Help Needed For Installing A Powered Sub

[Quarterwave]

Hi,

I'm an amateur with installing car stereo equipment, and having just changed out the head unit and speakers in my 96' Astro van, I'm now looking at installing a powered sub.

The install for the new gear went great, but the new 6 & 3/4" Kenwwoods that I installed in the front and rear doors don't really put out any bass.... although for mids and highs, I think they are great.

So, to make up for the lack of bass, I'd like to install a small, powered sub - most likely underneath the rear center seat (something along the lines of a Bazooka tube or Kenwoods little powered sub).... Not looking to blow out windows - I like the bass to just round out the sound spectrum....

Can anyone walk me through this install on an Astro van ? As I'm trying to keep my costs down and don't mind getting my hands dirty.

For whatever it's worth, I' tried searching the site, but didn't come up with anything.

Thanks !

[Jasen]

I've never put a powered woofer in, but I think you just have to run a power wire to it, ground and hook up the speaker wires.

[red98tj]

Does your head unit have sub output? If so this is the best way to connect it. Or I suppose you could connect it to the preamp output. You will need to run a wire with RCA connectors on the ends to feed the sound from the head unit to the sub, as well as a wire for the remote amp turn on/off from the head unit. And a heavy gauge cable direct from the battery with a fuse to the sub. I ran my wires under the drivers side carpet trim and tucked it under/behind the side panel along the floor all the way to the back. You will also need to find somewhere to ground the subs amp. If you are putting it under the seat, maybe you could ground it to one of the seats bolts. If your head unit has high/low pass filters you should adjust the settings so you are not feeding the bass to your speakers(causes distortion/shortens theyre life). If not you could install bass blockers in the speaker wires either behind the head unit or at the speakers. My astro came with the 8 bose speakers, I left them in place and installed a pioneer din1/2 until and a 250 watt amp'd sub. It sounds excellent. I had used sony equipment in a few of my other vehicles and the sound quality of this pioneer puts them to shame.

[rev_les]

does the powered sub come set up for high and low level inputs, or just one or the other? As far as wiring, the blue wire from the new head unit to the blue wire to the sub for remote turn on, and as suggested, a decent (10 or 8GA) wire to the battery and a good ground should have the power taken care of. Some powered subs tap into existing speaker wires, ( and have a built in filter ), and some use low level inputs ( RCA). If it uses RCA's , the sub out on the head unit IS the best way to go.

[Quarterwave]

Thanks for the info guys - yes, the head unit does have a dedicated sub out, so I'll just run the RCA's from that. The biggest part I'm concerned about is the wiring from the battery to the amp. Although I have a couple of questions :

1) Where do I pass it through the firewall ?

2) Do I need to drill a new hole and then fill that with silicone (once the wire has been passed through) or is there an easily accessible hole that I can use to feed it through ?

3) What terminal do I hook the wire up to - positive or negative ?

4) I haven't bought an amp wiring "kit" yet, so does the power wire have a loop on one end to hook around or between the battery terminal bolt and the terminal - or will I need to fabricate something ?

5) I plan on mounting it under the MIDDLE seat - probably on the driver's side. What would a good ground be on that side of the van ?

6) For whatever it's worth, I'll probably just get a cheaper powered sub - something like a Bazooka tube, or the powered Kenwood unit that they have out @ the moment (I think it's a dual 5" x 7"). not looking for earth shattering bass - just to fill out the low end somewhat....

I just really like how open and airy the sound is in this van, and with the right bass added, it should sound great.

Thank again for the information, every bit helps, and all have been insightful so far.

[Jasen]

[quote="Quarterwave"]Thanks for the info guys - yes, the head unit does have a dedicated sub out, so I'll just run the RCA's from that. The biggest part I'm concerned about is the wiring from the battery to the amp. Although I have a couple of questions :

1) Where do I pass it through the firewall ? Should be able to pass it through one of the factory wire loom holes. If not drill a new hole and us a rubber grommet.

2) Do I need to drill a new hole and then fill that with silicone (once the wire has been passed through) or is there an easily accessible hole that I can use to feed it through ?

3) What terminal do I hook the wire up to - positive or negative ? Positive

4) I haven't bought an amp wiring "kit" yet, so does the power wire have a loop on one end to hook around or between the battery terminal bolt and the terminal - or will I need to fabricate something ? It shoud, but I've never bought one, I always make my own

5) I plan on mounting it under the MIDDLE seat - probably on the driver's side. What would a good ground be on that side of the van ? You can just screw or bolt the ground to the floor, just make sure you don't hit anything on the underside, and make sure to clean the paint down to the metal so you get a good ground

6) For whatever it's worth, I'll probably just get a cheaper powered sub - something like a Bazooka tube, or the powered Kenwood unit that they have out @ the moment (I think it's a dual 5" x 7"). not looking for earth shattering bass - just to fill out the low end somewhat....

I just really like how open and airy the sound is in this van, and with the right bass added, it should sound great.

Thank again for the information, every bit helps, and all have been insightful so far.