[DualSS]

So after lurking here for months looking for a 2019+ Bose integration/bypass solution, I stumbled upon the AXDSPX-ETH1 in the axxess website which seems to tick off most boxes. It seems nobody here has mentioned it yet, so I figured I would ask the audiophile experts in this forum what your opinion on the matter is. I am no expert, I have however installed a few car stereos in my time, as well as a BOSE integration harness in my TBSS. Is this something I could tackle on my own? Would I need any other toy like twk's and the fix's and what have you?!

I have attached the PDF and it looks pretty straightforward. Thoughts?

[DamonZ28]

Their vehicle fit guide says it will work. For that price, I'd probably go with the NAV-TV M650-GM which is highly recommended by others here.

https://navtv.com/products/NTV-KIT838/m650-gm.html

Personally, I went with the Sub Thump 2016-2023 Camaro With BOSE Plug N Play T-Harness With ANC Defeat Harness Kit, and then go with a line out converter matched to your output channel needs.

[DualSS]

Originally Posted by DamonZ28

Their vehicle fit guide says it will work. For that price, I'd probably go with the NAV-TV M650-GM which is highly recommended by others here.

https://navtv.com/products/NTV-KIT838/m650-gm.html

Personally, I went with the Sub Thump 2016-2023 Camaro With BOSE Plug N Play T-Harness With ANC Defeat Harness Kit, and then go with a line out converter matched to your output channel needs.

I believe that NAV M650 is only for the MOST bus (Camaro 16-18) I looked into that sub thunp kit as well. Tho how do you get around the fact that it's only 3 channel? Their website says its missing the right rear channel....

[DamonZ28]

The nav-tv website shows that it's compatible with 2019, so I bet it would work with all 2019+.

Check this thread, it might help with the direction you want to go.
https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=561714

[DualSS]

Originally Posted by DamonZ28

The nav-tv website shows that it's compatible with 2019, so I bet it would work with all 2019+.

Check this thread, it might help with the direction you want to go.
https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=561714

Ok. Do you have any pictures of your current setup? I'm curious as to how that harness connects to everything....

[DamonZ28]

Here's how the harness connects to the Bose amp. The red circle is where the sub thump harness connects. The blue circle is where the ANC delete harness connects. You can do all the tapping & connections yourself, but these harnesses just make it a lot cleaner & neater.

[DamonZ28]

Here's my finished setup, as far as the harness and line out converter. I just have a mono amp & subwoofer, so I don't use multiple channels. And then a couple of pics of my amp & sub. Nothing fancy.

[DualSS]

Originally Posted by DamonZ28

Here's my finished setup, as far as the harness and line out converter. I just have a mono amp & subwoofer, so I don't use multiple channels. And then a couple of pics of my amp & sub. Nothing fancy.

That's a very nice and tidy setup you got there. How does it sound though? Does it feel like the bass overpowers the BOSE speakers? On the stereo do you just turn the bass into 0 and below? Do you have a gain dial for your sub amp near the dash?

[DamonZ28]

Originally Posted by DualSS

That's a very nice and tidy setup you got there. How does it sound though? Does it feel like the bass overpowers the BOSE speakers? On the stereo do you just turn the bass into 0 and below? Do you have a gain dial for your sub amp near the dash?

1. It sounds great!
2. No, the bass is not overpowering. It was at first - I left the amp on the same setting it was on in the old Camaro. It was OBNOXIOUS. But I just turned down the gain on the amplifier, and I think I actually turned it down too much. I had the rear seat down when I adjusted it, but when I put the seat back up, it was turned down a little too low. So I think I'll turn it back up just a bit.
3. Before you hook everything up, turn everything including bass, down to 0. After you hook everything up and tune your amplifier, then you can adjust the settings at the head unit.
4. Unfortunately, I took my sub & amp out of my old Camaro the night before trading it in on the new one. I didn't take the time to remove the gain knob and all of the wiring, because it was all tucked in behind & underneath carpet and plastic trim. I kind of wish I had taken a little more time to remove wiring & the gain knob. Nobody carries the gain knob for my amp anymore, and some of the amplifier wiring was a bit expensive to replace. But to be perfectly honest, I really didn't use the gain knob all that often.

[DualSS]

Originally Posted by DamonZ28

1. It sounds great!
2. No, the bass is not overpowering. It was at first - I left the amp on the same setting it was on in the old Camaro. It was OBNOXIOUS. But I just turned down the gain on the amplifier, and I think I actually turned it down too much. I had the rear seat down when I adjusted it, but when I put the seat back up, it was turned down a little too low. So I think I'll turn it back up just a bit.
3. Before you hook everything up, turn everything including bass, down to 0. After you hook everything up and tune your amplifier, then you can adjust the settings at the head unit.
4. Unfortunately, I took my sub & amp out of my old Camaro the night before trading it in on the new one. I didn't take the time to remove the gain knob and all of the wiring, because it was all tucked in behind & underneath carpet and plastic trim. I kind of wish I had taken a little more time to remove wiring & the gain knob. Nobody carries the gain knob for my amp anymore, and some of the amplifier wiring was a bit expensive to replace. But to be perfectly honest, I really didn't use the gain knob all that often.

1. Noice! What's the RMS on that amp?
2. I think you would use that gain knob a lot more often if you had it, at least at first. Unless you only listen to one type of music.
Is your back seat normally open or closed?
3. I already have it at 0 otherwise it sounds un-natural....
4. Sounds like your 2020 was an impulse buy. Haha

[keep_hope_alive]

I'll provide some criticism, but just to help you learn and not to dog your efforts. Thanks for sharing the pics!

In no particular order:

1. Zip ties should be cut flush and use enough to keep the bundle tidy. Or use loom.
2. Power/Ground/Remote to amp (visible in trunk) should be protected with loom and secured so they don't have stress at the amp connection. Securing to the amp board, within a few inches of the connection, is preferred, then secured as they move around the amp board (round cable clamps or zip tie mounts work well for this). Oversizing the amp board for wire routing is preferred.
3. Staples visible on amp board, easy to avoid or paint them black.
4. LOC is taking up a ton of space despite it's size, would be better suited vertically in the front slot (where wiring routes) to retain that large area for other things.
5. RCA is just bundled without an orderly arrangement and is too long for the application. Best to buy proper length cables, great to actually terminate your own for custom lengths. I'd bundle in a tidy circle with 3 zip ties to hold the shape.
6. Cables route under false floor without organization. Prefer to have pathway at the corners and not in the middle. Easy to route differently given lengths.
7. Unsure how amp board and sub box are secured to not move. Industrial velcro is OK, but false floor then experiences movement from the inertia of the box. Prefer to secure components so they can't be removed without tools.
8. Can't see how power/ground connections are made. Hope for adequate fusing for both amp and LOC. Hope for a good ground to bare metal.
9. Sub placement will experience the worst amount of cancellation possible. If you have available speaker wire length, experiment with locations and you'll probably find that facing into the rear driver's corner has the smoothest response. That's why the best sub location is actually recessed in that rear corner. That may not be convenient but it will likely sound the best.

I'd rather see the amp mounted to the bottom of the rear deck to get it off the floor. It's totally fine to do this and there are several ways to achieve it. Main challenge is longer power/ground wires and routing them behind factory panels requires a bit more effort in the trunk. Or just remove the styrofoam holder if you're not using it and put the amp/LOC down under the floor on a custom board.

[DamonZ28]

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

I'll provide some criticism, but just to help you learn and not to dog your efforts. Thanks for sharing the pics!

I appreciate all the suggestions! Much of the installation was done when the temps outside were hovering around zero, and the garage wasn't much warmer. So a little cleanup will be forthcoming, and you've given me a LOT of good ideas. The car won't be driven a lot between now & spring, so I have some time to clean things up. This was previously installed in my 1994 Camaro, and it was MUCH cleaner in that car. Here are some responses & questions for you, hope I don't break the board with the length of this response.

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

Zip ties should be cut flush and use enough to keep the bundle tidy. Or use loom.

Good to know! I have plenty of zip ties, but you're right, loom looks even better. You probably noticed the loom used for the LoC - that was the last thing I did, and it looks much better.

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

Power/Ground/Remote to amp (visible in trunk) should be protected with loom and secured so they don't have stress at the amp connection. Securing to the amp board, within a few inches of the connection, is preferred, then secured as they move around the amp board (round cable clamps or zip tie mounts work well for this). Oversizing the amp board for wire routing is preferred.

Never thought of this, but it would look a lot better! I need to find some bigger loom to fit around those wires. And I'll have to find a bigger piece of MDF and make a nicer/bigger amp board.

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

Staples visible on amp board, easy to avoid or paint them black.

They're actually not very visible in the trunk's poor lighting - but with summer daylight or the camera flash in that photo, they stand right out! I made my own sub box & a YouTube video was great help in wrapping it with carpet. But that's not perfect either, as you can see. When the weather warms up I'll use a black sharpie & cover up that thin line across the back. But I can apply the same process to wrap the amp board, and won't even have to use staples.

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

LOC is taking up a ton of space despite it's size, would be better suited vertically in the front slot (where wiring routes) to retain that large area for other things.

I suppose you're right, I didn't really think about that. The only issue is, I don't think the sub thump wiring harness is long enough to move it further forward. Maybe it would work if I moved it straight forward from the amp. How would I mount it there? It's currently mounted with velcro.

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

RCA is just bundled without an orderly arrangement and is too long for the application. Best to buy proper length cables, great to actually terminate your own for custom lengths. I'd bundle in a tidy circle with 3 zip ties to hold the shape.

Thanks for the suggestion. It's a mess, and I wasn't sure what to do. I was expecting to do a completely different arrangement (LoC & amp both in spare tire area) so I bought 3-ft RCA cables from Crutchfield. When I discovered that the amp wouldn't fit in the spare tire area (by less than 2 inches), I wanted to get everything hooked up so I bought these 17-ft cables at Walmart. I'll either zip-ties these in a nice tidy circle, or most likely find some shorter cables. I probably only need about 6-8 feet, not sure if that size is available.

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

Cables route under false floor without organization. Prefer to have pathway at the corners and not in the middle. Easy to route differently given lengths.

Not sure which ones you're referring to here? The power cables to the amp are routed from the battery, along the side (zip tied to existing cables) up to the front corner of the trunk, then under the carpet behind the back seat to the amp. They're not routed across the middle of the trunk under the carpet. Same with the RCA cables, but on the other side of the trunk (I think that was one thing I learned correctly - power & RCA cables should be routed on opposite sides of the car). The LoC power wire IS, however, routed at an angle along the bottom of the trunk to the battery. I do have plenty of red wire to re-route in a clean line. The ground & power-on wires are loomed & routed straight across in front of the foam insert to the right side of the trunk. The ground wire is attached right in that area, and the power-on wire is routed along with the 4-ga amp power & ground wires.

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

Unsure how amp board and sub box are secured to not move. Industrial velcro is OK, but false floor then experiences movement from the inertia of the box. Prefer to secure components so they can't be removed without tools.

Walmart velcro. Let me tell you what - velcro sticks to the trunk carpet like crazy. You almost need tools to remove it! However, I've noticed that the velcro isn't sticking to the sub box or amp board like I'd hoped. What other suggestions do you have for mounting? I can't screw them to the floor there, I assume?

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

Can't see how power/ground connections are made. Hope for adequate fusing for both amp and LOC. Hope for a good ground to bare metal.

4 gauge wires and 80 amp fuse for the amp, according to the amp instructions. Grounded to an existing ground bolt in the trunk. 1 amp inline fuse for the LoC, according to the LoC instructions.

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

Sub placement will experience the worst amount of cancellation possible. If you have available speaker wire length, experiment with locations and you'll probably find that facing into the rear driver's corner has the smoothest response. That's why the best sub location is actually recessed in that rear corner. That may not be convenient but it will likely sound the best.

This is where it starts going over my head, probably because I haven't experienced a finely tuned system so I don't know how it SHOULD sound. I'm not really sure what's meant by smoothest response. It sounds fine to me, except for the fact that I probably turned the gain down a little too much and cut out too much bass, as I mentioned in one of the posts above. But I'm wiling to try moving it to different locations to see how it sounds. Pretty sure I have a lot of 12-ga wire (per the sub's instructions ) left over, so I can just cut a new length if necessary.

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

I'd rather see the amp mounted to the bottom of the rear deck to get it off the floor. It's totally fine to do this and there are several ways to achieve it. Main challenge is longer power/ground wires and routing them behind factory panels requires a bit more effort in the trunk. Or just remove the styrofoam holder if you're not using it and put the amp/LOC down under the floor on a custom board.

Never thought of that either. Admittedly, I mainly looked at 2 or 3 threads in this sub-board, along with a couple of YouTube videos, and there wasn't much discussion about mounting location other than on a board on the floor like I did. Not sure if there are older threads that I haven't seen. Assuming I have enough power & ground cable (not sure), I will take a look and see if the amp will work on the bottom of the rear deck. Would I still need to use a board, or just screw the amp directly to the bottom of the rear deck?

[DamonZ28]

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

I'd rather see the amp mounted to the bottom of the rear deck to get it off the floor.

My amp measures 12" x 10", I checked and it's too big to fit under the rear deck with the speakers mounted there.

[DualSS]

Originally Posted by keep_hope_alive

I'll provide some criticism, but just to help you learn and not to dog your efforts. Thanks for sharing the pics!

In no particular order:

1. Zip ties should be cut flush and use enough to keep the bundle tidy. Or use loom.
2. Power/Ground/Remote to amp (visible in trunk) should be protected with loom and secured so they don't have stress at the amp connection. Securing to the amp board, within a few inches of the connection, is preferred, then secured as they move around the amp board (round cable clamps or zip tie mounts work well for this). Oversizing the amp board for wire routing is preferred.
3. Staples visible on amp board, easy to avoid or paint them black.
4. LOC is taking up a ton of space despite it's size, would be better suited vertically in the front slot (where wiring routes) to retain that large area for other things.
5. RCA is just bundled without an orderly arrangement and is too long for the application. Best to buy proper length cables, great to actually terminate your own for custom lengths. I'd bundle in a tidy circle with 3 zip ties to hold the shape.
6. Cables route under false floor without organization. Prefer to have pathway at the corners and not in the middle. Easy to route differently given lengths.
7. Unsure how amp board and sub box are secured to not move. Industrial velcro is OK, but false floor then experiences movement from the inertia of the box. Prefer to secure components so they can't be removed without tools.
8. Can't see how power/ground connections are made. Hope for adequate fusing for both amp and LOC. Hope for a good ground to bare metal.
9. Sub placement will experience the worst amount of cancellation possible. If you have available speaker wire length, experiment with locations and you'll probably find that facing into the rear driver's corner has the smoothest response. That's why the best sub location is actually recessed in that rear corner. That may not be convenient but it will likely sound the best.

I'd rather see the amp mounted to the bottom of the rear deck to get it off the floor. It's totally fine to do this and there are several ways to achieve it. Main challenge is longer power/ground wires and routing them behind factory panels requires a bit more effort in the trunk. Or just remove the styrofoam holder if you're not using it and put the amp/LOC down under the floor on a custom board.

Dude, you come into my thread, make no contributions to my original query, only critique the other dudes's install?