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Want to Add Amp and Single 12" Sub to Factory System

107K views 61 replies 29 participants last post by  lindzmarie27 
#1 ·
I have a 2011 Terrain SLT 4 Cyl with stock stereo (it may be the pioneer, but does not have the navigation) with decent sound and additional factory sub. It has been about 15 years since I've played around with any car audio equipment and I could definitely use some help. I would like to leave all of the factory setup in place. I've purchased a Rockford Fosgate R500-1 500-Watt Mono Amplifier along with a Pioneer TS-SWX310 12-Inch Shallow Series Preloaded Sub and I'm wondering what would be the most convenient way to hook this up. If the "most convenient" way is not necessarrilly the best way then I would also like to hear what would be recommended for best sound.

My plan is to mount the amp to the preloaded box so mounting and placement is not an issue. I would just like to hear recommendations for the wiring.
 
#3 ·
Finally got everything installed. Via youtube, I determined easiest way was to tap into speaker inputs from both rear speakers, then connect that into a line out converter which provides the RCA input to the amp. I ran an ignition wire from the fuse box (hard to find ignition only but is indicated in owners manual) along the side with the power that comes from the battery. Since the rear speakers are in the door I did have to remove the door panels and drill one hole to get the speaker wire into the side wall. Sounds great, well hidden and didn't have to interfere with any of the noise control device or the existing sub. I'm sure there is a way to tap into the existing sub supply which would prevent the need to go thru the door speakers but I didn't want to interefere with anything there. Hope this helps.
 
#5 ·
kstatebeta said:
Finally got everything installed. Via youtube, I determined easiest way was to tap into speaker inputs from both rear speakers, then connect that into a line out converter which provides the RCA input to the amp. I ran an ignition wire from the fuse box (hard to find ignition only but is indicated in owners manual) along the side with the power that comes from the battery. Since the rear speakers are in the door I did have to remove the door panels and drill one hole to get the speaker wire into the side wall. Sounds great, well hidden and didn't have to interfere with any of the noise control device or the existing sub. I'm sure there is a way to tap into the existing sub supply which would prevent the need to go thru the door speakers but I didn't want to interefere with anything there. Hope this helps.
How did you mount the sub? Did it fit in the factory enclosure? Can you take a picture of the install? I'd like to see how it looks all complete
 
#6 ·
I just did an amp/sub install on my Nox yesterday. I will probly do a seperate write up on it here soon with some pictures. I have the I4 with noise cancelation and the stock sound system with myLink. The install went really well and it sounds amazing, with no problems with the noise cancelation at all.

I used an Audio Control LC2i line output converter. I tapped onto the rear speaker signal wires at the stock sound system amplifier which is behind the panel underneath the steering column. There are three wire harnesses that plug into the stock amp. The harness in the center with the green plug is where the speaker wires are. Pin #3 is brown left +, Pin 4 is yellow left -, Pin #9 is light blue (looks purple) right -, and Pin 10 is dark blue right +.
On the harness right below the speaker wire harness, you will find a white wire. This can be used for 12v switched remote wire.
How to: Location of factory amp 2012 Chevy Equinox

I ran a 4awg power wire from the battery to the back for my Precision Power Ion i650.1 amp. A good spot to get through the firewall is by a large bundle of wires that go through the firewall. There is a large grommet that these wires go through, and there is enough room to get a power wire through as well. It's tight spaces though, so you have to be kind of crafty. To find the bundle of wires I'm talking about, if you are looking at the factory amp, it will be over to the left and tucked up a little higher going right through the firewall.
I ran the power wire, speaker signal wires and remote wire down the driver side kick panels to the back.

Will post some pics and more detail soon.
 
#59 ·
I just did an amp/sub install on my Nox yesterday. I will probly do a seperate write up on it here soon with some pictures. I have the I4 with noise cancelation and the stock sound system with myLink. The install went really well and it sounds amazing, with no problems with the noise cancelation at all.

I used an Audio Control LC2i line output converter. I tapped onto the rear speaker signal wires at the stock sound system amplifier which is behind the panel underneath the steering column. There are three wire harnesses that plug into the stock amp. The harness in the center with the green plug is where the speaker wires are. Pin #3 is brown left +, Pin 4 is yellow left -, Pin #9 is light blue (looks purple) right -, and Pin 10 is dark blue right +.
On the harness right below the speaker wire harness, you will find a white wire. This can be used for 12v switched remote wire.
How to: Location of factory amp 2012 Chevy Equinox

I ran a 4awg power wire from the battery to the back for my Precision Power Ion i650.1 amp. A good spot to get through the firewall is by a large bundle of wires that go through the firewall. There is a large grommet that these wires go through, and there is enough room to get a power wire through as well. It's tight spaces though, so you have to be kind of crafty. To find the bundle of wires I'm talking about, if you are looking at the factory amp, it will be over to the left and tucked up a little higher going right through the firewall.
I ran the power wire, speaker signal wires and remote wire down the driver side kick panels to the back.

Will post some pics and more detail soon.
 
#10 ·
Hi everyone. I'm a brand new member and this is my first reply/post. Found this forum because I was looking for a thread exactly like this one. I have a 2013 Equinox that I'll be installing a Rockford Fosgate P300-12 in this weekend. The video posted by LT1 was excellent. Definitely the best place and option to gain access to the rear speaker inputs is at that factory amp. I will be using the high level input option on the amp itself rather than a converter. I have spent hundreds in the past (2003 Cadillac CTS) on the top of the line JL audio converter products only to experience the most massive disappointment in the sound quality. Garbage. Don't waste your money. A converter like the Audio Control LC2i is priced much more reasonably and from what I hear, is great.

Any new news on everyone's install that contributed to this thread last year, particularly LT1? Any heads-up's that someone could give me before I start ripping the brand new NOX apart this weekend?

Thanks!!

jne232
 
#11 ·
Ok, so I'm in the middle of my install now. Rockford Fosgate P300-12, using high-level inputs from factory amp location. All of the information has been spot on! I'm stuck now on getting that power wire through that grommet. It looks like if you remove the engine fuse box, that you could get to the huge wire harness much easier. Did anyone have to remove the fuse box for easier access? Or did you just get it through the way it is. This stinks, the only thing stopping me from bumping, is this freaking power wire....

Please help.

Thanks,
 
#62 ·
Ok, so I'm in the middle of my install now. Rockford Fosgate P300-12, using high-level inputs from factory amp location. All of the information has been spot on! I'm stuck now on getting that power wire through that grommet. It looks like if you remove the engine fuse box, that you could get to the huge wire harness much easier. Did anyone have to remove the fuse box for easier access? Or did you just get it through the way it is. This stinks, the only thing stopping me from bumping, is this freaking power wire.... Please help. Thanks,
I ran into the same issue. I ended up using a wire clothes hanger duct taped to a screw driver and pushed it through the grommet from inside the drivers side firewall. Once I pushed it through and turned and wiggled it around I managed to get it to where I could duct tape the power line to the hanger and then pulled it through. It worked but fml I wish I knew in advance. :rolleyes:
 
#12 ·
Ok, problem solved. Turns out that I had an easier time dealing with the grommet that the hood release cable goes through. I was able to fit 4 gauge rockford power wire right through. Anyone stuck on the power wire fitting through the firewall, try my solution.
 
#14 ·
1LT said:
Hey jne232,
Sorry I didn't see this in time, but sounds like you got it sorted.
I don't check in here as much as I should! Hope the rest of your install went well!
Hey Thanks 1LT! Your information here was spot on, I much appreciated your time and efforts. I followed your install to a "T" and did not have any issues what-so-ever, other than fitting the power wire through the firewall. Definitely got the install all sorted out now though. I also was pleasantly surprised with the acoustic properties of the Nox!

So on a side note......if you are still under factory warranty and I require service, would you recommend removing any and all traces of the aftermarket stereo install? I'm not sure if GM will take one look, and say "hey he installed something....not our fault, he (me the customer) must have caused the damage from the stereo." Seems that manufactures/dealers will find any reason sometimes to pass the buck....lol


P.S. For anyone considering doing an install on your Nox that has concerns about the ANC (active noise cancellation) system in the I4 Ecotec model, DON'T BE! I have a 2013 Equinox 1LT, I4 ecotec without the pioneer system. Just the plain Jane stereo with ANC. I installed a Rockford Fosgate P300-12 (all in 1 unit) using Rockford Fosgate 4 gauge wiring. Tapped into the green plug, identified by 1LT in his posts above, for high-level inputs at the factory amp location. Installed a 1 farad capacitor just before the amp, and grounded from the rear driver side seat bolt. She is a big 18MM bolt, definitely all the ground I needed.

All this work resulted in one of the most seamless installs I have ever done. No speaker pop upon turning the head unit on, no engine noise (an old school issue where your RCA's are run too close to the power wire resulting in audible engine noise) and NO NEGATIVE ISSUES WITH THE ANC SYSTEM! I've been bumping this system since Saturday, awesome!
 
#15 ·
Hello Everyone

Just wanted to confirm that this method of "1LT" works really well on my 2014 GMC Terrain SLE. :thumb:

Many thanks to "1LT". :beer: :cheers:

And if anyone is worried about the ANC, the noise cancelling future of the vehicle...... Don't Be !! With this method I can raddle the crap of the tailgate. But this is not the reason as to why I put the 12" sub in there. I just wanted some quality low end sound. The mid and high where fine as is.

Cheers :) :) :) :) :)
 
#16 ·
Curious: why didn't you use the Low Level source from the head unit? (The brown, brown/white, tan, and dark blue wires in the other connector?)
The wires that are called out in this thread are the High Level outputs to the rear speakers. This is after the OEM amplifier processes the sound. I would believe there would be less distortion if the low level sources were used from the head unit directly to your new sub amp instead of processing the Low Level in the OEM amp, converting back to Low Level, then finally back to your new sub amp? (Also, I don't know if the OEM amp cuts out any of the lower frequency from the rear speaker outputs?)
 
#18 ·
Hello,

Just a few questions, planning on doing my install very soon and want to get all the information before I start.

Power wire to battery - I see that people go through the firewall, either bundle of wires or grommet for hood release. just wondering on the engine side if you removed anything to get to wires, or if you went from underneath the engine bay?

Converter connection - I've been reading through a few threads, and have the wire diagram, I see that most go after the factory amp, and tie into rear speakers there. I then notice someone mentions going for the lows before the factory amp. Just wondering if using the method mentioned by 1LT, into the green harness is the best way, or go the low output method before the amp.

Remote Wire - Just wondering when I hook this into the factory wire, does it allow the radio to control the Sub/Amp?

I'm not to savvy on the installation, which is why I have a friend doing it, hoping to get as much info as possible for him to make the installation as easy as possible.

Thanks for any help give.
 
#19 ·
I can't be much help here cuz I didn't do mine yet. But in my other set ups, I've often drilled my own hole for the power cable. I do this mostly because I'm cautious about running so many amps in one wire being so close to lots of other signal wires. The power cable could induce small voltages in the other smaller wires, and potentially upset any sensitive controls. And since I drill my own holes, I can locate it in a place easily accessible from the engine side. But running through the hood release might be sufficient? I haven't looked. Apparently the other members didn't have trouble with the power cables through the holes they mentioned, so might be alright in your case?

For the speaker level inputs, as you saw, I was asking why they didn't use the Low Level from the head unit. I don't know the voltage of this Low Level output, but theoretically, it's always best to use the speaker signal before it gets processed by any equipments downstream. Theory aside, I wouldn't know if there's any practical noticeable difference.

wstadnick said:
Remote Wire - Just wondering when I hook this into the factory wire, does it allow the radio to control the Sub/Amp?
Not sure what you're asking? The purpose of the Remote wire is to supply ≈12V when the radio is turned on, which will trigger the amp to come on. But that's the only control this wire does for the amp. You won't be able to remotely control bass boost or the amp crossover with this wire.

I'm tempted to run a Kicker DXA250.1, but probably won't get to it until this fall. So would appreciate it if you share any update if you find the answer about the line level inputs? I was planning to take the sub speaker pins out of the OEM amp harness and splice them into the low level source. Then back at the cargo area, use the sub wires to supply the low level signal to my amp.
 
#20 ·
wstadnick said:
Hello,

Just a few questions, planning on doing my install very soon and want to get all the information before I start.

Power wire to battery -

Converter connection -

Remote Wire -

I'm not to savvy on the installation, which is why I have a friend doing it, hoping to get as much info as possible for him to make the installation as easy as possible.

Thanks for any help give.
For power wire, It makes it hella easier if you take the battery out and loosen the fuse box and move it slightly to the passenger side. (huge access to the fire wall from outside)

For converter connection, whichever method do you prefer, the way I did it, in the post above, I cant turn the volume louder than 20 or my trunk raddles so much, that's just embracing to hear outside, but it does perform as loud as I want to. And crisp clear bass.

For remote, I've used the white wire, bellow the "green" harness bundle. (just in the very next harness)

Also just as a tip...... I have installed a mini ON/OFF switch on my remote wire. That way when I'm stopped and engine off, I can shut my amp off and still listen to the radio without the amp draining out all my battery. :thumb:

FYI I've used a 100A fuse on my 4ga wire to the battery.

Good luck with the install :)
 
#21 ·
Thank you for all the information. I was a little confused on what the remote wire was, now I understand... I was assuming it went to an actual remote to control it and not the way the amp powers on.

I believe ill go the switch route, as my 5 year old may not like the back seat vibrating so much.

Just curious on the 100a fuse.. I've been told to use about a 30-40A one. Does it base off your sub/amp size... or on the gage of the power wire?


Thanks again
 
#22 ·
wstadnick said:
Thank you for all the information. I was a little confused on what the remote wire was, now I understand... I was assuming it went to an actual remote to control it and not the way the amp powers on.

I believe ill go the switch route, as my 5 year old may not like the back seat vibrating so much.
If you're not aware, I'd recommend using the same white "remote" power wire lead for your switch. This way, the remote trigger for the amplifier will still go off when the radio is off. (Don't want the amplifier staying on when you leave the car if you forget to turn off the switch?)

wstadnick said:
Just curious on the 100a fuse.. I've been told to use about a 30-40A one. Does it base off your sub/amp size... or on the gage of the power wire?
1) The maximum fuse size for the power wire is limited by the power wire gauge.
2) Often, the installer will put a power wire of heavier gauge than necessary (numerically lower). This helps with lower voltage drop from the battery to the amplifier, which helps the amplifier eek out a few more watts (and maybe the amplifier will run a bit cooler = better reliability). But the amplifier current draw will not change if the power wire fuses are changed.
3) So finally, I'd recommend putting a power wire fuse rated a few amps higher than the total of all your amplifier fuses (as long as below the max of the power wire gauge).

Example: iIf your amplifier has 2x20amp fuses, your power wire gauge should be rated for at least 40 amps. Further, you could probably get away with a 40 A fuse in the power wire, but I'd recommend 50 (as long as the power wire gauge is rated for 50). 50 or 100 A in this case makes no difference - except if your power wire ever accidentally shorts to the body (ground), the 100 A fuse will allow for a bigger spark before blowing. So the 50 A fuse would be a safer choice.
 
#23 ·
Well got everything installed. thanks for all the help, even wired it myself, which I've never done before, was pretty good learning experience.

Now I just have to fine tune the amp / line out convertor, and clean up a few of the wires and I'll be all set. Was a pretty easy install, the most trouble was the ground line surprisingly.

Will also be adding a switch to the remote wire, found the early morning ride in doesn't require a thumping bass.


Thanks all for the help.
 
#24 ·
wstadnick said:
Thank you for all the information. I was a little confused on what the remote wire was, now I understand... I was assuming it went to an actual remote to control it and not the way the amp powers on.

I believe ill go the switch route, as my 5 year old may not like the back seat vibrating so much.

Just curious on the 100a fuse.. I've been told to use about a 30-40A one. Does it base off your sub/amp size... or on the gage of the power wire?


Thanks again
First of all congrats on the install.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough, but yes, as mentioned by "Chas" as well, I did hook up the remote wire to the "white wire" first than to the switch.

And my bad on the 100A fuse, I forgot that previously in my vehicle I had 2x 12" with a 2Ga wire, so anything than a 100A I blew, due to high demand of power. But I agree, something around 50A should be more than enough.

And yes, strangely, but to find an 18mm socket was the most difficult part for me as well to get the ground on the back seat bolt ;)
 
#25 ·
Thanks, ya the 100amp fuse had by buddy a little puzzled, we went with a 30 amp fuse, as i'm not running a very big amp/sub.

I found a bolt under the stock sub that I was able to attach the ground to. As i'm debating removing the spare tire and putting the Amp and Capacitor under there I figured it was the best spot.

And I used the white wire and had no issues, added a switch to it so I can manually shut off the system when kid / morning commute happens.

Thanks again for the help.
 
#26 ·
1LT said:
I just did an amp/sub install on my Nox yesterday. I will probly do a seperate write up on it here soon with some pictures. I have the I4 with noise cancelation and the stock sound system with myLink. The install went really well and it sounds amazing, with no problems with the noise cancelation at all.

I used an Audio Control LC2i line output converter. I tapped onto the rear speaker signal wires at the stock sound system amplifier which is behind the panel underneath the steering column. There are three wire harnesses that plug into the stock amp. The harness in the center with the green plug is where the speaker wires are. Pin #3 is brown left +, Pin 4 is yellow left -, Pin #9 is light blue (looks purple) right -, and Pin 10 is dark blue right +.
On the harness right below the speaker wire harness, you will find a white wire. This can be used for 12v switched remote wire.
How to: Location of factory amp 2012 Chevy Equinox

I ran a 4awg power wire from the battery to the back for my Precision Power Ion i650.1 amp. A good spot to get through the firewall is by a large bundle of wires that go through the firewall. There is a large grommet that these wires go through, and there is enough room to get a power wire through as well. It's tight spaces though, so you have to be kind of crafty. To find the bundle of wires I'm talking about, if you are looking at the factory amp, it will be over to the left and tucked up a little higher going right through the firewall.
I ran the power wire, speaker signal wires and remote wire down the driver side kick panels to the back.

Will post some pics and more detail soon.
I just had an audio installation shop put in an amp and wire it all up following 1LT's instructions on my 2013 Terrain SLE. It sounds amazing, but I've lost all of the vehicle noises and chimes (blinkers, etc.) and there is no sound when making calls using the vehicles wireless bluetooth.

Did they do something wrong at the shop or is this just an unfortunate result of bypassing the ANC using the line splitter?

Thank you for any help or information you could provide.
 
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