Another Subwoofer Question Sorry (but not sorry)

[socalmtbiker]

Ended up buying the same kicker sub as mentioned above @Gnarwgn. The 2ohm kicker is dvc and I with some research wired to 4ohm. Interestingly my lx470 only came with red and black sub wires, I think the video states differently. Better bass but not clean when you go higher in volume. The sub sits higher than the stock placement.

 

[brizzle]

results update:

Followed this great how to video (is this guy on MUD?), figuring if he could do it with one hand I could do it with two. The only thing I disagree with in the video is that if you are going to go through the trouble of replacing the sub, why would you buy a $12 Wal Mart sub as your replacement?



Debated heavily on which speaker to order, so I ordered 2:

1. the one Crutchfield said would fit (JL 6 3/4", $180): JL Audio C5-650cw-RP

2. the one Crutchfield said wouldn't fit, but the one I wanted to fit (Kicker 6 3/4", $75): Kicker CompRT 43CWRT672

Unpacked the boxes and found the JL was just as weak as the OEM JBL that I was tearing out. Was just a crappy speaker, especially for the price. Found the Kicker to be a really nice alternative and better built.

Anyway - followed the youtube video, removed the back panel, took off the trim ring on the stock sub, removed the blown speaker, clipped the wires.

none of the 8 holes in the Kicker housing lined up with the the 4 sub box holes, but the box is plastic so I just threw 8 screws into the plastic and called it a day. The stock opening and depth was perfect to fit the Kicker into.

Only thing to watch is that the black and red wires are the negatives, the yellow and green/blue are positive.

TREMENDOUS upgrade in sound, and I'm very happy with the outcome. I'm not going to win any awards for my system, and the sub isn't slowly unscrewing my license plates, but I actually have bass now which really creates a much fuller sound experience, and makes the other 6 speakers sound really good.

I could probably make this even better by switching out the amp, which I'll do someday. But for the time being it was $75 and a couple hours of slow moving work, and one of the better upgrade results I've experienced so far.

View attachment 1851833

Hey @Gnarwgn glad the video was helpful! That was a tough install, one good arm and one that was killing me I was hunting for a better sub at the time but never ran into that kicker, that looks like a great alternative! I got too much installed back there to swap it out now!

Thanks @saucebox for the shout out!

 

[El Cid]

I toyed with the sub upgrade far longer than I want to admit. IN the end, the whole concept of the sub enclosure and that f'd up piece of plastic caused me to ditch it and put standalone subwoofers behind the rearmost seats. In the space that formerly held the sub enclosure, I now have a lovely Yaesu 2m Radio which has graciously helped me avoid bad weather on far flung drives and provided some comfort in distant spaces.

The reality is that if you change the head unit, you might as well go full tilt and do the following as well.

-Remove and replace the amp
-Replace all speakers and the door tweeters.
-Replace all the wiring to the speakers and amp.
-Sound deaden with mass loaded vinyl

The good news It is ridiculously simple if you come up with one plan and implement it all at once and the impact is impressive.

My only regret was that I didn't do it earlier and en masse.

Just a general parts budge for what I listed below if you wanted to splurge(But of course it can be cheaper)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amp($400)
Head Unit ($600)
Speakers ($500)
Subwoofer($250)
Wiring ($50)

 

[Gnarwgn]

@socalmtbiker - hope you're not overly disappointed, I think the Kicker gets you back to what the rig may have sounded like when new, but certainly does not take you into next level stereo territory, as you point out.

Also - to your point the fitment isn't perfect, and I've had to snap it back in a couple time due to the sub pushing against the back of the trim. I think I may go back and use a Dremel on the back side of the trim to make more room for the rim frame of the sub (the part that says Kicker).

@brizzle I'm still just impressed you even made the attempt, you are the man! Also thought your wife's question mid-video was classic, I'm pretty sure my wife asked me the same question mid install (and she didn't watch the video). Wives can't help themselves.

@El Cid - agree 100%. Knowing what I know now, I would definitely do what you propose. You want to hit it all at once, and enjoy the payoff of great and reliable sound for the life of ownership. Assuming you like music.

 

[socalmtbiker]

I’m very satisfied and agree about the dremeling the trim. I was on a time constraint and did it quick. As the quality of the sound I think is being deminished by some air leaks because the sun doesn’t fit exactly flush. I may go back and put some rope caulking. I wish I can do a full stereo upgrade but have navigation. Thanks for finding the kicker! I think I searched a while back but didn’t want to spend the 150 it was. At 75 It was a good buy. I found mine at amazon.

 

[brizzle]

@socalmtbiker - hope you're not overly disappointed, I think the Kicker gets you back to what the rig may have sounded like when new, but certainly does not take you into next level stereo territory, as you point out.

Also - to your point the fitment isn't perfect, and I've had to snap it back in a couple time due to the sub pushing against the back of the trim. I think I may go back and use a Dremel on the back side of the trim to make more room for the rim frame of the sub (the part that says Kicker).

@brizzle I'm still just impressed you even made the attempt, you are the man! Also thought your wife's question mid-video was classic, I'm pretty sure my wife asked me the same question mid install (and she didn't watch the video). Wives can't help themselves.

@El Cid - agree 100%. Knowing what I know now, I would definitely do what you propose. You want to hit it all at once, and enjoy the payoff of great and reliable sound for the life of ownership. Assuming you like music.

Thanks man! You just made my day! I totally forgot about my wife's question

 

[El Cid]

@socalmtbiker - hope you're not overly disappointed, I think the Kicker gets you back to what the rig may have sounded like when new, but certainly does not take you into next level stereo territory, as you point out.

Also - to your point the fitment isn't perfect, and I've had to snap it back in a couple time due to the sub pushing against the back of the trim. I think I may go back and use a Dremel on the back side of the trim to make more room for the rim frame of the sub (the part that says Kicker).

@brizzle I'm still just impressed you even made the attempt, you are the man! Also thought your wife's question mid-video was classic, I'm pretty sure my wife asked me the same question mid install (and she didn't watch the video). Wives can't help themselves.

@El Cid - agree 100%. Knowing what I know now, I would definitely do what you propose. You want to hit it all at once, and enjoy the payoff of great and reliable sound for the life of ownership. Assuming you like music.

For a first timer, doing a complete rewire and recarpeting is intimidating.

But once it's up, you realize how simple it is and how many professionals are out there that will do it cheap. The fear is more than the challenge, that's for sure.

I'm a techie, so the wiring alone could have been an afternoon and been a nice, cost effective upgrade. But even the carpet was straightforward once I found a good upholstery shop.

 

[Dparo]

Has anyone managed to build a custom enclosure to replace the plastic one and use an 8" and retain the factory grille?

 

[Burch1]

Guys,
I replaced the stock ML subwoofer with this 6.5" ScanSpeak drop-in unit:

ScanSpeak Classic P17WJ00 6.5" Woofer

ScanSpeak Classic P17WJ00 6.5" Woofer. Premium woofer driver in stock. Expert advice on enclosures and amplification. Contact Madisound.

www.madisoundspeakerstore.com

It worked fine until recently and I'm wondering if its 8ohm impedance rating is too high for the ML amp powering it?
Anyone know the output rating of the ML sub amp? I'm a '04 LX if it matters.
Thanks!,
Greg