Here's the setup that I'm thinking of going with but I need some help here:

Clarion VRX935VD
Xtant 603X
Boston Acoustic Pro 6.5
Whatever for Rear Fill
JL Audio 6w0-4

My question is, where is a good place to put the amp, and not lose any storage space? I was thinking about the back ride side where there's the storage compartment and creating a plexiglass surronding on top of it to keep it safe and cozy, but how plausible is that? Of course the plexiglass that surronds it should have vents so please don't knock on me for that. Any thoughts would help out? Either that or I can see if I can remove that lower back right panel where I want it installed and see if I can get someone to custom plexiglass it for me to hold the sub?

HELP!!!

It looks like you have a good plan going there. Here's a couple of tips...

1. Put the amp under one of the seats.
2. Instead of building a custom fiberglass enclosure for the sub, consider getting the JL audio Stealth Box which is due to come out very shortly. It replaces the factory sub and enclosure with a JL version in the same space.

[quote:d440c4b969=" "]2. Instead of building a custom fiberglass enclosure for the sub, consider getting the JL audio Stealth Box which is due to come out very shortly. It replaces the factory sub and enclosure with a JL version in the same space.[/quote:d440c4b969]

Well, "in the same *place*", anyway. The enclosure is larger than the factory sub, and therefore you lose additional space between the dash and the low center console area. However, I still think it's a good compromise, since it'll take up less total volume there vs. mouting something similar elsewhere and keeping the factory sub sitting there unused. :)

-brendan

Whoops, quite a few typos there in my original thread. I was just too excitied writing them down and my fingers were going just a little faster than my mind was thinking up the thought.

Anyways, thanks for the help Emass, but here's the problem, the amp has the following measurements (21.5"L x 8.9"W x 2.2"H). I was thinking of putting the amp on the bottom right side because it's clear, and hopefully the back seats will clear even with the amp installed. I'm still taking measurements on that to make sure.

As for the JL Audio stealth box, I'm not really leaning that way. The box with the carpet just doesn't go with the whole theme of the element. The E is all rugged, and here you have a carpeted sub box, HMMMM. Asked JL about it, and they said tough luck, you don't like it, just remove the carpeting portion and keep the rest. :)

The other typo that I had was that I didn't want to put the 6" sub in the back, just the amp. I just wanted to replace the 6.5" sub that we had in the factory (.15 sealed enclosure) which JL has spec'ed their 6w0 to run on (well .15-.20). So I'm hoping that that would be ok. I'm not looking for huge bass as well, just something that'll blend in, at least I HOPE will blend in.

I was thinking of putting the amp in the back and hopefully find a way to "stealth" it from the baddies, but I'm caught on where I want to do it on how I want to approach this whole program. I'm just starting out by buying my parts slowly and then waiting for spring/summer to put the project together. Too cold here in New England.

[quote:88510c73f0=" "]Whoops, quite a few typos there in my original thread. I was just too excitied writing them down and my fingers were going just a little faster than my mind was thinking up the thought.

Anyways, thanks for the help Emass, but here's the problem, the amp has the following measurements (21.5"L x 8.9"W x 2.2"H). I was thinking of putting the amp on the bottom right side because it's clear, and hopefully the back seats will clear even with the amp installed. I'm still taking measurements on that to make sure.

As for the JL Audio stealth box, I'm not really leaning that way. The box with the carpet just doesn't go with the whole theme of the element. The E is all rugged, and here you have a carpeted sub box, HMMMM. Asked JL about it, and they said tough luck, you don't like it, just remove the carpeting portion and keep the rest. :)

The other typo that I had was that I didn't want to put the 6" sub in the back, just the amp. I just wanted to replace the 6.5" sub that we had in the factory (.15 sealed enclosure) which JL has spec'ed their 6w0 to run on (well .15-.20). So I'm hoping that that would be ok. I'm not looking for huge bass as well, just something that'll blend in, at least I HOPE will blend in.

I was thinking of putting the amp in the back and hopefully find a way to "stealth" it from the baddies, but I'm caught on where I want to do it on how I want to approach this whole program. I'm just starting out by buying my parts slowly and then waiting for spring/summer to put the project together. Too cold here in New England.[/quote:88510c73f0]
OK, so here's my new set of suggestions...

1. On the Amp - the seats won't clear and you wont be able to pull up the floor tray. That amp MIGHT fit under the front seat but consider getting a smaller 4 channel amp or put a 2 channel amp under each seat. The 2 ch. amps will be much easier to work with than building an enclosure. I started building a custom fibreglasss amp rack (search the forum for pics) for the exact spot you mention until I realized I could fit amps under the seats with a little mod work.
2. Strip the carpeting off of the JL Stealthbox and have it covered with vinyl or painted instead to match the interior. You were willing to have an entirely new fiberglass enclosure custom built for the back so this will be even easier and save you money. Fiberglass work is EXPENSIVE and TIME CONSUMING - especially if you have someone do it for you - trust me on this.
3. Don't bother trying to shoehorn an aftermarket sub into the stock enclosure - it probably won't fit, and it probably won't sound any better than the Alpine DVC sub that's already there. In fact it may sound worse since AFAIK there's no replacement models on the market with DVC's so whatever you put there will play at 1/2 of the power of stock since it'll be SVC.

I had an Xtant 603x in my Audi and can't imagine where it would fit hidden in the Element. That would be a tough task to accomplish. Even if you could hid the amp, you might overheat it. That amp requires lots of cooling. It is a VERY sweet sounding amp, really didn't want to sell mine... but didn't have a vehicle to use it in. It won't fit under the seats at all, it is too wide.

As eMass suggested, purchase either a smaller amp or get 2 amps.

Your speaker choice is what my choice will be as well, except I will put BA Pro 6.5s in both the front and rear. Use the supplied tweeter mount to mount the tweeters onto the 6.5 woofer and install in the door... or try and find a place to mount the tweeters, your choice.

I would get the Stealthbox, it's what I plan on doing. The carpet will get replaced with something more appropriate for the E interior. Considering how long it took JL Audio to come out with this stealthbox, it is rather surprising that they are forcing their carpet on a waterproof interior. Poor design/implementation on their part.

Good luck with your choices and let us know what you decide to do.