04-08-2010, 07:32 AM
Hey Tetters! Congratulations on completing a difficult installation! Glad you came out the other side still smiling 
I've done quite a few sound installs, and I'd like to make a couple of comments on yours:
First, why did you choose the Tsunami Genesis decoder? Those big caps on the board make it tougher to install in certain situations. If you use their AT decoders, the board is very thin, and the cap is attached with long leads so you can choose where to tuck it in the chassis.
Second, you're not getting as much volume from the speaker as you might because you have it set up in an infinite baffle sort of arrangement. To get good sound, the speaker has to be able to pressurize the compartment it's mounted in. If you can make a sealed styrene box to surround the back of the speaker you'll see a noticeable increase in volume. Also, if you find it sounds a bit harsh or tinny, try mounting the box with the speaker firing down onto the chassis. If you haven't had enough fun milling the chassis, you could grind out a hole over the rear truck for the speaker - the larger volume you can pressurize (up to a point) will result in better lower frequency reproduction - which is really what we want with a diesel... that lub-dub-dub sound.
I'm just about to start a couple of P2k SW9s, so maybe I'll get ambitious and post the install here, just so you have something to compare to.
I've done quite a few sound installs, and I'd like to make a couple of comments on yours:
First, why did you choose the Tsunami Genesis decoder? Those big caps on the board make it tougher to install in certain situations. If you use their AT decoders, the board is very thin, and the cap is attached with long leads so you can choose where to tuck it in the chassis.
Second, you're not getting as much volume from the speaker as you might because you have it set up in an infinite baffle sort of arrangement. To get good sound, the speaker has to be able to pressurize the compartment it's mounted in. If you can make a sealed styrene box to surround the back of the speaker you'll see a noticeable increase in volume. Also, if you find it sounds a bit harsh or tinny, try mounting the box with the speaker firing down onto the chassis. If you haven't had enough fun milling the chassis, you could grind out a hole over the rear truck for the speaker - the larger volume you can pressurize (up to a point) will result in better lower frequency reproduction - which is really what we want with a diesel... that lub-dub-dub sound.
I'm just about to start a couple of P2k SW9s, so maybe I'll get ambitious and post the install here, just so you have something to compare to.