ICE 3 way + Sub stereo Upgrade

[purplehazeffc]

As I'm from Australia, we get the Bose stereo as standard. Which I found to be very underwhelming. As I had already had an aftermarket stereo in my previous i30 SR.
So I transferred the majority of that equipment over to the i20N back in June/July 2023. I took ownership of the car in May 2023.
I have just completed to what I now think will be the final set-up of the upgrade.
I 1st started with the Helix M6 6ch amp & Helix M One X amp both controlled by a Helix Mini DSP. Speakers were then Morel Tempo Ultra splits in the stock location.
I was pretty happy with this for awhile, as it sounded pretty good. But I really wanted a Helix V Eight 8ch amp / DSP all in one, as it make it look a bit neater & more tidy. It also clears up a bit of cabling. As well as going with more channels of amplification, I wanted to go with a 3 way front stage. So it was then I decided to change out the Morels to Helix speakers.
Currently I've got with Helix S 6B woofers in the doors, Helix S 3M mids in pods on the dash, Helix Compose i3 tweeters in pods in the stock tweeter location.
Though I am thinking of changing the Helix S 6B woofers to the Helix Compose i3 2ohm woofers. As the V Eight amps puts of 75w into 4ohm & 120w into 2ohm. Which would them give more power to the woofers, as the mids & tweeters don't need anymore than the 75w each.
Both front doors have been completely sound deadened, as the door metal is quite thin & tinny. That alone has made a huge difference.

The main problem with having the Bose is that there isn't any logical way of bypassing it. As the amp is fed signal from the headunit via SPDIF digital, which is a full range full power signal.
All volume control is via CANBUS which includes all warning chimes, voice recognition, navigation etc. Because I wanted to keep full headunit control & volume control, I couldn't use the SPDIF output. And I use Apple Carplay for my music via cable. So if your planning on doing a stereo upgrade, your best getting a Non-Bose equipped car to start with.
Because the Hyundai Ionic 5 uses the exact same Bose amp. I found a patch harness to suit on Aliexpress. So it made it very easy to get the speaker in & out from the amp & connect into it.
Plus if needed, Can very easy unplug the harness & plug the original connections into the amp to go back to stock. So I'm using the speaker outputs from the Bose amp to the speaker inputs of the Helix V Eight. Unfortunately the Bose amp puts out a modified signal & isn't completely flat. To which the Helix DSP software has something called Input Signal Analyzer. To which it can read the incoming signal & you can adjust using the built in EQ to get the signal pretty flat.

I would say all up I have put in approx 50hrs into installing all the equipment. Not counting all the research & googling all the info into the Bose amp & the pinouts.
All the work has been done by myself & I wouldn't really want to know the exact cost on what I have spent in total. As all the equipment had been purchased at different times.
Here is some pics of the previous install to how it is currently now.. Cheers

 

[tatsizadam]

First of all you have done a very good job congratulations. Can you show me how you pass the amp power cable from the motor to the cabin

 

[YNWaN]

Fantastic job . But…. The N logo on your subwoofer is upside down .

 

[purplehazeffc]

Fantastic job . But…. The N logo on your subwoofer is upside down .

It actually took me quite awhile to notice that it was upside down lol. Has since been rectified

There is now an update to the installation. No longer have the pods for the mids. They have been moved to the top of the dash.
As there is enough room & plenty of space under that removable panel. Just a bit of plastic to remove for the depth of the speaker.
For around 4 hours work to get to this stage. I have some Dynamat & material on order.
Dynamat to give the plastic trim piece more substance & weight. Then it will be covered in auto grade suede.
Which I'll also get the A pillar trim covered with.
Tweeters have been upgraded to ScanSpeak D2004/602200, which are a huge improvement. Currently in the pods, but may change to have them mounted in the A Pillars. Depends on pricing as I will need someone else to do.
I do have some new Mids on order, but not sure when they will arrive. Luckly they have the same cutout size as my current Helix S3M's

 

[tatsizadam]

No need for help with amp power wiring, I got it done, thank you
Can you tell me how to remove the plastic around the glass?
I am currently setting up a 3-way sound system and currently working on soundproofing.
I was thinking about whether to make a pod for the midranges or attach it to this plastic. If I can learn how to disassemble it, this would be a great location.

 

[purplehazeffc]

No need for help with amp power wiring, I got it done, thank you
Can you tell me how to remove the plastic around the glass?
I am currently setting up a 3-way sound system and currently working on soundproofing.
I was thinking about whether to make a pod for the midranges or attach it to this plastic. If I can learn how to disassemble it, this would be a great location.

Remove the side panel from the dash. Then remove the A pillar plastic.
The plastic top dash, use a flat screwdriver & lever it up. It can be a bit tight, but it will pop off.
Underneath that is just plastic, that can be easily cut away with a sharp utility knife to get the space up need.
Then either leave it with the plastic finish or have it covered with material of choice.

 

[YNWaN]

Remove the side panel from the dash. Then remove the A pillar plastic.
The plastic top dash, use a flat screwdriver & lever it up. It can be a bit tight, but it will pop off.
Underneath that is just plastic, that can be easily cut away with a sharp utility knife to get the space up need.
Then either leave it with the plastic finish or have it covered with material of choice.

Funnily enough, I’ve been contemplating fitting mid units to the same panels but have been wondering how to remove them .

 

[purplehazeffc]

Funnily enough, I’ve been contemplating fitting mid units to the same panels but have been wondering how to remove them .

I looked at doing this when I 1st installed my system over 18 months ago. I looked at removing that panel, as it does look like it can be. But given how tight it was I didn't want to break anything on a brand new car.
It was only when another member showed me that I decided to try it myself. And how easy it actually is to do.
Took me around 5hrs all up to get my mids in. From removing everything, cutting everything out & then refitting.
If contemplating going to a 3 way, it's a must do & in sound quality it's night & day over a 2 way.

 

[YNWaN]

Can I ask what size your Morel mids are?

 

[purplehazeffc]

Can I ask what size your Morel mids are?

That's not my install. I haven't got any pics when I pulled mine apart. But I do know that the Morels are around 115mm in dia. Which is as about as big as you want to go. As then you will be cutting into the clips to hold the panel back in.
This is mine with the Helix S 3M mids in, they are 92mm in dia & fit perfect. This is the panel now. Covered in dynamat to help with the panel vibrating & will have it covered in a black swede. I've ordered Eton Graphit80 mids to replace the Helix mids. Should be here Weds or Thurs.

 

[User5]

Hi @purplehazeffc . Nice setup! I am planning a three-way setup with sub this year too. Ur pictures and posts are a great help

Can you share a link to the cable you use from the Bose amp to the Helix DSP?

And... I see you have eight outputs from the DSP. What is the eighth output for? Center OEM speaker?

 

[purplehazeffc]

Hi @purplehazeffc . Nice setup! I am planning a three-way setup with sub this year too. Ur pictures and posts are a great help

Can you share a link to the cable you use from the Bose amp to the Helix DSP?

And... I see you have eight outputs from the DSP. What is the eighth output for? Center OEM speaker?

Hello. This is the harness I used from AliExpress. Then you don't have to cut any original wiring so it's easy to put back to stock. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004933453281.html
My system has changed since the very 1st post. No longer am I using the Helix V Eight. I'm now using a Helix P Six Ultimate. 2ch for tweeters, 2ch for mids, 2ch for rears, I've got a Helix Amplify 204 bridged to the door mid-bass.