96 GMC K2500 Suburban Restoration (with a couple of mods)

[OutlawDrifter]

Everyone's opinion of how much is right is going to be different(its kind of like exhaust sound). I have a powered slim 10" sub in my extended cab (access cab) Tundra. Definitely less cubic volume than the sub, and I wouldn't put it in anything bigger.

My Suburban is all Kenwood in regards to headunit, door speakers, and rear cargo area speakers. I'm running a 12" Rockford Fosgate Punch P2 sub in a custom sealed enclosure, powered by an Alpine S-A60M monoblock amp (600w RMS). It fills the lows nicely and will bump if you want it to. It really doesn't take up much space, and I can still slide a sheet/s of plywood over it when I need to. I also run without my 3rd row, and keep a gear bag and med kit in the cargo area. The box is built to the sealed requirements from RF and carpeted to match the interior:

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[95burban]

I like to have too much sub/amp. I use my bass knob to adjust where I like. Most of the time it’s turned down, but if I want to party I can. It’s easier to take away bass than to add.

 

[SNCTMPL]

I’m with @95burban on this one, two 12’s and 1000 watts each is just about right for me, some days it’s not enough.

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[South VA]

Decided to drive to the shop instead of trying to work it out over the phone. I sat with the manager in the HHR and played my sound system, to show him exactly what I wanted. He said it made sense to move the Rockford over to the Suburban; and doing so would give me a similar sound as the HHR. Which is about perfect, for me.

This is good news, as I don’t have to buy another sub, and the Infinity won’t go to waste.

The HHR will have the Infinity sub and a backup camera installed by this afternoon, and the Subdivision will have dual subs tomorrow.

If I had it to do over again, I would have had this shop do the whole system, including parts. Live and learn. More tuition.

 

[South VA]

Yesterday they finished the BU camera and sub swap in the HHR, and the sub installation in the Subdivision, ahead of schedule. Having that camera in the HHR is a game changer. The Infinity sub sounds pretty good, but lacks the punch that the Rockford had. Hmmm.

Adding the second 8" powered sub in the Subdivision was a definite improvement. It sounded pretty good in the parking lot.

As some of you have no doubt guessed, driving home from the shop, it became clear that it's still not enough bass, even for my modest needs. Sigh.

I tried a variety of music, with unsatisfying result. Some songs sounded better than others. Some actually sounded pretty good, but none of them rose to the level of sound quality that my HHR produced. All the way home I struggled with the idea of just throwing in the towel and living with it as-is, calling it good enough.

But that's not happening. It's not good enough. I plan to have this beast for as long as I'm able to drive it, however long that turns out to be. Having a decent sound system is one of my basic requirements. Not having that will bother me every time I drive it. That will seem frivolous to some, but it's how I feel. A first-world problem, for sure.

And so this morning I'll head back to the shop when they open at 9:00, and see what can be done. Most likely a 12" sub in an enclosure, much like @OutlawDrifter 's. I'm willling to live with the small reduction in cargo space in exchange for decent sound. At least I'll get full return credit for the powered sub I bought from them. Less labor, of course. Maybe they can even do the install today.

More to follow...

 

[South VA]

Talked it over with the manager. The two most realistic options he suggested are 1) a 12” sub in a sealed enclosure with a 300W amp, or 2) a 12” sub in a ported enclosure with a 500W amp. Both use the same plug, so they’re going rough it in so that I can listen to both before deciding which way to go. It should be done in a few hours.

 

[South VA]

After listening to both units, I wound up choosing the 500W ported sub.

It sounds great - far better than what I was afraid I’d have to settle for. Now I can listen to music at a modest volume and actually hear and feel the bass. Solid, but not overwhelming.

The enclosure is larger than I imagined. Huge, almost. But if I’m being rational about it, there’s still plenty of cargo space for the stuff we haul for camping, and tools and materials the need arises. It is a Suburban, after all.

It’s held in place with velcro, which I prefer to having it bolted down. There’s six feet of cable so that it can be moved - or even temporarily removed if necessary.

Of course it doesn’t exactly match the interior, but that can be remedied if it starts to bother me. I’ll live with it through the last couple of camping trips, and see if in fact I want to change anything this winter.

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[Keeper]

Your fellow campers are going to LOVE you! Seriously, I'd wander on down to that rig, with a beer in hand, for absolute sure. Love it!

 

[South VA]

Found an old thread by @caw_86 about sun visors, and have been chatting with him about getting mine redone. For some reason we can't upload pictures in a conversation, so I'm posting them here.

The visors are pretty rough. Fortunately the mirror doors are intact.

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[Road Trip]

For some reason we can't upload pictures in a conversation, so I'm posting them here.

I've noticed the same thing, so it's not something you're doing wrong. Must be a solution
to a problem that was occurring at some point in the past? (Thinking scammer activity?)

After listening to both units, I wound up choosing the 500W ported sub.

It sounds great - far better than what I was afraid I’d have to settle for. Now I can listen to music at a modest volume and actually hear and feel the bass. Solid, but not overwhelming.

The enclosure is larger than I imagined. Huge, almost.

Sounds like we share a similar perspective when it comes to quality sound reproduction. Just like
a pipe organ, quality deep bass almost always requires bigness. (Articulate bass, please)

These are the main reason why I cheerfully drove '1 car payment cars' in order to make a little room
in the budget to be able to come home to these and fully unwind with quality sound in the house.

People see these speakers and think that I'm some sort of conventional basshead. But they misunderstand.
I'm not trying to club myself with giant one-note bass. Instead, I so enjoy hearing the difference
of the individual sound of each musician's drum kit. Being able to hear the size of the room/venue
that the recording was made based on the natural infrasonic reverb. Being able to hear the difference
in playing between Pino Pallodino vs Tal Wilkenfeld. According to the original designer, they were
supposed to play down to 16hz, thanks to dual voice coils (Watkins drive) and other technical trickery.

In short, I'll bet that anyone reading this has to make compromises in order to live their life. But if you
can indulge in at least 1 pleasurable pastime, it makes it so much easier to deal with everything else
forced upon you during a typical day.

When people ask why I make good sound a priority in my life, I tell them that I truly lucked out, for I
figured out how to self-medicate with music instead of other methods. (This way I was always able to
pass a random drug test w/ease, allowing me to continue to work on exciting stuff. Never a dull moment
in a typical workday. :0)

Congrats on not settling for a daily sonic disappointment. And sir, consider yourself a bad influence, for
my DD could certainly use a long overdue non-stock upgrade in this area. (Insert my mind racing here. :0)

Enjoy --