ngerstman

I purchased the subwoofer and am having an installer who does work for my Lexus dealership do the insallation. It should be done tomorrow. The subwoofer has speaker line inputs, as many subs do these days(as opposed to line level inputs from a pre-amp output). So alll you need to do is take the speaker leads from the current subwoofer and connect them to the powered woofer. I asked the installer to install a switch so that I can still use the car subwoofer should I want to remove the Rockford subwoofer. Just flip a switch to use the Rockford woofer, flip it the other way to use the car woofer. I wouldn't want to use both together because you could run into phase issues and the car woofer would go into distortion way before the Rockford woofer. Thanks. Regards. Ned.

ngerstman

I noticed that you are from NJ as I am. I just purchased my 2011 CPO from Bridgewater Lexus. Regards. Ned.

kitlz

Bridgewater is pretty cool when it comes to stereo mods. They insisted I leave all the aftermarket equipment in the 330 when I traded it in. Even gave me a few extra bucks for it But it wasn't installed by someone they use. I had a local guy who also did body work for a few Lexus dealers. So I felt very comfortable letting him handle the installation. Oh, and my new installer, he also recommended Rockford. But I've already spent all I want to by getting ML. About the only thing I'd spring for is something like dynamat.

Good luck and I hope you're happy with the results.

ngerstman

What is dynamat? Thanks. Regards. Ned.

ecr72

Dynamat is an adhesive backed material used to control noise and vibration. Back in the day, we'd add it to the inside of doors as a way to reduce road noise and provide a better 'enclosure'. Many would line the floorboards which really reduced road noise a lot. The material was really popular in the 90's with the competition car stereo crowd.

As for the treatment in the RX, the material has been added to the area around the sub and the floor of the cargo area. "Stiffening" up these areas results in better bass response in the cabin. I have no doubt this has a positive effect. Probably not as much as adding a dedicated powered subwoofer, but it doesn't take away from the space in the cargo area.


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kitlz

ecr72 explained the benefits of dynamat well. There are other brands that do the same thing. It's pretty inexpensive and installation is not bad. MEP7557 did it to his RX with ML. Here is one of his threads on it. He said it made a difference. Not that I plan on ripping off the door panels myself. I'd leave it to an installer or my brother who has done it before.

RickC5

I have added Dynamat (and other similar products) to several cars that were unusually noisy--mostly road noise--and it always made a noticeable difference. Much quieter afterward. I primarily attacked the trunk area (or rear cargo areas in SUVs) and under the rear seats and floor. I have read many posts where guys have done the doors & headliners too, with great results. It really is a good product that does what it's advertised to do: reduce vibrations and noise.

AFAIK, Dynamat is still quite popular, especially since most car manufacturers are actually removing lots of sound deadening material to reduce weight and cost in order to improve gas mileage. Honda is really bad at this and their vehicles are very noisy.

ngerstman

Thanks all!! Just dropped the rx off to get subwoofer installed(with an Escort radar detector as well). I will report back with results tonight. Regards. Ned.

ngerstman

Well, the subwoofer is a great improvement over stock subwoofer. The system is much more satisfying to listen to. The sub was sounding incrementally better as I drove home. Electronics and especially woofers take some time to break in. After a week or two, I will need to tweek the level and eq to blend it better into the system. It is definitely worth the $300 expense, if you don't mind a subwoofer hanging out in your cargo area. It is pretty compact and is positioned up against the rear drivers side seat. Thanks. Regards. Ned.

kitlz

That's great news, Ned. Let us know how you like it when you finish tweaking it.

Lexipro

Congrats Ned. Did they install a switch and where is it located. Are you able to do a comparison flipping the switch. How easy is it to disconnect the Rockford sub. That sub also comes with a wired remote; where was that installed at? BTW, I love the idea of a switch; sometimes you need that extra cargo area.

ngerstman

They installed the switch in a really small compartment that is located on the cargo area floor right next to the stock subwoofer. A little panel comes up and there is a small shallow compartment, can't imagine what one could possibly use it for other than my subwoofer switch. It would be tough to flip the switch on the fly because the rear hatch would need to be open and that changes the accoustics, but there is rally no need because the incresed bass quality and quantity is obvious. There is one wire harness that has all of the connections, including the power and the speaker lines. They used some velcro strips on the floor and back of seat to secure the woofer. I asked for some extra length for the wiring in case I put the seat down to be able to push the woofer forward to the back of the drivers seat. It looks great in that the woofer cabinet is nicely finished in black and my interior is black. Most good install places could carpet the box to match interiors if that wasn't the case. I am not using the wired volume control becaue I am a believer that once you get it adjusted properly you don't need one. You can always use the base control to tweek the low end on ocassion. This woofer is pretty compact at only 9.75 inches deep at the base and 6 inches at the top. Not really removing much of the functionality that I need. Don't know yet how much of a pain it will be to take it in and out of vehicle. Not surprisingly, the woofer was turned up way too high by the installers, they always do that. It is important to get the level adjusted right on subwoofers. It is often said that as you turn them up, when you begin to notice them, you've got them too loud and tweek the level back. I believe that. It is amazing how better bass opens up the sound in that you get the room or venue accoustic cues that are missing without true low end. Anyway, I will fidget with it and let you know if this is the way to go or seperate woofer box and seperate amp, which could be done easily for a bit more money and could be much more effective. Thanks. Regards. Ned.

elba123

Could you post some pics so as to visualize how much space it takes up?

ngerstman

I've never posted pictures, but it is completely in back of the cargo cover. It sits in back of the driver side rear seat. Looks pretty cool. Doesn't get in the way 99% of the time. Given that no cutting was done and it only cost $180 for woofer and another $100 for install, a pretty cheap attempt to raise level of a decent sound system to next level. It is only 9 inches deep at bottom and 18 inches wide. Thanks. Regards. Ned.

Rozay604

iTrader: (1)

I have 2 12's in my rx and I still have the entire cargo area.