milbug

For those interested in adding a little low end to their system, Pioneer has a new powered subwoofer (TS-WH500A). Supposedly uses a new technology that allows them to get more low end than most of the small units on the market. Retails for $300, just ordered one for $220 shipped off Amazon. I'll keep the thread updated with results as I receive it and it gets installed. I'm thinking under the driver seat (with a little sticking out the front, or behind the passenger seat for an install location, but will see. Above the gas tank may be another option if those are too tight on space.



YouTube TS-WH500A

flanders

Interesting

stupkid

Let us know how it works out.
Seems pretty interesting. Might have to get one for myself.

milbug

The Pioneer sub was delivered today. Two initial observations. On the positive side, its like this thing was built to fit under the driver seat of the S2000. Sliding it in from the front, it fits almost entirely under the seat (I sit one click up from the furthest position back). Even better, the fit is pretty snug....it doesn't seem that there will be much of an opportunity for it to move around even it it isn't secured down. I may add some craft foam on the top edge so it doesn't rub against the seat adjustment lever, and it may wedge it in a bit. Will have to see. From above, the unit is largely invisible, although you may see the edge of the unit. The good news is that the connections (power, audio in) are bundled into one quick connect so one could easily disconnect the unit and place it in the trunk. I tried to fit it under the seat from behind the seat, and it doesn't look like it will fit. You might be able to remove the seat completely and mount, and then put the seat back, but that is way more involved that what I was looking for!

On the downside, I question how much output this unit will have, based on the power supply. Its a 10Amp fused wire that would appear to be 12 Guage (maybe 14) and doesn't require direct connection to the battery. I don't think one can expect an huge amount of output from this unit...another reason why I decided under the seat is best. Placing in the trunk or on the shelf over the gas tank would probably mute the output. I guess the good news is that it doesn't require a sepearte wiring harness. It will require an RCA cable. The unit does also accept speaker line inputs.

Below are two pics. The first one is a shot of the unit under the seat. The second is a picture of it sitting on the seat to get an idea of the size of the unit.






Will post my opinion of everything once I get everything hooked up.

Reckon

I have the Sound Ordnance B-8PT and it probably delivers about the same impact (although a little cheaper). It has its own power supply line to the battery unlike the Pioneer though. Keeping it in cabin is a must as it is not powerful enough to be used efficiently in the trunk. The Sound Ordnance is too big to mount under a seat so I have it in the passenger footwell strapped down with velcro and hidden under a floor mat. Works well for me!

Let us know how the sound ends up...could be a good switch for me as I am looking to upgrade my system a little bit.

alSpeed2k

^I've considered purchasing the Sound Ordnance unit, can you post a picture of how you mounted it? Might a passenger damage it from stepping on it?

Thanks OP for the info, looking forward to more updates.

Reckon

A passenger shouldn't damage it...I haven't had issues with my wife, daughter or father in law riding along. It does take up some of the leg room though. I'll try to post a pic if I remember...it's under a mat in the passenger side right now.

milbug

I didn't get it permanently mounted, but I did get it hooked up and tested. I guess you can't expect miracles out of small packages....it doesn't end a ton of kick, less than I expected. I think I will keep it...by letting it take a little of the work off the door speakers (my amp has a low pass filter) it should reduce distortion on the door speakers.

If the S2000 had any more seat clearance I would say try a different option, but this is about the shortest option that I have seen. I'll post final results once I get it mounted and can use it fully installed.

JWN6264

Check this link to see how Modify mounted a sub in his passenger floor: http://www.modifry.com/freebies/old/.../subwoofer.htm

milbug

So I got everything permanently installed. For reference....this is my setup:

Head Unit: Alpine CDE-154BT
Door Speakers: Rockford Fosgate P165-S 6.5" Component Speakers
Amplifier: Sony XMN502 65 Watts RMS X 2
Wiring Kit: KnuKonceptz KCA Complete 8 Gauge Amp Installation Kit

I installed the head unit last fall, the speakers, amp and the Pioneer sub all got mounted at the same time. Since I was running an 8 gauge wire for the amp already, I ran a second one for the subwoofer. The wiring that comes with the sub woofer is awful skinny, but I was worried that 10 ft of that wire would be way to restrictive. I ran my power wires on the driver side, RCA (and speaker wires from the amp) on the passenger side. I removed the driver seat....I didn't originally plan on that, but it made things much easier (and I got to clean).there is a wire harness for the seat that comes out of the floor already, so I ran the 8 gauge from the battery and the RCA's to there, and then drastically shorted the wires on the sub's wiring harness. I soldiered and shrink wrapped the 8 guage to the wire on the harness. I also shortened the ground, and connected it to one of the front seat bolts (sanded paint away around the floor bolt location to ensure good contact). As I stated before, I did not permanently mount the sub, so it can be pulled out and disconnected for security. Also, note that the subwoofer comes with a remote that has about 40 feet of wire (slight exaggeration). I bundled that together left the bulk of it under the seat.

Once everything was installed, even with the sub cranked up all the way, it still sounded somewhat anemic. Luckily my head unit has a subwoofer settings that allowed me to boost the output on the subwoofer only (there are three sets of outputs on the head unit - Front, Rear and Subwoofer). It handled the increase in bass without distortion.

It does what I wanted.....increase the low end without losing any trunk or passenger foot space, and allow the door speakers to remain crystal clear. However, is it worth the $230? Its a tough call, but I would say maybe not. From what I can see, though, it is the only unit that will fit under an s2000 seat. I think its critical to have a head unit that has separate subwoofer RCA outs, and allows independent adjustment of the subwoofer. Have reasonable expectations of what you can expect from a unit this small, and you won't be disappointed.