Guide on how to add a sub to a 1SS nonBOSE system

Darth Martel · 05-15-2016, 07:47 PM

For the last few weeks, I've been trying to piece together exactly what it will take to an a sub to my 1SS. This weekend, I did just that. This guide is not totally inclusive as there are a few questions left unanswered. I did not try the pre-amp low-level inputs that are feeding the factory amp to pick off of. My amp (JL Audio Slash 250v2) can take either pre-amp inputs or speaker-level inputs. I went with speaker-level. Also unanswered is the question of what wires feed the exhaust tone into the amp. I verified that the signal does exist in the 1SS. When I first installed the amp/sub combo, I tested it with the engine off and everything sounded fine. When I fired the car up, the low exhaust rumble was amplified through the subs. It was unpleasant to hear. Unplugging a connector removes it. I didn't trace it down to the exact wires because unplugging the connector solves the problem and at least for now, I'm not missing whatever else is on that connector going to the amp. I will cover that later though.

First, I'd like to thank Chris227 for providing me with the prints/schematics for the 1SS. I used a meter to verify that these prints are accurate. At least, as far as the amp wiring is concerned. I assume the wires at the speakers follow suit but, I don't plan on replacing the stock speakers for now. This is just to add an amp/sub to a 1SS nonBOSE system. Here is what Chris227 provided me.

These prints are great and helped me figure out just what wires I needed to tap into. 4 wires require a voltage tap. They are the Blue (Left Front Speaker positive), Brown/Blue (Left Front Speaker negative), Yellow (Right Front Speaker positive), and Yellow/Black (Right Front Speaker negative).

As you can see, I have those wires tapped. Now, I did a little bit extra and purchased a set of Scoche High Pass filters. They were $6 so figured worth a shot. What do they do? My subs will handle everything from 200Hz down. The factory door speakers do ok with low frequency information but, they don't do well with stuff 200Hz or below. Since the subs will be doing that, I figured I'd filter out the low frequency information so it just never gets to the door speakers. Now the power being sent to the door speakers can be utilized for better mids and highs.

As you can see, I have the high pass filters in line with positive signal wires going to the front door speakers. I have them connectorized just in case they didn't make much of a difference and I could remove them and not have to do any extra work to hook things back up. Work smarter, not harder.

The tapped speaker signals I connected to a set of RCA jacks. This took a little bit of splicing as the RCA cables were very small wires. I twisted together some red and black wires and used that as a more sturdy pigtail to connect to. I soldered the RCA signal wires to the red wires and the shield wires to the black. I then taped everything up so it was protected and sturdy.

Getting to the battery is fairly easy but, as a larger framed man, it was a bit difficult to physically do. You can see the negative terminal when you take off the panel on the side wall. However, the positive terminal is further back, inside the wall. It's also covered by a protective plastic cover. It's easy to get off. You just release the tabs on the sides. You have to move the wall away from it though and that means removing the plastic retaining pin a few inches from the battery compartment opening, towards the deck lid. Removing that allows you a bit more room to work in.

I cut out a little tab on the side wall that allowed the power wires to fit through once I put the access panel back. It looks relatively clean. I didn't bother putting the protective plastic cover back over the positive battery terminals. Chances of water getting in there are slim and it's not like you're going to accidentally drop a screwdriver across the terminals. Otherwise, I would of had to dremel the cover so the positive cable to the amp could fit. Not worth the hassle.

Here are the results with the enclosure courtesy of sub of thump. 2 12" JL Audio subs and a 250W JL Audio amp.

I just wanted to add some subs to compliment the already decent sound of the stock system. I'm not going for competition level or wanting to shake the neighborhood. I've got to say, that it took some tweaking of the amp to make it sound decent. As I said at the start of the thread, the exhaust noise being pumped into the sound system really wreaks havoc when you add a sub. If the pre-amp input signals are usable, those should work for feeding a sub/amp because the factory amp adds the exhaust note. Picking off the signal before the amp means you should have a clean, purely musical signal coming from the MyLink head unit. This is, of course, providing that the signal isn't somehow encoded. If I get some time in the coming weeks, I may mess with the pre-amp signals just to see if they'll work. In the meantime though, to get rid of the exhaust note. Simply disconnect the black connector to the left of the green one.

I may tinker with that connector if I get some time too, to see which wires the exhaust note comes in on. I didn't notice anything wrong with the connector left off. I saw in another thread that the clicking noise when you have the turn signals on will be missing. I can live with that. I can see the lights blinking.

As for tweaking the amp for getting the right sound. That, of course, is personal preference. Make sure you set the amp for speaker level input if you're not using a line converter. I do suggest you set the MyLink bass level to be midway or perhaps a little bit lower to start with as you set your amp up. Adjust the input sensitivity of your amp so that the midway bass level is the ideal bass sound. You can then change the MyLink bass level settings if you want more bass. Set the cutoff frequency of your amp (assuming you can adjust it) for whatever your subs are rated for. Mine were 200Hz. 200Hz is also the frequency of those high-pass filters I added that go inline with the positive speaker signal wires. This filters out signals that are 200Hz and below so that only your subs are putting out anything that low.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask. If you have something to add, please do so. There have been a few threads about adding a sub/amp to a 1SS nonBOSE system but, sadly, there wasn't much information in them. Using prints and schematics that were kindly provided to me by Chris227, I verified what actually works to get things working and I now have a decent sounding system with some bump that I can rock out to. With a little bit of work... now, you can too.

chris227 · 05-15-2016, 08:31 PM

Glad to see you got it going. Pre- amp signal is digital. Cannot get anything from. Looks nice

Darth Martel · 05-16-2016, 06:32 AM

Is this confirmed for the 1SS? It makes sense since it's coming from the MyLink but, I know the 2SS and the 1SS have different MyLink head units. Was hoping that maybe they used analog for the 1SS system and digital for the 2SS. Using the speaker level outs isn't horrible. I enjoyed my drive into work this morning with the new sub setup. I'm not a huge Five Finger Death Punch fan (the screaming ugh) but, that double bass drum kick is so sweet to listen to with a sub system.

I'm not sure if it would be worth it to explore a digital to analog conversion of the pre-amp inputs. I don't think amps that accept speaker level inputs are much more expensive than ones that just do pre-amp level inputs. Line coverters are another option to convert the speaker level signals. I'd imagine a set of DACs would be comparable to those in price. Either way, there's a workable solution now so, this should get most people going and those who want to do it themselves and not have to take it to a shop can do so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris227

Glad to see you got it going. Pre- amp signal is digital. Cannot get anything from. Looks nice

K1SS MY SS · 05-16-2016, 08:54 AM

Awesome. Glad to know the diagram was accurate. I did not get a chance to take those pics and play around with my Camaro this past weekend. I didn't even get a chance to wash it :( Hopefully I can give this a try before the month is out. Thanks for all the pics and info!

K1SS MY SS · 05-16-2016, 08:55 AM

Looks good though!

BadBillyJack · 05-16-2016, 11:59 AM

Nice Schematics you have there!!

chris227 · 05-16-2016, 12:54 PM

[QUOTE=BadBillyJack;9095708]

Nice Schematics you have ther

chris227 · 05-16-2016, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BadBillyJack

Nice Schematics you have there!!

I thought so to. Thank you for your help.

Darth Martel · 05-16-2016, 01:46 PM

ha, I take it BadBillyJack helped Chris who in turn helped me... look at us all being helpful

chris227 · 05-16-2016, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darth Martel

ha, I take it BadBillyJack helped Chris who in turn helped me... look at us all being helpful

Exactly the way a great forum should be.

BadBillyJack · 05-16-2016, 05:25 PM

ImperialSScamaro · 05-31-2016, 11:16 PM

i want to be apart of this so here is some pics of an old sub and amp i used to have years ago in my 2000 Z28, this thing has sat in my closet for a number of years and now since i have a 1SS without speakers i want to see if it can be reused. Since I'm not very techish with this stuff i was hoping if the pics i provide can give some clues on if it can work. I don't need to be rattling every screw and nut loose just want some back bass. Thanks in advance.

chris227 · 06-01-2016, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ImperialSScamaro

i want to be apart of this so here is some pics of an old sub and amp i used to have years ago in my 2000 Z28, this thing has sat in my closet for a number of years and now since i have a 1SS without speakers i want to see if it can be reused. Since I'm not very techish with this stuff i was hoping if the pics i provide can give some clues on if it can work. I don't need to be rattling every screw and nut loose just want some back bass. Thanks in advance.

should work fine.

CleanAss · 06-15-2016, 02:23 AM

How come you only add the 200 hz high-pass filters only to the front speakers, but not also the rear ones?

Any idea on how safe is this for this kind of car - without any kind of battery upgrade? i.e. what's a safe subwoofer power level to run.

05-15-2016, 07:47 PM	#1
Darth Martel Darth Martel Drives: Black 1SS with 20% tinted windows Join Date: May 2009 Location: Bizzaroland Posts: 1,496	Guide on how to add a sub to a 1SS nonBOSE system For the last few weeks, I've been trying to piece together exactly what it will take to an a sub to my 1SS. This weekend, I did just that. This guide is not totally inclusive as there are a few questions left unanswered. I did not try the pre-amp low-level inputs that are feeding the factory amp to pick off of. My amp (JL Audio Slash 250v2) can take either pre-amp inputs or speaker-level inputs. I went with speaker-level. Also unanswered is the question of what wires feed the exhaust tone into the amp. I verified that the signal does exist in the 1SS. When I first installed the amp/sub combo, I tested it with the engine off and everything sounded fine. When I fired the car up, the low exhaust rumble was amplified through the subs. It was unpleasant to hear. Unplugging a connector removes it. I didn't trace it down to the exact wires because unplugging the connector solves the problem and at least for now, I'm not missing whatever else is on that connector going to the amp. I will cover that later though. First, I'd like to thank Chris227 for providing me with the prints/schematics for the 1SS. I used a meter to verify that these prints are accurate. At least, as far as the amp wiring is concerned. I assume the wires at the speakers follow suit but, I don't plan on replacing the stock speakers for now. This is just to add an amp/sub to a 1SS nonBOSE system. Here is what Chris227 provided me. These prints are great and helped me figure out just what wires I needed to tap into. 4 wires require a voltage tap. They are the Blue (Left Front Speaker positive), Brown/Blue (Left Front Speaker negative), Yellow (Right Front Speaker positive), and Yellow/Black (Right Front Speaker negative). As you can see, I have those wires tapped. Now, I did a little bit extra and purchased a set of Scoche High Pass filters. They were $6 so figured worth a shot. What do they do? My subs will handle everything from 200Hz down. The factory door speakers do ok with low frequency information but, they don't do well with stuff 200Hz or below. Since the subs will be doing that, I figured I'd filter out the low frequency information so it just never gets to the door speakers. Now the power being sent to the door speakers can be utilized for better mids and highs. As you can see, I have the high pass filters in line with positive signal wires going to the front door speakers. I have them connectorized just in case they didn't make much of a difference and I could remove them and not have to do any extra work to hook things back up. Work smarter, not harder. The tapped speaker signals I connected to a set of RCA jacks. This took a little bit of splicing as the RCA cables were very small wires. I twisted together some red and black wires and used that as a more sturdy pigtail to connect to. I soldered the RCA signal wires to the red wires and the shield wires to the black. I then taped everything up so it was protected and sturdy. Getting to the battery is fairly easy but, as a larger framed man, it was a bit difficult to physically do. You can see the negative terminal when you take off the panel on the side wall. However, the positive terminal is further back, inside the wall. It's also covered by a protective plastic cover. It's easy to get off. You just release the tabs on the sides. You have to move the wall away from it though and that means removing the plastic retaining pin a few inches from the battery compartment opening, towards the deck lid. Removing that allows you a bit more room to work in. I cut out a little tab on the side wall that allowed the power wires to fit through once I put the access panel back. It looks relatively clean. I didn't bother putting the protective plastic cover back over the positive battery terminals. Chances of water getting in there are slim and it's not like you're going to accidentally drop a screwdriver across the terminals. Otherwise, I would of had to dremel the cover so the positive cable to the amp could fit. Not worth the hassle. Here are the results with the enclosure courtesy of sub of thump. 2 12" JL Audio subs and a 250W JL Audio amp. I just wanted to add some subs to compliment the already decent sound of the stock system. I'm not going for competition level or wanting to shake the neighborhood. I've got to say, that it took some tweaking of the amp to make it sound decent. As I said at the start of the thread, the exhaust noise being pumped into the sound system really wreaks havoc when you add a sub. If the pre-amp input signals are usable, those should work for feeding a sub/amp because the factory amp adds the exhaust note. Picking off the signal before the amp means you should have a clean, purely musical signal coming from the MyLink head unit. This is, of course, providing that the signal isn't somehow encoded. If I get some time in the coming weeks, I may mess with the pre-amp signals just to see if they'll work. In the meantime though, to get rid of the exhaust note. Simply disconnect the black connector to the left of the green one. I may tinker with that connector if I get some time too, to see which wires the exhaust note comes in on. I didn't notice anything wrong with the connector left off. I saw in another thread that the clicking noise when you have the turn signals on will be missing. I can live with that. I can see the lights blinking. As for tweaking the amp for getting the right sound. That, of course, is personal preference. Make sure you set the amp for speaker level input if you're not using a line converter. I do suggest you set the MyLink bass level to be midway or perhaps a little bit lower to start with as you set your amp up. Adjust the input sensitivity of your amp so that the midway bass level is the ideal bass sound. You can then change the MyLink bass level settings if you want more bass. Set the cutoff frequency of your amp (assuming you can adjust it) for whatever your subs are rated for. Mine were 200Hz. 200Hz is also the frequency of those high-pass filters I added that go inline with the positive speaker signal wires. This filters out signals that are 200Hz and below so that only your subs are putting out anything that low. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask. If you have something to add, please do so. There have been a few threads about adding a sub/amp to a 1SS nonBOSE system but, sadly, there wasn't much information in them. Using prints and schematics that were kindly provided to me by Chris227, I verified what actually works to get things working and I now have a decent sounding system with some bump that I can rock out to. With a little bit of work... now, you can too. __________________ 2016 Black 1SS w/ MRC, low-gloss black wheels, auto trans. Self-created custom Dark Knight Edition accents. Rotofab CAI with dry filter and sound tube delete, PRAY ported intake manifold and throttle body, Texas Speed cam, Stainless Works headers and exhaust, Skid Mark garage E85 kit, JMS fuel pump voltage booster, Circle D torque converter. Custom E85/mod tune by Jannetty Racing.

05-16-2016, 08:54 AM	#4
K1SS MY SS K1SS MY SS Drives: 2016 Chevy Camaro 1SS Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Athens GA Posts: 91	Awesome. Glad to know the diagram was accurate. I did not get a chance to take those pics and play around with my Camaro this past weekend. I didn't even get a chance to wash it :( Hopefully I can give this a try before the month is out. Thanks for all the pics and info! __________________ Chillin wit the Stangs

05-16-2016, 08:55 AM	#5
K1SS MY SS K1SS MY SS Drives: 2016 Chevy Camaro 1SS Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Athens GA Posts: 91	Looks good though! __________________ Chillin wit the Stangs

05-16-2016, 12:54 PM	#7
chris227 Drives: 2020 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Sherman,Texas Posts: 844	[QUOTE=BadBillyJack;9095708] Nice Schematics you have ther Last edited by chris227; 05-16-2016 at 12:57 PM. Reason: Double post

05-16-2016, 01:46 PM	#9
Darth Martel Darth Martel Drives: Black 1SS with 20% tinted windows Join Date: May 2009 Location: Bizzaroland Posts: 1,496	ha, I take it BadBillyJack helped Chris who in turn helped me... look at us all being helpful __________________ 2016 Black 1SS w/ MRC, low-gloss black wheels, auto trans. Self-created custom Dark Knight Edition accents. Rotofab CAI with dry filter and sound tube delete, PRAY ported intake manifold and throttle body, Texas Speed cam, Stainless Works headers and exhaust, Skid Mark garage E85 kit, JMS fuel pump voltage booster, Circle D torque converter. Custom E85/mod tune by Jannetty Racing.

05-15-2016, 08:31 PM	#2
chris227 Drives: 2020 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Sherman,Texas Posts: 844	Glad to see you got it going. Pre- amp signal is digital. Cannot get anything from. Looks nice

05-31-2016, 11:16 PM	#12
ImperialSScamaro Im a noob Drives: Black 2016 1SS Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: LA Posts: 199 View My Garage	My old AMP and Sub i want to be apart of this so here is some pics of an old sub and amp i used to have years ago in my 2000 Z28, this thing has sat in my closet for a number of years and now since i have a 1SS without speakers i want to see if it can be reused. Since I'm not very techish with this stuff i was hoping if the pics i provide can give some clues on if it can work. I don't need to be rattling every screw and nut loose just want some back bass. Thanks in advance. Attached Images

06-15-2016, 02:23 AM	#14
CleanAss Drives: 2016 Camaro SS Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Bay Area CA Posts: 30	How come you only add the 200 hz high-pass filters only to the front speakers, but not also the rear ones? Any idea on how safe is this for this kind of car - without any kind of battery upgrade? i.e. what's a safe subwoofer power level to run.

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