A client from Danielsville, Pennsylvania, dropped into Mobile Edge recently to ask about upgrading his 2013 Subaru Crosstrek audio system. He wanted the system to play louder and have more bass. He didn’t want the system to take up any space in the vehicle. We looked at a few options in the showroom, then took a few components out to his car for some test-fitting. Once we had a plan carved out, we scheduled an appointment to do the installation.
Custom Mounting Brackets Make Space
One thing we take great pride in here at Mobile Edge is our steel-strip mounting brackets. We bend 1-inch steel into shapes that allow us to mount equipment securely without consuming much space. For the Crosstrek, we created mounting brackets for an amplifier under the driver’s seat and a shallow subwoofer enclosure under the passenger seat. Once we weld the brackets together, we paint them black to protect them from rust.
Four-channel Power Amplifier
We installed a Hertz HCP4 four-channel amplifier under the driver’s seat. This amp produces up to 65 watts per channel and can be connected directly to the factory speaker outputs on the radio. While many radios claim to produce 45 to 50 watts of power, they fall far short of that. Most produce 15 to 18 watts of real-world power. This means that as soon as you turn up the volume, you run out of juice, and your music sounds bad. We used the high-pass crossovers on the amp to limit the low-frequency information that is sent to the factory speakers.
Under-seat Shallow Subwoofer
Once installed, the subwoofer fits snugly under the seat.
We put a Memphis Car Audio SA110SP Nanoboxx subwoofer system under the passenger seat. This compact subwoofer solution includes a 10-inch subwoofer and a 150 watt amplifier in a slim package. The Nanoboxx includes speaker-level inputs to make the installation easy with the factory radio. An included remote level control allows the client to fine-tune the bass level from the driver’s seat.
Tint and Window Deflectors
The window film looks great and protects the interior and passengers.
While we were working on the car, the client asked about having the driver and passenger windows tinted to match the rears. We applied 3M Color Stable 20% tint to both windows to match the OEM look. We also installed a set of WeatherTech 82709 side window deflections so he can crack the windows without fear of water entering the vehicle.
With the audio system configured and tuned, the client finally had his first chance to listen. He was amazed at how much better the system sounded with a proper amount of power. The tint and deflectors look great, too!
Click here or drop into Mobile Edge in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, for more information about our products and services.
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