My Audio Build

As far as I know, the gains are so your speakers or sub aren't distorting. But what do I know, I haven't installed my stereo yet.

https://youtu.be/gg2gl-fz2Qc

 

Sensitivity knob = gain knob. Some manufacturers call it different things.

I looked at the manual and I think that DC input voltage spec is for the voltage from the car battery. It doesn't make sense to list an input sensitivity spec and DC voltage spec together with very different ranges. The LC2i may be capable of 9.5V, but without a voltage meter, there's no telling whether you're getting that full output.

Here's what I would do in your situation. On the LC2i, put the Main knob at 50% and accubass and bass knobs at 0%. On your amp, start with sensitivity at 50% and adjust up or down to level match with your other speakers. Amp bass knob should be 0% as well. If you feel you need to turn up sensitivity higher than 75% on your amp, then bump up the Main knob on your LC2i. My rule of thumb is to never exceed 75% of volume adjustment on any single device. The extra 25% allows for extreme music peaks without sending any output electronic devices (transistors) into saturation.

 

My new box will arrive later today so i'll give this procedure a go when i'm readjusting everything. Thanks!

 

My audio build is complete! Got the sub box in from Supercrewsounds. My review of the box is...

Pros:
- Pretty decently built box
- Came with the connector terminal
- Carpeting is done nicely
- Once in, it looks like it belongs there which is nice

Cons:
- I did need to seal some of the inside wood joints with wood glue as they didn't have any sealant which set me back a day in my install
- Their shipping box was pretty crap and there are two small "dings" near one of the legs
- Online says you can use stock seat belts in the rear, I found that the box when sitting on top of the seat belt bolts (when installed) makes the box sit too high and the center console won't fit back in place
- The legs don't reach the floor so the front of the box is sitting just on the cross section (you can see in the pics what I mean). I'm wondering if they sent me the right year Tacoma box?
- EDITED: The inside mounting diameter was cut correctly. I did not realize the two same models but different years of the ID sub were vastly different. However, the outside diameter of the sub would not fit in between the 'legs' of the box and I had to notch out three sections to get the sub to even fit down into the hole.

 

Sorry to hear about all your woofer troubles. Thanks for the heads up on the vendor though.

Maybe - just maybe - the universe is trying to tell you that you were born to be a treble rebel

Seriously though, how's it sound?

 

Sounds really good! This box obviously won't "boom" as much as the bandpass box but I think it actually sounds better. The bass just sounds full/rounded out nicely. The best way to describe it is it sounds as if the speakers can produce the bass on their own even though its the sub filling it in.

The bandpass box easily could make your body feel the bass. This sealed box doesn't really do that (unless you really crank up the bass knob) but it also doesn't really need to do that.

I sent Supercrewsounds an email asking if they did in fact send me the correct box. Its gonna bug me not having those legs reach the floor and i'm disappointed i've lost my seat belt usage back there.

 

...lol... well I think my sub blew. Drove to work this morning and didn't really have the music playing very loud and I could hear a scratchiness coming from the sub. At first I thought something was rattling against it but nothing was. Got to work and started Googling blown sub symptoms. One recommended manually pressing on the cone and push in/out to hear if there is any scratchy/scraping noises and there is. Before I start tearing things out I did adjust the LC2i and amp settings yesterday so i'll put them back to where they were and see if it's just not some crappy signal coming in.

Just a bummer because this box is actually a pain in the arse to install so removing the sub will take more work than normal. However, if I do come to find it's really blown... it has served me well over the past 12 years and stuff has probably dried out after sitting in a garage for so long not being used.

Will report back.

 

12yr old sub? Yeah it's time

 

If it comes to replacing the IDQ, I was planning on just getting another one. Any other sub suggestions? This one worked so well for me for so long I figured why not just stick with what works.

 

I have an IDQ10 V3 D2 that I need to get rid of. I'm the original owner. Used for about 18 months and has been packed in the shipping box for about the past year. I've been holding onto it in case I want to use it for a future project, but I don't think that's going to happen.

 

I appreciate the offer but i'm an impatient guy and already pulled the trigger on an IDQ10 v.4 d4, a direct replacement. Wonder what's changed in 12 years with this model?

 

As a word of caution to those thinking of doing your own stereo build/install, do your research! LOL another mistake in the books for me. Ordered the IDQ10 v4 d4, however my amp bridged is only 4ohm stable (amp 4ohm -> sub 2ohm, 2ohm per coil)... not the correct setup. I need an amp that is 2ohm stable (amp 2ohm -> sub 4ohm, 4ohm per coil). I don't want to return the sub and pay for shipping to get a IDQ10 v4 d2.

I need this if I want to keep my current amp:

However, I COULD wire each voice coil to each channel but them i'm only pushing 125w per coil at the correct ohm rating. I think the IDQ needs like double that.

Or get this to work with the sub I already ordered:

 

I've been installing stereo's for, shit, longer than I can remember.

If you want to tune your stereo to it's max without having any distortion I'd HIGHLY suggest getting an oscilloscope or finding someone who knows how to tune using one. Ever since I learned how to use one of those tuning stereo's is quite simple now and the outcome is amazing. Some shops will do O-Scope tuning for a price, but it's worth it. You have a lot of components and could cause damage if you don't tune everything correctly.

Good luck! The build is coming along nicely!

 

Sorry for all of your issues in the build but lots of good info. I am starting the research phase of my access cab audio build. Good luck getting it dialed in.

 

Thanks man! Don't be sorry... i've learned so much by doing this myself! Has it cost me some dollars in the end I shouldn't have spent, yes. But i'm still under budget of what an audio place would've charged and now i'm 100x smarter about this stuff. Plus, its been fun.

I think in the end... i'm just gonna end up buying a new amp as well. I feel like i've come so far from my original plan I wouldn't want to be missing out on something due to a 12 year old amp not functioning correctly.

and @Aw9d I might do that. I feel like i'm constantly tweaking settings and it always feels like it could be better. Plus like you said I don't want to hurt any of the components.

 

To me it's the only way a stereo should be tuned

Plus, you can find them on craigslist for cheap and using them to tune is super easy to do. I've taught a few people over the phone how to do it and they are now charging people $100+ to tune a stereo on the side depending on the setup. I think my buddy paid $50 for his O-Scope so his first job he did paid him back and made profit.

 

@gkomo how did you build the harness from the factory radio to the LC2. Thats the part I am having a hard time finding.

 

@Irongrave check post #44. Used the Metra wire harnesses, Speedwire and a Toyota stereo wiring schematic. Also check the "2016 BBP Audio Build" thread for some good info on the wiring aspect.

 

Thank you

 

Thanks for the compliment brotha.