2013 Subaru WRX Hatch, Satin Pearl White
Cobb Tuning SF Intake + SF Intake Box Black Stage 1+ OTS
Whitelines Anti-Sway Bars, Kart boys Endlinks, Back to black bushings.
Cobb Knob, Roof Rack, Gorilla Flaps, LED Light Bars, Bike Rack
91 Octane Shell fuel
Preface
So I am currently and for the next 3 months working on a large project that forces me to come into work and leave at the peak of rush hour traffic. With spring break over traffic has only increased and I am currently spending between 2.5 and 3.5 hours a day sitting in my WRX in first gear inching along my 24 mile round trip. I’ve been exploring audio books and radio stations but I feel like my radio is severely lacking. Especially in the low and mid tones so I set out to find a small subwoofer that wouldn’t take up a huge amount of space. I am also not ready to invest thousands of dollars replacing the factory head unit, amplifier, door speakers and essentially pull up every panel in the car to rewire a new system. It is definitely something I am comfortable with but its currently not in my budget. I am aware that Subaru offers a factory installable unit that fits under the seat but that unit is very pricey, $350 quoted from my local dealership and it is only pushing 64W RMS power on a 6 inch driver.
My criteria for a new subwoofer to fill the mid/low are as follows - Low profile ( needs to fit under the seat like the factory option), Needs a speaker level input ( I don’t want to add a line converter that could add extra noise to the signal or replace my head unit ) Must be phase adjustable ( because it is so close to the front and rear speakers), Needs to be powered ( amp and subwoofer built into one box to keep things clean ), Needs to have removable remote level control.
The Contenders
Sound Ordnance B-8PTD - Kicker Hideaway - Pioneer TS-WH500a - Kenwood KSC SW11
The winner
Crutchfields house brand - Sound ordnance B-8PTD. With the best reviews of all the options I found that would fit nicely under my passenger seat and with the greatest number of positive reviews as well as a 2 year warranty I am pleased to have ordered the B-8PTD. It is 125W RMS 250w MAX 8 inch subwoofer with a decent frequency response and auto-on high level inputs. It comes with a remote level knob and phase adjustment. Coming in at $150 shipped I couldn’t beat the price. for the feature list. The Kicker was over powered for my current configuration at 300W and the Pioneer was a bit too long to fit nicely. The kenwood would have been a nice option but at twice the price there were no benefits other than a slightly higher sensitivity.
The Install
So the intention of this install is to keep everything looking as stock as possible while increasing the low end of the audio system. Everything should be well hidden and run as clean as possible without sacrificing the little audio quality available and without creating unwanted rattles or squeaks. The install was 4 parts, Speaker level wiring, Power line, Ground line and 12v accessory( remote )
For the speaker level wiring I choose to tap into the factory harness rather than use an aftermarket harness adapter because the factory harness is so accessible with the head unit removed. I used 4x 18-22ga squeeze type wire-tap splices to connect the factory front left and front right speaker output I tested Each line with a 1.5V AA Alkaline battery by testing the pinout I found on another website. The pinout I used was from the website Subaru radio and radio wiring harness information. After attaching the first part of the splice I used 18x4 In wall speaker wire from my local hardware store to make a single wiring harness for the high level inputs. I followed th right side of the center console down and out of a factory hole in the carpet under the seat. I did have to loosen my seat rail bolts to get enough room for my hands to fit under the seat carpet but I did not need to completely remove the seat. In hindsight that may have been a better option.
For the Power wire I Used a length of Red 8 gauge boss wire that I had from my old geek squad days. I found 2 unused grommets in the firewall behind the intercooler. When I removed the grommets I was greeted with latex foam and carpet that was very difficult to access. I tried pushing a ball point pen through as to not damage any wires that might be on the other side to no avail. Eventually I decided to use a ⅜ drill bit and turn it by hand to slowly remove the latex and carpet without damaging any components behind the firewall. That was not a position I could take photos but I was able to open enough space in the foam and carpet to feed through my 8 gauge wire. I wrapped the wire in vacuum hose and zip tied it along the top of the firewall with the other harness parts with similar covers I installed a Boss 50A fuse in the 12V line from the battery about 6 inches from the battery. For the 12V accessory I tied into my existing accessory add a fuse power distribution block It was as easy as loosening the existing connections and wrapping a blue 12V remote wire in the connector.
All 3 wires were run down the passenger side of the transmission tunnel under the carpet, they all exit the carpet under the passenger seat and they are all wrapped and awaiting the arrival of the subwoofer. More writeup when the subwoofer arrives later this week.
Cobb Tuning SF Intake + SF Intake Box Black Stage 1+ OTS
Whitelines Anti-Sway Bars, Kart boys Endlinks, Back to black bushings.
Cobb Knob, Roof Rack, Gorilla Flaps, LED Light Bars, Bike Rack
91 Octane Shell fuel
Preface
So I am currently and for the next 3 months working on a large project that forces me to come into work and leave at the peak of rush hour traffic. With spring break over traffic has only increased and I am currently spending between 2.5 and 3.5 hours a day sitting in my WRX in first gear inching along my 24 mile round trip. I’ve been exploring audio books and radio stations but I feel like my radio is severely lacking. Especially in the low and mid tones so I set out to find a small subwoofer that wouldn’t take up a huge amount of space. I am also not ready to invest thousands of dollars replacing the factory head unit, amplifier, door speakers and essentially pull up every panel in the car to rewire a new system. It is definitely something I am comfortable with but its currently not in my budget. I am aware that Subaru offers a factory installable unit that fits under the seat but that unit is very pricey, $350 quoted from my local dealership and it is only pushing 64W RMS power on a 6 inch driver.
My criteria for a new subwoofer to fill the mid/low are as follows - Low profile ( needs to fit under the seat like the factory option), Needs a speaker level input ( I don’t want to add a line converter that could add extra noise to the signal or replace my head unit ) Must be phase adjustable ( because it is so close to the front and rear speakers), Needs to be powered ( amp and subwoofer built into one box to keep things clean ), Needs to have removable remote level control.
The Contenders
Sound Ordnance B-8PTD - Kicker Hideaway - Pioneer TS-WH500a - Kenwood KSC SW11
The winner
Crutchfields house brand - Sound ordnance B-8PTD. With the best reviews of all the options I found that would fit nicely under my passenger seat and with the greatest number of positive reviews as well as a 2 year warranty I am pleased to have ordered the B-8PTD. It is 125W RMS 250w MAX 8 inch subwoofer with a decent frequency response and auto-on high level inputs. It comes with a remote level knob and phase adjustment. Coming in at $150 shipped I couldn’t beat the price. for the feature list. The Kicker was over powered for my current configuration at 300W and the Pioneer was a bit too long to fit nicely. The kenwood would have been a nice option but at twice the price there were no benefits other than a slightly higher sensitivity.
The Install
So the intention of this install is to keep everything looking as stock as possible while increasing the low end of the audio system. Everything should be well hidden and run as clean as possible without sacrificing the little audio quality available and without creating unwanted rattles or squeaks. The install was 4 parts, Speaker level wiring, Power line, Ground line and 12v accessory( remote )
For the speaker level wiring I choose to tap into the factory harness rather than use an aftermarket harness adapter because the factory harness is so accessible with the head unit removed. I used 4x 18-22ga squeeze type wire-tap splices to connect the factory front left and front right speaker output I tested Each line with a 1.5V AA Alkaline battery by testing the pinout I found on another website. The pinout I used was from the website Subaru radio and radio wiring harness information. After attaching the first part of the splice I used 18x4 In wall speaker wire from my local hardware store to make a single wiring harness for the high level inputs. I followed th right side of the center console down and out of a factory hole in the carpet under the seat. I did have to loosen my seat rail bolts to get enough room for my hands to fit under the seat carpet but I did not need to completely remove the seat. In hindsight that may have been a better option.
For the Power wire I Used a length of Red 8 gauge boss wire that I had from my old geek squad days. I found 2 unused grommets in the firewall behind the intercooler. When I removed the grommets I was greeted with latex foam and carpet that was very difficult to access. I tried pushing a ball point pen through as to not damage any wires that might be on the other side to no avail. Eventually I decided to use a ⅜ drill bit and turn it by hand to slowly remove the latex and carpet without damaging any components behind the firewall. That was not a position I could take photos but I was able to open enough space in the foam and carpet to feed through my 8 gauge wire. I wrapped the wire in vacuum hose and zip tied it along the top of the firewall with the other harness parts with similar covers I installed a Boss 50A fuse in the 12V line from the battery about 6 inches from the battery. For the 12V accessory I tied into my existing accessory add a fuse power distribution block It was as easy as loosening the existing connections and wrapping a blue 12V remote wire in the connector.
All 3 wires were run down the passenger side of the transmission tunnel under the carpet, they all exit the carpet under the passenger seat and they are all wrapped and awaiting the arrival of the subwoofer. More writeup when the subwoofer arrives later this week.