new sub to a factory amp

[dogstar]

i know its not the best but i want to add a new sub to my car but hooked to the factory amp. someone took out the sub and the wire from the amp to the sub before i got the car. so now i need some bass in the car. how do i hook up a sub to the factory amp or do anyone have the factory wiring harness from the amp to the sub i can get?

 

[VortecGT]

Its really easy, the silver amp has two wires coming out it. Just hook those to the sub woofer. There is a connector with just wires on it. Just open up the amp and hook up some outputs.

 

[JRA2000TL]

I dropped a 6" JL sub in the factory box, connected it, and it works; (you can see the sub hitting) but it sounds like I have NO sub at all. I have ZERO bass it seems like. Someone told me aftermarket ones are rated at different ohms or something. I'd like to get mine to where it sounds like it has bass. I also have and want to keep my head unit stock.

 

[dogstar]

subs work best in certain size boxs (air volume). sounds like the stock box is either to small or to large for the JL sub.

 

[intimdatr]

350493406143 Hit that number on ebay for the amps and some of wiring. im sure you could find for cheaper if you look. But If your looking for a stock setup and i have a box+wiring+amp if you really want it. Would be willing to make a deal if you're so interested.:angelnot:

 

[waffles]

Isn't the stock amp only like 85 watts? (prolly at 8 ohms)

 

[dogstar]

i dont want to go through the trouble trying to wire a new system in, want to go the easy route right now.

 

[VortecGT]

Pm sent

 

[intimdatr]

Isn't the stock amp only like 85 watts? (prolly at 8 ohms)

its more like 45 i think. its really pretty lame. And MOST car audio is 4 ohm, but i could be wrong on both of those.

 

[93markVIII]

http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=47187

good discussion on aftermarket subs in the stock box

 

[JRA2000TL]

I went through that thread but couldn't get an answer to why my stereo still sounds like it has no sub, even though it's working. The JL is the 6w0 or whatever is the direct drop-in size. I figured the box size is ok because a 6" factory sub came out of it, but maybe not. I've never messed with it further.

 

[93markVIII]

I dropped a 6" JL sub in the factory box, connected it, and it works; (you can see the sub hitting) but it sounds like I have NO sub at all. I have ZERO bass it seems like. Someone told me aftermarket ones are rated at different ohms or something. I'd like to get mine to where it sounds like it has bass. I also have and want to keep my head unit stock.

subs work best in certain size boxs (air volume). sounds like the stock box is either to small or to large for the JL sub.

JL 6w0 specs
Nominal Diameter: 6.5 inches (165 mm)
Mounting Depth: 3.5"
Continuous Power Handling: 75 Watts
Voice Coil: 1.25" diameter, 4-layer, Kapton former
Available Configurations: 4 ohm (Single Voice Coil)
Xmax (one-way, linear): 0.285" (7.2 mm)
Sealed Enclosure Range: 0.15-0.20 cu.ft. (4.3-5.8 liters)
Ported Enclosure Range: 0.20-0.33 cu.ft. (5.8-9.3 liters)
VRCtm Technology: YES

what size is the box? i hear like .3 cu.ft. which would be too large of course.

 

[JRA2000TL]

Yeah, I think someone on here said the OEM box is around .3 cu. ft; but that's weird that the JL would require such a small box being the same size as the OEM sub. I've also heard I need a line out converter and a small amp to properly power it.

I may just have to run it by an audio shop one day and tell them what I'm trying to do and see what it'll cost me to get it working correctly.

 

[SHOYAY]

Ford had a weird factory head unit system setup in the late 80's to mid 90's. No matter what you had the bass volume set at, as head unit main volume increased, bass output was decresed. This prevented speaker blow outs because factory speakers could not handle any power whatsoever. Ive replaced many factory head units with even just a cheap aftermarket unit and using stock speakers, it sounded a hundred times better, especially when it came to bass sounds.

 

[SuperHO]

if I may...

first off, the JL 6w0 doesn't work well in large enclosures. The factory box is a wee bit big for that sub. You could add blocks of wood to act as baffles, but you're likely still going to be lacking in the sub-bass response.

enclosure material is also partially to blame. ABS plastic is generally not going to be stiff enough to prevent the walls of the enclosure from vibrating, effectively cancelling out sound waves.

then you run into amplifier output...which is anemic at best. JL Subs like power, and the 6w0 is no exception. Ideally, you should be feeding that sub a healthy 150 watts continuous for optimum output. The factory amp couldn't dream of pushing that sub the way it's mean to be moved.

 

[JRA2000TL]

if I may...

first off, the JL 6w0 doesn't work well in large enclosures. The factory box is a wee bit big for that sub. You could add blocks of wood to act as baffles, but you're likely still going to be lacking in the sub-bass response.

enclosure material is also partially to blame. ABS plastic is generally not going to be stiff enough to prevent the walls of the enclosure from vibrating, effectively cancelling out sound waves.

then you run into amplifier output...which is anemic at best. JL Subs like power, and the 6w0 is no exception. Ideally, you should be feeding that sub a healthy 150 watts continuous for optimum output. The factory amp couldn't dream of pushing that sub the way it's mean to be moved.

Thanks Tim. I re-read one of your posts from awhile back concerning this. I found a cheapo $50 used Pioneer 300w amp on Ebay. With some line out converters, I am guessing I could make it work with my stock system. Also, where can I find such a tiny box for this JL sub? A local audio shop may be $$$. I saw one on Ebay but when I calculated the dimensions, it was the same size as the stock box.

 

[SuperHO]

the place I bought mine had one in a tiny lil 7x7x7 sealed cube for a demo. When we tried it in my car with a 150 watt amp, it's output was surprising.

we tucked the lil bugger back behind the driver's side taillight about 2" away from the rear panel, and I dare say it hit pretty good. It wasn't mind-blowing, nose-itching bass, but for what it was, I was impressed.

that said, I personally won't run anything less than a 10" woofer for a sub (maybe certain 8"s, but damn few). What people don't realize is that a subwoofer's designed to boosy output from around 80hz on down. To get decent output at those low frequencies, you need to move a fair amount of air, and quite frankly, a single 6" subwoofer's not gonna move near enough air to do it with any justice.

if you're looking for good SQ with solid low end but wanna keep your trunk space, I'd suggest looking at the infinite baffle approach. A single 15 or 18 screwed in behind the back seats being fed by a low-powered amp will definitely round out the bottom end without shattering your brain, trunk space or wallet.

the only problem with running LOCs off the stock head unit is, as has been mentioned already, the factory head unit reduces the bass output as volume is increased. Going with an afttermarket amp will help some, but unfortunately, you're only amplifying the existing sigmal, so if the root signal sounds like ass, it'll then sound like ass, only much louder.

just thinkin me thoughts.