With the help of some advice from other members, I added a Rockford Fosgate P300-10 Sub to my non ML audio system. It adds just enough bass to fill in what was lacking from the factory.

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/p300-10






Factory nut used to bold down the power wire directly to the battery








I pushed the power wire through the factory grommet to the right of the steering column





Side trim was easily removed to run power along the existing channel





Power wire runs behind the top of the back seat and through this opening





Used a spot behind the back seat for a ground





Soldered the speaker level lead directly to the leads of the sub. I did this to save the time and effort of removing the back seat to access the wiring on the rear deck

 

Nice job, and great color choice on the ES!

 

I like the compact size. I ditch my 15in kicker for two 12in kicker for a little more space and a lot more bass. I ran my power wire through the door, since I didn't want to drill new holes in my firewall, also ran my wire under the trim in the engine bay all you can see if the fuse holder. For my ground I used a cargo tie down bolt and ran the wire under the carpet in the trunk other than that it looks identical to my setup.

Just curious What gauge wire did you use? And how much power are you pushing?

 

trust me, the ML is pretty lacking in bass too.

 

I sat in a friends 2008 GS460 with ML the other day (it had been a year or so since I was in it). And I agree, the bass in my 2013 ES UL is treble compared to his car! I'm reluctant to make any changes though. Anyone done a sub. change to an ML system and have any thoughts?

 

My ML sub is blown out but since I installed my own subs never bother to replace it with something better. Mainly because no one really knows how to get to it. I removed the back seats but stuck on what to removed next so I just aborted the mission lol

 

Very nice & clean install. Like the fact that you used the black loom to even cover up the red that usually comes with the wiring kits!

 

Did you follow one of the forums on here to install/wire it up? Wondering what the best way to tie it in is....wondering if I can solder directly to the ML sub to avoid taking the seats out as well.

 

Thanks Mike, lots of white and black ES & IS around and my last 2 cars were white. Wanted to be a little different.

 

The sub is rated at 300 watts. I used 8ga for power & ground.

 

Coming from a Nissan with Bose, then an Infiniti with Bose, I was really disappointed in the overall sound quality & lack of output with the ES system. It's better with the sub, but the highs and mids start to break up even at moderate levels. The Bose system, although not a true audiophile system, still had a much more balanced sound and a dramatically higher output.

 

The install process would be the same with an ML system.

 

I found a bit of info regarding removing the rear deck by just searching online. I believe once the back seat is out, the deck unclips and slides out forward.

 

Thanks. I used to do installs for a living and worked for a shop that built competition cars, learned a lot about attention to detail there. I also wanted it to look as close to stock as possible.

 

Most of the install is standard practice (power, ground, wire routing, etc.), but the challenge is where to pull the signal from. There are a couple of different options; you can remove the drivers seat and tap a full range signal right off the factory amp mounted underneath it or you can tap into the wires on the rear deck running to the sub. I took the quickest route and soldered to the leads right on the sub, underneath the deck. The ML sub is probably the same configuration.