Joined
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153 Posts
MY SITUATION:
I wanted to use the factory location (without getting a "box") and since I'm just an ordinary guy and not "hardcore-audiofile" per se, I wanted to improve the sound with minimal cost and minimal upgrading. I did the "Infinity Speaker" upgrade last Dec. and though that improved the sound, the bass was still very-lacking. So since then, I've been looking and learning to upgrade the factory subwoofer.
MY PROBLEM:
Upgrading the speakers was very simple (screwdriver, some dynamat, and a utility knife) but the subwoofer was a whole different animal.
There is the issue of ohms. The factory subwoofer is a 2 ohm and most after markets that will fit in that location are 4 ohms which means the resistence is "doubled."
Another issue is location. Because it's not an enclosure, I needed a "free air" subwoofer. Though they are not that difficult to find, there is very limited space due to the shallow depth of the location.
And another big hinderance is my lack of car-audio knowledge. For a newcomer into the world of car-audio, it is very intimidating to ask seemingly "basic" question like: what is dual-voice coal, power handling, rms, etc.
MY SOLUTION:
After posting for help on this forum, I decided to "just do it" and buy a subwoofer. I considered these factors when I made my decision.
1. Sensitivity- Since the OHMs (resistence) was going to go from 2 to 4 ohms, I needed a subwoofer which had a very high sensitivity.
2. Depth - According to this forum, others had tried to install a subwoofer with 5" depth and failed, but other's were able to install a sub with a 4 11/16" depth.
My choice of subwoofer:
Cerwin-Vega Stealth III S-10.4 because it had a high sensitivity of 93 DBA, a depth of only 4 1/8", and not only that, and it was on special for only $50 at crutchfield.com (otherwise around $90).
INSTALLING THE SUBWOOFER
Although the factory sub is also 10 inches, the metal bracket around the factory-woofer will not allow the aftermarket subwoofer to fit properly. I ended up going to a stereo shop and getting them to make a wood ring that mounted between the factory location and new subwoofer. Because of the thickness of the wood-ring, I probably could have fit a 5" deep subwoofer.
After installing the subwoofer, the sound was very disappointing in that it sounded the same and IMO, it sounded quieter and more muffled than the stock unit. My final conclusion was to get an amp. The stereo shop workers warned me that without getting a box, the sound improvement even with the amp would be very nominal.
I got an amp but I realized the installation was somewhat beyond my expertise. It required new wiring and some modifying of the old wiring to the factory amp that powered the factory subwoofer. I had the pro's do it. It took 3 hours but the labor was only $50 total. I checked around and the going rate seems to be $50-$55 (al & eds, bestbuy, circuit city, goodguys, etc).
The installer gave me the option of having the amp installed either under the front passenger seat or the headrest compartment behind the thirdrow. I opted for the front passenger seat location since I know that someday I will eventually spill something in the cargo.
THE RESULTS
What a tremendous difference that amp made!!! Being that it was the factory location, the improvement even surprised the installers since they figured it would be minimal. The sound improvement is substantially louder and clearer than before. I can "feel" the bass from the driver seat and it's even better from the middle row.
WHAT I WOULD DIFFERENT
If I knew that I was going to end up getting an amp, I think I would have gotten a better subwoofer since "sensitivity" and ohm wouldn't have been such an issue.
SUMMARY
For those who are curious:
1. Subwoofer - CERWIN VEGA STEALTH III S-10.4 = $50
2. Wood-ring for the SUBWOOFER = $50 (It took them only 15 minutes to make but they said it was considered "custom work.")
3. Amp - ALPINE MRP-T130 = $197 (including amp, installation-labor, all wires, etc.)
Though the damage was right under $300, I think this is a low-end figure to upgrade the subwoofer especially since an aftermarket amp is also must with the subwoofer...
I wanted to use the factory location (without getting a "box") and since I'm just an ordinary guy and not "hardcore-audiofile" per se, I wanted to improve the sound with minimal cost and minimal upgrading. I did the "Infinity Speaker" upgrade last Dec. and though that improved the sound, the bass was still very-lacking. So since then, I've been looking and learning to upgrade the factory subwoofer.
MY PROBLEM:
Upgrading the speakers was very simple (screwdriver, some dynamat, and a utility knife) but the subwoofer was a whole different animal.
There is the issue of ohms. The factory subwoofer is a 2 ohm and most after markets that will fit in that location are 4 ohms which means the resistence is "doubled."
Another issue is location. Because it's not an enclosure, I needed a "free air" subwoofer. Though they are not that difficult to find, there is very limited space due to the shallow depth of the location.
And another big hinderance is my lack of car-audio knowledge. For a newcomer into the world of car-audio, it is very intimidating to ask seemingly "basic" question like: what is dual-voice coal, power handling, rms, etc.
MY SOLUTION:
After posting for help on this forum, I decided to "just do it" and buy a subwoofer. I considered these factors when I made my decision.
1. Sensitivity- Since the OHMs (resistence) was going to go from 2 to 4 ohms, I needed a subwoofer which had a very high sensitivity.
2. Depth - According to this forum, others had tried to install a subwoofer with 5" depth and failed, but other's were able to install a sub with a 4 11/16" depth.
My choice of subwoofer:
Cerwin-Vega Stealth III S-10.4 because it had a high sensitivity of 93 DBA, a depth of only 4 1/8", and not only that, and it was on special for only $50 at crutchfield.com (otherwise around $90).
INSTALLING THE SUBWOOFER
Although the factory sub is also 10 inches, the metal bracket around the factory-woofer will not allow the aftermarket subwoofer to fit properly. I ended up going to a stereo shop and getting them to make a wood ring that mounted between the factory location and new subwoofer. Because of the thickness of the wood-ring, I probably could have fit a 5" deep subwoofer.
After installing the subwoofer, the sound was very disappointing in that it sounded the same and IMO, it sounded quieter and more muffled than the stock unit. My final conclusion was to get an amp. The stereo shop workers warned me that without getting a box, the sound improvement even with the amp would be very nominal.
I got an amp but I realized the installation was somewhat beyond my expertise. It required new wiring and some modifying of the old wiring to the factory amp that powered the factory subwoofer. I had the pro's do it. It took 3 hours but the labor was only $50 total. I checked around and the going rate seems to be $50-$55 (al & eds, bestbuy, circuit city, goodguys, etc).
The installer gave me the option of having the amp installed either under the front passenger seat or the headrest compartment behind the thirdrow. I opted for the front passenger seat location since I know that someday I will eventually spill something in the cargo.
THE RESULTS
What a tremendous difference that amp made!!! Being that it was the factory location, the improvement even surprised the installers since they figured it would be minimal. The sound improvement is substantially louder and clearer than before. I can "feel" the bass from the driver seat and it's even better from the middle row.
WHAT I WOULD DIFFERENT
If I knew that I was going to end up getting an amp, I think I would have gotten a better subwoofer since "sensitivity" and ohm wouldn't have been such an issue.
SUMMARY
For those who are curious:
1. Subwoofer - CERWIN VEGA STEALTH III S-10.4 = $50
2. Wood-ring for the SUBWOOFER = $50 (It took them only 15 minutes to make but they said it was considered "custom work.")
3. Amp - ALPINE MRP-T130 = $197 (including amp, installation-labor, all wires, etc.)
Though the damage was right under $300, I think this is a low-end figure to upgrade the subwoofer especially since an aftermarket amp is also must with the subwoofer...
