easy subwoofer options

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tuning-subwoofer-with-aftermarket-head-unit-help.373426/
This may help...
Also just look up on crutchfield how to tune a subwoofer and that helps a lot!

 

How'd your install go? Need to buy anything extra?

 

I needed a cheap adapter, but depending on your head unit you may not need anything.

The Kenwood will accept either low level or high level inputs.

I had an aftermarket Pioneer head unit that had a single Sub out RCA jack so I had to buy a Y-splitter (~$8) for the sub's RCA input.

You have to have both a left and right input or the sub power will be halved which is why I needed the Y-splitter.

 

Does the sub pull power directly from the factory head? Cus that'd be awesome. I'm already running quite a few wires up in the engine bay due to some offroad lighting so I'd prefer to not have to run another hot wire to the battery.

 

No, it has its own power line.

You tap into the head unit for speaker input and the Remote or Power Antenna line to power the sub on.

If you go to the Kenwood website you can download the manual which shows all of the connections.

 

Did you end up running yours to the battery?

 

Mine is in an F250 so I had many spare circuits for accessories.

I just tapped into one of those, one of the trailer circuits if I recollect properly.

 

I did a JL 12tw3 off a 5 channel amp

 

I finally finished installing the wiring for the amp and sub this afternoon and got it tuned. It sounds pretty good but I think I’m going to add a second sub. It fills in the low end pretty seamlessly as is, but is lacking in outright punch. Wiring a second sub and box in parallel will be extremely simple fortunately.

 

I’d like to amend my previous review. Today I learned how important it is to have the proper source material for your audio when you go to evaluate its performance. Put simply, Bluetooth sucks for quality.

With my iPhone wired in instead of streaming over Bluetooth, the pioneer sub and Kenwood amp combo is actually quite impressive. It doesn’t slam but there is definitely enough bass to balance out the kicker tweeters and the stock speakers on the stock head unit. It’s very “adult with a nice stereo” vs “teenager with giant rattling subs in the trunk”.

It also goes deeper and hits accurately enough for metal (my favorite test is Metallica “Dyers Eve” due to all the double bass) while having enough boom for pop, electronica, hip hop and rap. It is *almost* a perfect balance for a system based around the stock head unit. I’m very happy with it, especially considering the overall cost and the fact that should I decide that too much is what I really want it’s as simple as adding a second pioneer sub+box. The only holes I had to drill was for the mounting screws for the amp and the small hole in the wiring harness plug on the firewall to run the 8ga power cable.

 

Another update: I’ve noticed that the subs responsiveness falls off pretty steep on deeper bass notes. Since the box is only 0.15cuft I made the assumption that’s it’s on the small side so I added some poly fill to see if I could help it out. Results so far are promising, the bass range seems to go deeper now and it’s a little bit louder.

I should also note, the sub that comes in the box is not the Pioneer 8” DVC sub but some other single voice coil Pioneer branded sub. Since I will be buying a second box soon, I think, I may try to swap for the 8” TS-SW2002D2 in this box and put it in the new box I order to go with it. Other option is to get a JL CP108LG-W3v3 instead, I’ll check out my local audio shop for a test ride after the holiday maybe.

 

That sub and box won’t fit in a 3rd gen with the cubby in place, not sure about a 2nd gen. You’ll need power and ground for the amp of course, and an rca cable to run from those leads to the amp, and some speaker wire. But yeah I bet it’ll sound great!

I reworked my pioneer sub a little this afternoon. I bought and installed the pioneer TS-SW2002 8” before Christmas and filled the box with polyfill. It was better, it not great. Today I spent a little bit of time rewiring the box (originally I reused the original 16ga wiring) and more time tuning then I had before. Low bass is no longer a problem, the sub is nice and punchy for bass and kick drums but can hold its own for rap and hip hop. With one sub it fills in the low end for a nice balanced setup with my new speakers. I definitely want to add a second one now, but for most a single will be a great setup.

 

can't go wrong with a bazooka tube. i got a Alpine 10" bazooka with a 800 Watt CRUNCH amp.

 

So far, this is my experience with a single 8" woofer. Really fills out the low end and takes the burden off the front 6x9s. Not super loud, but nice and clean.

 

I added these to my 2015 Access cab 4x4.....all the while keeping my factory head unit. Sounds amazing..a bit overkill but I am happy with it

 

Why start a new one, when you can revive an old one, eh? I've got a 2nd Gen with a Kenwood DMX47S head unit installed. Specs say 50W x 4 for power output. I replaced the front door (non JBL) speakers with some Kickers, and it's already a nice improvement, but I'd like to add a non-intrusive sub for a better deep base (I need my back seat and foor space). I'm an old guy, so won't be "thumpin' the hood", but just want to bring out the lower frequencies without having to crank it up too much. I'm thinking an underseat, powered sub? Anyone with similar setup that they could recommend? Thanks.

 

https://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/speakers/ksc-sw11/

This is what you want. Pretty easy to install, no need to run anything through the cab to the battery.

 

Thanks. That's one that was on my list, so great!