Installed sub, amp and JL LOC


12” sub in car

Sub out on table, sealed bix

Tapped into wiring loom for signal

JL Audio, I have used before, happy with results

Worlds best dog!!!!

 

Pioneer amp 500W into a 2ohm 12" JL Audio subwoofer. JL Audio LOC22. 4 gauge wire. I made a 1/4" plywood panel it all mounted to. The panel is just a friction fit in the rear and long enough wires to lift up and remove to get that rear wheel well insert out. Gain on amp is set to maybe 1/8 turn. Gain on LOC set to about 1/4. I have about 600 in parts, did the install myself in about three hours. How does it sound?? Well, I turned the EQ in car settings to 0 on bass, -2 on treble +2 on midrange. It absolutely got rid of the weak muddy bass. Bass hits hard, distinct and clear. Led Zeppelin never sounded so good! But also, vocals like Tracy Chapman are much better. In hindsight probably a 10" or 8" sub would work fine. Absolutely no sensation of trunk blocking the sound.

 

Very nice! (and cute dog!)

Have you considered putting a grill over the subwoofer driver? Just a few bucks from Parts Express ...

 

I ordered one the same day, should have it this Monday. I did order one from JL, just wanted to be sure there was no interference with woofer excursion.

 

Looks great. I have a 10" w7 I plan on using in a custom box. Will install at some point

 

Here is my 10" W7 in a custom box.

 

BOOM BOOM

 

I like this setup the best as it takes up very little trunk space and you can still get golf clubs in there at an angle. The W222 trunks are way too small, especially with the rear seat package.

 

You are right about the size! The 12 is actually too big in there. I will continue to use it for awhile but will eventually switch to something a little smaller.....should be able to sell that JL locally to a youngster in a Hyundai!!

 

A W7 might be worth more than the car!

 

I am a pretty avid diyer, but I don’t know how the wiring interface is accomplished in the w222. please can you give a diagram or detailed explanation of where the physical connection occurs and what wiring/connection is required

 

Look in the other Burmester upgrade that’s running, I uploaded the color codes for the wire taps coming off the stock amp.

superpop is that box big enough for the W7, or just able to be that small because it’s sealed? I’m really impressed with the ported W3 I just put in, but would love to hear a W6 or W7.

 

If you take a close look at the photo where I show my wiring connection, not the amplifier phot , there is a black fabric covered loom that is attatched to the amplifier by a quick release handle. Inside that loom there is a blue wire and a blue with white stripe wire. Those are the wires that go to the driver side factory subwoofer. I tapped off of those wires to go to my LOC22. it is those wires that are used by the amplifier as the signal source. The factory subwoofer is still in use but I was able to turn the signal to those way down on the dash EQ bass setting. Bass signals are very non directional and it is hard for your ear to detect where the bass is coming from, only that it feels substantially beefier and less muddy. If you search on this website you will also find more info about those wires location. I used the quick Klik connectors which I use all the time, they are very secure, easy to move around, reusable. You can buy them on Amazon as a kit or singly.

 

Box is actually around 1.25 CF of airspace in a sealed enclosure which is what is specified for this sub. It is deceptive looking because it is a very odd shaped box that is designed to wrap under all of the electronics behind the back seat. My installer removed the panel in the back of the trunk and build this box into the space behind this panel. He also build a beauty panel to cover the top half of the trunk wall above the box. That hole in the middle is actually a passthrough that comes in handy if I need to throw a pair of skis or a 2X4 in the car. This single W7 powered by a JL VXi 1000/1 hits very hard. I am dumbfounded as to how JL gets so much high quality acoustic sound out of such a tiny amp and one single 10" driver.

 

I've been running w7s for years and with a properly spec'd box, one 10" is unmatched by other brands' multi-woofer set ups.

 

UPDATE. I went ahead and ordered the rotating tweeter assembly off of eBay. Im going to look at those closely, if the tweeter itself looks like junk I will replace the driver. But, the big thing I ordered and I hope it will make a solid improvement is a pair of Focal 4" midrange speakers. These were on sale from woofersetc.com which by the way has great prices and a huge selection compared to the place a lot of people go to. These are component speakers, not coaxial. I'll keep updates going as everything comes in. BTW, I did get my JL woofer cover, it was 34.00 but it is super nice and fit right on the 12" JL driver.

 

Very interested to hear how this goes. If you can, please post phots of what the new and old midrange look like.

 

This is a 4” speaker, it is darn close to the same dimension of the factory 3.5” once the rotating tweeters get here I’ll get it all apart and take a few more photos

 

I pulled the 3D Burmester sub out and got my JL W7 installed. Night and Day difference. Not sure why MB put this cheap POS in as an option but not surprised. New sub was installed in the trunk floor and ported. Kept same trunk space (will remove the molding for the burmester sub eventually)

 

Finally installed the Focal midrange and rotating tweeter assemblies. Not a big deal, I did have a hard time retrieving the door panel screws. There are two of them under the door armrest trim strip. These are Torx 30, be sure to use a magnetic tip!
As far as installing the midrange on the door panel I simply disconnected factory connector and soldered the new speaker plug which also contains a the frequency blocker. Please note the Focals come with a separate blocker which goes inline. The factory midrange has this included on the speaker basket.
The old mid just fits into three rubber pins, pop it straight up with a plastic pry tool. The Focal fits exactly!!! It is taller than the factory mid, point the speaker terminals down. I hot melt glued it in place, no secrets there, common practice in mobile hifi with small speakers.
After installing the rotating tweeter assembly, easy enough it is a bit of a balancing act tucking wires out of the way and holding up door panel to make all the connections. Make darn sure the new tweeter wire harness is not in the way of door panel reattaching flat......ask me how I know!
The verdict, a distinct improvement in the mid sound, clearer, more distinct crisp sounds. Factory mids were muddy. The sound of vocals and acoustic guitar is more life like. I think I will do the back doors now as it is the same speaker size.
Time to do? I am a decent mechanic and a methodical thoughtful worker. Time, start to finish for entire job, both doors, three hours. That included a coffee break and chitchat with a neighbor and removing and reinstalling aforementioned door panel. So realistically 2.5 hours. Not difficult........