of mine, after I drill out the holes covered by those ridiculous stickers. Pictures please!

 

[Graydon]

Sounds good - very pricey though. Probably could cut the cost to a third of that by doing everything yourself and buying the components off ebay. I may have to consider switching to MB Quartz from Rockford for mids/highs - I've always heard good things about them.

 

[xfactor]

I priced out the same system, and the cost is similar to what agent orange spent (for retail), I found I could get the components about $700 cheaper off the internet, but as you know alpine and mbq don't offer the factory warrenty unless you buy from authorized retailers. I talked to my installer and he met me 1/2 way on the price, the nice thing is that if something breaks I just go to one place.

As for doing it myself, I know where my talents are, and they aren't in making custom sub boxes.

 

[DesignIt]

MB Quart is my speaker of choice, having had them in the last 3 cars I've owned. Backed up by a good amp (such as Soundstream or Precision Power), the sound is fantastic. My Miata has been featured in a national magazine with its sound system, but I'm seriously considering the "stereo delete" option with the Elise to keep it as pure of a sports car as possible. I really get into (weight) problems when I start chasing resonant frequencies and rattles. As in "add more Dynamat". In my Miata I even had to disassemble the manual window cranks and replace the lubricant with thicker grease in order to keep the springs from rattling due to the bass. Then there was the problem with the side door beams vibrating against the door skins...

Keep in mind your ultimate goal when modifying. If its light weight, stay away from anything that detracts from it. If its sound quality, go for it! Both have their qualities.

John

 

[Bobby]

hahaha I'm shameless and proud!


http://www.carolinegulde.com

Hey Andrew, just a quick note to say that Caroline's music is awesome! That's a million times more talent than any talent reality show will ever produce.

 

[agent orange]

I think we added maybe what 25lbs? the amp is very small -s peakers are about the same - and the sub must be a few lbs but minimal at best - frankly i'd rather take off my jacket then worry about the weight of hte XM antenna or something - i agree about keeping it down though - i was very specific that I didn't want some huge system - don't want to add any more speakers or huge amps - it's very tasteful but the cabin in the elise is so small and so solid that it just sounds incredible - no rattles (hard top, soft top, or roofless) and no weird tones - it's frankly awesome


as for the comment on Caroline - thank you so much!!!!! It means a lot to me to know people are enjoying it - I can whore myself shamlessly as the next - if you havent' gotten the CD yet it's really well worth it!

http://www.cdbaby.com/gulde3


THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

 

[Barney Jr]

Just listened to Caroline and it really isn't bad at all And that's quite a compliment coming from a 20-year old dutchman who only really listens to very loud repetative computer generated music

 

[BrianK]

pics of sound system tomorrow

so... you were saying... pics?