Upgrading Subwoofer from underseat to boot
08-19-2016, 12:42 AM
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My Ride: 2005 535d M Sport Touring
Upgrading Subwoofer from underseat to boot
Hi All
I've been loving to drive my recently purchased 2005 535d but not loving listening to the stereo system. Mine has a blaupunkt amplifier in the boot driving the two rear speakers, front mids and tweeters and underseat mid/subs (whatever these are they are pretty poor). So I've bought a nice 12" sub with kenwood amp. The tricky bit with no rca output is now fitting it. I've attached pictures below and any help/guidance would be great.
I have front and rear PnP inputs (speaker level) and front, rear and sub outputs from the blaupunkt amp. I think I need to convert the PnP inputs into 3 RCA outputs: front and rear to remain going to the blaupunkt rca inputs and another rca output going to the new kenwood amp to feed the sub.
I was also just going to take a split from the existing power and ground wires to feed both amps is this cool? Not sure what to do with the remote connection it looks like a network cable and this amp always seems to be on anyway!
I've been loving to drive my recently purchased 2005 535d but not loving listening to the stereo system. Mine has a blaupunkt amplifier in the boot driving the two rear speakers, front mids and tweeters and underseat mid/subs (whatever these are they are pretty poor). So I've bought a nice 12" sub with kenwood amp. The tricky bit with no rca output is now fitting it. I've attached pictures below and any help/guidance would be great.
I have front and rear PnP inputs (speaker level) and front, rear and sub outputs from the blaupunkt amp. I think I need to convert the PnP inputs into 3 RCA outputs: front and rear to remain going to the blaupunkt rca inputs and another rca output going to the new kenwood amp to feed the sub.
I was also just going to take a split from the existing power and ground wires to feed both amps is this cool? Not sure what to do with the remote connection it looks like a network cable and this amp always seems to be on anyway!
08-19-2016, 10:01 AM
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My Ride: E60
Model Year: 2010
First off you need a Hi to Lo converter, as for the power. You never want to tap into an existing line (unless it's an aftermarket power line that's capable of powering 2+ amps.
08-28-2016, 05:14 PM
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My Ride: 2013 550i xDrive M Sport
Model Year: 2013
A couple things. First off- congratulations on your purchase! I've just recently bought my '13 550i xDrive and I LOVE it!!
I'm not familiar with the factory audio setup in your particular vehicle. There are a few routes you could take. Myxyzxo is right in that you need to convert your high level inputs at the Blau to low level for your Kenwood amp. If you're looking to just add the 12" sub to your existing system- take the speaker level PnP inputs at the factory amp and split them off to a Line Level Converter. You can keep everything else hooked up and just add the sub for more bottom end thud.
There are some cheap LOC's (Line Out Converters) that will do the trick for $20-$30, or you could spend a little and get an AudioControl LC2i for about $75. You would splice into the subwoofer PnP inputs from the Blaupunkt and feed them into the LOC. Here's a link to the AudioControl LC2i product website: LC2i - AudioControl
The L2Ci takes your speaker level inputs and converts them to line level for amplifiers downstream, just like a regular LOC. The additional benefit of the LC2i is that it compensates for the bass roll-off that's built into most factory amp setups. The factory woofers/subs are not designed to reproduce anything below probably 30-40hz on down due to their power handling capabilities and their physical size. To account for this- the factory setup logarithmically filters out most bass signals below about 50hz to protect the tiny little speakers. This is a fancy word that means the farther below the cutoff frequency, the more signal gets filtered out. At 50hz- it starts to mute the bass frequencies. At about 30hz it's significantly filtered out. Below that, pretty much no signal gets through. It also lowers the output level of bass when you turn the volume knob up- again to protect the speakers. This is bad for your add-on sub and amp because they can actually handle the lower frequencies at power, but since the factory deck is blocking it you won't ever hear it once it gets to your amp. This is where the LC2i comes in- partially making up for that lack of bass. It adds counteracting boost at bass frequencies to negate the bass roll-off.
Another option would be to grab the signal right from the source. This would be optimal however somewhat difficult due to the proprietary nature of factory radios and their output stage. If it's possible- I'd recommend looking at replacing the factory stereo with an aftermarket one that gives you more control over your signal output.
As far as a power source for your Kenwood and the LOC (they need 12v power as well- not nearly as much though), go straight from the battery for your 12v power. I didn't catch the model of your amp, but follow the recommendations in the manual on how thick the power and ground wires should be and try to limit the length of the ground wire to limit interference. Always, ALWAYS put a fuse near the battery (within 6-12" of the post) inline with your 12v positive power line- even if your amp has fuses already. It's not about protecting the amp so much as your vehicle. If the wire were to short out somewhere between the battery and the amp- it could EASILY start a fire. BE SAFE!
As for the remote connection, is there any sort of volume knob besides the main stereo volume in your setup? This is usually used to change characteristics of the amplifier without having to be in the trunk while you're tuning it so you can hear the results of your changes. The AudioControl unit I recommended will have a remote knob option that you can use to vary the level of bass restoration from your drivers seat so you can adjust on a per song basis. This remote knob will use what looks like a network cable or a phone cord to run control from the trunk to your drivers cabin.
I hope this wasn't too much info- not sure if you're car audio saavy or a beginner. Let me know if you have any more questions!
I'm not familiar with the factory audio setup in your particular vehicle. There are a few routes you could take. Myxyzxo is right in that you need to convert your high level inputs at the Blau to low level for your Kenwood amp. If you're looking to just add the 12" sub to your existing system- take the speaker level PnP inputs at the factory amp and split them off to a Line Level Converter. You can keep everything else hooked up and just add the sub for more bottom end thud.
There are some cheap LOC's (Line Out Converters) that will do the trick for $20-$30, or you could spend a little and get an AudioControl LC2i for about $75. You would splice into the subwoofer PnP inputs from the Blaupunkt and feed them into the LOC. Here's a link to the AudioControl LC2i product website: LC2i - AudioControl
The L2Ci takes your speaker level inputs and converts them to line level for amplifiers downstream, just like a regular LOC. The additional benefit of the LC2i is that it compensates for the bass roll-off that's built into most factory amp setups. The factory woofers/subs are not designed to reproduce anything below probably 30-40hz on down due to their power handling capabilities and their physical size. To account for this- the factory setup logarithmically filters out most bass signals below about 50hz to protect the tiny little speakers. This is a fancy word that means the farther below the cutoff frequency, the more signal gets filtered out. At 50hz- it starts to mute the bass frequencies. At about 30hz it's significantly filtered out. Below that, pretty much no signal gets through. It also lowers the output level of bass when you turn the volume knob up- again to protect the speakers. This is bad for your add-on sub and amp because they can actually handle the lower frequencies at power, but since the factory deck is blocking it you won't ever hear it once it gets to your amp. This is where the LC2i comes in- partially making up for that lack of bass. It adds counteracting boost at bass frequencies to negate the bass roll-off.
Another option would be to grab the signal right from the source. This would be optimal however somewhat difficult due to the proprietary nature of factory radios and their output stage. If it's possible- I'd recommend looking at replacing the factory stereo with an aftermarket one that gives you more control over your signal output.
As far as a power source for your Kenwood and the LOC (they need 12v power as well- not nearly as much though), go straight from the battery for your 12v power. I didn't catch the model of your amp, but follow the recommendations in the manual on how thick the power and ground wires should be and try to limit the length of the ground wire to limit interference. Always, ALWAYS put a fuse near the battery (within 6-12" of the post) inline with your 12v positive power line- even if your amp has fuses already. It's not about protecting the amp so much as your vehicle. If the wire were to short out somewhere between the battery and the amp- it could EASILY start a fire. BE SAFE!
As for the remote connection, is there any sort of volume knob besides the main stereo volume in your setup? This is usually used to change characteristics of the amplifier without having to be in the trunk while you're tuning it so you can hear the results of your changes. The AudioControl unit I recommended will have a remote knob option that you can use to vary the level of bass restoration from your drivers seat so you can adjust on a per song basis. This remote knob will use what looks like a network cable or a phone cord to run control from the trunk to your drivers cabin.
I hope this wasn't too much info- not sure if you're car audio saavy or a beginner. Let me know if you have any more questions!
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