10 replies to this topic

[caffnated_madness]

Hey guys, I'm a new poster from Turbobricks so I figured I'd start small so the bashing can get out of the way

Anywho I purchased a 2001 v70 t5 this past weekend and it has quite a bit of options...one of which was the premium sound system with the optional 12" subwoofer.

-What I was wondering was if it was possible to replace the speaker from the unit without the system going bonkers on me?

-and if this is possible, what about the amp with the proper wiring or harness?

I can post pics as necessary...if this works out I have further plans on some strategic porting of the sub....
Thanks in advance for the help!

[TaskMule]

I would think that the sub is already engineered to its maximum abilities, and by porting the box, you would actually de-tune the driver/box combo. I could be wrong, but I'd be wary of assuming that you could out-think the audio engineers who came up with that design. If you are looking for a huge thump, maybe you might consider a dual driver solobaric cabinet or some other system instead? I'm no audio engineer, so again, I may be wrong.
As far as replacing the driver, as long as you match the ohm (resistance) rating of the original driver, it should keep the system in balance. Make sure that the new driver is shallow enough to fit the original box though, some of them can be amazingly thin. But again, that box is designed to operate optimally with that specific driver. Anything less (or more) and you move out of what Volvo obviously spent a fair bit of time/$ coming up with. Its why we like these cars in the first place, no? The engineers spend time and think about what they are putting together, and there is more to designing a system then throwing in another driver and cutting a hole. My 2 cents.

[caffnated_madness]

sounds right. the problem i see with that though is the fact that so many nicer vehicles just don't come with quality components. the question now becomes this: what is the ohm rating for the subwoofer?

don't get me wrong, the woofer probably was great new but 10 years of use will take it's toll...I'm looking for a tighter sound

[BEJinFBK]

Many are plenty happy with the Volvo unit. You should be able to turn some duckits with a sale.
If you want better bass, just ditch the whole thing and go aftermarket with a new amp and sub.
As stated, trying to make the OEM sub something it's not is pretty much a waste of time.
Want bigger and better? Sell the one you've got and Go Bigger and Better.

[caffnated_madness]

how easy is it to wire in a small sub box and amp into a car like this? i'm not familiar at all with the particular radio hu setup like my old 240

what i like about just upgrading the speaker is no loss of space...has anyone really tried making an in-floor setup to replace the one like this without sacrificing interior space? i also like the idea of the tuning abilities of an aftermarket amplifier

[BEJinFBK]

Many have built "spare tire" subs,
And tagging in an amp is cake.
Dig around - Search is your friend.

[caffnated_madness]

BEJinFBK, on 07 October 2011 - 02:26 AM, said:

Many have built "spare tire" subs,
And tagging in an amp is cake.
Dig around - Search is your friend.

Ok, really spent some time searching and the biggest problem I find is that almost all of the threads lack pictures (at least now they do, they're all from 2005 lol). I'm unopposed to building a new box and replacing the equipment, but without visual ideas it's extremely difficult to come up with ideas.

Any links that you could maybe provide? I also noticed at Bing_O has alot of pics and info for setups, but no info on the setup in his sig

[caffnated_madness]

Oh, and I also found an adapter http://www.ebay.com/...e#ht_1488wt_934

Figured I would post it since you can keep the existing setup and just keep the amp, and in general I had a hard time finding info on the car's stereo equipment (scattered all over the place)

[boosted_brick]

do you have a photo of the sub in its enclosure? i wasnt aware there was this option out there. i bet you could just find a 12" sub with the same size dimensions and drop it right in there. maybe a bigger amp would be needed, who knows... i was going to do this with my last car. i found a factory enclosure and was about to swap the sub out but ford probes arent really baby friendly.

[scumcity14]

A driver of the "same dimensions" doesn't necessarily mean it will work well in the factory enclosure. An enclosure and its volume (not loudness, physical volume) is designed around the particular driver that is in it..you don't just build a box and slap a 12" speaker in a 12" hole and bam..accurate tight bass. Port diameter and length needs to be calculated as well (if its even a driver for a ported enclosure), you can't just stick a tube or 2 in and have more bass. It will most likely be very boomy around one narrow frequency range and some of the the others will be cancelled..

Edited by scumcity14, 12 November 2011 - 02:45 AM.

[caffnated_madness]

boosted_brick, on 12 November 2011 - 01:28 AM, said:

do you have a photo of the sub in its enclosure? i wasnt aware there was this option out there. i bet you could just find a 12" sub with the same size dimensions and drop it right in there. maybe a bigger amp would be needed, who knows... i was going to do this with my last car. i found a factory enclosure and was about to swap the sub out but ford probes arent really baby friendly.

Not at the moment, but pictures are out there of the box itself. The way it's setup is as a free- or open-air venting, so the magnet is outside of the box with a metal protective basket around it, with an amp built into the enclosure but not sealed in the box.

I wanted to find another 12" sub (like you said), and drop it in but it looks like this was addressed in the second bit here \/ \/ \/ (what scumcity14 got at..)

as for the amp bit, yeah a new one would be needed...it looks like it would be way easier to make a box built for a sub and wire it separately but use the mounting hardware.

scumcity14, on 12 November 2011 - 02:39 AM, said:

A driver of the "same dimensions" doesn't necessarily mean it will work well in the factory enclosure. An enclosure and its volume (not loudness, physical volume) is designed around the particular driver that is in it..you don't just build a box and slap a 12" speaker in a 12" hole and bam..accurate tight bass. Port diameter and length needs to be calculated as well (if its even a driver for a ported enclosure), you can't just stick a tube or 2 in and have more bass. It will most likely be very boomy around one narrow frequency range and some of the the others will be cancelled..

exactly. and to clarify my other post, I was referring to the amp for the speakers in the rest of the car.