Lessons Learned
other measurement device from the potential speaker mounting locations, and measure those
locations with respect to your ears.
Reference Figure 1. In this scenario, three potential locations for the mounting of the L3
midrange driver are shown:
Figure 1
In scenario “a”, we show the installation of the L3’s in the dashboard or a-pillars. As you can
see from the diagram, the PLD’s between the left and right speakers are large, due to the
proximity of the listener to the near-side speaker. While the mounting of primary drivers in
the dashboard or a-pillars has become increasingly popular, this configuration will undoubtedly
require both time and intensity domain equalization in most vehicles to ensure a good, focused
center image, properly located in the center of the vehicle for one seated position. There are,
however, some rare exceptions, and you may actually find that the dashboard locations
provide the best equalized PLD of the available mounting locations. Conversely, should the
PLD’s not be ideal, you may still want to consider this scenario if you have the ability to
digitally manipulate both time and intensity; you may find that mounting the L3 drivers in this
way to be the best compromise for stable stage height, focused images, and excellent tonality.
In scenario “b”, a typical door installation location is shown, and in many vehicles represents a
mild improvement in PLD’s from the dashboard and a-pillar location identified in scenario “a.”
However, great care must be taken to protect the L3 in a door installation, given its untreated
cone and dust cap. Additionally, the door speaker installation scenario will likely also require
some amount of time and intensity equalization to ensure a centered image in most vehicles.
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