Sub investigation begins

BCEvoque, I used an older Alpine 4 channel amp bridging two channels to provide the power for the sub. But that was just to prove the point. I'm going to replace it with a Pioneer GM-D8601 Class D Digital Series Monoblock Amp. It's cheap, small, efficient, has high level inputs and remote level control and is more than enough to drive the little sub.

I have no idea what the power handling of the stock sub, but wouldn't think it's very much. Don't think adding an amp over what you already have would make much of a difference. It would make some though, and would give you more control, but that's about all. The newly powered sub does fill the gap, but it's no boomer. Real sub bass lines in tracks from bands like Massive Attack, Portishead, Gorillaz etc are still hopelessly lost, but Gnarls Barkley, Fat Fredies Drop, most of Moby are all fine and sounding much better. But if you want 'real' sub volumes, you'll have to put in a decent sub and amp. Pretty much depends on what sort of music you listen to. Hope that helps

Clip

Just replaced the Alpine unit with Pioneer GM-D8601. Now have a remote level control which is great. Placed it below the drivers seat for easy access. I'm even more impressed with the performance of the OEM sub now, it actually punches out some serious sub volumes. The new amp is much better suited to this application and it's obvious in the sound. So all good, I have a thumping sub when the track calls for it, combined with precise, detailed bass and wonderful staging and presence from the rest of the system courtesy of Meridian's very clever acoustic design. I'm not aware of any other car audio system that is as detailed as this. This is almost "audiophile" levels, and while maybe not appreciated by most, is really appreciated by those that love listening to their music as it should be. As I spend far too much time in my car I always try to duplicate, or at least get as close as I can, to the listening experience in my car with that at home. This is getting closer to it

(04-09-2015 12:15pm)Clip Wrote:  Well, decided against going through the dealer as be a waste of time, so thought I'd explore a bit further. Sure, while there should be a signal coming from the amp to the dedicated sub, there's not (and no one can tell me why), but even if there was, that little amp is going to be struggling to punch out anything worthwhile, so decided to try out a discrete amp for the existing sub. Paid for and downloaded a wiring diagram (actually the whole workshop manual, so if anyone wants a copy, just ask). Identified the wiring for the large front door speakers as they are the ones I wanted to tap into as they are the 'sub' speakers. Sure enough, after I tapped into them and hooking up a full range speaker, the output produced nothing other than very low frequencies. So my assumption was correct. I've now got the amp in place but not yet powered up. That's for tomorrow. I'll probably experiment a little with the dual coil and new amp, but thinking that the amp punching out 4ohms and wired into coil one will be fine. The test will be just how good the stock sub is. I suspect it will perform quite well with some power to push it, but we'll see. But even if it's no good, at least all the wiring is now in place for any other option. Happy to share the wiring info if anyone interested.

Hi Clip,

I would love a copy of your wiring mods to fit the dedicated Pioneer Amp please.

thanks

Fraser.

(16-12-2015 11:02pm)Fraggle Wrote:  Hi Clip,

I would love a copy of your wiring mods to fit the dedicated Pioneer Amp please.

thanks

Fraser.

PM sent Fraser. Good luck

(16-12-2015 11:29pm)Clip Wrote:  PM sent Fraser. Good luck

Hi clip, been reading through this thread and you seem to be the man who knows!. Is there any chance you could email me a copy of the wiring to power up the sub with a after market amp

Thanks

@Clip,

How far did you have to trace back to tap into the sub wires for the doors? I find the sound quality a real big disappointment in the Evoque, especially the bass so I wouldn't mind dropping an amp to drive the sub. I don't want to take the dash apart though. I always end up with creaks and squeaks after dismantling like that.

Also, would you mind posting some pictures of the install?

Thanks!

Clip,

I would also like to see the wiring diagram/mods on how to put in an aftermarket amp.

Thanks.

Sorry folks I didn't take any pics of the install, but here is a pic of the wiring:



Apologies for the quality, but just PM me with your email address and I'll forward a better copy, or you can have a copy of the whole manual if you want (but it's huge).

ALL wiring is at the OEM amp. No need to go hunting for any of it, just look for the coloured coded wires. The wiring diagram was spot on and no confusion or missing wires etc. The only thing you should probably do is run a dedicated power lead to your new amp.

Please realise that adding an amp to this sub unit will not make it a doof doof sub. What it does do though is really fill up that missing bass. And best thing it's location under the front seat so it blends in really well and is not annoying or overpowering. My brother has a new GC Jeep and the sub in the rear cargo area drives me crazy. sounds like it's out there all by itself. Anyway, I now have my head unit settings to about 3 clicks down on Bass level, and about 2 clicks down on sub level. I then fine tune the sub volume using the remote control for my new amp.

To get to all this is easy. There's no need to remove anything except the LH front seat. All wiring is accessed from there. It’s only four bolts (they are star drive, but I just used a 10mm socket and it worked fine). After you remove the four bolts, tip the seat back and then it’s easy to then get to all the connectors that are plugged into the seat, then remove it completely out of the vehicle. Fold back the carpet and then there is a steel plate covering the amp that needs to be removed, but be really CAREFUL handling this, it has ridiculously sharp edges all around it and I slashed a couple of fingers on it.

If you use an amp the same as I did, or one similar, you can locate that next to the existing amp as there's plenty of space there.

Next decision you have to make is the wiring of the sub as it is actually a dual coil (2speakers in one). However, to make it easier, another forum member here and I did some homework on it. I finally found the specs of the sub - as follows:

200mm Subwoofer
Nominal Impedance: 2 x 2Ω
Power Handling RMS: 2 x 70W
Power Handling Max: 2 x 100W

So it’s just a baby, but as it is a 2x2ohm unit these are the wiring options and results:

~ If wiring it in parallel, that will present a 1 ohm load and the new amp is going to need to be stable at 1ohm (not many are, not recommended anyway, and no need for this application)
~ If wired in series, that will present a 4ohm load (recommended, most amps are happy with 4 ohm loads).
~ If wiring in single coil only, as I did, will present a 2ohm load (works fine for my amp - although there is some argument around issues of not utilizing both coils, I'll probably change it).

Hope this helps guys!

Thanks so much Clip!!! I'm definitely not looking for thump thump type of bass. I just find the lower frequencies missing and adjusting the bass just makes the rest of the speakers sound awful. I'll give this a go before doing anything drastic.

Thanks again!

(27-01-2016 06:50pm)oexel Wrote:  Thanks so much Clip!!! I'm definitely not looking for thump thump type of bass. I just find the lower frequencies missing and adjusting the bass just makes the rest of the speakers sound awful. I'll give this a go before doing anything drastic.
Thanks again!

Yes, that was exactly my issue, and was exactly what I was after - adding the amp has given me just what I was after.