Infinity 3022cf Rear Speaker Array

Infinity Systems
Passenger Side

 

Pioneer Premier DEH-P980BT | Pioneer CD-IB100II iPod Adapter | Pioneer GEX-P920XM  XM Digital Satellite Tuner

Pioneer GEX-P10HD HD Radio | Pioneer CD-UB100 USB Adapter | Pioneer CD-SR11 Steering Wheel Remote Control

Auxiliary Fuse Box | Infinity Basslink | Infinity 3022cf Rear Speaker Array

 

4X4 ICON 2000 - 2008 The DVD! - Click here for details!

4X4 ICON 2000 - 2008 The DVD!

    

Introduction

After completing a custom installation of roll bars in the car, I needed to decide what to do with the brackets that are bolted to the roll bars.  I could cut them out and have the roll bars refinished, or I could come up with a useful reason to keep them in the car. 

At the same time, I was considering the sound system:  So far I had upgraded the head unit, installed component XM, iPod, and HD radio capabilities, and a subwoofer

Pioneer CD-SR11 Steering Wheel Remote Control Pioneer DEH-P980BT Head Unit Install info for RAM Mount and Panavise GPS Brackets Remote Control for Infinity BassLink Subwoofer Remote Control for BEL Driver STi Radar Detector Pioneer AVD-W6210 Touch Screen Display (for Pioneer Vehicle Dynamics Processor AVG-VDP1 and Pioneer ND-BC2 Rear View Camera) Brake Switch for Pioneer AVG-VPD1 Vehicle Dynamics Processor Karmann Badge Switch to Activate Pioneer ND-BC2 Rear View Camera Ejector Seat Button Chrysler Crossfire - Customizations to Interior

I was happy with this upgrade to the music sources and low-frequency  sound.  I still felt the car needed something.  And I had been trying to come up with a way to add rear speakers without cutting into the interior or bolting something on where they might not help much with the soundstage and overall quality of sound.

The car comes wired for sound in the doors (tweeter and mid-range in each door) and subwoofers behind the passenger and driver.  Interestingly, these speakers are all driven as "front" speakers.  Consequently there is no "front" or "rear" control over the relationship of these speakers.  Indeed, the door midrange speakers didn't even have a crossover circuit in them so they took a full range of sound frequencies and sounded quite boomy.  Adding a crossover corrected this and allowed the factory subwoofers to take on the job they were intended to perform.  But still there was no control over the relationship between the door speakers and the subwoofers.

Adding the Infinity Basslink corrected that by providing an amplified subwoofer with separate control.  That really beefed up the sound and gave some control over how much bass was being delivered.  But it still didn't fill in the missing "rear" speaker problem.

Coming back to the custom roll bar installation, it occurred to me I could use the roll bar brackets to hold two very small two-way speakers.  Because they would not be embedded into the interior they would require enclosures.  At first I considered using Surround Sound satellite speakers because they're so small and have their own enclosures.

I believed I had answered two questions for myself:

  • what should I do with the black bars that came with my roadster roll bars (now installed in my coupe)?
  • where might I put a set of "rear" speakers?

I was looking at the bars after I installed them and it came to me - there are a few speakers on the market that have a triangular cabinet that would fit into the black bars if they're put on the roll bars backwards. And if I could find a speaker enclosure that fits in the space, it would be a great way to get better imaging from my stereo and use those rear speaker leads that came with my aftermarket head unit without making any holes in the interior panels.

Discarded Options

So I did some long hard searching to see what I could find. And I found two interesting possibilities:

- Infinity TSS-SAT450 or TSS SAT750

Klipsch Satellite SpeakersInfinity Satellite Speakers

- Klipsch Quintet III

Klipsch Satellite SpeakersKlipsch Satellite Speakers
Klipsch Satellite SpeakersKlipsch Satellite SpeakersKlipsch Satellite Speakers

 

That's right - satellite speakers for surround systems...  Here's my reasoning - I want:

  • fully enclosed to mount in the roll bar space
  • high quality but small enclosures
  • at least two-way speakers

The primary reason for these speakers is to help with soundstage imaging. That's what they're made for in surround sound systems.

So either of these would probably work fine. I listened to the Klipsch at Best Buy and they're great - nice and clean and good quality sound even at low sound levels. I can't find the Infinity speakers locally but expect they're probably much like their small 4x6 mounted speakers I have already.

Anyway, I tried to source the Klipsch speakers separately and then have a go at installing and reviewing them.  But after some research, I decided to ditch the idea of using the Klipsch speakers. They're not typically sold separately and all the ones coming up on eBay have "issues". Also the impedance (8-ohm) reset my expectations - with a clean but admittedly low-powered head unit (22W per channel/50W Peak) and a fairly long wire run, I probably would not be happy with the sound.  The speakers would require a lot more power to sound their best.

Design an Enclosure

I traced the roll bar bracket onto a piece of paper and designed the cabinet around it, working to make it as small as possible and still large enough to hold the speaker.  Here's the drawing I came up with, to scale with the speaker unit shown inside the opening.

Cabinet Plan

I tinker a little with woodworking so I dusted off the table saw, bought a few boards and cut out the parts need for my plan.  Then I nailed and glued the pieces together and did a little creative cutting to get the final shape.  The enclosures came out great.  Mounted with the flat side facing to the rear and the angled side bolted to the bracket facing toward the windshield.  This puts the two surfaces on a 45-degree angle toward the sides of the car.

Speaker Enclosures
Speaker Enclosures

Speaker EnclosuresSpeaker EnclosuresSpeaker EnclosuresSpeaker Enclosures

 

So I moved to considering a couple different Infinity speaker solutions. I liked their Reference series 4x6 plate speaker but found that the way I was installing them, they'd be about 1/2" from the back of the seat and really would not disperse enough sound to make it worthwhile.

The cabinets are drying - the sanding sealer takes a while to harden. I contemplated finishes and decided to match the color and texture of the rest of the interior so the speakers will "blend"...

Here's the enclosures with the holes drilled for the drivers.  All of the openings and mounting holes for the speaker bolts, mounting stud to the roll bar bracket, screw holes for the backs and hole for the wiring were made while the enclosures were still in bare wood.  This reduced the amount of handling the finished pieces would need to endure, and allow for an easier job of drilling and so forth.

Speaker Enclosures with Holes Drilled

Enclosure Design Considerations

I calculated the enclosure size for the speakers and found the optimum size was almost exactly what I built:
Enclosure Calculations

I found that if I mount the speakers with the triangular side facing forward and the flat side facing back, it fits very well and looks pretty good (it's nearly invisible from the back).  The bonus is that I have two surfaces facing forward at 45-degree angles, which puts the surfaces facing to either side of each seat.

Driver Selection

Infinity Systems

This gives me four 3-inch speakers and four 1.5" tweeters, facing front with good clearance around the seats.  So I ordered four Infinity 3022cf two-way compact speakers.  I got two from Amazon, one of my favorite sources, and the other two from an eBay seller who was selling a set of new speakers in a "damaged box".  When the eBay speakers came I found that the box damage was confined to a spot where it looks like the carton got spoiled by removing some tape.  The speakers inside were brand new in sealed packages.

Infinity 3022cf
Brochure | Owners Manual

Infinity 3022cf specs

I measured and found I could fit two speakers in the enclosure, one on each flat of the triangular side.   Here is a drawing that I used to determine that I would not be able to mount the drivers flush with the surface of the face of the enclosures - not enough room for the magnets to clear each other inside.

Driver Installed

I wondered if I want to put a left and right channel into each cabinet or run lefts on the left side of the car and rights on the right side of the car...? If I put a left and a right on each side, I might get an interesting stereo effect on either side of the passenger or driver's heads. Not really sure though it would probably be easy enough to try both ways. Alternatively I guess I could put in a switch that would let me change it on the fly...  I ended up sticking with putting both drivers in the cabinet on the same channel, so one "left" enclosure and one "right" enclosure.

Installation of Drivers into Enclosures

Here are the drivers installed and the cabinets painted.  I chose a finish that approximates the interior of the car, with a rough, two-color stipple.  I elected to use pan-head hex bolts to get a slightly industrial look.  All the bolts have washers and in the case of the studs for mounting to the bracket, rubber washers to isolate vibration.

Drivers Installed in CabinetsDrivers Installed in Cabinets

Drivers Installed in Cabinets

I let the enclosures dry overnight and then test fit the drivers and hardware.  I found that the bolts I had selected to hold the drivers into the enclosure would not work on a couple spots because of limitations inside the enclosure.  So I made adjustments.  I threaded and countersunk the thread holes that hold the backs on so they'd be nice and tight and easy to open for service.  I elected to install the 100ųf capacitor for an effective cut-0ff frequency of about 300hz.  This prevents the speakers from transmitting frequencies handled by the subwoofers, effectively making them mid-ranges.  The coaxial mounted tweeters have their own crossover integrated into the driver assembly and did not require any special consideration.  I wired each enclosure in parallel, terminating the leads with a single positive and ground for each enclosure, simplifying the connection to the rest of the system.  I drilled a single hole in the narrow space between the two angled panels and fitted a T-Nut on the inside to accept the bolt that holds the assembly to the roll bar bracket.

Installation of finished Speakers into Car

I put some rubber padding material on the underside of the enclosures to reduce the transmission of vibration and to cushion the enclosures where they will rest on the bulkhead.  Then I bolted the speaker assemblies into the car after drilling a single hole in each roll bar bracket, using this hole and the stud on the speakers to complete mounting.  The bolt merely keeps the enclosure in position, with the weight of the enclosure resting on the bulkhead.

View from Cargo Area

View from Outside Rear
View from Outside Rear

Passenger Side
Passenger Side
 

Passenger Side
Passenger SidePassenger SidePassenger Side

Driver Side

Driver Side

Driver SideDriver SideDriver SideDriver Side

Front Seats

Front Seats

 


Here is a logical view of the stereo system

Pioneer / Infinity Sound System
  Radio Devices   External Devices
  Sat Antenna   Antenna   USB Device iPod Music Phone   Generic Device
  Cable   Cable Splitter   USB Cable iPod Cable Blue Tooth   Mini Cable
  Pioneer GEX-P920 XM Satellite Digital Tuner   Pioneer GEX-P10HD HD Radio   Pioneer CD-UB100 USB Adapter Pioneer CD-IB100II iPod Adapter          
                       
Source XM   External 1   External 2 iPod   BT Audio Phone   Aux  
                         
  XM Satellite Radio   HD Radio   USB              
                         
  AM   FM     CD                                        
                                                     
                                                     
          Sub     Pioneer Premier DEH-P980BT
Head Unit
IP-BUS            
                       
Out               Rear   Blue Tooth In  
                       
                Front  Auxiliary Stereo Cable
                     
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                           
  Factory Tweeter                   Factory Power Amp           Factory Tweeter
Front Factory Mid-range                               Factory Mid-range
  Factory Sub-Woofer                 Left Added Speakers Right         Factory Sub-Woofer
                                   
                                     
                                     
                                                             
                                                             
                                                               
Rear Infinity 3022cf
Speaker Array

 
                Infinity Basslink               Infinity 3022cf
Speaker Array
                               
                               
                               
                             
                             
                     
Sub         Powered Sub-Woofer            
                       

 

Wiring

The wiring chart below illustrates the configuration and additional pages added to the web site explain the Pioneer DEH-980BT head unit, iPod Adapter, XM Tuner, HD Radio, USB Adapter, Infinity 3022cf rear speaker array, and Infinity Basslink installations. 

Here is the updated component layout and wiring.  The major components may be clicked to see more details about them.

Pioneer System Diagram with Component Wiring

Updated Component Wiring Diagram (click on components for write-ups)

 

The head unit popped out of the dash and the terminated and un-used rear leads were already set to be connected to the rear wire leads I had left over from an installation kit after installing the sub-woofer.  I put the terminals on the rear leads, labeled them for (+) and (-), left and right, and pulled the wires down from the head unit behind the dash, and through the inside of the console to the back of the car.

Calibration

Not done yet.  Next I ran the automatic calibration sequence that the Pioneer head unit provides to dial in the speaker relationships inside the car.  This is done using the provided microphone.  The head unit sends white noise and other calibration signals through the speakers and uses them to make settings that improve the soundstage and sound imaging.  In the end, it's one of the features that I like best about this head unit.  Here is the section of the manual that explains this.

Auto TA and EQ
Auto TA and EQ

Auto TA and EQ

I think this last update takes this stereo as far as it can practically go (without turning the car over to be simply a container and transport of a huge collection of amps and giant woofers...).  At this point here are the features:

Head Unit:

  • Pioneer DEH-P980BT Premium with remote

  • 50W x 4 Channel plus AUX inputs (2), Subwoofer outputs (2), speaker-level outputs (4), pre-amp-level outputs (4)

  • AM/FM Stereo Radio

  • Blue Tooth Audio

  • Blue Tooth Hands-Free Phone

  • CD Player (CD / MPG / WMA / AAC formats)

  • AUX1 (3.5mm wire available for guest device (kids iPod, friends' whatever)

  • AUX2 (Unassigned)

  • XM Radio

  • External 1 - HD Radio

  • External 2 - assigned to the CD-UB100 USB Interface

  • iPod Player (iPod controlled by head unit, powered by car)

Amplifier

  • External (Factory) Infinity six-channel, 240-watt power amplifier (Crossfire factory premium stereo)

Speakers

  • Infinity (Factory) Tweeters (2) (Crossfire factory premium stereo)

  • Infinity (Factory) Mid-Ranges (2) (Crossfire factory premium stereo)

  • Infinity (Factory) Subwoofers (2) (Crossfire factory premium stereo)

  • Infinity (Aftermarket) 3022cf two-way tweeter/midrange speakers (4)

  • Infinity (Aftermarket) BassLink 200w powered subwoofer

Though I can't adequately describe the sound, believe me when I say that it is a significant improvement.  Much better presence.  Clearer highs, good solid mids.  Its a great modification, even for as much work as it took!

Pioneer Premier DEH-P980BT | Pioneer CD-IB100II iPod Adapter | Pioneer GEX-P920XM  XM Digital Satellite Tuner

Pioneer GEX-P10HD HD Radio | Pioneer CD-UB100 USB Adapter | Pioneer CD-SR11 Steering Wheel Remote Control

Auxiliary Fuse Box | Infinity Basslink | Infinity 3022cf Rear Speaker Array

 

Crossfire Maintenance and Modification

Initial Car Purchase

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Infinity 3022cf  (Owners Manual - Adobe Acrobat PDF)

 

               

 

Crossfire Maintenance and Modification

Initial Purchase

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