07 Corolla Sound Quality Build Audison Bit One

[Grogger]

Hey Folks, I just wanted to share my Sound Quality Upgrades on my 07 Corolla.

I have had a basic 2 way passive front setup using Polk Db6502s for a few years with a nice JL 12 w6 sub in the trunk. I came across a great price on a used Audison Bit One and went for it to build a 3 way active front setup. You can see my equipment and system design in the image below.

Initial install of the 6.5 woofer and 1 in tweeter in the sail panel.



Sound deadening with 80 mil Noico on the drivers door and plastic interior panel. I also deadened the passenger door, trunk, and beneath the rear seat. I still intend to do the floor under driver and passenger feet and ceiling panels as well. I was amazed at the difference to reduced rear tire noise after doing the rear seat!



I've completed all the work on the install. I'm just digging out my pictures and documenting the work to share with you. More posts and pics to come. (-;

[Grogger]

For the mids I chose CDT's ES02 2 in. speakers that come in pre-made plastic pods. They have a pretty high 100w rms power rating, were priced well, and came with the mounting etc with the pods. Although it's not as clean as fiberglass A pillars, I'm satisfied with the look and function. Also these mids are really close to the tweeters, so time alignment is a bit simpler. Also the small size of the speakers made for a more streamlined look on the dash rather than larger 3 or 4 in. speakers.



Amp Rack preparation before RCA's and speaker wires.

[Grogger]

Here is the amp rack mounted in the trunk. I mounted it on the subwoofer box as I don't have lots of space in the trunk. I bolted a toolbox in the trunk (big orange box) to protect my tools from being stolen from inside the car as they were a couple years ago.
Soon I will take a couple updated photos as I adjusted the amp grounding and tightened up some of the speaker wires attempting to eliminate some engine whine. That improved things, but I'm still trying to get rid of the engine noise from the front speakers.



Picture of the Alpine CDE 143BT headunit with a Clarion EQ that is basically just boosting the voltage on the RCAs as a line driver currently.
Also pics of my tuning in progress. It's kind of fun hooking up a computer to my car's sound system. Just feels high tech!! Yes, I'm a nerd. You probably are too, or you wouldn't read this thread anyway. (-;

[Grogger]

I do intend to build a small plastic plate from cutting board to install the wired Audison DRC remote on the console below the HVAC controls. I will just cover up a storage spot that I had accidentally already broken the door off of when I originally installed the head unit 4 years ago.

More pics to come. Thanks for checking out my build!!!

[mumbles]

Nice work so far, and yes we are a bunch of geeks around here!

I've found that cutting board tends to crack when used in a car environment due to the heat I suppose... just a heads up.

[Grogger]

Thanks Mumbles! That's good to know about cutting board plastic. Interesting.

[Grogger]

Here are some updated pics of the amp rack. I just cleaned up the wiring a bit hoping to get rid of the engine noise as well.



I also created grounds for the main amps separate from the ground block. Unfortunately that did not eliminate the ground noise either. I believe it's still wiser practice at least in theory to keep them separate anyway.