Hooking up a subwoofer to a standard Head Unit?

[allanil100]

How would I go about hooking up a normal (not too much power) subwoofer to my standard head unit?

A step by step process would be nice..........................

 

[Jay_clio]

You cant to a Standard Renault Headunit, you will have to buy a a different Headunit

 

[Dan R]

You can use a speaker wire to rca converter on the rear speaker wires but it will sound pup to be honest. New HU will make a world of difference and you can keep back speakers then if you like them.

 

[Chrisjk]

Only have to spend £40 on a nice head unit.

 

[Dan R]

Only have to spend £40 on a nice head unit.

what???? Bit more than that

 

[Schweppy]

Nah u can pick up second hand units in top condition for about £40. On here usually!

As for connecting it to standard HU....i did it on my old clio using an amp with a high-level input but it doesnt sound very good! You cant get any decent deep bass but it will do if on a tight budget. Can always upgrade headunit later!

 

[Chrisjk]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000OKR74I/?tag=cliospnet01-21
Obviously its not amazing, but for a cheap system its a good upgrade on the std unit.

 

[Dan R]

Yeah defo better than the bog p**s reno job!!!!

 

[2thumbs]

Buy cheap, buy twice. If you get cheap one and you end up getting the audio bug, you'll have to buy another one.

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/7977.html

Best one for under £100, or if you can stretch a bit:

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/5781.html

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/7937.html

 

[Dan R]

Buy cheap, buy twice. If you get cheap one and you end up getting the audio bug, you'll have to buy another one.

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/7977.html

Best one for under £100, or if you can stretch a bit:

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/5781.html

Yeah the bottom ones a good unit but has just been replaced. Still a bargain tho. Just make sure it isnt an american one if your gettin it cheap.

 

[AstoN]

Nah u can pick up second hand units in top condition for about £40. On here usually!

As for connecting it to standard HU....i did it on my old clio using an amp with a high-level input but it doesnt sound very good! You cant get any decent deep bass but it will do if on a tight budget. Can always upgrade headunit later!

I did this in the back of my 172 using scotch clips on the rear left speaker wires going to the amp. Kenwood 400w amp running a JBL 12" 350rms sub in a tube.

I consider myself a bit of an audiophile, and i'd say it sounded pretty damn good. Found remote wire on back of headunit using a power test screwdriver tool thing. Forgot the name.

Worked well though and sounded awesome, nice tight base, high and low, and capable of being LOUD.

 

[Vish]

There are plenty of amps that have a speaker-wire input. But that would mean losing the use of your rear speakers (unless you amp them too).

You can get a decent CD player for £50 on most sites. Mine Sony was £95, it has CD-MP3/USB/AUX and outputs for fronts+rear amps and a dedicated sub output. This lets me set a low-pass frequency from the HU and I can adjust the volume of the sub too. I think cheaper Sonys (£60ish) will do this too. Not sure on other makes but I'm sure they have something similar.

If it were me, I'd get a new HU and amp a sub via RCA outputs, its the best way.

To hook it up. Drill a hole through the passenger footwell for the amp cable and run the amp cable from the battery (make sure there is a fuse on the cable in the part of it under the bonnet), through the hole, along the passenger side. My plastic trimmings where the carpet meets the doors sills unclipped and I managed to easily squeeze the cable in. Run this to the boot. Along the drivers side you need to run an RCA cable and amp remote wire along the drivers side to the boot from your HU. In the boot wire up your amp and earth it to the chassis - normally to a seatbelt bolt or something that will secure it to the chassis. Get some decent speaker cable and connect from your amp to your sub and nearly done. Next secure both amp and sub securely in the boot. Screws, heavy duty velcro or boot install - your choice.

I've been really happy with muy JBL amp and sub, but am thinking I'd prefer a 12" ported or 15" rather than my 12" sealed as the bass sounds too tight.

Hope this helps.

 

[Vish]

This is my HU: http://www.newimagecarhifi.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=1426

My sub: http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/4027.html

My amp: http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/2910.html

I rate them pretty well as do my friends. Its on only about half power and provides loads of bass. I bought them as a package with a sub box and wiring kit for £125 3 years which was fantastic value for good performance. I don't think they do that deal anymore.

 

[2thumbs]

I rate them pretty well as do my friends. Its on only about half power and provides loads of bass. I bought them as a package with a sub box and wiring kit for £125 3 years which was fantastic value for good performance. I don't think they do that deal anymore.

What do you mean by half power?

If you mean the gain level control is set half way, that's probably too high and you're clipping the sub.

 

[Goodj]

Pretty much any of the all-in-one sub&amp units will take a "high-level" in, and as much as it's not as good as using a 'proper' input, it's no worse than using an iPod over an FM transmitter. Unless you're used to better, you wont notice what you dont have.

 

[J03]

i need a good head unit!!
still cant find one though... i want my sub and amp on

 

[Vish]

I rate them pretty well as do my friends. Its on only about half power and provides loads of bass. I bought them as a package with a sub box and wiring kit for £125 3 years which was fantastic value for good performance. I don't think they do that deal anymore.

What do you mean by half power?

If you mean the gain level control is set half way, that's probably too high and you're clipping the sub.

Nope, its not clipping at all. I've set the gain and bass boost (or whatever its called) just perfect so that i can adjust it to loud enough in the car without it distorting and low enough for when I don't want a head-banging beat. I cant really drive around pumping kilowatts out just to show off to the people sitting at the bus stop, prefer it compliment the music as you would hear if you had some floorstanding KEFs or Missions in the car.