connecting car sub

[mnatiq]

HHey

I was just wondering, Im getting the new civic and would like to add a sub to it.

my question is, can I just connect like a 12 inch JL to the current supplied (extremely small factory) honda amp or will I have to make a few changes like get a new amp installed.

and another question

Will a new amp and sub work with the factory installed deck in the front of the car? or do i have to get a new one of that also.

thankls

 

[jnelson88]

HHey

I was just wondering, Im getting the new civic and would like to add a sub to it.

my question is, can I just connect like a 12 inch JL to the current supplied (extremely small factory) honda amp or will I have to make a few changes like get a new amp installed.

and another question

Will a new amp and sub work with the factory installed deck in the front of the car? or do i have to get a new one of that also.

thankls

I would say buy an aftermarket amp to power the sub, just a safer bet and you will get better sound.

Yes you can use the sub and amp will work with your factory unit, you just will have to buy extra hardware. www.crutchfield.com has a lot of information and some deals on the gear to.

 

[gpost3]

You don't need to change your civic's stock head unit. If your amp has high-level input, you can use that by splicing one of your rear speaker wire and creating a wire hook to run the wiring in parallel. I am not sure what the person above is getting at but there will be 0 compromise in sound quality going this route because the high-level input on your amp has a circuitry built in to lower the input power through that signal.

 

[tattoo_Dan]

HHey

I was just wondering, Im getting the new civic and would like to add a sub to it.

my question is, can I just connect like a 12 inch JL to the current supplied (extremely small factory) honda amp or will I have to make a few changes like get a new amp installed.

and another question

Will a new amp and sub work with the factory installed deck in the front of the car? or do i have to get a new one of that also.

thankls

I wouldn't use the honda amp for a sub,no way !

and yes the factory headunit can easily be adapted to work with any aftermarket amp for the sub,if the amp you buy does'nt already have speaker level inputs,a speaker level to rca adapter is easy and cheap to get.

 

[gpost3]

a speaker level to rca adapter is easy and cheap to get.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062472

Why do you need an adapter when you can just buy rca terminals, splice the copper wire and attach it. :/ The adapter doesn't nothing more than exactly that. The rca terminals will cost you $5 and the adapter will cost you a lot more. It's a no brainer.

 

[annunaki]

Because of all the eq/dsp at play to help make cheap factory speakers sound better, simply connecting the amplifier to the stock system through a line output converter is no longer an option in NEARLY ALL new vehicles.

Most factory head units output anything but flat response and have bass limiting circuitry built in which increases as volume increases. Again to protect cheap factory speakers.

Adding a sub may or may not improve overall sound quality with many modern factory head units. Alpine, JL Audio, & MTX have all devised products that can be used to flatten the response back to near 20hz-20khz, usually within +/-3db for most vehicles. The JL Audio Clean Sweep is a stellar product for this but probably at the higher end of the price range for a product like this.

I highly encourage you to purchase one of these units if adding any outboard amplifier.

 

[tattoo_Dan]

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062472

Why do you need an adapter when you can just buy rca terminals, splice the copper wire and attach it. :/ The adapter doesn't nothing more than exactly that. The rca terminals will cost you $5 and the adapter will cost you a lot more. It's a no brainer.

because it would be too much gain for the input that way,it needs to be stepped down to a usable less distorted level,and the voltage/current needs to be stepped down,

you just said it yourself !

because the high-level input on your amp has a circuitry built in to lower the input power through that signal.

that's why most amps have 2 types,speaker level input & rca pre amp input,

the input needs to be somewhat "matched" for the output to not be over driven and start clipping,

hi/lo adapters are a little more than just rca plugs stripped & connected to wires,

sure you could ghetto rig it that way to make sound your way,but it could damage the amp and it would sound really really crappy.

but then that's what a lot of people think is good bass in a car anyway !

"no brainer" ? LOL
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and the following you said is untrue

I am not sure what the person above is getting at but there will be 0 compromise in sound quality going this route

there is a huge difference in sound quality in using speaker level input and true low level pre amp input(no matter how you connect the speaker level input)

 

[jnelson88]

I am not sure what the person above is getting at but there will be 0 compromise in sound quality going this route because the high-level input on your amp has a circuitry built in to lower the input power through that signal.

Don't know where I got it from, could be that I have wired vehicles both ways, through stock units as well as aftermarket units.

The best way to get the best sound out of your head unit is is to go with the JL Cleansweep:
http://www.crutchfield.com/s_136441DSP/JL-Audio-CL441dsp-CleanSweep.html?search=jl+audio+processor

Then go with an amp. Here more details on the process.
http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/factory/sound_processors.html?g=318850&tp=6870

Hope that helps you in your decision and if you need anymore help just let us know.