We made excellent progress today. Installed Morel Elate 903 3-way speaker system into doors. Each speaker driver fit without modification. We added dynamat to entire door interior (behind and in front of where window sits when opened) and added dynamat to entire main surface of door behind door panel. This should tighten everything up tremendously and eliminate any rattle. It will also lesson wind noise.

Stock speaker wire tested very well with almost no resistance from original amplifier location to door speaker locations. Therefore we opted to use existing speaker wire instead of running aftermarket speaker wire. This simplified door speaker installation.

Continuing exploration for subwoofers, we are now considering forgoing fiberglass enclosure because area behind stock subs are of extreme odd shapes with several protruding metal pieces and wire harnesses which may need future access. Instead we plan to dynamat backside enclosure area as tightly as possible. As for the front of enclosure (speaker subwoofer driver surface) we plan to remove stock sub from its mounting to modify it to house new 8" flat-mount subwoofer driver. We may use fiberglass to fill in air gaps around stock speaker mount to create sealed enclosure. More on this in a few days as we continue...

We also found an easy pass-though for wires to go from stock amplifier to amp rack area in trunk. Tomorrow I should be receiving JBL MS-8 summing processor. Once we have this we will be able to determine how pure full-range signal will be from stock head unit.
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To answer some questions that have been posted in this thread -

Daniel - I added pics to my previous post that shows door speaker locations with panels removed. I also provided make and model of speakers that fit perfectly without mods. Check Morel's website for speaker size details. I'll post more pics in a day or so. You can always install smaller mid-bass driver than the 9" driver I used by constructing a wooden frame.

F-typical - My goal is sound quality at slow cruising speeds and highways speeds and with both top up and top down. The audio system will be tuned to each of these scenarios using the JBL MS-8 processor as it has 4 instant access memories to recall all stored processing/tuning. This piece comes with special headphones which house two microphones - one at each ear to measure exactly what the listener hears. During setup, it will generate tones of varying frequencies via different speakers. It will analyze this along with ambient noise and timing reflections to compute optimal settings based on my music preference (flat, A-weighted, etc.). We will conduct this tuning in each environmental scenario and save each to memory which can be recalled.

The Meridian audio system uses active crossover which means it limits frequencies prior to amplification. We will receive signals from each speaker separately to sum limited frequencies back together for full-range low-level signal which will than be routed via my added audio processor which will set crossover points as these new speakers need them, will then process the sound based on environment as described above, and then signal will be sent to two amplifiers as listed in previous post.

Regarding expertise in mounting speakers, without building custom speaker pods in kick panels and choosing not to modify any visual appearance to interior, speakers are limited to locations and angles decided by Jaguar and/or Meridian. This a main reason Morel was chosen instead of Focal or Dynaudio. Because both Focal and Dynaudio (which are excellent speakers) are less forgiving off-axis primarily in mid-range. Stock tweeters are aimed very well for closer one to listener but further tweeter requires off-axis tuning. Mid-range speakers are aimed excellently for both seats. Mid-bass drivers should be fine in their typical automobile location since there size and frequency range will surely pull bottom depth of soundstage toward front of listener. Soundstage for off-axis mids and highs will be corrected with time alignment settings of the processor during real-time tuning.

So to summarize, the only concern raised in your post is quality of full-range signal that will be obtained from stock head unit. This is currently unknown until we install summing device which may be by this Thursday.

DJS - I wouldn't fear active crossover concern since there are excellent summing processors available. Are your MB Quarts 2-way or 3-way?

Alexg - I understand you with regard to frustration and seeking manufacturer for solutions. I read through some other threads many F-Type owners very upset with sound quality rattles and lack of tightness and control of speakers. Some had good luck at a dealership in NJ that added dynamat. I complained to my dealer and they agreed something was not great and changed a door speaker prior to this project. They did not dynamat anything. According to the other threads, Jaguar may be closer to providing a technical bulletin for this so I am saving my dynamat receipts.

 

2-way. The tweeter can be installed in the midrange, or removed so it can be installed separately. Not sure I want to deal with a processor. Are the speakers you removed 2 ohm? Historically, Ford has used 2 ohm speakers so they could use a cheaper amplifier, but this meant you had to replace all the speakers if the new ones are 4 ohm. Don't know how common that is.

 

Craig, how many ohms are the stock speakers?

 

Stock speakers aren't labeled with much information so can't really tell if they are 4-ohms. I'll try to run an ohms meter to it to see if I can get that answer.

In the meantime, I ran into a challenge that will require change of plans. 8" subs can't fit without modifying grill behind seats. Not wanting to changing stock appearance and don't want to sacrifice space behind seats, solution is smaller subs From past experience I normally wouldn't consider anything smaller than 10" to be a subwoofer but faced with this limitation I researched extensively and discovered otherwise. There are several 6" subs that play down to 30z range at considerable volume. I already have excellent mid bass sound stage in doors with Morel 9" that fit perfectly. But still need to produce clean audio down to 30z without muddying up mid bass. I narrowed down to these two - JL Audio 6w3v3 or CDT ES-06+. Just about everything else I found in this size range is geared for mid bass or doesn't handle power I'll want with top down on the highway!. These are designed as true subs. Without hearing both I'm opting for JL just because I'm very familiar with the brand, and I've never heard of the brand CDT. They look awesome but don't seam to be popular in the South Florida region where I live. JL has an excellent reputation in the sub bass world.

In any case, we completely dynamated areas behind subs to deaden enclosure. The JL is actually 6.5" and fits nicely into stock subs mount. We plan to surround this mount with fiberglass to create a sealed enclosure when it is screwed in place. This will allow front housing with speaker to be removed easily if any service is required by Jaguar techs or for speaker replacement. So an unknown is how deep do these really get and at a what volume limits when top is down on highway? I received the sound summing/ audio processor today so this week we should have some experience with how things will sound.

Other upgrades I'm doing while vehicle is somewhat taken apart is installation of front and rear 1080P HD cameras that will automatically record everything in front and behind vehicle whenever engine is on. It records onto a 64GB SD card which can be reviewed on computer. It holds several weeks of data and will automatically write over oldest stuff. I may never need to review recordings but if there's ever an accident or other event around my vehicle, I have evidence. It also has some interesting features in addition to automatic HD recording. It has a G-shock sensor that will automatically save 10 mins prior to an unexpected g-force, which will not get overwritten. It also receives GPS information which when reviewing recordings, will provide location information on google maps.

Again, an important goal is no change to stock appearance so need to find optimal locations to install cameras. I'm thinking front-view camera behind rear view mirror which will not be seen from within vehicle and will blend with other sensors from outside view. Other sensors in that area are rain sensor for wipers and high beam sensor. Looks like something else is there but I don't know what it is. Challenge is finding suitable location for back-view camera. Remember mine is a convertible so no rear window option. Don't want to grab video signal from stock back-up camera because it is standard 480 resolution. Speak up on this thread if you have any ideas for back-view camera to be located? I would even consider having interior-view instead if I can't find a suitable rear-view. Evidence inside vehicle can be good too especially if I ever valet park, etc.

Other upgrades at this time include air-horns I've have from a Ferrari 308 I've always loved that tone and have had it in each of my sports cars. A small switch will be installed that will allow a toggle between stock Jaguar horn or air-horn.

I removed my Escort 9500i radar detector with laser jamming from a vehicle I'm now selling (2005 Mercedes CLK55 AMG convertible if anyone interested) and considering it for my F-Type. But not sure as the laser jamming modules have been upgraded to eliminate false alarms from other vehicle's LED lighting which wasn't prevalent when I purchased the detector in 2008. They want $500 for the upgrade so I'm considering it but not sure its worth it. no matter how good these detectors get, they aren't gaining much range in performance but they continually become outdated due to evolving technologies. Currently all radar detectors are plagued with false alarms from adjacent vehicles' lane assist sensors, adaptive cruise control sensors, and blind spot warning sensors.

Finally, I just installed a SmartTop module (which I've don't for last two convertibles I've owned). It provides ability to open and close top, open and close windows, all from original key fob. It also allows me to reverse the top control button inside the vehicle to, in my opinion, the way it should have been - push back for top down, push forward for top up. This module also provides top control button with one-touch operation where a single momentary click runs the top open or closed without having to hold. Finally it also adds another function I think should have been provided from Jaguar which is it will roll up the windows automatically as soon as the top close operation completes.

 

This is awesome. How you're taking lots of pictures.

For the rear have you thought of dumping the rear fill speaker all together and just putting in the 8" or larger subs?

 

Seems rather aggressive.

 

LOL!
Would think you could now fit any size sub you wanted to.

 

Danny - Although low frequencies in subwoofer's range are omnidirectional, the listener may notice audio separation from sitting area between front sound stage and rear subs. This is why I think its important to include rear-fill. Without it, subs may sound like they are behind you with majority of sound in front. Rear-fills should help blend audio so subs appear to be extension of main sound stage.

Also stock placement of rear-fill speakers do not impede in subwoofer driver location. Therefore, eliminating rear-fill does not increase possibility of 8" sub.

Circumference of an 8" speaker's front outer ring prevents possibility of this size because it physically cannot fit between car's metal frame and carpeted rear panel without modification. 8' sub was ruled out to stay true to my goal of keeping interior stock appearance.
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DJS -I corrected the typo! Dynamite would easily make space for 15" woofers!

Original plan to fiberglass areas behind subs were much more aggressive than simply covering in dynamate. Without deadening walls of what will become interior of subs' enclosure, it may yield problematic results from sound waves reflecting randomly off metal surfaces. Need as symmetrical design as possible for sound quality clarity. When not possible due to odd shapes provided by the car, deadening reflective sound waves is next best thing. This is why we see better home speakers such as B&W models with circular enclosures and separation between drivers - because interior reflections make huge differences in sound quality. I like clear tight accurate bass, not muddy reverberated frequencies.

 

Made progress today and some changes to my plan. Since subwoofers were changed to JL Audio 6.5" drivers, the separate JL Audio power amp was eliminated and front stage 4-channel Alpine amp will be changed to a 5-channel version. It will dedicate 100-watts into each 9" door woofer and 100-watts into each set of mids+highs for a total of 400-watts in the doors for front stage. This is a bi-amp wiring scheme using external passive crossovers. A 5th amp channel is 500-watt mono channel dedicated for two subwoofer drivers. Since they will not require 500-watts, they will be wired in series to provide an 8-owm resistance load.

Many of you were asking about stock drivers so I took time today to test each with an ohms meter. Here are my finding -
Door woofers and midrange speakers are each 2-ohm. Door tweeters are each 3.6-ohm. Each stock subwoofer is dual-voice coil at 2-ohm per voice coil. I forgot to test rear fill and center speakers but given the pattern, I trust they are each 2-ohm. Stock sub is 6" diameter. Stock door woofer is 7". Stock midrange is 3.5". Stock door tweeter is 1 1/4".

Here are pictures of stock speaker drivers and pictures of rear panel removed. You'll notice area where we began to dynamat and run aftermarket wiring. All aftermarket wiring is oxygen-free shielded to help prevent engine noise from entering audio signal prior to amplification.







Stock speakers - door tweeters, mids and woofers plus rear sub














Subwoofer enclosure getting dynamat treatment





Wiring of audio signal from stock equipment to aftermarket equipment rack

 

I'd gladly trade that subwoofer space for a little more storage.

 

Be careful relying on ohm readings using a typical multi-meter. Multi-meters measure ohms in a direct current (DC) manner --- DC voltage applied, DC current measured, simple DC impedance (ohms) calculated and displayed. A speaker is an inductive device, so ohms (impedence) increases with frequency (think alternating current, aka AC). The typical 4, 6, 8 and 16 ohm speaker ratings are nominal and determined over the range of frequencies (AC) that the speaker is expected to receive. The 2 ohm readings above may well be accurate under DC conditions - DC resistance of the wire coil. However, such readings are not relevant @ AC speaker driver frequencies (20 Hz - 25,000 Hz), and DC-measured coil ohms is not comparable to manufacturers speaker impedance ratings @ frequency. For the geeks out there: higher inductance (L) and/or higher frequencies (Hz) result in effective impedance (ohms) beyond the simple DC resistance value of the coil in question.

I hope this helps.

Desert Hiker

 

A loudspeaker is a complex load – both individual drivers and their combinations along with crossovers present a frequency dependent load to amplifier. And therefore there is no one impedance that can be called correct. Usual norm is to simply state impedance as being 15-20% greater than nominal DC resistance of voice coil. This is convenient, since DC resistance is smallest value that coil can have and since loudspeaker is operated with AC signals, its impedance will always be greater thanDCR due to inductive reactance of coil. Frequency at which minimal impedance (DCR + lowest inductance) occurs lies mid-way of relatively flat region of impedance curve – this is region where impedance changes very gradually from being capacitive to becoming inductive – region starts about an octave away from resonance frequency.

For the most part, frequency at which speaker’s nominal impedance is quoted is not important. Its only purpose is to estimate if amplifier being used with it will be able to drive it without overheating or overloading or clipping.

In summary, readings obtained for F-Type Meridian audio drivers equates to door woofers, door midrange, and subwoofers are each considered as 2-ohm drivers and door tweeters are considered as 4-ohm drivers.

 

0to60in4, I very much enjoyed reading about your project, and the pictures! So much valuable info there. But no closure! I had to join this forum just to ask, "How did it all turn out? " Are you satisfied with the results? Anything you would do differently, in retrospect?
Hi everyone! (First post)

 

0to60in4 could you (or anyone else) please give some tips/instructions on getting the door panel off , done this on other cars , just don't want to break anything hunting for the clips and screws. planning on putting some dynamat inside as my troubles are just the vibrations which I can reproduce and dampen with my hand with the aid of a sound wave generated app on my phone.

 

Sorry for delay, I had this projected on pause while I was traveling. Back at it now and hope to be completed this week. Made several changes to original plan due to limitations of this vehicle.

There is no room behind seats to accommodate any worthwhile subs. Stock subs are free-air meaning they are not operating in sealed enclosure. They can rumble some low frequencies but no control of punchy tight bass. They don't even have airspace in front of speaker driver as they fire directly into back of our seats. Stock mid bass was reliant upon door woofers but door panels cause much of the rattle most of us experience. We also experience rattles from wire harnesses in stock sub locations.

So I eliminated rear subs, applied dynomat to all surfaces back there, and installed a set of JL Audio 2-way component speakers with 6.5" mid bass and 3/4" tweeter. Two of four channel Alpine amp powers rear component set with 100 watts each side as rear fill. A third channel of same amp powers front center speaker with 100 watts. A forth channel is unused.

Four surfaces of each door was treated with dynomat to ELIMINATE rattles. This was probably the most important modification for solid sound quality. The four surfaces include both sides of inner door metal surface, back side of actual car body (inside door), and backside of interior door panel. Dynomat was also wrapped around wiring harness inside door. The addition of Dynomat turned the door into an excellent enclosure where 9" Morel woofers installed in the door now produce tight, extremely accurate bass from deep 26hz to mid bass frequencies rolling off around 300hz. Each of the two 9" woofers are powered by two of four channel Alpine amp with 150 watts each side. The other two channels power 150 watts into each set of 4" mids in the 400hz to 2200hz range and 1.1" tweeters in the 2600hz to 25khz range. Rolloff frequencies cover the gaps. Door woofers and mids were installed in stock locations. Tweeters are in stock locations but angles were modified to provide off-axis response to closer listener and on-axis response for opposite listener. This modification provides an excellent soundstage where center channel isn't even required. As mentioned previously, center channel is wired and operates in surround modes but will most likely never be used and center speaker was not changed because of this.

I thought I would be disappointed without dedicated subs but I am blown away with sound quality that was accomplished with this design and equipment. I also thought I may be disappointed with sound quality from the stock head unit but am very surprised and happy to report the stock amp products almost no distortion unto 37 on the volume wheel. Our stock head unit also begins to compress bass frequencies around 30 on the volume wheel. This was the threshold used to accurately tune accubase to expand the head unit's compression. (Its kind of like an opposite loudness feature).

Our car has a pre-programmed auto eq function that cannot be defeated which raises bass level when top is opened. (You can notice the eq change in the final step opening top which is approximately 11 seconds after button press). A bass attenuation knob will be installed this week for driver to easily raise or reduce bass frequencies depending on song/music. (This is in place of adjusting bass on head unit which takes way too many menu steps to reach efficiently which driving).

The two amplifiers, audio processors, and passive crossovers are installed in a tiny useless area of trunk just under where convertible top is stored when open. To keep design characteristics as classy as F-Type itself, a false wall was constructed to separate access to installed equipment in trunk. This false wall was fiberglassed and painted today to match color of trunk interior. A glass window will be installed in this piece tomorrow to allow viewing of audio equipment when trunk is opened. Audio equipment is set in a custom fabricated fiberglass cover that was painted today using my car's exterior paint code (which is located on a sticker in driver door jam). This will hide all wiring and should look pretty cool painted to match my car. Colored LED lighting will illuminate behind the glass window automatically when trunk is opened. One important goal was not to loose any usable trunk space and not to see any interior alterations. I am very happy with the results as both of these goals were met with sound quality better than expected.

As mentioned in earlier posts, other modifications include front and rear cameras installed to record 1080i video to a hidden mobile DVR. Ferrari airhorns were installed because I like the sound of them. A rocker switch installed in steering column allows toggle between standard horn or airhorn. SmartTop module was also installed providing one-touch operating of top, remote control of top from key fob, and added automatic window rollup as part of top closing process.

I'm hoping to have this project completed tomorrow so I can start enjoying this car!

 

Any updates on this? I just bought an f type with a custom sound system already installed. I have the car all opened up troubleshooting and need a little help. The system installed is similar to what you were doing. It uses a job audio clean sweep to bring all signals to a low level output for the amp. Problem is all signals are showing low on the clean sweep and no signal to the amp from the clean sweep. It's weird they would've all went out at the same time. So now I'm thinking factory amp maybe? Or faulty clean sweep. Would the clean sweep hurt the factory amp at all? Car was barely used. 1600 miles. So it went out quickly.

 

Sorry meant JL Audio above. Auto correct. Anyway I got everything figured out. Here's a useful overview of wiring.

 

Holy crap are there a lot of connectors!

 

Any update on this? I'm coming from an Xk-r with the bowers and Wilkins and this is not a great system. The bass is a bit deeper but God the bowers was impressive - I could turn it all the way up with not rattle, no distortion.

Oh well, ​​​​​this car is far more amazing to drive!

 

This post has been extremely helpful. I was contemplating the morel elate 9" because of size now I feel confident to purchase them.

here's the details:
2018 jaguar f type r convertible.
meridian amps and speakers delete

morel elate 9" 3 way
JL Fix - to sum the audio from meridian
audison bitone to process sound
audison thesis Quattro to bi power front stage

at this point I don't think I'll add subs as the current set up, the bass is coming from the front door speaker.

I will post as many pics as I can there is very little info on this car......

thanks