adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

Hello friends. need your help with adding subwoofer to a stock radio in 2005 highlander. my highlander is NOT limited or something like that. it's a regular 1 with crappy speakers in it.. lack of deep bass in the car is what bothering me even more. all i want is a little more bass that's it. need something basic sub and else i don't want my windows and door being shaken by powerful bass tho... can you recommend something like that. and how can i add subwoofer to my stock radio? i have 0 experience in this field

Reply 1 : adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

You'll need a line converter which converts the Speaker signal into an RCA signal, 10-12' RCA cable, 10-12 foot 14 gauge wire for a remote wire, then you will have to run a power wire from the battery through the vehicle (under the carpet) to the back for an amp (you can buy an amp install kit that has everything in it). Then you can run a powered subwoofer unit like Bazooka tube, Infinity Bass Link, some will even fit under the front seat like the Kenwood KSC-SW10. Although you will also need to knowledge to know how to wire everything.. (need to know how to find a power wire, how to find a good ground and how to find a good source for a "remote" wire)



So one of these.. Scosche line converter $10





One of these kits.. DB Link 10 gauge X treme Series Amplifier Installation Kit $8.99





and one of these..Infinity BassLink Car subwoofer - 200 Watt $180

Reply 2 : adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

There is no need for giant thick speaker wires for connecting amps and speakers on any consumer scaled speaker application.



Just use your eyes and common sense - take a look at the wires in the speaker that actually connect from the speaker terminals and drive the coil on the speaker (even on a subwoofer). The wires are tiny - slightly larger than a few human hairs.





Open up the amp and look at the wires that feed the output terminals on the amp - they are very small.





Unless you have runs of greater than 50ft or are running 2 ohm speakers, 16 gauge wire is way more than enough. I don't know why people have been led to believe they need giant low gauge speaker wire to connect amp to speaker when the wires inside the amp are tiny and the wires connecting and driving the speaker coil in the speaker are even smaller. And a 50 ft run of 16 gauge wire is apprx .2 ohms of resistance so you absolutely don't need thicker wires in typical car speaker installs based on wire resistance issues.



Be aware that at the silly end of this spectrum you can actually spend $8000 for two 6 ft lengths of giant speaker cable, I guess its that good ole marketing hype again.

Reply 3 : adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

Quote:

Originally Posted by jabberwock There is no need for giant thick speaker wires for connecting amps and speakers on any consumer scaled speaker application.

Sorry that was actually supposed to be a picture of an amp wiring kit.. not an amp to speaker kit.



From the amp to the speakers I usually ran regular (good quality) commercial speaker wire. (usually 14 gauge) mainly because my dad bought a 200' spool of it like 15 years ago. Hell when my dad wired our house for speakers back in the early 80's when our house was being built.. he used scrap phone lines.. in another part of the house he used lamp cord.. LOL

Reply 4 : adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

Re: overly thick cables above^

I'm a bit of an audiophile (or read: sucker who spends too much on audio)



BUT I would NEVER EVER dream of spending serious cash on car audio. Here's why:

1) crappy positioning - a proper audio room is carefully set out to centre the listener. Obviously that isn't going to happen in a car with listener on left (or right) side.

2) Theft risk - #1 reason to get your ride broken into

3) road / engine noise interferes with quality audio

4) The scene is filled with people obsessed with Bass & "wattage" at the expense of quality.



Once you've actually heard a REAL high end system, in a proper sound room, the rest is just, well not going to compare.



I have a Maplin EL34 quad tube (yes, I mean vacuum tubes) system (Svetlana matched EL-34s) feeding into a nice set of home made birch speakers designed for clarity, not wattage. And with a set of Sennheiser headphones, it is like re-discovering all your records again. Turn down the lights, watch the blue glow of 600 volts on the plates, and sip on a bottle of wine & you're off...



So, I agree, spending big $$ on speaker cables & amps for a car is quite amusing to me, especially when typically as they go by, you can hear the distortion / windows rattling & humming, that kind of thing. LOL



However, to each his own. Hopefully you can get a bit more low end out with your mod without it sounding like crap.



D

Reply 5 : adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

I guess for a factory sound system the Highland is meh.. alright..



It's muddy.. lacking in the highs and lows.. If I did everything I wanted to do to "fix" the sound system.. I'd spend well over $1000 and replace everything in the system.. To make it at least "more bearable" I plan on adding a sub woofer and some inexpensive tweeters to help brighten the "mud" sound and move the stage UP so all the sound isn't on the ground..

Reply 6 : adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

^ I like to be able to close my eyes & hear / be immersed in a good panoramic sound stage.



That probably isn't a good idea while driving

Reply 7 : adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

Reminds me of a joke.. "Grandma passed peacefully, everyone else in the car weren't so lucky.."

Reply 8 : adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

Quote:

Originally Posted by midnight02 Reminds me of a joke.. "Grandma passed peacefully, everyone else in the car weren't so lucky.."

never heard that one - Excellent! Thanks for the laugh, I needed it this am.

Reply 9 : adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

thanks for help! i'll buy that stuff. also i wan to add an aux port to my car. i'm looking at this adapter

Amazon

Amazon

will it work with my car radio? on the radio it says 16842

Reply 10 : adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

Honestly I have no idea if that will work for your application. This is what I plan on using so I can run my Ipod on my Iphone in my 02 Highlander.







Google "Wired FM modulator" it allows you to hook your ipod (or any audio accessory) through the factory radio without using one of those cheapo radio thingies that broadcasts over a radio frequency.



You actually disconnect the antennae from the back of the radio and plug this box in between the radio and the antennae.. when you plug in your Ipod/MP3 it high jacks a particular radio setting (this one allows you to choose from one of 7 stations) and lets you hear the audio directly through radio from a wired connection which mean no interference and much better sound quality.



I haven't gotten a chance to install mine yet though..



there are literally hundreds of makers of these things and they cost anywhere from $15-100 depending on where you get them from.. I bought mine on Ebay for $15

Reply 11 : adding subwoofer to a stock 2005 highlander radio

after thinking quite alot i think i'll buy a brand new double din HU that way i can add subwoofer later and yet i'll have aux input!