2002 Es300 Subwoofer Upgrade Question

[rickshobbies]

I have the premium sound system in my 2002 ES300 (not the Mark Levinson). The system sounds terrific to me save for the lack of low end bass. It has a subwoofer in the rear deck and I am think about replacing it.

It looks like you can remove the grille via clips you can see from inside the trunk, but I'm not sure. I can't find anything about this via the forum search, so I thought I'd ask to see if any of you have done this.

There is supposedly an amp hidden somewhere, so my first thought is that perhaps a higher quality, more efficient sub would suffice. I only play the music at low volumes, so I don't know if this would help or if I would need to add an amp for the sub or not.

Any comments?

R

[blk_on_blk]

Well, I don't know exactly what your factory system entails, but if you have a factory sub, you definitely have an amp hidden somewhere (I know on my '95 it's under the passenger front seat). If you upgrade your sub (and an upgrade will help), keep it a low power, efficient sub... the easiest way to really tell on a subwoofer is the size of the magnet... smaller magnet, lower the power. Stay away from metal cones, and shoot for a 'pulp fiber' cone. I'm pretty sure yours is an 8" sub... and it's a simple paper cone. You don't want to upgrade to much if you keep using the factory amp. You'll want something low power, like around 150 peak Watts... something like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=150012116479

[rickshobbies]

Well, I don't know exactly what your factory system entails, but if you have a factory sub, you definitely have an amp hidden somewhere (I know on my '95 it's under the passenger front seat). If you upgrade your sub (and an upgrade will help), keep it a low power, efficient sub... the easiest way to really tell on a subwoofer is the size of the magnet... smaller magnet, lower the power. Stay away from metal cones, and shoot for a 'pulp fiber' cone. I'm pretty sure yours is an 8" sub... and it's a simple paper cone. You don't want to upgrade to much if you keep using the factory amp. You'll want something low power, like around 150 peak Watts... something like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=150012116479

Great info. Any idea on the steps needed to perform the upgrade on a 2002 ES300? I am hoping I don't have to pull the seat. Looking in the trunk, it looks like 4 clips and the grill comes off then I would guess that would expose the screws for the sub. If so, it should be an easy swap.

R

[blk_on_blk]

If the grill just pops off (like a normal design should... I just did an entire stereo upgrade in mine this weekend... stinks how they have it designed where you have to remove the whole seat), then it's a straight-forward removal and replace... well, almost straight forward. I found a problem in my upgrade where the speaker basket was deeper and more 'bellowing' on the new Bostons than the factory speakers... they wouldn't drop down in the original mounts. I had to fabricate 'spacers' to get them in (they were top-mount, meaning the speakers drop in from the top of the back deck). If you are sure you have room in the opening, or if the sub is a bottom mount (ensuring you have room), then it's probably just a straight forward swap.

I have to say, I just replaced my entire system this weekend (what an utter grueling job), and the performance and sound is astounding! Even something small like replacing the factory sub will give you depth to your system that should be noticeable.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.