Will there be any easy "kit" to hook up an aftermarket subwoofer in these cars? I have the Shaker 500 and it leaves a bit to be desired as far as bass. It feels like my audio is lacking, especially when compared to my stock 1992 Explorer audio with an aftermarket head unit. I'm thinking something small like the units designed to fit against the side of the trunk, but how hard would that be to connect to the factory system? I'm not about to drop off a 412hp car to the local audio shop to have their high schoolers tear it apart running wires.

 

I would do a full system man. Save up a bit and do everything, with a nice factory integrating software like the Audison bit one. If you just want to add bass, I'd go with the JL Audio stealthbox and their Cleansweep paired with a small mono amp. Once you upgrade the bass though, you're going to be left wanting from your mid and highs. Which is why I suggest saving up and doing everything at once (except the head unit, so you keep Sync).

 

Just tap the rear deck speaker leads for your subwoofer (assuming it's powered). They're hanging right there in the trunk.

 

You should be able to tap into the inputs for the 8" door woofer amps if you have the shaker 500. Should be a low level input and much cleaner bass that is already running through a LPF. Good luck. Yes it will require a little more work and wiring, but it should sound better than tapping into the rears. FYI, I had the Pioneer avic d3 in my 08 GT w/ shaker 500, and the 8" woofers were actually set up through the sub out, pretty sweet sounding for factory speakers and amps.

 

I agree w/ above (5.0), door sub inputs are the best place to get your sub signal from.. they are already "optimized" for the door subs, so I think that signal would be better than the rear deck signal. Also, they're input level and not output/speaker level, which is good.

Either solution you go with, I would go through one of these, to make sure you're not affecting the signal you're tapping into too much:

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en...ed=0CCsQrQQwAg

 

Thanks for all the input so far, guys.
Kmpimpsta- what's the difference in those versus the JL Cleansweep thing?

Please forgive my ignorance- I'm not an audio guy by any means.

 

Oh- and what's the best way to tap into the source wires?

 

I haven't been keeping up to date on audio stuff for a few years.. the product I recommended is discontinued, and it looks like the JL Cleansweep does the same thing and more, so no problems going with that.

 

I used these clamps from radio shack, which are little plastic clamps with metal things that pierce through the insulation. They've held up fine for 3 years, but I'm not sure if they're the best solution.. I'm not a real audiophile, I just wanted decent bass.

 

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2103312

if you go to a physical radio shack, there's a drawer full of these. there are 2 "tunnels" in the plastic thing. you run the original signal cable through one "tunnel" and in the other, you put in one end of your new wire. when you close the plastic lid, there's a metal conductor that cuts through the insulation and connects both wires.

 

They're called T-taps by the way...

OP, interested in doing a full system?

 

At this point I really just want to get a sub in the back. Everything is on the side of me while I'm accustomed to having SOME bass coming from the back of the car. I may expand from there, but to get started I want to keep it minimalistic. Don't want the audio upgrades getting too much in the way of the performance upgrades.

 

Well as far as $ concerns, I feel you, but as far as weight, the aftermarket stuff will be negligible. And btw, your bass is supposed to sound like it's coming from in front of you, as in when you go to a concert, the lead bass player is on stage in front of you, not behind you. While the trunk is the easiest spot to install a sub, the desire is to have the sub blend in with the misbass upfront as much as possible, so it sounds like an extension of your mids, and not a separate instrument pounding away at your trunklid.......

 

can you really detect what direction a 60-80hz beat is coming from?

 

In a car I want it to surround me. With four of the speakers coming from in front of me it sounds like nothing is behind me. I just want to balance it out.
This morning, though, I tweaked my settings on the radio a bit more and hit a sweet spot- it's 10x better than it was. Good enough to buy me more time while I research these parts you guys have recommended.

With 390ft-lbs I'm not overly concerned with the little weight a sub would add. I just don't want to do this twice.

 

also.. for the record.. low frequency sounds shake everything. you will feel your sub shake the air in your car, and also your seat. maybe when people feel their seat shaking they get think that is because the sub is in the trunk. it's not. you feel it shaking because it's the only solid object interface between you and the sound.

 

Low frequencies are not directional like higher frequencies. The human ear has great difficulty determining the direction that a low frequency sound is coming from. That is why positioning of a sub is done for convenience and space considerations rather than location relative to the listener.

 

That is all true. However, most people don't properly tune their system, and will up the Bass Boost/Gain so that the bass is overpowering the rest of the system. So then yes, you can sure as hell tell where the bass is coming from. Also, any panels/rear windows/etc that rattle or resonate from the bass will draw your attention to the rear of the car. This is undesirable as well. I've been doing this a long time, and I worked at a very high end audio shop. Trust me guys.

 

What's your recommendation then? I'm not an car audio guy but would like my car to sound as good as possible (within reason financially).

 

Emil, do a search of my posts. Anything audio related in the 2010+ section, I have posted on it. Or if you like, start a new thread in the Electronics/Audio section of Modifications, and I'll answer your questions there.