IOWA CITY CAR POWERED SUBWOOFER INSTALLATION

Car Powered Subwoofer Installation at Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City

Car Powered Subwoofer Installation Service near Iowa City IA: Looking to enhance your driving experience? Then a new car audio/video system from Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City is just what you need! Whether you want to upgrade your factory car audio system or build a custom car stereo from scratch, our team is the answer you’ve been looking for. We provide professional car audio electronics products and installation for drivers in and around Iowa City IA, and our qualified technicians are here to make sure you always have access to awesome tunes while you’re behind the wheel. With over years of experience to rely on, we’re your source for the best in car stereos and mobile audio equipment. Call us today to learn more!

When you turn to Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City for your mobile audio system, you can expect nothing but amazing results. We can outfit cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, and even boats with high-quality mobile electronics. While we’re an authorized dealer for many types of components, we’re also happy to install products that you’ve bought elsewhere. Providing service that’s above and beyond most car audio shops, Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City is here to make sure our customers benefit from careful, correct installation workmanship.

Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City – Custom Audio Our licensed and insured car stereo installers will ensure that you get the right products for your needs and then make sure that your equipment is installed professionally using 100% copper wire. If you don’t have enough outlets for the number of speakers you want to install, we can create a beautiful, custom fiberglass panel that will house additional speakers. Customized solutions to meet your in-car audio needs is the name of the game at Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City.

We don’t cut corners to cut costs; instead we work hard to provide our clients with first-class craftsmanship and materials at highly competitive rates. From amps to speakers and subwoofers, we have everything you might need for a stellar car audio/video system.

How to install a powered subwoofer

No matter what kind of music you love, adding bass makes it sound better. Let’s take a look at what it takes to install a powered subwoofer in your vehicle with the help of one of our guys from tech support.

Find a place to mount your sub

Before you get started, find a suitable place in your vehicle to mount your sub. The sub’s built-in amplifier generates heat, so adequate ventilation is important. And you’ll want to place it somewhere that’s not too difficult to access.

Wiring kit and speaker wire

Your powered sub does not come with the necessary wiring, so be sure to purchase an amp wiring kit that includes the wiring and fuses you’ll need.

Disconnect the battery

First, disconnect the negative battery terminal to protect you and your gear during installation.

Step #1: Running power wire

Next, run the power cable from the battery to the powered sub. Some kits have the fuse assembly already put together. But if not, cut a short piece of the power cable, enough to cover the distance from the battery to the fuse holder location, and strip the insulation off both ends. Crimp the terminal ring from your wiring kit to one end, and attach the fuse holder to the other end. Strip the insulation from the end of the wire that leads to your amp and attach it to the other end of your fuse holder. It’s important to keep the fuse close to the battery since the lead between the terminal and the fuse is unprotected.

In most vehicles, you can pass the power cable through the firewall that separates the engine compartment from the main cabin using an existing entry point. Once you’re inside the cabin, tuck the power cable under trim panels or your carpet along one side of your vehicle until you reach your powered sub location.

Step #2: Running turn-on wire and signal cables

After running the power wire, the next thing to do is run the turn-on wire and signal cables. Both the turn-on wire and RCA signal cables need to be connected to your stereo. Run these cables behind the dash to your stereo. The turn-on wire connects to a remote turn-on wire in your stereo’s wiring harness. It’s usually blue, but confirm this with your owner’s manual. Plug the RCA cables into the appropriate RCA outputs on your stereo.

Run these wires, the turn-on wire, and the RCA cable, down the opposite side of the car from the power wire. This will prevent electrical noise from entering your system and spoiling your music.

All of this assumes you have an aftermarket stereo with preamp outputs. If you have a factory stereo then you’ll get the signal to your powered sub a different way. You’ll want to make sure your amp has speaker-level inputs and “signal sensing” turn-on capability. In this case, you can just tap into the speaker wires behind your stereo, or possibly the rear deck speakers. Either way, this will get a signal to the powered sub’s built-in amp.

Step #3: Connect the ground wire

The third primary connection is the ground wire. This wire should be connected to the vehicle’s chassis. Look for a nearby bolt that you can fasten the ground cable to. The ground wire terminal should be in contact with the vehicle’s bare metal. Sand away any paint at the contact point for the best connection.

Step #4: Make your wiring connections

Now, mount your powered sub and make your connections. Try to use gentle curves with your wires and cables when possible to prevent unnecessary wear and tear.

Before you fire it up to test, turn the built-in amp’s gains all the way down. And reconnect your vehicle’s negative battery terminal. Verify that the sub turns on when you start the car. Then you can play some music and set your gains.

Everything You Need to Know About Car Powered Subwoofers

Car powered subwoofers solve a great number of problems for many vehicle applications. In this post, I’ll explain the details of them, pros and cons, and finally I have a list of 5 great choices I recommend for you.

Not everyone needs (or wants) a more permanent amp + speaker box installation. Additionally, they offer a compact and tidy way to add good bass sound in a limited space in many cars, trucks, jeeps, and more.

Car powered subwoofer basics

Car Powered Subwoofer Installation Service near Iowa City IA: Many vehicles over the years (even as far back as the 1980s) have had factory-installed powered woofers in their premium level sound system. Typically this was because of the extremely limited space in some of the smaller vehicles produced over the years. Unfortunately, while those provided a bass boost, they were low-power and low-volume bass devices. Many would begin to distort quickly under higher volume.

You’re no longer stuck with using a cylindrical powered speaker tube like the Bazooka brand that was once popular. Additionally, new speaker and amplifier technology has made it possible to get far better sound in a very compact size than ever before!

How they work

Car powered subwoofers are more specialized than standard mix-and-match aftermarket subwoofers, amps, and boxes. The most critical difference is that in order to produce bass in a small space, these are carefully designed to match a subwoofer to the speaker enclosure. In other words the subwoofer is carefully matched to the small enclosure it will be used in.

Each type of speaker has a set of particular parameters that allow a designer to determine how it will perform acoustically in different sizes and types of speaker enclosures. These are called Thiele-Small parameters. I’ve used them frequently in custom speaker projects of my own; they’re extremely valuable to avoid guessing if a speaker will perform well in a certain size box or not.

Additionally, they’re different in other ways too:

• A special-purpose amplifier is built-in
• Amp rated power is designed only to support the speaker used
• A low-pass crossover is normally used (with adjustable controls)
• The assembly is a single product, with all installation connections made in one central area
• They are often designed to complement factory stereos easily

A reduced-size, reduced power amplifier designed just for the product is built into the design and this reduces cost as well (since you won’t normally need extra channels of sound or extra features, for example). More often than not a car powered subwoofer is designed to be very modular and can be installed as a single piece of equipment aside from an option like a wired remote knob.

Installation problems they solve

As you probably already know, the average factory installed car stereo has poor bass. Space is very limited in vehicles like some small pickup trucks, Mazda Miatas, and other sports cars, and perhaps even the family minivan!

They’re fantastic for a number of applications:

• Adding good sound to lower-end factory stereo systems
• Having an all-in-one solution for do it yourself (DIY) car audio projects on a budget
• Leased vehicles in which you would like to keep your audio investment at the end of lease
• Vehicles like Jeeps or other open-air vehicles that may be prone to theft and a removable solution is best
• A simplified and budget-priced way to shop for a subwoofer system for those with less experience

Another great benefit is that they save on installation time and effort! There’s no need to have to figure out how you’ll mount a separate amplifier and so forth. It’s not an issue!

Benefits of a Subwoofer for Car

Improve your car’s sound system. The main benefit of a subwoofer is its ability to produce low-frequency sounds. Your usual, small car speakers often have difficulty making these sounds. No matter what kind of music you listen to, choosing a top of the line subwoofer can take your listening experience up a notch.

Take it anywhere. Unlike other additions to your car’s sound system, a subwoofer can go practically anywhere. You can put one in your trunk, under your seat, or even just in the back seat. They don’t have the same space constraints as other sound components.

Types of Subwoofers for Cars

Component Subwoofers

Component subwoofers only come with the speaker itself. All other components must be bought separately. This is good for those who want to personalize their subwoofer and build it from the ground up. Many component subwoofers vary quite a bit from model to model. You can pretty much find whatever you’re looking for in this category. You will need to choose and buy other equipment for them to work properly.

Enclosed Subwoofer

An enclosed car subwoofer is simply a speaker that comes already put into a box. With these subwoofers, you don’t have to worry about selecting an enclosure separately. But, you might find yourself with fewer options than if you had chosen to build your system from the ground up. You will also still need an external amplifier to power the whole thing.

Active Subwoofers

Also called powered subwoofers, these are just like enclosed subwoofers but with an amp built right into the box. These work wonderfully in tight spaces and don’t require any extra work on your part. They are also simpler and easier to install since everything you need is included in one piece. You don’t have to worry about installing an amplifier separately. However, they are usually smaller and more compact. This can make them unable to deliver high-quality sounds. These systems work best for those who just want an add on to their stereo or who don’t have enough room for a bigger system.