I'm looking to do a simple upgrade to the stock (Boost) radio and want to copy Scooterboy's clever sub install


I have just a few questions for you MCO gurus:

1. I plan to use the speaker-level inputs of this powered subwoofer. Do speaker-level inputs have near-infinite resistance? IOW, can I connect the sub in parallel with my front or rear speakers without affecting the f/r balance or otherwise burdening the stock amp?

2. Is there a simple high-pass filter I can put on the stock speakers so that they won't burden themselves or the amp by attempting frequencies below say 50Hz? I don't want any fancy illuminated control panel or even any adjustability, I was thinking of something like a $7 passive coil/cap setup dangling from the wires behind the HU. The sub has an adjustable low-pass that I could use for most of the tuning, I just want a simple filter on the remaining speakers to clean them up a little. Is this even worthwhile?

3. Can I expect the sub volume to remain proportional to the door speakers throughout the entire volume range or is it likely to require constant gain fiddling for every song and volume?

4. Has anyone successfully taken power from the fusebox? This little sub doesn't seem to justify running wires all over the engine compartment when the fusebox is right there. I've taken a stab at the fusebox for another project but couldn't figure it out. Ideally, I'd like to buy the necessary terminals to add a factory-style circuit in one of the blank spots.

TIA

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2004 MCS-CR/W-Sport Pkg-Cold Pkg-17" R99's-bonnet stripes-PIAA

 

Oooh! I'm flattered!

I'll give you what I know (which admittedly ain't much):

1. Doesn't "line level" mean non-amplified? Does the boost even have a line level output to use? If you're talking about using the high level speaker outputs, I don't think it would noticably affect the volume of the speaker lines you tap into since the sub will be reducing it to line level then amplifying the signal itself.

2. You could use some of these in-line crossovers to limit the bass going to your regular speakers.

3. My experience so far is that the sub volume remains proportionate to the the other speakers volume throughout the volume range. However, I've also found that different sources of music can vary greatly in the amount of bass they have. So I advise you to do what I did and mount that remote crossover/gain control in a handy place. Once you set it for a particular CD though, you can leave it. When you put in the next CD, you might need to adjust it, and you might not.

4. The sub really isn't really high-powered - just look at the small gauge of the yellow power wire in the picture. I'm sure you'd be fine tapping power from most any of the fuses. That said, I'd take power from the stock stereo fuse because you could possibly get some whine otherwise. I don't know that for a fact, but that would be my preference. If you've had no luck with the fusebox, tap the stereo power (switched, not constant) from the back of the head unit. If you do get some of the in-line crossovers, you could install them back there at the same time. Then you wouldn't have to open the doors up.

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

Doh! Speaker-level is what I meant to say.

That partsexpress site doesn't much care for links. I looked around and found this:

100 Hz HIGH PASS 4 OHM CROSSOVER (12dB)

That's exactly what I was thinking of. Only trouble is the 4 Ohm rating (don't I need 2 Ohm?) and the $20 price tag (Need 4 of these?)

With a "claimed" 100W output I assume the Clarion jobbie wants a 10A circuit. I think the whole stock system is on a 15A fuse so I doubt I could slap another 10 ponies on there.

You still happy with that sub Scoot? What do you think about 1 under each seat? Is there room?

 

Weird - that link I gave you works just fine for me. Anyway, partsexpress has these things called Bass Stoppers that are only a few bucks apiece. There's 6 different models that block from 300 Hz up to 5.6kHz. Go to partsexpress.com and do a Search for Bass Stopper.

The description says they work for both 4 ohm and 8 ohm. The stock speakers are 5 ohm, so that shouldn't be a problem.

The specs do call for a 10A fuse, so you're right in not wanting to take that power from the stereo circuit. I was just speculating that if you did, you wouldn't need to bother with the blue remote turn-on wire. Better to do it right: give it constant power and use the turn-on wire.

I bought a pack of gizmos from an auto parts store that I haven't used yet. It's a little metal power tap for blade fuses. You pull a fuse, slip part of this gizmo over one of the blades and re-insert the fuse. The other part of the gizmo provides a place to tap power from that circuit. You could get one of these and find a circuit that you don't use (like for a feature your car doesn't have). I'll probably use one for my radar detector when I get that going. Note that you should determine which blade to slip it over - only one side will actually be protected by the fuse.

I am happy with the sub. To be honest though, I haven't really played with the crossover setting ability that's in my head unit yet. So there's still a fair amount of bass coming from the 4 speakers. However when I turn the sub down while music is playing I can definitely hear the difference.

One under each seat? Sure it's possible. My advice would be to start with one though. You may find that:

1) one sub is enough for your needs, and/or

2) after spending the effort to remove one of the seats, install the sub, cut the carpet, and re-install the seat, you might not want to do it again!

If you really want your windows to flex with each bass note, even two of these subs might not be enough. If you just want some extra low end, one might do it. I'd start with one and see how you like it.


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