When it comes to sound deadening there's a lot to learn to really know about it. $149 for 40sqft is actually a pretty decent price and not at all that expensive.

I would highly suggest reading everything you can on THIS website. While the guy does sell his own products, he's about THE most knowledgeable person there is on sound deadening, the products that are out there, how to properly use them and where. It will help you understand proper sound deadening better.

As for a cheaper alternative SecondSkin's Damplifier is just a hair cheaper but after shipping is added it will be the same price or slightly more. RaamAudio's RaamMAT BXT II is cheaper at $110 for 37.5sqft and is a very effective product.

I really didn't use that much at all in my truck, not of the CLD mat. I used the older RaamMat BXT in the back of my Jimmy and only about 12sqft of it. I still have a lot of a roll of it I bought several years ago, they haven't sold it in a long time. The front doors are done with some SecondSkin Damplifier Pro that I got for free in a promotional contest. It was a 13sqft door pack and using the 25% coverage rule I only used half of that pack to do both front doors. I could pretty much have done the entire Jimmy with a single door pack, it doesn't really take that much. However I did do several layers of CCF on my doors and one layer in the back of the truck, however that is much cheaper than the CLD. Closed Cell Foam (CCF) is used to stop vibrations where the plastic panels are vibrating against the sheet metal, each other, etc. If you've looked through my build log and are referring to all the black stuff you're seeing on the doors it's the CCF not the CLD. I used the UOI peel n' stick from RaamAudio because I had a lot of it on hand still and it's great stuff to apply because of the sticky backside, although the SDS (SoundDeadenerShowdown) is a little cheaper and a better product even though you have to glue or attach it yourself.

I have no idea how the NVX performs since I've never used it. I do have to say that the basic specifications are what one would look for, 100% butyl rubber and 90mils thick. However it doesn't state anywhere what the weight per sqft is or the thickness of the foil. The weight per sqft tell you how effective it is as a CLD, the heavier it is the better it is at dampening resonances. The thickness of the foil matters some as well, but only to how easy it is to work with, not necessarily how it performs. It's kind of a wash as I've used the SDS tiles which have pretty thick foil but it's very soft. It easily conforms to irregular surfaces and won't cut you real easily unless you run your hand across it with a lot of pressure on purpose, lol.


I think for your purposes the BXT II and CCF from either RaamAudio or SDS would be the way to go. Then you can add MLV at a later date if you feel you need it. I've ordered the MLV for my truck because I want it as quiet as possible but just the difference the CLD and CCF made would probably be plenty for you.

 

I may still be a bit confused but I've learned a lot from that site. I didn't know there was such a variety of products when it came to dampening. So if I've got this right, i'm looking at this RAAMmatt BXTII, and this UOI peel-and-stick. Would this be the best bang for the buck? I also want to make sure I'm getting the right amount of each product (if I'm doing the front doors and the main rattle spots in the rear).

 

Yep, those are the best bang for the buck sound deadening materials I would ever spend money on or suggest for anyone else to. The SDS and SecondSkin products are superior, but they're at a superior price too. They also sell a KIT or a PACKAGE DEAL where you buy get the 20 sheet bulk pack and 3 yards of the UOI for $160 which saves you $10 from buying them separately. You should be able to deaden pretty much everything you mentioned with that much material with 25% coverage on the CLD tiles. At the worst you may need to order another couple of yards of UOI to get more than one layer in places you'll find may need it (heavy panels that still manage to vibrate and make noise after one layer).

 

Thanks for all the help!

I've seen some people include small capacitors even on a low wattage setup like this. I know the MTX amp will not draw that much power, but would it be worth it to hook up even a .5 farad cap between the amp and battery? I've read many posts on this and I highly doubt it's necessary. However, I would like to baby the electrical as much as possible. I'll probably end up using an additional power cell when it comes time for the sub amp/subs. I believe I still have the stock alternator and battery but will double check.

 

I dont think you need it, I am running 750w to my sub, and soon to be a second amp for the components, and i usualyl stay at or around 14volts.

 

You will NEVER have any need for a capacitor, no one does in car audio. In a high current situation a capacitor simply isn't effective and tends to become a parasitic load itself in most situations. Stiffening capacitors are used all the time in industry to help with voltage drop in power circuits with long wire runs and high instantaneous loads. The BIG difference is that the load is constant, it's not constantly fluctuating like the current draw from a power amplifier. The capacitor keeps the voltage from dropping significantly enough to cause issues with the other equipment on the line and once the draw from the load stabilizes it's job is done. With a power amplifier that load is constantly changing and coupled with the fact that the discharge and recharge times for the capacitor exist and that it can only recharge to the voltage that exists in the circuit (14.4v is nominal, with high current draw it could only be 13v as the cap cannot create voltage like a battery) so it's effectiveness during fluctuating high current draw situations quickly falls into the law of diminishing returns. Sure, let's say if you played a bass note that lasted half a second and had a couple of second pause and played again. Doing so over and over again the capacitor could possibly help. However, if you played some Rap where there's a constant loud low frequency bass line coupled with strong bass drum beats that cap simply isn't going to help at all. The constant low frequency bass line will draw a great deal of current which will cause some voltage drop. The capacitor will quickly discharge to whatever the voltage drops to and cannot recharge because the voltage remains low like that for an extended period.

That's why in a high powered system it is FAR more effective to have the electrical backbone to provide those constant high current draws on demand with minimal voltage drop than to try to use a capacitor to do the same job, because it can't. It completely and totally depends on the vehicle and the existing electrical backbone, but IMHO most cars with systems in the 1kw to 1.5kw range don't need a lot done to them to support those power levels. There are ALWAYS exceptions, both ways, but generally you should be fine on stock electrical up to that much power.

 

So I finally got around to installing my Pioneer D Series components in my doors. Also applied the Raammat and I must say it made a hell of a difference in the way the mids resonate. However, I went to install the tweeters in the dash and found they are a little too big to mount in the 4x6 plates. So until I take a dremmel to the plates or find some other alternative, I left the 4x6s in the dash. The entire setup, as it is now, sounds pretty damn good. Especially since I haven't even hooked up the amp yet. That comes next.

I guess my question is will I hurt anything having the mid woofers in the doors with the 4x6s acting as the tweeters in the dash while utilizing the stock "crossover"? I know this is not ideal SQ wise but only temporary until I figure out how/where to mount the component tweeters and how to run the new wiring.

 

It won't hurt anything. Like you mentioned, it's not ideal, but it's not going to hurt anything until you get a chance to rework the plates.


Glad to hear you put the sound deadener in. There's no comparison at all to the sound without it and then with it. What kind of baffle did you end up mounting the mids in? What kind of deadener treatment did you give the doors? Just the CLD or did you do the CLD and the CCF?

 

I did CLD and CCF on the doors. I actually used some of the pics from your build log as a reference. They're pretty solid. I haven't built baffles yet but planning on doing that later. They'll probably end up being similar to the ones you made. Or I may try to find a way to solidify the plastic baffles a bit better. As soon as I slammed the door shut for the first time after applying the mat I could tell by the sound it had already made a huge difference.

The next thing I need to figure out is the best way to wire the components. I'm thinking about putting the crossovers in the center console near the amp and running lines up through the dash to the tweeter and through the dash/door to the woofer. Or perhaps there's an easier way by using some of the existing wire. I'm still not exactly sure how the stock components were wired or where the wires are actually going.

 

I'm glad my build could help with the deadening install in your truck. I think that's one of the best arguments for doing a thorough build log. It's amazing how much something like that can help people out who's trying to do the same thing. I've learned quite a few things from build logs, repair logs, etc. when it came time to pull the engine in my truck.

IMHO the best way to go about it is to run the wires as you first mentioned, from the crossovers directly to the mids and tweeters. It's a bit more work but it will make for a better overall connection to the speaker. It is possible to run the wires for the mids from the crossovers to up behind the HU. Disconnect the front speakers from the HU and wire them to the crossovers. Like I said, it's doable but then you have more connections to make and have to troubleshoot IF a problem arises in the future. The tweeter wires will need to run all the way up to them no matter what you do for the mids, but that really shouldn't be too horribly difficult.