Mopar Subwoofer Owners

[rottone]

I am thinking about getting one of these. I would like to know whether the mopar subwoofer routes the low freq signal away from the full-range speakers, or do they still get the full signal. I am hoping that the low freq is re-routed so the speakers distort less. Have you heard a decrease in distortion / increase in clarity after installing the subwoofer with stock audio? Yes, I know about adding amps, replacing speakers, changing head units, etc, but I am interested in if/how this subwoofer improves the stock set-up. Also, what seems to be the concensus on the best setting for the sensitivity adjustment (lowest, half, full, etc)?
Thanks.

[triggerman]

I'll take a stab at it! I figured I owed this board something for the tips in getting and installing my Mopar sub. Besides removing the radio and reinstalling it has become routine for me these past few weeks. (Be sure and get some soft tips for your pliers to prevent damage when removing the heater control knobs.)

I tuned my stock radio to a local station and did a comparison with and without the sub in the circuit. While doing so, I tuned the fade adjustment to the front to minimize the sub volume. If there was a difference in the low frequency to the door speakers I didn't notice it.

One thing I have noticed is the sub and enclosure are tuned to a very narrow frequency. When that frequency is playing the sub booms very loud! Outside of that frequency it isn't nearly as loud. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[KingKole02]

If your running your stock radio, I would suggest looking into getting a cheap audio equalizer. That will allow you to finally tune the sound to your liking. If you have an aftermarket radio, most offer some setting to play with. Play with the amp settings, there should be a frequency turn knob of some type on there, just have it loud enough that when adjusting you notice a difference.

All subs are different, they pick up different sounds. I bought a used JL audio 10" that fits the same place as the stock mopar sub, but it requires a larger amp and the all the wiring. I don't believe the mopar sub was all that complicated, but can't remember its been awhile since I looked into the mopar.

[triggerman]

Here's what I finally did for mine.

After installing the mopar sup (see thread below) I was a little disappointed with the results. It seemed to flatten out the bass in the front doors while causing a boom at a very narrow frequency out of the sub. I went over to an audiophile friend for opinions and advise one Saturday. To make a long story short we found the polarity was wired backward to the speaker. The terminals were clearly marked + and - but the red wire (I'm assuming red means positive) was terminated on the negative terminal. After unsoldering and re-soldering I did notice a big difference but still not a broad range. After surfing around the Crutchfield web site I came upon a product they sell in the Sub-woofer accessories section. Basically it's polyfill like you would stuff pillows with. I had some Wal Mart brand poly fill left over from one of my wife's projects so I figured what the heck. I stuffed in as much as I could without covering up the amplifier. After sealing it back up I had to turn the bass all the way down. To my ears it seemed to increase the range of the system and the front speakers sound much fuller too.

[Dragula]

If you want to roll off some of the low frequencies using the stock head unit you can solder in a capacitor in line with the stock speakers. Depending on the value of the cap it will roll off lows at a given frequency and you will get what you are looking for. I've done that before in an old S-10 truck I had (with a subwoofer/amp setup). You can find them marketed as "bass blockers" in stereo/electronics shops, and they will probably have the cutoff frequncy rated for you.

In my PT I have a Pioneer head unit (needed the iPod hookup/control). It has a low pass filter(subwoofer out) and high pass filter(speaker outs) with selectable frequencies. Perfect!

[Franksredpt]

Well, maybe you guys can help me with my Mopar sub. I have a Sony head unit and a Sony 10 disc cd player under the seat. The sub plays great if I'm listening to the radio. But when I play either the in-dash cd player or cd's from the changer, there is no sound at all coming from the sub. With the radio, I can rattle the windows, but with the cd's playing, nothing.

[Dragula]

It sounds like a setting on your head unit that enables/disables your subwoofer's output depending on the source. For the radio it's enabled, but for the CD and the 10 disc changer it's disabled. Maybe you can just toggle it on. You need to look in the manual.