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Installed Alpine Type R 10" Subwoofer!

Discussion in 'Prius c Audio and Electronics' started by Daze, May 7, 2012.

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  1. Daze

    Daze Prius C Owner

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    Alpine Subwoofer Installed!!

    I just got around to installing my subwoofer in my Prius C 4. It took me about 3 hours to finish and get it set up just right. I mounted the sub in a cheap sealed enclosure which im planning on upgrading sometime in the future. I think i might make one myself if i find time for it. It sounds amazing, i love it! It moves my rearview mirror out of place if i turn it up enough. I will take lots more pictures tomorrow of the setup, for now i only have one. Ill also upload a video so you guys can see for yourself how great it sounds :rockon:

    I mounted the amp to the backseat behind the sub and ran the wiring through the seat to the battery. I was going to mount the amp under the styrofoam inserts but i didnt feel like cutting out parts of the styrofoam. I used industrial strength velcro to keep the Sub secured.

    Sub: Alpine Type R 10" (SWR-1043D)
    Amplifier: Alpine MRP-M500

    For my next project i am planning on replacing the factory speakers or installing black rims.
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 Daze, May 7, 2012
    RajSesh and nallioni like this.
  2. actiondonkey

    actiondonkey Member

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    Re: Alpine Subwoofer Installed!!

    Interested to hear what, if any, impact this has on your eco cruise range and overall MPG. I'd highly recommend a capacitor to anyone installing a strong amp/speaker combo.
     
    #2 actiondonkey, May 7, 2012
  3. Wharfe

    Wharfe Junior Member

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    Good stuff, Daze! I upgraded my speakers & head unit. On the fence about adding either an amp for the speakers or a small Bazooka sub. I think I will do neither, but it's a hard call.
     
    #3 Wharfe, May 7, 2012
  4. Daze

    Daze Prius C Owner

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    Thanks! I think you should think about adding the bazooka sub if thats what you have your eyes on. I dont know what your upgraded system sounds like so it might not be worth it if youre already happy with your sound. But for me it was well worth the time, money, and effort. The sound is a lot more full with my subwoofer. I had to set my gain really low because it was overpowering my speakers, you couldnt even hear them. As a test i turned up the volume really loud and my rearview mirror was being moved out of place!
     
    #4 Daze, May 7, 2012
  5. nallioni

    nallioni New Member

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    thats a very nice clean install
     
    #5 nallioni, May 7, 2012
  6. Tycho_Brahe

    Tycho_Brahe New Member

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    Re: Alpine Subwoofer Installed!!

    Nice looking job, Daze ! I like that subwoofer. I bet it pounds. That's a sealed box ? I wonder how many cubic feet that is. It is smaller than I expected for a 10 inch driver.

    Hey, I was wondering how you managed to mount the amp to the back seat. I'm picturing the back of the back seat - there are only metal rods behind the fabric of the seat, right ? Or is there wood in there to screw to ?
     
    #6 Tycho_Brahe, May 7, 2012
  7. Daze

    Daze Prius C Owner

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    Re: Alpine Subwoofer Installed!!

    So far i have not noticed any difference in MPG's. I dont think that it affects the car as much as one would think. I wont be needing a capacitator, i havent had any issues at all! Only time will tell though.
     
    #7 Daze, May 12, 2012
  8. LasVegasPriusC

    LasVegasPriusC New Member

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    I have a prius C I just had one sub and a 400 watt amp installed and my MPG dropped down to 35 mpg when I was getting about 50 give or take could the amp install have anything to do with that? Any help would be greatly appreciated
     
    #8 LasVegasPriusC, May 23, 2012
  9. ajtozzi

    ajtozzi Junior Member

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    Disconnect the amp (remove the fuse at the battery) and see if your MPG goes back up. I doubt it would have that large of an impact on it, but you never know.
     
    #9 ajtozzi, May 23, 2012
  10. Tycho_Brahe

    Tycho_Brahe New Member

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    You'd think it would have to affect it at least a little but that sounds really extreme. I don't keep mine turned up but on the 4 channels combined it's max 250W RMS the way I have it bridged. I checked it over the last couple of tanks and so far can't see any difference at all ( getting high 50's over past couple of tanks ) than before I had the amp.
     
    #10 Tycho_Brahe, May 23, 2012
  11. LasVegasPriusC

    LasVegasPriusC New Member

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    I don't really know anything about car stereos I got it installed at audio express here in Las Vegas is it easy to disconnect it and test whether or not it's the amp that is causing the 15 mpg drop? I know they disconnected the battery because I had to reset the time and date on the dash lol could they have hooked it up to the wrong battery or done a botch job? sorry I'm a newb I had a 2006 prius with the same amp and sub and it didn't effect my mpg at all I don't know what to do but it is bugging me seeing my mpg float around 38mpg on average
     
    #11 LasVegasPriusC, May 24, 2012
  12. John Muessig

    John Muessig New Member

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    How did you hookup the RCA's to the head unit? I took mine out and there's no out put.
     
    #12 John Muessig, Jun 23, 2012
  13. Daze

    Daze Prius C Owner

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    My amplifier has a feature called "speaker-level inputs" which allowed me to simply splice the system into the right channel speaker wires. If you have an amp that doesnt have this feature, you need to buy an "inline converter" to hook it up to the head unit.
     
    #13 Daze, Jun 24, 2012
  14. WaspE

    WaspE New Member

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    Great Post very useful info, thanks for sharing
     
    #14 WaspE, Jul 4, 2012
    Daze likes this.
  15. koipond

    koipond Member

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    did you wire the amp to the hybrid drive battery under the rear seats? Can you show any photos of that or comment on the process? thanks!
     
    #15 koipond, Nov 15, 2012
  16. Gun owning Prius driver

    Gun owning Prius driver Member

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    Too small a system ( very nice though) for a cap.
     
    #16 Gun owning Prius driver, Nov 18, 2012
  17. Ryephile

    Ryephile The Technophile

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    Noooo no no no. You wire the audio components to the 12V battery, which is next to the hybrid battery. They're both under the rear seat, however the hybrid battery is 144V. The 12V battery is a typical lead-acid under the right rear passenger. Be sure to put a fuse going to the amplifier right near battery terminal. Fuses are to protect the wiring from catching fire, not to protect the amplifier.
     
    #17 Ryephile, Nov 19, 2012
  18. dunston

    dunston Junior Member

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    Im curious if the car needs to be on the "ready" to be able to power the system. I'm installing mine soon with an experienced friend who has never worked on a hybrid before.
     
    #18 dunston, Dec 7, 2012
  19. Ryephile

    Ryephile The Technophile

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    Nope, just "On". Remember you're getting power from the +12V battery, so the fact the car is has a hybrid powertrain makes no difference.
     
    #19 Ryephile, Dec 7, 2012
  20. dunston

    dunston Junior Member

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    Will it use power from the Hybrid powertrain in the same way a normal car would be running the engine and spinning the alternator?
     
    #20 dunston, Dec 7, 2012
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