t3hhcaptain

I have a 2009 non-tech. I used to have a subwoofer in the trunk in my last car, but I am wanting to do something a little less space consuming...

I was thinking of just dropping a new sub in place of the stock one, and using an aftermarket amp. I would also be upgrading the other speakers, but the focus right now is figuring out if this would work with the stock sub.

This is what I'm looking at... Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 Shallow-mount 8" subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils at Crutchfield.com

Thanks!

Bchester6

Regretfully, it's not that easy bro. The stock sub comes in a housed unit that is fully enclosed similiar to a bandpass. I highly doubt that it will house any aftermarket sub but you should take it out first and do the measurements before buying. I recommend you consider a infinite baffle subwoofer as it will be the closest thing to a "drop in" installation. Secondly, if using stock head unit you will need to implement an LOC into your signal chain OR buy an amplifier that accepts balanced line inputs. I strongly suggest the latter as it produces much much better sound quality than the LOC route. I tried both routes and it's not even in the same ballpark especially if you're going to do speakers in the future as those are more succeptible to noise issues associated with LOC units. Let me clarify for simplicity sake, go get a 5 channel amp that can do everything and has balanced line inputs so you can go straight from the HU.
Here is a link that everyone should read before buying any aftermarket car audio components: Robot Underground - "Shops Hate Us, You'll Love Us!" - Worldwide Revolution: Killer sound from the factory head unit / why BLT's are killing you or at least your wallet.

t3hhcaptain

I'm not familiar with the house unit you are referring to. I have seen that type of enclosure on the wagons, but I have the sedan.


Part #3 is the subwoofer. OEM Acura TSX SEDAN 2009 RADIO ANTENNA - SPEAKER parts


I can physically touch the bottom of the subwoofer via the trunk.


I haven't tried to take apart the rear tray yet because I haven't seen a guide on how to do so.

Bchester6

My bad, for some reason I thought you had a wagon like myself. You should definitely replace then but keep in mind that some subwoofers are specifically made for infinite baffle or "free air" applications. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like this is the best enclosure type for this particular woofer unless you want to install a small sealed or ported box.

Bchester6

Shallow + infinite baffle is a really hard combo to get right but good luck to you!!

t3hhcaptain

Well the pioneer is free air, but it is a shallow mount. I'm not sure if I really need a shallow mount.

This looks like it would be good, assuming it fits. It would be nice if someone had the measurements for the stock hole. Kicker 40CWS82 CompS Series 8" 2-ohm subwoofer at Crutchfield.com

Bchester6

I would buy Pioneer before Kicker. Call Crutchfield and talk to them about your intentions they have awesome customer service.

t3hhcaptain

Crutchfield says the depth is about 8", cutout diameter is about 7.4", and there is 0.2" clearance for the mount. The pioneer sub requires 0.46"...


Not sure what I could do to shave off 0.26" of clearance...

petroboy37ent

I bought that sub. Without an add-on amp its just slightly better than stock.

When I wired to 2 ohm (really 1.5 ish) it wouldn't play right.(distortion) So I had not option but to use it 4 ohm. 4 ohms bench tested to about 3.0 ohms fyi. At 2 ohm mode it did under 2 so maybe the oem couldn't drive it.

t3hhcaptain

Did it fit in the stock location?


I would intend on using an aftermarket amp with it, if it fits.

petroboy37ent

It fits nicely. The sub comes with a good mounting bracket. It was made for "free-air" yet i heard several people had good success putting it in a box.

I sense the oem HU gets in the way of allow it to go down to 20 hz because there is built in programmed crossovers in the actual HU for that channel.

petroboy37ent

If you get rattle afterwords let me know. I found out how to fix it if you run into that.

Bchester6

I sense the oem HU gets in the way of allow it to go down to 20 hz because there is built in programmed crossovers in the actual HU for that channel.[/QUOTE]

I retained my factory radio and replaced everything OEM component inside the vehicle and all is very well. Perhaps the best system I have installed in a vehicle to date. Having said that, I am positive you can achieve the results that you're after without breaking your wallet. Subwoofer bass attenuation is programmed in the factory amplifier and it's not worth keeping if you have an aftermarket subwoofer in place now. Crossover and equalization take place in amp and is designed to drive cheap OEM speakers and a subwoofer without damaging them due to excessive volumes brought forth by the users. The HU is standard and isn't doing any of the "processing" which is actually a blessing as the Tech package members are challenged when modifying their audio systems. Good luck with you're installs.

Bchester6

When I wired to 2 ohm (really 1.5 ish) it wouldn't play right.(distortion) So I had not option but to use it 4 ohm. 4 ohms bench tested to about 3.0 ohms fyi. At 2 ohm mode it did under 2 so maybe the oem couldn't drive it.[/QUOTE]

Yeah a 1 ohm load on a factory amp will kill it and your new subwoofer. If I remember correctly the factory sub is 2 ohm?

petroboy37ent

If you use online test tones to hear frequencies it will help you see where the holes are in the system. Very telling

petroboy37ent

Yes to the 2 ohm too

t3hhcaptain

Great information, thank you both!


petroboy - I am assuming I will have rattle, since I already do. What did you need to do to fix?


Bchester/petroboy - I saw in the manual for the sub it says when used in a freeair setup it is 1/4 of the RMS power, so does that mean I need an amp with output that is a 1/4 of the RMS power?

t3hhcaptain

So, on the 1/4 power thing, misread the manual. That is for the larger models.

t3hhcaptain

Sorry for triple post, but I can't edit my replies for some reason.

I am thinking about this amplifier Alpine MRV-M250 Mono subwoofer amplifier — 250 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms at Crutchfield.com, what are your thoughts?

Any suggestions on where to cleanly mount it? I'd prefer to tuck it away out of sight. I haven't analyzed the rear deck, but maybe I could mount it on the bottom?

Bchester6

[QUOTE=t3hhcaptain;15612871]Sorry for triple post, but I can't edit my replies for some reason.

I am thinking about this amplifier Alpine MRV-M250 Mono subwoofer amplifier — 250 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms at Crutchfield.com, what are your thoughts?

I think that this one is a better choice and a better price.

Bchester6

JL Audio JX250/1 (JX2501) 250W RMS Mono Block Class A/B JX Series Car Amplifier at Onlinecarstereo.com

petroboy37ent

I like the JL audio one over the alpine in this case. Either amp could drive the pioneer sub.

The rattle most of the time is coming from rear deck hitting the window...I filled the gap with about 1 ft of foam centered in the middle. its pretty much not seen. You can double check it on your own with heavier bass song and put your fingers in different spots to hold deck down to see where its coming from

t3hhcaptain

JL Audio uses this amp on their PowerWedge Max products. I have one in the closet. It is a good amp, just a little on the larger size. However, that is a good find. Thanks!



Did you end up getting an aftermarket amp, and if so, where did you mount it?


Edit - There is also a TSB for adding more clearance between the rear deck and some part of the body that touches it... I might do that too.

petroboy37ent

Currently i am in the midst of putting a whole new system together. However I put the pioneer 8 inch inside where the oem was, and used the oem to drive it. I needed to wire it at 4 ohms because 2 ohms distorts.

Soon I will have a Alpine Class T amp installed which is a old school beast. I have 3 other amps I could hook up as well. So may add one other amp dedicated to a 12 inch sub.

t3hhcaptain

Did you have to modify that bracket it comes with?

t3hhcaptain

Also, does anyone know if I use a line out converter on the wires that are already there for the stock amp, would I then be able to feed those into my amp without issues?


I'm assuming this will cause some sort of loss of functionality on the HU regarding the sub controls.

petroboy37ent

Its comes with brackets however for me didn't need them.

Bchester6

You won't lose control if you tap in after the OEM amplifier using the sub speaker wires but be careful which LOC you choose. Not all are created equal but I believe members have had success using the Audiocontrol LC2i unit.