Factory Sub

Hello all. Maybe I can clear up a few misconceptions about the sub as it appears I was one of the few who took the bait and ordered it with my Tc.

Being a former IASCA competitor years ago when the "sport" was emerging (SQ under 600, not one of those SPL maniacs), I made it a point to "visit" with the tech for a bit during the installation. Be warned: the Tc DOES NOT come pre-wired for the sub. I was surprised by this, as the 12 foot harness for the sub would have been so easy to install at the factory. Because a considerable portion of the interior needs to be removed to fit the harness, I waited nearly SIX hours for the tech to install my sub! It was his first, so that might explain the long wait while he wrestled with what I thought were excellent written instructions.

After all was said and done, the tech presented me with the finished product. The sub was installed, but the tech said that he couldn't fit my Scion cargo mat beneath the sub enclosure and simply rolled up the right side of the mat that wouldn't fit under the sub and left it. This looked pretty tacky, but I was in a hurry (remember SIX hours) and had little time to complain.

Before leaving the dealership, I threw in a few reference CDs to demo the new sub. The sub sounded okay, but the bass became very muddy at higher volumes. I set the output level to around 50% and decided I would finish tuning in my garage as opposed to the dealer's parking lot.

After some more listening on the way home, I was less impressed with the sound coming from the sub. The EQ presets on the head unit were useless. The only useful setting was SSP Neutral. The others sounded like garbage.

After arriving home, I took a closer look at the sub. It seemed after only a cursory inspection that the enclosure was awfully loose. Having the very same instructions the tech used, I decided to remove the sub and re-install with hopes of getting that surplus cargo mat under the sub where it belonged.

I removed the grill cover, then the driver itself to access the two bolts inside the enclosure that held the sub in place. To my dismay the 13mm nut and gasket were HAND TIGHTENED. Yes folks, I removed the nut with my fingers. Not good. I'm certain this loose nut was allowing air to escape the enclosure, certainly affecting its output. The second 10mm was tight, but just barely. The good news is that no special tools are required. A regular 3/8 ratchet will fit in the enclosure to remove these nuts.

After removing the enclosure completely, the cargo mat slide under the enclosure with room to spare. I was thrilled, because my trunk area looked great with everything in place.

Some interesting observations: There is a medium size circuit board inside the enclosure. It's much larger than a crossover, but a bit too small for an amp. I could only see the bottom solder points of the board, so I have no idea exactly what functions the board performs. The molex connector for the sub includes speaker input AND output leads. This would seem to indicate the that the sub might have a high pass crossover for the front and rear speakers. More on this in a bit.

I re-installed everything in reverse order, ensuring those nuts and rubber gaskets were tightened and snug against the inside wall of the sub. After everything was connected, I fired it up and did some more subjective listening.

The sub sounded SIGNIFICANTLY better. The Bazzoka sub is a 10" dual voice coil running at 2 ohms. It also includes a sizable magnet assy, weighing probably 20 lbs. That said, it IS a capable sub for this application. I tuned the level a bit more, but was still a little disappointed with the "boominess" of the sub. I cut a piece of 1/2 inch fiberglass mat using the speaker grill as a template and placed it over the sub's somewhat large port using the speaker grill to hold it in place. I listened some more and BINGO! The sub sounded GREAT. I was able to play everything from Tool, Rush, Sting, Alice In Chains and one of my favorite reference CDs, the soundtrack from "American Beauty" with only minimal adjustments to bass and treble. All the SSP presets were useable as well. Well, depending on the material of course. The sub also blended in pretty well with the rest of the soundstage. The door speakers never sound over driven with bass. I suspect the sub does include crossovers for the fronts. I was very pleased with the outcome. Some more tuning with my RTA should get everything sounding excellent. All said, the sub worked great for the $450 I spent on it. It also integrated VERY well with the interior.

Sidenote: I discovered that my center console was mysteriously scratched to sh*t when I got home from the dealership. After showing my sales person the problem, he offered to replace it no questions asked and placed an order for the parts before I left the building. No harm, no foul. Well done, Scion.

So, to summarize (man, did this post get long fast!):

Pros:
Great integration
Great sound after some fine tuning
Good at moderate to high volume levels
Low price?

Cons:
Scion installation (you might fare better than I)
Requires fine tuning to get the most out it.
Bass can get ugly at high volumes
Sub must be removed to access spare tire

After a week of contemplation, I'm VERY happy that I ordered the sub. It's a convienient, capable bass solution that doesn't look silly in the trunk of your Tc.