firedawgs Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 I just installed my sub 2 days ago. I still have to play with the adjustments a little to set for my likings. My opinion on it: it sounds great for the size. I was shocked to see how small it was (woofer is 5 1/4" I think). The bass really feels in the music; makes the whole system sound better. It is great for the music I listen to which is rock; it sucks for the music my wife listen to which is hip hop. It can't handle low bass. Someone asked about the bracket. I think you can order the bracket by itself. It had a separate part number on it. Updated my vBGarage: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellivnad Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 You wouldn't actually be splicing the wires. It basically taps the speaker level outs and the amp has speaker level inputs. Both subs would make home runs back to the reciever, and would piggyback off each other. The wonderful attached pic shows how the harnesses would go together. The biggest issue I see is the fact that the red wire that the green arrow is pointing to is now servicing the radio, speakers and 2 subs. It might not be a problem, I have no idea what the watt rating on these subs are. .o0O0o. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvigneau Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Even though you are not physically splicing the wires. There is still a splice (through the wiring harness). Unless the radio has 2 outputs for 2 subwoofers then there is still going to be a loss. You don't have to physically splice them for their to be signal loss. The use of the adapter does the splicing for you. It would be the same as buying a Y-Connector for a RCA cable. You don't physically splice the RCA cable but it is still being split and there is still the loss in signal. No Silent CD Aux-In Solution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellivnad Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Its really not the same at all. These wires that are being spliced are not driving the subwoofer. The sub has its own amp built in. My understanding is that the sub is passively reading the rear speaker outputs. I can tell you for sure that when I plugged in my sub that my rear speakers didn't loose half their output (3db loss). These are NOT line level readings as would be with RCA outputs, these are the speaker outputs and therefor much higher voltage/current. .o0O0o. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 the gain control is to adjust input sensitivity. lower voltage input = higher setting. That's why it's there - to match the sub amp to the input voltage. BTW - I used the sub I had leftover from the WRX. Harness is the same, just remove the bracket as it was meant to install under the passenger's seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellivnad Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Attached is an overly simplified example of what the oem sub/amp is doing. It is using a voltage divider to attenuate the signal from speaker level (3-20V) down to line level (0-3V). The input impedance of this circuit is around 10K ohm, when comparing this to the 4 ohm of the speakers, this circuit is practically invisible to the radios amplifier. In our case the resistor R2 is replaced with a potentiometer (the gain knob). This allows you to adjust the resulting line level outputs. The last thing that the oem sub/amp adds is a low pass filter/ crossover circuit. This cuts out all the useless high notes that the sub can't reproduce anyway. .o0O0o. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sduford Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Does anyone have the specs on the hi-cut control? What is the range of frequency and does it go up or down as you turn it clockwise? Sylvain www.digitalfotographer.com - Audi Q5 Club - MB-GLK Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 [quote name='sduford']Does anyone have the specs on the hi-cut control? What is the range of frequency and does it go up or down as you turn it clockwise?[/QUOTE] clockwise = up. From my trained ear, it sounds like it operates from about 60/70 cycles to about 200 cycles. Given the size of the driver and enclosure, I wouldn't expect much output below 50 cycles. The best way to set the x-over control is to put on talk radio and turn the pot until you hear voices in the sub, then back it down a hair, then listen to music for any fine tuning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvigneau Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 I guess I was wrong (although correct if you use RCAs). I thought the output from the radio actually had a connection for the subwoofer but I guess it doesn't and therefore ignore everything that I said previously. Ellivnad is correct if it uses the line level outputs from the rear speakers. No Silent CD Aux-In Solution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sduford Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 [quote name='Patagonian GT']clockwise = up. From my trained ear, it sounds like it operates from about 60/70 cycles to about 200 cycles. Given the size of the driver and enclosure, I wouldn't expect much output below 50 cycles. The best way to set the x-over control is to put on talk radio and turn the pot until you hear voices in the sub, then back it down a hair, then listen to music for any fine tuning.[/QUOTE] Thanks Patagonian. Mine is definitely set too high, muddies the voices a lot. Sylvain www.digitalfotographer.com - Audi Q5 Club - MB-GLK Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellivnad Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 [quote name='Patagonian GT'] The best way to set the x-over control is to put on talk radio and turn the pot until you hear voices in the sub, then back it down a hair, then listen to music for any fine tuning.[/QUOTE] Great advice! To set the gain, I'd start by unplugging the sub. Then put on some music with some significant base. Turn up the radio to your typical listening level. Now adjust the radios base level so that there is no distortion. Plug back in the sub and adjust the gain screw until you reach your desired base level. .o0O0o. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanboy Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 Bringing this thread back from the dead... Removed the two screws in the armrest box, yanked around the cupholders and the parking brake cover came with it, hehe. Ran out of light, will be tackling the rest this evening after work. -B -B http://www.standardshift.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonardo Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 Did the install and love the sound!!! I have a CD by DJ Tiesto and it sounds awesome!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scans007 Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 I need to move my sub my W7 is too much for this trunk.......maybe two 10's to the sides :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbotaz Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 I went to play with the settings and discovered that the dealer put in the sub using double sided tape, no bracket. I am going to back and make them put it in properly. Also, the blue wire is run between the console and the seat. Is it supposed to come up from under the carpet? Can I make them fix that as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inthedeck Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 Yes, I see the blue wire running from the center console down to where the sub is. That's the way it came from the factory. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanboy Posted June 24, 2005 Share Posted June 24, 2005 Time from picking up box to putting it back down empty: 2:03 Install went well, couple of things different on my car versus the directions: Didn't have screws for the under dash cover, just plastic plugs Had to remove a fourth bolt on the driver's side of the dash to slide the radio out. (might have blown by the directions for this one, ehehe) No tabs broken or screws lost. Everything went back together well, no rattles. The sub does take away some foot space when my bro was driving. He's 5' 7" and is a little closer to the wheel since he's started autocrossing, hehe. Sounds awesome to my ears. If you are used to big aftermarket systems, this subwoofer is not for you. However, if you just want to fill out the lows and keep your door speakers from rattling and sounding overworked at non ear-bleeding levels, the factory sub works very well. -B -B http://www.standardshift.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hear5am Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 Anybody else out there think this harness could be used to tap a clean line out for an aftermarket sub? I bet it could even power a small/efficient setup like a bazooka! Hmmmm too bad the harness costs as much as the sub else I would try it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVXdc Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 [quote name='hear5am'][color=black][size=2]Anybody else out there think this harness could be used to tap a clean line out for an aftermarket sub? ... [/size][/color]too bad the harness costs as much as the sub else I would try it out.[/QUOTE]Sure. But you can build your own... [url="http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=735683"][u]link[/u][/url]. For an after-market sub you won't even need the 8-position subwoofer harness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 stupid question. I thought I read somewhere else that the seat has to come out. I didn't see that anywhere in this thread... -Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonardo Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Yeah, seat needs to come out.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mele63 Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Actually I was baffled by this one also. The installation instructions clearly say to remove all four seat bolts, but they don't show the seat being removed from the vehicle. The answer is that once the bolts are out, you can simply tilt the seat backwards and you have all the access you need. This is good for running the wire under the carpet and out the vent hole under the seat. You can see, however, that it's possible to install the unit by taking a lot of shortcuts, that's why people have posted here about various corner-cutting tactics used by dealer technicians. BTW, I've had mine in for a week and think it's a worthwhile investment, especially if you don't plan to go nuts with a lot of aftermarket audio stuff. The one thing that sucks is the placement of the adjustment pots on the sub. I want to tweak mine now but I don't know how to get access without ripping some things apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egan Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Is the driver's seat the standard mounting location? I know when I had my WRX, the sub came from the factory mounted under the passenger seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reg Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 [QUOTE]I recall reading somewhere that subs for older Legacies won't on the new GT, due to the power seat motors, etc. [/QUOTE] I have an 05 LGT unlimited - no power seat motors. Can anyone tell me if the larger, cheaper sub for earlier models will fit? Same harness? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mele63 Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 [i]Is the driver's seat the standard mounting location?[/i] Yes. [i]I have an 05 LGT unlimited - no power seat motors. Can anyone tell me if the larger, cheaper sub for earlier models will fit?[/i] Don't know. [i]Same harness?[/i] My recollection is that others have had to modify the harness to make this work. The "headunits'" for the 05's are a completely new and unique animal. I know it's a 14 pin connector going into the stock headunit. I think you can also buy the sub harness separately but that is cost-prohibitive. My advice, don't [i]buy[/i] an older sub just to save a few bucks. The proper unit really is well designed to fit our cars (especially the wiring aspect). If you have an old one sitting on the shelf already, you'll have to decide whether it's worthwhile to make it work. Also, an added benefit, I intalled a satellite radio at the same time and was able to hack up the sub's wiring harness to splice in the sat. radio. It was nice to do this on the workbench instead of lying on my back in the car. Also, the original wiring that came with the car stayed unmolested, for what it's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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