dadrocker

There’s a photo below of my Kicker / Subwoofer install from today. Long story short, for anyone on the fence: You can do it, and if you have any interest in quality audio, you should do it.

But before getting to the pictures, allow me to say a few words about @bruce_miranda . I’ve really enjoyed my time on this forum, and I’ve learned quite a lot from many of you. But it was Bruce’s discussions - and his enthusiasm on all things audio - that really caught my eye, culminating in deciding to take on this project.

It started with me reaching out to him about ordering his cable (clearly an essential part of the project - you definitely want to order one). Then he sourced a Basser Box on spec (they were scarce in the States at the time) and offered to ship it to me with the cable on arrival. And then it was on its way here, and I got panicky. I tried to talk myself out of it (tapping into the battery in particular made me nervous), but Bruce was having none of it. This happened more than once.

Anyway, on Bruce’s urging, I got all the equipment together and went at it. He gave me most of his Saturday, feeding me step-by-step instructions on a very granular level with patience and good cheer. When I say “granular,” I mean he could’ve been talking me through landing a passenger jet! That’s what a scaredy cat I was about this. He removed all doubts and obstacles and I now have a system that sounds much, much better. It’s crazy what an improvement this is! More importantly, I’ve now got some confidence in the automotive electronics world, and the satisfaction of having accomplished something.

Many thanks, Bruce. Way above and beyond on this one. You’re a class act, top to bottom. We’re all lucky to have you around.

Here’s a mostly-final shot. Thanks, too, to @lawson74 for the inspiration on location and method for mounting the amp. Mine is on OSB cut to around 7”x 12”, secured to the bottom with a couple strips of industrial Velcro and a nut on one of the studs that were used to secure the OEM sub (I drilled a hole in the board to let the stud through). It seems pretty sturdy. You’ll see plenty of slicker looking installs, but this serves the purpose. I’ll mess around with the tuning a bit, then put the spare back in and carry on.



Nearly final Kicker install.

[Edit: It’s been pointed out to me that I should straighten out the exits from the amp and pin those wires down individually, so that’s on my list.]

Finally, some suggested tunes to put a grin on your face when first hearing your sub:

Interpol: Evil
AC/DC: Thunderstruck
Van Halen: Runnin’ With the Devil

Thanks to Bruce and everyone else participating on this forum!

bruce_miranda

@dadrocker would you be up for making a Brand New thread with brief step by step instructions and a list of parts and tools used.
I am sure it will be massively beneficial for many people, who just want to do this as a afternoon mini project.

dadrocker

Absolutely. Once I get this buttoned up I'll work on that.

RS-5hadow

Awesome build!

I'm curious, would you recommend retaining the factory sub or taking it out like you did?

dadrocker

Thanks!

I do recommend taking that factory sub out. I can’t speak to the audio considerations in technical terms, but I think the gist of the argument for removal is the two subs can end up competing with each other; working at cross-purposes or something. I think it’s preferred from a technical standpoint, but I assume there’s another side of the coin. In my case, I put my chips in with @bruce_miranda and it was his advice to yank it.

Non-fidelity considerations in favor include a) simplifying, which generally seems like a good default, and b) get a bunch of storage down there if you put the amp elsewhere (lots of people put it in the left cubby, but I couldn’t get my head around it). That leaves quite a lot of space down there for your jack, manuals, first aid kit, etc.

dadrocker

I re-did some of it tonight.

bruce_miranda

Unless you have total control on both subwoofers, its always better to have just one that you can control.
In any case, having the Kicker driving that JL Audio, that B&O Subwoofer would feel like me trying to sing in the same room as Pavarotti. No point...
In the past people kept the OEM Subwoofer to keep the B&O amp loaded and happy. Without it, the B&O amp would shut down the subwoofer output. With the Kicker we don't need that.
The only benefit to keeping the old subwoofer is if there was ever a problem with your setup, you would have something playing. The other benefit is if you are using my cable, because either end can be disconnected or run in parallel you can quickly pick and choose how you like the sound. Or in case you are doing any troubleshooting.