# MKIV Speaker Spacers



## jazzizdead (Jan 31, 2003)

Looking for help with front door spacers for my Boston Pro's. I have no tools. Can anyone help me out?
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1034036
Thanks,
James


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## Little Red Wagon (Jun 7, 2002)

*Re: MKIV Speaker Spacers (jazzizdead)*

how thick do they need to be? Do you have specific dimensions that you would like something built to meet?
I too will be installing Boston Pro 6.5's, they have just been sitting in the box new for a while now. I just haven't taken my car apart yet to do the install.
I have access to tools to make them. Let me know specificaly what you are looking for and I might be able to help you out.


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## jazzizdead (Jan 31, 2003)

*Re: MKIV Speaker Spacers (Little Red Wagon)*

Little Red Wagon, that would be great! I have the older 6.2's but they still sound good. I had them installed by a local shop but they used plastic spacers and they don't sound good anymore. No bass and have an echo-y sound to them. I don't want to deal with that shop anymore cause they seem more interested in db and not sound quality. The other shops in town did not give me the feeling to make me want to hand my car over to them. The shop that did the original install in a different car no longer does the car audio stuff. Big bummer as they were the only place in town that did high-end car stuff.
I'll take my door apart tomorrow and get the dimensions of the plastic spacer. That should be good. Probably be pretty close to your jetta wagon.
Thanks again.
James


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## jazzizdead (Jan 31, 2003)

*Re: MKIV Speaker Spacers (Little Red Wagon)*

Little Red Wagon, I sent you an email.


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## Deplorable (Sep 15, 2003)

Make them yourself out of MDF while your back there slap a 10 inch square of dynamat down and you'll love it. <ANY SHOP THAT USES CHEAP PLASTIC SPACERS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO TOUCH ANY VEHICLE EVER>


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## Mex gti (Sep 18, 2001)

*Re: (Deplorable)*

You beat me to it, and the deadening is a big + http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## jazzizdead (Jan 31, 2003)

*Re: (Deplorable)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Deplorable* »_Make them yourself out of MDF while your back there slap a 10 inch square of dynamat down and you'll love it. <ANY SHOP THAT USES CHEAP PLASTIC SPACERS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO TOUCH ANY VEHICLE EVER>

While I would love to make them myself, I have no wood-working tools and actually don't think I've ever cut anything but a straight line in wood before. I have the basic screwdriver set and maybe a wrench or two. Oh yeah, and a rubber mallet.
But I do agree with you about the shops using plastic spacer. A little history: The original install of my Boston Pros was done in a different car by the only high end shop in town. They used mdf spacers and the whole system sounded really nice. I changed cars and that shop had quit dealing car audio. There's a different shop that was selling Clarion pro, mbquart, and zappco and thought I'd give them a shot. They also used to sell bostons when shop #1 quit doing car audio. Anyway, this shop used plastic spacers. They said mdf didn't make that much difference. I had several install problems/complaints and didn't want to deal with them anymore. They seemed more into db than SQ. I try shop #3 in town that sells many reputible brands and has a pretty good rep as a shop. They also tell me that mdf spacers wouldn't make that much of a difference. So I tell them, something ain't right. My soundstage sounds terrible. No bass, no imaging. And while you are checking out what the problem is, slap in a jlaudio stealthbox and the 500/1. They turned my car back over to me still sounding bad. Sounded better with the sub, but the sub is not that great and way over priced. But I'm using it cause I want my cargo area and spare tire. I am still lacking the front soundstage, the most crucial part of everything. I thought about going out of town, but then any time I had a problem, I'd have to make the trip again. So I want to try some things on my own that I think are wrong before I completely give up.


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## Az! (Aug 4, 2001)

*Re: (jazzizdead)*

I'm reviving and old topic, it's basically what I'm doing, but no one has gone over the details much








I currently have Boston Pro 6.5 with only an 1/4" piece of pressboard as the spacer (Sound Advice did the job) in my Jetta IV. Long story short, the window is hitting the magnet and I need a thicker spacer and plan to use MDF.
My questions :
1. How thick can I have the MDF be w/o the speaker touching the speaker grill
2. What kind of screws do I use to attach the MDF to the door frame. I can figure out the length once I know how thick my MDF can be.
I want to get these answered before pulling the door off, b/c I need to use the car to get to home depot to get the right parts.







, The less times I have to pull off/put on the door, the better.
Thanks in advance


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## Little Red Wagon (Jun 7, 2002)

*Re: (Az!)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Az!* »_
My questions :
1. How thick can I have the MDF be w/o the speaker touching the speaker grill
2. What kind of screws do I use to attach the MDF to the door frame. I can figure out the length once I know how thick my MDF can be.


1. Your factory speakers are mounted with a 1 3/4" spacer. You can probably go even a little more if you wanted. The ones I made are 1 3/4". I cut 2 rings out of 1/2" MDF, 1 ring out of 3/4" MDF and then glued them all together. I was able to modify the OEM rubber baffle to mount to my Boston Pro's so the sound is 'guided' to the door grill and does not get lost in the door.
2. I plan on using studs to mount them to the doors. Half of the stud is a wood screw thread the other half is a machine screw thread. Pre-drill holes in the rings, thread the wood screw end of the studs into the rings. The machine screw end of the studs will go into the wholes that were used for the OEM rivets. Then use a ny-loc nut from the back to secure the ring to the door. You can get the studs at Home Depot. Or you could just use super long nuts and bolts.
I still owe *jazzizdead* a set of speaker rings, my project got delayed so I am just getting around to making them.


_Modified by Little Red Wagon at 11:39 PM 4-1-2004_


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## DJKeebler (Dec 6, 2001)

*Re: (Little Red Wagon)*

I got away fine with just using one piece of custom cut 3/4" MDF spacers for each of my speakers and have had no problems with the window mechanism hitting the magnet.


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## mtltdi (Apr 10, 2003)

*Re: (Little Red Wagon)*

I read somewhere that the MDF spacer cannot have an outside diameter of more than 6.75" care to dispel this myth little red wagon?


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## 1993jetta GL (Sep 17, 1999)

*Re: (mtltdi)*

6.75 is the measurement I stated, I'm right in the middle of installing a wild system in my car! I'm useing 2 3/4 MDF glued together and seems to set them out about right! the 6.75 seems to be dead on perfect for the outer diamater and you can get the specs on the cutout of the inner hole from the manufacturer (P.S. the Boston Pro 6.5 series speakers need a larger hole than the 5" stated buy them! also the tweets fit perfect in the OEM pods with light dremmel work, they stick out to far if not slid in the hole of the OEM housing!


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## mtltdi (Apr 10, 2003)

*Re: (1993jetta GL)*

cool. I'm putting Infinity Perfect 6.1's in my doors, so I used the trim ring to get the measurement for the inside diameter.
I'm also going with 1.5" of spacer cut from mdf with my dremel. I bought an adapter to keep the tool at 90 degrees to the work surface and it worked alright.


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## 1781ccT (Sep 3, 2002)

*Re: (Az!)*

Az!,
Thanks for reviving this thread! I wouldn't have known about the 6-3/4" max OD for the spacer, the proper spacer height, or how to secure the whole deal without pulling everything apart and figuring it out with trial and error.
Thanks, too, for those that put the information out here.


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

Some samples of spacers i have made. (I dont sell them, this is just for ideas)



































_Modified by placenta at 5:31 AM 6-14-2004_


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## jazzizdead (Jan 31, 2003)

*Re: (Little Red Wagon)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Little Red Wagon* »_

I still owe *jazzizdead* a set of speaker rings, my project got delayed so I am just getting around to making them.

_Modified by Little Red Wagon at 11:39 PM 4-1-2004_

Little Red Wagon, can't believe you remembered! I've been living with sub par sound all this time. Got busy with buying a house and all that comes with it, but would still love to do my speakers right. Now that winter's gone, I can stand to work out in my garage.


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## DJKeebler (Dec 6, 2001)

*Re: (placenta)*

Placenta, that's some nice, clean woodworking. Good job!!!


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## mtu_vw (Apr 24, 2001)

*Re: (placenta)*

I see u were running Focal's. Do you have both the polyglass and the K2's? How do u like them? Did it require using spacers to fit the speakers in what it appears to be a jetta?


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

yes i had both polyglass and K2Ps in my last car. The K2Ps were the best speaker ive owned, and ive owned a lot. If they werent $450 online, I'd prob buy another set. (I had to give them away with my trade in. 
Look at my "plac's stereo project" thread. I just finished my rear door spacer. It took me a couple days, a couple hours a night. I set up a 1.5" MDF spacer, which is two 3/4" MDF glued together. This is allowing me to put my Focal Polyglass in rear doors, its a perfect fit. The Focal tweets are also a perfect fit in stock location. Pics in my thread.


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

_Modified by placenta at 5:31 AM 6-14-2004_


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (placenta)*

hey guys, saw this thread, and just wondering, i've got a dremmel 35k rpm, and is there any piece or something that will let me cut those rings out of a piece of mdf? i really don't want to have to go guy a vice, saw etc


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## Az! (Aug 4, 2001)

*Re: (flashback)*

It would be about impossible to do it with a hand dremmel. Consider renting tools from a local HW store. Or, dive in and buy yourself some tools like I did. You'll need them again someday.


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## Az! (Aug 4, 2001)

*Re: (Az!)*

ACtually, I just read above, and another user used a dremmel. But he had a clamp/tool that kept it at 90 degrees. 
I don't know what attachment you'd use on the spinning end.


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (Az!)*

ya, the dremmel came with one 'cutting' bit, which i believe is for plastic and such, however i see on their website they have one for wood, i'm going to go pick one up at wallmart or somewhere tomorrow
one more question,
lets assume i have a 1.5" spacer(two 3/4" ones), about how much clearance do you all think i'll have to the window, i'm wanting to put in some alpine type r's which have a mounting depth of ~2 3/4", do yall think i'll be ok? or is that just too much?


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## Zoso (Sep 19, 2000)

*Re: (flashback)*

My boston pros (6.53's) came with a metal spacer that worked perfectly.


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## Az! (Aug 4, 2001)

*Re: (Zoso)*

I got my Boston Pro's 6.5 in with a single 3/4" mdf spacer. I removed the stock rivets so I could flush mount it. I drilled a 3 pilot holes then used sheet metal screws to attach it to the door.
Lastly I used silcone to create a seal where the spacer wasn't flush against the door


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## bradiroff (Mar 10, 2003)

*Re: (Az!)*

My Boston Pros 6.5 came with plastic spacers that worked just fine...I'll post pics later today... what are you having problems with?


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## spaceman_spiff (Sep 7, 2001)

*Re: (jazzizdead)*

jazz, define 'midwest' in your location... i'm in wisconsin and have access to plenty of woodworking stuff. if red wagon is too busy i can step in and make you some.
not tryin to step on any toes, just offerin' to help.


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## Stonewall78 (Aug 1, 2003)

*Re: (flashback)*


_Quote, originally posted by *flashback* »_ya, the dremmel came with one 'cutting' bit, which i believe is for plastic and such, however i see on their website they have one for wood, 

I forget the exact dremel part number but there is a rotery bit that is used for cutting out stuff. Use the dremel router attachement and just go slow. I have even cut out large sub holes etc this way. I just made extensions with new metal the same diameter as the stock ones and I could cut circles as large as I wanted.


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## spaceman_spiff (Sep 7, 2001)

*Re: (Stonewall78)*

go buy a cheapie $30 scroll saw. you're going to toast your $80 dremel and waste a lot of time in the proccess...


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (spaceman_spiff)*

hehe well i've only had my dremmel for aboug 2 weeks, so if it breaks its going back to wallmart, and as for the scroll saw, thats all great, but i don't have a propper work bench with a vice and all to hold the wood, i've taken many wood working courses and know my tools welll, i just don't own them








i'm definitely going to give the dremel thing a shot tho


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## GoosNit (Apr 12, 2001)

*Re: (flashback)*

I just cut my spacer rings for Focal PK2's last weekend. Followed C Christesen's advice on how to go about it.
I used 2 1/2" MDF rings and 1 3/4" rings for each side for a 1 3/4" spacer. Cutting the six rings is a time commitment (on the patio since mdf is such messy stuff) but they came out pretty clean. Just liquid-nailed em together. I have 3 dremels (just accumulated them) and can't imagine using them.
The best tool I think personally is the Roto-zip saw thingy. BTW some of them were recalled for safety (ones w/handles) one i have is blue w/o a handle... anway about I think about $60 at HD and well worth it. the circle-jig works and if you take your time cuts clean. Just BUY EXTRA BITS because the 3/4" burns 'em up. I also have a nice router which I know would make fast work of it-but don't consider myself all that good at using it yet.


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## spaceman_spiff (Sep 7, 2001)

*Re: (GoosNit)*

yes... the rotozip is faaaar more suited for the task. 
i'm just waiting to hear about this guy's smoking dremel.


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## bradiroff (Mar 10, 2003)

*Re: (spaceman_spiff)*

Here are my boston pro's, if your midbass looks like mine it should fit fine with the included hardware...


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (darb215)*

well i just picked up the 'multipurpose cutting bit' for wood.... its pretty genius.... i tried it out on this plank of wood that we randomly have in our garage and it seems to do a decent job and i'm guessing that mdf stuff should be easier to cut through than solid wood, so ill just have ot take my time and it should turn out fine
i saw the thing for keeping the dremel at a 90 deg angle, it was like 10 bucks more, and i really don't think itll b necessary


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## 00boravr6 (Nov 18, 2001)

*Re: (flashback)*

hey guys if i am keeping my monsoon amp how do i wire the crossover in for the boston acoustic speakers??? should i simply run the two woofer lines into the crossover and then split them from there or is there a crossover in the monsoon amp that already does this and therefore no crossover is needed...pardon my ignorance please help!!!! ASAP !!!!


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## spaceman_spiff (Sep 7, 2001)

*Re: (00boravr6)*

the crossover is in the amp. just run the wires for the midbass to the midbass and the tweeter to the tweeter.


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

umm thats incorrect...
The factory mid is 2 ohm. 95% of aftermarket mids are 4 ohm. In addition to changing your crossover point, you will also have half the loudness.


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## 00boravr6 (Nov 18, 2001)

*Re: (placenta)*

can you please go into a little more detail as the front 2 speakers are 4 ohm mids and the rears are 2 ohm mids...


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## spaceman_spiff (Sep 7, 2001)

*Re: (placenta)*

i don't see how that makes my statement that the crossover is built into the amp incorrect... it may not be a great idea, but that is how the amp works, is it not?


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

you put a different ohm load on any crossover, the crossover point is altered. 
i only had my rear out so far, so i dont know the ohms of the front mids, just the rears.


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## Stonewall78 (Aug 1, 2003)

*Re: (spaceman_spiff)*


_Quote, originally posted by *spaceman_spiff* »_go buy a cheapie $30 scroll saw. you're going to toast your $80 dremel and waste a lot of time in the proccess...

Actually the dremel would be fine if you take your time. The big brother to the dremel would be a better option but the small size of the dremal is nice to work with. For you info I cut out many rings as well as 11" sub holes and have not had one problem with my dremal at all. It was also a dreml rep that recommended the bit to me.


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## spaceman_spiff (Sep 7, 2001)

*Re: (Stonewall78)*

okay, i should have clarified my post i guess. the dremel is a great tool, very capable of many tasks -including this one. problem is, most people _won't_ take their time and will push the thing through the mdf like mad, and most likely end up toasting it's bearings. i can pull a camper with a geo metro. is it necessarily a good idea? no. can it be done? sure. are there better tools for the job? certainly.
and the sales rep will tell you it can do anything, including polish your car. "we have these 1" polishing wheels over here..."


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## jazzizdead (Jan 31, 2003)

*Re: (spaceman_spiff)*


_Quote, originally posted by *spaceman_spiff* »_jazz, define 'midwest' in your location... i'm in wisconsin and have access to plenty of woodworking stuff. if red wagon is too busy i can step in and make you some.
not tryin to step on any toes, just offerin' to help.









Spaceman, just saw your post. Been offline for a while. Nebraska is not close to Wisconsin, but I'd still appreciate the help if the offer is still good.
Peace http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## DJKeebler (Dec 6, 2001)

For you guys who used thinner spacers, either less than 1/2 MDF or the plastic versions, does having the speaker so far away from the grill affect sound quality? If you think about it, the OEM speaker is pretty thick so that it can get the speaker closer to the grill. If you mount the speaker with a thinner material then the OEM plastic piece, seems pretty logical it might not sound as good. Maybe muffled. 
I had my Fosgate 6 1/2" speakers on a single 3/4 MDF speaker in my previous car (99 Jetta) but I think I'm going to go with at least 1 1/2" of MDF this time to get the speaker closer to the grill and the thicker wood will allow me to angle the woofer toward the opposite listening position for better imaging. Anyone tried this?


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## 00boravr6 (Nov 18, 2001)

*Re: (DJKeebler)*

i got them completely installed and they sound great. i did not even have to alter the factory wiring so i can switch everything back to stock if i decide to....quite nice and an easy install.


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## GoosNit (Apr 12, 2001)

*Re: (00boravr6)*

Finished spacer rings for Focals...1 3/4" MDF just sprayed them black so they blend behind stock panels. also using those foam slimline baffles from crutchfield behind them just to protect the cones etc. hope to get some time this weekend to get em in. driving around w/no passenger door panel right now

















































_Modified by GoosNit at 7:59 PM 5-25-2004_


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

What Focals dude? I had to use a 1.5" spacer on the Focals in my rear door.


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## GoosNit (Apr 12, 2001)

*Re: (placenta)*


_Quote, originally posted by *placenta* »_What Focals dude? I had to use a 1.5" spacer on the Focals in my rear door.

good catch. i wrote 3/4" and meant 1 3/4"...edited post above.








the focals are pk2's for the front. I know what'll happen too-I'll love 'em, then buy a new set of focals for the rear panels and those will probably be better (hearing good stuff about the new focal tweeters...) anywho......


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

you mean Focal K2P?!?!?! 
Thats exactly what I had! My fav speaker of all time. And Ive been wondering if they fit in the jetta! I gave mine away with my last car. Best speaker ive owned in 15 years of car audio. HEY! I gotta know if the tweets fit in the stock locations!!!


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## phd-12v (Jun 13, 2001)

*Re: (spaceman_spiff)*


_Quote, originally posted by *spaceman_spiff* »_i don't see how that makes my statement that the crossover is built into the amp incorrect... it may not be a great idea, but that is how the amp works, is it not?
 while your post is correct, that is how it works, all speakers are designed differently---just because it has a crossover, doesnt mean it is the right crossover point, and slope for the speakers you are putting in--just a heads up


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## GoosNit (Apr 12, 2001)

*Re: (placenta)*

QUOTE=placenta]you mean Focal K2P?!?!?! [/QUOTE]
those are them







yeah heard good things glad you liked them too. the tweets fit great just have to remove factory tweets (plastic rivet thingies) dremel works good...then open the hole a tiny bit to allow for the TN45 (if that's the model # i forget) to snap into place. in the end they fit good and you can see a tiny bit of bling behind the factor grill


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

damn.. thats tempting.. i really wanted to cut it back a notch on this car. I spend way too much effort and work on my last car stereo. Went thru at least 8 different brands of amps. Cuz those K2P are pricey at $450-475/set. Thanks for the install info. I'll have to decide how far I want to go on this install. I was really eyeing Polyglass which are half that price.


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (placenta)*

eh... using an additional 1.5" spacer is there really any speaker that WON'T fit in our jettas/gtis?


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

K2Ps wouldnt. 1.75" is needed for the K2P. I used 1.5" for my polyglass install in the rear doors. 












































































_Modified by placenta at 5:30 AM 6-14-2004_


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (placenta)*

have any of yall made angled spacers? you know for like better sound imaging, some guy who knows his stuff told me to angle the top spacer so that the speaker is pointing up and toward the opposite passengers face, w/ our stock grills and such do yall think this would be real difficult to fit, asside from managing to make the spacer slightly angled


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

it would sound great. but im not good at angles personally, i only have a Sears jigsaw. But if you know how to do it, it will improve your sound.


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (flashback)*

I haven't angled mine, but I did make them sort of an oval shape to center the driver on the grill. With 1.75" thick round spacers, the cone is about 9/16" offcenter (high). So I offset mine 9/16" to center the cone and eliminate any blockage.


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## GoosNit (Apr 12, 2001)

*Re: (vedubau)*

good move, I know cchristesen did that...when he posted a while back on this same topic-he made ovals to center speakers in the grills. I said screw it for now and used round spacers but may go back and redo at some point.
BTW Thanks VW for not lining up the grills w/cut-out in doors! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## GoosNit (Apr 12, 2001)

*Re: (GoosNit)*

HAHA YOU ARE CCHRISTESEN! I RECALL YOUR WEBSITE








u musta changed your handle at some point...good stuff http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (GoosNit)*

Oh Man! You figured me out!







Yea I changed it because I got the vanity plate and thought, why not match.


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (vedubau)*

hey man, i looked at your website, what kinda speakers are those? focals? or the pioneer rev's?


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (flashback)*

Focal 165K2 components


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

*Re: (vedubau)*

man i gotta get K2Ps now.. now that i know they fit.. i cant even buy them yet, but im gonna hold out. i want the best..


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

*Re: (flashback)*


_Quote, originally posted by *flashback* »_hey man, i looked at your website, what kinda speakers are those? focals? or the pioneer rev's?

holy crap, thats the nicest VW install work Ive seen yet.


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (vedubau)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vedubau* »_I haven't angled mine, but I did make them sort of an oval shape to center the driver on the grill. With 1.75" thick round spacers, the cone is about 9/16" offcenter (high). So I offset mine 9/16" to center the cone and eliminate any blockage.

sound pretty genius.. i wasn't aware that the stock speakers were offset from the speaker grills, do you have any close up pics w/ the door pannel off of your speakers? i'm just trying to get an idea of what these 'oval' rings would be like? i mean did you just make them ovals?? i mean if you did that woudln't there be gaps and what not on the sides? eh anyways if you just have any better pics or could explain it more i'd really appreciate it. thanks!


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (flashback)*

My website really sucks right now...haven't had much time.







But I do have a picture on there that is 800X531 resolution and I may have some others I could email you if you like. Also, as soon as I can find some time, I want to do a CAD drawing and parts list of the spacers.


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (placenta)*

placenta: If you are talking about my car, thank you very much! I don't think its anywhere near the best, but I am pretty happy with it


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

ya you. i love focal speakers. but ill admit im surprised you didnt use any sound deadening in your doors, given the quality of the rest of your install.


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (placenta)*

Actually, there is Dynamat Extreme covering the regulator panel. I took the pictures before I applied the Dynamat


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

is the regulator panel that silver insert type section? do you feel that is the only place you need sound deadening? thats one thing thats gonna stress me out during my install. i hate dynamatting.


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## vedubau (Jan 17, 2001)

*Re: (placenta)*

Yes, thats the silver panel which was worth the effort. I would like also like to do the outer sheetmetal, but I am waiting to see if my regulator fails. I can just see VW blame the broken clips to my Dynamat modification







If it does not fail soon, I plan on replacing the clips myself and doing the Dynamat at the same time.


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (vedubau)*

hehe i noticed on my gti... as far is the rear is going.... its just direct access to the sheet metal... i duno if this a good or bad thing hehe


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (flashback)*

awe... all the pics went away.... anyways i actually just cout out 3 of my 4 rings today(had to stop b/c neighbors are trying to sleep or something














), anyways, so far so good, heres my plan, i noticed, like the other guy on here, the offset of the speakers... they are moved what looks like ~ 1/4" toward the front of the car from where they should be(which would the the absolute middle of the grill) so istead of making 'oval' spacers to simply move the speaker over, i'm going to try and use this to my advantage so i can aim them back toward the driver and passenger, since there is already that offset, it should give me a decent angle to work with so that everything is going straight through the speaker grill, i'm going to try and simply add some bondo to the backs of one of the back rings to make this angle, howeveri'm not real sure how well bondo + wood is going to do, so this should be interesting, any comments... anyone?
btw the speakers i'm using are the kicker RS6(matched resolution components) 6.5", good stuff


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## placenta (Jun 3, 2003)

i switched webhosts over the weekend, i fixed my pics.


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (placenta)*

ugh, found out that the speakers are actually offset to the opposite side that i was wishing...(they're offset toward the back of the car).... so i guess i'll just have to slide my rings over a bit and hope that i can get as far as just getting the speaker to the middle of the grill







... i guess no aiming for me


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (flashback)*

i finished my speakers and EVERYTHING aaah i'm soooo happy








my spacers are not only offset, but also angled, i cant wait to post pics, but i'm going to keep this on the DL until my DIY mkiv stereo thread is done


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## chaosparvus (Dec 5, 2000)

*Re: (flashback)*

give us a few pics as a sneak preview







. I am going to be taking out the entire interior next weekend, if you have any advice or pics relating to that it would be awesome.
Also, I'd like to see you spacers, perhaps I can convince my installer to do something similar (installing 5.25" wolfers, the price was right)

_Quote, originally posted by *flashback* »_i finished my speakers and EVERYTHING aaah i'm soooo happy








my spacers are not only offset, but also angled, i cant wait to post pics, but i'm going to keep this on the DL until my DIY mkiv stereo thread is done


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (chaosparvus)*


_Quote, originally posted by *chaosparvus* »_give us a few pics as a sneak preview







. I am going to be taking out the entire interior next weekend, if you have any advice or pics relating to that it would be awesome.
Also, I'd like to see you spacers, perhaps I can convince my installer to do something similar (installing 5.25" wolfers, the price was right)



awwww ok fine here ya go, and btw w/ 5.25" woofer it should be even easier to offset them more so you can get a better aiming angle...
now before you jump and do this here are a few words of wisdom... this peticular process was one of the(the not the signle) most time consuming part of my project, i'm not going to go int odeep detail here, but i will in my diy thread, if you've got a question feel free to ask
i'm not by any stretch an SQ expert however my ear is trained for some of the basics..
a few things from what i can tell:
1. stock woofers, i felt like the sound stage was somewhere arround my stomach
2. with this setup i feel like the stage has raised to somewhere about my chest or maybe my neck... the difference is quite astonishing, not completely perfect by any means, but you will definitely notice it compared to the stock setup
and now for a little teaser... ok well its more than a teaser.. but not quite hte whole thing so call it what you want

















































I used two MDF rings, the first, bolted to the door is 3/4" thick, the second one is .5" thick and it is angled using bondo, i had a .5" thick piece of wood as the spacer before i started stuffig the bondo in, so that top ring is ~1" on one side and .5" on the other

i hope that sorta gives you an idea... and from the sheet metal to the grill on the door panel i'd estimate you have about two inches to work with, but since its angled its actually alright if the edge of your speaker is against hte grill(mine is and the speaker never can actually hit the grill b/c of the angle)


_Modified by flashback at 6:55 AM 7-21-2004_


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## hodgie (Sep 28, 2001)

*Re: (flashback)*

You can get more angle than that. I am the one who told flashback how to do this, how about a little credit?







http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1471144 You can get 1 7/8 big end and 5/8 or less small end. The small depends on the woofer depth. Trying to figure out the angle was the hard part, construction was easy, but I have a lot of power tools.


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (hodgie)*

haha ya man ok i'll give some credit to you, but i had already made bondo angled rings by the time i talked to you, but for some reason i was thinking i could used a 3/4 mdf ring w/ another 3/4 angled ring on top(so one end would be 3/4 and the other end would be about 1.25" which would end up being way too much space in thereand as for more of an angle... well with 6.5" woofers (atleast mine) they want so much room on the sides that is really hard to offset enough so that you could have an angle that wouldn't be shooting into the door, i know that you said you made a dispersion guide using a plastic flower pot w/ dynamat, however in my case(and i'll assume in others) an angle any more than mine would end up causing more bad than good
once again your woofers may have a design that permits better placement, however i know that mine had its limits and i'm sure others will find theirs to be slightly different as well
and btw i'm not sure that dispersion guide of yours is as good as possible, i actually sorta cut up the factory one(which according to a lof of audio ppl on here and other places is really amazing for directing music, i duno y, but it is) so io think you might be loosing music w/ your setup instead of redirecting it, might wanna give it a shot, however i am sorta talking out my ass here and all i'm saying is modifyhign the factory ones worked for me


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## hodgie (Sep 28, 2001)

*Re: (flashback)*

I don't care about any credit, just kidding you. As far as the dispersion, you really don't want to redirect, just couple the sound pressure to the cabin and not inside the door panel. The plastic I used for the dispersion guide is corrugated so as not to have any smooth surface which might cause reflection of frequencies in the vocal range. I am considering lining the guide so as to reduce further the reflected sound. The factory rubber ring is soft rubber, so it does couple the driver to the cabin space very well without causing a lot of reflected sound. The way I did it worked a little better in the way it mounted, but those factory rings should work very well too if you can get to work with your setup. 
I totally agree that this has to be tweeked according to the drivers used. BTW, glad to here you got yours done, but sorry it was such a pain.







Everything is much easier if you have the right tools.


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (hodgie)*


_Quote, originally posted by *hodgie* »_BTW, glad to here you got yours done, but sorry it was such a pain.







Everything is much easier if you have the right tools.









haaha right on man, i can't tell you how much i wish i had just paid the 70 bucks or so for a rotary saw instead of using the dinky $15 dremmel attachement to cut the rings, but on a good note, the .5" ring that i cut(the oen which the speaker sits agains and the shape really matters) i could cut trhough it fairly easily... but for the .75" thick stuff it really is a pain the ass.... i actually went through two dremmels just cutting them(luckily lowes kept replacing them







)
that being said, make sure u've got the right stuff to start out with otherwise your in for a lot of frustration and wasted time


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## Steveodeluxe (Mar 26, 2004)

Hey guys, I know that this topic is old, but if anyone who was involved with it is still checking it out, could you help me? I'm pretty good with making things, but I have very limited space and garage access right now so I have to make everything before I put it in. Heres the deal...I have an 02 GTI with the monsoon system but the speakers suck. I know I have to make the spacers and thats fine, but is all the work worth it for a set of alpine sps 170a's in the front and a set of sps171a's in the back? Will they even fit because they are the "6 1/2 6 3/4" style that 'fits both 6 /1/2 and 6 3/4 locations (bs...I had to fight those things to get them in my old MK3. And do I power them with the stock wires from the monsoon amp? If it sounds just a little bit better then stock I'll be happy.


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## flashback (Nov 23, 2003)

*Re: (Steveodeluxe)*

er.... sps170a's.... not great speakers, i'd say your definitely better off with the monsoon speakers until you can afford to shell out a lot of money on an external amp dedicated toa new set of really nice set of component speakers


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