22 replies to this topic

[dangerous_daveo]

Ok, quick to the point question.

If I have my doors sound deadened, I get more midbass, better sound in general, less road noise correct?

Now if all the access holes in the door are also sealed up, with say mdf, or aluminium sheeting, then also SD, how much better will this be?

Question is purely from bang for buck from the SQ point of view.

Is the extra time and money (say in this case for $200 extra to seal up doors) worth it. Or would that $200 be better spent on something else, such as part of a new set of speakers/amp????

Keeping in the back of your head that new speakers will probably go in eventually anyway. (after thought that bit)

Thanks!

[~Spyne~]

i have no idea why it will cost u $200 extra to have the doors sealed up, on top of the sd price, all it is, is some mdf over the service holes.

but to answer u question, yes it is definitely worth it to have the doors SD'd AND sealed (service holes covered with mdf)
this provides an 'enclosure' for the speaker, improving sound

someone else like shiny will be able to get more techincal, and probably more convincing...but answer will be the same (or u can have one of my legs)

[shiny_car]

sealing the doors (ie: covering the service holes) should actually improve midbass more than just the sound deadening, and arguably a better option between the 2. the SDing will reduce resonance/rattles, but improve midbass to a lesser degree.

but i agree that you should have both done at the same time as it's usually not a big deal to seal them. you can even do without the mdf and simply apply a piece of SDer over the hole which will be ok. mdf underneath or separately will provide a more solid covering though.

it can be a DIY project to keep costs down.

[dangerous_daveo]

Its an older car so mdf probably wouldnt be the best option due to potential water seapage, hence aluminium (which also doenst rust...)

And DIY also isnt really an option, lack of time mostly, I can make more money than Im going to save by doing it myself. Also its a rearish import, if Im more likely to stuff something than a pro, if its stuffed, ie door skin, good luck to me to find a replacement one!

If someone could get a little bit more technical as to why it would increase midbass tho, I understand that less road noise will get thru so sealing will help that, but as to midbass etc, Im still unsure.

As I said above I have done a search, really helped, but not with what Im after.

[stazed]

http://www.fastfoursforumscarclub.com/temp...dios/faq.asp#27

That should answer nearly every question you have/will have.

[shiny_car]

dangerous_daveo said:

If someone could get a little bit more technical as to why it would increase midbass tho, I understand that less road noise will get thru so sealing will help that, but as to midbass etc, Im still unsure.

bass, like with subs, depends on a decent 'enclosure' for the speaker. if it's leaky you'll lose all the bass. sealing over the holes helps create a far better 'sealed' enclosure.

the sound deadener itself does nothing to seal the door really, unless it's placed over the holes (as i suggested, it's one way of doing it). with mdf, you'll need to moisture-proof it by painting it with undercoat.

[DeeCee]

shiny_car said:

sealing the doors (ie: covering the service holes) should actually improve midbass more than just the sound deadening, and arguably a better option between the 2. the SDing will reduce resonance/rattles, but improve midbass to a lesser degree.

but i agree that you should have both done at the same time as it's usually not a big deal to seal them. you can even do without the mdf and simply apply a piece of SDer over the hole which will be ok. mdf underneath or separately will provide a more solid covering though.

it can be a DIY project to keep costs down.

haha - you need to SD the doors cos the mids will be rattling them!!

[dangerous_daveo]

Anyway, back to the question. Sorry if I wasnt too clear.

Is it worth the extra $200, or would my money be better spent going towards getting a bigger/better front driver?

Yes its a decision only I can make, however if someones done both set ups in the same car with the same speaker and can say 'if it was my money, Id spend the $200' or 'Id never waste money like that again'.

Thanks.

[micka]

$300 speakers installed properly with $200 worth of deadener and mdf to seal and deaden doors SHOULD (read will) sound better than $500 speakers slapped in willy-nilly; If that's what you're asking

[dangerous_daveo]

micka said:

$300 speakers installed properly with $200 worth of deadener and mdf to seal and deaden doors SHOULD (read will) sound better than $500 speakers slapped in willy-nilly; If that's what you're asking

Not as such. Im saying the doors will be deadened regardless. Sealing them properly is extra, as it involves extra product, and labour.

So say doors deadened (as in properly, just not sealed up acces holes) deadened on the door skin as well, and some foam stuff behind the speakers themselfs. Now after doing that would I notice a significant difference spending the money to have the access holes sealed up as well.

[shiny_car]

i expect there's an 'inbetween' option. or see what they offer if you won't DIY.

as i eluded to earlier, one way of sealing the holes is to slap SDer straight over them. sure, it won't be as rigid as an mdf/aluminium panel, but it'll be pretty good. far better than open holes, and far cheaper than $200. in fact, it may take no extra SDing material cos they just won't have to cut the holes out which they would otherwise do i expect.

i think that would definitely be worth it. otherwise, make the time and do it yourself and save $200.

[stazed]

you're getting charged $200 to seal the holes in your doors?

By my calculations thats about FOUR HOURS of work at industry rates.
It does not take two hours to seal one door if you know what you're doing.

Me-thinks you should find another shop to go to who aren't trying to rip you off.

As an example, if you went to my preferred NSW store, in 2 hours you would have the doors completely sealed and sound deadened. Both doors, that is. At worst it might be three hours. What extra product? It's some duct tape over the hole, then the piece of mdf, then more tape. Maybe $10 in timber + tape?

[dangerous_daveo]

I wasnt after knocking the shop.

As stated above its an older car, water can and or will get in the doors. I have seen painted mdf after about 30mins in water (ie bit of rain), paint dont work. So as also stated above it would be done properly once, using aluminium (which wont rust) sikaflex to seal it/stick it, and also rivits. $200 was also just a figure, including product.

[shiny_car]

sounds like it's worth doing, otherwise your door trims will be in trouble from the water. :|

but seriously, i think you'll get better 'instant' results by spending an extra $200 on the splits themselves. but ultimately, to get the best from them, you'll want the doors SDed and sealed up. just a matter of $$ and when. so sort out the equipment first, then work on the doors as a future upgrade. also ensure the woofers are ok in moisture-prone doors. i've heard about some speakers like focal kevlar cone ones can warp from excessive moisture.