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8" Sub In The Back


ravig292

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I recently completed a major upgrade to my 1999 LS400 Pioneer system. I did it in two stages, first the sub, then the remaining speakers. I really could not find enough information on this forum about upgrading the stereo, so I will give a bit of detail here in case it helps someone else thinking about upgrading.

First, you did not specify whether you have the upgraded Nakamichi or the standard Pioneer system. I assume you have the Pioneer because if you had the Nakamichi you would probably not be interested in changing it. I think there is about 90 watts more going into the Nakamichi sub. The standard Pioneer system is rated at 215 watts for all speakers in a 2000 LS400. I’ve read before how much goes to the sub, but I can’t recall. It is not much, like 60 watts.

If you simply want to install another factory subwoofer, the part nos. are 86160 50100 for the Pioneer and 86160 5011 for the Nakamichi. You can order them from www.parts.com. The factory sub comes with its own bracket around the periphery of the speaker and which has three tabs extending from it. Bolts go into the ends of the tabs and secure the sub to the deck. There are clips that hold down the grill and it can be pried off with a flathead screwdriver to expose the subwoofer. The third stoplight snaps out easily as well. There is a wiring harness inside of it that needs to be disconnected so you can move the fixture out of the way. Replacing the sub with a new factory sub is not difficult.

I also own a 98 LS with the Nakamichi. The bass from the Nakamichi is way better than the Pioneer. After listening to the pitiful bass from the Pioneer for a few years, and then buying the other LS400 with the superior Nakamichi, I decided to upgrade the Pioneer subwoofer. My goal was just a modest upgrade that would not disturb the factory design. I did not want a subwoofer box or anything else in my trunk, nor did I care to have other cars or pedestrians hearing a loud thumping sound coming from my car as I passed by. I thought that upgrading the sub only, not the door speakers, would be all that I would do.

Since I did not want a box, I tried to find a “free air” sub that would fit into the stock 8 inch space. There’s not much to choose, but I discovered and bought the Pioneer shallow mount SW841D on Amazon.com for about $80. It is 500 watts max power and 120 watts RMS. The Pioneer spec sheet specifically states that it can be used in free air applications. This Pioneer sub fits nicely into the stock 8 inch opening, but you cannot use the same holes that the stock sub uses because the stock sub uses its own bracket. I drilled 6 small holes around the periphery of the stock speaker hole in the rear deck to match the locations of the Pioneer sub’s mounting holes. I used stainless steel nuts and bolts and also included rubber washers (vibration control) to secure the speaker. My wife held the nuts in place from the trunk side while I tightened them.

I learned the hard way about controlling vibrations, but ultimately ended up with a vibration free and rattle free installation. I used some ¼ inch neoprene gasket material under the lip of the sub that became sandwiched between the lip and the deck when I tightened the speaker mounting screws. I also applied Dynamat Extreme (bought from Amazon – this stuff is expensive) dampening material all around the speaker opening on both sides before installing the speaker. I also applied the Dynamat over virtually the entire rear deck, top and bottom. I also added a thin piece of felt across the top of the third stoplight to eliminate vibrations between the stop light and rear window.

To power the sub I used a JL Audio A1200 I bought on Amazon for about $130. I ran 4 gauge wire from the battery, through the firewall, under the door trim, under the rear seat, and to the trunk. I installed an inline fuse close to where the power wire connects to the battery. I located the amp in a formerly empty compartment in the right hand side of the trunk, beneath the trunk floor, totally hidden.

You can’t just feed the factory wires into a new amp because the factory signal is already amplified. I used a “Peripheral” line output converter between the speaker wires coming from the factory amp and the JL Audio amp. This changes the signal to one which the amp can use. The converter was about $20. However, I mistakenly did not get the unit with the “remote turn on” feature. I instead used a 12V feed from my Navigation unit that is located on the left hand compartment in the trunk to turn on the amp, but I undesirably had the amp turning on with the ignition, even when the stereo was turned off. Getting a converter with remote turn on is key because there are really no 12V wires to tap into (that I know of) that turn on with the stereo. Here is the unit that I would have bought if I were only upgrading the sub: “Peripheral SVENR Two Channel Premium Line Output Converter with Remote Turn On.” It also is available on Amazon for around $35. The line output converter I used also fit into the same compartment with the sub.

Before attempting the installation, I ordered the factory repair manual for the LS400 on Ebay in a download format. The factory manual shows how to disassemble seats, speaker grills, etc. For the subwoofer installation I did, I needed to remove the grill and third stoplight noted above, and also the rear seat, the rear deck, the trim around the driver’s and rear passenger doors, and a cover in the trunk that spans the width of the trunk and encloses the subwoofer. The compartments underneath the trunk floor are easy to access. They just pop open if you pull on them.

In any event, the results of upgrading the sub were amazing. The sub sounds better than the Nakamichi in my other LS400. Plenty of good clean bass with the setting on the amp turned only about 1/3 of the way up.

Replacing only the subwoofer in these standard Pioneer units is a sufficient upgrade all by itself, in my opinion. It brings the Pioneer unit much closer in sound quality to the Nakamichi. The four door speakers and tweeters in the Pioneer system are not bad. Nonetheless, the door speakers in the Nakamichi produce more lifelike sound and you hear subtle notes with it that the Pioneer does not pick up.

I ultimately decided to upgrade the door speakers and tweeters as well, and now my 99 LS400 has a better sounding stereo than the Nakamichi in my 98 LS400. But the upgrade to the subwoofer was definitely the single biggest improvement and would have been enough by itself. With all of the parts, wires, Dynamat, etc., I probably paid a bit over $350 to upgrade the sub.

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I recently completed a major upgrade to my 1999 LS400 Pioneer system. I did it in two stages, first the sub, then the remaining speakers. I really could not find enough information on this forum about upgrading the stereo, so I will give a bit of detail here in case it helps someone else thinking about upgrading.

First, you did not specify whether you have the upgraded Nakamichi or the standard Pioneer system. I assume you have the Pioneer because if you had the Nakamichi you would probably not be interested in changing it. I think there is about 90 watts more going into the Nakamichi sub. The standard Pioneer system is rated at 215 watts for all speakers in a 2000 LS400. I’ve read before how much goes to the sub, but I can’t recall. It is not much, like 60 watts.

If you simply want to install another factory subwoofer, the part nos. are 86160 50100 for the Pioneer and 86160 5011 for the Nakamichi. You can order them from www.parts.com. The factory sub comes with its own bracket around the periphery of the speaker and which has three tabs extending from it. Bolts go into the ends of the tabs and secure the sub to the deck. There are clips that hold down the grill and it can be pried off with a flathead screwdriver to expose the subwoofer. The third stoplight snaps out easily as well. There is a wiring harness inside of it that needs to be disconnected so you can move the fixture out of the way. Replacing the sub with a new factory sub is not difficult.

I also own a 98 LS with the Nakamichi. The bass from the Nakamichi is way better than the Pioneer. After listening to the pitiful bass from the Pioneer for a few years, and then buying the other LS400 with the superior Nakamichi, I decided to upgrade the Pioneer subwoofer. My goal was just a modest upgrade that would not disturb the factory design. I did not want a subwoofer box or anything else in my trunk, nor did I care to have other cars or pedestrians hearing a loud thumping sound coming from my car as I passed by. I thought that upgrading the sub only, not the door speakers, would be all that I would do.

Since I did not want a box, I tried to find a “free air” sub that would fit into the stock 8 inch space. There’s not much to choose, but I discovered and bought the Pioneer shallow mount SW841D on Amazon.com for about $80. It is 500 watts max power and 120 watts RMS. The Pioneer spec sheet specifically states that it can be used in free air applications. This Pioneer sub fits nicely into the stock 8 inch opening, but you cannot use the same holes that the stock sub uses because the stock sub uses its own bracket. I drilled 6 small holes around the periphery of the stock speaker hole in the rear deck to match the locations of the Pioneer sub’s mounting holes. I used stainless steel nuts and bolts and also included rubber washers (vibration control) to secure the speaker. My wife held the nuts in place from the trunk side while I tightened them.

I learned the hard way about controlling vibrations, but ultimately ended up with a vibration free and rattle free installation. I used some ¼ inch neoprene gasket material under the lip of the sub that became sandwiched between the lip and the deck when I tightened the speaker mounting screws. I also applied Dynamat Extreme (bought from Amazon – this stuff is expensive) dampening material all around the speaker opening on both sides before installing the speaker. I also applied the Dynamat over virtually the entire rear deck, top and bottom. I also added a thin piece of felt across the top of the third stoplight to eliminate vibrations between the stop light and rear window.

To power the sub I used a JL Audio A1200 I bought on Amazon for about $130. I ran 4 gauge wire from the battery, through the firewall, under the door trim, under the rear seat, and to the trunk. I installed an inline fuse close to where the power wire connects to the battery. I located the amp in a formerly empty compartment in the right hand side of the trunk, beneath the trunk floor, totally hidden.

You can’t just feed the factory wires into a new amp because the factory signal is already amplified. I used a “Peripheral” line output converter between the speaker wires coming from the factory amp and the JL Audio amp. This changes the signal to one which the amp can use. The converter was about $20. However, I mistakenly did not get the unit with the “remote turn on” feature. I instead used a 12V feed from my Navigation unit that is located on the left hand compartment in the trunk to turn on the amp, but I undesirably had the amp turning on with the ignition, even when the stereo was turned off. Getting a converter with remote turn on is key because there are really no 12V wires to tap into (that I know of) that turn on with the stereo. Here is the unit that I would have bought if I were only upgrading the sub: “Peripheral SVENR Two Channel Premium Line Output Converter with Remote Turn On.” It also is available on Amazon for around $35. The line output converter I used also fit into the same compartment with the sub.

Before attempting the installation, I ordered the factory repair manual for the LS400 on Ebay in a download format. The factory manual shows how to disassemble seats, speaker grills, etc. For the subwoofer installation I did, I needed to remove the grill and third stoplight noted above, and also the rear seat, the rear deck, the trim around the driver’s and rear passenger doors, and a cover in the trunk that spans the width of the trunk and encloses the subwoofer. The compartments underneath the trunk floor are easy to access. They just pop open if you pull on them.

In any event, the results of upgrading the sub were amazing. The sub sounds better than the Nakamichi in my other LS400. Plenty of good clean bass with the setting on the amp turned only about 1/3 of the way up.

Replacing only the subwoofer in these standard Pioneer units is a sufficient upgrade all by itself, in my opinion. It brings the Pioneer unit much closer in sound quality to the Nakamichi. The four door speakers and tweeters in the Pioneer system are not bad. Nonetheless, the door speakers in the Nakamichi produce more lifelike sound and you hear subtle notes with it that the Pioneer does not pick up.

I ultimately decided to upgrade the door speakers and tweeters as well, and now my 99 LS400 has a better sounding stereo than the Nakamichi in my 98 LS400. But the upgrade to the subwoofer was definitely the single biggest improvement and would have been enough by itself. With all of the parts, wires, Dynamat, etc., I probably paid a bit over $350 to upgrade the sub.

thank you

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