A speaker pod for housing an audio speaker. The speaker pod is adapted to
be installed in a channel having an effective height and a depth defined
by a floor, a sidewall, and a top, such as may be found, for example,
below the door-frame of a 1997-model-year Jeep.RTM. Wrangler.RTM. vehicle.
The speaker pod comprises a multi-sided enclosure having a back plate
adapted to extend upwardly from the floor adjacent to and approximately
parallel to the sidewall, a front plate having a projected height and an
opening for mounting a speaker therein, and a top connecting the back
plate with the front plate. The top has a step comprising a bottom having
a width approximately equal to the depth of the channel and a riser having
a height approximately equal to the projected height of the front plate
minus the effective height of the channel. The speaker pod may be
particularly adapted for mounting in the front compartment of a vehicle
and the front plate may be angled relative to the back plate to direct
sound from the speaker toward a driver or a passenger in the vehicle. The
invention also comprises a vehicle having at least one speaker pod as
claimed herein, preferably with a set of two speaker pods that are
mirror-images of one another and mounted on opposite sides of the vehicle.