Vehicle: 2003 Infinity G35 Coupe with Bose sound system
Radio: Pioneer AVH-P3400BH (DVD receiver)

I am installing new aftermarket speakers (Infinity Kappa) in both the front door panel and rear seat side panel. I will have to remove the original/OEM speaker holder (black plastic ring with mounting tabs) with the old speaker in order to install the new speakers. Then, to install the new aftermarket speakers I will have to use some 6.5" speaker adapter (mounting bracket) and possibly either a 0.5" or 1" speaker spacer ring to get the speaker to fit/mount. With the new speaker in place there will be some gap between the speaker rim/outer edge and the plastic door or side panel trim cover. With the factory/OEM speaker setup the speaker mounted flush, or possibly even slid into, with the speaker drill in the door or side panel trim cover, and there was no obvious gap between the speaker and the side trim cover.

Will this space (gap) between the new speaker and the door or side panel trim cover be an issue? Will ambient noise from the "outside" leak through this gap? Should I try to seal this gap? If so, what is your recommendation on how to seal this gap?

Your help and advice is always appreciated.

Thank you,

Cameron

 

not sure if this would help http://www.zenclosures.com/Nissan_In...infinitisp.htm

 

I'm going to be doing the exact same thing tonight, I'll let you know what I figure out. Might be an easy fix to use some foam tape though, you can get it at any hardware store.

 

Yeah there is a gap there. I listened to it with and without the gap but I'd say the difference was minimal.

I used 1" spacer rings for the install and just added some grey weatherstripping foam tape to the inside of the door so it mates up with the speaker carriage.

 

Take sound deadening material like dynomat or whatever and cover the entire area, problem solved.

 

Top Teke -- Awesome, thanks for the info! I will start my new speaker installation (Infinity Kappa Coaxial's in the front door and rear deck, and Infinity Reference slim profile speakers rear seat side panel) this weekend.

 

Why coaxials in the front and not components

 

Not really. Cninham is talking about there being a gap between the aftermarket speaker and the the door panel.


So covering the "entire area" with dynomat would be an ineffective solution unless you're going to layer 3/4" of it to fill the gap..

 

Meister23 -- I opted to use coaxial speakers in the front simply to save a little money. Also, I assumed the installation of the coaxial's will be a lot simpler and I would not have to deal with installing the tweeters and finding a way to attach and install the cross-over items for the components.

I am trying to stick with a simple audio upgrade -- cost is a factor. So I opted to install a new head unit first -- Pioneer AVH-P3400BH (after my OEM Bose radio finally failed on me). My next step is to upgrade the six speakers only, with a simple swap out (in line replacement). I have no intention of replacing the Bose amplifier, and I have no desire to install any sub-woofers.

The ambient noise (road noise, etc) in the car is relatively high, I don't want to spend many hours and money soundproofing the entire vehicle, the car is old, and I don't want to put too much money into it. I don't know if there will be much of a difference in the sound quality between the Infinity Kappa 60.9cs (component) vs the Infinity Kappa 62.9i (coaxial)...? Any opinions?

 

ahhh, you could also get components for the front with a amp and run the rear speakers of you deck and delete the two middle speakers since the front seats kinda block the sound. Also you would get rid of the whole bose amp which sucks.

 

Top Teke -- thanks for the pic and explanation. That is exactly what I had in mind to "remedy" the issue and close the gap between the speaker and the door trim panel.

By the way, do you know what thickness the foam take was? I got several different thicknesses and densities -- e.g. the low density black foam (bigger "air bubble" in the foam) and the higher density white foam, with the adhesive backing, from Home Depot.

 

I went with the 3/4"w 1/4" thick stripping for the ring barriers but it was a little too dense. For the gap I cut a strip in half lengthwise (so 3/8"w).

If I did it over again I'd get the black one you mention for baffle purposes and then the higher density one for the gap issue.

 

Top Teke -- in your picture of the original speaker in the door panel I see you have some white "soundproofing" mat. What is that and where did you get it? It looks like the heat-shield/cover that one puts over a dish-washing machine...? I was thinking of using carpet padding for the door panel and rear seat side panel as a cheap alternative for soundproofing. Otherwise I was thinking of using the paper backed fiberglass insulation (e.g. "Think Pink"). Also, I notice that Home Depot is selling memory foam under-carpet padding: 10 lb. density and 3/8" thickness which might work nice, but be a little heavy.

 

I believe that's actually just the factory sound baffling, however I am the 2nd owner of this car so it's possible that it was added. I just found out that somebody had the tint removed before I purchased it so it wouldn't be the first surprise.

If the carpet padding isn't too heavy that's probably what I'd go with though.

 

My 2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe (bought secondhand) does not have ANY padding in either the door panels or rear seat side panels. So I assume that was added afterwards at some point... Thanks again for the info. Much appreciated!