Infinity BassLink II 10" Subwoofer 250W RMS Install Pics

[Yazovets]

Right now I'm at my cottage. There was some torrential rain a few hours ago, so everything is still wet. Here's my Camry in the garage-house safe and sound.



Anyway, I had purchased an Infinity BassLink II Subwoofer from eBay 2 weeks back. While it arrived last Friday, I didn't get around to getting it installed until yesterday (Thursday).

First off, the costs:

$210 --> Infinity BassLink II 10" Subwoofer 250W RMS from eBay member "hookedontronics"
$58 --> Shipping from US using UPS
$62 --> Customs Clearance Fees
$203 --> Professional Installation (2 hours), Tuning and Shop Materials

Total was $533 Canadian which is around $505 US.

I have done an amp installation before on my old Echo. However, for the Camry I wanted the cleanest and best install possible. So I contacted Kromer Radio for this job. They are one of the BEST custom audio shops in Toronto, and not too far from where I live!

They charged me $203 including taxes. They used 8-guage wiring from the battery. Everything was sealed nicely as you see. They put in a fuse and fuse-holder too. They also tuned the sub's settings to work well with my Camry's JBL audio system.

As per my request, they also installed the subwoofer's separate volume controller (and phase change switch) inside that hole below the A/C controls. They just used double-sided 3M tape to keep it there. The door closes like before, so there is no sign of the knob.

No part of the JBL audio was modified. The sub turns on whenever the radio is on. Don't ask me where they tapped in for the remote wire. Don't know.

Sub in the trunk:





The subwoofer volume/phase control:





Power from battery:





You will notice that the sub has NOT been secured to the floor of the trunk. I want to be able to move it around in case I'm loading lots of things. So I asked Kromer to leave me lots of excess wire so the sub can be moved to any point in the trunk. I plan to mount it horizontally (it comes with legs for that position, too). Even in the upright position, I only tipped it over once with a hard launch.

How does it sound?

It reproduces bass in a far more accurate way than the JBL audio system did. First off, low-end frequency response is like night and day. You can now hear a rumble which makes even the steering wheel vibrate visibly (not to mention every interior and exterior body panel).

However, also there is a great improvement around how it "hits". There is no longer the slight muddiness which the JBL gives at mid to higher volumes (i.e. above 20).

For "easy" listening I like to keep the JBL's bass at 0 while I leave the Infinity at max.

For more boom which commands the tune, I leave the Infinity at max, but increase the JBL bass to 1 or 2 depending on the tune.

If you want to rattle the car next to you, then you put the JBL bass to 5. At this point the bass is clearly audible from outside as well.

When listening to XM satellite radio, it's best to keep the JBL bass at 0 and no louder. Else the bass is overpowering.

How does it mate with the JBL system?

I am very pleased with this upgrade. Contrary to what many people say, it IS possible to make an aftermarket sub "work" with a factory audio system perfectly.

How big is it?

15 inches tall, 15 inches wide and just over 10 inches deep. Best part? This subwoofer takes up only 0.75 cubic feet of space! No need for a large MDF sub box which would rob you of half the trunk. You can see in pics how big the thing is relative to the trunk itself.

What kind of power?

The integrated class D amp puts out 250W RMS and 500W burst. Frequency response is from 20Hz. I gotta check, but I think Kromer set the cutoff somewhere around 70 or 80Hz. Cut off can go from 50 to 120Hz. Bass boost can go from -6dB to +3dB.

How does it get audio signal?

The BassLink accepts both preamp and speaker-level inputs. Speaker-level was used for my install.

Final Impression

I've owned the Infinity BassLink (version 1) in my old Toyota Echo and was extremely pleased with it. I was also very happy to escape the sub box + separate amp scenario. With the BassLink II, I've achieved the same happiness in the Camry!

The BassLink II can complement an audio system without being overpowering or "boomy". It can also add power to your system if you like extra bass. It can also "project" your presense to the neighborhood if you choose to run it like this. It has sufficient power and good quality to satisfy those looking to run it in any situation.

I've researched the powered-subwoofer issue a lot. The BassLink II is simply the best one out there given its cost.

[JSM1284]

Clean your engine!!! Haha, Nice install though!

[johnnyzee]

nice, is the one 10" enough bass in that sedan? i have 2 10's Kicker, and it barely suffices.

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

looks good! Where abouts is your cottage? Looks like a nice place.

[Yazovets]

Originally Posted by johnnyzee

nice, is the one 10" enough bass in that sedan? i have 2 10's Kicker, and it barely suffices.

It's certainly enough for me. It all depends on how much bass you want, and for what purpose you plan to use it. If you want "to be heard coming", then obviously you'd need like 2 of these subs and more. But as I mentioned above, the sub complements the JBL audio very well without creating the booming effect. I'm not into rap music at all, so I didn't want that kind of bass.

Originally Posted by JSM1284

Clean your engine!!! Haha, Nice install though!

I don't know how to safely clean my engine bay. My dad tried a few times to clean the engine bay of a Russian Moskvitch. The problem was that afterwards it wouldn't start up for 2-3 days. So I don't want to try this.

Originally Posted by Punks_Not_Dead5

looks good! Where abouts is your cottage? Looks like a nice place.

Thank you. The cottage is near Barrie, Ontario. It's about 20km north-east of there. Right across from Horseshoe Resort (ski and golf). Very quiet place. Municipal water and septic, too!

[CamrySExxx]

looks nice and clean. How come you didnt hid it under the seats or something? or face it in towards that hole in the middle of the rear seatS?

clean install none the less.

[samix]

awesome post, i'm debating getting a basslink and none of the posts i found had so many pictures and details

i'm looking for a little boom in a little space

gotta upgrade my speakers too though!

[johnnyzee]

Originally Posted by Yazovets

It's certainly enough for me. It all depends on how much bass you want, and for what purpose you plan to use it. If you want "to be heard coming", then obviously you'd need like 2 of these subs and more. But as I mentioned above, the sub complements the JBL audio very well without creating the booming effect. I'm not into rap music at all, so I didn't want that kind of bass.



I don't know how to safely clean my engine bay. My dad tried a few times to clean the engine bay of a Russian Moskvitch. The problem was that afterwards it wouldn't start up for 2-3 days. So I don't want to try this.



Thank you. The cottage is near Barrie, Ontario. It's about 20km north-east of there. Right across from Horseshoe Resort (ski and golf). Very quiet place. Municipal water and septic, too!

I don't listen to rap either..., more of a house/trance type of guy. But i get what you're saying...COMPLEMENT the JBL. good job nonetheless.

as for engine bay cleaning, buy a can of "Motomaster Orange scented engine shampoo" and another can of "engine finish" both are found side by side at canadian tire. basically, with the motor off, spray the engine cleaner all over the engine bay, don't be shy, spray over any parts you wish. let soak in for 30 seconds to a minute, then hose off everything thoroughly with medium pressure hose (city pressure, not power washer). let everything dry on its own, hood up, in the sun. when dry, spray engine finish over every plastic cover and hose and parts you desire (engine finish gives it that armor all look to all your plastic and hoses).

your engine bay will look like new.

[CamrySExxx]

^ehh johnnyzee you wanna hook me up with a list of some good trance songs ? z1035 has some good stuff on once in a while just i dont get the best reception

[clarkgrizwald]

wow. i have one of these in the mail so i was very interested in asking you some questions about the install. your boys, kromer?? not too impressed. you got ripped off brother! what part of the install is clean? they used tape to secure the remote??? and only used 8 guage wire? that job took them all of 15 minutes. tops! its a powered subwoofer. one of the advantages of a powered sub is the easy installation. they charged you 200 bucks to install a powered sub???? im speechless!!!

i spent 30 bucks at wal-mart for a 8 guage amp kit (for 200 bones i would have expected 4 guage at least) and figure about an hour and a halpf installation tops. all in all ill have about 270 invested in the exact same set up.

[johnnyzee]

Originally Posted by CamrySExxx

^ehh johnnyzee you wanna hook me up with a list of some good trance songs ? z1035 has some good stuff on once in a while just i dont get the best reception

Hey man, WAAAY TOO MANY to list. z103.5 kinda sucks in my opinion although it is my only option. Best bet for you then is to open up limewire and start downloading, then pick and choose which sets work for you... of my personal favourites:
tiesto
markus schulz
above and beyond
ferry corsten
armin van buuren
sasha
digweed
marco v
mauro picotto
ronski speed
etc etc etc.

a good site to check out for whats the latest in trance, events, upcoming dj gigs and they even have a download page for some sets/tracks and definitely names of latest popular songs for you. they have a good forum as well with plenty updates and tracks.

toronto based:
www.tranceaddict.com

enjoy!

Originally Posted by clarkgrizwald

wow. i have one of these in the mail so i was very interested in asking you some questions about the install. your boys, kromer?? not too impressed. you got ripped off brother! what part of the install is clean? they used tape to secure the remote??? and only used 8 guage wire? that job took them all of 15 minutes. tops! its a powered subwoofer. one of the advantages of a powered sub is the easy installation. they charged you 200 bucks to install a powered sub???? im speechless!!!

i spent 30 bucks at wal-mart for a 8 guage amp kit (for 200 bones i would have expected 4 guage at least) and figure about an hour and a halpf installation tops. all in all ill have about 270 invested in the exact same set up.

Hey man, don't be like that. not everyone is up to do it yourself'ing. guy got his shit installed at kromer, so what, he wanted pro, let it be. also, you dont need 4 gauge to run a dinky amp and one sub. regardless of the subject, right or wrong, don't try to make someone feel like shit, ripped off or not. and we really don't care what yours WILL cost in comparison.
all the best

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

^ i agree, he got it done at a shop, it was his choice. He's happy with the install and happy in general and that's all that matters.

[wireless]

I agree with the criticism of the shop...I don't have a problem with not doing a DIY and going pro (used to be a MECP installer) but that is not a professional job. No self respecting professional installer would permanently mount the fuse holder with a zip tie to the battery bracket. That is poor workmanship and if it were my car, I would demand it to be done right. Those holes are for screws/fasteners...not a plastic UV rated zip tie. I can't see enough detail of the rear wiring but it looks like there is more wire loom exposed and unsecured than need be.

[Yazovets]

Originally Posted by wireless

I agree with the criticism of the shop...I don't have a problem with not doing a DIY and going pro (used to be a MECP installer) but that is not a professional job. No self respecting professional installer would permanently mount the fuse holder with a zip tie to the battery bracket. That is poor workmanship and if it were my car, I would demand it to be done right. Those holes are for screws/fasteners...not a plastic UV rated zip tie. I can't see enough detail of the rear wiring but it looks like there is more wire loom exposed and unsecured than need be.

Your standards are way too high. In my old Echo, we just let the fuse holder dangle in the engine bay. Not even zip ties or screws. Also we ran the wires without any insulation.

So this is a great improvement over the previous sub install. There is "too much" braided wiring back in the trunk because I asked them to do that. I want to be able to move the sub around.

And I asked them to use 8 guage wire instead of 4 because I will NOT be installing more amps in the future. And also it costs less. Remember I'm a student.

To have a Camry SE V6 to begin with is stretching my poor state to begin with. When you start modding, money is always one of the top considerations.

And for the record - zip ties are EXCELLENT things to use when securing any kind of wiring. One of the side jobs I do for a living is building and repairing PCs. Every single shop (including my own workshop) has hundreds of color-coded zip ties in stock at all times for cable management purposes!

Guys don't listen to Z103.5. It is total crap! For trance and dance, check out channels 81 and 82 on XM. Alternatively, I make myself data MP3 CDs. I love trance, dance and house too. Got over 10000 tracks on my HD.

[360glitch]

To each his own I guess. I bought a the same setup from Crutchfield a few months ago and ended up sending it back because it wasn't loud enough for me. But then again, I replaced it with a 12" Kicker L7 and I'm running 750 watts RMS to it, so maybe I was expecting a little too much out of it...