Bavsound Notes for the OCD

[derpimpkar]

There are plenty of good Bavsound installation write-ups, I'm going to add some notes for the OCD/non-technical types.

VIDEO
Watch each section all the way through before you start work. You don't have to watch the whole video but there are times when the installer says he should have done something first.

TIME
The installer says it should take maybe 20 minutes for a door. This isn't my day job so it takes me substantially longer. I did the installation in three parts - subwoofers, decks, and doors. I did the subwoofers in about three hours one night, the front and rear decks in about two hours another night, and the doors over a weekend. You could probably do the door in one full day but I hit a snag. Also I like having that "next-day" buffer in case something unexpected happens.

TOOLS
The thin ratchet is especially important because you'll need it for the front dash speakers. However you can source the rest of the tools is fine.

You can use a five gallon bucket and a big zip tie to hold up the door panels. The rear doors will need a few 2x4s to fill the gap between the bucket and the panel.



GOTCHAS
They're serious about the front dash speaker clearance. Take your time here because if you lose a screw you'll never find it again.

The rear door tweeters were difficult for me to remove. This may be one of the places where it would help to take the whole panel off. I think I slightly bent the tabs when I took one of the tweeters out. I ended up using the glue here. After the Bavsound tweeter was installed in the door, I noticed the clips weren't holding it as tight as it should. The tweeter wouldn't fall out but it could spin. There is a lip in the housing that keeps the tweeter from going any deeper. Use a pick to put some of the glue on the lip at the inside edge. I let it cure overnight. You shouldn't need glue otherwise.

The foam ring for the midrange can be tricky to install. The glue can catch on the driver and you can rip the foam trying to reposition it. I found you can pull a little of the backing paper off, cut it, and then seat the foam ring. The glue won't stick to anything yet. You can pull the backing paper off at the cut and fully seat the foam ring without any catches.

Buy some door panel clips before you start. You'll also need the rubber gaskets. Ten should be good. You may break one, you may find one is already broken, and/or you may find some gaskets missing. Be sure to check the door if it looks like a gasket is missing. It may be stuck there. It's easier on the OCD if you have replacements handy.

When reattaching the door panels, start at the top and work your way around the sides to the bottom. Make sure each clip is lined up in the hole before trying to pop it in. Otherwise you will flatten one. There were multiple times when the clips weren't lined up with the holes and I would have broken one if I tried to pop it without lining it up first.



SIDE NOTES
It's worth the upgrade. The observation about the system waking up at half volume is true. I think it's more a linear behavior though. The HK system would rise in volume quickly but plateau. The Bavsound speakers just keep rising. Halfway is where you're probably used to the HK system at lower volumes.