SC400 Nakamichi Sub Aftermarket Amp
11-11-15, 10:55 AM
#1
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SC400 Nakamichi Sub Aftermarket Amp
Hi Guys,
Longtime stalker, first time poster. I'm the second owner of a '92 SC400 that I love like a firstborn. I'm a little underwhelmed by the stock Nakamichi stereo but don't need a ton of boom, but maybe just a little more.
I ran across several threads looking for how to run an aftermarket amp to the stock Nakamichi sub, but I'm a complete audio idiot and need more details on how to do so.
I bought a Kenwood KAC 8104d like another member on this forum did, but I'm not sure how to power it and subsequently connect it to the sub. The other member said it's a digital amp and all he did was cut the wire from the sub, ran the wire to the Kenwood amp, then ran a line from the amp back to the sub.
Am I supposed to cut the split wire running to the sub, split the wire between "Battery" and "Ground" on the amp, then run two wires from the speaker outputs on the amp back to the sub harness?
Again, complete idiot when it comes to stereo and a lot of other things, so any help you guys can provide would be much appreciated. Thanks!
B
Longtime stalker, first time poster. I'm the second owner of a '92 SC400 that I love like a firstborn. I'm a little underwhelmed by the stock Nakamichi stereo but don't need a ton of boom, but maybe just a little more.
I ran across several threads looking for how to run an aftermarket amp to the stock Nakamichi sub, but I'm a complete audio idiot and need more details on how to do so.
I bought a Kenwood KAC 8104d like another member on this forum did, but I'm not sure how to power it and subsequently connect it to the sub. The other member said it's a digital amp and all he did was cut the wire from the sub, ran the wire to the Kenwood amp, then ran a line from the amp back to the sub.
Am I supposed to cut the split wire running to the sub, split the wire between "Battery" and "Ground" on the amp, then run two wires from the speaker outputs on the amp back to the sub harness?
Again, complete idiot when it comes to stereo and a lot of other things, so any help you guys can provide would be much appreciated. Thanks!
B
11-12-15, 07:46 AM
#2
Keeper of the light
iTrader: (17)
You need the signal that is coming from the head unit not the signal that is coming from the amplifier. The signal coming from amplifier if the amp even still works is already amplified and it's too much input for the new amplifier. There's no need to replace the amp if it doesn't work so assuming it doesn't you cannot use any signal wires from the amplifier anyway. You need to grab the wiring at the amplifier only input side not the output side
11-12-15, 08:32 AM
#3
you can use the line right before the sub but as said above its already amplified some, so you will get some double amplification (technically triple amplification if you read more below) and it will bump loudly at lower volumes. you can run it like that and keep the volume on the aftermarket amp low, it works but an audiophile would tell you that is not the right way to do it (alot of people don't care though) or you can find the signal before the factory amp and then run that to the aftermarket one, then it will all be controlled by the second amp and be properly amplified (will sound cleaner).
If you want a trick to make the stock subwoofer bump harder and don't care about double amplification, then take the rear right speaker input and then splice that into the factory amp (instead of using the sub wires from the headunit). all the wires are accessible on the rear deck more or less at least for pioneer systems (not sure if nak amp is on the rear deck lid also). that basically causes the factory amp to amplify the rear right signal instead of the sub signal and the factory amp is actually overbuilt so it doesn't overheat and has high quality lowpass and highpass filters in there cause you get nothing but bass even with using the rear speaker line, so it actually sounds pretty good with no aftermarket amp needed. this saves trunk space and wires for those who aren't 100% audiophiles.
Its a worth note that the factory amp is already double amplifying the signal, as our headunits put out high level signals to the speakers and amps, they are just at a lower volume level than the typical high level signals used by aftermarket headunits, so basically you are just changing out the sub line for the rear line which has a higher level volume than the sub line, so its not like sticking a high level into a low level amp, our stock amps actually work with high level signals, you are just exhanging one high level for another higher level high level if that makes sense.
only thing is though either way once you start putting more juice into the factory sub, it will likely blow the driver or melt the cone sooner or later, the stock sub is pretty terrible. I would look into replacing the sub in the near future the stock sub can't deliver bass and last a long time its probably just barely holding on as the material its made out of deteriorates over time and our cars are old. mine fell apart as I removed it on one of my SC's.
I run my aftermarket stereo right now with the right rear going into the factory sub amp, and then it goes to a 10"kicker sub in the factory spot. I can shake the windows and it sounds very clean thanks to the filters in the stock amp.
Before everyone jumps on me for double amplifying etc.., I did originally have an aftermarket dedicated sub amp and line and it bumped more or less the same except the aftermarket amp took up space and seemed to want to drain my battery at the time (later found out it was something else though). I decided whats the point if I already have an amp sitting in the car not being used. I originally ran the line level outs to the factory sub amp as a test but it hardly produced any volume.... then I realized the factory sub amp is already expecting a high level input, not a line level input. it just so happens that the high level output to the factory sub amp has the volume level rather low so at first glance/test it comes off looking like a line level but its not. So if you use a rear speaker line high level instead, the volume is at a higher level which causes the amp to have that much more umph, and it sounds great because the amp was designed for a high level input anyways and can handle the slightly higher volume coming in.
anyways there are lots of ways to do it I had done it the true audiophile way then actually went back to using the factory amp with the trick above cause it sounded about the same or better even and didn't need a large amp in the trunk with lines and fuses and all that crap to run s 10" sub. if you are running a pair of 12" subs then yeah, you need an aftermarket amp and power lines etc...
If you want a trick to make the stock subwoofer bump harder and don't care about double amplification, then take the rear right speaker input and then splice that into the factory amp (instead of using the sub wires from the headunit). all the wires are accessible on the rear deck more or less at least for pioneer systems (not sure if nak amp is on the rear deck lid also). that basically causes the factory amp to amplify the rear right signal instead of the sub signal and the factory amp is actually overbuilt so it doesn't overheat and has high quality lowpass and highpass filters in there cause you get nothing but bass even with using the rear speaker line, so it actually sounds pretty good with no aftermarket amp needed. this saves trunk space and wires for those who aren't 100% audiophiles.
Its a worth note that the factory amp is already double amplifying the signal, as our headunits put out high level signals to the speakers and amps, they are just at a lower volume level than the typical high level signals used by aftermarket headunits, so basically you are just changing out the sub line for the rear line which has a higher level volume than the sub line, so its not like sticking a high level into a low level amp, our stock amps actually work with high level signals, you are just exhanging one high level for another higher level high level if that makes sense.
only thing is though either way once you start putting more juice into the factory sub, it will likely blow the driver or melt the cone sooner or later, the stock sub is pretty terrible. I would look into replacing the sub in the near future the stock sub can't deliver bass and last a long time its probably just barely holding on as the material its made out of deteriorates over time and our cars are old. mine fell apart as I removed it on one of my SC's.
I run my aftermarket stereo right now with the right rear going into the factory sub amp, and then it goes to a 10"kicker sub in the factory spot. I can shake the windows and it sounds very clean thanks to the filters in the stock amp.
Before everyone jumps on me for double amplifying etc.., I did originally have an aftermarket dedicated sub amp and line and it bumped more or less the same except the aftermarket amp took up space and seemed to want to drain my battery at the time (later found out it was something else though). I decided whats the point if I already have an amp sitting in the car not being used. I originally ran the line level outs to the factory sub amp as a test but it hardly produced any volume.... then I realized the factory sub amp is already expecting a high level input, not a line level input. it just so happens that the high level output to the factory sub amp has the volume level rather low so at first glance/test it comes off looking like a line level but its not. So if you use a rear speaker line high level instead, the volume is at a higher level which causes the amp to have that much more umph, and it sounds great because the amp was designed for a high level input anyways and can handle the slightly higher volume coming in.
anyways there are lots of ways to do it I had done it the true audiophile way then actually went back to using the factory amp with the trick above cause it sounded about the same or better even and didn't need a large amp in the trunk with lines and fuses and all that crap to run s 10" sub. if you are running a pair of 12" subs then yeah, you need an aftermarket amp and power lines etc...
Last edited by Ali SC3; 11-12-15 at 08:44 AM.
11-12-15, 12:01 PM
#4
Ali, stop. I'm pretty sure you're talking about the Pioneer system. The Nakamichi system is different. The line-level connection between the head unit and the amp are fairly normal line level. You can use an aftermarket head unit with the stock Nakamichi amp and it'll drive the front and rear speakers fine, but it won't do the sub. I'm not exactly sure why, but there's no separate wire for it that I could find and I didn't try hard enough to follow the traces on the amp board well enough to figure out where the sub section was getting its signal. (I was fixing another problem I had created when installing my sub amp, so it wasn't exactly a priority other than seeing if I could basically use the factory crossover rather than re-tuning crossover points myself.)
Anyway, on the blowing the factory Nakamichi sub part: I've been using an aftermarket amp with the factory ('98) Nakamichi sub and have had no problem with over-driving it. I'm using an old 160 watt Bazooka amp (remember the old Bazooka tubes? Yeah, they made amps, too) running off an aftermarket deck (Pioneer, if you care.) What I'm getting at is the Nakamichi can actually take quite a bit more than people might think. While the amp only put out 35 watts, no one outside of Nakamichi and Toyota's audio design team really knows what the sub was designed to take. There's quite a high possibility it was an off-the-shelf sub rather than specifically designed for the car, as such it could easily be designed to take a lot more than the 35 watts the stock amp puts out. The Pioneer sub, that I would worry more about, but the Nakamichi sub is pretty stout.
Some subs are actually blown by a lower wattage amp that's being over-driven in to clipping rather than an amp that's capable of putting out plenty of clean power. Once you clip a signal you're driving pulsed DC to your sub, not only is it going to sound bad, it's very bad for the sub.
This could be a reason people end up blowing the stock Nakamichi subs. Either it's already blown, causing people to think they're "crappy", or they've already been abused to the point that they're already on their last legs by the time you replace the amp. Mine (like the rest of my car) seems to have been owned by someone who didn't over-do anything. The only issue I've had, so far, is the back-pressure in the trunk affecting the rear speakers.
But, that said, you've got a big amp there. Even though the stock sub is 5 ohms and it'll drop the output of your amp some, it can still put out 240 watts RMS, that can peak up to 480 watts. This will blow your sub if you're not careful.
If you haven't replaced the head unit (CD player/ radio) then you'll have to use the sub output from the amp in to your new amp, like you've done. The Kenwood KAC 8104d has speaker level inputs as long as you have the wiring harness that should have come with the amp. You'll just have to adjust the levels to match, start low.
Power wise, don't try to just use the factory power wiring for that amp. It might kind of work, but you can easily over-run the power that wire is capable of delivering. It shouldn't cause it to over-heat or anything, but it can easily blow the fuse and/or cause voltage drops that would affect the sound. You should run a new power wire for the amp straight from the battery (there's a few threads about it, but it's not particularly easy if you haven't done anything like it before.) You can use the studs that hold down the bracket that holds the factory amp for the ground. Just take off one of the nuts, terminate the ground wire with a suitable lug that fits over the stud, then put the nut back on. You will need the remote turn on wire that goes to the factory amp, though. It's gray. You want to splice it, not cut it (the stock amp still needs it.) Then run that to your "P.CON" connection on your amp.
Anyway, on the blowing the factory Nakamichi sub part: I've been using an aftermarket amp with the factory ('98) Nakamichi sub and have had no problem with over-driving it. I'm using an old 160 watt Bazooka amp (remember the old Bazooka tubes? Yeah, they made amps, too) running off an aftermarket deck (Pioneer, if you care.) What I'm getting at is the Nakamichi can actually take quite a bit more than people might think. While the amp only put out 35 watts, no one outside of Nakamichi and Toyota's audio design team really knows what the sub was designed to take. There's quite a high possibility it was an off-the-shelf sub rather than specifically designed for the car, as such it could easily be designed to take a lot more than the 35 watts the stock amp puts out. The Pioneer sub, that I would worry more about, but the Nakamichi sub is pretty stout.
Some subs are actually blown by a lower wattage amp that's being over-driven in to clipping rather than an amp that's capable of putting out plenty of clean power. Once you clip a signal you're driving pulsed DC to your sub, not only is it going to sound bad, it's very bad for the sub.
This could be a reason people end up blowing the stock Nakamichi subs. Either it's already blown, causing people to think they're "crappy", or they've already been abused to the point that they're already on their last legs by the time you replace the amp. Mine (like the rest of my car) seems to have been owned by someone who didn't over-do anything. The only issue I've had, so far, is the back-pressure in the trunk affecting the rear speakers.
But, that said, you've got a big amp there. Even though the stock sub is 5 ohms and it'll drop the output of your amp some, it can still put out 240 watts RMS, that can peak up to 480 watts. This will blow your sub if you're not careful.
If you haven't replaced the head unit (CD player/ radio) then you'll have to use the sub output from the amp in to your new amp, like you've done. The Kenwood KAC 8104d has speaker level inputs as long as you have the wiring harness that should have come with the amp. You'll just have to adjust the levels to match, start low.
Power wise, don't try to just use the factory power wiring for that amp. It might kind of work, but you can easily over-run the power that wire is capable of delivering. It shouldn't cause it to over-heat or anything, but it can easily blow the fuse and/or cause voltage drops that would affect the sound. You should run a new power wire for the amp straight from the battery (there's a few threads about it, but it's not particularly easy if you haven't done anything like it before.) You can use the studs that hold down the bracket that holds the factory amp for the ground. Just take off one of the nuts, terminate the ground wire with a suitable lug that fits over the stud, then put the nut back on. You will need the remote turn on wire that goes to the factory amp, though. It's gray. You want to splice it, not cut it (the stock amp still needs it.) Then run that to your "P.CON" connection on your amp.
Last edited by matguy; 11-12-15 at 01:03 PM.
11-12-15, 01:02 PM
#5
I was talking about the pioneer system which has a seperate amp for the sub, did not notice the nak system for the sub was that different. I guess that only applies for the pioneer setup then.
you can always use the aftermarket amp though with the high level inputs, and it looks like that amp has them. just have to adjust gain like you said.
people say the pioneer one is a line level also, but when you test it turns out is just a very low amplitude high level signal, as it does vary with volume and the amp just amplifies.
I would assume the nak is the same way to the nak amp, I doubt its a true line level because there would have to be a separate gain/volume line to the amp, but it could be different I suppose.
The factory subs are off the shelf units, but if you look at them they are the most simple type of speaker, and if the car was garaged where the rear deck wasn't exposed to lots of sun, then your sub is likely in good condition and can handle it. alot of sc's are parked outside and the subs have deteriorated and dont last very long with extra power, the cones look like swiss cheese more or less, so it just depends on condition and how much extra power its taking. If you have a perfect factory sub then it may handle it for a while thats true, but for all the SC's out there I dont think they all fair that well. one of my sc's the sub looked perfect, one sc it was just toast, and another SC the sub was missing completely, so it varies from car to car.
you can always use the aftermarket amp though with the high level inputs, and it looks like that amp has them. just have to adjust gain like you said.
people say the pioneer one is a line level also, but when you test it turns out is just a very low amplitude high level signal, as it does vary with volume and the amp just amplifies.
I would assume the nak is the same way to the nak amp, I doubt its a true line level because there would have to be a separate gain/volume line to the amp, but it could be different I suppose.
The factory subs are off the shelf units, but if you look at them they are the most simple type of speaker, and if the car was garaged where the rear deck wasn't exposed to lots of sun, then your sub is likely in good condition and can handle it. alot of sc's are parked outside and the subs have deteriorated and dont last very long with extra power, the cones look like swiss cheese more or less, so it just depends on condition and how much extra power its taking. If you have a perfect factory sub then it may handle it for a while thats true, but for all the SC's out there I dont think they all fair that well. one of my sc's the sub looked perfect, one sc it was just toast, and another SC the sub was missing completely, so it varies from car to car.
Last edited by Ali SC3; 11-12-15 at 01:06 PM.
11-12-15, 01:23 PM
#6
I was talking about the pioneer system whcih has a seperate amp for the sub, did not notice the nak system for the sub was that different. I guess that only applies for the pioneer setup then.
you can always use the aftermarket amp though with the high level inputs, and it looks like that amp has them. just have to adjust gain like you said.
The factory subs are off the shelf units, but if you look at them they are the most simple type of speaker, and if the car was garaged where the rear deck wasn't exposed to lots of sun, then your sub is likely in good condition and can handle it. alot of sc's are parked outside and the subs have deteriorated and dont last very long with extra power, the cones look like swiss cheese more or less, so it just depends on condition and how much extra power its taking. If you have a perfect factory sub then it may handle it for a while thats true, but for all the SC's out there I dont think they all fair that well. one of my sc's the sub looked perfect, one sc it was just toast, and another SC the sub was missing completely, so it varies from car to car.
you can always use the aftermarket amp though with the high level inputs, and it looks like that amp has them. just have to adjust gain like you said.
The factory subs are off the shelf units, but if you look at them they are the most simple type of speaker, and if the car was garaged where the rear deck wasn't exposed to lots of sun, then your sub is likely in good condition and can handle it. alot of sc's are parked outside and the subs have deteriorated and dont last very long with extra power, the cones look like swiss cheese more or less, so it just depends on condition and how much extra power its taking. If you have a perfect factory sub then it may handle it for a while thats true, but for all the SC's out there I dont think they all fair that well. one of my sc's the sub looked perfect, one sc it was just toast, and another SC the sub was missing completely, so it varies from car to car.
While the surround is foam, like the Pioneer sub, as long as the factory grill was on it might be OK. Like you mentioned, being in or out of a garage makes a difference, but also does the region. Areas that get more sun are more affected. And unless something catastrophic happened, usually it's really the foam surrounds that get beat up on these rather than the cone itself (discoloring is not failure.)
But, there's really no reason not to try it unless you're really afraid of replacing the factory sub. There's no good way to get more bass out of it unless you're putting more power in to it. If that blows it, then you know you also need a new sub. Nothing is going to get hurt (other than the old sub) by trying.
That said, remember, this amp that has been chosen is not small. Start with very low gain and slowly move up. Once you match it to the factory system there's not much that should be possible from the factory stereo that would allow you to grossly over-run the sub. Now, that's assuming you "matched" it decently and not went too far over.
11-12-15, 02:30 PM
#7
I dont think the subs are a different design/quality just a different size, they look the same to me more or less.
the nak stuff the difference is in the amp I think the nak has a built in sub amp in the main amp and the pioneer I know is 2 seperate amps. they all fall apart unless they were kept garaged or somehow stayed in great condition, as I said I came across 1 out of 3 like that which was my 95 garaged its entire life but again tthese were all pioneers. the grill doesn't offer much protection its just a stretched out piece of cloth with holes in it, sun passes easily onto the speaker, its a standard bad design.
you can certainly try the stock sub it if its still thumping decently, but I am just saying there is a chance you might be replacing it soon after that but hopefully it lasts a while. you can get a replacement kicker for like $70 or something that will sound better, I have always changed out the factory sub its one of the first things I do its not hard and then you can throw like 400 amps at it if you like even more if you get a higher quality.
with using the stock nak headunit, If the nak amp has the sub amp part built in, then the only reasonable place to get to the sub signal is after the nak amp, there is a chance it doesn't exist in a line level between the headunit and the nak amp on its own line cause they used to multiplex alot of those signals from the headunit and then the amp would seperate them out. I see no issue with using the output from the nak amp for the sub as an input into the aftermarket amp on the high level. some tweaking of the gain level and the frequency cutoffs will filter out any stray amplification, most decent amps will let you mess with those to get it to sound correct.
the nak stuff the difference is in the amp I think the nak has a built in sub amp in the main amp and the pioneer I know is 2 seperate amps. they all fall apart unless they were kept garaged or somehow stayed in great condition, as I said I came across 1 out of 3 like that which was my 95 garaged its entire life but again tthese were all pioneers. the grill doesn't offer much protection its just a stretched out piece of cloth with holes in it, sun passes easily onto the speaker, its a standard bad design.
you can certainly try the stock sub it if its still thumping decently, but I am just saying there is a chance you might be replacing it soon after that but hopefully it lasts a while. you can get a replacement kicker for like $70 or something that will sound better, I have always changed out the factory sub its one of the first things I do its not hard and then you can throw like 400 amps at it if you like even more if you get a higher quality.
with using the stock nak headunit, If the nak amp has the sub amp part built in, then the only reasonable place to get to the sub signal is after the nak amp, there is a chance it doesn't exist in a line level between the headunit and the nak amp on its own line cause they used to multiplex alot of those signals from the headunit and then the amp would seperate them out. I see no issue with using the output from the nak amp for the sub as an input into the aftermarket amp on the high level. some tweaking of the gain level and the frequency cutoffs will filter out any stray amplification, most decent amps will let you mess with those to get it to sound correct.
Last edited by Ali SC3; 11-12-15 at 02:36 PM.
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11-12-15, 03:45 PM
#8
I dont think the subs are a different design/quality just a different size, they look the same to me more or less.
the nak stuff the difference is in the amp I think the nak has a built in sub amp in the main amp and the pioneer I know is 2 seperate amps. they all fall apart unless they were kept garaged or somehow stayed in great condition, as I said I came across 1 out of 3 like that which was my 95 garaged its entire life but again tthese were all pioneers. the grill doesn't offer much protection its just a stretched out piece of cloth with holes in it, sun passes easily onto the speaker, its a standard bad design.
you can certainly try the stock sub it if its still thumping decently, but I am just saying there is a chance you might be replacing it soon after that but hopefully it lasts a while. you can get a replacement kicker for like $70 or something that will sound better, I have always changed out the factory sub its one of the first things I do its not hard and then you can throw like 400 amps at it if you like even more if you get a higher quality.
with using the stock nak headunit, If the nak amp has the sub amp part built in, then the only reasonable place to get to the sub signal is after the nak amp, there is a chance it doesn't exist in a line level between the headunit and the nak amp on its own line cause they used to multiplex alot of those signals from the headunit and then the amp would seperate them out. I see no issue with using the output from the nak amp for the sub as an input into the aftermarket amp on the high level. some tweaking of the gain level and the frequency cutoffs will filter out any stray amplification, most decent amps will let you mess with those to get it to sound correct.
the nak stuff the difference is in the amp I think the nak has a built in sub amp in the main amp and the pioneer I know is 2 seperate amps. they all fall apart unless they were kept garaged or somehow stayed in great condition, as I said I came across 1 out of 3 like that which was my 95 garaged its entire life but again tthese were all pioneers. the grill doesn't offer much protection its just a stretched out piece of cloth with holes in it, sun passes easily onto the speaker, its a standard bad design.
you can certainly try the stock sub it if its still thumping decently, but I am just saying there is a chance you might be replacing it soon after that but hopefully it lasts a while. you can get a replacement kicker for like $70 or something that will sound better, I have always changed out the factory sub its one of the first things I do its not hard and then you can throw like 400 amps at it if you like even more if you get a higher quality.
with using the stock nak headunit, If the nak amp has the sub amp part built in, then the only reasonable place to get to the sub signal is after the nak amp, there is a chance it doesn't exist in a line level between the headunit and the nak amp on its own line cause they used to multiplex alot of those signals from the headunit and then the amp would seperate them out. I see no issue with using the output from the nak amp for the sub as an input into the aftermarket amp on the high level. some tweaking of the gain level and the frequency cutoffs will filter out any stray amplification, most decent amps will let you mess with those to get it to sound correct.
When an aftermarket amp is used it's easier to accidentally over-drive the Pioneer subs due to their impedance, it's also easier to have them cause an amp to clip when it can't provide the amperage the low impedance sub is trying to pull. Especially if the person putting in the amp doesn't realize the sub is only 1 or 2 ohms and the amp they chose can't handle it. Once you get an amp unstable by trying to push more amps than it can deliver, it will distort and start clipping. Again, this is very bad for any speaker and can cause them to die without being given too much power.
The Nakamichi subs are the opposite. They're a higher impedance than most aftermarket car audio subwoofers. As such, they won't over-drive a car amplifier. There's little to zero aftermarket car audio amplifiers that don't like 4 ohms. 4 ohms is standard, 2 is usually safe, 1 ohms can over-push many car audio amps; either way, check your documentation.
Also, I'd be worried if any sub I'm installing was pulling 400 amps. At best (in to a 1 ohm sub) that's 160,000 watts and would take 400 volts to deliver. And that's at DC, audio is AC, so it's actually more. That falls well over what your local power company can deliver to a regular residential house (you can get 400A service, but it'll be at 240v, which is still just over 1/2 of the 160KW.) I assume you're talking about watts, but that's the other mistake, don't assume that a higher wattage amp is higher quality.
11-13-15, 05:58 AM
#9
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Thanks everyone for the info and guidance, it's exactly what was needed. I was just confused by the original post, but now will definitely run power from the battery and follow Matguy's advice. Thanks again guys, really put everything into perspective
11-13-15, 10:32 AM
#10
i have an aftermarket headunit (pioneer) with a 5 ohm nakamichi sub and i bought a boss RM1100M amp from Amazon for 50$ and an amp kit for ~10$ and it has been working wonderfully. keeping the bass on a pretty low setting is enough for the most part.
the stock amp has been completely bypassed on my car though.
Marko
the stock amp has been completely bypassed on my car though.
Marko
11-13-15, 11:47 AM
#11
i have an aftermarket headunit (pioneer) with a 5 ohm nakamichi sub and i bought a boss RM1100M amp from Amazon for 50$ and an amp kit for ~10$ and it has been working wonderfully. keeping the bass on a pretty low setting is enough for the most part.
the stock amp has been completely bypassed on my car though.
Marko
the stock amp has been completely bypassed on my car though.
Marko
If it's the stock Nakamichi head unit you don't have much option other than to pull from the sub output from the factory amp. You might be able to pull from the rear speaker(s), but I'm not sure if there's any crossover that would limit the bass being sent to the rears (I kind of hope there is.) Plus, as long as the sub output on the factory Nakamichi amp still works, there's no reason to pull from the rears.
Personal rambling:
I will say that the stock Nakamichi sub is pretty decent. I have way more issues with other rattles than from the sub, itself. If it does start to have issues I already have ideas on mounting options for a McCaulley 12" sub I have sitting around. (Spoiler alert: Lots of fiberglass and flipping the sub up-side-down and shoving the magnet through the 10" mounting hole to make up mounting depth; enlarging the mounting hole if needed.)
I am looking at making some sealed baskets for the rear speakers, though, to combat the pressure in the trunk that's pushing on the rear speakers. While the trunk may be larger than a box you'd put a car sub in, it's still not quite large enough to to make it an actual infinite baffle.
11-14-15, 12:24 PM
#12
Btw, I ran across another mention of the Nakamichi system wattage and it would seem that the factory Nakamichi system delivers about 120 watts to the sub. The 8" Pioneer sub is about 40 watts (2 ohms) and the 10" Pioneer should be around 80 watts (1 ohm.)
11-30-16, 10:10 PM
#13
i have an aftermarket headunit (pioneer) with a 5 ohm nakamichi sub and i bought a boss RM1100M amp from Amazon for 50$ and an amp kit for ~10$ and it has been working wonderfully. keeping the bass on a pretty low setting is enough for the most part.
the stock amp has been completely bypassed on my car though.
Marko
the stock amp has been completely bypassed on my car though.
Marko
Thanks.
12-01-16, 09:15 PM
#14
my amp was already bypassed when I got the car, so there was already a multiconductor cable running from the headunit to the back (the back is where the wires out to the speakers start from, at the factory amp).
there are howtos for bypassing the factory amp and what the wire scheme is, so you will have to search and find them, but in short, a new headunit up front runs the speaker and sub wires to the back, where you hook them to the speaker wires and the sub wire to the amp. you also need to run a dedicated 12v line from the battery to the amp.
send me a pm if you get stuck I can send you pics of my wiring.
Marko
there are howtos for bypassing the factory amp and what the wire scheme is, so you will have to search and find them, but in short, a new headunit up front runs the speaker and sub wires to the back, where you hook them to the speaker wires and the sub wire to the amp. you also need to run a dedicated 12v line from the battery to the amp.
send me a pm if you get stuck I can send you pics of my wiring.
Marko
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