Installing Sub-woofer Upgrade (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Aug 16, 2005
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Location
Aurora, CO
Ok I have seen what others have done and while those worked out for them I had some requirements that required I do my own thing. 1st- I could not have any enclosures taking up floor space; 2nd- The speaker must be protected from carelessly thrown camping gear or tools; and finally I wanted to retain the side cubby and DS jack storage areas for future projects.


In order to achieve my goals I decided that I needed to mount the upgrade in the factory mounting location. This limits the speaker options but I found a reasonable solution. Pioneer has a new line of thin subwoofers in 8'', 10'' and 12''. After measuring I decided on the 8''. Here it is on the left compared to a typical 8'' sub
sub001.jpg



I removed the original sub and amp and decided the factory bracket could be used to help locate the new sub behind the factory grill. I used a 1/4 particleboard and cut it to fit the area. Here is the factory mount and the board. (I got ahead of myself and had to photoshop back in the areas of the bracket I had to remove :doh: )
sub002a.jpg


After measuring the speaker and cutting the opening in the board I removed the excess material from the factory bracket. I used an inexpensive 150 watt amp that mounts below the sub. Here it is test fit in place prior to installing the sub
sub003.jpg


With the sub installed
sub004.jpg


I cut a port behind the factory vent. I also used a 2'' strip of foam to seal the speaker to the side panel and the grill opening (rushing again and forgot a pic :whoops: )

Here is the final install, it looks factory, protects the speaker and lets me keep the other spaces available. It is far superior to the factory system and while adequate for me for someone who wants to shake their fillings it certainly isn't on par with a good 10'' or 12'' system.

sub007.jpg
 
Nice work!!

With this setup and a more powerfull sub than stock, do you get any obnoxious vibrations from the surrounding plastic, window, etc?
 
Trapper said:
do you get any obnoxious vibrations from the surrounding plastic, window, etc?


I thought ALL "boots in the dryer" speakers were supposed to do that.......:flipoff2:
 
Are you running the stock head unit? Very nice install, this is exactly what I have in mind, although I might cut out the factory grill and install a full size grill to cover the new speaker.

How does it sound?? I don't want something that EVERYONE within a 3 block radius can hear...I just want it to sound good inside the truck.
 
cruiserdan said:
I thought ALL "boots in the dryer" speakers were supposed to do that.......:flipoff2:

Touche :D
 
Trapper said:
Nice work!!

With this setup and a more powerfull sub than stock, do you get any obnoxious vibrations from the surrounding plastic, window, etc?
No, but I was worried about that so I secured all the wiring in the area with ties and replaced all the worn panel clips so it would fit snug. The foam strip I mentioned also reduces vibration by keeping the panel tight.



TX_TLC said:
Are you running the stock head unit? Very nice install, this is exactly what I have in mind, although I might cut out the factory grill and install a full size grill to cover the new speaker.

How does it sound?? I don't want something that EVERYONE within a 3 block radius can hear...I just want it to sound good inside the truck.

No, the PO had replaced the head unit and the front speakers but that must have been 7-8 yrs ago. I am in the process of upgrading everything. If you have a stock head unit most amps will accomodate that and you can use the factory speaker wires for inputs. I would plan on running a heavier power lead for the new amp.

I didn't want a rolling boom box just good solid bass. In addition to limitations, speaker size and air capacity/volume of the space, I went with the 8'' the make sure it wasn't too "thumpy"
(besides.... 8'' has worked great for me since I was 18 ;) )
 
So let me get this straight.. you didnt create an actual enclosure, you only mounted the sub on particle board, or did I totally miss what you did??? If you did create an enclosure was it simple to do?? Do you have any pics of the enclosure installed or by itself?? I like that setup very much, do you happen to have a model number of the sub??
 
FloridaFJ80 said:
So let me get this straight.. you didnt create an actual enclosure, you only mounted the sub on particle board, or did I totally miss what you did??? If you did create an enclosure was it simple to do?? Do you have any pics of the enclosure installed or by itself?? I like that setup very much, do you happen to have a model number of the sub??

You are correct, I saw no need to create dedicated enclosure because once the panel is in place that whole area becomes the enclosure. My intent was a simple upgrade. I consider doing further boxing but after hearing the results decided it wasn't going to improve it further and would actually reduce the interior air volume of that space.

The speaker model # is TS-SW841D.
 
thats awesome. so you just created the actual stand for the sub from particle board and mounted the sub, thats awesome.. How does the sound compare, is it deep, like you would hear in an enclosure? Where did you put this foam?? Any rattling???
 
It sound great, much deeper than stock and while not being obnoxious from outside it can still shake the side mirrors pretty good.


Since I rushed and didn't take a pic here is photoshop version of what I did. I had several long strips of 2''x2'' foam laying around so I placed it where you see the thick black line

sub004a.jpg


No rattles so far but I see what I can shake loose when I crank it up for a while ;)
 
oh i see. and you put that on top of the speaker and then placed the panel on top of it ... .. What would you say was the total spent on this installation????
 
The speaker was $180, the amp was on sale for $70 and I spent about $50 on the install (wood and all new wiring from the head unit and amp power). So it comes out around $300. I am not sure it was the most cost effective set-up but it has met all my requirements so I'm pleased.:cool:
 
Hey man as long as your happy... and to be honest its an awesome idea and you did an awesome job documenting it all.. Sorry to say this but I hope you dont go back to where you bought the speaker.. They are on ebay for $77 plus shipping...But sometimes if your like me you just want things right away and not have to wait for them... Good luck I will be sure to post pics when I have my TCH2FLY factory subwoofer upgrade installed on my rig!!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/PIONEER-PREMIER...ryZ18802QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
Thx glad you liked it.

As a guy who had my own business a few years back, I prefer to buy locally. I do pay more but I like to support the community. I do like the instant gratification of store purchases.

The sub purchase is a long story (involving store credits and nothing else to purchase) and I know I paid more than I should have but now that saga is done and no I won't be shopping there again. (yeah sometimes local isn't better :doh: )
 
I like your mentality on smaller local shops. I'm the same way. Actually, I am also a small local shop. I do like what you did for the sub. Looks like good work. As an installer, the only thing I have to say is that if the sub was designed for a free air application, then what you have done is optimal for that sub. If it was designed for an enclosure, then if you like the sound now, you will love it when you enclose it. Most 8" subs that require an enclosure want about .3 cubic feet. That's not a lot of air. What you may notice about building a sealed enclosure for it would be an improvement in low end response, and also tightness of the bass. Unless the sub is designed for free air. Do you know what the recommendations for the subwoofer are? Speakers are made differently depending on how they are meant to be used. Nice install though. And keep supporting the locals!
 
Makes me want to go spend $ where I know I shouldn't.

Doesn't mean I won't. ;)

Looks great man. :)

B
 
Nice job!
 
Great job! Did you try your subwoofer before you added the port? If not, try covering it up and tell us how the sound compares.
 
hoser said:
Great job! Did you try your subwoofer before you added the port? If not, try covering it up and tell us how the sound compares.
I think the port was to keep the vent open, not neccessarily for sound.
 
Nice job, sounds (no pun intended) like just what mine was missing. Off to find an 8' woofer somewhere close.
 

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