jamesoh

Does anyone know what size the subwoofer is for the 2003 LX Mark Levinson sound system? I purchased a pre-owned LX and the sub is missing. I think it is a 8" sub, but I'm not sure. Can anyone confirm this?

Also, is the sub pre-amplified through the Deck, or does the sub have a separate amp? I'm pretty sure there isn't room for an amp in the rear cargo sidewall, but wanted to make sure. I am going to replace the sub with a custom mount and would like to know.

Thanks.

llcc1975

My 02 had a 6" sub that came with the Levinson. When it went dead, I replaced with an 8 ohm JL Audio 6W0. Make sure that you are replacing with as close to proper ohmage or you will shut your system down. The stock ohmage is 12. Standard car audio is usually around 4 ohms. When I first used a 4 ohm woofer, the system kept shutting off (protection circuit). The 8 ohm woofer seemed to work fine though.

There is an amp, it is located under the front passenger's seat.

SC300T

How does that JL sound compared to the stock ML sub? Louder / Deeper?

Any better bass out of it?

eclamont

I replaced the blown out sub with the JL 6wo, which i found on ebay for about 70 bucks. Just remove side panel, unbolt the subwoofer box,take out old speaker, solder connections to the new one, save the spacer ring from old one and put it under new one before soldering ...it sounds great. I replaced blown large front speakers on the Levinson system with some 6 inch two way speakers i found at best buy...system sounds great now

Jayson

Ok, so instead of starting a new thread asking a similar question, I thought I'd bring this one back from the dead.

The sub in our 2003 LX is blown. It bottoms out everytime you put any decent volume on the system. Does a JL Audio subwoofer fit in the speaker cavity as someone mentioned above? Have any of you had to replace your sub and have an update since this thread originally was created?

Many thanks!

Jayson

I went to my local audio shop and they recommended the discontinued JL Audio 6W0-8 for a replacement sub with ML Audio system. I had to purchase it on eBay ($99). I'm having them install it and also an iPod integration kit at the same time. I'll let you know how how it all turns out as soon as its wrapped up.

4thirty

The JL woofer does sound much better than the factory piece of garbage Mark Levinson that Lexus uses. As for the install, it is not exactly a perfect fit. And, unlike a previous post, you do not use the adapter ring that is attached to the original sub. Furthermore, the JL is slightly deeper than the subwoofer enclosure. This is easily remedied by using pliers and snapping off the little fins inside the enclosure before mounting the woofer. For someone with more than a little car audio install experience, this job is a 3 on a 1-5 scale of difficulty.

Jayson

We got our LX back from the car audio shop this past Saturday. We were pleasantly surprised to find the iPod integration kit from Soundgate to work and sound fantastic! My wife loves it because she can now use her iPhone 3G to play her music, etc. I wish it would have played video through the NAV screen, but apparently that's a separate device and still has the emergency brake security feature that our factory DVD changer is plagued with - oh well.

I whole heartedly agree with 4thirty. The JL6W0-8 is superb and sounds remarkably better than the ML sub. The installer said that he had to trim the "ribs" on the inside of the speaker cabinet because the JL sub was just a tad bit too deep, but was no trouble. I was surprised to find that the ML sub is simply a paper cone. For some reason I would have thought this system to have used higher quality materials. It sparked an interest in me to replace all of our speakers, but that can happen in due time. We'll just replace them as they blow.

So, go for the iPod integration kit and the replacement of your sub with the JL Audio 6W0-8. It's worth the money. We did the entire job including shop parts, labor, ipod kit, and subwoofer for just under $700.00. (We had to order the sub on eBay because it is a discontinued speaker from JL Audio)

parnoren

I was under the impression that the sub in the 2002-08 ML had a dual voice coil system. Isn't the JL 6W0-8 a single coil? It sounds like your system works great anyway, and I'm wondering if there is anything else I'd have to do if I go ahead and purchase the JL sub? Or can I just cut the enclosure out a little to fit the sub and be done with it?

Rexdr

I don't want to hijack this thread, but there is another thread out there that explains how to work around the dvd-parking brake issue. I followed the step by step instructions and got it done in under an hour...and I am NOT versed at all in electronics AND I'm colorblind! I was still able to find the wires. Now, this won't do anything with Ipod video, but it will free up your dvd.

JaxsLX470

I did this and agree. I cut the fins with a dremmel and also drilled 4 new mounting holes next to the factory ones as they were just a bit off for the JL speaker. I did not use the rubber trim ring that came with the JL and I do get a little buzzing at higher volumes/bass combos. I was thinking perhaps the enclosure is too tight for this lower ohm variation and mabe a ported design may help. Was considering drilling a half inck or 1 inch hole. Anybody else get this buzzing/popping or do I just need to reduce the bass when cranking the volume. Just doesn't seem quite right. Thanks.

JaxsLX470

So I re-installed the JL sub with the rubber ring and helped a little but now the panel wont fully snap in. Still getting a "distorted" like sound and I'm wondering if it's a bad speaker or the installation is still not quite right. When I play the speaker outside of the mounting on my home stereo it seems okay, but when installed in the plastic enclosure I still get distortion. Getting a bit tired of taking it all apart but my sub still does not work like it should. Thinking about using the adapter ring and the rubber mount (bottom only). May also try and buy a new speaker as the one I got is used. Any other suggestions?

CCIE

I installed the new JL sub similar to you, created new holes, etc. However I used some Silicone sealant (copious amounts actually) to ensure there were no air holes / leaks. For a higher compression speaker such as this you need ensure the air in the box stays in the box or it will reduce audio quality significantly. just my .02

JaxsLX470

CCIE - Thanks, I think I'll get into it again and try and seal it all up.

bdfull

Hello, I see all these posts about the JL 6W0-8 working, and great threads on installs. But no one seems to list how they got around the 4 wires going to the factory ML sub vs the 2 wires used on the new JL. Old ML is dual Voice coil, new JL is single voice coil. How do I wire it correctly. Please advise. Wire colors, and where each goes would be a great help. Thanks!