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Questions about adding a subwoofer using high level inputs
Hi All,
I'm planning on swapping out the 3 dash speakers and using the Infinity REF-4032-cfx 4" speakers that folks have used. [Some people used REF-4022cfx speakers, but I couldn't see much difference between the two, and the 4022 speakers are no longer listed on the Infinity website, so I assume that the 4032 speakers are just newer versions]
1) Some people have said they have had to swap the polarity after connecting the speakers. How can you tell?...and has anybody figured out exactly what the polarity is to avoid guesswork?
2) I want to install a 12" sub and a Boss R1100M monoblock amplifier. I was planning on tapping into the factory sub terminals and using them as high level inputs to the amplifier, but the amplifier states that the high level inputs only handle a range of 2V to 8V. I'm nervous that's not a big enough range. Should I try it out or should I order a line output converter to drop the signals down to RCA level? LC2i converters are over $100, so I'd like to avoid buying one if possible.
3) The R1100M amplifier has +/-left and +/- right high level inputs (i.e. 4 terminals). IF people think I should try them out, how should I connect them to the factory sub terminals? I measured the inputs of the R1100M amp and the +L and +R are not tied together internally (I measured > 20MegaOhms); the -L and -R are also not tied together.
Thanks, but no thanks. I have had that amp for over 8 years and it sounds fine with my sub. I guess my ears don't work that well, but they work well enough for me to want to make these changes.
I figured out why some people are having problems with polarity. The Red Wolf harnesses fit the dash speakers perfectly, but they reverse the polarity. What I did was cut the harnesses in half and splice them reversed. I did this because the harnesses have terminals that attach to the aftermarket speakers, but the positive (red wire) terminal is larger than the negative terminal. If you splice the harnesses and reverse the polarity when you reattach them, they work just fine. It sucks that the harnesses are $13 for a pair and you still have to modify them, but such is life. Also, it is not clear what the factory subwoofer wire polarity is, but you can see that one terminal on the factory sub is bigger than the other, so I assumed the larger one is the positive lead. I hooked up my amp/sub this way, and while the bass is nowhere near as hard as it was in my Civic, it sounds much better than the stock ES 350 system. My goal was just to make the system sound better, and the 3 Infinity dash speakers coupled with the amp/sub did the trick. Thanks to those on the forum that posted how to install the speakers, run the power wire, etc. Final word of caution. I used panel tools to remove my dash speakers and it worked like a charm. When I did the same thing on my daughter's car, I damaged the dash. Her car is black interior and black exterior. I guess the heat over the years has degraded her dash. It literally feels different. Very upsetting for a 2015 Lexus. Anyway, after doing that damage I continued with the other speakers just using a small flathead screwdriver vertically instead of prying at an angle. That worked without doing further damage. Damage to dashboard using panel tools