[pcoates@drcoates.net]

Lockem Yes my sub was simply placed in the trunk behind the drivers side backseat. I have a QV so seats do not fold. Sub is firing towards back of the car.

 

[lockem]

Can you please teach me how to create a Hyperloop? I think Musk is getting sloppy and I'm looking to capitalise...

It's "easy" and exists in very small scale many labs. All you need for a usable system is $$$$$$$$$$$ and to not care about safety issues.

 

[Chipshot]

I hope the Hyperloop as implemented has good subwoofers.

 

[lockem]

Lockem Yes my sub was simply placed in the trunk behind the drivers side backseat. I have a QV so seats do not fold. Sub is firing towards back of the car.

I took possession of my car today and see that the rear seat backs of the Ti have a thin board on the back. I doubt that this is rigid enough to provide any meaningful attenuation of sub-woofer frequencies (300Hz and below), especially at the lower frequency end of the range. I don't think a thicker board could be swapped in. My car is now at the PPF installer, so it will be another 2 weeks before I get a chance to extract more design information.

I wonder if QV has any boards at all? Perhaps bass reproduction is better in the 2.0T models than the QV?
I also wonder if there are any light weight materials that can reflect/attenuate this low frequency range. I know that low frequency sound absorbing materials are generally very thick and heavy, but what about sound reflecting materials?

 

[AlfaAndy]

I took possession of my car today. My car is now at the PPF installer, so it will be another 2 weeks before I get a chance to extract more design information.
Congratulations! Finally.
2 weeks for ppf?
I think my wait was 3-4 days for ppf and ceramic coating. That felt like 2 weeks!

 

[lockem]

I took possession of my car today. My car is now at the PPF installer, so it will be another 2 weeks before I get a chance to extract more design information.
Congratulations! Finally.
2 weeks for ppf?
I think my wait was 3-4 days for ppf and ceramic coating. That felt like 2 weeks!

Thanks. It is a full PPF plus ceramic, plus a few custom details, plus waiting in the queue for a few days.
I'll post pictures once it is done.

 

[AlfaAndy]

Thanks. It is a full PPF plus ceramic, plus a few custom details, plus waiting in the queue for a few days.
I'll post pictures once it is done.

Did you see my pm?

 

[Prasanth]

Great article.
Are these installations done by a professional?
Did anyone try to do it on their own?

 

[lockem]

Great article.
Are these installations done by a professional?
Did anyone try to do it on their own?

I think only pcoates has tried an installation so far. Since he posted instructions I presume he did it himself.

Once I get my car I may try seeing what effect putting up an acoustic partition behind the rear seat backs has. It may both improve the sound quality of the stereo and decrease the noise in the cabin and may be more of what most people are wanting than a speaker + amplifier upgrade. The big questions being:

Is there significant sound quality improvement when this is done?
Can it be done without adding 20+ pounds of MDF?
Can it be done without disrupting the ability to lay down the rear seats?

The first question should be relatively easy to answer.

 

[Chrismccaffert]

Ok, I am looking to try and add a sub to the HK system but can’t for the life of me access the amp or sub speaker wires.

I am going to simply put a line output converter into the system. My plan is to run the sub cables into the converter and then from there run RCA cables into my sub amp and so on. I have a Audio Control LC2i which will run into a JL amp and sub. All is ready to go but I cant access anything and dont want to mess up any interior panels trying to gain access.

Can anyone help or see issues with my plan?

 

[bigk200]

The HK amp is located in the left rear quarter panel. Getting to it is a bit of a pain. The hard part is prying the skid plate loose that is supposed to protect the opening of the trunk from dragging your luggage over it. That one was very difficult for me to remove, and it actually did booger up a few of the clips. But they really are not all that important. Once you get that piece off, the rest of the panels are not too bad. However even those can present problems because the plastic retainers have features similar to Fish Hooks, which means that they are inserted much easier than they can be removed. Once you get to the amp you will find a big bundle of wires, with no way of knowing which wire goes where.

 

[4doorturbo]

I am not a big fan of the HK audio in our Giulia's. The bass is definitely lacking, the mids are too strong and the highs are piercing at times. Clearly I didn't buy this car for the audio sounds, but it would be nice to enjoy music a little more than I currently do. I came from a VW with the Fender audio system, which sounded significantly better than the HK system. I don't want to start ripping into the car, but I may have to soon!

 

[Chrismccaffert]

Thank you for that info. I did tear into the left side of the trunk but found nothing I could recognize as the amp let alone individual speaker wires. The way Alfa has integrated the system into the car makes life tough. I guess this is the way they want it to stop people doing home mods.

I have had enough of the factory system and would like to try and use some of the components I have in my collection of car Audio junk. Trying not to go to the shop if I can help it. I have a hard time giving my Q over to someone I don’t really know.

If there is any other help out there it would be really helpful.


On another note I installed the exhaust bypass controller. Totally how Alfa should sell the car and the only way to really enjoy the total driving experience!

There is no other car I can think of that I would want right now.......

 

[bigk200]

Thank you for that info. I did tear into the left side of the trunk but found nothing I could recognize as the amp let alone individual speaker wires. The way Alfa has integrated the system into the car makes life tough. I guess this is the way they want it to stop people doing home mods.

I have had enough of the factory system and would like to try and use some of the components I have in my collection of car Audio junk. Trying not to go to the shop if I can help it. I have a hard time giving my Q over to someone I don’t really know.

If there is any other help out there it would be really helpful.


On another note I installed the exhaust bypass controller. Totally how Alfa should sell the car and the only way to really enjoy the total driving experience!

There is no other car I can think of that I would want right now.......

If you have the base system then an amplifier will not be located in the trunk. I think the base system is driven from the head unit in the dash. If you do have the upgraded HK system, then the amplifier has to be in the left rear quarter panel in the trunk. You can hardly miss it once the soft decorative panel has been removed. AR has started putting a protective cover over the amplifier to protect it from water intrusion into the trunk, so it's possible that you could not see the amplifier because of the cover. When I had it apart the cover had not yet been installed as part of a technical service bulletin, so I cannot say for certain what the cover should look like.

 

[jwq2]

I am not a big fan of the HK audio in our Giulia's. The bass is definitely lacking, the mids are too strong and the highs are piercing at times. Clearly I didn't buy this car for the audio sounds, but it would be nice to enjoy music a little more than I currently do. I came from a VW with the Fender audio system, which sounded significantly better than the HK system. I don't want to start ripping into the car, but I may have to soon!

People find that a significant improvement on the HK is to turn off the "surround sound" option ......

 

[pcoates@drcoates.net]

I agree with 4doorturbo that the midrange is too strong sounding. Luckily this can be fixed the mid level in the settings. However, something is off with the highs. I agree that they are definitely piercing but only on certain songs and at certain frequencies at high volumes. Almost hurts your ears to listen to them. Turning the treble down doesn't really fix it and makes music sound very flat. I think it is going to be very difficult to fix this problem without swapping speakers. Looks like 3 way components in front, 2 way components in the back. Not sure what is the center dash. I have no idea what size they all are either.

 

[Chipshot]

What about adding absorptive material?

 

[bigk200]

I agree with 4doorturbo that the midrange is too strong sounding. Luckily this can be fixed the mid level in the settings. However, something is off with the highs. I agree that they are definitely piercing but only on certain songs and at certain frequencies at high volumes. Almost hurts your ears to listen to them. Turning the treble down doesn't really fix it and makes music sound very flat. I think it is going to be very difficult to fix this problem without swapping speakers. Looks like 3 way components in front, 2 way components in the back. Not sure what is the center dash. I have no idea what size they all are either.

This thread has some good information about dialing in the HK aystem.

http://www.giuliaforums.com/forum/1001-audio-stereo/10170-how-adjust-harman-kardon-system.html

 

[Kevin Deal]

How much better would existing sub sound with a sealed enclosure? Might be a cheap and easy improvement.

It won't work to do that as you will lower the output by putting the stock driver in a box. Speakers are so inexpensive I would suspect you could find a driver similar in size, if not the exact same size that has the similar impedance and sensitivity, but higher quality than the junk they include.

Even if it was more sensitive that could be addressed. I own a home stereo store and we're a JL Audio dealer so I suspect they will let me buy one at cost. I'd rather have it on a quick disconnect in case I need the space on a trip.

 

[mikkelsj]

To those who might not have seen on the "European" Giulia site (http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-giulia/), I have been upgrading the sound system to very satisfying results, without changing the speakers.
It's all about EQ and filters, that I have been using Audison amps and DSP's to accomplish - all without removing the in-built amp or other non-reversible changes.
The amp used is the Audison AP8.9 bit for all speakers except sub, where i use an Audison AP1D - both are ~500W with plenty of headroom.

The sound has gotten from a very high bass peak around 100hz and brittle treble reproduction, to very enjoyable and balanced across all frequencies.
So that standard speakers (I don't even have the HK option) are very capable of giving good results - just needs the right push

Check out the complete post with details here:
http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-giulia/1128906-11-speaker-audio-upgrade.html#post16846290