Genesis Bass Upgrade - Easy, Effective and (relatively) Unobtrusive

[JerryK73]

Miss my 09 E92 M3.

 

[Mac67]

Theres a subwoofer on the 2015 genesis sedan? Where is it located? I've only seen 2 speakers in the back from the trunk.

 

[Suburbazine]

Theres a subwoofer on the 2015 genesis sedan? Where is it located? I've only seen 2 speakers in the back from the trunk.

There's three grilles on the rear deck, center grille is a flat cone sub (if equipped).

 

[brettjv]

Nice job mate, I like it! I'm strongly thinking of picking up a '15 or '16 3.8 next month (going to get a tech package but not Ultimate so I can get Android Auto) and I'm keenly interested in what you're doing here.

A few questions if I may ...
1) So, is there only 1 amp in the car for the whole system i.e. all wires from head unit run to one central location, then out to all 15 or 19 or however many speakers? That's friggin handy if so.
2) Looks like it's in the trunk along w/the battery? That's double handy.
3) Any idea how hot the wires are going INTO the amp? Any chance they're actually line-level or close to it? I'm keen to avoid a LLC if possible, have a couple of 'vintage' V12 Alpines (from mid-90's, the things are beautiful inside ... all point-to-point wiring, and tank-like) I'd like to deploy and they have only line-in inputs. Obviously not critical to avoid step-down but hell if the head is putting out line-level or close to that voltage ... might as well ...
4) What's the situation with crossovers on the front door speakers? Any idea how/where the crossovers are located? I mean physically, not crossover points, but rather where in the chain crossover happens?
5) Ever seen any harnesses that would attach to the plugs going into the amp, so as to avoid cutting/splicing?
6) Are there separate speaker wires coming off the amp for every speaker, or are the doors paired up on one wire each then split to all the speakers in the doors (either via simple caps or maybe xovers in the doors)?
7) You think the dashboard speakers are even worth leaving plugged in? I don't mean the center, I mean the other two. They sound any good on their own?
8) What are the large driver sizes in the doors? Are they 4, 5.25, or 6.5's? And how about the rear ones? I'm thinking of maybe dropping mid-bass speakers in the rear deck along w/sub in the trunk, maybe like you did it with the IB.

Thanks for any advice good sir!

~brett

 

[Suburbazine]

Nice job mate, I like it! I'm strongly thinking of picking up a '15 or '16 3.8 next month (going to get a tech package but not Ultimate so I can get Android Auto) and I'm keenly interested in what you're doing here.

A few questions if I may ...
1) So, is there only 1 amp in the car for the whole system i.e. all wires from head unit run to one central location, then out to all 15 or 19 or however many speakers? That's friggin handy if so.
One amp.

2) Looks like it's in the trunk along w/the battery? That's double handy.
Left rear trunk quarter panel mounted inside the fender. Battery is right side of tire well and fuse panel is right fender.

3) Any idea how hot the wires are going INTO the amp? Any chance they're actually line-level or close to it? I'm keen to avoid a LLC if possible, have a couple of 'vintage' V12 Alpines (from mid-90's, the things are beautiful inside ... all point-to-point wiring, and tank-like) I'd like to deploy and they have only line-in inputs. Obviously not critical to avoid step-down but hell if the head is putting out line-level or close to that voltage ... might as well ...
No source for line level audio between head unit and amp. Audio is distributed via a proprietary TOSlink (MOST) and the amp handles D/A conversion. You can get speaker level outs, but they are scaling rather than linear so expect to need a gain control. Also keep in mind that the system uses TimeDomainAlignment even when not in "surround" mode which can cause further issues to tapping audio.

4) What's the situation with crossovers on the front door speakers? Any idea how/where the crossovers are located? I mean physically, not crossover points, but rather where in the chain crossover happens?
Crossover is handled by the amplifier inside the QuantumLogic programming. I think there are additional physical high/mid cut circuitry at the speakers, not just caps but not full crossover gear either.

5) Ever seen any harnesses that would attach to the plugs going into the amp, so as to avoid cutting/splicing?
Doesn't exist.

6) Are there separate speaker wires coming off the amp for every speaker, or are the doors paired up on one wire each then split to all the speakers in the doors (either via simple caps or maybe xovers in the doors)?
Doors are combined, remainder are individual. So 4 pairs for doors, one pair each for everything else.

7) You think the dashboard speakers are even worth leaving plugged in? I don't mean the center, I mean the other two. They sound any good on their own?
The entire system is synergistic. You'll be losing a frequency notch is you take those mids out of play. They're designed to reflect off the windshield to widen the soundstage.

8) What are the large driver sizes in the doors? Are they 4, 5.25, or 6.5's? And how about the rear ones? I'm thinking of maybe dropping mid-bass speakers in the rear deck along w/sub in the trunk, maybe like you did it with the IB.
Not sure on the sizes. Changing the existing speakers will definitely have unintended effects as each speaker has its response range managed by the amplifier.

Thanks for any advice good sir!

~brett

 

[brettjv]

snipped

Dude, you're friggin AWESOME, thanks so much for the great answers!

 

[tate clark]

I have been upgrading audio systems in virtually every car I have owned for over 30 years. Some cars you have to do a lot (if you are picky like me), others not so much. When I bought this car I was fully aware that the 17-speaker Lexicon system is one of the better ones in the market and that my aging ears would perhaps accept this one for what it is. While I have pretty much accepted the mid- and high range frequencies to be of acceptable quality, I was not satisfied with the bass in this car. It was inadequate for me and I had to do something to help bring the bass frequencies to the level of the rest of the system, both in quality and volume.

I consider myself to have above average experience with subwoofers in sedans, as I have lost count of the various different types of bass drivers and enclosures I have tried over the years, none of which have really satisfied my quench for almost "perfect" bass until I discovered the infinite baffle concept in my last car, a 3-series BMW. Infinite baffle is the most basic subwoofer mounting solution using a large baffle to mount the driver and to separate the sound waves coming from the front and back sides of the subwoofer. The most common/known application for this type of set-up would be a subwoofer mounted in a wall or ceiling of home theatre space. The front waves of the subwoofer are generated in the listening space, while the back waves are easily passed off into the attic (and never to be heard again). The key is to have two separate rooms or spaces where the sound waves from the front and the back of the cone are not allowed to interact (=cancel).

In the car the infinite baffle concept can also be implemented, as long as there are two separate but adjacent cabins, which are separated by a stable baffle, and which a large enough volume that does not cause too much pressurization of the air in each space. In a sedan, it just so happens that the passenger cabin and the trunk qualify as suitable cabins, separated by a usable baffle called the back seat. In fact, Hyundai already implemented the IB concept in our cars, however they used the hat shelf instead of the back seat as the baffle, and they did a poor job selecting the type and size of subwoofer and that's why it underwhelms.

As far as the hardware is concerned, for infinite baffle to work properly in cars (as well as in home theaters or anywhere else), you must have:

a) Large surface area subwoofer(s), or
b) Large displacement subwoofers, or both.
c) A subwoofer that has the correct specs for the application
d) Sufficient amplification

In our OEM systems, neither a) or b) (and probably c)) are provided, so no chance whatsoever to have decent bass in our cars.

So how can you add bass to the Genesis OEM system? - There are many aftermarket choices, and most involve a subwoofer enclosure in the trunk driven by an aftermarket amplifier, and most will give the average consumer at least acceptable results. In my case however, I am cursed with a healthy dose of ADHD and the knowledge of what a well integrated subwoofer system should sound like, and absolutely cannot settle for anything but excellent results, and my choices were to accept what the OEM system provides, or come up with a solution that will be fully satisfactory to my ears. Luckily, I was able to achieve that in my last car, and besides being a little bigger, the Genesis checks off in all the required boxes, so it was not a far stretch to get that achieved.

This time around however, I wanted to keep it simple, because the days where I could stick my head into the trunk of a car and tinker around for a couple of days without "consequences" are surely over. At the same time, I did not want to spend nearly as much money as I had in the past. Therefore, I tried to use some parts I already had, and purchased the type of hardware that would give me the quality and power level I required, all while keeping it as simple as possible. Here is the list of hardware I used:

Subwoofer: Soundstream Reference SS12R (12") - This is an "old school" subwoofer that I had collecting dust in the closet, but I knew was almost perfect for this job. Cost: $0

Subwoofer mounting plate: I had this from a previous install. Cost $0

Wiring: Again, I had a box full of it. Cost $0

Amplifier/ Line output converter: AudioControl LC-1.800. Cost $300 (open box). This unit has a built-in LOC (line output converter) meaning you can feed the subwoofer signal from the OEM amp directly into this amp. Also, it has enough power for the job (500W for my 4ohm Sounstream).

That's it! Now for the process:

Audio signal input connections: It has already been documented on this forum which wires to tap from the OEM amp output harness. In my case I did not want the OEM subwoofer to keep playing and interfere with the other subwoofer, so I cut the lines, soldered the connections to speaker cable, and ran the wires into the AudioControl amp.

Power and ground connections: 8-gauge power cable run to the battery positive terminal and fused within 4" of battery. 8 gauge ground wire connected to batter grounding point, near battery.

Remote turn on for amp: This is the pink wire in the white amplifier harness. Tapped it and ran new wire to amp.

Amp mounting: After some thought, I got rid of the styrofoam piece that sits on top of the spare tire and holds the tire-changing tools, and fabricated a simple plywood board that sits on top of the spare tire. I have not secured the board yet but I am thinking about using a long threaded bolt with washers and nuts to connect it to one of the spare tire mounting holes. Just need to make it to Ace in the next few days. The amp is mounted on top of the board in close proximity to the battery, to keep the power and ground wires as short as possible.

Subwoofer mounting: The adapter plate, roughly 14"x14"x0.75", bolts right into the back seat with sheet metal screws (back seat has metal wall), and placed to completely cover the ski-hole opening.

That's it!

Everything fired right up as it should, no problems whatsoever. A few adjustments on the amp and off we go...

How does it sound? - Just as I expected, loud enough to give me a back massage if I want to, but mostly very subtle, warm and neutral sounding, and fully integrated into the OEM sound meaning you cannot tell there is an aftermarket subwoofer system there at all.

The other benefit of the IB install is that I only lost a small amount of trunk space, and the wife will be happy that I can still fit her "coffin" suitcase the next time we go on a trip.

I have a 2018 genesis G80 and i just added bass to my car and after a while with no music playing or once i turn down the radio the subwoofers play a loud rumbling noise. I was told o have to disengaged the anc (active noise canceling) how do it disable that

 

[Elisedpie]

I have a 2018 genesis G80 and i just added bass to my car and after a while with no music playing or once i turn down the radio the subwoofers play a loud rumbling noise. I was told o have to disengaged the anc (active noise canceling) how do it disable that

How did you re-enable that?
I'm looking to add a subwoofer to my 2018 G80 because I feel there is absolutely necessary no bass in my sound system.

 

[jsamuels2013]

I have a 2018 genesis G80 and i just added bass to my car and after a while with no music playing or once i turn down the radio the subwoofers play a loud rumbling noise. I was told o have to disengaged the anc (active noise canceling) how do it disable that

Which wires did you tap to get the signal for the sub? Did you use connector A? Also did you use the pink wire for the turn on wire?

 

[yepvegas]

Oh this does bring back memories. Very Nice sometime simple is just better. My question for you is this... when the arm rest is up in case you have an extra passenger in the back how does it sound? Is it still pretty good? Or do you loose a lot of output? I ask since I frequently have all three of the kiddos in the back and the wifey in the front. I was considering the a similar solution but was thinking of replacing the stock subwoofer in the rear deck with a 12in sub and using an adapter plate and since I have to remove the rear deck cover I figured I could just add some extra sound deadening in that area. If I go this rough I would only need to trim up the around sub to make some room for the magnet. My biggest concern is the rear window shade will rattle. But it may not be an issue since it does not appear to rattle when in the up position and that is the way I always leave it anyways.

Thank you in advance for you coments.

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[Suburbazine]

Oh this does bring back memories. Very Nice sometime simple is just better. My question for you is this... when the arm rest is up in case you have an extra passenger in the back how does it sound? Is it still pretty good? Or do you loose a lot of output? I ask since I frequently have all three of the kiddos in the back and the wifey in the front. I was considering the a similar solution but was thinking of replacing the stock subwoofer in the rear deck with a 12in sub and using an adapter plate and since I have to remove the rear deck cover I figured I could just add some extra sound deadening in that area. If I go this rough I would only need to trim up the around sub to make some room for the magnet. My biggest concern is the rear window shade will rattle. But it may not be an issue since it does not appear to rattle when in the up position and that is the way I always leave it anyways.

Thank you in advance for you coments.

Mine runs fine with the ski door closed and armrest up, in fact I tuned the system to run best like that. However, I'm not running a plate mod sub, mine is a sized and ported box.

But if I want much heavier bass, popping the ski door open and cracking the back windows does the trick.

Be aware that the trunk deck has a resonant frequency around 57hz and can cause some unexpected noises if you strap a sub to it.