I've bought a Pioneer TS-WX610A active sub to go into the spare wheel in the boot of my Superb Combi.

 

The instructions on the sub say to tap into one of the rear speaker cables to get an audio feed.  My ICE fitter has said this is risky as it could blow something in the Columbus head unit, and won't take any liability for fitting it.

 

I know that there isn't a sub-out in Columbus, but what is the best way of hooking up an active sub?

 

Also, how long should it take to wire it up?  (I've already fitted it in the boot myself, so it just needs to be wired in to the battery, a tap into rear speaker cable, and a wired remote to go down the rhs of the car and up into the cubby hole to the right of the steering wheel).

Edited 13 August, 201312 yr by JakeBlade

Jake, did you get any joy with this as I am looking to add an active sub to my columbus?

 

Thanks

Yes. The same ICE fitter that said it may blow something in the head unit re-read the instructions properly, and just tapped it into the speaker wires coming out of the head unit. I got them to do all the wiring for me in the end. Cost me £100. Sound is a big improvement in bass response and depth, and better overall sound. I'm really happy with the install as it takes up no room in the boot.

That's good to hear, I may do the same. How low does the SW go and does it integrate ok with the rest of the system?

It claims to get down to 25Hz, but I suspect that is the technical floor with some roll-off as you get toward 25Hz.

It does integrate well with the rest of the system: you just need to do a bit of tuning of the subwoofer and the equaliser in the head unit to your personal taste.

I put some of my experience and thoughts at the end of this thread: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/index.php?/topic/262465-Cheap-upgrade-to-Columbus-audio-experience

Edited 19 January, 201412 yr by JakeBlade

did you run the wiring yourself jake, and if so how easy was it to remove trim and refit?

Did you take power from the columbus or battery?

Cheers

I had a go at removing the trim so that I could run the wires down the right hand side of the car, ready for the ICE fitter to connect to Columbus, but I failed miserably. It's a long car, and there's a lot of trim to remove. It took me half an hour to get the rear passenger trim off, before I figured that the back seats would have to come out in order to get an invisible install with the cable from the boot, and across to the rear passenger side in order to run along beneath the door sills. So I left it to the guys that know the trim and wiring inside-out.

Power comes from the battery, and it's wired up to switched live in the fuse box, so that it only comes on when I turn the ignition on. If I switch Columbus on without ignition on, then the sub stays asleep so as not to drain the battery.

Edited 20 January, 201412 yr by JakeBlade

Right I will not attempt to do to run the wires myself then, leave it to the experts

Thanks

Let me know how you get on!

I will do, looking to fit this next month

 

thanks for your help Jake

Let me know how you get on!

Right, sub ordered from amazon £170 from holland. Have also found a fitter locally who seems to know what he is dloing

I'll keep you posted

 

cheers

What did you order Such?

a Pioneer TS-WX610A  from amazon, shop in holland, cost £170, but not sure what ppal fees will be for euro's

Good luck with it Such. Remember that it will sound rubbish for the first 10 hours or so, and you will wonder why you wasted your money. You'll think it's been wired up wrong and keep flicking the 180-phase switch. But there is light at the end of the tunnel...

Jake, finally got mine wired up today, but had a bit of trouble fitting in wheel well.

Did you use the supplied parts or modify the plastic screw cylinder thingy?

 

I had left 4 nuts with the top washer with the fitter and had to scrape around to find suitable alternatives. I'm not overly happy with the fitting as it currently is, so will be looking to modify the existing spare wheel fitting somehow, so the wheel can be kept in situ with it.

 

Not had a chance to really listen to it yet but will have a play tomorrow

I'm assuming that your Octavia wheel well is the same as the Suberb. I only used the parts that came with the subwoofer. I remember taking the spare wheel fully out so that I could remove all of the skoda spare wheel parts.

Then there's what I would describe as a "T" bolt that you make up using the parts in the subwoofer box. The instructions should list the parts that you need to use for each car, and the type and length of T bolt that you need to make up.

The head of the T bolt then needs to fit into the little metal rails in the bottom of the spare wheel well, so that the thread of the bolt stands vertically. It looks a bit thin and puny. Spare wheel then fits over the thread, and then the subwoofer over the thread so that it sits inside the spare wheel with a small section of the T bolt thread protruding from the top. Washer and wing nut onto the thread should then secure subwoofer and spare wheel in place.

It does seem a bit flimsy, but there's enough friction between the tyre and the wheel well to stop it all from moving around. I also used some thermal/sound insulation material I had spare between the tyre circumference and the wheel well, both as sound deadening and to help stop the spare wheel from moving around. Just made sure I kept the insulation away from the bass ports.

Hope this helps...

Edited 5 February, 201412 yr by JakeBlade

Thanks Jake

 

that's what I did in the end but it still seems a bit flimsy. The fitter just wired up the sub, and left it on top of the spare wheel for me to install, which I had no problem with.

Only when I went to install it, the bag with the four nuts and the top washer was missing from the box, so I had to hunt around for replacements - i found 3 nuts and another washer which was a bit thicker.

 

I may look to use the original spare wheel fittings and see if i can mount the spindle through that somehow so the wheel is a bit more secure. That wing nut seems far too small.

 

Anyway, it does need running in somewhat, but think I am going to like it!!

 

Thanks for your help

You have gravity on your side too don't forget. Let me know how you get on!

sub running in nicely now and i am really beginning to enjoy it! 

Really adds a bit of punch with a nice low end also. Definitely a great upgrade for £220 all in!

 

Thanks for your suggestion Jake

 

All the best

So £50 for fitting?  That's really good.

 

Glad you are enjoying it.