subwoofers and amps

[ccw3432]

I'm having Sportsmobile do the build on the Sprinter but would prefer to do my own stereo installation. I'm planning to use an external amp and do front speakers, rear, and a subwoofer.

I'm looking at placing the rear speakers in the high shelf above the driver side cabinets so the speakers will be facing toward the sliding door. Should work well for listening to music outside.

I've seen some folks putting the subwoofer under the passenger seat. Where do you all have your subwoofer and/or amp? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Beached]

I've been going through this same stereo design process also, and under the passenger seat is a good place for the amp; lots of room and there is a wiring conduit right to the electrical connections under the drive seat. I've had 2 installers recommend this same area.

Another thing I'm doing is getting a Class D amp (smaller with much better efficiency) that has Bluetooth. I'll be running the amp off the house bank, but the stock head unit needs the key turned on and runs off the starter battery. The amp will run with the head unit, or the bluetooth can stream right from your phone without the head unit turned on, so no running down the starter batt.


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[daveb]

Mine is in a Ford but one thing you might want to consider is keeping the sub woofer amp on a accessible switch. I find with my setup that the sub amp adds too much bass when I use the stereo as surround sound for video. It also saves quite a bit of power keeping it off if not needed. I'm sure each system will sound differently depending on the equipment though.

[TexGX]

Amplified Bazooka tube. Amp built in and the six inch has a ton of power. Love mine.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-U763yn...g&awug=9029971

[capnkurt]

I would recommend this one from JL audio:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_136933...c&awug=9013116


I would have gone with the 12" version, but under my gaucho there was just enough room to house the 10" one and still have all of the other stuff that I normally store under there as well. I purchased the optional level adjusting knob, and that works well in situations like DaveB mentioned. If I'm watching a movie/show I can turn the bass up or down as needed. The 10" puts out way more bass than I need, so I can only imagine that the 12" is pretty awesome. Even with the 10", my low bass extension really impresses me. I used to have two JL 12's in a ported enclosure in my nissan hardbody, and that had lower extension, obviously, but these microsubs are pretty damn impressive. If you get the chance to check one out at a store it might help. They are super easy to wire up and having the built-in amp is a real plus. Also, the wiring plug can be pulled out of the sub to allow you to remove it easily, without having to unhook any wires. This is a good thing to have if you absolutely needed the extra space.

capn

[ccw3432]

Thanks for the suggestions. I like the idea of running the system off the aux battery and being able to bypass the amp(s) would be a nice option for power saving when parked. I ordered the factory aux battery option since I'm not going with the full SMB electrical system. I'd like to have the unit go off/on with I start the van but that's not crucial.

I've seen a lot of folks putting the subwoofers under the passenger seat but it seems like this would rock the passenger pretty good.

[Beached]

It's my understanding that the Bluetooth amp will work normally with the head unit as it can take high level inputs from it and will auto turn on and off with it. it can also be used independently from the head unit by streaming via Bluetooth directly to it. That's why I'll power it from the house battery via a breaker at my switch panel.