Amp/Subwoofer Placement (2 Viewers)

[seremify007]

I know I was gonna get decent speakers but ended up opting for a low-powered amp and sub after realising that without an amp, the speakers wouldn't get used much, and with front speakers w/ twin-tweeters and rear coaxials, it didn't really improve the depth/bass of the music but rather just the clarity.

Cut a long story short, I ordered a low-powered sub and amp, but now I'm just wondering where to put 'em. Trying to minimise wire installation and things which require pulling the car apart. External gain control unit is also something I'm not sure where I want to put.

For anyone out there who has an amp in their boot, how do you place it so that other things in your boot don't knock against it and damage it. I'm intending to put the subwoofer in the boot facing rearward- was originally going to face it inwards but then that makes it really uncomfortable in the back seat I heard. Any suggestions?

 

[th]

I know I was gonna get decent speakers but ended up opting for a low-powered amp and sub after realising that without an amp, the speakers wouldn't get used much, and with front speakers w/ twin-tweeters and rear coaxials, it didn't really improve the depth/bass of the music but rather just the clarity.

Cut a long story short, I ordered a low-powered sub and amp, but now I'm just wondering where to put 'em. Trying to minimise wire installation and things which require pulling the car apart. External gain control unit is also something I'm not sure where I want to put.

For anyone out there who has an amp in their boot, how do you place it so that other things in your boot don't knock against it and damage it. I'm intending to put the subwoofer in the boot facing rearward- was originally going to face it inwards but then that makes it really uncomfortable in the back seat I heard. Any suggestions?

ok preferably in most basic custom installation the amp is screwed on to the back of the back seat, depending on where u want to place the sub i would not suggest u place right infront of the sub cause any high powered amp needs flow of ventiliation to cool its processes, also add a cheap $10 grill mounted on the sub it'll prevent those sudden bumps or scratches.

As u asserted above try to install all the major components into the car and run wires from the amp to the front chasis and let the experts do the rest, worst case scenario would be a noobie blowing his amp deck all at once because of some wire, which i done andd blew about 400 bucks worth of gear .

Im currently in the market for a amp and sub for my civic so what did u end up getting?

 

[DaddyK]

My amp is screwed onto the back of my subwoofer box. Works perfectly, although theres nothing else in my boot that could potentially damage the amp. Unless your flying through corners everything stays pretty much where you put it. If your really worried, take your seat out, its only 4 bolts, and set up the amp on the floor under your seat, its a safer place but in my opinion, too much work for something that doesn't really matter.

 

[loquasagacious]

My suggestion is screwed to the side of the sub box or to the back of the back seat - these are the only real options.

Under a passenger seat is poorly ventilated and the amp can overheat - if you go this route check that your ECU isn't under the seat you take out because otherwise it'll take twice as long because you'll have to put that seat back and then take out the other one.

If you put it on the rear of the rear seats make sure that you leave enough slack in the wires to allow the seat to fold down (assuming it does at all).

IMO Best is probably going to be Amp attatched to subbox, subbox attatched to floor. Grill over sub face. I don't know about this external adjusting unit, if you arn't going to use it much then for simplicity I would put it in the boot, if you are going to use it then you need to get inventive and insert it in your dash.

Oh and th, installation is VERY simple and damn near impossible to balls up - first step for anyone out there - disconect the ground/negative terminal on the battery, now nothing can go wrong. Just connect A to A and B to B and you'll be set.

More helpfully to you specifically I recommend taking the amp down to a jaycar, it is most likely that you only fried one or two components inside the amp - they will be able to identify these, and sell you replacements (at FAR less than the $400 to replace the amp).

 

[CieL]

Apart from worrying about other things knocking into it, also worry about how to keep it in place..

My bf's friend just jams a cardboard box between the sub and the latch of the boot to keep it still =] That's if you really cbf'd..

 

[loquasagacious]

In my car I bolted it to the floor.

In my brothers I bolted it to the floor.

In my mates I screwed it to the spare wheel cover. Or rather I screwed some brackets to the cover and then fitted the sub/amp combo snuggly between them so in the event of needing the spare you unplug the amp - slide out the combo unit and hey presto there's the spare.

 

[seremify007]

My amp is screwed onto the back of my subwoofer box. Works perfectly, although theres nothing else in my boot that could potentially damage the amp. Unless your flying through corners everything stays pretty much where you put it.

It's not that I'm flying through corners but even when I brake in a slightly more sudden/abrupt fashion, I can feel the textbooks in my boot (and huge street directory) move forward and knock against the back seats... and if that's where my amp is going to be, I don't want it getting all dented >_>

My suggestion is screwed to the side of the sub box or to the back of the back seat - these are the only real options.

IMO Best is probably going to be Amp attatched to subbox, subbox attatched to floor. Grill over sub face. I don't know about this external adjusting unit, if you arn't going to use it much then for simplicity I would put it in the boot, if you are going to use it then you need to get inventive and insert it in your dash.

I'll let the installers decide- but they told me what they usually do is make a panel to fit behind part of the rear seat (mine split down 60:40), and then attach the amp to that, and then put the subwoofer to the side. My amp probably won't fit on the subwoofer box but I'll ask them about it when I go to get it installed in a couple of wks time.

As for the external unit- it's very important to me because some songs have a lot of bass, others have very little, so this way I can adjust the volume of the subwoofer on the fly.

Im currently in the market for a amp and sub for my civic so what did u end up getting?

Lifestyle were having a sale last weekend so I went and got the cheapest RF amp and 12" sub. It produces only 150w RMS, but it sounded considerably better than the Pioneer subwoofer with 1000w (peak). I'm not looking for the thud thud, just a decent improvement in music quality.

 

[ToO LaZy ^*]

my amps is screwed onto the backseat and the sub sits snuggly between the top of the back seat to the edge of the boot. but now, i faced the sub to the backseat, so now theres a slight buffer.

if i need access to the spare wheel compartment, i just slide one of seats forward (the one that has the amp attached) and lift up the boot cover. and presto.!

EDIT:

 

[seremify007]

I was worried about the access to the spare; but the guy told me the way they fit it in, is done in such a way you just unplug the connections and then you can undo something- and then the sub box will slide out easily and it isn't very heavy.

 

[ToO LaZy ^*]

well since i dont have a spare tyre anymore, i dont have to unplug anything...just slide the seat forward and lift up the cover, with the sub still on top. (theres a compartment in there in which i store other essentials)

but if you do need to unplug stuff...itll only be 2 wires that connect to the sub

 

[DaddyK]

Yeh, the sub an amp are extremely easy to separate as its only 2 terminals you need to loosen, you don't even need a screw driver. Hey i have almost the same sub as yours lazy, yours is the 06 model mines 05.

 

[seremify007]

What sub is that? I can see MTX in the background.

 

[ToO LaZy ^*]

this one -> http://www.sony.com.au/xplod/catalog/product.jsp?categoryId=22093

EDIT: actually...its not that one.
its this one..

XSL122P5
12" PENTAGON TURBO SUBWOOFER, 1300W

 

[DaddyK]

Yeh thats the newer model, this is mine
12" 1200 watter

 

[seremify007]

How is it? I don't mean to knock your sub but people have told me to avoid buying into Sony's "good looking not so good performing" car-audio equipment.

 

[ToO LaZy ^*]

well lets just say, whenever i look at the back mirror, all i see is a blur.lolol
the only problem i have with it, is its making my back windows wiper vibrate a bit on very low frequencies and some other rattles which i am yet to find out where theyre coming from.

 

[DaddyK]

Oh yeh, sony xplode is garbage, but i picked mine up for 100 bucks in a sub box already, which is a freakin bargain. Its nothing special but it aint shit. I only bought it because i'm not really that fussed, it pumps loud enough for me.

 

[seremify007]

Btw, here are more pics of the install (incl. engine bay)... this was done at Lifestyle- from what I've heard, ppl say the install was quite neat/tidy; what do you guys think?



Thanks for the advice in the past guys

 

[loquasagacious]

The install looks nice and tidy, I do however quesion where they choose to put the sub. It seems that placement in one of the corners or facing outwards at the back would have been more effecient use of space.

 

[seremify007]

Not sure if you can tell from the pic, but where the sub is... it is actually in a corner because my boot isn't like, a rectangular prism (couldn't think of any other way to describe it) but rather, as it goes in, there's like things sticking in on both left and right side, which is why the sub is in a corner. By facing it left, it also fits in (it's not very long as you can see) with the wall of the boot (ie. the bit touching the rear seats) and is also in line with the 60:40 split without covering up the amp. I don't think it's possible for it to face rearwards without being moved closer to outer area of the car because it'll hit the amp otherwise.

Sorry for poor explanation but in other words, the width of the amp + the length of the sub = width of my boot. But width of the amp + width of the sub (ie. the front part) is greater than the width of my boot. And the reason my boot width is narrow is because as it goes into the car, it becomes much narrower.