Subwoofers

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

TigerHeli — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:26:00 GMT

Correct, no RCA's required (except for the subwoofer amp, of course).

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

SignatureSeriesOwner — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:22:46 GMT

Gotcha, cool! Then I won't need any RCA's period, right?

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

TigerHeli — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:04:08 GMT

Yep, you got it!!!

Sorry to keep changing stuff up on you - but it's the difference between everyone that rides in the truck thinking you didn't know what you were doing and accidentally wired it up wrong for a marginal improvement in SQ from using the RCA's.

Hope This Helps!!!

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

blackchevy92 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:54:51 GMT

SignatureSeriesOwner:

Man, you're killing me ;)

Only main difference, is no RCA's, but I just run speaker wires from the Pioneer harness, to the inputs on the amp, then from the outputs, to the speakers themselves, right?

(In a nutshell)

Yep, that's pretty much it.

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

SignatureSeriesOwner — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:20:08 GMT

Man, you're killing me ;)

Only main difference, is no RCA's, but I just run speaker wires from the Pioneer harness, to the inputs on the amp, then from the outputs, to the speakers themselves, right?

(In a nutshell)

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

TigerHeli — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:54:22 GMT

You probably don't want to hear this now, but if it were my truck, I would definitely go with one of the other two options (speaker level or LOC) for two reasons (even though it is slightly lower SQ):

The first time someone got in the truck and adjusted the fader and said "Hey, you wired the fader up backwards!!!" - I'd be rewiring it anyway. There is no easy way to explain to them that you did that intentionally and have it sound convincing.
You don't have to mess with the front speaker wiring and if you ever get a HU with separate rear and sub pre-outs, you are set to just connect the RCA's and go.

BTW - I would have a similar dilemna with my Sony if I added an amp - the unit has one set of REAR/SUB pre-outs, but the most likely upgrade for me would be amping the front speakers.

Hope This Helps!!!

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

TigerHeli — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:21:51 GMT

SignatureSeriesOwner:
(First method you mentioned, best SQ, backwards fader)

Connect the Pioneer Front RCA's to the CH1 and CH2 inputs on the main amp.

Connect the CH1 and CH2 outputs on the main amp to the CF harness rear wires or your factory wiring.

I'm safely assuming that the first one means running a physical RCA cable from one of the preamps on the back of the radio (does it matter which one, or are they labeled?), to the amp CH 1 and CH 2, yes?

Correct - you will actually want to use the front pre-outs for the rear speakers since you want to use the rear/sub preouts for your sub. (That is why you have to connect the front speakers to the rear speaker wires.

They should be labelled, but if the owner's manual is correct the the front outputs are closest to the center of the radio and the rear/sub are closest the outside (Left side looking from the rear).

Part 2...

Are you saying that's where the wires from the amp to the speaker will be run? CH 1 (+) and (-) to the speaker (+) and (-), ditto for CH 2?

Correct again - if you plugged the Left (white) RCA into the CH1 jack, then you would run the CH1 + and - wires to the LR speaker + and -.

If so, that's probably the method I'll go, however, unsoldering wires isn't exactly the funnest thing in the world :-/

No need to unsolder - just snip the wire either side of the solder connection and strip some new insulation off - of course you then have to re-solder or crimp, so not much saved.

Hope This Helps!!!

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

SignatureSeriesOwner — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:45:45 GMT

(First method you mentioned, best SQ, backwards fader)

Connect the Pioneer Front RCA's to the CH1 and CH2 inputs on the main amp.

Connect the CH1 and CH2 outputs on the main amp to the CF harness rear wires or your factory wiring.

I'm safely assuming that the first one means running a physical RCA cable from one of the preamps on the back of the radio (does it matter which one, or are they labeled?), to the amp CH 1 and CH 2, yes?

Part 2...

Are you saying that's where the wires from the amp to the speaker will be run? CH 1 (+) and (-) to the speaker (+) and (-), ditto for CH 2?

If so, that's probably the method I'll go, however, unsoldering wires isn't exactly the funnest thing in the world :-/

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

TigerHeli — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:25:17 GMT

It's really not that bad if you re-read what I posted earlier (with all the bullets).

If you reply back with what's confusing you, I'll try to sort it out for you.

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

TigerHeli — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:50:51 GMT

You need to pick one of the methods I posted above.

What you suggested will work, but your HU has front pre-outs and you are using the front HU channels for the dash speakers - so the fader is just a volume control and you would want it all the way forward (and can't set the relative F/R volume except with the gain control on the main amp).

If you were amping the front speakers and running the rears off the HU it would work fine, but you aren't.

As long as you cap or tape off the disconnected HU wires, you won't hurt the HU.

The JBL is a bit powerful for the 4x6's, but it's a great deal.

Hope This Helps!!!

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

SignatureSeriesOwner — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:12:02 GMT

I was thinking of JUST disconnecting the factory harnesses from the speakers, and run wires from the new speakers to the amp, letting the original speaker connectors lay in the frame of the cab, like they do stock. that would work just as well, right?

I've read all you said, and this really looks like a huge PITA, lol

This was what I was going to do. Tell me if this is safe.

Get the amp (OK, I'll probably try the JBL, even though it's 60 RMS, isnt that too much to the speakers?) I'll run RCA's from the radio to the amp, not touching the wire harnesses period.

THEN, disconnect the harnesses that connect to the speakers, lay them in the frame of the cab, just they are stock, and just run new wires from CH1 and CH2 to the new speakers....sounds like it'll work for me, but does it?

That way, the radio is not powering the rear speakers, because the harnesses are unplugged, but the amp is, via the RCA's.

My concern was, if the Fade/Balance is being set to 0/0, equal current is sent to all 4 harnesses still, yes? Well, if only 2 speakers are connected, and all 4 harnesses are getting current, wouldn't that throw off the radio, and blow the rear channel, or something?

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

TigerHeli — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:00:05 GMT

Wow - lot's of activity since I was here last.

SignatureSeriesOwner:
I did run one in the Town Car, however, I used RCA's,

As you should here, all the amps you are looking at support them.

One thing that has NOT been mentioned - Sever the wire connection between the Head Unit and the speakers. You do not want both the HU OUTPUTS and the amp speaker outputs BOTH connected to the speaker, you risk burning up the head unit amp or the new amp.

I don't know what speaker level inputs/outputs are, or where they are located. I'm not understanding how the signal goes from the radio to the amplifier, if the wiring for the speakers goes directly from the amp to the wires, which rules out any audio signal for the amp to detect there, and there are no RCA's running from the amplifier to the radio, so it isn't getting an audio feed. I never saw any wires labeled "Speaker Level Outputs" on any of the wires I was soldering, or on the back of the radio itself.

In case you didn't realize it yet, the speaker level OUTPUTS on the HU are just the eight wires - white, white/black, gray, gray/black, green, green/black, purple, purple/black - that go to the speaker. They aren't called that, but that's what they do. They would go to the speaker level inputs on the amp if you used them, but you don't need to if you use the RCA's (if the fader being reversed won't drive you nuts - LOL).

You have audio outputs and inputs on the amp. The outputs go to the speakers. The inputs come from either the HU speaker wires or the RCA's (you have to run one or the other or you get no sound - you do NOT want to run both (on the same amp channels, at least).

I was looking at that MTX, but I don't understand how the speaker level inputs work (as written above) so that shyed me away from it.

Hmm. The Kenwood KAC 6404 is looking like a strong contender here. 40x4, 130 RMS x2, RCA inputs....

Errrm - SSO, I don't know of any amps CF sells that DON'T have RCA inputs. There are a few that ONLY have RCA's. There are probably some flea-market brands that don't accept RCA's, but most of those will have them also.

Kenwood is decent, but personally I like the other amps better, the JBL is a re-furb and the RF and Alpine are a bit more money, though.

Sine I will only be running 2 speakers to it, for the time being, there will not be any subs hooked up for a month, maybe more. Is it ok to leave channels 3 and 4 with no load on them, period? I won't burn anything up by just using 2 channels, with nothing hooked up to the other two?

No - no problem there...

And for the radio itself, if the rear speakers are not receiving a signal from the wiring harness, but from the RCA's, I won't blow a channel will I? The signal would still be sent to the rears, via the factory wiring, however, the speakers won't be getting any of the load, because the amp is powering them. Will this harm the radio, if the fade/balance is 0/0, but only the front speakers are being powered from it, via the radio amp?

Wait a minute - you still aren't getting this - the rears aren't getting power from the factory wiring - except if you splice the factory wiring to run to the amp. Let me break down the radio wiring for you. There are three ways you can do it -

Easiest and best SQ, but your fader will work backwards - i.e. fading to the front will make the rear speakers louder and vice-versa: (I'm assuming Pioneer uses all standard wire colors).

Disconnect all the speaker leads (8 above) from the HU and the CF harness.

Connect the Pioneer REAR speaker wires to the CF front Harness wires to power your dash speakers - i.e. the purple Pioneer wires go to the Gray CF wires, the Green Pioneer wires go to the white CF wires.

Tape or cap off the Pioneer front speaker wires - IMPORTANT - you can short out the HU otherwise.

Connect the Pioneer Front RCA's to the CH1 and CH2 inputs on the main amp.

Connect the CH1 and CH2 outputs on the main amp to the CF harness rear wires or your factory wiring.

Easiest method that works logically and doesn't affect your front speakers:

Do not mess with the front speakers connections from the HU.

Disconnect the rear wires from the Pioneer and CF harness.

Extend the rear wires from the Pioneer HU to the speaker-level inputs on the amp (most amps have a separate plug-in harness for this - not shown in the pics, you might look in the owners manual.

Extend the speaker outputs from the amp to the rear wires of the CF harness or your factory wiring.

Use a LOC - no real gain on the method above and extra cost, but it let's you run RCA's to the amp.

Do not mess with the front speakers connections from the HU.

Disconnect the rear wires from the Pioneer and CF harness.

Run the rear wires from the Pioneer harness to the rear inputs on the LOC - the front side of the LOC will not be used.

Run RCA's from the rear outputs of the LOC to the RCA inputs on the amp..

Extend the speaker outputs from the amp to the rear wires of the CF harness or your factory wiring.

One of the MTX's would be good with the 4-channel amp. It is a 4-ohm sub so two of them won't work. To run two subs off a bridged amp, you need DVC-4-ohm or SVC-8-ohm or SVC-2-ohm, and the amp likely wouldn't have enough power for them anyway.

Hope This Helps!!!

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

SignatureSeriesOwner — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:30:49 GMT

Sounds good. I ordered two of them, guess I'll order the amp when either this paycheck comes in, or the next. These MTX's have a rating from 50-250? RMS, so 150 should be adequate for now.

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

blackchevy92 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:48:24 GMT

They normally are more of a hassle. Speaker level inputs were designed for people who don't want to replace the factory head unit.

That sounds like a good option. You can't beat the price.

Re: What Are Good Subwoofer Options for a Standard Cab Truck?

SignatureSeriesOwner — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:45:36 GMT

Ah, Ok, I see. Thats a lot of wire running though, means I have to run one either to the HU, or a dash speaker. RCA's seem to be less of a hassle in this application.

It looks like I'm going to go with the MTX Tunder 4500's for subs. 2 10"s, and I mean, for $30.00/ sub with the price break, hard to go wrong. Lot of good reviews too.

Reckon that'll work nicely?