Mach V Dan Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 I got this done last year, but hadn't gotten around to the snapshots or posting about it. I bought an Omnifi MP3 thingy off woot.com for some super-cheap price -- I think it was $100. You can find them on ebay or other places. Omnifi went out of business long before selling off all the hardware they had manufactured. The Omnifi is sort of a car ipod. It's a hard drive connected to a head unit device that controls it. It uses a hard drive cartridge that can be synced up to your computer. In theory, it can even sync up using WiFi, so you could have your car update itself while parked in your driveway. I haven't ever got that to work, though. I don't care much; I pop the cartridge out and sync it up about once a month. It doesn't take long. My MP3 collection (all legally ripped from my own CD's, mind you!) is bigger than the 20GB hard drive that comes with the Omnifi, so I took that apart and swapped in a Hitachi 80GB drive using instructions I found online. I had Myer Emco do the installation, and they did a terrific job. They listened to what I wanted and it came out just as I imagined. I had my work done out of the Sterling, VA shop, but the installer I used is no longer there and insiders suggest that the Bailey's Crossroads shop would be the best one to go to now for this kind of thing. It wasn't cheap. Between the labor, buying stuff like wiring and Dynamat, and a small Alpine amp, and the CleanSweep, I spent a bit more than I intended. I'd rather not dwell on the specific cost, but it's more than you'd pay for even the snazziest in-dash head unit. The system now consists of the OEM head unit (still functional) and the Omnifi, which I can switch between using the CleanSweep. I didn't want to be snagging my hand or sleeve on the CleanSweep volume knob, so we mounted that to the left of the steering wheel. We toyed briefly with the idea of putting the Omnifi head unit up in the dome light plate, but it ended up tucking very nicely in the factory pocket, which I love. Totally stealth! And that location is perfect for viewing and using the head unit. From the source unit, through the CleanSweep, we then go to a 4x100 Polk Audio amp for the Polk db separates and a 2 x 75 Alpine amp for the 10" Phoenix Gold sub. The sub box was custom-made from fiberglass, covered with black vinyl. I was going to put the sub down in the spare tire well, but the electronics used up a lot of that space, and I wanted to keep the spare in there. The two amps and the Omnifi hard drive are bolted to a board that's where the foam tray used to be over the spare. The spare well is lined with Dynamat to try to keep the resonance down. I thought that would be a good idea considering the hard drive is only about a foot from the sub. The car sounds pretty great, I think. The one 10" sub is plenty of bass for me, and there's lots of power. The only thing I did not consider is that I now have no equalization after the CleanSweep, and the whole system is just a bit bright when I'm listening to the Omnifi (which doesn't have any kind of EQ built-in). I'm experimenting with felt on the tweeters up front to dampen them a bit. I think that will do the trick. Pics: Pocket closed: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/danhurwitz/Legacy/Stereo001Large.jpg Pocket open: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/danhurwitz/Legacy/Stereo004Large.jpg Sub: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/danhurwitz/Legacy/Stereo005Large.jpg Goodies: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/danhurwitz/Legacy/Stereo006Large.jpg Volume knob: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/danhurwitz/Legacy/Stereo008Large.jpg Thanks to the Myer Emco install staff, and to our good friends at Polk Audio. (Look for their project WRX on the cover of HCI magazine this month. We provided most of the go-fast stuff for that car.) --Dan Mach V FastWRX.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Thanks for taking the time to write this up and post pics Dan! Looks sweet!! I still need to make it over to take a listen and show you my work....sometime after the Open House Did the front tweeters get mounted in the stock location? If so, you can fix alot of the brightness by moving them down close to the mid-bass (BryanH and I can give you a hand if needed) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobyLife Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Pictures are blocked for me at work, I'll have to take alook at this when I get home. This is the setup I was thinking about doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcbjr Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Guess you don't want the passengers to adjust the volume. Nice install. I forgot what I was supposed to remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmith Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Looks great, nice job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scans007 Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Will you fly out and do my sedan up when it's time....... Maybe I'll drive down for a weekend trip, you do some crazy awesome work man... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief_Wiggum Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 That's sweet, Dan! I really like the sub box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach V Dan Posted March 22, 2006 Author Share Posted March 22, 2006 Maybe I'll drive down for a weekend trip, you do some crazy awesome work man... Ha! I'm no installer. I'd like to take credit, but my involvement was limited to hardware acquisition and conceptual stuff. The Myer Emco installers did the rest, including the box and the custom-mounting of the head unit. (I particularly like the touch of black carpet below the head unit just to make it look finished.) Myer Emco website --Dan Mach V FastWRX.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.