1" tweeters in factory location?

[ptownTSI]

or are they too big?

[Van Westervelt]

Too deep typically. check my thread on my "screens in e30's" I have a pic of my custom pod for my tweeters.

[ian332isport]

1" Tweets should fit in the factory pods with no probs at all.

I previously had MB Quart tweets and currently Rainbow versions and both fitted okay (both larger than 1"). The Rainbows actually went in from the front as the grill and surround is all part of the tweet itself, but the MB Quarts went in from behind. To get the Rainbows to sit nicely I cut the pods back slightly to get the pod diameter the same size as the tweeters. Depth was not an issue for either.



Ian.

[Van Westervelt]

props Ian, I was told I would have to modify them no matter what size i went, so I just built a new pod.

[netcsk]

Mine went in no problem at all. Of course you can't really buy what I have, but I had no problems.

[DSchultz325e]

If you can't get them to fit or you want a cheaper solution (considering the very limited availability and high pricing of the premium sail panels), you can just get the stock ones and surface mount them and wrap them in vinyl or something to that effect. It will also give you some customizability as far as aiming the tweets optimally. Glassing them is pretty easy that way with the aid of some jersey cloth or something to that effect, too.

[Iron Giant]

out of curiousity why would you want to mount them there? sound quality is significantly better if you can keep the tweeter within 8" of the woofer. I'm sure a better solution could be found with a proper mounting location

[netcsk]

The reason is that high frequencies tend to maintain a 'flashlight' type pattern. This means that if you put it down in the kick panel they wont be aimed right, period. It's a better compromise to have them up in the pillar than to have them in the kick panel.

[Iron Giant]

The reason is that high frequencies tend to maintain a 'flashlight' type pattern. This means that if you put it down in the kick panel they wont be aimed right, period. It's a better compromise to have them up in the pillar than to have them in the kick panel.

I am well versed in the science of car audio, and I strongly disagree with you. A tweeter can be positioned in a low position and be aimed properly. By placing it in the A-pillar you A) seperate the frequencies causing an unnatural distribution of sound B) over exaggerate the left/right channel distancing, since one tweeter will likely 4x as close to your ears as the other (vs distancing both where you would likely get a better difference like 1.5x)

[Ray Smoodiver]

Time alignment is pretty common these days, it wouldn't be hard at all to bring the higher frequencies back to spec.

[Iron Giant]

Time alignment is pretty common these days, it wouldn't be hard at all to bring the higher frequencies back to spec.

considering the high and the low frequencies come out of the same preout in almost all car sudio systems I would say that it is easier said than done (in other words it's not going to happen with the time align function on the brand xyz head unit), even if it did work digital time alignment is a band aid solution at best. Maybe you guys are by no means audiophiles, in which case my advice is falling on deaf ears, but if advice should be given it should at least be accurate. Here is a webpage that further explains my reasoning= http://www.cdtaudio.com/tweeter_mounting.htm it is explained well here without getting too deep into technical jargon. The rest of the site has some of the best explanations for car stereo sound quality optimization that I have seen.

[ptownTSI]

so if i get the mbquart pce-216 should i mount the tweeters down by my feet in angled pods or just in the stock tweeter location?

[Iron Giant]

so if i get the mbquart pce-216 should i mount the tweeters down by my feet in angled pods or just in the stock tweeter location?

I haven't done a high end installation on my e30 yet, but glancing at it I am guessing that the corner to the rearward/top of the woofers on the kick panel would be a reasonable place. I also would point the tweeter at the opposite side seat headrest. Ideally you should hook up the components, then take double sided tape and try mounting the tweeters in different locations to find what works best, then mount them there more permanently.
If you are listening to music in which sound quality is not important (a great example would be hip hop) I don't really think going to all of this trouble will be worth it and you might actually be happier with the tweeters right next to your head in the a pillar pods. If you like music that uses real instruments (especially live performances) I think that you might be surprised with the difference that it makes

[Nick325is]

My infinity kappa tweeters fit in the stock location with some slight modding by a hole saw. There was plenty of clearance between the door and the tweeter.


Nick

[87Blue325iC]

There was plenty of clearance between the door and the tweeter.


Nick

Same for my Polk dB component speakers...fit fine.