15in subwoofer install in my 2015 Genesis with the premium 17 speaker system

[carguy75]

I have decided to install a 15in Power Acoustic subwoofer in my Genesis to gain a bit more low end sound. The stock system sounds good to me but the bass response is fairly weak with the stock sub.

I am collecting the items needed for the install such as amp kit, line out adapter, and some tap screws.

I originally was thinking that I had to tap an signal wire from the rear deck subwoofer that requires me to remove the deck deck panel(and rear seat), however I learned that the stock amp is located in trunk behind the trunk liner on the driver side. Therefore, I would only have to tap the wires that send the sound to the stock subwoofer which makes this install much easier than I thought it would be. I would be able to do the entire sub/amp install inside the trunk area since the battery is also located in the trunk as well. The only panel I would need to remove would be the trunk liner/trim panels.

I will only set the amp crossover to send the subwoofer a really low 40hz signal so that it only provides a low end response that I can feel in the driver seat without being "boomy" and overpowering the rest of the sound from the other speakers.

I used this subwoofer in another car(2005 Mercury Montego) in the same fashion to boost the stock premium sound system with weak 6X9 subs in the rear deck. The sound was amazing, clean and solid.

I will do a DIY on the install for anyone else who wants to add a subwoofer to the stock Genesis system.

The sub mounted in my old 2005 Mercury Montego AWD Premium

How the sub looks in my Genesis trunk when I test fitted it.

 

[carguy75]

I started on the amp install. The parts I needed was:
-Heat gun or blower
-Power drill or nut driver
-Wire strippers and large Crimping tool
-Electrical connectors(heat shrink preferred)
-8 gauge amp power kit that includes 100amp fuse, RCA cable,speaker, and remote wires
-Metal tap screws
-Metal pipe strap for securing the speaker box to the chassis.
-Line out convertor (LOC) with a remote output to turn the amp on and off.
-Wire taps to feed-off the stock amp subwoofer signal output.

The install was fairly simple on the Genesis due to the battery being in the trunk. I only had to remove the trunk trim on the driver side. Once the trim is removed then you will have access to the amp.


Next, before touching the factory amp connectors I recommend removing the 25amp fuse(to prevent damaging shorts) that powers the amp in the fuse box located on the passenger side.


Here is where things can get tricky. I downloaded the incorrect wiring diagram for the non-premium system which has the subwoofer inputs in a different location than in my premium system. Therefore, I tapped into the wrong wires hence my LOC did not provide a remote turn signal from my amp. I mistakenly tapped into two positive(+) speakers leads for a surround speaker and front door speaker instead of the subwoofer leads(- and +).

I used this diagram(non-premium 14 speaker system) by mistake and tapped into these wires. If you have a non-premium sound system than this would be the wires to tap into for the subwoofer output.


The incorrect wires tapped for the premium 17 speaker system; this works for the 14 speaker system


I suggest using heat shrink wrap on the crimped connectors as opposed to using only tape or relying on just the crimp joints.


Heat shrink wrapping my ground cable with a heat blower after crimping the ring connector.



After I connected my components I tested the system out and discovered that my amp would not come on. Today I discovered the wiring mistake I made and will fix it later when I receive some items from Amazon. However, the hard part of the install is over which is mainly my connections. I only have to remove my trunk panels again and then tap into the correct wires on the factory amp.

LOC and amp wired up. The system only needs the power, ground, and proper signal wires installed to complete the install.

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I removed everything until some 3M tape and small ring connectors(for the LOC ground) arrive to finish up my install.

 

[carguy75]

Today I finished the subwoofer install and it sounds great. I ended up bypassing the LOC converter signal sensing feature and connected the amp remote power wire to the stock amp accessory power wire and it works perfectly. The Crunch amp turns and off like the stock amp.

I have the Crunch amp turned all the way down so that bass is not overbearing compared to the stock speakers. The sub hits hard and deep without waking up the neighborhood. I tested the sound with a higher setting and it was too loud for easy listening while having my garage sound like an audio installation shop. I actually turn the input amp level to the lowest setting as well as the LOC. The amp crossover is set to 40hz so that it just produce bass that can be felt in the driver seat similar to my home stereo system with a 10in Polk subwoofer. I am happy with the results. The 15in sub really highlights how weak the stock sub is in providing clean sounding bass that can be felt.

My power and ground wires connected.



The LOC connected and secured with 3M tape.



The proper diagram for the 17 speaker premium sound system and the correct wires to tap for remote power and a signal for sound.


Stock amp accessory wire tapped to remote power the aftermarket amp.


The finished product

 

[Suburbazine]

Your battery looks like it's mounted improperly. The positive box isn't normally askew like that, check the base of the battery and make sure it's firmly stuffed into the fixed hold downs before tightening the removable one.

 

[carguy75]

Your battery looks like it's mounted improperly. The positive box isn't normally askew like that, check the base of the battery and make sure it's firmly stuffed into the fixed hold downs before tightening the removable one.

Thanks I will check it. I did not notice it was uneven until I look at my picture again. Good eye.

 

[carguy75]

I have done some more tweaking of the sound system and got it sounding perfect for me. I ended up setting the the factory stereo EQ to +6 treble,0 midrange,0 bass. The amp gain was raised to about halfway, the crossover set to about 60hz, and bass level 0. The overall sound is clear and very very clean. The high and vocals are clear. The bass is strong but not "boomy" inside the cabin. I love it.

I am glad I went with a 15in woofer since the trunk of the Genesis is well insulated and would really subdue any other single smaller sized woofer unless you go with a expensive woofer like a Sundown in a larger enclosure. The sealed box 15in I have is a perfect fit that require minimal trunk space.

The bass is strong even with the backseat arm rest up and hits hard as low as 20hz per a bass sound test album I use. If I open the trunk the bass is very very very loud, but subdued in the cabin. Perfect.

 

[carguy75]

I damaged my Power Acoustix subwoofer and replaced it with a beefier Kick comp R subwoofer. The Power Acoustix hit hard but the Kicker Comp R put it to shame. I have the Kicker dual 2ohm voice coils bridge to 1ohm like the older Power Acoustix sub which pushes the Crunch amp to about a clean 500 watts rms even if Crunch rates it at 1000 watts at 1ohm rms.

My new factory radio EQ setting is +6 treble, -2 bass, +2 mid-range since the Kicker hits too strong if the bass level is raised or even zeroed. The sound is clear and has depth with this setting with the Kicker.

Here is how the 15in Kicker Comp R compares the 15in Power Acoustix PW3-15. I mistakenly called the Power Acoustix woofer PW-2.


PA woofer magnet cover removed.


Kicker thick rubber surround that is stitched to the woofer cone vs. PA foam that is only glued to the woofer cone.


Kicker has larger voice coils(3in vs. 2in for the PA) and a larger magnet with a thicker basket frame.


The Kicker looks better in the trunk also.

 

[Alfer]

Looks good.

How do you protect the sub speaker from being damaged when you put cargo etc in the trunk?

 

[carguy75]

Looks good.

How do you protect the sub speaker from being damaged when you put cargo etc in the trunk?

Thank you.

I will install a Kicker Comp R speaker grill to protect it. I really do not carry much in my trunk besides some groceries so it should be fine. In all honesty, I really do not use my trunk at all.

 

[carguy75]

I have order a new amp due to my older Crunch amp overheating after about an hour of playing music on my commutes under the 1 ohm load needed to push the 800rms rated Kicker subwoofer. The Crunch amp takes about 20mins to cool and restart after the thermal protection is triggered.

The amp I ordered is made by Precision Power called the TRAX1.2000D and has a 700rms rating at 4ohms/1000rms at 2ohms. Therefore, I will rewire(series connection) the Kicker 2ohm dual voice coils to make a 4ohm load on the new amp which will run cooler. Furthermore, the Precision Audio amp only have two 25 amp fuses compared the older Crunch amp having four 25 amp fuses so it would be a lesser load on my electrical system.

I have not measured but I assume the Crunch amp is pulling about 60-70 amps of current from my Genesis electrical system. The newer Precision Power amp will only pull about 30-40 amps of current so it will be a lesser strain on the stock electrical system.

I tried to just use my older audio equipment for some extra bass, but the newer audio equipment in the current audio market is much better designed and more efficient than the crap I am using that was made back in 2007 like my Crunch amp and Power Acoutix subwoofer. The Bassworx sub box is the only older thing I am going to keep using since it fits perfectly in my trunk rear section.

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[carguy75]

Looks good.

How do you protect the sub speaker from being damaged when you put cargo etc in the trunk?

I have this grill installed now to protect the speaker.

 

[LD5050]

Not a bad install!
I worked at a local high end car audio shop for several years, and my biggest piece of advice for DIYers is to pay attention to your amp install wires. 0 gauge CCA (copper clad aluminum) isnt worth a hill of beans compared to non-CCA wiring. You can feel the difference holding it, one feels like aluminum tin foil and the other feels like a full can of beans. The weight betrays the quality. You can’t get any thicker than 0 gauge, but if it’s CCA, less than 1,000watts RMA will melt it in a heartbeat. Hint: if you paid less than $150 for an amp kit rated for 1,000 watts, you bought CCA.
The quality of the LoC can factor in, but not as much.
Also, grind the paint off the chassey before you ground

I’ll soon be putting a JL Audio W6 or W7 in the trunk, depends on how my new infinite-baffle box design works with the 2019 G80’s pass-through back seat opening. Had a 13” W7 in my 2012 GT500 powered by a 1.2k watt Slash amp, but didn’t go IB and very much regretted it.

 

[carguy75]

Not a bad install!
I worked at a local high end car audio shop for several years, and my biggest piece of advice for DIYers is to pay attention to your amp install wires. 0 gauge CCA (copper clad aluminum) isnt worth a hill of beans compared to non-CCA wiring. You can feel the difference holding it, one feels like aluminum tin foil and the other feels like a full can of beans. The weight betrays the quality. You can’t get any thicker than 0 gauge, but if it’s CCA, less than 1,000watts RMA will melt it in a heartbeat. Hint: if you paid less than $150 for an amp kit rated for 1,000 watts, you bought CCA.
The quality of the LoC can factor in, but not as much.
Also, grind the paint off the chassey before you ground

I’ll soon be putting a JL Audio W6 or W7 in the trunk, depends on how my new infinite-baffle box design works with the 2019 G80’s pass-through back seat opening. Had a 13” W7 in my 2012 GT500 powered by a 1.2k watt Slash amp, but didn’t go IB and very much regretted it.

Thank you.

I have done some amateur audio installation work over the years on my cars and a few clients that wanted to save a few bucks over going to the local install shops. I had a few friends that was in my high school electronics club that worked as installers that gave me tips over the years that helped me improve my knowledge over the years back when I did this stuff more often.

I used a 4 gauge power cable due to the short length needed(about 3ft) to connect the battery to the amp. If i ran a longer power cable then I would have gone with a 2 gauge or even 0 gauge wire.

Since I really did not want to risk scraping away my interior metal protective paint coating , I just drilled the ground bolt into the chassis which is bare metal through the threads so the ground is good without scrapping away paint. I only scrap away paint if the bolt used is painted or not made of steel.

It sounds like you will have bad ass sounding system with the JL audio w-series woofers. I never really prefer infinite baffles over sealed boxes, however free air setups do leave more room in the trunk while providing hard hitting bass like large sealed enclosures if done correctly.

Post pics when you are done.

 

[carguy75]

Today I swapped the older Crunch amp for a newer model Precision Power Trax amp. After receiving my amp I noticed that I must have looked at another amp by mistake since this amp has two 50 amp fuses, not two 25 amp fuses like I thought. Therefore, the current drain will be similar to the older Crunch amp with four 25 amp fuse so it will be the same drain on the electrical system.

The only real improvement is that the amp can produce nearly the same output of 700 rms watts with only a 4ohm load which means it will run cooler and longer than my older Crunch amp set up to run a 1ohm load at 1000 watts(more like 700rms).

I bridged my Kicker subwoofer 2ohm voice coils in series for a 4ohm load so the amp would run cooler in the Genesis insulated trunk so hopefully it does not shutdown after about an hour of use like my old Crunch amp bridged to 1ohm.

The sound is about the same with the new amp even running at 4ohms, so the bass is strong with the new amp like with the old amp. However, I do miss the illuminated Crunch logo that can be seen when the rear arm rest/pass thru is down. The new amp is boring looking.

The new Precision Power amp installed.

 

[carguy75]

Update: The new amp does run cooler and do not shutoff after an hour of use like my old amp. So far so good.

Here is how the new amp look when the armrest is down. Very plain but clean looking.

 

[jabucks1]

I need some help in installing a sub in my 2015 Genesis Sedan. Can I ask you some questions?

 

[carguy75]

I need some help in installing a sub in my 2015 Genesis Sedan. Can I ask you some questions?

Yes. What do you need to ask?

 

[jabucks1]

I am purchasing a inline converter to tap into the rear deck speakers. I am finding out the rear speaks are impossible to get too. Does a inline converter work like you hooked yours up to existing amp wires. I have a 2015 sedan, ty,

 

[Suburbazine]

I am purchasing a inline converter to tap into the rear deck speakers. I am finding out the rear speaks are impossible to get too. Does a inline converter work like you hooked yours up to existing amp wires. I have a 2015 sedan, ty,

Amp is the only easy way to get to wires.

 

[RyanB]

With the lockdown going in I decided to give this a try with a sub and amp I bought at a best buy that closed down about 6 years ago. I got 2 Polk DXI12's a single box, a dual box, a Pioneer GM-5400T and a zero gauge install kit for $100 out the door. I didn't realize that non of it would fit in the trunk of my Sentra at the time so it has been sitting in my basement all these years until this past weekend! Yes I know that these are entry level subs and amp and I went with just the single sub and even with the gain control turned down and the head set bass set to 2 this thing thumps. Even classic rock sounds great now. The hardest part of this install was removing all the lining in the trunk. Skipped the inline converter and just taped into the stock amp -,+ and control and it was up and running!