Putting an amp in a hybrid

[f22crewchief]

I'm looking at putting a sound system (shallow mount) in my trunk. What I wanted to know was if hooking up an amp to the car's battery would be bad for it, seeing as how it's operating on partial battery power?

[ukrkoz]

nope. well, depends what you want to put in, of course. i have Bandpass powered sub in mine, I can't even go past 21 on volume control. normally listen at 11-9. but i have stereo with nav, it has built in amp. also, they did some very cool connection for it at CarToys, simply plugs into rear speaker. it also has adjustable gains in it. i have them knocked down to almost nothing. too much.
but you have to make absolutely sure that sub/amp turn off after engine is shut down. or it will drain ANY battery.





also, you can reconfigure sub supports for upright position.

it almost fits into the opening next to the battery cooler. almost. the sub. there's a 600W powered one that will, Boss bass600. very flat. can't be upright, must be rigged for that. have it in my Silverado. it's ok, but basslink has better low end. it's passive driver sub, that's why.

[Marc in da Bay]

Hmmm, not sure why I never saw this before, but this is almost EXACTLY what I'm looking for (I think). So I have a new 2011 and also planning ahead for an aftermarket audio system.

Is your amp plugged directly into the battery in the trunk as it appears in that photo? I have yet to look for it in the front, but I have seen the battery in the location in your photo. In our vehicles, is this the car battery? I mean, supposing I had to give someone a jumpstart, would I back up towards his/her vehicle instead of pull up nose 2 nose? I just want to be prepared knowing if have one batt to work with now in the trunk (sweet!) or if I in fact have two...?






Also...you said the shop did something with regards to the connections, but I just want to be sure that you're referring to the the line feed from the stereo into the amp being tapped from the rear speakers. From the looks of it, all they did was use a line converter. Is this what you're referring to?

I'm confused only because you made mention of originally having the nav system with built-in amp. Technically, most if not all OEM headunits have a built-in amp, and seeing as how I don't have the nav system in mine, I can't check for myself if what you really meant was an amp in the HU or a stand alone unit, in which case, I'm further confused as to your mention of the amp at all in your configuration.

If it's set up the way I'm thinking it is, one or both of your rear speakers are tapped (in parallel if your amp is mono or bridged-mono) into and being passed thru the LOC and then into your sub+amp unit. If I'm correct, then those "gains" knobs you're referring to are in fact meant to do the OPPOSITE of the "Gain" setting on an amp (see below).

For those unfamiliar with a Line Out Converter, the purpose of these devices is to convert the high-level signal from speaker line into an acceptable pre-amp signal prior to delivering them into a line-level receiver, like the composite (aka "RCA") jacks at the input terminal on an amp.

Cheers!

[AML]

The 12V car battery is located in the right side of the trunk as shown in the picture above. There is no battery in the engine bay. Do not confuse the car battery with the HSD battery - they're two completely different things.

[ukrkoz]

1. YOU DO NOT JUMP FROM THAT BATTERY.
2. if you need to jump, READ PARAGRPAH ONE.
3. i have both. i have amp in head unit; no, take it back, it's some place else; but head unit is amp powered. also, i have powered sub, 200W, on the picture.
4. white wire is connected to the positive on battery.
5. audio source is coming from rear speaker. it's adjustable gain drop down.
6. this sub will not fit into the rear seat niche. i have a lower profile one, 600W powered, in my Silverado, but the low quality is better on Basslink, as it's a passive subwofer. has passive low driver, driven by powered 12 incher.
7. i had this done by CarToys locally. reason being is 2-fold. it's general fear of hybrid system plus, main task was to install hard drive/usb link into the glove compartment and hook it up to the head unit. right now, i have 18gb flash drive i am listening to in glove compartment, integrated with nav dispaly.
8. all this setup is plain too much for me. i am listening at sub's gain down to zero, and maybe at 11 volume level top. i'll go deaf at over 20 volume level.
9. i had to install a heavy weight onto the rear shelf. rattles ruthlessly otherwise.

[Marc in da Bay]

Originally Posted by ukrkoz

9. i had to install a heavy weight onto the rear shelf. rattles ruthlessly otherwise.

Just so I can plan for it, what exactly was rattling -- was it the entire rear deck or just the ventilation duct thing?

Thanks.

[ukrkoz]

looked like entire shelf. i have 2 soft pads jammed between rear window and vent upper corners and heavy weight between flip lid for car seat attachment and rear back rest. it's jammed between the 2 and stays in place. i could not figure out how to stabilize the shelf from the trunk. it looks not quite appealing, but i do not give, and it works. also, roll something soft, like hand towels, into front door pockets. they rattle too. unless you want to fork for entire sound proofing. or take panels out and spray them with urethane foam, which is well working and cost efficient alternative to sound proofing mats. we have 2 cars done like this, works very well.

[Marc in da Bay]

Originally Posted by ukrkoz

looked like entire shelf. i have... into front door ...they rattle too. ...

The more I read about doing mods on this TCH, the more I think I may have made a bad decision. I guess I'll just have to see what rattles. Thank you, though.

By any chance have you replaced any of the other other speakers? There's conflicting information everywhere I look, which I believe has something to do with the TCH being slightly different from the all-ICE models, not to mention the variations between the audio packages.

I purposely chose the base audio system (no nav, no JBL), and Crutchfield says I need 6.5" for the fronts (doors, I suppose) and 6x9" for the rear deck. The guy at the shop I just went to, insisted that they're all 6x9. I'm doubtful and almost looking to proove him wrong, so I'm considering buying two pairs of 6x9's just in case he was right. If he's wrong, then at least I'd have a different pair to test out.

So, if you've done this, what size are the speakers?
Are aftermarket speakers simple drop-in's or did you need to fabricate speaker brackets?

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but it's the most relevant and current. I also understand that I can look for myself, but I figure if I can get the answer from someone on here, I could save myself (and perhaps others) some time.

Thank you.

[ukrkoz]

one thing i am noticing about TCH owners is that they have surprisingly unrealistic expactations for the vehicle. i understand that those who bought it at face value from dealership have them, but it's just a midsize family saloon that NEVER was intended to be a Bentley or Rolls Royce quality. besides, quality in general is down for anything you look at.
so, don't be disappointed in the car based on rattles and speakers.

as of the speakers, i do have JBL with 8 speakers. it's plenty as is.

i have replaced speakers on almost all cars i owned so far, and here's my practical experience word for you. car manufacturers DO NOT want you to go to Walmart or Frys and drop in a set of better quality aftermarkets that are 3 times less expensive. hence, they always come up with some weird sizing, forcing you to buy OEM speakers at premium.

or, simply do what i have always done - drill holes and bolt them in. period. works very well. i have, also, learned to pack wall insulation behind the speakers, esp the low range ones, and spray door panels with expanding urethane foam from HomeDepot. same one they use to fill cracks in walls etc. takes very good care of door rattles and squeaks. is it high tech? hell no. does it work? hell yes.

and do not blame Toyota on not paying too much attention to sound proofing. it's a family car, mid age old farts population. they don't beef up their sound systems. they do not install turbos and superchargers and cold air intakes. they are hypermilers. if we decided to do what we decided to do to our TCHs - well, it's our headache.

[ukrkoz]

correction: soft pad not between fan vent and rear window, but between rear shelf brake light housing and window. you can see it in the upper left corner of the 2nd pic i have posted here.

[Marc in da Bay]

Originally Posted by ukrkoz

one thing i am noticing about TCH owners is that they have surprisingly unrealistic expactations for the vehicle....

not sure if this comment stems from my opening statement in my earlier reply, but if it is, then I believe you may have misinterpreted what I was saying. that said, i can relate to what you're saying, as I too have seen this in a few TCH owners.

I do love my TCH, but realize more and more that perhaps I had purchased an alternative vehicle a little premature...now back to the topic, thanks for pointing those locations out. I just installed my 6x9's and subs earlier today. Thanks to your posts, I was able to quickly isolate the vibrations pretty well ... until the amp's fuses died. Gonna try and diagnose tomorrow, and hopefully get the sound dampening squared away so I can spend Sunday cruising.

[ukrkoz]

marc, thank you for not being offended. was none of my intentions.
this is why i let someone else install "my stuff" into TCH. i had this system installed originally, and moved through several vehicles, all by myself. not on this one. this is, basically, a computer with deprioritized gas engine on four wheels.
to go off topic, yes, it was always a midsize family hauler for prudent frugal folks, no thrills. with according quality. people bought them because they were very reliable and decently priced. now that they hyped it and blew price out of any proportion - yes, i'd have been offended with rattles, squeaks, flappings, jerks, etc, myself. there is a very simple and very good fix for this. STOP BUYING. remeber how last year they tried to blow gas price into $4 and folks all at sudden started using public, carpooling, and, blasphemy, walking? and prices dropped down? same goes for any item they push through. stop buying. it's about 20 grand car that is sold for over 30 based on consumerism, ignorance, and hype that is artificially created, as mark my word - future IS NOT in hybrids. or, at least, save some cash and buy used, for half the price and 90% the value.

[Marc in da Bay]

I should've bought the SEV6 (lol)...but then if I had, I'd be saying I should have bought the G37 [to replace my previous car, a G35 coupe]...sometimes folks like me, perhaps, are simply never satisfied. Besides, I'm looking to have a family soon. *crossing fingers*, so this seemed the more practical choice. Endless. :P

[ukrkoz]

marc, this is why we are here, on the physical plane of the physical world. because we are humans. being un-satied is part of being human. it's this craving of physical that brought us down to start with.
maybe you should have bought a Venza instead?
i look at cars from 2 standpoints:
1. utilitarianism
2. boy toy. but not in the manner of Harleys or Corvettes toy. Just something to spend time with. maintenance, minor mods to make it more comfortable, necessary repairs. I drive a lot, so it's my little spaceship, when I am out there, me and my music. hence all that subwoofer and music related stuff. otherwise, I am 5 mph above and cruise control guy. so she works for me OK.
for a fella that wants push and room for family to come, this is really not a good choice. you are somewhere in Mercedes realm with this. they do have some pretty powerful van size vehicles. even better, bring one of the European cars in. they are amazing out there in Europe, none of what we are allowed to have here. you get mpg, power, quality, and fun factor.
hey, was nice chatting, but i think we effectively start killing the thread. be well and stay safe, marc.

[ukrkoz]

marc, one last post.

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