Fix Sub-woofer in LX470, yay or nay

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OverLand Cruisers

OverLand Cruisers

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The sub in the LX is shot, already disconnected and out of the truck.
It's an '04 with Mark Levinson audio.

As I'm going to be installing a large (multi level...grande) drawer system and fridge in the back I'm wondering if it is worth the time, and coin, to replace/repair the sub-woofer.

Any thoughts on how much the sub improves the stereo's performance?

I know the drawer and other junk in back shouldn't "block" the sub-woofer that much but if it is only going to bring minimal gains (subjective to who's ears may be listening) I may just skip it.

Thanks!
 
I'd say the fact you asked the question might indicate you could skip the sub. A sub adds weight and feeling to music but doesn't do much for talk radio. If it's already history and you don't seem to miss it, put the money into something else?
 
I actually enjoy the sound system in my 100 after I added a 10" subwoofer more than I do in my Ford Raptor.

If you don't listen to music I'd say just skip it.
 
I found a repair kit for my sub on the "bay". It was easy to fix, they supplied all the parts anD now my sub works great. It's very straight forward. Good luck
 
I cannot convey just how much of a difference adding a proper subwoofer made to the overall experience in my LX. While I ended up simply adding a 12 inch box, it is easily removable for those times when the space is needed for other purposes.

I had owned an Infiniti M45 prior that had a Blose system in it so prior to gutting the OEM in the LX a few months back, it had been almost a decade since having quality SQ in my vehicle. While my home theater is quite absurd (used to be a professional AV Reviewer and mod on HT websites), there really is something to be said for having great sound in the car. Having quality bass is one of those things that you can sometimes not realize just how much it was missing until it is rectified.

For me anyway, it was always in the cards, but the first $4-5k went to getting it in absolute tip top mechanical condition and BFG AT K02's. Knowing that it was possible again to have high quality car audio was a major motivator in purchasing an older 100 as my M45 made it all but impossible to do anything car audio wise.
 
My 98 sub is 2ohm. Would that work with a 4 ohm sub anyone?
 
If your current speaker(s) are 2 ohm and you replace them with 4 ohm, it is going to take twice the power to drive them. This wont be so noticeable at at low volume but the minute you begin to turn it up, you will be disappointed. The other missing element of sound is the bass response - it basically drops out below mid-bass and you will hear no "punch" at any volume. I have tried many different configurations of speakers to attempt to replace 2 ohm speakers with 4 ohm and even 3 ohm ones and have always ended up returning them. (I am lucky because I live in the same town as Crutchfield so I can do this) Bottom line: if you are going to try this with a subwoofer you will need a lot of power and an equalizer or active crossovers to direct only the very lowest frequencies to your driver. I personally would only use a 2 ohm speaker. They are out there - Crutchfield has them as well as many other places.
 
Good call on getting a sub. Especially for music listening.

If I had drawers I'd have gotten one myself by now.
 
JB Mitchell said:
If your current speaker(s) are 2 ohm and you replace them with 4 ohm, it is going to take twice the power to drive them.
Click to expand...

I have literally no experience with car audio but I have a ton of experience with hiend audio systems and figured I would jump in here. Basically, the opposite is true. The important thing to know here is that power is made up of 2 components, voltage and current. More specifically, voltage X current = power (usually measured in watts).

Higher impedance loudspeakers will require more voltage to drive but less current. An amplifiers inability to supply current is what results in speakers clipping. So, a speaker with a nominal 2 ohm rating is actually twice as difficult for an amplifier to drive when compared to a 4 ohm speaker. A hypothetical loudspeaker that was rated at 0 ohms would be a short, and your amp would blow up immediately. Most amplifiers will perform best when they are seeing a speaker load with a resistance of 8 ohms- higher than that you will start running into the opposite problem, not enough voltage.

Hope this helps.
 
JonD said:
I have literally no experience with car audio but I have a ton of experience with hiend audio systems and figured I would jump in here. Basically, the opposite is true. The important thing to know here is that power is made up of 2 components, voltage and current. More specifically, voltage X current = power (usually measured in watts).

Higher impedance loudspeakers will require more voltage to drive but less current. An amplifiers inability to supply current is what results in speakers clipping. So, a speaker with a nominal 2 ohm rating is actually twice as difficult for an amplifier to drive when compared to a 4 ohm speaker. A hypothetical loudspeaker that was rated at 0 ohms would be a short, and your amp would blow up immediately. Most amplifiers will perform best when they are seeing a speaker load with a resistance of 8 ohms- higher than that you will start running into the opposite problem, not enough voltage.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Knowledge drop.

Thanks!
 
Update.

Sub installed, great advice!!

I ended up going with a Kicker that was pretty easy to fit into the stock enclosure. A little dremel work, mastick, and adhesive foam and it was good to go.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BV3DE4O?tag=ihco-20

I hit a few speed bumps trying to figure out the wiring as it is a 2 OHM unit...the first few attempts yielded the amp not being able to properly feed the system. However after some trying I was able to increase the impedance by wiring it "in series" (DVC; + to - bridging the speaker then opposite sides + & - for output) and the amp stopped clipping.

Super happy that you guys convinced me to replace/fix the sub, way better.

Thanks!!
 
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