Blueshark

I've seen in youtube this guy Kyle, i think, has a set up of amp and kicker sub in his 2007 ES350 Ultra-luxury, I would like to know if someone can explain to me how to do so or a way to contact him for instructions.

I've read some threads about upgrading the audio vs ML and it is not promising.

I think my first projet will be that, then the Vaistech.


thanks in advance.

JC07ES350

Can't you send him a message thru youtube?

Blueshark

yes i did, but no response yet.

JC07ES350

Hopefully he response soon because I still have a new kicker sub that I want to install on my es350 also.

I was reading on other forum that the JL cleansweep or the Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty processor would work. I am thinking about going with this route.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-4ppn0Lh...es.html?page=3

Blueshark

He answered me back, great guy. So he explained to me how to install as he left the oem sub alone as is, he only extend the sub speaker wires to a LOC or RCA convertor that will be connected into the new amp and sub and of course, you have to run a 4g wire from the battery to the new amp.

I am so ready to do so with my old setup in to my new car, a Kicker DX350 monoblock with an Image Dynamic 12' sub sealed, i really like the tight bass from it.

If you want JC07, will can do it at the same time. This guy will soon release another video on how this sub setup is done, so we will see it.

JC07ES350

sounds good..can't wait until he post up that video.

Blueshark

Update, Kyle, the guy from youtube will post soon a video about the complete DIY of an aftermarket amp and sub in detail, including passing the power wire from battery to trunk and the remote installation. I case people want to update the sound system, i will keep you posted.

Elex

Blueshark -

Running power to Trunk
I've run a 8awg for an amp I have in the trunk. I ran the line through the firewall through a existing pre formed opening in the factory harness. This harness is almost directly above the accelerator. There is an pre formed pass through that is empty and perfect for running this through. On the firewall side, there is a "nipple" that you have to cut the end off of in order to pass through the wire. I also put some tire black (oil) on the wire to make it slide through the grommet easily (I've done the same for the speaker wires into the boots of the doors).

I would try using the factory grommet rather than cutting a new hole in the firewall. I just hate cutting metal, i.e. later rust issues. The factory grommet is a little diversion as it is not a straight shot to the trunk, but I then took the wire back down the channel on the left side to the trunk.


Amp upgrade
I just upgraded to a JL Audio HD 600/4 amp. I have a JL 8" sub in the deck and Polk db6501's in the rear doors and Infinity Kappa's in the front doors. I'm planning on switching out the Infitinitys with Polk's as I think they are more to my liking. (I couldn't make a decision so I ordered one set of each).

The JL amp sounds good, the true power of this is probably lost on me. I just wanted something a little more than the factory amp. I spent most of yesterday cleaning up the wiring to the JL Amp. It sits in the far left corner of the trunk, using velcro to hold it to the carpet. The wires are hidden and organized behind the rear seat and only pass through the rear horsehair material to connect to the amp, I'm finally happy with a clean install. The old JL amp (a 6450 class AB) was huge in size and had wires coming out both sides. The new JL amp has all of the wire connections on the back. Being a neat freak, I could never get this wiring cleaned up to my liking.

Rear deck sub rattle problem
One problem I've never been able to resolve is the rear deck rattle caused by the subwoofer. I've coated the topside of the deck with dynamat and most of the bottom side. I think most of the rattle comes from the crossbars on the bottom side that are tied into the trunk closing counterweight system. That's on my to do list to spend more time troubleshooting this. I've got it quieted down considereably, but I just wish it wasn't there. (also, this even happened with the factory sub before any mods). If anyone has resolved this, I'd be a happy man to know the solution.

Rear door speaker signal not full range
Oh, and one other thing that I don't know has been said is that the rear speakers are not a full range signal, there is no high frequency. My solution, which works well with the JL amp is to use the front signal which is full range to power 2 sets of the 6 1/2 speakers (I have the tweeters in the rear doors (I don't have ML, so I had to cut these in the ML tweeter position)). The rear channel solely runs the sub in the deck. This was a suggested JL application for the amp. I think it works well, the only drawback is that you lose front/rear fading from the head unit. I don't know any other way around this since the rear door speakers are not full range. There may be some solution that I'm not aware of for this issue.

Overall, I've tried to go for a neat, clean factory look, where I'm not looking at any wires!! Sorry for the long winded answer. :-)

Blueshark

So you did all that with a ML system ? I too love the clean look, no wires should be seen... I will gather all the infos before preparing my stuff from my old car into the new one. I have a set of front stage Infinity Perfect Kappa 5.1 powered with old school V-power Alpine and an Image Dynamic sub with an old school Kicker DX350, so i will have to find a way to incorporate into the new car or some.

As per the rattling, i notice some on my driver side door, so definitively, i have to see what inside it to resolve the problem.

sk72

I have the same setup in my 08' ES350. I got a 12" single Kicker Sub with Rockford Amp. Best Buy did the installation for me. I told the installers to disable the stock Sub Woofer.

They did a really good job with the installation and I was watching their work the entire 2hours. Really good work!!

The sound is really amazing, I like it a lot.

Elex

Blueshark - I do not have the ML..... if you need any help, let me know, pm me and we can chat.

I tried an infinity basslink that I had without the amp and it just wasn't what I was looking for. I like the mid bass kick more than the really deep bass. The 8" subwoofer in the rear deck can get deep enough for me. Also its amazing how much more detail is there with the amp - even on just "casual" stuff, I noticed this immediately in listening to some early Elton John, Fleetwood Mac etc.

My projects now are apply more dynamat to dampen the rear deck and I think I have some in the driver's door as well.

Good luck on your system.

Blueshark

I would like that, i heard from the forum that the same installation with a ML is different. I am on the same page as you, just want a second amp with the upgrade sub for more bass, no more, the rest can left as is for the rest of the speakers.

As a thought, i want to hide the second amp in the oem sub space, i will remove the oem sub. It sold clear pretty well and ventilated. As for the sub, i can simply make it tight to the entrance of the ski pass. I will try to space the most place possible with this 1cc box, i can even fill with dampering to make the sub smaller, don't forget, i'm aiming at SQ, not SPL, so no need for a big box.

And please, email me at nguyen_pharm@hotmail.com , it would be a pleasure to talk to you.

YotaCarFan

I upgraded my non-ML audio system as follows:

* Replaced both front door speakers with Polk MM6501 6.5" speakers ($300 on amazon for a pair)

* Disconnected center dash speaker

* Set DSP to "both front seats" (rear seats off)

This improved the sound substantially. Now, there's actual midrange and low midrange. Bass is still weak, but tolerable. Audio is still inferior to the ML or typical carmaker's "premium" systems, though, due to lack of proper subwoofer power. Also, I didn't install the tweeters included with the polk midranges, since I was not up to the challenge. As a result, the shrill factory tweeters detract from sound quality.

It was necessary to disconnect the center dash speaker b/c it has a different "voice" from the Polks and is slightly louder than they are, and thus sounded horrible.

I installed the door speakers as follows:
* Removed factory speakers (they have integrated plastic brackets)
* Used knife to cut speaker cones out of factory speaker brackets
* Used shears to cut plastic "ribs" holding factory speaker magnets. Result: Factory bracket has 6.5" hole in it
* Bought screws & bolts from hardware store that fit holes in polk speakers. Drilled 4 holes in plastic factory bracket & mounted polks from rear of bracket. Speakers included foam gaskets (go between spkr and brkt).
* Soldered wires from new spkr terminals to connections of factory plug on inside of bracket. This allows factory harness to plug into factory plug outside of bracket.
* Put 12" square of dynamat in door cavity behind speaker opening (not sure if this made a difference)
* Reinstalled speaker brackets and door panel.

Note: Replacing the factory subwoofer is non-trivial, since it requires removing the rear package shelf, which requires removing the rear seat backs and C pillar trim. The factory subwoofer seems of decent quality, but the factory amp appears not to provide it much power.

Blueshark

How hard is it to remove the rear seats and C pillar trim ?