Vrodman

Hey Guys,

My thread for sound tuners in San Jose didnt get any replies. No worries though. Decided I can do this project myself.

Let me ask a question from a different angle to help my project along:

I found exactly where to tap into the signal for the sub amp. Check.

Now in looking for an adequate high current power source in the rear and I am looking for some advice. Any advice to avoid running low gauge wires all the way to the front of the car.

I have a 2011 e63. No rear battery, although the generic body cavity has a place to put one on the right of the spare tire. This spot would be used for the E550 for example with full auto suspension.

So my options are to drop an auxillary battery into this spot and find a line at fuse box from alternator that can charge it? (That line likely doesnt exist)

Or tap into one of the fuses at the rear fuse box. This is a bit limited as the highest fuse I see is 50 amps. If I were to say decide on a 1000 watt sealed sub for SQ, I would be screwed. Cant really pull more than about 400 W rms off of one of the 50 amp fuses.

Anybody have a solution for this or can steer me to a thread on it?
Thanks in advance.

ACC2

I would definitely run a new 12v wire from battery. It's really pretty easy to do. Most places would change less than $100.

Vrodman

Any idea where they route the wires, a 4Ga wire is fairly large and rigid.

But you did convince me to just stop at an installer and see if it is more practical than me doing it myself.

Vrodman

Well, I stopped by an installer and he offered to do the entire install for $200. This includes:

Tapping into brown and white signal lines
Tapping in to remote trigger black wire
running 4Gauge wire from battery in front to trunk
sub enclosure included
all wires and connectors included
Amp mounted near spare tire in that non-used battery space.

I will post a different thread with what equipment I decided on.

EddieK

I'm interested in this also...I've been thinking about just adding a bazooka tube. Gone are the days where I want a 10-12" sub and amp.

Vrodman

I hear ya.

However, wait till I am done and you see the nd result. Gonna post a separate thread tomorrow or Friday with specifics. Chosen components and how to tap into signal, battery connection, remote turn on, etc.

Whole project will be a bit pricey (roughly $1100). But it can be done cheaper. Going with fairly high end stuff. Alpine amp, Image Dynamics 12" sub. Both rated at a consevative 1200W rms !

Should rattle fillings loose! Lol but with good SQ!

Btw, I am a former lead engineer for Velodyne Acoustics. I know what SQ is all about. Truth is that the stock sound system is pretty good. Its just the low end is too weak to keep with the other 12 speakers. My guess is that this should really flatten out the spectrum nicely at all volumes.

Watch for thread to come.

ACC2

Sound like you are on the right track. Can't wait to see the end result. The 4ga wire is pretty standard and very flexible these days. It routes a lot the door sills and under the carpet no problem. It 's also about the minimum size you'd want for an amp pulling that kind of current.

EddieK

Sounds great! I'll wait for your write-up. I can already tell that I'm going to end up with a sub and amp. When I was into car audio, the best sub I found was a Polk Momo mated with a PPI amp. Don't even know if those are still around. I'm going to look up the sub brand you referenced.

I agree, the mids and highs seem fine to me, but the system seriously is lacking on the low end.

LFC09

any plans for tightening up the rear shelf to reduce rattles?

Vrodman

No plans yet. Hoping it will not be necessary. Here's the thing:

If I was firing upward toward the rear shelf, it would likely be necessary. However, if you read RNBRAD's post on this topic (which by the way was very helpful. search "amp install w212") he installed his firing upward and never reported a necessity of reinforcing the shelf. And he was at a 1000 W setup as well.

I actually am going with rear firing (toward rear of car) this actually takes advantage a bit more of the trunk volume to help achieve lower freq sub harmonics. And it should eliminate any shelf issues.

About to post new thread on this called "High Power Sub Upgrade for W212" Check it out for details that I mentioned earlier in this thread.

Cheers