[He's Deaf]

Wire in parallel.

Wire in parallel, easy. No lights on dash.

 

[He's Deaf]

All done. There's also an LC2I behind the panel. Wiring is all braided behind the panel where the Lc2i sits, as well.

JBL powered 12" w/150 W amp built in.

I got gain for days, the amp is literally next to off and it's LOUD. Boomy loud- I've got it crossed around 70HZ with no boost anywhere to thin it out a bit. Also, I don't think there's a rolloff on the system- doesn't seem to limit out at higher volume. Used the signal sense to control amps, it goes on when the car wakes up, and off when it sleeps. Kind of weird- apparently there's voltage at speaker level during wake- Factory amp must be D- class hence weird voltage.

The box is decent for $250, but doesn't quite fit against the back seat. Plays well tho.

 

[BGorilla]

RIP trunk space. When I was 17, I had a 1996 Honda Civic coupe and put a huge box with two 12s in it. It was ridiculous and filled my entire trunk. Ah, the good old days, I'm sure my neighbors hated me. Now I listen to sports podcasts 95% of the time, so I suppose a sub upgrade wouldn't be justified.

 

[elambo]

Has no installer yet figured out how to do away with the factory amp and insert a new unit in its place? I very much do NOT want to tap into the signal after the factory amp as many are suggesting. I understand that it works, and keeps error codes off the dash, but it's not ideal sonically.

 

[elambo]

A direct subwoofer driver replacement would be great. These trunks are already too small to house a box.

 

[He's Deaf]

RIP trunk space. When I was 17, I had a 1996 Honda Civic coupe and put a huge box with two 12s in it. It was ridiculous and filled my entire trunk. Ah, the good old days, I'm sure my neighbors hated me. Now I listen to sports podcasts 95% of the time, so I suppose a sub upgrade wouldn't be justified.

I had 4 x12" in an 89 integra that took up the whole **** area. Rattled the spot welds on the roof loose. Used to wave and rock during playing.

Oh, and the thing with the Giulia is there are several problems:

1) volume. Does the volume get controlled thru factory amp? I suspect so since there's no control on the head itself. You need the factory amp. You cut the factory amp out, you get no volume control.

2)- chimes. Chimes go thru stereo, unfortunately. Means you must amplify those as well- or as some have noted, by having the warning on the dash then it only plays thru the center speaker, BUT that means the center speaker still has sound as well. So, upgrading amps and door speakers ONLY will still have the issue of center speaker. So, deal with very loud chimes, or limit yourself with having ONE stock speaker left on the dash with all that aftermarket gear. Waste of time.

3)- Dash speaker. I dunno about the rest of you guys, but I had access to replace the center speaker to at least a 4" I'd bite the bullet and run all speaks up front, and matched center channel, then go aftermarket amplifier. Since I don't know what's in the dash nor do I have any inclination to find out, it has to stay.

4)- Factory sound system actually images better than what most are capable of without spending big $$$. Imaging is excellent, and I find the tonal quality pleasant, doesn't bit your head off like high end (but poorly tuned) components. This sub compliments the factory sound system fairly well and will hit hard enough to make everyone around you hear it. System was obviously designed by people who know what the **** they're doing- cheaply, but they knew what they were doing.

In a perfect world, I'd upgrade every single front end driver, delete the backs, put a custom 12" in the driver's wall where that indent is, and incorporate DSP for 7 channel front and a sub.

But, that costs time and $$$, and there is little gain going full aftermarket, IMHO. Factory sound with a sub is better than what most guys can do with aftermarket gear- without spending a ton and having a pro set it up.

 

[He's Deaf]

A direct subwoofer driver replacement would be great. These trunks are already too small to house a box.

That factory sub is simply too small and too poorly set up to do anything for most people- non enclosed, and tiny. Nothing will sound good under those circumstances..

I took it out all together and now it's a vent.

PS: Notice in the amp pic above the RH knob (gain) as almost all the way down. It's THAT loud. Lc2I wasn't touched out of the box- about 3/8 turned up.

 

[elambo]

The HK system *can* sound good. So much of it depends upon the source. Satellite radio has turned to garbage (initially, years ago, it sounded very good) but high quality files from an SD card or iPhone, etc. elevate the sonics substantially. There's still a lack of focus in every range of the audio spectrum, and high end is a wash, but it's a relatively inexpensive car stereo. The Meridian system in Rovers proves that auto sound CAN be excellent, but that's a very costly kit.

What I'm still unsure about is the best path toward upgrading this HK system. I don't like the idea of tethering a new amp off the existing amp, and speaker upgrades would be a more difficult road, and not necessarily a major change. An amp with DSP, capable of tuning each driver, or at least each speaker location, might be the best plan. That and a subwoofer replacement. I can't lose any trunk space, so it will need to go where the stock sub is. That's probably where I'll start.

 

[K01N]

I don't even want to mess with the sub until I figure out how to address the rattles in the a-pillars and door arm rests... (in progress)

 

[He's Deaf]

Windshield removal day. Fool with dash speakers.

Good news: all covers in dash simply pry up and off. Tweets fastened to grilles, Center speaker has 2 screws and appears to be 2.5" speaker

 

[peczenij]

There you have it. 6 ohm speaker. Paper cone with pleated paper surround, about as cheap as it gets. Absolutely no compliance, garbage.

6 Ohm 25W resistor incoming. There's no way I can see it requiring more.

Can you measure the dimensions of the stock sub for us?
I wonder if there is a better aftermarket one that may bolt right in?

Thanks

Mike

 

[He's Deaf]

It's a 6x9 even tho the pics come out weird.

6x9 is a drop in fit from the top, but if you look the car uses studs on the package tray and 4x 10MM bolts to secure the speaker in place. No guarantees a 6x9 will bolt on cleanly. may have to shave down the studs and then punch holes with nut / bolt.

That is, you find a 6x9 sub that may be worth anything. Frankly, I can't see anything that small with such little power and free air ever sounding good.

 

[He's Deaf]

PS- As long as you aren't a cranker, and turn the audio past say 25, or so or don't go hog wild with club music an Infinity basslink works OK.

I actually bought a used one off ebay, wired it in last night, and it actually gave me my trunk back, but at about 27 or so on the stereo it kind of ran out of breath. Played deep enough tho, and certainly blended OK. I felt it would'be been great for someone who isn't a former hammerhead and plays too loud all the time (I'm not the candidate).

Had I not purchased that JBL box, it would've been OK just for filling out the sound.

That would be an option along with dismounting the 6x9...

 

[peczenij]

Can you post a photo of how the Basslink fits in there?

Thx

 

[He's Deaf]

Can you post a photo of how the Basslink fits in there?

Thx

I recommend mounting it laid down towards the front of the trunk. Put the heat sinks close to the driver's side so you can conceal the wiring and have it look somewhat neat. If you look closely, it fits in there so you can still lift the floor- notice how it doesn't cover the folding split. You can also stand it up, but watch out for the heatsink. It WILL get hot enough to burn the carpet it touches, Also, I believe standing it up looks a bit awkward and seems to waste space.

The trunk right next to the opening was a non-starter for me, just wasted space and didn't sound any different.

 

[SloAlfa]

Hey everyone. Looking to improve the sound a bit over the HK system. A lot of great ideas here but was wondering if anyone tried this.

https://www.alpine-usa.com/product/pwe-s8

Seems like a smaller option, may work well using a line out adaptor from the HK subwoofer speaker wires... not sure if anyone has tried and what the sound is like. Not looking to rattle the windows or anything, just improve the base response out of the factory system.

 

[jwq2]

Hey everyone. ...
Seems like a smaller option, may work well using a line out adaptor from the HK subwoofer speaker wires... ....

Looking at the specs, it has a speaker level input (as well as RCA), so you would not even need a line out adapter.....

Input Sensitivity
0.1-4.0V (RCA Input)
1.5-30.0V (Speaker Level Input)

 

[AlfaAndy]

Love this thread. I'm still on the fence, waiting for winter to end to get started on the audio upgrade. I just can't give up any trunk floor space as it is all needed for luggage. So, I'm still leaning towards just replacing the stock sub with something better, and maybe a dedicated sub amp. I'm not looking for a loud thumper sound, just something a bit better than what we have. This Tang Band was listed earlier in the thread. Has anyone tried it? Could it be improved with a sealed or ported box mounted under it?

https://www.parts-express.com/tang-...&PID=6168203&SID=jst0yssvb5011de20005c&cjevent=9c02ff903dc211e98290015f0a24060f

 

[elambo]

Has anyone found a direct replacement for the subwoofer? Take out the old, swap in the new, without modifications.

My interest in upgrading this audio system has waned to only that component. For me personally, it's not worth bothering with the rest.

 

[Teebsa]

CDT Audio Subwoofer ES-690CFS Gold

Looking at these with a small amp to drive them. I really didn't want to get into a difficult install for it.