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The Polk sub fit perfectly in the factory bracket, I ran a bead of automotive RTV around the basket as I placed it into the plastic ring. I drilled holes through the speaker basket into the factory bracket and ran hardware in reverse to give the bottom a chance to better sit against the rear deck. I used Dynamat between the speaker and the factory bracket instead of the broken down foam and ran a ring under the factory bracket where it makes contact with the rear deck and covering the heads of the 4mm flat allen head screws I fed up to nylock stop nuts on the top of the woofer. I used some more Dynamat to fill the holes that exist on both sides of the woofer in the rear deck too. It sounds great all the way up to the excursion limit of the woofer. I have a 10" JL W3 series that I'm going to run a speaker level line off this summer to give the factory system better boom and bottom end, but this sounds pretty amazing for now.
Is that a dual-voice coil 8-ohm speaker wired in series to achieve 16-ohm impedance (which matches OEM ML speaker impedance)? Is it this Polk speaker > Polk Audio db840DVC 8-Inch Dual Voice Coil Subwoofer? That speaker has a frequency response only up to 200 Hz. Are you using the stock crossover, and if so, what is the crossover spec?
I'm running all factory electronics, just replaced all woofers due to the glue being broken down around the surrounds. I did the RTV fix to the factory sub and it was just okay. I could hear the voice coil buzzing from over excursion as the surrounds weren't giving it enough resistance with just RTV.
The doors are now 4 ohm and the sub is 8 ohm, no overheating or cutting out at all. I used Dynamat whenever possible and there's no rattles to speak of. Polk DB all around, went for cost more than anything. I figured a rubber surround speaker is going to sound better than a paper/foam combo that isn't working in the first place.
Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I repaired the sub in the rear deck and it's already starting to make some noise, so I keep the "Bass-down-low"......
So, I'll be picking up a Dual Voice Coil sub and replacing it when the weather improves in a few months.
I refoamed my rear sub 4 years ago, but it started rattling about a year ago. I bit the bullet and went for an OEM ML subwoofer. The rear seat was a pain to remove and I didn't want to take a chance (after reading all the posts here) of killing my amp with anything aftermarket. I still don't blast music as I know these speakers are vulnerable.
The air purifier vents and rear brake light needed some adhesive backed foam around where they meet with the rear deck and then I used Dynamat on any flat spots to give the panel weight. I've only owned the car for a couple of weeks (bought it used), but it sounds great to me now.
Nice. I was going to grab the Polk one as a local friend of mine did and it sounds decent. I opted for the Kicker 8" and should be coming in soon, so hopefully I can get that in and compare it to the Polk.
The Polk sub fit perfectly in the factory bracket, I ran a bead of automotive RTV around the basket as I placed it into the plastic ring. I drilled holes through the speaker basket into the factory bracket and ran hardware in reverse to give the bottom a chance to better sit against the rear deck. I used Dynamat between the speaker and the factory bracket instead of the broken down foam and ran a ring under the factory bracket where it makes contact with the rear deck and covering the heads of the 4mm flat allen head screws I fed up to nylock stop nuts on the top of the woofer. I used some more Dynamat to fill the holes that exist on both sides of the woofer in the rear deck too. It sounds great all the way up to the excursion limit of the woofer. I have a 10" JL W3 series that I'm going to run a speaker level line off this summer to give the factory system better boom and bottom end, but this sounds pretty amazing for now.
Interested in knowing what model 8" Polk Audio subwoofer you had installed. Is it the Polk Audio DB842 SVC - DB+ Series 8" Shallow Subwoofer (30Hz-200Hz Frequency Response, Single 4-Ohm Voice Coil)?
DO NOT use any 4-Ohm Subs. You WILL blow your factory Mark Levinson Amp using those.
You can use the Dayton Audio SD215A-88 Subwoofer.
With the two 8-Ohm coils wired in series it presents 16-Ohms to match the factory Sub, has a similar frequency response to the factory Sub, has the rubber suspension, and sounds excellent.
When new I had to lower the Bass setting by 1, but after it was "broken in" (a few days) I once again have all settings in the middle.
I had to machine away a little of the OEM plastic bracket to get it to fit, but nothing structural, just the raised U shaped pieces needed a little grinding off.
It has now been in use for 3+ years with no problems and I can crank it as loud as I want.
Last edited by BigBoomer; Jul 2, 2024 at 01:52 AM.
I had thoght the OEM 86160-0WD80 ML 8" single voice coil Subwoofer (2nd gen IS) was 40W / 8 ohms. Is OEM subwoofer rated at 16 ohms or am I misunderstanding the specifications, and there is a difference between the ML system /OEM subwoofer (86160-0W260) installed in the 3rd Gen LS / 2nd Gen IS vehicles? Was the Dayton Audio SD215A-88 Subwoofer a "drop in" replacement and compatible with the OEM ML amp (8628050330) in the Lexus LS 430 as well?
The diagram you have posted is for the LS460/LS600, not for the LS430 with Mark Levinson. Yes, there was a considerable change between the 2nd Gen and 3rd Gen even though both are Mark Levinson systems.
Attached is the LS430 Mark Levinson diagram
Yes, the LS430-ML system uses a 16-Ohm Sub.
The lower spec LS430s used a Pioneer system rather than the ML and I believe that it used a 2-Ohm Sub, but not sure as I have never owned one.
Polk 8" sub install
