Aftermarket Amp Installed in '06

[GeoGeek]

This weekend I completed the install of an Xtant 3300c amplifier in my '06 (package 4, no NAV, no JBL).
It went very smoothly thanks to the guides posted here by Sparky & Chris Dragon....thanks guys.
A couple things I didn't see specifics on, however was how, exactly, to tap in for signal from the factory head unit....so I thought I'd let everyone know what it took to get it done.
Parts: Metra part 70-1761 & Part 71-1761 (available at Best Buy)
Scosche SLC-4 (line level adapter available from Crutchfield)
About 4 feet each of 4 gage (this will depend on your amp's requirements)
power & ground cable with terminals.
2 pairs of 17-foot RCA jacks
17 feet of 4-conducter speaker wire and amp turn-on lead

What I can confirm is that these wiring harness adapters definately work in the '06 Prius (at least those with no NAV & no JBL). I can also confirm that the SLC-4 pairs up nicely with the output from the factory head unit (barring the CD output levels I mentioned in an earlier post..but not a huge problem).

The other thing I can confirm is that there is much to be gained from upgrading the factory speakers and adding an Amp.

A few pictures of the finished product & work-in-progress.

[toph]

Looks good....Nice fit....

Wish I could hear it!

[slortz]

Looks like you have a 150A fuse on that bad boy. I think if you try to draw that much current you may blow the fuse on the high voltage inverter in the car. I believe the hv inverter is capable of putting out 100A max...so what you safely have on tap would be even less than that because the car uses a certain amount for various functions. On another thread someone did a good job of quantifying the current usage with different combinations of accessories running.

I have an amp that calls for a 135A fuse but I put in an 80A circuit breaker instead.

Nice install, in all other regards.

[slortz]

I couldn't find the post that I wanted but here is one from DanMan32 that adds to the notion that about 80A is the most you might want to draw.
http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=1...ndpost&p=172336

[Presto]

There is a 120A fuse on the 12V Aux Battery. For your amp setup, I would go with with no more than a 40 Amp fuse. With a 150A fuse, you might as well be going with no fuse at all since that would only be good for protecting the battery from a short circuit if the power wire comes loose and grounds itself on the frame. If you are pushing the amp to the limit, you'll probably draw, at most, 30 Amps.

I am sucking down about 700 watts RMS with my amp and I have it protected with a 60 amp fuse, and it hasn't blown yet despite having the system cranked regularly.

[GeoGeek]

The 150 Amp fuse is there because it was the next notch up from the 100 Amps
max draw suggested by the two 50Amp fuses on-board the Amplifier.
It's really just there for dead-short protection....it's intended to limit the length of unfused cable between the battery & a blow-able fuse.

Realistically, I don't think I'll ever draw anywhere near the 100 Amps that the internal fuses would allow.....more likely, by running the Amp in 3 channel mode, with each channel driven into only 4 ohms, I'll probably be generating no more than 360 watts. That said, I'll probably never pull more than 50Amps of current.

BTW, my wiring by-passes the 120A fuse by tapping in right to the +12V battery post...so that's not in play.

I may upgrade to the Optima Yellow-top I've heard about if it looks like the amplifier's drawing more juice than the factory battery can muster.

Now I just need to fabricate one of those sweet fiberglass sub enclosures I've seen others (here on PriusChat) building. Looking to put either a JL 10W3v2 or
a Diamond Audio D6 10".....anyone know how well those do in the Prius???

Thanks for all your input!

Originally posted by Presto@Mar 15 2006, 01:15 AM
There is a 120A fuse on the 12V Aux Battery. For your amp setup, I would go with with no more than a 40 Amp fuse. With a 150A fuse, you might as well be going with no fuse at all since that would only be good for protecting the battery from a short circuit if the power wire comes loose and grounds itself on the frame.  If you are pushing the amp to the limit, you'll probably draw, at most, 30 Amps.

I am sucking down about 700 watts RMS with my amp and I have it protected with a 60 amp fuse, and it hasn't blown yet despite having the system cranked regularly.

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[slortz]

Originally posted by GeoGeek@Mar 15 2006, 10:32 AM
BTW, my wiring by-passes the 120A fuse by tapping in right to the +12V battery post...so that's not in play.

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I one sense yes, but in actuality you can't really by-pass the hv inverter because that is feeding the 12V system. If you overdraw what the 12V battery can supply then essentially the power will be provided from the hv battery through the inverter and hence through the 120A fuse. Just thought I might clarify this in case someone might think they can pull over 120A from the 12V system without risking blowing the fuse on the inverter.
Anyways, like you said, I don't think you are running a risk if your sure your amp isn't pulling too much.
BTW, I tapped in to the 12V battery the same way you did and also thought about adding an additional battery but so far I haven't had a problem. The amp I have is capable of 800W RMS. I have a single 10" Infinity Perfect running on it now and another waiting in the wings for me to finish building its enclosure. Going with this 10" speaker size, trying to fit it in the side cubby over the battery, trying to meet the enclosure volume specs, and trying to leave the trunk bottom storarge compartment unobstructed, presented a lot of conflicts. I got it to work and am happy with the results but it was tons of work and I had to cut out parts of the stiff trunk lining to create more volume for the enclosure to meet spec. In the end, it may not have mattered so much to get the exact 1.0 cubic foot called out, oh well, what's done is done.

I've never heard any Diamond Audio stuff so can't comment there, but I really like JL Audio woofers. I had a pair of 12s in my previous car (can't remember the model but it wasn't even one their top ones) and I think I liked the JL sound better than the Infinity I am running now. I know it's hard to make a straight comparison because so many things are different between the setups so take that solely as my impression and nothing else.

[Presto]

Originally posted by GeoGeek@Mar 15 2006, 07:32 AM

Now I just need to fabricate one of those sweet fiberglass sub enclosures I've seen others (here on PriusChat) building. Looking to put either a JL 10W3v2 or
a Diamond Audio D6 10".....anyone know how well those do in the Prius???

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I'll throw in my thumbs up for the JL Audio. I purchased a 10W6V2 last weekend, and was not disappointed! This is my first JL Audio sub. I've used Alpine and Infinity and was pretty happy with those, but JL blows them out of the water.

What are you plans for cooling the amp? Just leave the cover off?

[eagle33199]

If you're looking to build a fiberglass enclosure, wait a few more days and i'll have a finished tutorial on how to do it posted on here somewhere (got the messy parts done, just working on the finishing touches right now)

I'll also be including a lot of info on the JBL amp that comes with the upgrade package if anyone is looking to tap into that to bypass/suppliment it.

[GeoGeek]

The Xtant 3300c has built-in fan cooling....with that and the extra open air space
in the storage bin, I think it should work okay.
I'll know better once I put the sub in and really put the amp to work.
If push comes to shove I could install another fan to ventilate the storage bin....I've seen pictures (here on PriusChat) where somebody else did that.

I think I'll probably go with the Diamond Audio 10.......
I've owned many different subwoofers over the years, including several JL models.
And although I have had really good experience with JL, all the other speakers in the Prius are now Diamond. I've been told that, after much use, the JL's suspension tends to loosen up....I've owned a Diamond sub before (12"-M5) & that didn't happen....even after 6 years of healthy workouts.

Originally posted by Presto@Mar 15 2006, 04:24 PM
I'll throw in my thumbs up for the JL Audio. I purchased a 10W6V2 last weekend, and was not disappointed! This is my first JL Audio sub. I've used Alpine and Infinity and was pretty happy with those, but JL blows them out of the water.

What are you plans for cooling the amp? Just leave the cover off?

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