The Install

MacLeod

Pretty simple stuff but just for **** and grins I thought Id post my MM6 install pics.

Step #1 the baffles. I used 1/2" Birch Plywood cause its stronger and they didnt have any 2'x2' sheets of MDF.

These speakers are going into 6x9 holes so I had to make these big enough to cover the opening.

I covered the top of the baffles with Dynamat Extreme for added vibration damping.

Unfortunately thats all I can do today. Im going over to my pop's to take him out for his birthday! Damn it Im sick of waiting!! :mad:

MacLeod

Damn it, this was supposed to be in the first one.

MacLeod

Fit just right.

audiobliss

Man, those look so nice.......making me jealous and regretful......lol

MacLeod

Dude, theyre built like a sub! Heavy as hell!

Definitely a heavy duty speaker.

exalted512

get em in the damn truck already!!
-Cody

swerve

Cool!

Nice thumb as well

--adam

AustinKP

They're even more beautiful in person

MacLeod

Originally posted by exalted512
get em in the damn truck already!!
-Cody

Hopefully tomorrow. Its supposed to rain and possibly spit snow tomorrow not to mention being cold as hell! :mad:

Its gonna take me a while to stick em in. My doors are a **** to work with so itll take me probably 30 minutes at least to get them in there and mounted securely.

Then Ive got to find the best place to mount my tweets then Ive got to mount them. I figure it will take about 3 hours.

Then Ive got to change my oil! :mad:

AustinKP

Originally posted by MacLeod
Then Ive got to change my oil!

Least you'll have some quality tunes to keep you company

VR3

Originally posted by AustinKP
They're even more beautiful in person

The speakers, or his thumb??

MacLeod

Finally! Guess how long it took? 4 effing hours!!!

Its been in the 50's for the last week but today it is in the low 30's with 50 mph winds! Its freaking cold out there. So I would go out and work for about 20 to 30 minutes then have to run inside for 15 minutes to warm back up.

Then my baffles kept hitting the door skin so I couldnt get it on. I would try to see where it was hitting then run upstairs and cut it off. Then run back downstairs only to find it wasnt enough. 5 times I had to do this!! :mad:

Then I had to figure out where to mount the tweets. I was going to go with the dash but the way its set up the only way I could mount them would be firing straight up into the windshield. So I opted for the mirror sail. Then I tested the tweet in the surface cup and couldnt get it back out cause it was so cold. I had to come back inside and use a hair dryer to warm up the plastic so I could get it out.

All in all it took about 2.5 hours to do the drivers door and less than an hour for the passenger door.

But theyre in. They sound damn good although I havent got them dialed in yet. My imaging sucks. I was hoping it would be better but my stock speaker locations coupled with my truck being 20 feet wide and its pretty much hopeless.

Oh well, Ill tweak them over the next few days and see how it goes. Ill put some pics up in a minute. I just came in here to warm up. Its 28 out there with a windchill of 11! I dont think Im going to change my oil today.

audiobliss

rofl....I don't think I would, either. Yeah, show us some pics!!

MacLeod

OK. This is the "modified" baffle after 5 gawddamned trips back upstairs to get it to fit. It barely does and it takes a lot of elbow grease to get the door panel back on. The passenger one fits pretty good.

I have quite a bit of Tsunami Silencer on both the inner and outer door panel. I didnt put any on the outside cause the outer panel is not solid and I didnt want to take the OEM cover off.

You can also see where I ran the tweet wire thru the hole for one of the door latches. I already had my tweet wires ran to the door as I was bi-amping my Momo 6x9s.

MacLeod

After that ordeal and figuring I couldnt mount the tweets anywhere else with much success I decided on this location. As of now I have them aimed towards the center between the drivers and passengers seats but Ill probably tweak it as I go along to get better imaging.

Super-mega-kudos to Polk for the swivel tweeter mount! F'ing ingenius! Makes tweaking sooooo much easier!

MacLeod

oops. forgot the pic.

MacLeod

And this would be with the door closed. the passenger side sail was wide open but the drivers side had limited room to mount without firing directly into the dash.

Either way I think this was the best location.

I shouldve spent the extra bones and had a shop dye the tweeter braket the same color as the sail panel but I was tired of waiting....plus Im broke now!

You can also see that damn crack in my windshield. $200 to replace. You see what I spent my $200 on!!

VR3

Lookin good, you can install things in my car anytime... haha

Very nice!

Lets see pics with the door panel on!

MacLeod

This is where I stuck the x-overs.

No bitching about the mess. This is totally TEMPORARY (plus I hadnt cleaned up yet so its not as bad as it looks). Im just using this amp board til I get my new sub and box squared away. Then Ill make a proper amp rack and hide the wires.

The little black box at the top with the MTX sticker on it is my current box. Its .29 ft3 with an 8 firing down. The amp at the top is the VR404 which powers my MM6's and its right up against the box with. I want to keep my amps like this for cooling and its easier to get to their controls. However that leaves me next to no room for a box. Im wanting to use a MM2104 but Im just not sure its gonna be possible. A .66 ft3 box in that small a space may be hopeless.

MacLeod

I just took a drive around the block and these things sound great! Very clean and clear with great detail!

The imaging is better than I thought. Still a bit scattered across the stage but its up nice and high at a little above dash level.

Imaging aside (which is more to do with installation and angles) I absolutely love these speakers! Theyre smooth, clean, clear and detailed and a little more natural than the Carbon series. They flat out smoke anything in their $300 price range and would easily hold their own with most of the $400+ boys!

Polk rules!

exalted512

everything looks fantastic!!! im glad you like everything and clean up that mess and build an amp rack!!;)
it was in the 70s here...gotta love south texas:D
-Cody

MacLeod

Yup. I miss it sometimes. Im planning a trip out there sometime in Jan to see me mum.

I would build the amp rack now but it depends on how my sub box has to be made. I wish the MM2104 didnt need such a big box!

VR3

Well, you can build a rack with 3 sides, no??

Looks like your in luck!!!



Looking good, I think I will definetely be getting into CA - atleast a lil bit...nothing special

swerve

Looks good, I like the mess too... it adds a sort of a "i don't care" feel to it. I'd leave it for a nice touch!

-adam

MacLeod

Well I think Ive got them tuned about as good as I can get it.

As of now, the tweet gain is set at 9:00, the mid at 10:00 and the x-over is at -3 db. The tweeters are aimed at each other.

The imaging is not all that bad at high volumes. The left and center are a little jumbled tho.

L......C...............................R
..........O...........................X

Thats a crude map. The O is the steering wheel and the X is my head unit right in the center of the dash. Every once in a while I get a little from the passenger door but for the most part the right is a little bit past the center of the dash. The height is about right. Its a bit over the steering wheel about 1/4 way up the dash
At low volumes tho the stage colapses pretty much. The left and center locate right to the left tweeter and the right is all the way to the other door!

Either way, I think this is a pretty good stage considering the size of my truck and that Im using the crappy stock locations.

Now if I can just get them to sound the way I thought I remembered they sounded. Never buy speakers I guess if the only time you heard them was on a CC soundboard about a year and a half ago.

exalted512

well im glad you tuned it to "loud" and not "soft"

you say that you cant get them to sound how you remember they sounded...so are you not pleased with them or??
i compared one of my iridiums mid bass to my diamonds today while i was waiting for the box to dry(the bottom will be done tomorrow and hopefully 1 layer on the top). all i can say is i see a pattern when i upgrade my speakers. more clarity, less bass. i dont really understand why a 3-way would have less bass than a 2-way component set...but whatever floats your boat i guess. im sure i wont have a problem in the bass department any how...
anyway, itll be a couple days before i can start working on my front stage. but as soon as i get the first layer down on the top, the rest should fly by.
-Cody

swerve

Cody!!! hop on AIM if you have a minute or 2... or just post back, what kind of speakers did you rec. over the mmc's?

thanks

-adam

audiobliss

sweet, Mac....keep it up!!!

exalted512

Originally posted by swerve
Cody!!! hop on AIM if you have a minute or 2... or just post back, what kind of speakers did you rec. over the mmc's?

thanks

-adam

oops...
i recommended speakers over the mmcs??

swerve

yea-you did, but don't post here i already get people sidetracked enough.

-adam

MacLeod

Im wondering if the problem is that Im running the mids from 70 Hz all the way up and using the natural roll off instead of a high pass. Im getting kind of a "ringing" with higher frequencies like some guitar or higher note vocals. I wouldnt think that would be a problem tho as the MM6 x-over has a "Midrange Extension" switch that runs the mid at full range. I wouldnt think they would put that on there if the mid wasnt capable of handling the higer frequencies. Besides, I was running my MMC690's the exact same way and the 6x9 mid sounds better than the MM6! The MM6 tweeter is much better tho.