Mark Levinson SUB replacement DIY
12-09-13, 08:49 AM
#1
Mark Levinson SUB replacement DIY
As many of you know, the stock subwoofer in the ML system in the IS, well it is subpar at best. I own a small used car dealership/auto repair shop. Since the factory sub in my IS was totally inoperable, we decided to test the Pioneer TS-SW841D 500 Watts 8" Single 4 Ohm Shallow Mount Subwoofer. We did not modify the factory system or wiring, just took out the rear deck, added some speaker foam and drilled the new sub on top of the rear metal plate where the previous subwoofer was installed. The rear speaker cover fits over this sub with no modification! The sound system is 100x better than before! It has been in there for a month, but I warn you that you need to insulate the rear panel from the window glass, since the bass is so much stronger! I only paid $70 for the sub. Anyone else tried this?
12-09-13, 09:48 AM
#4
I think one of the guys at the shop took some pics, I will check. We are going to start doing this for customers on their IS models. If you take some speaker foam and cover the hole where the original sub goes, you will need a drill with some long screws (3.5"). We marked the holes, drilled some screw holes, and bolted the sub in tight. Put the deck back in with some insulation around the rear window, and the system is looking to work very well, in the last month it has worked awesome, no issues at all yet.
12-09-13, 10:26 AM
#5
I think one of the guys at the shop took some pics, I will check. We are going to start doing this for customers on their IS models. If you take some speaker foam and cover the hole where the original sub goes, you will need a drill with some long screws (3.5"). We marked the holes, drilled some screw holes, and bolted the sub in tight. Put the deck back in with some insulation around the rear window, and the system is looking to work very well, in the last month it has worked awesome, no issues at all yet.
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12-10-13, 06:50 AM
#9
I guess to get the ball rolling and also to help the OP out, we can provide a picture of the non-ML sub connection? I can try to get to it this weekend unless someone else has one handy or is available sooner.
Can someone with a ML sub provide a picture of their connection? If the two look similar, then we are one step closer to mo bass :-)
Can someone with a ML sub provide a picture of their connection? If the two look similar, then we are one step closer to mo bass :-)
12-10-13, 07:09 AM
#10
I only have an IS with the ML system, but it appears that the connection/harness on the non-ML system is the same. Keep in mind this sub appears to have a mini amp in the sub, so that is why you don't need an external amp. The connection we made was using the stock harness disconnected from the ML sub, ran the new speaker wires between the harness and the new sub.
12-15-13, 10:54 PM
#12
SO my experience with it has been that depending on the audio source, you have to make adjustments to the bass, or it will shatter your rear window. On XM, the bass about half way gives it a good bump. FM radio it is about the same, but using a CD or AUX, you really have to turn the bass down. I did not install a separate controller for bass control, it totally works using the head unit. I don't know why this wouldn't work with a non-ml sub. Just make sure you insulate the rear deck metal from the subwoofer using speaker foam/non conducting foam.
