Need help wiring in an Amplifier and sub

3687 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by TX08manualGXP, Jan 17, 2014

IDontFit

Discussion Starter · Jan 16, 2014

Ok, so this is my wifes car. It came with the base audio system, which im sure you all know is terrible, and i installed a new head unit, new speakers, and a boss audio 8" slim subwoofer amp combo thing.

Well... the Amp/Sub burned up pretty fast, lasted maybe 5 months. so i found an old 2ch 600w Kenwood amp my brother gave me and took the sub out of the Boss Audio. i built a small custom box to put the sub in and connected it to the kenwood amp. this lasted about a week before the wiring burned up.

i didnt solder new wires onto the sub, instead i spliced 16g wire into what looked to be 20-22g wire on the sub. im sure the wire couldnt handle the power from the sub.

i just ordered her a new Pioneer TS-SW841D 8" Slim "free air" sub (2.5" mounting depth) and planned on cutting a hole in rear firewall so that it is hidden behind the rear panel.

Here's what i need to know.
1. Where is the best place to cut the panel so im not interfering with the other side to the trunk? the box i built isn't quite small enough and presses on the trim panel.
2. Is it possible to wire the rear 3" speakers (i actually installed 3.5" Coaxial alpines) to the amp along with the sub to more sound/bass out of them? or is this going to burn up the speakers?

Thanks for any help i can get.

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TX08manualGXP

· #2 · Jan 16, 2014 (Edited)

I'd see if you can find a factory monsoon sub box and use that. if not then I'd make my box in similar shape and install it where the monsoon box goes. There's no need to cut any of the rear deck out and I would not advise it.

You can wire whatever you want but if you wire them all up parallel then you will reduce the ohms to probably lower than what your amp can handle and it will run hot and burn up. the factory sub was a dual 2Ω voice coil. also, what are you using for the turn on wire? it's possible your amp could be on all the time.

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IDontFit

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 16, 2014

TX08manualGXP said:
I'd see if you can find a factory monsoon sub box and use that. if not then I'd make my box in similar shape and install it where the monsoon box goes. There's no need to cut any of the rear deck out and I would not advise it.

You can wire whatever you want but if you wire them all up parallel then you will reduce the ohms to probably lower than what your amp can handle and it will run hot and burn up. the factory sub was a dual 2Ω voice coil. also, what are you using for the turn on wire? it's possible your amp could be on all the time.

I have the switch wired to the radio so it's not constantly running. And I thought about finding a monsoon box but no luck.... I may just use the box I built for the other sub. I really don't think she'd be able to tell if the subs getting its full potential.

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TomatoSoup

· #4 · Jan 16, 2014

Assuming you're talking about cutting the plastic when you say "cut the panel", then there's a fair bit of room behind it in various places. This photo may give you ideas...

Do not wire the rear speakers to the sub amp. Either leave them alone, or use a separate amp for them.

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cartmann32

· #5 · Jan 16, 2014

IDontFit said:
Ok, so this is my wifes car. It came with the base audio system, which im sure you all know is terrible, and i installed a new head unit, new speakers, and a boss audio 8" slim subwoofer amp combo thing.

Well... the Amp/Sub burned up pretty fast, lasted maybe 5 months. so i found an old 2ch 600w Kenwood amp my brother gave me and took the sub out of the Boss Audio. i built a small custom box to put the sub in and connected it to the kenwood amp. this lasted about a week before the wiring burned up.

i didnt solder new wires onto the sub, instead i spliced 16g wire into what looked to be 20-22g wire on the sub. im sure the wire couldnt handle the power from the sub.

i just ordered her a new Pioneer TS-SW841D 8" Slim "free air" sub (2.5" mounting depth) and planned on cutting a hole in rear firewall so that it is hidden behind the rear panel.

Here's what i need to know.
1. Where is the best place to cut the panel so im not interfering with the other side to the trunk? the box i built isn't quite small enough and presses on the trim panel.
2. Is it possible to wire the rear 3" speakers (i actually installed 3.5" Coaxial alpines) to the amp along with the sub to more sound/bass out of them? or is this going to burn up the speakers?

Thanks for any help i can get.

I would not recommend wiring anything else to your subwoofer amp.
Low/Bass notes are meant to come from speakers with more cone space than most traditional OEM speaker sizes. Adding a 3" aftermarket speaker to a subwoofer channel will not only do your subwoofer system injustice, it'll sound like crap. It will more than likely blow your 3" speakers as A) They have a small tweeter on them that can't handle more then 25-50 watts and B) aren't meant to put out deep bass notes like your woofer can handle.

I would recommend spending a bit more on equipment to get decent audio gear and you'll be MUCH happier.

Also, upgrade ALL of your wiring so it's sized correctly.....nothing worst than 'upgrading' you audio then weeks later looking for a new car after yours burnt down due to Fist Pumping too hard with the volume cranked!

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TX08manualGXP

· #6 · Jan 16, 2014

reading it again, if you have a 2ch amp then yes, only use it for the sub. it also needs a built in cross over too. if it's a 4ch then you can run the others to the front but like the above, do not run subs and full ranges on the same channel. you can easily build a 1 to 1.5 cu ft box box for an 8 or a 10 that will fit behind the panel. just remember, if it's a 2Ω max amp then you need to be careful how many speakers you run thru it and you're really gonna want to seperate the front from the rear. and what wire did you use for your turn on? the radio power wire is a constant on. double check that. I used spare fuse #20 in the passengers foor rest. That way it will still play even after you turn off the key but turn off once you open the door.

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IDontFit

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 17, 2014

TX08manualGXP said:
reading it again, if you have a 2ch amp then yes, only use it for the sub. it also needs a built in cross over too. if it's a 4ch then you can run the others to the front but like the above, do not run subs and full ranges on the same channel. you can easily build a 1 to 1.5 cu ft box box for an 8 or a 10 that will fit behind the panel. just remember, if it's a 2Ω max amp then you need to be careful how many speakers you run thru it and you're really gonna want to seperate the front from the rear. and what wire did you use for your turn on? the radio power wire is a constant on. double check that. I used spare fuse #20 in the passengers foor rest. That way it will still play even after you turn off the key but turn off once you open the door.

Yeah I'm just going to wire in just the sub. But as for the switch wire, on the back of the radio I installed it has a remote switch wire connection that I sliced it to do when the radio turns off so does the amp

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TX08manualGXP

· #8 · Jan 17, 2014

Oh yeah, I forgot you had an aftermarket stereo. cool.

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