Instalation Help with MM465...

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Hello!

I am the owner of a Lotus Elise, a very small British Sports Car. I would like to install a polk/MOMO MM465 component set within the car as professional as possible, so I have a few questions.

The Components will be driven by a Orion Cobalt CS100.2 amp, approx 50watts RMS at 4 ohms. The head Unit is a JVC KD-SH99. I will be using Rockford Fosgate Riot 13 guage speaker wire for the Drivers, and Riot interconnect cable, from head to amp. I will use the supplied speaker wire for the Tweeters.

The Drivers will need to be mounted behind me, in small enclosures, and these are very small, but made to mount 6.5" speakers. I assume that they will need to be dampened on the inside, with some form of dynamat, and with filler? I read something about these being open air design speakers, but I am afraid that these will be in enclosures. Will this be a problam for the drivers? Should I cut a hole in the enclosures after dampening them as a port, and seal the speaker to the enclosure with gasketing material? I understand that these speakers can reproduce a good bass sound, and my car is terribly small, so this should be easy to achieve, but the mounting of them in small plastic enclosures, with dampening, makes me wonder how it will sound, and if I am on the right track to proper mounting, with what I have. there is simply nowhere else to mount them.

The Tweeters will mount somewhere within the dashboard, as I have little choice as to where they can go, I assume this will sound fine, as the Tweeters/Drivers will be at most four feet away from each other on an equal plane.

I cannot think of much more, other then I will be dampening whereever else the car vibrates at, being the interior is all aluminium. Your assistance is greatly appreciated in achieving a great sounding audio system!

Thank you,

James

Systems

Hello Kim,

Thank you for your help.

It has now generated more questions. The "enclosures" that I mention in the car are behind the seats, and I am wondering if I have chosen the right words to describe them. They are pods, that are attached to an aluminium panel. Each Pod is shaped to accomodate one 6.5" speaker, and they are not sealed, as they are open to the panel behind them. I assume that they are similar to a kick panel, or to mounting the speaker in a door, but they have little interior volume. They are made of plastic which is why I know I must dampen them. So what exactly is meant by "free air"?

Currently filling those pods are Sony ES 3-way 6.5 speakers, and they sound good, but I wanted some front staging, so that is why I want to get the MM465 component set. If I do mount the Tweets with the Drivers, then I will have the effect that I already have. I do not have any room in the front of the car for anything larger then a tweeter, and nothing can be put in the doors, so are you suggesting that I stick with my 3-ways behind me, and mount some Tweets in the front to sperate my sound a bit? I figured that the interior of the car being as small as it was, it was ok to have highs in the front, and mid/low from behind. Should I not put anything in the front at all? I also have and can mount a very small powered SubWolfer behind the seats just maybe six inches below and between the two speaker pods on a shelf. I assume that this will enhance bass range in the car. Would this help my speakers. I honestly have no where to mount the 6.5" drivers except in these pods, or in a custom box that would fit on the shelf behind the seats, which is not "free air" from what I am reading from you.

Also a question about the crossovers, are the frequencys adjustable? I understadn the speakers are good down to 50hz, does the crossovers already cut off below 50Hz, or should I use the HPF of my amp to achieve this? As well, is it ok for me to adjust the HPF for any distortion in the car as necessary, or can I do this from the crossovers themselves? I believe that with only 50 watts RMS driving them, they may have some problem with low freqs, and I would rather just cut them out, then listen to Distortion. As I said, I have a powered sub I can install to make up for lost bass if need be, but I am hoping that I will not need to.

Trying to get a component set in my car, for front and rear sound, Am I just wrong?

P.S. I can send pictures of anything you would like to see, if it may help.

Thank you so very much, and hoping this works...

James Hochmuth

Systems

Hello again Kim,

Thank you for your help. From your last post, I assume that the crossovers have some form of adjustments for the HPF/LPF. I had read the manual in Pdf, and didn't see that info mentioned.

As far as the installation goes, there is absolutely no room in the footwells for speakers, nor underneath the dashboard. This car is small, think go-cart, and add a passenger. All the room for any kind of speakers is in the rear, and I will attach some pictures to look at so you know what I mean. These pictures are not of my car, but I am set up the same, I just have different speakers currently installed.

There is the slim possibility that I could mount small three inch speakers in the front dash for a front soundstage, but that would require custom mounts which is beyond my skill, and currently working in Italy, I am not sure I could find that skill here. But if I could, how does that sound for a complement to the MM465 components? Assuming that I COULD mount them behind me properly. I am beginning to believe this is not going to work.

Which brings me to my next question, is the MM455 a better choice for me?

Thank you,

James Hochmuth

Systems

Here is another picture of the rear area of my car...

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Made a mistake last time...

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Here is the last shot from the rear shelf...

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Just curious, were my pictures helpful at all with my questions? Based on what I have to work with, should I go with the Polk MM-455? Or is there another speaker setup that could be suggested, with a small Subwoffer to make up for lack of Bass?

Thank you for your time and help...

James Hochmuth

Systems

Hello,

I seem to have lost the attention of the professionals who can help me here. I do wish to install a nice system, I would like to install a set of Polk/Momo component speakers, I have included pictures of my enclosures and back panel. What else am I missing?

I am wondering if I should go for the MM455 instead of the MM465? Should I use them with a Subwoofer? I have a subwoofer that will fit on the shelf in the pictures. Should I remove the enclosures and make my own? Or should I scrap the whole idea of using the Polk/Momo components?


Any help will be appreciated.

James Hochmuth