Rookie audio tips

[msandli]

One more question. Once the rear door speakers and the massive audio bx4 amp i just picked up are installed and running, i will move on to the sub. I am waffling between replacing the stock 8" in the rear (less $) or putting a box under the second row seat (more sub options, potential for better sound). It would probably just be one of the pre-fab jobs that are out there, as I don't really have the tools to make one myself.

Does ANYONE have PICTURES of the 2nd row folded down flat with an under seat box? If so, please provide brand/size of box, or at least the dimension of the box at its tallest point. Having the 2nd row seats fold down is one of the things I like most about the tahoe, and if an under seat box prevents that, then my decision is much simpler.

 

[03chevyhoe]

or just straight wire to fuse box on drivers side. Wire the power (red) wire to the ign. fuse with a "add-a-fuse" and run a wire to the aftermarket radio harness. Do the same for the yellow memory wire only link it with the flashers fuse. Then run ca's to a 4channel from the back of the radio and you got good sound without dropping 90$ on a radio harness.

 

[msandli]

or just straight wire to fuse box on drivers side. Wire the power (red) wire to the ign. fuse with a "add-a-fuse" and run a wire to the aftermarket radio harness. Do the same for the yellow memory wire only link it with the flashers fuse. Then run ca's to a 4channel from the back of the radio and you got good sound without dropping 90$ on a radio harness.

what?

Also, I recently got a massive audio bx 4, which is a pretty small amp, and put it under the 2nd row. with the backs folded down, the seat backs leave about an inch above the amp (that's only because of the curve - if the amp is under the middle seat, the armrest touches the seat).

So, I don't think that an underseat sub box is what I want.

 

[YukonXL04]

Yea the under seat box limits the seat from folding all the way down. It ends up angling a bit. Where you located? I'm selling my custom center console box.

 

[atothez]

You don't have to replace the stock wires with a Big 3. you can just add onto what is already there. Here is a you tube video of Steve Meade doing a big 3 on a Yukon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tCagWhK178

 

[msandli]

You don't have to replace the stock wires with a Big 3. you can just add onto what is already there. Here is a you tube video of Steve Meade doing a big 3 on a Yukon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tCagWhK178

awesome, thanks. there's so much stuff out there that i can get a little google-weary at times

 

[msandli]

bump for my old thread. have all my components and am starting the install. I've seen this question posted around quite a bit: what is the size of the stock sub enclosure on a 2001 tahoe (the one behind the rear trim, not the center console). I was able to fill the box up with approximately 2.25 gallons of water. this equates to almost exactly .3 cubic feet. mine also had a few pieces of some sort of insulation, I assume to function as poly-fill. I'll probably add a little more in for good measure.

 

[msandli]

update: everything is in!

got a massive audio bx4 powering front 2 speakers and bridged the other channel to a sub. rear speakers are running off the head unit. polk db651 in all 4 doors and a polk db840 sub. no affinity to polk, but the value is pretty good, and i wasn't looking for hi-fi quality or competition volume levels. obviously, an 8" sub in a sealed box isn't going to beat down the block, but it is definitely noticeable. the bx4 (which most people online agree is over-rated, as it can put out "940 watts rms" but only has a 40 amp fuse....) is mounted in the little cubby in the left rear interior panel - it's that small. i think i still have a little tuning to do, but the sound is pretty good, and there's enough headroom that i can get it as loud as i personally want it. some notes if anyone else is reading this and is attempting this for the first time:

1. buy a cable snake! probably 25% of my time was spent trying to fish wires through the firewall (i used the big grommet that is by the brake booster - there's lots of pics of this online) and through the doors (the rears were actually easier since i could undo the plastic connector that holds the wires. just break off a tab and feed the wires through there). i also had to run my wires on top of the carpet behind the back seat hinges. they're still underneath the floor hinges and there's no danger of them getting cut by the seat hinges, but it obviously doesn't look as neat.

2. wait until you are ready to turn everything on and start tuning before you hook up the battery or install the fuse in your power wire! i was dragging the wires around in the dark as saw a small fireworks display. on the other hand, i knew my wiring was correct and my ground was good! it's grounded to the little metal bracket that supports that cubby hole; just sanded off a lot of paint and was able to get good continuity from the end of the ground wire to the metal body.

3. if you mount the amp under the rear seat, or you run your rca cables over the prop shaft tunnel, you can probably get by with standard 20' rca cables. if you run them on the right side of the truck like i did, you will need 25' or 30' cables. i had to get some extensions to get my rca cables to reach all the way to the cubby.

4. the polk sub is about 1/8" bigger than the stock sub, so it won't fit directly in the hole in the box. i took a dremel and widened out the lip just enough for it to slide in, and then drilled 8 new holes. i forgot to caulk over the 4 original screw holes, but i'm done working with it for now - it's time to enjoy the new bass!

but now, i have an upgraded sound system with only a few places where you can see any wires, and that's probably if you know where to look. it took me about 2 full days to finish everything up, but someone with more experience and better tools could probably do it in a day, or take two days and add more sound deadening. i was very conscious of my budget, and am quite happy with the results. polk says the sub will break in for about a month, so hopefully things will only start to sound better with time.

thanks everyone for the help