Let me start by saying I've read through most of the stickies at the top and used the search, however, car audio speak is analogous to me talking to my students about cardiac output, stroke volume, and respiratory quotients. I would love if I could get some info or links, hopefully in third-grade language on what I need to complete the install of a rear sub. I also like to be well-researched prior to speaking to various retailers, such as Crutchfield, to ensure what they are telling me is accurate. I'm very competent doing the install once I have the items I need. Thanks in advance.

Here's what I've got:

• 2012 Grand Sport M6 (Battery in the rear passenger cubby)
• Factory non-Bose speakers
• Pioneer avh-4200nex head unit - already installed
• NVX BOOST Series loaded enclosure with a NVX NSW 104 v2 subwoofer driver for the driver's side cubby

I know I need an amp & appropriate wiring to complete this install but that is the extent of my knowledge on the subject. A couple more maybe important items is that I do plan to upgrade the rest of the speakers in the future (advice would be helpful) & I know there are different types of bass so understanding how to set/adjust the amp & sub with the head unit so that the overall sound in the vehicle is quality without always have to mess with things depending on the type of music I'm listening to.

I'm not an "audiophile" nor am I looking to win any "best system" contests. Just looking to improve the anemic sound in the GS with the top on or off. Also not looking to spend more $ on big name components if others will provide better value (same performance, less cost). For reference my musical tastes range from classical (cello, violin, bass) to old school hip hop/rap (Dr. Dre & Snoop/Tupac & Biggie) to hard rock & metal (Tool, Metallica, etc.). Sound deadening materials have already been added to the entire interior/hatch minus the doors.

Thanks again!

 

Jabcat, if you want to add a subwoofer and amp to what you already have, it's very simple. You can buy the appropriate amp wiring kit for the size amp you choose from Crutchfield and it will include everything you need to connect the amp. In simple terms, you will run rca cables and a remote turn on wire from your head unit to your amp. Then run the power wires for your amp (positive to the battery and negative to a ground), and then speaker wire to your sub. A wring kit will include everything you need except the speaker wire.

As far as replacing all the speakers in the future, getting speaker selection advice gets a little more complicated. People have lots of different preferences or opinions on best speakers. My only advice is to spend a little extra on getting good speakers for the front regardless of brand. Rear speakers are optional and you can create a good sound system with or without the rears. It's just a matter of preference. I have rear speakers in my setup, but for simplicity, I can still create a great system with only fonts and a sub in a C6.

The only other thing to consider now is if you definitely plan to do an entire system down the road, then get an amp wiring kit that has thick enough power wires to accommodate an additional amp in the future for the speakers.

 

Thanks TRF - my questions would be how do I select the appropriate amp? I see mono amps, mosfet, D, mini; 2 channel, 4 channel, 5 channel; 2 ohm, 4 ohm; various wattages, etc. Looking at the sub that comes in the enclosure two sites say it's 4ohm, but then in the description say it's wired for 2 ohm & rated for 300w? Like I said, this language is pretty much Swahili to me.

Thanks again

 

If you are looking for an amp for your sub only, then you will be looking at a mono amp with the appropriate power to run your sub. A "mono" amp is only for powering a subwoofer and depending on how your sub was wired, you can change the ohm's to accommodate your system or preference. In your case, the sub is wired to 2ohm.

As far as powering an entire system, then you would have different options. In my case, I went with a 5-channel amp. 2 channels power the front speakers, 2 channels power the rear speakers, and the last channel (5th) is for powering the sub. If you went with a mono amp now, you would most likely look to add an additional 4-channel amp when you decide to do the speakers. When it comes to speakers, and to keep this simple, almost all the speakers you will be looking at for the front and rear will be 4ohm.

JL Audio makes some of the best amp, imo. They cost a little more but are always an easy and safe recommendation.

 

Thank you - that was very helpful. Appreciate it

 

Something like the JL Audio JX500 would be ideal for your situation. It's a 1 channel (mono) amp for a subwoofer and would give you more than enough power for your sub. I believe Crutchfield is also offering a discount on the wiring kit with the purchase of an amp.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_136JX5...-JX500-1D.html

Edit: just don't forget to take into consideration where you plan to mount the amp, along with the size of the amp.

 

Thanks for the link. I have a partition and was thinking I could just mount it to the back side of that or just make a little rack to mount it right behind the partition.

 

Any opinions on the Rockford Fosgate R500X1D? Seems to have about the same specs, better signal to noise ratio & comes with a wired remote for $70 less (amazon) than the JL.

 

I don't buy audio from Amazon as Crutchfield has a much better return policy and free support forever. If you change your mind about something, maybe want to upgrade or just don't like the sound of what you bought Crutchfiled will let you return /exchange if for 60 days after buying. I did this a few times during my install. I didn't like the HU so upgraded it. They even have a payment option, spread the cost over 3 payments..good for high buck stuff like the Focals I bought. Check out the Carfab site on youtube for a lot of helpful info on wiring and pretty much everything about all this.

 

I say go for it.

When it comes to mono sub amps in this power range, you can't really go wrong. Quality amps become more important when it comes to powering your front and rear speakers.

 

Just a thought, 500w on a sub is really going thump good and will likely overpower your front stage. Whatever you do down the road speaker wise I would recommend running a sub volume control from the mono amp to the dash cigarette lighter cubby, they really are a nice thing to have. That way you can moderate the sub intensity depending on what you’re listening to and how much thump you want or don’t.
Crutchfield is a top notch company, been using them for about 10 years now for nearly all our electronic purchases. They’ll give you good advice and returns are easy as pie. No headache purchases.

 

Thanks. The Rockford Fosgate amp comes with the sub volume control. I purchase a ton of stuff from amazon - something being delivered on my front porch every day is not an exaggeration. Never had any issues with returns or exchange.

I went with the Rockford Fosgate amp, 4 gauge installation kit including speaker wires & 3 year extended protection plan on the amp for $19 more than the same amp alone from Crutchfield.

I’ve purchased from and chatted with Crutchfield on several occasions in the past & they do have great service. They just need to be a little more competitive with their pricing.

Appreciate the suggestions & guidance re: my questions.

 

So I installed everything tonight & have a couple questions.

• after reconnecting the neg terminal on the battery I realized the PAC RP5-GM11 wire harness had changed all the settings with my steering wheel controls. Volume up & down change move the stations thru FM 1, FM2 & AM. The up/down arrows both lower the volume. So I’ll have to pull the head-unit out again tomorrow to try to reset the harness.
  
• I’ve had nothing but trouble with the PAC harnesses, I’m on my 3rd. Previously was only able to get the volume up & down working but nothing else. Any tips for when I pull it out tomorrow?
  
• I have to now turn the volume up to 30 on the head until to get any sort of volume. Even then I could probably easily have a conversation with a passenger. Thoughts?
  
• I’m hearing a lot of “air” from the speakers when I turn up the volume?
  
• tips on setting up the sub or equalizer on the head unit? I did notice the head unit has a subwoofer setting that I had to turn on for the sub to start working. It has some other settings in the head unit for the sub but this is all new to me.
  
• I previously had my battery tender hooked up directly to the positive/negative terminals of the battery, can I still do that with the amp hooked directly to the positive terminal?
  

 

Update - took the head unit back out, unplugged and reset the pac harness & got the volume up/down back and the scan up/down. The 1-6 preset button doesn’t work but oh well.

What are some good resources to learn more about how to adjust the amp & sub settings, the graphic equalizer on the pioneer head unit, etc.

thanks.

 

Some basic helpful beginner info. Setting crossovers. This JL Audio article covers some of the basic crossover settings. Because you have the stock system still in place, most of this won't apply to you. But you want to set your low-pass filter for your subwoofer. Most common recommendation is to set the low-pass filter for the subwoofer at 80 hz.

https://jlaudio.zendesk.com/hc/en-us...ng-Crossovers-


Setting EQ. I found this article by carstereochick.com very helpful. Using pink noise with an RTA scale is a much more accurate way to set your eq. When using an RTA scale, you can actually see the frequencies you are hearing so that you can accurately adjust that exact frequency. When doing it by ear, most of us have no idea what we are hearing and are just guessing as to what needs adjustment.
I have 2 apps on my phone that I have used to help set the EQ. RTA by Studio Six Digital and an app called Signal Generator to play pink noise. I would play a constant pink noise with the Sound Generator app, and then use the RTA app to listen to the speakers and display the sound on an RTA scale while I make adjustments to the EQ. (the RTA app will also play pink noise, but it's pulsated. I much prefer the constant pink noise and that's why I use the SG app). This all sounds much more confusing than it is. Hopefully the article will help.

https://carstereochick.com/2012/08/0...-audio-system/

 

Thanks again TRF - extremely helpful!

 

Hopefully my last question on the topic. Everything sounds great, CDs, radio (tho much lower volume at the same setting), but when I connect my phone via Bluetooth there is a lot of extraneous background noise. Wasn’t like that prior to the amp/sub install?

 

JabCat, not sure about the noise you are hearing with bluetooth, but wanted to mention that there should be a source volume adjustment somewhere in the settings of your Pioneer. I know I had to adjusted mine so that the sources all sound about the same volume when switching. It took me a few minutes to find it, but I knew it was in there (the settings) somewhere.

 

I did find that adjustment and set it at 0, but there is still audible background noise only on the Bluetooth setting. Sounds almost like when you’re trying to manually find a signal like in the movies when a boat is stranded and they’re trying to hone in on a radio signal. Best way I can describe it.

 

When I mentioned the source volume adjustment, I was referring to a fix for your radio volume which you mentioned above. As for the noise, strange that it only happens with bluetooth and only after your amp/sub were installed. Does the noise stop if you disconnect power to the amp/sub? Also, try turning down the gains on your amp and see if it has any effect. Hopefully someone else can offer some additional trouble shooting advice.