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Cheapie Sub Upgrade using Rockford Fosgate PS-8

79K views 99 replies 36 participants last post by  Msolis760  
#1 · (Edited)
We all know the stock sub is next to useless. At this stage I just wanted some more kick in the sound without starting a significant rip & replace of speakers/components, so I bought this: https://www1.crutchfield.com/p_575P...d.com/p_575PS8/Rockford-Fosgate-PS-8.html?search=rockford_fosgate_ps-8&skipvs=T

My reasons for choosing the PS-8 were:
1. Height. it's low enough to fit more or less flush in the existing cubby area (with some minor cutting).
2. Flexibility & convenience. High level inputs, varied on/off control, remote level control.
3. Reviews. Well reviewed for what it is.
4. Price - got mine from eBay for a great deal.

This is the end result.

You can see it's flush enough so the trunk floor/cover sits easily over the unit. It has only the slightest height protrusion towards the centre of the unit - this doesn't interfere in any significant way with the trunk floor sitting in place (at least not where I located the unit).



I usually take more pics of a mini project like this, but I hadn't planned initially on posting this because it was so basic. Then I thought it might be useful to some - so this is all I have. :-/

Re-Use the Old Sub's Connector
I first took out the doughnut stock sub and proceeded to dissect it so I could behold the wonder of its engineering (actually I just wanted to get the connector off it).

Once you get it open you can easily clip the wires and extract the connector for you to re-purpose to plug into the existing harness. I soldered & shrink-wrapped some male RCA connectors to this connector to plug into the female RCA connectors on the sub. Instructions say to cut the RCAs off if wiring to high-level source, but I didn't want to cut them off [yet], so I used RCAs on both sides.

I'm sure there are pics of it already out there, but for anyone curious...




Choose a Location
I measured the width/depth of the unit and chose a location for it. Then I did some minor cutting to make a spot for it that will keep it snug. Note I reused some of the cutout pieces to level the area where I put it.





Note in the above pic that I removed the bracket and protruding bolts from the old sub location. I put some clear sealant (dries clear) in the holes to protect the open holes.

The location is convenient.
- I can simple move the right side rear seat forward and access the controls from there if necessary.
- The weight of the unit is in front of the rear wheels and opposite the driver (little thing, but it all adds up imo).




Power
- I removed the T40 bolt that is directly underneath the foam cubby area where I placed the speaker (about 4" in from the wheelwell) and put a grounding lug in place there and returned the bolt into place. It's a nice bare grounding area under the painted bolt - good grounding point.
- Re +12, I used a fuse tap to tap into one of the available/unused SWITCHED power terminal/plugs in the trunk's fusebox. Some thoughts here... I don't play audio super loud, and I don't listen to [a lot of] pounding audio, so I felt ok feeding the power to the sub with just a standard 16g wire 10A fused tap. Plus the in-line fuse the unit comes with in the supplied power wire is 10A, so in theory 16g wire feeding 10A should be perfectly fine. However, if I felt I needed more current, there are of course high-current terminals in the same fusebox. If I were to use one of those I would use the lower current switched 12v to power a relay between a high-current (ALWAYS ON) 12v terminal and some significantly heavier gauge wire to the sub.


Results
- For a self-contained 8" sub, it puts out some good power.
- I still have to run the remote volume control, but I have it set to about 2/5 power level now and that seems about right for my listening.
- Miles beyond the stock sub in effectiveness.
- Seamlessly sits in place.
- Overall a satisfying cheap and simple upgrade for the system that moves it from total crap sound to middling level sound - enough to tide me over until a full upgrade sometime in the future.

Notes
- Although the use of RCAs may imply a low-level signal input to the sub, as noted I am actually using the high-level input directly from the stock sub harness and. I used the RCA M/F connectors just for convenience (the sub already comes with the RCA Females attached and I didn't really want to cut them off if I didn't have to).

Update: For some info re settings, jump to http://www.focusrs.org/forum/15-foc...-cheapie-sub-upgrade-using-rockford-fosgate-ps-8-a-post1929609.html#post1929609
 
#2 ·
Nice write up! This is what I'd look to do at some point.


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#3 · (Edited)
OMG you may have just solved my problem. I had originally been thinking of the JL Audio mentioned in elsewhere on this forum but then I realized it won't work if I also want a spare tire and to lose as little space as possible. This might just do the trick!!!

Wow $175 at amazon, I know what's getting ordered real soon.

In fact here is a guys that installed it in an ST
 
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#7 ·
OMG you may have just solved my problem. I had originally been thinking of the JL Audio mentioned in elsewhere on this forum but then I realized it won't work if I also want a spare tire and to lose as little space as possible. This might just do the trick!!!

Wow $175 at amazon, I know what's getting ordered real soon.

In fact here is a guys that installed it in an ST ...
Never thought to look on YouTube for this, thanks. I went solely by researching reviews & specs of various units on Crutchfield and Amazon.
 
#6 ·
Power notes are in the write-up at the end. Power distribution/fusebox is on the driver's side of the trunk towards the tail-light. There's a small hatch about 3"x6" that pops off. Everything needed is in the trunk. Cheers.
 
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#11 ·
Makes sense.

Since I'm looking to also put a spare tire in there, I'll likely put the sub rotated 90 degrees and further to the pass side.

Or [shrug] it might just go vertical in the same spot as the ST sub where I currently store my first aide kit :)
 
#13 ·
#14 ·
Awesome write up! My RF system goes in tomorrow. I'm trying the PS-1X12 sub as a start but if I find the larger sub/enclosure cumbersome I might go with this option. Weekend/vaca car so not as concerned with cargo loss on enclosure. PAC AP4-FD21, R600X5 amp, T2652SRF. Hoping for a big improvement! JCG
 
#18 · (Edited)
BIRTHDAY CAME EARLY! Thank you Amazon Wish Lists :happydance:

First a review: I hooked the sub up on my desk using a 12v supply. I was ... worried. It seemed to distort way too easily. But I knew it wasn't fair in an open room, without the rest of the sound (no mids or highs) to give context to the volume I was asking the sub to produce. Next I wired it up in the car real quick and left it sitting on the trunk floor. Standing at the trunk, with the windows open, the trunk open, and looking for that desired Thump in my chest, I was ... worried! So I closed everything up, hopped in the front seat and tried again ... "Ok ... Okay I see what you're doing here. I can work with this. You sound muddy and overbearing but lets see what we can do".

Finally, with the sub fully installed Freq at 120, punch eq at 3/4, the floor in place, the windows and sunroof closed, and the level control at my command I started to play. I cycled through Sirius channels, Margarittaville, The Pulse, Pit Bull, Shade 45, Electric Area and played a little with the head unit controls too until I found a reasonable level that seemed to sound right across all types of music without being too boomy.

Final Verdict: I'm very happy. I would say the car now sounds like what I expect an OEM system "with a sub" to sound like. It isn't going to win any punch contests. Hard core EDM, Dubstep, and Hip-Hop will just crush its sole. But since my days of cranking The Prodigy or Derude-Sandstorm are mostly behind me I think this will really scratch my itch enough to prevent my spending way too much money and time on a full blown system. If I want or need to just bump, I can do it at home, with a system well designed to scratch that itch :rockout:

Ok so here are some pics folks might find useful as far as putting the sub in different places to understand clearances

I thought I'd show what it would look like sitting on top. I'd recommend against this without a really good plan to secure it. That thing will slide like crazy. Maybe some velcro on the bottom to keep it sliding, but I wouldn't trust it to keep it locked down in an accident. Or maybe some bolts with big fat washers to secure it to the floor.




In case you were thinking of putting it in the little pocket area on the pax side ... big enough for my first aid kit, but not really feasible for the sub


I took this pic as I was playing around; I thought I'd cut enough foam to have it sit completely on metal. As you can see you could actually hard mount, just on the corner closest to the camera on the left by drilling the metal structure on top without actually getting into the floorpan. You could probably use one of those brass crush nuts like they use with the jack rails. In case anyone wanted to see what was possible :)


So this was my idea at first. I was going to cut away the front of the storage foam to put the sub as far forward and to the right as possible, and cut enough of the bottom of the foam to basically sit on the rear strut bracing (re: above). I figured doing it this way would keep the inflator in place and there would be enough room at the front in a little gap between the seat and the foam, for the wires. But then I thought better of it because I didn't want the sub to take the weight of holding up the tray in that corner to include if I ever put the dog back there again.






And I didn't want to do this because, well, just [shrug] I dunno I guess I didn't. Lots of little things in my head all made me say I just didn't want to have it rotated this way.


So I settled on this. It took a lot of cutting and shaving of the foam, but eventually I got it to fit just right, with access to all the things, clean wire routing, and sitting completely below the floor tray level. The one thing I sort of maybe wish I did, was to cut just a little bit into the front of the foam to allow me to still fit the inflator in the same spot. It would have taken maybe a 1/4" shave and still left enough of a ledge for the tray to rest on. But for now I'm happy and if I do get a spare (meaning the inflator can't stay where it is now) I can still do it. Or buy a smaller pump :)


Oh yeah the clutch tool for shaving down the foam was one of these. I extended it fully which gave great reach and also allowed it to flex (withing breaking off) so that I could really shave down the floor and sided flat.


If I did want to put the inflator back, I'd have to get a 90 degree connector for the remote level in addition to shaving the front foam.


That said, I saved some long bits of the foam I cut off (seen under the obd2 cable) because I might glue it into the old inflator pocket to create a fully enclosed pocket for items I might not want to be able to shift while driving and hit the amp.

The very last thing to do it play around over a few days with the sound to settle on a level. I've got the remote level control fed between the rear seats and then draped across to the center console and sitting in the cup holder. I don't know if I want to set it up permanently, roll it up and tuck it back into the trunk, or if I'll remove it entirely and set the level from the amp. Jsut depends how much I find myself playing with the level vice using the head unit bass control [shrug].

In any case, I hope someone finds this useful from an install idea perspective.

Cheers
 
#19 ·
BIRTHDAY CAME EARLY! Thank you Amazon Wish Lists :happydance:

First a review: I hooked the sub up on my desk using a 12v supply. I was ... worried. It seemed to distort way too easily. But I knew it wasn't fair in an open room, without the rest of the sound (no mids or highs) to give context to the volume I was asking the sub to produce. Next I wired it up in the car real quick and left it sitting on the trunk floor. Standing at the trunk, with the windows open, the trunk open, and looking for that desired Thump in my chest, I was ... worried! So I closed everything up, hopped in the front seat and tried again ... "Ok ... Okay I see what you're doing here. I can work with this. You sound muddy and overbearing but lets see what we can do".

Finally, with the sub fully installed Freq at 120, punch eq at 3/4, the floor in place, the windows and sunroof closed, and the level control at my command I started to play. I cycled through Sirius channels, Margarittaville, The Pulse, Pit Bull, Shade 45, Electric Area and played a little with the head unit controls too until I found a reasonable level that seemed to sound right across all types of music without being too boomy.

Final Verdict: I'm very happy. I would say the car now sounds like what I expect an OEM system "with a sub" to sound like. It isn't going to win any punch contests. Hard core EDM, Dubstep, and Hip-Hop will just crush its sole. But since my days of cranking The Prodigy or Derude-Sandstorm are mostly behind me I think this will really scratch my itch enough to prevent my spending way too much money and time on a full blown system. If I want or need to just bump, I can do it at home, with a system well designed to scratch that itch :rockout:

Ok so here are some pics folks might find useful as far as putting the sub in different places to understand clearances

I thought I'd show what it would look like sitting on top. I'd recommend against this without a really good plan to secure it. That thing will slide like crazy. Maybe some velcro on the bottom to keep it sliding, but I wouldn't trust it to keep it locked down in an accident. Or maybe some bolts with big fat washers to secure it to the floor.


In case you were thinking of putting it in the little pocket area on the pax side ... big enough for my first aid kit, but not really feasible for the sub

I took this pic as I was playing around; I thought I'd cut enough foam to have it sit completely on metal. As you can see you could actually hard mount, just on the corner closest to the camera on the left by drilling the metal structure on top without actually getting into the floorpan. You could probably use one of those brass crush nuts like they use with the jack rails. In case anyone wanted to see what was possible :)

So this was my idea at first. I was going to cut away the front of the storage foam to put the sub as far forward and to the right as possible, and cut enough of the bottom of the foam to basically sit on the rear strut bracing (re: above). I figured doing it this way would keep the inflator in place and there would be enough room at the front in a little gap between the seat and the foam, for the wires. But then I thought better of it because I didn't want the sub to take the weight of holding up the tray in that corner to include if I ever put the dog back there again.

And I didn't want to do this because, well, just [shrug] I dunno I guess I didn't. Lots of little things in my head all made me say I just didn't want to have it rotated this way.

So I settled on this. It took a lot of cutting and shaving of the foam, but eventually I got it to fit just right, with access to all the things, clean wire routing, and sitting completely below the floor tray level. The one thing I sort of maybe wish I did, was to cut just a little bit into the front of the foam to allow me to still fit the inflator in the same spot. It would have taken maybe a 1/4" shave and still left enough of a ledge for the tray to rest on. But for now I'm happy and if I do get a spare (meaning the inflator can't stay where it is now) I can still do it. Or buy a smaller pump :)

Oh yeah the clutch tool for shaving down the foam was one of these. I extended it fully which gave great reach and also allowed it to flex (withing breaking off) so that I could really shave down the floor and sided flat.

If I did want to put the inflator back, I'd have to get a 90 degree connector for the remote level in addition to shaving the front foam.

That said, I saved some long bits of the foam I cut off (seen under the obd2 cable) because I might glue it into the old inflator pocket to create a fully enclosed pocket for items I might not want to be able to shift while driving and hit the amp.

The very last thing to do it play around over a few days with the sound to settle on a level. I've got the remote level control fed between the rear seats and then draped across to the center console and sitting in the cup holder. I don't know if I want to set it up permanently, roll it up and tuck it back into the trunk, or if I'll remove it entirely and set the level from the amp. Jsut depends how much I find myself playing with the level vice using the head unit bass control [shrug].

In any case, I hope someone finds this useful from an install idea perspective.

Cheers
Great work! I ordered a different kit, a full 12" powered box. It was so cheap on amazon I figured I would go for it.
https://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fos..._1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502718052&sr=8-1&keywords=rockford+fosgate+powered+subwoofers

Now I guess I have to actually run a real power wire through the firewall, ugh.
 
#22 ·
Great work! I ordered a different kit, a full 12" powered box. It was so cheap on amazon I figured I would go for it.
https://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fos..._1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502718052&sr=8-1&keywords=rockford+fosgate+powered+subwoofers

Now I guess I have to actually run a real power wire through the firewall, ugh.
Just a thought to perhaps save you time. The Amp in the P300 is 300 watts (or approx 25A @ 12v). I'm pretty sure one of the larger centre terminals in the trunk's fusebox can easily handle a 25A max load. There should not be any need to go all the way back to battery for just 300w.
 
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#23 ·
Truth? I was considering one of those larger options but the 8" was in my wish list and that is what the SO ordered before I updated the wishlist. I'm happy and it is compact so all in all Win! I will still be interested to read your review as I could always move the 8" into my SUV (who's sub is actually dead I think) and then go with the 10" or 12" in the RS. Though at that point I'd be more likely to roll my own using the amps and sub drivers I have left over from my EVO8 build. Will just cost me MDF and small accessories since I have everything else.
 
#33 ·
We all know the stock sub is next to useless. At this stage I just wanted some more kick in the sound without starting a significant rip & replace of speakers/components, so I bought this: https://www1.crutchfield.com/p_575P...d.com/p_575PS8/Rockford-Fosgate-PS-8.html?search=rockford_fosgate_ps-8&skipvs=T

My reasons for choosing the PS-8 were:
1. Height. it's low enough to fit more or less flush in the existing cubby area (with some minor cutting).
2. Flexibility & convenience. High level inputs, varied on/off control, remote level control.
3. Reviews. Well reviewed for what it is.
4. Price - got mine from eBay for a great deal.

This is the end result.

You can see it's flush enough so the trunk floor/cover sits easily over the unit. It has only the slightest height protrusion towards the centre of the unit - this doesn't interfere in any significant way with the trunk floor sitting in place (at least not where I located the unit).

[iurl="http://www.focusrs.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=199242&d=1502051120"]
Image
[/iurl]

I usually take more pics of a mini project like this, but I hadn't planned initially on posting this because it was so basic. Then I thought it might be useful to some - so this is all I have. :-/

Re-Use the Old Sub's Connector
I first took out the doughnut stock sub and proceeded to dissect it so I could behold the wonder of its engineering (actually I just wanted to get the connector off it).

Once you get it open you can easily clip the wires and extract the connector for you to re-purpose to plug into the existing harness. I soldered & shrink-wrapped some male RCA connectors to this connector to plug into the female RCA connectors on the sub. Instructions say to cut the RCAs off if wiring to high-level source, but I didn't want to cut them off [yet], so I used RCAs on both sides.

I'm sure there are pics of it already out there, but for anyone curious...

[iurl="http://www.focusrs.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=199210&d=1502051113"]
Image
[/iurl][iurl="http://www.focusrs.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=199218&d=1502051114"]
Image
[/iurl][iurl="http://www.focusrs.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=199226&d=1502051116"]
Image
[/iurl]


Choose a Location
I measured the width/depth of the unit and chose a location for it. Then I did some minor cutting to make a spot for it that will keep it snug. Note I reused some of the cutout pieces to level the area where I put it.

[iurl="http://www.focusrs.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=199234&d=1502051118"]
Image
[/iurl][iurl="http://www.focusrs.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=199242&d=1502051120"]
Image
[/iurl]

[iurl="http://www.focusrs.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=199250&d=1502051121"]
Image
[/iurl]

Note in the above pic that I removed the bracket and protruding bolts from the old sub location. I put some clear sealant (dries clear) in the holes to protect the open holes.

The location is convenient.
- I can simple move the right side rear seat forward and access the controls from there if necessary.
- The weight of the unit is in front of the rear wheels and opposite the driver (little thing, but it all adds up imo).

[iurl="http://www.focusrs.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=199266&d=1502053952"]
Image
[/iurl]


Power
- I removed the T40 bolt that is directly underneath the foam cubby area where I placed the speaker (about 4" in from the wheelwell) and put a grounding lug in place there and returned the bolt into place. It's a nice bare grounding area under the painted bolt - good grounding point.
- Re +12, I used a fuse tap to tap into one of the available/unused SWITCHED power terminal/plugs in the trunk's fusebox. Some thoughts here... I don't play audio super loud, and I don't listen to [a lot of] pounding audio, so I felt ok feeding the power to the sub with just a standard 16g wire 10A fused tap. Plus the in-line fuse the unit comes with in the supplied power wire is 10A, so in theory 16g wire feeding 10A should be perfectly fine. However, if I felt I needed more current, there are of course high-current terminals in the same fusebox. If I were to use one of those I would use the lower current switched 12v to power a relay between a high-current (ALWAYS ON) 12v terminal and some significantly heavier gauge wire to the sub.


Results
- For a self-contained 8" sub, it puts out some good power.
- I still have to run the remote volume control, but I have it set to about 2/5 power level now and that seems about right for my listening.
- Miles beyond the stock sub in effectiveness.
- Seamlessly sits in place.
- Overall a satisfying cheap and simple upgrade for the system that moves it from total crap sound to middling level sound - enough to tide me over until a full upgrade sometime in the future.

Notes
- Although the use of RCAs may imply a low-level signal input to the sub, as noted I am actually using the high-level input directly from the stock sub harness and. I used the RCA M/F connectors just for convenience (the sub already comes with the RCA Females attached and I didn't really want to cut them off if I didn't have to).
I went with the 12 inch Rockford Forgate enclosure. Great base and easily removed for trips where I need the space (rare). JCG
 

Attachments

#36 ·
Yeah I think at this point what I find most frustrating / disappointing is just how badly the system chops off bass at even medium high volume. No amount of gain tweaking seems to help after like 22 on the volume dial; it just feels anemic. So who knows no matter what I might have to get that thing that pulls the raw CAN signal and build my modest system from that. Very annoying really because that is a big buy-in to just then put a small 8" sub and probably keep the stock speakers, but gain real control over it all.
 
#39 ·
Yes, this is one reason I personally believe going with anything bigger (on the stock system) than a basic self-powered 8" is just more lipstick on a pig. The stock system is extremely wanting - the addition of the 8" powered sub just makes the system a little less meh...

After playing with the levels to get something that sounds ok, I ended up with the sub level running at about 25% gain - anything higher is just too much for me and the bass just overwhelms the weak mids and highs.

Years ago I bought a sound upgrade kit for my GT-R that a fellow in the UK had put together. It came with an Audison bit ten D (Audison bit - bit Ten D) that he had tuned for the Hertz speakers and the GT-R's acoustic traits. It really transformed the audio performance in the car (night and day). Perhaps a processor similar to the bit ten D would help balance the stock head unit's output when feeding it into a higher-powered amp?
 
#40 ·
I'm considering the Maestro AR with Kenwood amp and still keeping the RF for now. To hear everyone talk about it that will be a big improvement and will at least set me up very well if I decide I just have to take up more truck space with a bigger sub.
 
#48 ·
After reading this thread I decided to go with the Kicker HS8. Here is the install in the stock sub location. I went this route so I could leave the upper right area open for a 4 channel amp down the road.

Only problem I ran into was trying to use the high level signal as the remote turn on. I ended up running a second fuse tap for the remote turn on and that solved the problem.

 
#49 ·
I bought the same sub as the OP, but I'm having some issues. I get no sound at all from the sub (only some occasional light crackling if you put your ear to it) so something major is up, but my wiring looks good to both myself and my neighbor.

For those with the same unit, what LED indicator lights do you see upon startup? The manual says the light should be green, but mine is initially red for ~3 seconds then turns blue and stays blue until I unplug or turn off. Does this indicate "protect mode"?

All splices/connections have been checked many times with a multimeter. Here is my wiring setup:

  • GROUND: a pic of my ground is below. I have measured resistance to other ground points and the battery negative terminal (get 0) and also confirmed voltage is exact same between battery + and sub's ground vs battery + and Battery - . Any other tests I can do? I think I have a solid ground but I know its very important.
  • 12V: First, I used a fuse tap on one of the non-switched open fuses in the rear fuse box (Channel 3). Later, when diagnosing I ran a fuse wire directly to the battery terminal. Both setups behaved exactly the same and gave the lights indicated above.
  • SWITCHING: I first tried using audio-only as the switching type and the unit lit up as indicated above. When I couldn't produce sound I bought a 2nd fuse tap and ran to one of the SWITCHED terminals in the fuse box (channel 31 i think). I changed the amp setting to "remote" and now when car is running or in accessory mode, I get the lights described above: red for 3 sec then constant blue. However, now all lights are off when the vehicle is off - I would still get a blue light when using the audio signal switching.
  • SPEAKER INPUT: I am using the sub's wires like everyone else with the amp input set to HIGH. I looked at a wiring diagram linked earlier in this thread to determine wire colors, the soldered directly to the OEM harness and sealed with watertight shrink wrap. Can somebody that is not colorblind like I am double-check my signal wires please?! I've double and triple checked this but I'm out of ideas.

I'm beginning to suspect a bad amp/sub.\, but it's hard for me to believe it was bad out of the box... Anyone have ideas on how I could bench test it? Would opening it up tell me anything? I was tempted to pop it open to measure the speaker resistance but I haven't gone there yet...

Thanks in advance for anyone trying to help!

 
#50 · (Edited)
I bought the same sub as the OP, but I'm having some issues. I get no sound at all from the sub (only some occasional light crackling if you put your ear to it) so something major is up, but my wiring looks good to both myself and my neighbor.

For those with the same unit, what LED indicator lights do you see upon startup? The manual says the light should be green, but mine is initially red for ~3 seconds then turns blue and stays blue until I unplug or turn off. Does this indicate "protect mode"?

All splices/connections have been checked many times with a multimeter. Here is my wiring setup:

  • GROUND: a pic of my ground is below. I have measured resistance to other ground points and the battery negative terminal (get 0) and also confirmed voltage is exact same between battery + and sub's ground vs battery + and Battery - . Any other tests I can do? I think I have a solid ground but I know its very important.
  • 12V: First, I used a fuse tap on one of the non-switched open fuses in the rear fuse box (Channel 3). Later, when diagnosing I ran a fuse wire directly to the battery terminal. Both setups behaved exactly the same and gave the lights indicated above.
  • SWITCHING: I first tried using audio-only as the switching type and the unit lit up as indicated above. When I couldn't produce sound I bought a 2nd fuse tap and ran to one of the SWITCHED terminals in the fuse box (channel 31 i think). I changed the amp setting to "remote" and now when car is running or in accessory mode, I get the lights described above: red for 3 sec then constant blue. However, now all lights are off when the vehicle is off - I would still get a blue light when using the audio signal switching.
  • SPEAKER INPUT: I am using the sub's wires like everyone else with the amp input set to HIGH. I looked at a wiring diagram linked earlier in this thread to determine wire colors, the soldered directly to the OEM harness and sealed with watertight shrink wrap. Can somebody that is not colorblind like I am double-check my signal wires please?! I've double and triple checked this but I'm out of ideas.

I'm beginning to suspect a bad amp/sub.\, but it's hard for me to believe it was bad out of the box... Anyone have ideas on how I could bench test it? Would opening it up tell me anything? I was tempted to pop it open to measure the speaker resistance but I haven't gone there yet...

Thanks in advance for anyone trying to help!
My unit's light is blue when it is active. I've never seen it green.

My unit is powered from a ignition-switched power terminal and activation is set to turn on via audio signal detection.

Your wiring looks ok to me.

I assume you have the level up a bit.

The things I would additionally try are:
1. different ground point. I understand you checked voltage at this point, but you can get different results when measuring +12 on a meter (very low load) vs getting a solid +12v when a significant load is applied
2. Try disconnecting one of the pairs feeding into the sub. E.g., disconnect violet+yellow, and change? disconnect gray+grn/vt, and change?
3. Did you original factory s/w actually work? They're so weak that it would be hard to tell in the cabin if it was producing any output. If unsure, may want to quickly splice it back in and verify original setup works properly from the get-go.
4. If you want to get adventurous you could splice into one of the other high-level speaker outputs from the stock amp and run that into the subwoofer - if you still get no output then I'd say the unit is doa.

If you elim all the above, I'd have so guess you got a bad unit. :-(
 
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#52 ·
I have re-connected the factory sub (or what's left of it!) and confirmed it still works. I even ran wires from the new RF sub connector to eliminate variables, so I'm pretty certain the amp is getting signal. Bummer, but I requested a replacement so I should be good when that arrives.

Here's a pic of the gutted factory sub for anyone interested.
 

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#53 ·
Update: the replacement sub arrived and it fired right up with the same wiring as the first unit. So I just got a bad one out of the box.

Upon further inspection, the first (bad) unit had some Velcro on the underside of the box, so I'm pretty sure it was already returned by someone and I fell victim to a shi**y eBay seller...I didn't think much of it until I compared to the replacement.

Still tweaking, but the sound is pretty good (not amazing) and consistent with what others described. Good enough for me! Under $200 installed
 
#54 ·
Good to hear.
 
#55 ·
I installed the Pioneer TS-wH500A because of their HVT technology sounded interesting. I have the FoRS radio bass level to max and the controller is near 3/4 gain and it's okay. I actually liked my '13 FoST ST3 stereo better still. This just sounds, idk, foreign or foggy. But, hey, for less than $200 including connectors and junk I had to get to install it, it's definitely better than the stock unit and worth the money. I actually didn't even notice a difference when I had the stock sub out and was doing a supply run!!!

 
#56 ·
so is the install about the same regardless of brand of "underseat" speaker? I am wanting to upgrade the speaker without having to remove panels, run wiring, and get into the HU. This seems like the logical choice. This stuff intimidates me bc I have never liked working on electronics. Hoping whichever brand I get I can just splice into the factory harness