Good evening ladies and gents. Question: can I keep the existing PiviPro and Meridian but have an aftermarket company add a sub and amp under the trunk deck? I haven’t upgraded my “ride” with subs since like 1992 and I’m sure things have changed haha. Definitely want to keep the sleek infotainment look it has now so not sure where to begin. Thoughts?

Cheers,

K

Edit

 

Yep, you can have a subwoofer/amp added without issue. The only consideration will be the location of the new subwoofer as aftermarket parts won't fit in the same enclosure as a factory sub. You may be in an exposed box, likey in the rear of the vehicle.

Ive done this exact upgrade on three other vehicles and it has helped and is easily removable. The only other thing I would be leary of is an aftermarket car audio company taking the defender apart to install the sub/amp.

 

Thanks Ranoli! Yep I just got it back from a custom installer. They did a great job. Got a low profile 12” JL Audio with just enough volume (.98 cuft) with use of a custom fiberglass box.

I’m wondering about upgrading the under seat sub. Hmm. Looks like it’s a sort-of 6x9 ish shaped sad looking thing. I’m wondering what I can get in there. Just think it could use a bit more punch in the mid-range bass to match the lows of the 12”. Have any thoughts?

Cheers!

...K

 

Could you post some pictures of the box location and how it looks? I'm going to be doing something similar. Thanks!

 

Sure Avo. Currently on vacay until Tuesday but will do when I get back.

Cheers,

K

 

Which model did you get? Did you get the Meridian Surround Sound system with 700 watts of power?

 

I have a 90 X Dynamic with the Meridian option, so 400W was my only option. In my opinion, 400W is plenty (although ya I would have loved 700W and more channels).

To support the 12” JL we added an RD1000 in bridged mode.

 

Did you have to use speaker-level inputs (tap the wires going to the speakers) or were they able to pull a line-level output somewhere (RCA jacks)?

I used to run a custom shop that did car audio, remote start, alarms, etc so this is pretty simple for me. Only a few vehicles have the line-level option, usually with an aftermarket adapter/interface. Did a quick Google search but couldn't find one for the new Defender yet.

 

I didn’t inspect the installation after the fact. Before installation, he said he had to tap into an analog wire and use the converter to feed the amp. I did observe that the new amp is directly affected by the subwoofer gain setting in Pivi leading me to suspect that he grabbed the channel from the sub seat sub to do so.

I sent him an email to find out if he was able to get an rca out, will let you know.

 

Hi AvoTow. There’s not much to see to be honest, but here’s a pic. Essentially they needed to get to .98 cuft (sealed) for this sub. Of course, your specs may vary depending on what you listen to. I like serious punch you can feel in rock kick drums and this delivers above and beyond. “This Means War” could be a showpiece for this setup—it does not disappoint.

In terms of construction is is mostly MDF but I believe since they were a bit shy of their cuft target they had to reinforce with fiberglass. The box can be removed whenever access underneath for the various modules is necessary, but it’s a tight fit so I wasn’t up to yanking it out at the moment (sorry). The box is rectangular—nothing special about the shape—but the bottom of the box has MDF material extending longer on each end to precisely allow the box to stand off the bottom at level. The sub is down firing and the stand off allows low profile sub travel. The entire area underneath is deadened with Dynamat. Just about all contact areas between the deck lid and the area underneath vibrate like crazy so Dynamat pieces were added to every contact area and it’s silent now.

One more thing: under the standoffs there’s room for the OEM jack, and as you can see to the left is the bag that contains the integrated compressor accessories as well as the lug nut lock. I’ve stored the original styrofoam jack holder away in case I decide to sell the car.

Cheers,

K