headunit and subwoofer upgrade

[SpeedThrills]

Hey all,

Didn't really have the components together to put together a how-to but just wanted throw up this post for anyone thinking about upgrading their sound system without removing the factory amplifier.

I used Cruthfield for the first time and the experience was exceptional. On top of getting a great deal on my JVC V320BT headunit, they also sent me a replacement when I had an issue, and when I had incessant hissing noise as a result of the gains on the factory amp, they sent me a LOC, and two sets of RCAs free of charge with two day shipping.

As mentioned above, from my experience you WILL get noise as a result of the sound being amplified by the headunit and then again by the Bose amp. I investigated every other avenue (replaced the headunit, tried other ground spots, added an additional ground strap at the battery)... it was only when I installed the Scoshe LOC and was able to customize the gains coming in that the white noise went away.

The underseat sub was very straightforward as far as wiring, and there is an excellent spot for grounding right under the flap in front of the seat. I went with a Blaupunkt GTSH80 8'' powered subwoofer. The two biggest issues to address are 1) mounting and 2) cooling, especially when using the foot heater setting as there is a vent under the seat which will then obviously blow hot air onto the bottom of the enclosure.

I used some 2x4s under the carpet to create a mounting point for the upper board, and secured them down with the nuts and studs present for the factory box. I cut up a plank of roughly 1'' thick board, drilled out large holes for ventilation, notched the end so the factory underseat wiring loom had space to run, and wired in a fan from an old PC which runs constantly whenever the radio is powered in order to keep the hottest portion of the amp cool. The clearance is perfect and the bass is powerful and balanced. This paired with my Alpine Type S door speakers being run by the Bose amp has amounted to a very well balanced audio system.

It was a bit snug to fit the Scoshe in behind the dash, but overall the install was extremely straightforward. Taking out the passenger seat multiple times was a pain (the first Blaupunkt stopped working suddenly during a particularly bass-y song even though I had the gains pretty low, so i had to order a replacement).

Overall the project cost me just short of $350. I retained the steering wheel controls and the headunit looks great and works very well with my iPhone. I'm including some pics. I hope I can be helpful to anyone looking to do a similar project so please feel free to ask any questions you have.

[g00s3y]

Nice setup, very clean, work well done. I see you are someone who takes time with your work, it shows with the finished project.

[SpeedThrills]

Originally Posted by g00s3y Nice setup, very clean, work well done. I see you are someone who takes time with your work, it shows with the finished project.

Hey thank you, I really appreciate that. I used to be really half-assed and do shitty hackjobs. I'm pretty sure when I had my GSX I ran my sub wiring out my drivers door and through the fender! But I've learned the value of doing it the right way the first time and it helps that I absolutely love my car now, so I make sure the jobs are as seamless and aesthetically pleasing as possible.

I'm lucky that the friend I rent my house from has a chop saw, spare wood, and a bunch of old computer parts, or else I would have ended up spending more and not having it come out as clean.

Thanks again!