Kenwood KSC-SW1 Subwoofer

sikwan

06 Tin Can
I wanted to add some bass to my stereo system, but I didn't want it to take up any space (like there's any lack of it) or build from scratch an amplified big box or tube for the Sprinter. I also wanted it hidden and away from any foot traffic.

I decided to mount it underneath the driver's seat. Mounting it underneath the passenger seat would block access to the auxiliary battery. To clear any movement of the seat, the subwoofer had to be smaller than 16"L x 9.5"W x 4"H.

There were many amplified subwoofers, but only one had the best reviews, the highest wattage, and the correct dimensions. That was the Kenwood KSC-SW1 Powered Enclosed Subwoofer. Dimensions are 15-3/4"L x 9-1/16"D x 3-11/16"H. I got it brand new off Ebay for $139.95 total.

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Before I got it, I was wondering where I was going to mount the remote control.

The amp barely fits with 1/8" clearance above the seat base and about 1/4" clearance below the crossbars when the seat is lowered.

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Topview from the driver's door opening. Woofers face down because access to the cables from the top was easier.

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Closer view at the backside of the Kenwood remote control mounted to the plastic side piece.

The biggest complaint was the length of the remote control cable. The subwoofer cannot be used without the remote control so most users roll up the cable and set it against the subwoofer.

I didn't have much room to spare and I didn't want a 20ft cable stored underneath the seat. The cable uses a 6pin telephone jack to connect to the subwoofer. Luckily, it was a matter of cutting the cable short and crimping a new 6pin jack. The cable clears the movement of the seat and it's not 20ft.

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Closeup of the remote control on the center aisle side of the driver's seat.

I separated the remote control halves, discarded the silver cover, and used the seat side plastic trim piece as the new cover. I had to trim off some of the ribbing that's found behind the plastic.

I still have the power, ground, power remote on, and RCA's cables to install.

To be continued...
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Today I decided to install the RCA cable from the deck to the subwoofer. It's a $12 10ft RCA cable made by Monster Cable. Between the coaxials is an extra jumper wire. I'll be using that for the power remote.

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Gray RCA connectors in the deck location.

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Cable routes behind the gauge cluster and down the left side of the 4 inch speaker cavity.

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Cable runs along the side and underneath the rubber floor mat.

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Gray cable is routed along side the stepwell.

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RCA plugs into back of subwoofer.

The gray cable should run underneath the support bracket and through the channel cutout. For the life of me, I couldn't find the right angled RCA's. The cables should not plug straight into the subwoofer, otherwise the base of the cushion will hit it.

To be continued...
 

mbcruiser

05 Sprinter/06 MB Cruiser
Great photos....
The Kenwood is same unit a local sound outfit suggested for my Forest River MB Cruiser to compensate for crummy sound (lack of any bass) from the cheap OEM 4" dash speakers.
But their price was $249 (+ $50 for install) so the ebay suggestion is already noted! Thanks.
They suggested mounting the unit behind the driver's seat, where there's already a box for water tank/bunk, so maybe that's an easier approach, though I would miss the space behind the seat for the usual array of miscellaneous stuff (e.g. umbrellas, maps, books, etc.).
My questions, however:
1) does the Kenwood unit actually improve the radio sound as hoped (even with the OEM dash speakers)?
2) how much hassle was it really to remove the head unit and guage cluster in the dash to get the wiring done?
3) were there any limitations to the driver's seat movement after the install?

Lastly, in other forums, many suggest replacing the stoick 4" dash speakers with other ones....any thoughts on that?

Thanks.
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
My questions, however:
1) does the Kenwood unit actually improve the radio sound as hoped (even with the OEM dash speakers)?
I replaced the 4 inch dash speakers with a couple of 4" Infinity 2-ways. It still sounded flat with only the highs being enhanced a bit. I then added some 5-way 6x9's to the back of the van. What a difference in music enjoyment (at least to me). I haven't heard the subwoofer yet, but I'm pretty sure it would be better than just the 4 inch speakers up front.

2) how much hassle was it really to remove the head unit and guage cluster in the dash to get the wiring done?
If you have the stock unit, it might be a little bit of a hassle. You don't have to purchase the removal key, but you do have to fiddle with it a bit to get the right angle so that you can unlatch it. I used the file on my pocket knife as the removal tool.

I replaced mine with a Panasonic unit (5303) that controls an 8 disc changer. The head unit comes with a couple of tools that make removal of the head unit easy.

The wiring and routing of cables is a pain. There's not much room in the head unit pocket to pass any wires through to the sides. I had to remove the entire top of the dash so that I could see where the wires could slip through. Maybe someone else can chime in as to how they did it without removing the top.

3) were there any limitations to the driver's seat movement after the install?
None. The clearances are really close though.

Although, if you're thinking of swivelling the driver's seat, there might be some limitations.

Lastly, in other forums, many suggest replacing the stoick 4" dash speakers with other ones....any thoughts on that?
It is worth doing to gain better highs, but imho it wouldn't be the first on my to do list. I'll start another thread on my 4 inch speaker install experience. Maybe after this weekend. I'm too swamped now.

I'll report back on the subwoofer once I add the fuse pack underneath the driver's seat.

Seek
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
I finally finished...

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Here's the subwoofer all wired up underneath the driver's seat.

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A better picture of the remote cover that was replaced with the plastic trim cover from the seat.

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Yellow wire on fuse holder is the subwoofer power line.

The subwoofer comes with an inline fuse on the power wire. Since I was going to install some 12V sockets along the wall of the van, I decided to buy a 6 socket fuse holder and use one for the subwoofer. I reused the 10A bladed fuse that came with the subwoofer.


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Driver's underseat cover.

I did have to trim off part of the underseat cover so that I could slip it underneath the subwoofer. The wires would get caught if I didn't do this.

When I'm on the driver's seat, the bass hits nicely without bottoming out. There is a problem with turning the gain up too high. The underseat cover starts to rattle.

Standing at the rear of the van, the bass is barely noticable without increasing the gain. Having it under the seat is probably not the most optimal location, but the music certainly sounds better with it than without it when using only the 4 inch speakers up front.

It hides nicely out of the way and it does not limit the movement of the seat. It's well worth it if you're looking for something to fill in the 120Hz and below sound. But if you're looking for something to wake up the neighborhood, this is not the subwoofer. Overall, I'm very pleased with the addition.

Seek
 

tegnamo

Member
I'm about to install a subwoofer in my T1N, and I was wondering where I should pull power from. It looks like you have an aux battery to tap off of, though I don't have that. In israndy's subwoofer install writeup, he mentioned some red/yellow wires that turn on when the alternator starts doing its thing, and that sounds like the best method for me. Can I just tap in to those particular wires wherever I happen to find them under the seat, or might that be a tad risky? I plan to install an inline fuse, as well.
 

d_bertko

Active member
I'll be interested to hear what you think of your Kenwood compact sub.

I have an Infinity Basslink2 powered subwoofer in my van It's a 10" and 200w model. Not huge but good size at 15x14x10. Bought for its musicality mostly. Mine is installed a bit away from the sidewall just beyond the rear wheelwell. An attempt to give it room to bounce. Can be found on the Net for around $250. Does the job ok of filling in the bottom end. Not earthshaking but didn't buy it for that. Pretty good user reviews.

In contrast I later bought a Hsu STF-2 subwoofer for my stick house home theater. Same size woofer and same 200w rating. Small by audiophile standards at 19x14x18 but something over twice the volume of the Basslink2. About $350. Bought it for its musicality for a small room. User reviews were pretty good here, too.

The comparison ends there. The home theater Hsu is just light years beyond any car subwoofer I had heard, including the $800 high-end model at a pro audio shop. It is completely musical and in fact will rattle the neighbor's windows without distortion. (I shudder to think what the the bigger home subs will do.)

Moral of the story is that car subwoofers are generally awful and anything that rises to ok wins lots of accolades in the reviews. The reviewing audience is the general public.

Home audiophiles are a different set of reviewers entirely. Their standards are high enough that when their general opinion is pretty good you or I would call it "transformative". In other words, what you really wanted the sub to sound like.

And a last piece of advice. The Hsu got moved around the room into a lot of locations near and far before ending up sounding the best away from a front corner of the room. Sounded best there but also had something like 50% more efficiency. I didn't expect that.

Dan
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Can I just tap in to those particular wires wherever I happen to find them under the seat, or might that be a tad risky? I plan to install an inline fuse, as well.
There is a terminal that is mounted on the passenger side wall (inside) of the driver's seat pedestal; Constant 12V or Switched 12V.


I'll be interested to hear what you think of your Kenwood compact sub.
It does its job filling in the bass. Since it's right underneath my bum, I can feel it too. The biggest problem is that at close to clipping, the pedestal cover starts to rattle.

It's definitely not a ported box with 8 inch or greater subs, but I'm satisfied with its shortcomings because I wanted something that I didn't have to work hard to hide.
 

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