subterFUSE

My install is not show quality, but it was very well done by a high-end audio shop.

Yes, they had to custom weld the metal amp rack... so that may put it out of the DIY realm for most people. But I'm confident that the metal material is not a requirement. Wood should work fine.

I'll try to get more pics uploaded, but like I said... the upload picture links have disappeared from the forum for me.

jeremyp

From that one pic you can clearly tell it was done well. I'm going to use a 1" thick strip of oak at each end of the amp screwed to the rear deck since I had it laying around. Besides, hardwood will hold a screw better than mdf.

For the installation I purchased a roll of Hush Mat Quiet Tape to hold down all of the wires and keep everything neat and secure. This stuff is expensive but it sure beats zip ties when there's nothing for zip ties to hold on to. The only thing I'm waiting for is the Technic harness, which should be here today. The JTSherri spacers came in yesterday and everything else is sitting on the floor of my office calling out my name.

My plan is to start by mounting the amp and LOC so I can run my power and ground wires. (leaving the fuse out of course). I'll then tackle the Technic sub amp harness installation and connections and utilize the power and ground from that to power the AudioControl LC6i LOC. I'll then install the main Technic harness and make all of the connections.

Once that is all complete, I'll test it out and do some quick tuning to see how it sounds with the OEM HiFi speakers and mid subs. I keep reading how people have been very impressed with the sound of the HiFi components when given some decent power so I'm a bit curious to see for myself. The last items on the list to install would be the Earthquake SWS-8xi subs and Logic7 front components but those are super easy and just plug n play. Final cleanup of all the wires and some tweaking should finish it off.

jeremyp

OK, I need some advice quickly here.

I'm about to mount my amp to the underside of the rear deck and I've got an idea I want to run by you guys. I've got a couple rolls of 3M adhesive backed dual lock fastener. I've used this stuff to mount just about everything, except an amp. I've attached a pic of the stuff I have on hand which is specifically for adhesion to metal so it should stick great to the rear deck and to the amp and works great in cold as well as hot temps. Do you think if I use enough of this stuff that it's safe to mount an amp with?

subterFUSE

I would personally shy away from using any kind of adhesive. The reason being that cars get parked in the hot sun and the internal temps get over 150 degrees. Add to that the amplifier would be upside down with constant gravity pulling down on it. I would be concerned about the adhesive failing over time. I could easily be wrong about this, but that is my initial thought.

jeremyp

I ended up using the dual lock fastener tape and sheet metal screws to mount it. It's not going anywhere. Today I got the sub amp harness wired, AudioControl LC6i LOC mounted and wired for the sub channel, power and ground cables run and connected & tested it out. The OEM mid subs do kick pretty well with proper power!

Tomorrow I'll run the main harness & make the rest of the connections as well as get the Earthquake SWS-8s installed.

H F

That's good bro..They do sound good with alittle xtra power , thought u would b happy testing it that way first. Think about an additional equalizer. You will be amazed with the clairity to the system . It will definatly make a major difference in the sound. I looked around a lot and ended up getting a Audio Controll FOUR.1i Concert Series Stereo Graphic Equalizer. It really kicks ass,, I highly recommend it. Really happy with it.

jeremyp

I spent some time today finishing up the wiring and main harness installation as well as getting all of the wiring organized, zip tied and looking clean. I'm pretty happy the way the installation came out. The only visible parts are the Alpine amp and the wiring going to it.

I still haven't put in theEarthquake SWS-8s or the Logic7 front components yet but I'm very happy with the sound quality improvement with the HiFi components. It's dramatically better all around.

Thanks goes out to Technic for his harnesses. They are top notch and made the installation plug n play with the OEM harnesses. I did run into an issue with the MOST connector not wanting to 'click' i to the new harness so I had to modify to a bit to get it to click and stay connected. The other issue was getting the harness connections to fit behind the CCC unit. It took me a good hour just to get it worked out. There's just not much room behind ther, damnit!

I followed one of Technic's installation threads and ran the output harness with the remote turn on from the CCC unit down the left side of the center console then tucked it under the split carpet then up under the door sill moulding, up behind the side bolster and zip tied it to the existing wire bundle and ran it into the trunk area to where I mounted the LOC. I ran the other harness down the right side of the center console just as I did the other side into the trunk and made the connections at the amp.

Once it was done I took the car for a ride to hear the fruits of my labor. Gotta love Sirius radio! I shoulda brought a couple cd's with me though.

I'm going to leave it like this for a few days before I put in the L7 front components and the SWS-8s. I want to get used to the sound so I can compare it afterwards to see if its as dramatic a difference like the LOC and amp provided over stock.

JP

jeremyp

HF, if I decide to add an eq or processor I'll definitely look into the Four.1. I'm a huge fan of AudioControl equipment having used it in the past as well as on this project.

I was leaning towards a JBL MS8 down the road but keep reading that they are pretty unreliable. Can anyone speak to that?

subterFUSE

I have not researched the MS8 very much, but I always heard good things about it.

I'm using an Audison BitOne and it is great. I love the ability to connect a laptop for programming, and I recently took my car to my audio shop for a session on the new Bit Tune system. Pretty impressive.

jeremyp

I just realized I didn't post any pics of my install...my bad. Here are some pics I took during the process.

For installation of the Technic harness see this thread. No need to recreate the wheel here.
https://5series.net/forums/e60-parts...nstall-124141/

Here's a pic of wires from the Technic harness being tucked under the center console.


The wires were run underneath the seat at the carpet seam, underneath the door sills and then up behind the rear side bolsters zip tied to the existing wire bundle.


Here you can see how I ran the wires through to the trunk. Just pop off the plastic cap, tuck the wires in and pop it back on.