Completed Trunk Mounted Basslink II install w/ pics

First and foremost, let me thank Dreamliner330 for this awesome idea.
Here is his post: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...light=basslink

I just got my car and really didn't want to drill down the Basslink to my trunk, Dreamliner330 offered a perfect solution: mount it using simple wood panels on to of the trunk cargo plastic cover. The only problem was I have a 06 facelift coupe and therefore couldn't mount in near the passenger side, so I decided to do it over the battery cover.

My number one goal was to have no roll-overs, I had this sub installed in my old car, where I had gotten lazy and never mounted it down, the damn thing would roll/flip over on any sharp corner. I know it was dangerous of me but I survived through it. and you'll notice the scratches in the pictures

Install:
1) I picked up a some cable splicers at radio shack $2.19
2) Removed the driver side trip to expose the amp connection (no one should be afraid to do this, it was very easy)
2) I tapped into the pre-amp inputs (L+,L-,R+,R-)

Originally Posted by Paul W @ BSW

You can tap the following wires for full range audio, they'll also be in the factory amp harness.
-Blue w/Black stripe (R+) and Brown w/Orange stripe (R-)
-Yellow w/Black stripe (L+) and Brown w/Orange stripe (L-)

4)Using a Line-Out Converter ~$20, I was able to have rca LR outputs from the pre-amp wires.
5) Removed the passanger side trim and installed 4-gauge gnd and power wires, which I ran through the top of that trip. ( I know 4-gauge is overkill but thats what I had on me)
6) Built a custom fit wooden mounting brace that fitted, and attached perfectly to the battery cover.
6a) This was the most laborious part, the wood piece was $4 from lowe's which I cut using a ikea saw that was laying around the apartment, I've never sawed wood in my life but it really wasnt very hard, and i was able to make all of the angels that I had drawn.
7) Using a spray glue can (autozone $7) I glued together the individual wood parts along with subwoofer box carpet (autozone $9) on top of it.
8) drilled the basslink on to the contraption and placed it in for a perfect finish after some detailing.
9) Hooked up the gnd, power and rca's, sounds perfect. My HK system has finally been "filled in"

Reasons for the install:
I know alot of people on the forum are not fans of basslink or powered subwoofers, and I agree with majority of your guys concerns.
In my case price wasnt an issue because I was able to pick up a new basslink II for $150.
Second, I really wanted to just fill in the gap that HK system was missing. I feel the reason the stock HK sounds like there is something off or missing is becuase its not covering the full low Hz range, (which is why I went out of my way to tap the pre-amp wires, because if you tap the subwoofer speaker wires you'll end up with no real improvement in sound quality just more bass over the same narrow freq range).

After the install, the overall system does indeed sound a lot better and "correct" The Basslink doesn't over power the main speakers and bass hits just right.
Plus the extra trunk space doesn't hurt one bit

Sorry about the rant I just went on..., but I do have a question for you guys, in my last pic you'll notice a remote switch that came with the basslink, I'm not sure where to install it, any ideas? I'm thinking about leaving it where I have in the picture, because I dont recall adjusting it too much when i'm driving anyways. If I do route it into the cabin, what would be cleanest way to do it?

Finally, Thank you to everyone on this forum for all of the other great ideas and making this happen.

Just curious, what line out converter did you use with the setup??? Looks good by the way.

I used, stinger SGN11 Fixed level line output converter, got it from a local store for $20.
http://www.amazon.com/Stinger-SGN11-.../dp/B001JQ6O4A
^^ Amazon has it for $14
Also, I connected the optional ground wire, the manual said it would help in reducing noise. I dont know if all of them have that feature...

i plan on mounting mine right in the ski pass facing forward using hook and loop , why dont i see anyone else do this? btw, i just got the basslink in an opened box with everything for $123 shipped


got the stinger for $11.50 shipped

like a sore wee wee, just cant beat it

you may want to get some metal angle brackets and attach to rear shelf, i dont think good ole fashion velcro will be secure enough if you happen to get in an accident.

Originally Posted by 98mustangguy

you may want to get some metal angle brackets and attach to rear shelf, i dont think good ole fashion velcro will be secure enough if you happen to get in an accident.

I'm definately interested, could you give me some details?
Do you mean hooking up something that will attach to the built-in hooks?

Thanks,

Nice fit in the corner! you also may want to swap the power cable around so the fuse is closest to the battery just in case there is any chafing in the future. Install looks great, good job with the wire loom, it all looks clean!

back me on this guys. . . wasp don't point it into the cabin through the ski pass. you'll get better acoustics to point it backward. good deal btw. hope it is enough bass for you. let us know.

100% Correct..... Back, back corner, Bass is compression of air to create sound waves, towards the ski pass is trying to compress a larger airspace, less efficient.

Originally Posted by danielkspencer

back me on this guys. . . wasp don't point it into the cabin through the ski pass. you'll get better acoustics to point it backward. good deal btw. hope it is enough bass for you. let us know.

no kidding, point it backwards in front of ski pass?

Yep, Trust us. It will make a difference. I know it may look like it would be better to have the speaker cone pointing straight at the cabin, but in reality the effectiveness of the install will suffer from the position. Believe it or not, speaker position makes a huge difference in competition systems. Granted, you're not in a comp, but with that sub you want to get all out of it you can.

I've been away for a while - just came across this. I did something similar, but I made my own box out of fiberlass. I'll try to get some pix up.

Looks good bro, you did a nice job. One thing I am curious about though, you took your speaker level outs and ran them into a 20 dollar loc to run into a nice unit that has a loc BUILT-IN (probably higher quality at that). Why?

Originally Posted by radarcontact

Looks good bro, you did a nice job. One thing I am curious about though, you took your speaker level outs and ran them into a 20 dollar loc to run into a nice unit that has a loc BUILT-IN (probably higher quality at that). Why?

Thanks man, I agree I didn't need to use the LOC, but I tapped into the Pre-Amp Left and right signals, these are "differential" signals, and my basslink does not convert these into proper inputs. (I wish it did)
The reason I tapped the pre-amp instead of speaker level outs was so that I get a "full" Hz range from the head unit that isnt modified by the built-in amp.

If you get this, trust me man, you'll want to tap the pre-amp signals, its well worth it. The damn LOC took forever to find my area but it was worth it.

Originally Posted by kevinz13

Thanks man, I agree I didn't need to use the LOC, but I tapped into the Pre-Amp Left and right signals, these are "differential" signals, and my basslink does not convert these into proper inputs. (I wish it did)
The reason I tapped the pre-amp instead of speaker level outs was so that I get a "full" Hz range from the head unit that isnt modified by the built-in amp.

If you get this, trust me man, you'll want to tap the pre-amp signals, its well worth it. The damn LOC took forever to find my area but it was worth it.

Are you sure the Infinity doesn't have differentials? Most do...(see bold text)

(from another electronics forum that I frequent)
"As far as the converter on the amplifier goes, the on board converter is quite likely superior to any out board LOC that you can buy. This is partially due to the fact that most line level converters built into amps are of the balanced differential variety. An engineer from JBL\HARMON CONSUMER GROUP gave me the low down on this at an industry convention a few years ago. This simply is the best possible way to sample speaker level signal. And that’s why manufactures include them so often. Think about it the manufacturer is attempting to make your experience a positive one while a third party out board line level manufacturer is trying to turn a profit. In the event that you are not satisfied with the results of the built in converter purchase an Audiocontrol LC6 or some variant. Its actually of the balanced differential variety and is far superior to any high quality LOC that you will ever find."

That's why I was surprised/confused. Anyway, again, looks good and sounds great, I'm sure!

Damn, you definately got me thinking then, its not very hard to splice into the cable and try it out, why not? I'll report back with my results.

I was just under the impression from numerous forum posts that speaker outputs = OK for Basslink while, pre-amp inputs = req. LOC.

Lets find out...

Originally Posted by kevinz13

Damn, you definately got me thinking then, its not very hard to splice into the cable and try it out, why not? I'll report back with my results.

I was just under the impression from numerous forum posts that speaker outputs = OK for Basslink while, pre-amp inputs = req. LOC.

Lets find out...

The Basslink II's speaker level inputs worked perfectly for me when I had it running from the balanced diff lines from the headunit.

ok, now you guys have got me completely confused, for the BEST sound from the basslink, when tapping the wires in pic below, are you running into speaker input , or using a loc to rca input?



Originally Posted by Paul W @ BSW
You can tap the following wires for full range audio, they'll also be in the factory amp harness.
-Blue w/Black stripe (R+) and Brown w/Orange stripe (R-)
-Yellow w/Black stripe (L+) and Brown w/Orange stripe (L-)

Originally Posted by wasp9166

ok, now you guys have got me completely confused, for the BEST sound from the basslink, when tapping the wires in pic below, are you running into speaker input , or using a loc to rca input?

Wasp, I would wait to see what kevinz13 says, but I will bet that NOT using the cheap LOC and going straight into the Infinity with your speaker-level wires will provide the same, if not higher, quality sound, will be an easier install, and will reduce the chance of introducing alt whine or other hisses, pops, and crackles (they're not just for breakfast anymore...)

gotcha, would you suggest an amp install kit for this? or can i get everything at radio shack? best buy is out of the question, rip off