DIY: Installing Aftermarket Subs w/ Stock HU ( and Premium Sound System)

[BigMoney8481]

higher gauge higher amp fuse

[amd64bit]

btw big im curious, what kind of amp u got powering that type r? U said its the dvc 4ohm and i know the ten inch has the same RMS rating as the the twelve.

[BigMoney8481]

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[rmvex]

hey guys, i´ve reading this whole thread and i´ve found a lot of good information from all of you, unfortunately it´s been pretty much in pieces haha so i would like to know if anyone can help me out with these

i plan on buying a 2008 civic ex sedan and since it will be brand new i really don´t want to mess that much with the interior so i plan on keeping my stock HU (i really like how it looks) but i want to install my current setup on the ex:

1 pair of rockford PS162S component
1 pair of memphis reference series component (don´t remember the exact name)
pair of 10" kicker comp v subs
rockford P4004 amp for the speakers
some brand i don´t remember amp for the subs

ok, so here´s the question, can i use a LOC from the factory rear speakers wires to send the signal to the speakers amp and run it through to my subs amp? will i have a good sound quality with the stock head unit?

i will obviously wire the whole thing up from the amps to the speakers/subs, but my main doubts are regarding how do i get the signal to the amps and how good will it sound, fidelity wise, with the stock HU

thanks in advance

[choklit]

anyone know what a high/low loc is?

[BigMoney8481]

A line out converter is meant to convert a high voltage or a high level signal to a low voltage or low level RCA signal.

[Zedski]

Originally Posted by GulfCoastGhostHunters

Then a remote wire...
I just removed the factory HU to get an ACC wire(use this thread)
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3534

Sorry to be a pain, can anyone get this link to work or is there another link to the same information? Ive gone over this thread and cant find a fix, or is there a particular reason its not working for me?

Sorry in advance if someone has already answered my question, the information contained would be of great advantage to me :P

[BigMoney8481]

Amp Remote turn-on for LX Sedan

[buurner]

Searching is a powerful thing... Anyway what loc was used? Im installing 1 Kicker CVR 12" and a Kicker 300w.1 amp. I asked Crutchfield would I be able to use my OEM hu subwoofer settings they said no, but further reading says yes I like. The reason why I dont want to use the remote amp turn up switch thing that came with the amp well because it looks cheap and I dont want a crapload of wires. Also, lets say if you are in a parking lot waiting on someone and the car just has the radio on, if I turn my subwoofer setting to off it turns off the amp from running down my battery, right?

[08SINHBP]

so would the factory sub control on the deck work still with the aftermarket amp/sub if i hooked it up this way?

[BigMoney8481]

My factory sub control still works but I have high level inputs on my amplifier. I also have a remote sub volume control linked directly to my amplifier. I do not know what would happen if you converted the high levels to RCA with a LOC. I would suspect that the stock sub control would still work.

[kgee]

I have an EX and use a LOC for my sub/amp...My sub control still works...system sounds great.

[08SINHBP]

just did my install yesterday. installed a new alpine typr r 12" in a ported box with a mrd501 mono amp. i used a LOC on the sub wires, and it worked perfect. sub is a little loud though, but that just might be the sub lol. the stock sub control does work. i have the sub on "off" and the sub still works, just gets a unamped signal. once you bump the sub up each level is a big gain. also for the remote turn on i used the ACC/RADIO fuse, i think its number 37, and it works fine too. turns off when the cars off. i didn't even touch my headunit the whole install. As for the power wire i in the fender, and through the door pillar. theres a small hole the wireharness goes through and a 4gauge wire just fits. it is snug though. then down the kick panel, pushed into the seat crevices, and into the trunk. Whole process maybe took me a hour or 2. went smooth.

[BigMoney8481]

thats good to hear

[ayynot]

Hey guys I just installed my sound system with my stock HU. I installed two 10'' infinity subs in a sealed box and running it with a mono fosgate amp. Some promblems which I have encounctered are:
1) I find that when I turn on the car and the amp turns on I hear a huge roar from my subwoofer which is kind of annoying.
2) I also received a bass control with my amp and I find it hard to tune my car to get quality sound without too much base. Can't seem to find the right combination of base and treble.
3) When I go over '"20" on volume I notice a huge drop in base and only a gain in treble.
4) Lastly, I feel like I am not getting a clear signal and I am getting distorted sound from my subs. I am not sure if it is from the LOC which is causing this and at times I get a bit of static.

If anyone has encountered any of these problems I have mentioned above, please let me know how you were able to diagnose them.

Thanks,

Ab

[ayynot]

The Problem finally got diagnosed when I took the car to my local Best Buy installers. The main issues was that when I turned off my stock HU the amp would engage before my HU turned on and got a massive thunder-like kick from the subs. Also,when I turned off my HU, the amp would stay on and the base would pound non-stop until I turned off the car. Just incase anyone has had this similar problem or someone will encounter this issue I will explain how it was diagnosed. The issues were caused by the Fosgate Amp had installed originally which did not have the "smart engage turn-on" feature. Although I didn't want to, I switched to a Sony Xplod mono amp. This amp worked alot better because it had the "High Level Sensing Power-On" feature which allows the unit to be activated without the need for remote connection which also took away the need to purchase the LOC and it removed all of the static I was receiving earlier.

Hope this helps.

[CivaCivic]

What kind of LOC are you using?

What kind of male connectors?

What kind of T-Taps?

[amd64bit]

For anyone having the problem where the subs play a loud note like when the trunk is clsoed and HU is turned off, make sure you have the stock sub UNPLUGGED when u have aftermarkets installed. For some reason the stock sub and ur aftermarkets will battle each other, in a sense, if stock is still plugged in, kind of a complicated problem, even the car audio guys couldnt explain. If your still having the problem i recommend just getting a little amp turnoff switch that ties into the acc wire, cheap like 10 bucks at any car audio place. Hope this helps.

[amd64bit]

Originally Posted by ayynot

Hey guys I just installed my sound system with my stock HU. I installed two 10'' infinity subs in a sealed box and running it with a mono fosgate amp. Some promblems which I have encounctered are:
1) I find that when I turn on the car and the amp turns on I hear a huge roar from my subwoofer which is kind of annoying.
2) I also received a bass control with my amp and I find it hard to tune my car to get quality sound without too much base. Can't seem to find the right combination of base and treble.
3) When I go over '"20" on volume I notice a huge drop in base and only a gain in treble.
4) Lastly, I feel like I am not getting a clear signal and I am getting distorted sound from my subs. I am not sure if it is from the LOC which is causing this and at times I get a bit of static.

If anyone has encountered any of these problems I have mentioned above, please let me know how you were able to diagnose them.

Thanks,

Ab

ayynot, for number 1, mkae sure stock sub isnt plugged in, even if ur loc is connected to high lvl inputs.

For number 2, aggain make sure stock isnt pugged in, and to be honest with my system i kinda noticed same thing, there seems to be a huge gap btwn noticable treble and noticable bass, not much midrange action. Try messing with the input sensitivity, sounds like u need to turn it down some. Also u might wana try turnin the remote bass lvl down some and use the stock HU bass control instead.

Number 3 sounds like a pressure problem, ur subs are in a sealed box so when u turn it up enough, the subs cant breathe and eventually top out, which can shorten the life of ur subs if u keep pounding em. Definatly recommend a ported box, regardless of this problem.

And it seems u already fixed number 4 so i hope ive helped some on the others.

[CivaCivic]

Disengage the factory subwoofer by pulling the clip out. With a T-Tap, tap green for positive, red for negative, and plug in the LOC to the factory wiring.

OHHHH THIS MAKES SENSE NOW!!!!