Matrixv01

I'm happy with the stock upgraded stereo. I just want to add a powered subwoofer under a seat. I don't want to deal with separate amps, enclosures, cutting into my car, etc. I just need a little more bass than it already comes with. I know a lot of you are expert modders and have 1.21 gigawatt systems so go easy on me Opinions would be helpful. I don't know much about install if anyone has tips about that as well. Otherwise I'll probably just take it somewhere to have them wire it. Here are the three I'm looking at:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-DwzMR4m...00&I=113KSCSW1

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-DwzMR4m...k&i=108BASSLN2

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-DwzMR4m...bb2&i=105CSBB2

formare

I think I might do the same thing as you - considering the infinity.

TuningIsLife

Basslink II would be good. I have had experience with Infinity, but never the JVC and Kenwood (eh).

uberspeed

Since the door speakers are 6.5 I'd say a 10" is the smallest sub we should be considering. Just a suggestion.

Matrixv01

I like the Basslink II but I've seen several guys online say it burned out on them within minutes of install. One guy saying he had to return it twice. The JVC I'm the least keen on. I've seen quite a few positive remarks about the Kenwood although it's not as powerful or big as the Basslink.

Matrixv01

Thought this was pretty cool:

I went to my local Best Buy to see what the cost of installing a powered sub would be. Greg, the tech in the car audio department that helped me asked me what car I would be installing it in. I said a 2008 Scion xB. He said he just bought a black '08 xB and that he joined a site called ScionLife that I should check out

unity303

I'm actually in the same boat as you guys, want a powered sub, under the seat. I was looking at:

1) (same) Infinity Basslink II
2) (same) Kenwood KSC-SW1
3) Blaupunkt THb 210A: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-jS98Gov...=blaupunkt+thb

The Infinity is my first choice, BUT the Infinity's seems WAAY TOO BIG to fit underneath the seats in the xB. (15"W x 9-3/4"H x 15-1/8"D). Am I missing something? Is it possible to make it fit somehow?

I'd LOOOOVE to get the Basslink II and get glass rattling bass, but I don't wanna sacrifice any cargo space in the back.

Thoughts?

Matrixv01

My first choice is also the Basslink II but as you pointed out it looks like it might be too big for underseat mounting. I'm pretty sure there isn't 9-3/4" of vertical space under the front seats. So I'm probably going with the Kenwood. It's got a lot of positive reviews on Crutchfield.com. So I won't be rattling any windows but I'll have more bass and no loss of cargo space.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-O1RX7wb...=113KSCSW1#Tab

exige

kenwood or basslink will both be fine. obviously basslink is preferable, but the kenwood will do quite well also. crutchfield includes instructions on how to do all the wiring. even the novice can attempt the install with crutchfield's help. very good company to work with. after having my car f'ed up at circuit city, nobody touches my car but me. i dont trust big box stores at all.

Matrixv01

Thanks for the feedback exige.

Hyghgynx

I know I'm the xB 2G forum, but I have the Kenwood installed in my tC.
I was suprised how well this little powered sub performs. Definitely not a window rattler, but for nice clean bass, that unit can't be beat.

Matrixv01

Awesome, thanks for the pics. Another checkmark in the plus column for the Kenwood. Looks like from this thread showing underseat install in a Subaru STI it will fit the xB2 nicely.

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/i-c-e-se...lled-pics.html

unity303

WARNING: I installed the Kenwood KSC-SW1 in my xB 2008 and noticed NO DIFFERENCE in the low-end sound.

Why? I'm not a sub expert but I am a bit of an audio geek... and I'm thinking it has a lot to do with the fact that the stock speakers on the xB2's are already 6.5", where the Kenwood subs are the exact same size. They have the same surface area and diameter and would not be able to produce any deeper wavelengths than already possible, and also the mid- & high- frequencies couldn't take away much power from the stock speakers. (Btw I am totally making all this up based on what makes sense to me, so pls correct me if this is all faux science. )

The test: I'm using the SNS (Scion Nav System) and unfortunately, I was able to achieve pretty much exactly the same amount of bass when using the factory speakers with the correct EQ'ing. I was quite disappointed. I was looking for something that would round out the bass (and by no means I am not looking to bother any neighbors), but it honestly made no distinguishable difference when you set the EQ on the stock speakers (w/ sub powered off) to the best sounding parameters on the SNS (say level +2 @ 60kHz, level +1 @ 125kHz). =( I then kept swapping between A & B to see what sounded better. (A) = sub OFF w/ best non-sub EQ, and then going to (B) = sub on w/ best sub-corrected EQ settings. They were both totally on par... neither one was worse or better.

Considering all the rave reviews on the Kenwoods, I found it to be a huuuuuge dissapointment. Maybe the Kenwoods sound great on the tC (if it stocks smaller speakers) , but def not so in the xB 08. Your results may vary but for me... I am convinced I am no worse off with the stock speakers. I would strongly urge others not to purchase this item for the xB 2's

I also purchased the 8" Blaupunkt and I'm going to give them a try later when I can install it. Will report back with my findings.

Matrixv01

Thanks for the in-depth report. I started wondering that myself regarding the stock speaker size being the same as the Kenwood sub. I'm starting to think I'm going to wait and see what the Scion Factory sub for the '08 xB is like when it comes out or try to explore other options.

Hyghgynx

I notice a very nice (not thumping bass mind you) difference in bass having hooked it up to my aftermarket Alpine HU. I can turn the Kenwood Sub off and on through my HU and notice quite a difference in bass. I also have the sub hooked up via RCAs. Maybe that makes a difference? Crazy how 70+ people on Crutchfield have rated the Sub at 4.5 stars outta 5.

*EDIT* The only time I notice a decrease in bass is when I have my windows down.

unity303

Yea despite being branded by Alpine, sadly the Scion Nav unit doesn't have direct RCA outs for the sub (which means no control from HU for cross-over frequencies and sub levels). I know the Premium Sound Scion HU has sub-specific settings and probably has RCA outs for that, but still I think the reason why I don't feel it's much different is that I strongly believe that we can get the xB2's stock speakers to sound just as good. The A/B setting comparison tests gave me evidence to believe so.

Trust me, I had very high hopes, I read comment after comment of glowing Crutchfield reviews, and I truly wanted this to be the right powered sub for me since it fits soooo perfectly... not to mention you can get it for a sweet price of $150 brand new shipped on eBay... but in my experience today, it just hasn't worked out for me. =(

unity303

Here are my settings on the EQs that produced nearly the same results:

Setting (A), with sub ON: crossover @ 40Hz & Volume Max


Setting (B), with sub OFF: Volume Min


After more testing, started to notice in some Drum n bass songs that there was a "hole" in the sound spectrum when using (B), that was filled in when using (A). Certain melodies of the bassline could be heard much more clearly. So yea I'm starting to notice that the Kenwoods can come through in some songs. Now I'm happy with it.

unity303

Ok, this morning I tried out the Blaupunkt THb 210A's 8" powered sub. They fit PERFECTLY under the passenger seat. Beautiful, no?



But that's where the good news ends.

Although the frequency response was lower & although this sub has an 8" woofer plus port holes, I noticed some really bad, bad things happening. When I turned up anything with a decent kick drum, the sub vibrated uncontrollably, as if the kick drum sounded like a vibrating piece of cardboard. I swear someone at Crutchfield sent me a broken one as a joke. dude wtf. The sub should not be sounding like it is breaking at every thump! I called a bass-a-holic buddy and asked him about it, he said sometimes subs with ports vibrate due to _____ (insert some acoustic physics reason here).

INSTANTLY, I've got SOOO much more respect for the Kenwoods... now I see why it gets good reviews. Now I understand how much better quality the Kenwood is since I have a reference point. So yea, I'm back on the KSC-SW1 bandwagon. Yes, I know I am flip flopping but it's like... you don't know what you've got till you get something far worse... =P



Oh yea, and the Kenwood controls velcro-mounted next to the steering wheel is also convenient, compared with the on-unit controls of the other sub:


IN THE END:
The Blaupunkts might fit under my seat, might be 1.5" bigger than the Kenwoods, might produce lower frequences... but for clarity and quality, the Kenwoods take the pie, no contest. If I didn't care about trunk space, again Infinity Basslink II (10") would be my 1st choice but for saving space, I don't think I could do better than the KSC-SW1.

p.s. Matrixv01, I'd like to see how the bazookas do myself... let us know if you ever go with one.

exige

the size and surface area of the speaker does not dictate how the speaker will make sounds. there are so many other factors to it. from motor strength and cone material to anything else you can think of about a speaker....every speaker sounds different for a reason. for example, compare an eD 7Kv.2 (since SL's very familiar with eD) with an alpine type r mid or polk db6500 mid (2 other popular speakers on here)...all those speakers sound distinctly different.....yet all are 6.5". the 7kv.2 produces much lower frequencies than the other 2 are designed to produce, but doesnt go nearly as high as the other two. i could make this a lot more technical than that but you probably wouldnt understand all of it. but the basic point is, every speaker is different, and the same cone size does not mean that two different speakers have the same frequency range.

Matrixv01

After much research looks like I'm scrapping the powered subwoofer idea and going with a single 12" enclosure, easily moved out of the way when needed, and amp mounted under a seat. Fairly inexpesive and minimal loss of space. A friend will be helping me with install and I should have it in the next couple weeks. I'll post pics and a review after it's all in.

Here's what I'm getting.


http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...112&c=3&tp=112


http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...0&tp=115&avf=Y

Total = $250.00