KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

Hey Everyone,

So now that work is finally going to slow down for me, its time to get back to thinking about how I am going to do my system install. This is going to be a long post, but I want to get all the info out there that I possibly can. Here are pictures of what I'll be working with:



And of course the 10W6v2, already installed:


So we are looking at a JL Audio XD500/3 http://www.jlaudio.com/product/54216...98267/_/XD5003
Vibe Audio Black Air V2 Components http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...V2-BA6-V2.html
Arc Audio SRI http://store.arcaudio.com/products/p....0.0.0.0?pp=8&
Streetwires CBR-44M combo distribution block

My goal of this install is go get everything out of sight and out of mind. I know this isn't going to be a mind-blowing system, but it will be a nice upgrade and I should be able to tuck everything away and keep it all stock-ish looking.

Currently, I have my JL 500/1 installed in the trunk, with a 1/0 power wire running along the driver side under the trim to the trunk, where the shop slimmed it down to 4 gauge to put into the amp. I know I could have gone with 4 gauge to start with, but I wasn't sure how far I was going to go with my system when I had that installed.

What I want to do is install the XD500/3 under the driver's seat, along with the distribution block. So I think my first question is how do I get the power wire out from under the trim and under the seat? Also, is there a good place to ground it under there?

In terms of the Arc Audio SRI, I picked it up before I had an amp and was concerned about a balanced signal. I know the JL amp does "differential balanced" so that wouldn't have turned out to be an issue anyway, but it sounds like a line driver is still a good thing to have pre-amp, so I think I may still install it. Anyone have any experience with these? I know line drivers are supposed to go close to the head unit, but I'm not sure where would be a reasonable place to put it and how it should get wired up.

In terms of the speakers, I'm not sure what I really need to get these installed. Do I need to get some mdf mounting rings? If so, anyone have examples of which ones? Will these be obvious once installed, or can I keep my stock speaker grills? Where do you guys put the crossover units when you install passive components?

Also, any advice on running the RCAs and speaker wire thru the car without it being seen? For that matter, I suppose thats one of the last things I still need. Any thoughts on what I would need in terms of RCAs and amount of speaker wire?

Thanks in advance guys, I know this was a lot of questions. I've never done a system install like this, but I'm sure once I have all the info I need I'll be able to tackle it. If I left anything out (and I'm sure I did, just not sure what) just let me know what other info is needed.

pohljm

I like where your headed!

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

Thanks, I'm hoping it all goes as planned.

One more thing I realized I didn't mention. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the rear speakers. I think one might be blown, but I'm not positive. When the volume goes up to maybe 25 or 28, the driver's side rear speaker makes a "popping" sound at times. It's very noticeable and forces me to turn it down. I don't often have people in the back seat, and when I do, it's usually for work and I'm not listening loudly. I tried fading it entirely to the front, but it seemed to cut out the sub when I did that. Should I just unplug those speakers?

eggyhustles

300+ sub

120 dollar speakers

Makes sense.

Mug

I can answer some of your questions. I used 15' RCAs from the passenger foot well and they seem to be long enough, but it all depends on where you put your amps. I popped out the trim pieces and ran the RCAs and front channels under the trim. It was tight, but I was able to fit two RCAs and two pairs of 16 gauge speaker wire and a remote cable. You'll also see a huge grey bundle in there too, that's for my navi conversion:



You'll need to pop the trim pieces off of the driver's side to find the end of your power cable. Then to get the power under the seat, I'd start by making sure everything will fit. Including the wires once they are hooked up. Then I'd disconnect the battery and wait for 20 minutes for the power to drain from the airbag system. Then disconnect the harnesses and then unbolt all four seat bolts. Once the seat is out, see if there is a way to run the wires so that you don't have to cut up a lot of the carpet.

Run the wires from the door jam (with panels removed) to the holes where the seat was bolted to or your own slits. I guess you could do this without removing the seat if you just slit the carpet where necessary. I'd remove the seat so that you can get everything secured. Just make sure you have all the SRS airbag connections plugged back in before you reconnect the battery or you'll get warning lights on your dash that may require a dealer to reset.

Most important, keep researching.

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

And it's JL, a personal favorite of yours. I think I paid either $150 or $175 shipped for the sub, so $300 new, but not what I paid. And I know they aren't the best speakers out there, but I figured they would be good enough for the low price I actually paid. The system got to be more expensive than I really wanted to spend, so I got something more affordable
and moved on.

I'm now debating if I should keep or sell the Arc SRI. It seems like a lot of people don't use this kind of thing, maybe I would be fine without it.


And mug, thanks for all that info, I think it will really help. Sounds like removing the seat isn't really too big a deal. I'm a little hesitant to cut the carpet, but I suppose to get everything under there something would need to be cut. And I will certainly heed your advice and keep researching.

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

So I'm thinking of simplifying my set-up a little bit. I think I will at least take the combo distro block out of the equation and replace it with just an in-line fuse holder that the XD500/3 requires.

The Arc SRI I am on the fence about still. Since this is just a basic install of sub and speakers, is a line-driver really going to add that much? Are many people using them? I know the XD500 accepts differential-balanced inputs like it sounds like our cars have, so I'm thinking noise isn't going to be a problem. So long as the amp is getting enough voltage, maybe I can eliminate the SRI.

Anyone else have any thoughts on any of this? Or a good place to ground the amp under the driver's seat?

rich20730

I would install the line driver since you already have it. The voltage out of the headunit is pretty low and it's better not to have to crank the gains on your amps if you don't have to. When I first started taking the signal pre-amp, I had to turn up the gain on my processor in order to get an acceptable volume level, which caused some noise. Once I installed a line driver I was able to put the gains back to zero and the noise went away.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

Rich, how you liking the IDmax??

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

Yea, you're probably right that I should just install it since I already have it. Where did you install your line driver rich?

rich20730

Dude, it's awesome. Crazy output, goes way low with ease, and very accurate. You need to hurry up and amp yours!

I have a Rockford BLD. It's pretty small and light so I just threw it on top of that plastic panel on the passenger side under the glove box. I didn't really care about the install other than that it was close to the headunit.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

Yeah hopefully the Audison will be coming back this week. My ID Q450.4 is coming this week too! All looking up from here


OP- install that line-driver using pre-amp signal and you'll be golden. I use pre-amp and my gains can be set pretty low with no noise. 3sixty.2 processor acts as my line driver..think it's like 4v outs