Speaker Replacement

A lot of people are skeptical of changing their own speakers, and instead go and play hundreds of dollars to have a car audio shop do it. Well i'm here to tell you that it's not as hard as it seems! The only background information you need would be how to remove your door panels. You don't know how? LOOK IT UP! After that it's a matter of matching the size of your stock speakers with your new ones. The last relatively difficult part is connecting the speakers. To do that, you have to cut your stock speaker wires, strip them about half an inch and splice on your connectors.

Crutchfield.com does a wonderful job of supplying you with everything you need (tools and information) to replace speakers and other stereo components in your car!

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-lOWWwHv8uMD/

Choosing a Box for your Subwoofer

When choosing a box for your sub/subs, there's a couple of things your going to want to consider. The first obvious thing is buying for your right size of subwoofer. Subwoofers usually come in either 8, 10, 12, or even 15 inches. So you'll want to choose a box with the correct cutout diameter. Subs also require a certain amount of volume in the box. Given the right amount of volume will ensue that the sub will sound it's best. For example, if you were to put a high performance subwoofer in a box with less volume than it requires, chances are you'll destroy the box as well as the sub.

If your looking at purchasing a box for your subwoofer, look towards A-Trend enclosures. They have a wide variety of boxes to fit the needs of your system!

http://www.atrendusa.com/

Looking to buy a subwoofer?

For anyone considering buying a subwoofer, DD Audio delivers! These subs are unbelievable! I just recently installed one of their 1500 series woofers, and i'm everything but disappointed. When put into comparison with my previous JL Audio High Output sub and enclosure, it's not even fair. I would recommend these subs to anyone who likes bass, cause there's a lot of it!

The Digital Designs Subwoofer:

http://www.ddaudio.com/products/mobile-audio/woofers/1500-series.aspx

My old JL setup:

http://www.jlaudio.com/ho112rg-w3v3-car-audio-h-o-wedge-subwoofer-systems-93136

DD Subwoofer Wiring

This will be a brief post showing how I wired my new Digital Designs subwoofer. The sub is a dual voice coil 4 ohm. As you can see in the photo above, I wired it in parallel dropping the impedance to 2 ohms. DD subs also come with direct connections, meaning that instead of having terminals, it has wires that come directly out from the sub (the red and brown wires). I used the wire nuts (included with the sub) to connect my wires. From there I used some of my own speaker wire to connect the wires to my box.

Subwoofer Wiring

Subwoofer wiring is a VERY VERY important part of subwoofer installation. First of all, subwoofers either come in a single or dual voice coil (meaning it has one set of connectors or two). There two ways to wire a sub. Either in parrallel or in series. Parallel is connecting positive to positive and series would be going positve to negative.

Wiring your sub/subs in parralell will lower the ohm impedance while wiring in series will raise the impedance. In the picture above (referring to the JL W3v2, dual voice coil sub), you can see how wiring differently effects the final impedance. D6, D4, and D2 means 6, 4, or 2, dual voice coil subs. It's very important to know exactly how many ohms your subs are running at to ensure you give them the correct amount of power.

A Buyer's Guild for Subwoofer Amplifiers

When buying a Amplifier for your subwoofer there's a couple things you might want to take into consideration. The first being how many subs are you running? If your running one, or even two you subs, a mono block amplifier is always a good choice. However 2 channel amps could be more convenient with 2 subs. Next thing is to match the independence level (Ohms) and watts that the sub is rated for with your amp. To avoid any possible damage to your amp, you should give your subs more power than they need. For example, if you have a sub that is rated for 500W RMS @ 2 Ohms, then it would be a good idea to have an amp that can run AT LEAST 500W RMS if not more @ 2 Ohms. However, I have friends that under power their subs and the amps have done just fine, but as soon as you turn up your gain to far trying to make up for less power is when you'll start running into problems.

Car Stereo Issues

Throughout my days of working with car stereos i've been faced with many "Technical Difficulties". This post will consist of a lot of those issues we came across, as well as how we overcame them. Over time I will continue to update this page, considering I will be checking with the friends that were faced with difficulties to clarify stories.

To start this off I would like to bring up my most recent issue. My sub would cut out only when I accelerated, and play when I was stopped. After fair amount of research I came across a lot of talk about bad RCA cables, and bad grounds. So the first thing I did was replace this sketchy ground wire on my capacitor. I was upset when this didn't solve the problem.. The only thing left was to check my RCA cables. Turns out the cables were slowly getting pulled away as I accelerated, eventually disconnecting them... Easy fix I guess :)

Installing a Car Audio Capacitor

This post will explain how I installed my Maxxlink 1.5 farad capacitor into my car's stereo system.
The capacitor:
http://www.amazon.com/Maxxlink-VDC1-5V1-HYPERcharge-Value-Capacitor/dp/B008PM5WM6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366054717&sr=8-1&keywords=maxxlink+capacitor

To start off you have to charge the capacitor. In order to do this you have to remove the fuse in your power wire. This ensures that the fuse doesn't blow while charging. The capacitor should come with a resistor, attach that onto the positive terminal of your capacitor (set up in the picture above). Make sure to charge the capacitor in the location that you want it, because as soon as you disconnect the ground it starts to drain it's charge. Ground the capacitor to it's own location (not the same as your amp). If your capacitor has a digital display, as soon as you touch your main battery lead to the positive terminal, it will begin to charge. It will digitally display the capacity of the unit. Once it gets up to around 12 volts (if not higher), you can reconnect the fuse and it will start to do its thing! Your main battery lead should go strait to the capacitor, then have a shorter power wire(no longer than 18 inches) going from the capacitor into the amp.

Here's a diagram from Sonic Electronix showing how the installed capacitor should be wired:

Tuning my Subwoofer Amplifier

To start off, my system is a JL Audio W3v3 in a JL High Output wedge enclosure. Powered by a Hifonics Brutus BRX1100.1D amp. My sub is wired at 2 ohms and runs at 500 RMS, while my amp is  capable of 800 RMS @ 2 ohms. So to ensure that I don't blow my sub, I have to set my gain carefully. To do that I followed the directions given by Kyle Duffy at Sonic Electronix:
 http://knowledge.sonicelectronix.com/car-audio-and-video/car-amplifiers/how-to-adjust-amplifier-gains-using-a-digital-multi-meter.html

After setting the Gain your left with; phase, bass EQ, subsonic filter, and low pass filter. When it comes to setting the filters, it depends on the kind of music that you listen to as well as personal preference. The low pass filter acts as a ceiling, and subsonic as a floor for the bass frequencies. Meaning the sub won't hit notes that are above the low pass filter or below the subsonic filter. I listen to mostly Rap and Trap music so I have my filters set around 120Hz and 27Hz. Bass EQ or Bass Boost really just turns up your gain, be careful not to turn that up to high, unless your sub can handle it. I'm not exactly sure what the phase knob does, i've messed with it and it's really hard to notice a difference in the sound of the bass.

Hifonic Brutus BRX1100.1D Install

A couple weeks ago I received my Hifonics Brutus BRX1100 super D class amplifier from Amazon:
 http://www.amazon.com/Hifonics-BRX1100-1D-Vehicle-Subwoofer-Amplifier/dp/B00BHSTTLU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1363636067&sr=8-3&keywords=hifonics+brutus+brx

Because I already ran my RCA and power wires for the amp, I'll be showing how I went about mounting , and connecting the amp.

To start off I had to connect the power wire to the positive terminal on my battery. I also had to cut out a section of my positive terminal cover to feed the wire through (below).

(The terminal cover isn't needed, but I chose to keep it)

I decided to mount the amp on my backseat. So I pulled the wires up from under the seat and fed them under the carpet on the back of the seat. To give it a cleaner look I cut holes in carpet on the back of the seat and ran the wires through there and into the amp.

The next and definitely one of the most important steps is connecting the ground wire. The ground wire needs to be connected DIRECTLY to metal. Which means you either need to find a spot on the chassis without any paint, or sand off the paint around a bolt in order to get the best connection. I used the seat mounting bracket in my car.

Here's a photo of the wires coming through the carpet with the amp screwed to the seat (I used self tapping screws).

Since my amp came with a remote bass control, I had to run the cable for that down the middle of my car. In order to remove the center console, there are two screws inside the center console and one more that is accessible only after you remove the E-Brake boot.

(You can see how I ran the wire in this picture)

(2 Screws inside Center Console)

(You can see the wire ran from the middle in this picture)

I'll be following this post up with a post on how I tuned the amp.

Amplifier Power Wire Routing

Hello everyone, in this post i'll be showing you how I ran the power wire for my amplifier in my 2010 Subaru Impreza. For my wiring kit I used KnuKonceptz 4 gauge amp wiring kit:
http://www.amazon.com/KnuKonceptz-KCA-Complete-Gauge-Installation/dp/B0050I6KII/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1362429873&sr=8-4&keywords=amp+wiring+kit
To start off I had to connect the fuse holder along with a ring terminal for the battery end (shown in the picture above), You should leave at least 12-17 inches of wire between the fuse holder and the battery end of the wire. Also, I used a pair of dikes in order to strip that thick of wire.

After preparing the power wire, I ran it down the driver side of the engine bay and dropped it down into the fender.

Once I the wire was dropped behind the fender I had to remove the clips holding on the inner driver side wheel well. This will then give me access to the boot in the picture below. I did have to drill a hole in the boot in order to get the wire through.

^(Inside, driver side)^

After feeding all my wire into the cabin I had to remove the kick panel, and from there I could take off the floor trim along with the carpet. My car was a pain, considering how my trim and floor was all one piece (as you can see above). In most of the other cars I've dealt with they were two separate pieces (carpet and floor trim) making it a lot easier to pull the carpet back and run the wire. 

Like my RCA cables, for now I just ran all of the wire under my seat until I get my amp and capacitor in a week or so.

Subwoofer Hole Repair

As you can see in the picture above, a friend of mine has two 10" JL W3's, one of which that is wounded pretty badly. Neither of us really knew exactly how to fix it, or how it's SUPPOSED to be fixed, but saw hope in silicone!

We then proceeded to clean off the cone of the subwoofer and apply a layer of silicone that was said to be black (obviously not black), over the punctures. We know it looks like shit so there's no reason to tell us, but the sub now works and sounds A LOT better! However, the sub has less 'travel' than it's brother when it hits (most likely from the silicone), but both sound relatively the same. I would recommend using clear silicone, as well as using as little as possible for anyone looking to repair holes in speakers.

2010 Subaru Impreza Kenwood Install

The day had finally come! All of the necessary components to installing my new stereo had arrived.  Items included; The new 2013 Kenwood DDX470 double din stereo, a double din mounting kit for a 2010 Subaru Impreza, Metra Axxess universal steering wheel control adapter, along with some insulated wire connectors.

Tools included:
Wire stripper/cutter/crimper
Phillips Screwdriver

The first part to my install was removing my dash panel and removing the stock stereo. The dash panel was secured by pins that just pulled right off, you also had 4 screws to take out in order to remove the radio. After that I removed the black wrap around the stock radio harness and began to cut, strip, and reconnect the wires. To figure out the stock wiring colors I simply searched "2010 Subaru Impreza stereo wiring diagram" on Google. I also followed Axxess's instructions to installing their steering wheel adapter on my car. I had already cut off my stock radio harness and ran my rear output USB cable into the little "cubby hole" under the climate control on the dash, in the picture above.

Here's a look at most of the wiring for the head unit. This includes wiring for the radio itself, my steering wheel adapter, bluetooth, and my audio video cords.

After connecting the Kenwood harness I also took the time to run my RCA and remote wires for my amplifier (yet to come)! In the picture above you see the wires coming around the back of the glove box then under the passenger side carpet. The picture below is where I'm storing all the wire, under the rear seat cushion.

I had original plans of not using the bluetooth, but then later decided that I might as well. To run the mic. I just dropped it off the left side of the stereo housing and mounted it on my steering column  As for the bluetooth cable, I also dropped that off the left side, because the instructions say to not put it where it's surrounded by metal.

And then at last here is the final product! All systems are go on this, and now i'm just waiting for an amp and subs next!

CHEAP Touch Screen Security

Upon waiting for my new head unit and such to be delivered I thought to myself, "How in the hell am I suppose to keep my new touchscreen stereo from getting stolen in my Subaru when my windows are clear as day??"
Well after a little bit of research I found this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Faceplate-Security-Dummy-Panel-Double-Din-In-Car-Stereo-/150701595678

Introduction to Car Audio

As stated in my "About Me", I created this blog is to help myself and others towards installing car audio systems. With saying this, my first couple posts will be on the topic of head unit installation. The head unit (stereo, radio, or whatever you call it) is usually the first component to your cars sound system. Aftermarket stereos, with brands including; Kenwood, JVC, Pioneer, Alpine, and many others, offer a wide variety of single DIN, and double DIN (touch screen) stereos. Whether you choose a single or double DIN stereo, both are about the same as far as installation goes. However a lot of it depends of the vehicle. Most cars will have enough room for a double DIN stereo after removing the factory one, but others might have to buy a different dash kit in order for it to fit. Besides that the only other thing you need would be a mounting kit made for your specific make and model (made for either single or double DIN). I have recently ordered a Kenwood DDX419 for my 2010 Subaru Impreza that should be here in the next couple of days. I'll then be posting pictures as well as instructions as to how the installation goes!

Here's a link to the head unit I bought: http://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-DDX419-In-Dash-Head-Stereo/dp/B0073V9NCK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360959665&sr=8-1&keywords=kenwood+ddx419

As well as the mounting kit: http://www.amazon.com/Metra-95-8902-Installation-2008-Up-Vehicles/dp/B001JT03VM/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1360959746&sr=1-1&keywords=2010+subaru+impreza+double+din+mounting+kit

My adapter for my steering wheel controls: http://www.amazon.com/Metra-ASWC-Universal-Steering-Interface/dp/B0039H2W66/ref=pd_sim_e_2

About Me

Hello, my name is Richard, I’m a senior in High School from the wonderful state of Colorado. Ever since receiving my first car during my sophomore year of high school, a 1995 Chevy S10 Blazer, I’ve gotten myself into the car stereo world. I started by installing an aftermarket Kenwood stereo in place of a much worse, and much older, Alpine stereo that came with the car. After about 3 hours of dash disassembling and installation everything came out as planned, and that was the end of it. I’ve since then researched everything about subwoofers, amplifiers, as well as other people’s installations. All in which to better myself towards helping several of my friends install stereo systems in their own cars. I’m making this blog to share the important information, and knowledge I have obtained from previous installs and for many more to come! I will be posting installs that we have done on my friends vehicles as well as my own. I hope to make posts to help others towards a more perfect car stereo installations. As well as use others information to aid myself.