JBL Amp Under Passenger Seat?

[Rick Grahn]

I am not expert in car audio, but it looks like there is an amp under the passenger seat of my '05. If so, does anyone know if this can be upgraded with something that will fit in the same place? Any suggestions?

When I say upgraded, I am wishing for more volume from my DVD player and XM radio. I have the ultimate lockpick--works great but the audio in cabling is shared by these two devices and seems to reduce the volume of each (yes, I have the ground loop isolator that Coastal sells).

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thank you in advance.

[DocVijay]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rick Grahn @ Oct 2 2006, 07:27 AM) [snapback]326780[/snapback]</div>

I am not expert in car audio, but it looks like there is an amp under the passenger seat of my '05. If so, does anyone know if this can be upgraded with something that will fit in the same place? Any suggestions?

When I say upgraded, I am wishing for more volume from my DVD player and XM radio. I have the ultimate lockpick--works great but the audio in cabling is shared by these two devices and seems to reduce the volume of each (yes, I have the ground loop isolator that Coastal sells).
t ve
Any suggestions are welcome.

Thank you in advance.
[/b]

The short answer is no.

The amp can be replaced, but not by one that will go in the same place and preserve the integrated features. At least no one has done it yet.

[qbee42]

How about adding linear amp to boost the existing JBL? That way you preserve the integrated features. I know I must be getting old, because I can't imagine how you can tolerate more volume. I almost never set mine over level 14.

Tom

[priusenvy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Oct 2 2006, 05:47 AM) [snapback]326793[/snapback]</div>

How about adding linear amp to boost the existing JBL? That way you preserve the integrated features.
[/b]

Yes, that's what most, if not all of us who have installed amps have done. Take the rear channel output from the JBL amp, run it into a line-out converter, then run that into the input of the new amp(s). A few have installed signal processors to flatten out the frequency response of the signal coming out of the JBL amp (JL Audio CleanSweep, etc.).

[Tideland Prius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusenvy @ Oct 2 2006, 10:44 AM) [snapback]326946[/snapback]</div>

Yes, that's what most, if not all of us who have installed amps have done. Take the rear channel output from the JBL amp, run it into a line-out converter, then run that into the input of the new amp(s). A few have installed signal processors to flatten out the frequency response of the signal coming out of the JBL amp (JL Audio CleanSweep, etc.).
[/b]

And what does that do aside from volume boosting?

[DocVijay]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 2 2006, 05:54 PM) [snapback]327152[/snapback]</div>

And what does that do aside from volume boosting?
[/b]

Over all better sound. Aftermarket is usually far superior to even the best "premium" system.

[konakahuna]

another idea...
instead of swapping the amp to make it play louder...how about adding sound deadening to make the car quieter? i believe i'm remembering this correctly, but every 3db of ambient noise reduction is equivalent to a doubling of amplifier power.

there are quite a few options...dynamat, b-quiet, etc.

and you'll have a quieter car to boot!


best of luck,

kona

[Tideland Prius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DocVijay @ Oct 2 2006, 09:04 PM) [snapback]327158[/snapback]</div>

Over all better sound. Aftermarket is usually far superior to even the best "premium" system.
[/b]

Even with stock speakers or in conjunction with a speaker upgrade?

Depends.. what about the B&O system on the A8 or the ML system on the LS460 and IS series? (I heard the GS one isn't that great)

[DocVijay]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 3 2006, 12:20 AM) [snapback]327164[/snapback]</div>

Even with stock speakers or in conjunction with a speaker upgrade?

Depends.. what about the B&O system on the A8 or the ML system on the LS460 and IS series? (I heard the GS one isn't that great)
[/b]

With a speaker upgrade.

No it doesn't depend. For any system out there, I can make a better aftermarket system. It may be costly, but any system can be improved. Both systems you listed are very competent and wonderful sounding systems. But there are still compromises. Our Volvo came with an 11 speaker, 400-something watt Dolby surround stereo. Is it nice? Yes, far better than what you used to get. But one day I wanted to find out what the drivers looked like. Cheap Taiwanese speakers. Sure they were a better quality speaker than the usual crap that car manufacturers use, but still nothing great.

Do you think B&O makes the drivers that are used in the A8? Hell no. SOme Chinese company makes speakers to their specifications. These specs are much better than what the average car speaker is, but is not to the level you get from a really nice aftermarket speaker. Same situation with the Mark Levinson system. What a lot of these have in common is that they use heavy processing to improve the sound, to make up for the inherent dificiencies of the system. If they had their way, they'd end up with a $20,000 premium system option for these cars. Remember, it's the bean counters that call the shots.

I'm not saying the systems that are coming in cars today are not good. They are. Some are really, really phenomenal. Some are not. Like the Prius.

There is always room for improvment.

[Rick Grahn]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Oct 2 2006, 06:47 AM) [snapback]326793[/snapback]</div>

How about adding linear amp to boost the existing JBL? That way you preserve the integrated features. I know I must be getting old, because I can't imagine how you can tolerate more volume. I almost never set mine over level 14.

Tom
[/b]

Tom,
Thanks for your input. FYI, the FM and AM radio, CD and cassette volumes are fine. It is the XM and DVD volumes that are about 30% reduced due (I think) to sharing an input into the back of the "head unit" (I think that is what it is called). This is not a problem around town (of course I do not use the DVD around town), but I take several 2-7 hour highway trips in my car each week (for work) and the road noise can sometimes drowned out the voices of a movie (especially a 5.1 audio movie playing on my 2.0 stereo).

Again, thanks.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(konakahuna @ Oct 2 2006, 10:15 PM) [snapback]327160[/snapback]</div>

another idea...
instead of swapping the amp to make it play louder...how about adding sound deadening to make the car quieter? i believe i'm remembering this correctly, but every 3db of ambient noise reduction is equivalent to a doubling of amplifier power.

there are quite a few options...dynamat, b-quiet, etc.

and you'll have a quieter car to boot!
best of luck,

kona
[/b]

Kona, I very much would like to do this, and was searching for step by step instructions on how to do it to the Prius and have not had any luck finding anything yet. I like working on the car, but am afraid to take the door panels off without knowing what I am getting into. Also, I do not know which product(s) are the best/easiest to use. If I could find someone local in the Chicago suburbs that I could trust, I might consider that, but I would either want to stand over him/her while it was being done or to help with the project.

Any thoughts? Anyone know where I can find step by steps with pics? I remember someone posted something about a year or so ago that was fairly detailed but I haven't found it yet.

Rick