Replaced Kenwood Sub with Rockford

[b_dues]

Yeah so I just blew my stock Kenwood subwoofer, which was a piece of garbage, seeing how I never worked it hard and the plastic cone in the middle blew right out...anyways I bought an 8", 4 Ohm Rockford P1 to replace it, and I must say it is amazing! I had two 12" Rockford P2's in my last car and I loved them too, so if anyone is thinking of replacing there stock Kenwood sub I would strongly recommend going with Rockford Fostgate.

p.s. The stock Kenwood amplifier can handle the 4 Ohm P1 model just fine.

[lokalmotive]

Were there any issues with it fitting in the stock enclosure?

[chuyler1]

If the sub drops right in I'll add it to the upgrade FAQ.

[lokalmotive]

If it does then this will be one of the few i've heard of that will actually drop in and sound halfway decent. All the others I've seen, heard about, or found at any local audio/sound shop sounded just about as crappy as the stock sub.

[RallyeRedSi]

sub for info

[evolv]

I thought the problem with the blown kenwood subs was from the fact that the amp in installed inverted and the switch on the amp is set to the high amp output... or something like that

[chuyler1]

No. Where did you hear that.

The sub blows because the surround is not glued properly to the plastic cone...or perhaps the problem is simply the fact that they used a plastic cone.

[evolv]

aaah i thought it had something to do with the 4ohm 8ohm setting and the fact that our subs are 8ohm only and our amps are swithced to 8ohm or something like that...

but i would believe the plastic parts.. makes em cheaper like the intercooler pipes and end tanks on the I/C

[chuyler1]

The factory sub is 8ohm, which puts less stress on the amp. I think it only puts out 80w at 8ohms and doesn't get as hot. When you switch to a 4ohm sub the amp will put out 120w and heat up a little more. Being mounted upside down isn't the best but the amp would have to get really hot for it to be a problem.

[b_dues]

Yeah, the thing with the installation is that it didn't fit perfectly. The Rockford sub is about 2 cm too tall for the enclosure. The sub comes with double sided adhesive, so to solve this problem, I simpy took out the four screws which hold in the plastic cone inside of the enclosure, because they are about 2 cm longer than the machine screws used to hold in the Kenwood sub originally. This worked out perfectly. The new Rockford Fostgate sub is sealed and secure. No need to worry about the plastic cone that the four screws were taken from, it is glued in quite well (i.e. just try removing it, you'll see what I mean). If this idea about removing the screws from the plastic cone sounds sketchy, than you can just as easily use some other wood or machine screws that will fit. So to conclude, no this sub did not fit perfectly, but it was pretty damn close, it will be quite hard to find one that will just drop in.

[chuyler1]

IIRC the JL W3 drops right in...so its not that hard.

But thanks for the info. Others have asked about this sub in the past so it is good to know it will fit with some slight modification.

[b_dues]

IIRC the JL W3 drops right in...so its not that hard.

But thanks for the info. Others have asked about this sub in the past so it is good to know it will fit with some slight modification.

Alright, cool. My pleasure.

[lokalmotive]

How does the JL W3 sound in comparison to the OEM sub in the stock enclosure?

[chuyler1]

All JL subs sound amazing. They have a deep colorless tone and can play much louder. Plus, as I mentioned before going from an 8ohm sub to a 4ohm sub increases the output of the factory amp.

[lokalmotive]

All JL subs sound amazing. They have a deep colorless tone and can play much louder. Plus, as I mentioned before going from an 8ohm sub to a 4ohm sub increases the output of the factory amp.

What about noise within the enclosure?

[vinnie mack]

I was just going to replace mine as well.. i was running a pioneer 10" and it sounded awesome but since me and the gf broke up (it was hers) i kinda want the trunkspace and want something that has a good kick to it. I can't stand it the way it is right now it sounds like complete ass i want to do mine asap.

So in conclusion the Rockford WILL drop in with minor modifications and sounds good? Is it alot better or just a bit.. and anyone got the JL one in, how does it sound?

I don't want to put an 8 in that factory location and it sounds like shit.

[chuyler1]

As mentioned in a previous post, the RF sub does not fit perfectly but with some minor modification it will fit. I don't remember if he said the grill will fit back on. PM him for more info.

The JL W3 will drop right in and IMO sound better than any rockford sub. You won't be disappointed with the W3. Make sure to get the 4ohm version.

[vinnie mack]

any cost estimate on the JL? and yeah I want one that the grill would fit back over as well.

[chuyler1]

Retail is like $220 but you can get it for under $150. Just look up a dealer near you on their website and give them a call.

[Holy_Fluck]

Does the JBL GT800 8" sub fit in the stock enclosure???

[b_dues]

I was just going to replace mine as well.. i was running a pioneer 10" and it sounded awesome but since me and the gf broke up (it was hers) i kinda want the trunkspace and want something that has a good kick to it. I can't stand it the way it is right now it sounds like complete ass i want to do mine asap.

So in conclusion the Rockford WILL drop in with minor modifications and sounds good? Is it alot better or just a bit.. and anyone got the JL one in, how does it sound?

I don't want to put an 8 in that factory location and it sounds like shit.

Yeah, the Rockford 8" 4 Ohm P1 will fit with slight modification, however if I were to do it again I would just go ahead and get the JL 4 Ohm sub, simply because the Rockford doesn't sound as good as it did the day that I first installed it. This might have something to do with the fact that I took apart my entire system multiple times to find what the problem was, but I doubt that. I am considerring buying the JL sub, however it is much more expensive than the Rockford. To answer your question about if the grill fits over the Rockford; yes it does.

[evolv]

I just installed the Rockford P2 8" and it was a perfect fit. I luv the new boom.

Model number P2S84

[b_dues]

I just installed the Rockford P2 8" and it was a perfect fit. I luv the new boom.

Model number P2S84

damnit, and I was gonna buy the P2...oh well.

[MrDiggler]

FWIW, I put a JL 8" in the stock enclosure in hopes that I would be happy enough with it to take out my JL 12" in a sealed box that I've been running. I was not impressed at all. The JL 8" did sound better than the Kenwood, but there's no comparison to the 12" in the box (both running off the factory amp). To me the 8" JL still sounds like ass, just less ass. The output & sound quality is a little better than stock, but I think the smaller sub and tiny stock enclosure rob the JL of the extension and output I'm used to. I gave it a weekend, then threw my 12" back in. The 12" sounds awesome and hits hard, even off the factory amp.

I'm still looking for a solution that would allow me to use a modified stock enclosure and 1 or 2 8", or 1 10" and get the sound I want, but don't have the time to do tons of experimenting.

[Ryoga28]

Just installed a kicker CVR8 2ohm DVC sub in the stock enclosure today. The fit was great but a little tight.

Here's a site with a good price on it.

http://www.hookedontronics.com/show_product_details.jsp?cid=16518

[TStar]

if you're so unhappy with the stock subs/amp combination, why don't you replace both of them ? there are many amplifiers which are small enough to fit into the kenwood amp's location and 8" subwoofers with a lesser depth are also not hard to find,are they?

[b_dues]

if you're so unhappy with the stock subs/amp combination, why don't you replace both of them ? there are many amplifiers which are small enough to fit into the kenwood amp's location and 8" subwoofers with a lesser depth are also not hard to find,are they?

yeah, there are only a select few 8" subs that will fit into the stock location, and about the amp, the wiring needs to fit in between the walls on either side, so it is hard to find a perfect fit.

[MrDiggler]

yeah, there are only a select few 8" subs that will fit into the stock location, and about the amp, the wiring needs to fit in between the walls on either side, so it is hard to find a perfect fit.

Not to mention that for any real upgrade from the factory amp, you'll have to pull new power and ground wires.

[b_dues]

Not to mention that for any real upgrade from the factory amp, you'll have to pull new power and ground wires.

yeah, there's another good reason, which in my opinion is a waste of time, although I don't really care about a huge upgrade because my old system was pretty intense.

[Demoniam]

Anybody have a pic of the stock sub enclosure for the MSP? I'm looking at buying an 02 MSP, but the original owner removed the sub, and left the wiring. Just wanted to see what I'd be missing!

[b_dues]

Anybody have a pic of the stock sub enclosure for the MSP? I'm looking at buying an 02 MSP, but the original owner removed the sub, and left the wiring. Just wanted to see what I'd be missing!

It's a 2003 MSP and here's a link to the enclosure. It's not a very good pic, but you get the idea. The amp is mounted underneath on the side the says "Kenwood" and the sub is in that 'box' on the right side.
http://199.239.248.45/images/full/2003/s2003063001/mz20035mazdaspeedprotege6613.jpg

[Demoniam]

Thanks mate!

[JDM-P5]

I will continue to live by the JL way. The sub sounds great....in the stock location...except...it's in my P5.
http://my.prostreetonline.com/album/jdm-p5/CIMG0611.JPG

[chuyler1]

FWIW, I put a JL 8" in the stock enclosure in hopes that I would be happy enough with it to take out my JL 12" in a sealed box that I've been running. I was not impressed at all. The JL 8" did sound better than the Kenwood, but there's no comparison to the 12" in the box (both running off the factory amp). To me the 8" JL still sounds like ass, just less ass. The output & sound quality is a little better than stock, but I think the smaller sub and tiny stock enclosure rob the JL of the extension and output I'm used to. I gave it a weekend, then threw my 12" back in. The 12" sounds awesome and hits hard, even off the factory amp.

I'm still looking for a solution that would allow me to use a modified stock enclosure and 1 or 2 8", or 1 10" and get the sound I want, but don't have the time to do tons of experimenting.
You simply cannot compare a single 8" with a single 12" while keep the amplifer power the same. You would have to send a high-power 8" triple the power to come close to the output of a 12" with 1/3 the power. Its a give-and-take situation. The 8" will sound great with most music and add a good deal of the missing low end while taking up virtually no trunk space. The 12" will do a much better job filling out the low end but it will also take up a good portion of your trunk.