Aiming Kick Panels

[Bakerman]

This post was found by another SMD member, IRPIRATE, HERE @ SONICELECTRONIX.COM. I really thought it was useful and needed more than a link, so I thought it might could get a sticky.

"I wanted to share some more installation tricks that I have picked up over the years. I learned this technique for aiming kick panels when I was competing on Team Image Dynamics. Matt Borgardt of Image Dynamics taught me this technique. He is a very accomplished fabricator that has done great work for this industry for many years.

1. Make sure your driver’s seat is positioned exactly where it will be when you drive your car. Next, try and position the passenger seat to match the driver’s side. This will make the sound much more uniform from both seats.

2. With the windows rolled up, sit in the driver’s seat and have a friend very carefully spot where the opening is on your left ear. Mark it on the window with a felt tip pen or grease pencil. This is very critical that they get the alignment correct. Make sure they understand this. Better yet, try and find someone with your exact height and build to sit in the car and you do the marking.

3. Move to the other side and repeat the process.

4. Using a level, measure 5" forward and 1.5" down from the spot that you marked on each window and add another mark. This is the spot that you will be aiming you speakers at.

5. When creating the baffles that you will be mounting the speakers to, it is best to have the tweeter mounted as close to the woofer (or midrange in a 3-way setup) as possible but on the side towards the door. Imagine a square with the woofer (or midrange in a 3-way setup) mounted to it. You would want the tweeter to sit in the upper corner of the square closest to the door but right up against the woofer (or midrange in a 3-way setup).

6. In the next step it helps to have a laser pointer but a long wooden dowel will work as well. Aim the woofer (or midrange in a 3-way setup) exactly at the spot on the glass that you marked. This will take advantage of reflections off the glass. The right speaker will reflect off the left glass into your left ear and help equalize the sound you hear from both speakers. I know that it may sound strange but it actually works very well. I have done many installs using these alignment techniques and they all had one thing in common. Excellent staging and imaging.

7. For the final test, wrap a towel around the sides of the baffles to surround the back of the speakers. Do some listening tests to see if you need to make any adjustments. I have done this about 8 times and only once did I have to make any adjustments. It works that well.

8. Remember to be very careful stretching the fleece and when glassing the kicks because you can pull them out of alignment. When the resin is drying it can shrink so make sure the baffles are braced very well before glassing.

9. Install your speakers and enjoy the amazing qualities of properly aimed kick panel speakers. "