Quick note: I am not going to include any of my old build(s) on here. I am moving on from that - far away. I am also not going to be updating much along the way, and definitely not at all on DIYMA, until everything is done and done right. I want to avoid the, err, overly critical eyes of some of the Monday morning quarterbacks on DIYMA (not naming, but it ain't hard to figure out), and I also may well end up changing everything yet again if I don't like it. So, this build will be slow.
As some of you may know, the Monte was hit by a tornado not long ago and I decided to just start over, essentially. This was a few weeks ago.
I am the tornado
After several years and more screwups than successes in building, I resolved to start completely over after Finals. Enough was enough - I was fed up with taking 5% of my time building and 95% of my time tuning and trying to fix things that couldn't be fixed with EQ. I didn't have a plan laid out, but I went ahead and tore up the car anyhow. It was the first step in what is going to be a very long journey.
This past weekend at Erin's GTG, I was fortunate enough to demo his reference system with the doors closed and relatively little outside noise. It was enlightening, to say the least. Later, I hopped in his Civic shortly before I left. It was in that car that I had sort of an epiphany about where I was at and where I needed to go with the system. I had no idea how to get there, but I had a goal. A destination. But, as many of us have found out through our own attempts, that's simply not enough. There is the hard way, and there is the right way. Every past iteration of my build has been the former. I was always in a rush; I didn't always use the right tools; I had no prior experience or knowledge in any of the stuff I built; and worst of all, I took shortcuts. Lots of them. And it shows.
Like a 12-step program, the journey begins with admitting you have a problem: I was clueless. I didn't know nearly enough about sound, and how and why we hear what we do. I didn't know how to build anything either, I mostly improvised and half-assed. To my great fortune, I had a few kind souls who have so graciously educated me on all of the above, and continue to do so. Mentors, perhaps (if you don't have at least one of these guys yet, get one. They are out there, and they are invaluable). Whatever comes of this build, and what will set it apart from my previous failures, is due in large part to their donated time and generosity.
With that prelude out of the way...
Currently the car is in the same state as above. I have found it necessary to deconstruct it even further though. I have ordered new mids, and they'll be here tomorrow. That's when testing really begins and the build takes off. The past couple weeks have been spent learning as much as I can that I didn't know before, planning out several different iterations to test, and eyeing that naked dashboard menacingly.
To be continued, one day...