In the article we will talk about connecting an active subwoofer to the car radio. Some owners are not very happy with the sound of standard acoustics. Therefore, they come to the conclusion that you need to install a passive or active subwoofer. You can install it yourself in any car, but you will need to know a little theory, as well as stock up on tools and materials.
It is also recommended to study the connection diagram, it is best to print it out and keep it with you. Agree, the printed version of such a “cheat sheet” is much more convenient for repairs and installation. First of all, let's understand what active and passive subwoofers are. Consider all their disadvantages and advantages, key features.
Passive subwoofer
First, let's talk about what a passive subwoofer is. Connecting to the Pioneer radio will not cause difficulties if you have all the necessarytools and materials. A passive subwoofer is a design that consists of one or more woofers. They are enclosed in one case made of plywood or chipboard. Sometimes, of course, there are boxes made of natural wood.
In order for the subwoofer to reproduce any sounds, you need to connect it to an audio frequency amplifier through a low-pass filter. This is a device that can filter a certain frequency spectrum. Now we can conclude that such a subwoofer will not be able to work independently. You can connect it directly to the radio, but it will not make a sound, you need amplification and frequency filtering.
Active subwoofer
Now let's talk about what an active subwoofer is. This is a single acoustic unit, in one box there is not only a speaker, but also an amplifier, a low-pass filter, and sometimes even a voltage converter. Connecting such equipment is much easier than in the case of passive. Some music lovers claim that the sound quality of such devices is better than that of passive ones. But whether it is worth listening to such specialists is up to you.
In fact, the quality of the sound depends on how correctly the settings of all equipment are carried out. Even the cheapest and oldest equipment can sound better than any modern one if it is properly tuned. But the most important thing is that connecting an active subwoofer to a Pioneer or any other radio is very simple and you do not need to be an auto electrician.
Differencesbetween subwoofers
In order to decide which design is better, you need to consider all the points that it is desirable to pay attention to:
- Active subs cost more than passive subs. This is due to the fact that they also have an amplifier, a low-pass filter. In the passive, a wire goes from the speaker to the connector and that's it.
- Passive sub is more difficult to mount, as additional components need to be installed. And for them you need to find another place, and this is sometimes very problematic to do.
- Quality of music playback. Some argue that active systems work better, but as we said earlier, it all depends on the setting.
- Ease of installation and setup is the advantage of an active system.
By the way, you can replace the amplifier board in an active subwoofer and put a better filter. And he will be able to work much better and more beautifully than before. You can even install more powerful transistors to increase power (if they are used in the output stages).
Disadvantages and advantages of both systems
Positive aspects of passive devices:
- Very low cost due to the fact that the design has only a bass head and the body itself. But in fairness it should be noted that sometimes the box has a fairly high cost.
- With a passive system, you can assemble acoustics that will meet all your requirements. It's kind ofconstructor for music lovers.
- The following types of ducts can be used - phase inverters, bandpasses, standard ones. You can immediately highlight the lack of active subs - the use of boxes of different types is difficult, since you still have to look for a place in it to install several boards.
The main advantage of an active subwoofer is that you do not need to buy a low-pass filter and an amplifier to connect it. But this implies the most important drawback - the power of the finished device is extremely low. The reason is that there is not enough space to mount all the devices.
What you need for installation
When connecting a subwoofer to a radio with or without an amplifier, you need to acquire the following set of materials and tools:
- Power and sound wires with "tulips".
- Fuse.
- Cutters and pliers.
- Insulating tape.
- Capacitor.
- Ties.
- Knife, set of keys.
Choosing a location for installation
Quite often, when installing a subwoofer box, car owners face a problem - there is no space. And it does not depend on what model of the car. It is even more difficult when a set of gas-balloon equipment is placed in the trunk - there is even less space.
But the owners of SUVs, hatchbacks, station wagons, of course, are more fortunate in this matter - they have enough space. It is recommended to put the sub in the trunk, in which case the sound quality due to the large volume will bevery good.
Step by step guide: installation connecting passive subwoofer
And now let's look at how the subwoofer is connected to the linear output of the radio:
- Look for technological holes for wiring. It should be noted that not all cars have them, so you will have to refer to the instruction manual.
- Make wiring under the hood of the car. Try to avoid pinching and kinks. All skin that will be removed during the work is installed upon completion.
- Lay wires to the luggage compartment.
- Respect the polarity when connecting the power wires to the amplifier.
- Connect the amplifier to the radio. You will need wires with tulip tips. You will also have to lay a wire to control the operation of the amplifier.
- Install the "tulips" in the connectors by color.
- Now you can connect the amplifier and sub. There are no difficulties here, just insert the plug into the appropriate connector.
The use of a capacitor is recommended but not required. It is needed only if the total acoustic power is more than 0.4 kW. You can put it both in the luggage compartment and in the engine compartment.
And without an amplifier?
Some may wonder if it is possible to connect a subwoofer to a radio without an amplifier? You can, but it won't make any sense. The sound will begin to distort as the entire band will be played.frequencies, not a narrow band.
In addition, the amplifier of the tape recorder may fail, since the head has a very low resistance - 1-2 ohms. For comparison: a conventional speaker has 4 or 8 ohms. Therefore, for the output chip, this will be tantamount to a short circuit.
How to connect an active subwoofer?
It turns out to be much easier to connect an active subwoofer to the radio:
- You will need sound and power wires. The positive must be connected to the corresponding battery terminal. The cross section of the wire must be large.
- Install a fuse for protection. It is best placed in the engine compartment.
- The negative output of the sub must be securely connected to the body.
- If the connectors on the radio are separate, then the task is simplified. Connecting an active subwoofer to the radio comes down to laying a shielded cable. It is inserted into the output on the radio SubOut and the input on the subwoofer LineIn.
This work is over, you can enjoy the sound quality.
