Anyone have a subwoofer under the seat?

I need a reference point how it sounds. Have you heard 8" Bazooka Tubes in a hatch? How is it compared to that? Louder/not as loud? Is the lower bass/shallower (hi bass)? Is it solid sounding?

Thanks

 

Just had a Kenwood KSC-SW10 Subwoofer installed under passenger seat. As I am not to be considered handy in any way shape or form I had a pro-job (non-BestBuy). This is not a blaster for sure but it has it's own amp and really fills out the sound IMHO. He offered to mount the little control box next to my ScanGaugebut I opted to just put it in the glove box with enough extra cord to bring it over to me to adjust. I mean how often does one "need" to adjust the bass? They charged a tad over $100 but install is invisable and unit sounds great, well compared to before, still the Prius sound system all around is not the top of the heap.

 

I'm debating doing and under the driver seat sub install. I don't want to put it under the hatch since I keep supplies back there and I'd rather have the intensity right near me so I don't need to rattle the trunk just to hear the bass near me. I also like the bass more so than my passengers. I was looking into getting the Amazon.com: KENWOOD KSC-SW10 Dual 5X7 inch 150 Watts Powered Enclosed Subwoofer with Remote: Car Electronics over the boss units, since I've heard bad things about boss. Can anyone sway me differently? Does anyone know if this would fit better/worse than a boss unit? Is it easy to run the cables concealed to the head unit (I have an aftermarket one with a rem slot) and to the 12 volt in the trunk?

 

I haven't tried the KSC-SW10. I have the Boss Bass600 and it ok. Looks like both get 4 stars on Amazon.

Amazon.com: Boss Audio BASS600 8-Inch Low-Profile Amplified Subwoofer (Single): Electronics

 

One guy said the Boss is better than the Kenwood:

Amazon.com: Larry J. Moya "The System Man"'s review of Boss Audio BASS600 8-Inch Low-Profile Ampl...

 

That is quite a bit more cost effective. It looks like that one will fit more hidden under my driver seat with extenders. Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out.

 

I'm actually thinking of the Kicker 11HS8. It's ~$300 but Kicker is a reputable brand. I've done 2 different car stereo setups in my cars and first time I went with Kicker. Does anybody have experience with it? It's on display at BestBuy so I'm going to look at it soon.

 

Try Velcro. Velcro has a soft side and a hard hook side. The hook side will stick to the carpet very well.

Mike

Mobile on my Asus

 

I ordered the Kicker and waiting for it to come in. The reviews for it are really good on different sites. I just want a little more bass that won't take up any cargo room and hide easily.

Anybody install this in their Prius?

 

Keep us updated please. I bought the amp wiring kit already and I am thinking of installing this under the driver's seat, where do you think you'll put it?

 

So, I can't put it under the passenger seat since there is a box underneath already...Five ATP. I have to put it under the driver seat. I am trying to figure out where to splice the wires for the rear speaker inputs. I opened up the driver kick panel and there are a lot of wires. I pulled the scuff plates on the driver door and there are wires wrapped. Any input or detailed post somebody can lead me to? I did a search already.

 

If your expectations are reasonable, under seat subs can provide nice midbass fill for smaller door speakers.

They simply don't have the box volume to put out any low bass at any significant sound pressure level. You can put the highest quality driver into a box that small and still end up with no real bass below 50-60Hz. That's not a bad thing if you have 5.25" or low sensitivity 6.5" drivers in the doors. On the other hand, those crummy OEM paper cone 6x9s turn out to be pretty efficient down to 40-50Hz and could actually produce more bass from the factory stereo, despite the claims of 100W or 200W or 300W from some of the under seat subs.

I put a Crutchfield 8" Sound Ordance under my seat. It was OK, but really lacking even at 50Hz and it just didn't impress after a while. I ended up with a very small unamplified kicker box with an 8" driver and added an amp. There was no comparison, to the ear or with a sound pressure level meter. It doesn't fit under the seat, but if you want bass 40Hz or below, you need a bigger box. Much bigger if you want to move a lot of air and/or get down to 20-30Hz.

Just my 2 cents having done it. I actually run the kicker sub and the underseat midbass unit together now. I like the extra feel of the seat moving lol.

My Subwoofer Solution | PriusChat

This is the thread that gave me the idea.

 

So you don't think Kicker - Hideaway 8" Subwoofer with Enclosure and Integrated 150W Amplifier - 11HS8 will have enough low end?

 

On the plus side, it's a bit more expensive than the Crutchfield one and also a name brand unit, so perhaps better quality. On the downside, the box is almost exactly the same size. It may be better than the Sound Ordnance I have, but if you're looking for real extension to 40Hz or lower and good volume levels, I don't think it's going to do it. I have to question the 25Hz number. Maybe that means you can detect sound at 25Hz, rather than the point where it starts to rolloff? I'd guess once you get it in your car, a 50Hz rolloff point would be very impressive for a box that small. If Best Buy has a decent return policy, it's worth a shot.

It all depends on what your expectations are. The Crutchfield one has hundreds of glowing reviews, so I think it does what a lot of people want it to do- which is midbass boom.

 

They do have a 30 day return policy no questions asked. I'd buy and try, return and buy online. Granted, if they had it hooked up in store and my car wiring was ready I'd feel more confident in buying online the first time.

 

It's worth a shot if you don't mind the hassle. The issue with mine is that I just completely missed some bass in songs. I think 40Hz is the low note on a typical bass guitar and synthesized stuff and kick drums and some other instruments go even lower. You're expecting to hear something with a little punch like you're used to hearing it, not even shake-the-car something, but it just comes off a barely audible muffled noise. That's the best way I can describe it outside of measurements that showed it didn't even perform nearly as well as the in-door OEM 6x9s I had at 40 Hz.

Granted, it did go a little lower than the 6.5" separates that replaced the 6x9s. Plus, it plays quite loud by 70Hz were a lot of pop music thumps, and I think that's what a lot of Crutchfield reviews consider to be sub-bass. Hopefully the Kicker box is better- maybe they optimize the volume inside better and with a better quality driver and a better amp with low frequency EQ it will do more. Had it been available when I bought mine, I'd have probably given it a shot.

 

So what type of installation did you wind up doing?? How does it sound? Does it drain your EV battery?

 

Anyone have this:

Amazon.com: Infinity Basslink 200-Watt, Dual 10-Inch Powered Subwoofer System (Black): Car Electronics

 

I had the Basslink under the passenger seat in my xB and it was great. Unfortunately, it's too big to hide anywhere in the Prius.

 

I kept the kicker hideaway. It hits good and takes the lows off the door speakers. I wish it hit harder sometimes, but I'm happy with it.