retrofit oem sub

Quick one guys
Ive just come across a oem sub out of a 2000 p38
It comes with amp and the carpeted cover and bracket for my cd changer
Question is are they any good? Ie.noticable difference in sound quality?
And can they be retro fited to a non standerd headunit? (Kenwood dvd player with dedicated sub pre amp output) If so how? Which wire conects were (diagram if possible)
Failing that could I ditch the built in amp and fit my own ?
I dont want a big silly boom box in the boot cos 1 they look ****e and 2 I dont want it to go boom boom boom down the road.I want one to go with the up coming dvd system I will be shortly installing that wont be high volume just high quality

Anyone?

Has yours got the factory amp to drive the sub? If not I think your better off doing something after market.

Havent been for it yet but yes he said I can take what I want

hi gf ive got the hk system in mine which has the sub and amp in the boot. as a sometime musician who also doubles up as a sound engineer as well I can honestly say the yeah it makes a difference if you like I good warm bass sound but with clarity of sound as well then its worth fitting.

It could be a lot of hassle to fit. Personally I'd go for something aftermarket. Don't forget that sub is 13 years old now, I'm sure the modern stuff will sound better if it's quality you're after

they do sound good i think, not sure how they would interface with a non OEM unit though…

sadly i've damaged one on my cones ( all torn ) so without bass at the mo till i find a new speaker…..

stjohnsmythe said:

It could be a lot of hassle to fit. Personally I'd go for something aftermarket. Don't forget that sub is 13 years old now, I'm sure the modern stuff will sound better if it's quality you're after

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Would imagine the cones are a standerd size so may one day get replaced for more modern ones. its the "built in" look im after cos sub boxes look pants, plus I regularly have dogs in the back so a sub box is just gona get in the way
And before anyone starts banging on about animal crualty yes I do turn the radio down when there in the back

I just caught up with this thread. I did this job last year and am very pleased with the result. I have the "standard" ISO connected Alpine head - with no external amplifiers or subwoofer output - so just like a standard after-market radio, really. The job was made easier by using an Electronic Subwoofer Crossover. I used a unit made by Boschmann - their CrX W62 - because I had one in my junk box ( I am sure others are avaiable). With this type of gadget you can use high or low level inputs and adjust everything (crossover frequency, bass boost, output levels) to your taste.

My radio has a dedicated sub output so shouldnt need a crossover I just didnt know if the oem amp would be compatable with the iso output
Then I dont know which wire does what
I bought the sub, amp and boot side panel all for £40 in the end plus he threw in a rubber boot protector for the dogs then it all found itself in the caravan (sheds full lol) cos I aint had time to fit it (or any of the dvd, lcd screens cameras and satnav ive got in boxes all over the house)

What is the part number of the subwoofer? There several versions. If it is the twin speaker type with a built-in amp., it might be the same as mine. I'll check the connections and let you know.

The sub is E26640 don't think its the twin speaker one but it has got a amp fixed on the side but the sticker on that has come off at some time

The same as this one
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=251320199779

Ufortunately, mine is a different part - XQA100070 - but I'll tell you the connections to it in case they give you some clues.

There is a connector with 5 wires to it. I had to change the connector because I didn't have any exisiting subwoofer wiring.

Thick black - Ground/chassis
Red - 12V (permanent feed)
Black - 12V remote/enable output from head unit
Black and Black/white twisted pair - audio inputs

Cheers
Did the audio input work from your iso pre amp or speaker out

Hi, the Oem unit is vary good especially if it's run with a full HK system. I was working at HK when this system was designed. I'm sorry I don't know which wire is the switch on one, there will be a positive and a negative, plus a low voltage switch on lead and for the full system a level control lead too.
It would be very easy to swap it out for a small aftermarket amp, you would just need to run a lead from your head unit, as power and earth are already there. I would suggest an amp that can be bridge ie you can bridge across the two outputs to get more power, if it has a built in crossover that will save more work.
With regards to the chap who's cones have gone any aftermarket car speaker ie 4ohms of the correct size I believe 5" will work try to go fir a better make ie JBL, Infinity, Alpine etc.
Hope this helps.

I used the speaker outputs - my head unit didn't have a subwoofer output - but I put the signal through the electronic crossover which gave me the ability to set the signal levels to suit the subwoofer input.