Audio Dampening

[cherrington17]

I've been searching around for the best options for this, and for an all around company, i seem to like www.secondskinaudio.com (http://www.secondskinaudio.com)

but i had a few questions/concerns.

I really like the looks of the liquid stuff. I love the idea of just brushing this stuff on a few times. Downside being, it doesn't adhere to plastics. dammit. i'm obviously going to have to get mat, for the inside the door.

As i've chatted with ryan, he suggested doing the back of the passanger area/under the seats. IF i was going to do under the rear speakers, should i do the bottom (from inside the trunk) or lift the carpeted area, and do the area where they are mounted?

also... how do i go about painting the outer most skin on the door? we don't have much room to really get an arm or brush in there. IIRC there is a hole to get to the outter door handle, and one for the speaker... thats it. The inside skin shouldn't be too hard.

Lastly.. think adding come of acoustic mat behind each front speaker would be worthwhile?

Opinions/Suggestions? Avoid the liquid stuff and go with mat? stick w/ the liquid and put mat over it? (i'd like to limit costs as much as possible, but still do it correctly)

[Ryan from Ohio]

Heres the areas Im talking about:

http://caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/alero/instl2.jpg

http://caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/alero/instl5.jpg

http://caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/alero/instl6.jpg

I would use mat not the liquid stuff. Its to expensive.

[cherrington17]

so the liquid requires too much for how little it does? good to know.

ugh.. i hate working with mat, though. damn. :glare:

[Ryan from Ohio]

Its not to bad. You will want the roller though. It makes it so you can really press that stuff on.

Sometimes people sell leftovers on the forum for cheap.

[jabartram]

i put a layer of fatmat and a layer of high density foam behind both front speakers, and then sealed and matted both doors, it was alot of work for the doors but worth it, sound is incredible.

matted under my back seat and will be doing my trunk floor this weekend.

[cherrington17]

jab, did you just screw sheetmetal into the open hole.. then put matting over that??

and i'm aware i'll need a roller.. wouldn't imagine trying to do it w/o it.

so a ton of damplifier and some of the overkill mat?

i definitely want to do the doors, the backseat can wait.




how do you propose i insulate the inside of the hole, where the magnet of the speaker is going to sit? where the window brace/track is?

[jabartram]

i bought aluminum flashing from lowes and screwed the outer edges to the door, used aluminum tape to seal the sections together then the dampener then i actually installed the factory dampener fiber back over that. i did not mount the speakers to the sheet metal, i mounted them to the back of the door panel, then added acoustic foam around the speaker to seal it to the door.

[Misuseofyou]

I got Fatmat, for the thrifty audio connoisseur. It works well, isn't terrible to apply and the smell only lasts a few days. I still haven't done my doors though. Fucking rattles are driving me insane; need summer to come. Same shit Jabartram posted pics of.

[jabartram]

it doesnt have a smell problem, but summer is here yet either.

[Misuseofyou]

Ehhh Jabartram where is the layer of fatmat behind the speakers you mentioned? I just see the layer behind the door panel.

My car smelled like asphalt for a couple days when I did my trunk. Wasn't bad.

[jabartram]

how do you propose i insulate the inside of the hole, where the magnet of the speaker is going to sit? where the window brace/track is?


i got this at lowes also.

[jabartram]

Ehhh Jabartram where is the layer of fatmat behind the speakers you mentioned? I just see the layer behind the door panel.

My car smelled like asphalt for a couple days when I did my trunk. Wasn't bad.


its stuck to the outer door skin right behind the factory speaker hole, then i glued the foam pictured above over the mat. i had to cut it into 4 smaller squares.

[Valley olds]

jabartram: i bought aluminum flashing from lowes and screwed the outer edges to the door, used aluminum tape to seal the sections together then the dampener then i actually installed the factory dampener fiber back over that. i did not mount the speakers to the sheet metal, i mounted them to the back of the door panel, then added acoustic foam around the speaker to seal it to the door.

That seems like an awesome set up. Looks like something interesting to do on my car. Is there any purpose to the holes you put sheetmetal over though? Also just wondering. Did that door panel foam thing come on your passenger door too or only the driver? Mine didnt have it on the passengers.

[jabartram]

That seems like an awesome set up. Looks like something interesting to do on my car. Is there any purpose to the holes you put sheetmetal over though?

access to the window motor and tracks.

[cherrington17]

i was gonna get overkill mat (wouldn't need much) but i mean for the sound dampening mat... there isn't much of a hole to work with. and would i cover the outter skin, or just the inner?

i know i SHOULD do both... but whats going to work best, initially?

[Valley olds]

jabartram: access to the window motor and tracks.

Nice. The way you did it is pretty good then, cuz if you ever need access to the window motor and tracks, you just unswcrew the sheetmetal.

[jabartram]

i was gonna get overkill mat (wouldn't need much) but i mean for the sound dampening mat... there isn't much of a hole to work with. and would i cover the outter skin, or just the inner?

i know i SHOULD do both... but whats going to work best, initially?

i did ALOT of reading on ryans site before i did this, matting the outer skin behind the speaker reduces rattles and helps break up sound behind the speaker, thats also the purpose of the foam, hopefully ryan will chime in and explain it better. its a little extra work and a few more cuts on your hands but well worth it, the sound is very crisp and i get alot of midrange bass from my doors now. i thought i had pics of the foam glued in place but i cant find them.

here is the rest of my install, i'm still waiting for new subs to be delivered.

[Misuseofyou]

My amp is just sitting there bolted to a piece of mdf. A real thief's dream if they can get the trunk open. I cant screw it to the back seat because my box will rub against it (4 sided box, back is sloped same angle as the back seat). Nice looking install so far.

[Midgear]

dayum jabartram! that looks nice

[Ryan from Ohio]

When talking about sound dampening, you need to understand what really needs it bad. Large flat panels are the worst. In our case the door "skin" in the worst.

You need to get the proper solvent cleaner and clean the skins thoroughly. Then roll on the mat. It doesnt have to cover every speck and it doesnt have to goto the very edge, just a majority of it. In the end it takes the vibration (energy) in the metal and turns it into heat.

After some more thought:

Use mat for the door skins and door area. Use foam on the plastic door panel.

I like the way Jab mounted the speakers, its creative. Its also 100% proper. As its fully seperating the front and back wave. Putting sheet metal all over wasnt needed... Doesnt really help... Doesnt really hurt... IMO just more work than what its worth.

[Misuseofyou]

I thought vibrating wires were the worst. Theres a wire in my dash somewhere that vibrates and makes me want to kill. :mad2:

[cherrington17]

what solvent do you suggest?

and so what your saying is use the damplifier on the inside skin, and overkill mat inside the speaker pod?