Sub AMP install

[Alien Mantis]

I put this little Pioneer Class D monoblock under the passenger seat of my 2008 Yaris Hatch.

It will power a Clarion 10" shallow mount in a sealed box behind the drivers seat.

I used some split looming to finish it off, and with the seat installed, you don't see any of it. You can slide the seat forward, and access the amp settings easily.

I am waiting on the new head-unit, and then I can fire it up and test it out.
I don't expect alot of bass, but SOME bass would make me happy. I listen to metal.

[sqcomp]

Out of curisoity, have you tried the sub behind the passneger's seat? I ask because in the install I did with my wife's Tacoma, I found that the bass was less localized.

[IsLNdbOi]

Good job. That's the same amp. I have. Mounted in the same spot too.

I had to do it w/ the seat installed though. Couldn't get the seat off.

[Alien Mantis]

Out of curisoity, have you tried the sub behind the passneger's seat? I ask because in the install I did with my wife's Tacoma, I found that the bass was less localized.

Good advice, but I am still waiting to get my head-unit before I try the sub.
So I have no idea how it sounds yet.

I left my speaker wires a little long, so I can move the box around to try different spots.
I might even stick it in the back of the hatch, just to test it, although I doubt I will leave it back there, even if it sounds best in that location.

I didn't want to lose what little cargo space is back there.
Behind the drivers seat is the best spot for me, space-wise. I never use that space.
I am always throwing things in the back area!

I'll do another post once I get my HU and test it all out.

[Alien Mantis]

Good job. That's the same amp. I have. Mounted in the same spot too.

I had to do it w/ the seat installed though. Couldn't get the seat off.


You have this amp? How does it sound? I heard it is underrated. It is supposed to be pretty powerful.
What sub(s) are you driving with it?

You couldn't get the seat out?
It's two wire connectors in the front, and 4 bolts! You slide the seat forward to get to the 2 rear bolts. 8mm 6-point socket will do the trick.

Seat took me 2 mins to remove. Very easy.

[IsLNdbOi]

I'm using a shallow Pioneer Sub.. Here's my my setup:

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showpost.php?p=187826&postcount=29

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/4733/tiresubjy9.jpg

[sqcomp]

It seems that everything about the Yaris is easy. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the results.

The only other constructive criticism I'd have is to take the time to take out the center console and run the wiring under the carpet. It makes for a great stealth look, less cluttered and all. Your ground point should be easy and very close to that amplifier...

I know the difficulty in doing this...I use the word difficulty lightly since it's more of a time consuming thing versus challenging. Really, spend the time to hide the wires and clean up under that seat. It'll look nice and clean.

[Alien Mantis]

It seems that everything about the Yaris is easy. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the results.

The only other constructive criticism I'd have is to take the time to take out the center console and run the wiring under the carpet. It makes for a great stealth look, less cluttered and all. Really, spend the time to hide the wires and clean up under that seat. It'll look nice and clean.

I agree.

I am going to hide the wires better once I finalize everything.
It's about 90% done, so I still have a little more to do with it.

With the passenger seat installed, you can't really see any of it anyway.
I already had the center console out. It's very easy and quick to remove.
I removed it so I could route my RCA cable under everything.
I have been trying to keep my wiring separated as much as possible.
I know it's not a good idea to run all the wires together, especially the RCA's next to the power wires.

I ran my power wire along the passenger side, and the RCA along the drivers side.

Since the Clarion turned out to be a piece of crap, I sent it back, and I am thinking about a Pioneer DEH-P310UB.
Do you know anything about this HU?
I need to be able to play CD-R discs, and mp3's from a thumb drive via a USB port. Thats all I need my HU to do.
I don't listen to the radio that much. I don't have an iPod or a Bluetooth.

[sqcomp]

Personally I know next to nothing about the Pioneer line...

The one I have now, the Carrozzeria DEH P01, is my first Pioneer. It has only seen test bench power so far. It'll be in the car at the end of April/May.

My good friend, who owns the shop I invest in, he can probably answer more specific questions about the source if you'd like some honest advice.

[marshall_8up]

hey islndboi, the sub in the spare tyre looks cool. whats the quality like when the cover is on?

[Alien Mantis]

I got the new HU the other day, and got it installed in the Yaris today.
I only had about an hour to test it out and tune it a little bit, but so far... IT'S AWESOME.

Since I had the wiring pre-installed earlier, the new HU was a piece of cake to install.

Initial thoughts:
Sound quality is excellent. This HU is packed with features and settings. I spent a good 20 mins just running through the menus and checking out all the functions.
It helps to have the manual with you, but most settings are familiar to car audio nerds.
The custom EQ is great. You can select the frequency points and the Q for Low, Mid, and High.
The built-in high-pass filter cuts the lows off your speakers, so only your SUB gets the low freq's. Keeps your 6 1/2 speakers cleaner at higher volumes, since bass freq's only muddy them up anyway.
Two sets of preamp outputs, one set you can configure for Subwoofer function.
You can select the subs low-pass filter point at either, 50, 63, 80, 100, or 125hz. You can boost or cut it +6 to -24.
You can also switch the sub's phase, 0 or 180.
All of this from the HU itself!

The illumination matches the Yaris interior almost perfectly. It looks sweet.
It plays CD-R discs, but I really like plugging in my USB thumb drive and playing mp3's direct into the unit. No need to buy an expensive iPod.
The volume knob is also a 4-way joystick, and you bump it up and down or left and right to cycle through folders and tracks on the thumb drive.

Everything is new, and my subwoofer will certainly need some time to break-in, but so far everything sounds excellent and fairly well balanced.
The sound is clean and tight. So much better than the factory sound system. I am very glad I did the upgrade.

The only issue I still need to work on is the mid-bass is slightly too heavy, and the kick-drum hit is not as hard as I would like.
This is probably just a tuning issue. It will take me a little more time to dial-in everything to my personal tastes / music.
The subwoofer isn't putting out a lot of bass, but the bass is clean and very well balanced. All I need to do is cut the mid-bass more, and see if I can get it to hit a little harder. It sounds like too much bass around 125-240hz, and not enough at 50-60hz.
I need to adjust the sub amp settings, and the HU EQ a little more.

Other than that, it ROCKS. I am totally happy with it.

I'll take a pic of it in the dash tomorrow, in the meantime, here's a pic of the box and faceplate:

[sqcomp]

You know...this is exactly what you want to happen. A good easy, clean install that pleases your ears!

If you like the capabilities of your Pioneer you should take some time with mine. :)

I'm wondering if the "heavy" mid-bass is more sloppy than an abundance of mid bass possibly?

[Alien Mantis]

You know...this is exactly what you want to happen. A good easy, clean install that pleases your ears!

If you like the capabilities of your Pioneer you should take some time with mine. :)

I'm wondering if the "heavy" mid-bass is more sloppy than an abundance of mid bass possibly?


AMEN brother!

Your new Pioneer is a audiophiles wet dream. Lets not even mention the price difference.
:biggrin:

Sloppy?
I don't think so. Some of the music I was listening to today is recorded heavy in the mid-bass freq's. I wasn't really playing it all that loud, so I know it wasn't distorting or anything. The bass is really clean and smooth sounding. It's actually nicely balanced in the mix, just a bit overpowering for my personal tastes. I like a little less mid-bass, and more kick-drum hit.
Metal music is sometimes difficult to tune, because it is chunky on the bottom end, and full of crunchy distorted guitars.
The way it sounds right now, the system is tuned more for jazz or orchestra/soundtrack music.
I'll get it dialed-in, I just need to work with it a little more.

One nice thing is: after listening to it for awhile, I felt the sub amp, and it wasn't even warm. I LIKE that.
Of course, it's getting a 4ohm load, so that helps it run cooler.
I'm sure it would get warmer on a 2ohm load.
BIG power and ground wires help too.

[sqcomp]

...If you like jazz, take a gander at the Dave Grusin XRCD from Elusive Disc.com. They've also got some other fine format Jazz pieces you might like. Heck, take a look at the XRCD format in general.

Also, another nice track for pushing your mid bass is Luka Bloom's True Blue track. It'll find rattles in your car just from the strong mid lines that this track puts out.

The real test for me will be in April. I've got a regular aluminum CD version of one of my XRCDs. We'll see if I can hear the difference...

I am very happy that you've got something to work with now in the Yaris. I want to hear how the system breaks in. Don't be afraid to holler with any difficulties.

[centrysis]

thats a good HU.i got the 4100, which sounds like its just like yours.i've had mine for about a year and a half and it still works great.only bad thing is my USB port is on the back.no biggie.i ran an extension wire into the glove box behind the steering wheel.

[Alien Mantis]

I am very happy that you've got something to work with now in the Yaris. I want to hear how the system breaks in. Don't be afraid to holler with any difficulties.

Thanks for the feedback.
I am also interested in the break-in on it.
Subwoofers change when they get broken-in. I don't really expect mine to change all that much.
It's not a high-end setup by any means, and I didn't spend alot of money on it, but it sure sounds much better than the crappy factory stuff, so i'm happy with it.

[Alien Mantis]

thats a good HU.i got the 4100, which sounds like its just like yours.i've had mine for about a year and a half and it still works great.only bad thing is my USB port is on the back.no biggie.i ran an extension wire into the glove box behind the steering wheel.

Yeah, our HU's are almost identical, except yours has the blue colored OEL display I think.
And your USB is on the back, which would be okay too.
I would almost prefer the USB to be on the back, that way I could run a USB extension cable anywhere I wanted to. Plenty of good places to route it. I think I would take it to the center console someplace.
But having it on the front is okay too. I just unplug the cable and thumbdrive and toss them both in the glove box when I park the car.

One thing I wish the HU would come with is a plastic carry case for the front faceplate.

Good to know your HU is still working great. I hope mine lasts a long time.
They seem like really nice units, and Pioneer has a decent reputation.
Time will tell.

[centrysis]

i've been buying pioneer HU for years.they last longer than i usually keep the cars.i would take them out when i sold the car, but leaving them in was a good excuse to buy a new one.at least thats what i tell my wife.

[Alien Mantis]

This is what it looks like in the dash.

[sqcomp]

Dashmat baby! Reduces the relctions off the dash if you use tweeters in your A-pillar...

[Alien Mantis]

Dashmat baby! Reduces the reflections off the dash if you use tweeters in your A-pillar...


Good to know that, but I do not have tweeters in my a-pillars, and I did not buy the dashmat for "audio" reasons!

Out here, the summers will COOK a dash. The Yaris has a huge dash. It needs to be protected from the SUN!
:laugh:

UPDATE on the NEW SYSTEM:

After tweaking with all the adjustments for the last two days, I am about to stop tweaking on all the adjustments.
Everything is dialed-in pretty close now.
I did manage to tighten up the bass, and balance it out better. Not so much mid-bass rumble anymore. The issue was a crossover adjustment. The sub was getting a wide-Q from 100hz.
I set it for a narrow-Q at 80hz. Less rumble, cleaner bass sound.
I also wasn't driving the SUB hard enough. I gently rested my fingers on the edge of the surround/cone, and it was hardly moving at all. Maybe a 1/4" at high volume. So I cranked up the levels on the SUB, and now it is moving like it should.
And of course, once it gets broken-in... it will sound a little better.
After playing it for awhile, I felt the sub amp and it wasn't even warm.

Thoughts after 3 days:

The sound quality is greatly improved, and I am satisfied with it.
The high's are clean and bright, the mids are smooth, and there is just enough bass to add good depth to the music.
It won't play RAP, and you can't hear it outside the car, if the windows are rolled up. It won't split your eardrums, but it gets plenty loud for me.
For the small amount of money spent, it works great.
To take it to the next level, I would need to spend alot more money, and sacrifice cargo space for a larger SUB/BOX.
Maybe go with an Alpine Type-R dvc at 2ohms, in a 1cf ported box, switch my front speakers over to components, and run a 4-channel AMP to the speakers.
I'm not going to do that. I don't want to spend anymore money on it, and I don't need it to be any louder.

So, the project is done, and I am happy with it.
I spend most of the time playing mp3's I loaded on a USB thumbdrive.
That feature is super nice, and it lets you scroll through the folders and tracks by filename. Very nice when you want to play a certain album/song.

If anyone is looking to upgrade their factory HU for a reasonable price, seriously check out the Pioneer Premier DEH-P310UB. You can find them for around $130.
Well worth it.

[Alien Mantis]

Here's a few shots of the little 10" shallow-mount sub in the .56cf sealed box.