2014 Avalon Limited Build
- Thread starter TheTodd
- Start date
So I got the fans added and so far it’s made a difference for the better. I can jam on it with the floor panel on and there’s no heat issues whatsoever.
I bought some 90 degree pvc elbows & painted the inside black
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I cut a pair of abs rings and glued them to the end of the elbows
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I then cut up some old speaker grilles and made a quick grille press, attached the grilles to the other end of the elbows & put on a layer of matte paint to dull the shiny grilles
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Next step was pulling back the carpet on the trunk panel and drilling the holes for the elbows
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I then used construction adhesive to affix the elbows to the panel. I left some of the carpet there on purpose to aid in keeping everything together. The adhesive gets rock-hard when it dries and I wanted to make sure the carpet didn’t peel away at all.
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Next up was wiring the fans & installing the panel into the car
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I bought some 90 degree pvc elbows & painted the inside black
View attachment 18503
I cut a pair of abs rings and glued them to the end of the elbows
View attachment 18504
I then cut up some old speaker grilles and made a quick grille press, attached the grilles to the other end of the elbows & put on a layer of matte paint to dull the shiny grilles
View attachment 18505
Next step was pulling back the carpet on the trunk panel and drilling the holes for the elbows
View attachment 18506
I then used construction adhesive to affix the elbows to the panel. I left some of the carpet there on purpose to aid in keeping everything together. The adhesive gets rock-hard when it dries and I wanted to make sure the carpet didn’t peel away at all.
View attachment 18507
Next up was wiring the fans & installing the panel into the car
View attachment 18508 View attachment 18509 View attachment 18510 View attachment 18511
I went to the show in Pigeon Forge, TN and got lots of positive reviews & feedback on the car. I got to hang out with Nick & the Stereo Integrity crew and after a day of gentle persuasion from Nick, and a price I couldn’t walk away from, I came home with these…
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So out came the TM65s. The adapter I was using had an opening where the factory tweeter plugged into the factory speaker which is where I originally ran my tweeter wire out of
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With the new adapters I was going to make, this wasn’t going to work, plus it was a pain any time I ever had to remove the adapter. Not that I did it a lot, but it was a pain nonetheless. So with a spot chosen, I drilled a hole, inserted a new grommet & ran the tweeter wire through the grommet. I also ran the wire behind the side mirror control module to keep it out of the way.
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I traced the adapter plates to a sheet of 1/4” pvc board and cut out the appropriate sized hole for the new TM8s
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Next was 3 rings for each side to get the appropriate depth. With the shallow depth of the TM8s the 3 layers were more about getting the speaker closer to the door panel so the fast ring sits up against the panel. For attaching the layers together I used a specific pvc glue that the guy at Home Depot said would make the joint actually stronger than the pvc itself.
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Once the glue was dry the TMs went into the adapters. I made sure to label UP so I knew which direction to install the speaker’s built in rain guard.
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Then into the car they went
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Then the fast ring went on
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Then rinse & repeat for the passenger side.
View attachment 18512
So out came the TM65s. The adapter I was using had an opening where the factory tweeter plugged into the factory speaker which is where I originally ran my tweeter wire out of
View attachment 18513
With the new adapters I was going to make, this wasn’t going to work, plus it was a pain any time I ever had to remove the adapter. Not that I did it a lot, but it was a pain nonetheless. So with a spot chosen, I drilled a hole, inserted a new grommet & ran the tweeter wire through the grommet. I also ran the wire behind the side mirror control module to keep it out of the way.
View attachment 18514
I traced the adapter plates to a sheet of 1/4” pvc board and cut out the appropriate sized hole for the new TM8s
View attachment 18515
Next was 3 rings for each side to get the appropriate depth. With the shallow depth of the TM8s the 3 layers were more about getting the speaker closer to the door panel so the fast ring sits up against the panel. For attaching the layers together I used a specific pvc glue that the guy at Home Depot said would make the joint actually stronger than the pvc itself.
View attachment 18516
Once the glue was dry the TMs went into the adapters. I made sure to label UP so I knew which direction to install the speaker’s built in rain guard.
View attachment 18517
Then into the car they went
View attachment 18518
Then the fast ring went on
View attachment 18519
Then rinse & repeat for the passenger side.
My first impression of the TM8s vs the TM65s…
I initially used the same 70Hz HP as the 65s were on. The 65s did work & they did great. I was extremely happy with them and the way my car sounded. While the 65s put the work in, they were working! The 8s do the same work while leaning back in their chair, yawning and telling the 65s to hold their beer. Impressive is an understatement. They just made everything sound so much better. I was able to push everything just a bit further (although I didn’t go TOO far until they’re broken in a bit) without any sign of stress that the 65s would’ve normally shown.
After some time my curiosity got the best of me and I got the laptop out and dropped that HPF to 35Hz & turned the subs off. I was proud of myself for keeping the willpower to keep the volume under control. I didn’t want to cook anything after all the work to get ‘em in. But… boy oh boy… these things are BADASS! Kick drums have SO much snap & punch. Bass guitars sound so full & smooth and you can almost feel the pluck of the strings. I probably wouldn’t hesitate to run subless for pure SQ demos. While they’re obviously missing the lowest octaves it’s truly VERY enjoyable to listen to them without subs. Excellent job Stereo Integrity!!!
I initially used the same 70Hz HP as the 65s were on. The 65s did work & they did great. I was extremely happy with them and the way my car sounded. While the 65s put the work in, they were working! The 8s do the same work while leaning back in their chair, yawning and telling the 65s to hold their beer. Impressive is an understatement. They just made everything sound so much better. I was able to push everything just a bit further (although I didn’t go TOO far until they’re broken in a bit) without any sign of stress that the 65s would’ve normally shown.
After some time my curiosity got the best of me and I got the laptop out and dropped that HPF to 35Hz & turned the subs off. I was proud of myself for keeping the willpower to keep the volume under control. I didn’t want to cook anything after all the work to get ‘em in. But… boy oh boy… these things are BADASS! Kick drums have SO much snap & punch. Bass guitars sound so full & smooth and you can almost feel the pluck of the strings. I probably wouldn’t hesitate to run subless for pure SQ demos. While they’re obviously missing the lowest octaves it’s truly VERY enjoyable to listen to them without subs. Excellent job Stereo Integrity!!!
One last update…
While I was at the TM8 install I revisited the subwoofer wires. I previously ran out of white heatshrink so I got some more and covered up the wires coming from the amps. I’ve heard a few comments in person about only having one set of coils wired up so I was excited to get the other wires covered.
View attachment 18520
So now it really gives the illusion that there’s no wires hooked up to the subs. Obviously if you look closely enough you can see them but at a casual glance they’re difficult to notice which is what I was going for.
Next up is a tune by Jason Carter at the NC meet, and unless something goes completely awry, I think I’m done. I’m extremely happy with how the install turned out and I think it sounds AMAZING. So, honestly, if the tune doesn’t make any improvement (HIGHLY doubtful) I’ll still be completely 100% satisfied with how everything ended up.
While I was at the TM8 install I revisited the subwoofer wires. I previously ran out of white heatshrink so I got some more and covered up the wires coming from the amps. I’ve heard a few comments in person about only having one set of coils wired up so I was excited to get the other wires covered.
View attachment 18520
So now it really gives the illusion that there’s no wires hooked up to the subs. Obviously if you look closely enough you can see them but at a casual glance they’re difficult to notice which is what I was going for.
Next up is a tune by Jason Carter at the NC meet, and unless something goes completely awry, I think I’m done. I’m extremely happy with how the install turned out and I think it sounds AMAZING. So, honestly, if the tune doesn’t make any improvement (HIGHLY doubtful) I’ll still be completely 100% satisfied with how everything ended up.
I figure I’d give one last update… at least until the next time I change something. I got a tune at the NC meet by Jason Carter and I’m extremely pleased. I managed to give several demos throughout the day and all seemed to be impressed. I also got some feedback on some tweaks I can make to improve things slightly even though I’m more than pleased as-is.
On my 6hr trip home it seemed that it was just slightly right-biased but that may be due to my hearing deficiencies in my left ear. So once home I hooked up the laptop and started by first increasing the level on the L tweeter in baby steps. About 2dB is all it needed and everything seemed to come together so I left everything else alone.
I’ve been enjoying the crap out of it and will likely leave everything alone as it’s a pure joy to listen to. Will it win comps? Maybe. Maybe I’ll give it a shot someday just to see how it stacks up but, again, I’m content so this is the final package. Im going to try to attend more meets within a reasonable distance of me so if you see me & the car feel free to ask for a listen.
On my 6hr trip home it seemed that it was just slightly right-biased but that may be due to my hearing deficiencies in my left ear. So once home I hooked up the laptop and started by first increasing the level on the L tweeter in baby steps. About 2dB is all it needed and everything seemed to come together so I left everything else alone.
I’ve been enjoying the crap out of it and will likely leave everything alone as it’s a pure joy to listen to. Will it win comps? Maybe. Maybe I’ll give it a shot someday just to see how it stacks up but, again, I’m content so this is the final package. Im going to try to attend more meets within a reasonable distance of me so if you see me & the car feel free to ask for a listen.
BenevolentDictator
Noob
If I don't head to that NY meet, I may try to set something up with you to head to PA and finally hear the Avalon and hopefully mine will be completely done and tuned so we can trade demos.
Mini-PA meet before September
I could probably plan something up.
Ok… one more update. As good as Jason did with the TWK tune, even he admitted it had its limitations. So with the idea of taking my car to the next level, and after a LOT of research, I decided on the MiniDSP 8x12 with Dirac. I can honestly say, except for the TM8s, this was the next best upgrade I’ve done. Luckily the Mini dropped right into the rack with no modifications to the trim panel. So… to the installation…
Like I said the Mini itself dropped right in where the TWK was.
View attachment 18834
Next up was the mounting of the OLED remote. I wanted it within easy reach for adjustment of the sub level and also to make switching presets easy so I decided to go with the storage cubby just forward of the shifter. First step was bending up a piece of 1/8” ABS with a notch for the wire/plug.
View attachment 18835
I then screwed the ABS to the cubby from underneath.
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Next was drilling a hole and inserting a grommet to keep things tidy even though it won’t be seen
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The next dilemma was mounting the actual remote to the mount. I originally thought of using double sided body tape. We use it at work to affix emblems & side skirts. It was a little too aggressive and it’s a real problem to remove. So I tried to think of a less aggressive adhesive so as to not destroy the remote if I ever decide to change anything. The idea of using Command strips came to mind. I tested removal and it came off easily. So I stuck the remote to the mount and road-tested it for a few days. It held really well with no adverse effects so it stayed… still holding up even after 6mos.
View attachment 18840
So, after multiple GTGs and several demos at each GTG, I can easily say that this is by far the best my car has ever been. Hopefully this is the last upgrade… at least for a while anyway.
Like I said the Mini itself dropped right in where the TWK was.
View attachment 18834
Next up was the mounting of the OLED remote. I wanted it within easy reach for adjustment of the sub level and also to make switching presets easy so I decided to go with the storage cubby just forward of the shifter. First step was bending up a piece of 1/8” ABS with a notch for the wire/plug.
View attachment 18835
I then screwed the ABS to the cubby from underneath.
View attachment 18836 View attachment 18837
Next was drilling a hole and inserting a grommet to keep things tidy even though it won’t be seen
View attachment 18838 View attachment 18839
The next dilemma was mounting the actual remote to the mount. I originally thought of using double sided body tape. We use it at work to affix emblems & side skirts. It was a little too aggressive and it’s a real problem to remove. So I tried to think of a less aggressive adhesive so as to not destroy the remote if I ever decide to change anything. The idea of using Command strips came to mind. I tested removal and it came off easily. So I stuck the remote to the mount and road-tested it for a few days. It held really well with no adverse effects so it stayed… still holding up even after 6mos.
View attachment 18840
So, after multiple GTGs and several demos at each GTG, I can easily say that this is by far the best my car has ever been. Hopefully this is the last upgrade… at least for a while anyway.
Notloudenuf
Active member
I went through your build again today. I am planning for my IB build and seeing your step by step was really helpful. Good pictures and ideas.
Thanks.
Thanks.