factory subwoofer

Stovespipe · March 12, 2019

I believe there is a factory Alpine subwoofer upgrade that is available or going to be available. Anyone have information on this? I cannot find anything on the GM site.

OnTheReel · March 12, 2019

https://www.shopchevyparts.com/electronics/2019-silverado-1500-audio-upgrade-kicker174-powered-subwoofer-kit-crew-cab-and-extended-cab/19417164-p-92303189.html

2017Darkness · March 12, 2019

32 minutes ago, OnTheReel said:

https://www.shopchevyparts.com/electronics/2019-silverado-1500-audio-upgrade-kicker174-powered-subwoofer-kit-crew-cab-and-extended-cab/19417164-p-92303189.html

DAMMIT, now I might have to trade...

Smitty · March 13, 2019

Is this really any better than the sub that's in there now with the Bose premium package? LTZ and up. Is this replacing or adding to what's already in there?

OnTheReel · March 13, 2019

People on the Facebook group are saying it’s much much better.

I have the Bose and I think it sounds very good overall, but the bass is tuned to drop off a lot at higher volumes. My other gripe is that the door speakers seem to carry a lot of the bass and the sub in the console seems to do very little. This tends to induce some rattles in the door panels with certain types of music.

With the non-Bose system in the T1, I think it’s a must have. Maybe more of a want, than a need, on the Bose equipped trucks.

I’ll probably wind up with it at some point but I want to look over the install instructions first. With the previous gen you had to splice into the speaker wires from the main harness under the dash. I am not a fan of using those cheesy plastic Scotch quick taps. Especially on a $60k truck. Hopefully this one is actually plug and play.

SierraAT4 · March 13, 2019

The information says it hooks directly up to a factory harness with minimal effort. I need to sit in a truck with one to hear the difference....I'm not even sure bass is really the issue on these trucks. The non-bose system is pure ****ing awful, I get ear fatigue at moderate volume very quickly. Garbage crossovers. More bass isn't going to help that, you need new speakers and a new amp.

The bose (ugh) sounds ok, but when I ride around I'm not going "man I need more thump", I'm thinking "there's no real sound stage, all the sounds bleed together, the individual instruments don't stand apart but just run into each other", things like that.

OnTheReel · March 13, 2019

Well, I’ve yet to meet an audiophile that’s been happy with any factory system save for some of the high end luxury cars. And definitely never a Bose. I don’t consider myself in that class. I have a few Wave radios around the house, and I love them for what they are. All I can say is I completely agree about the non-Bose being terrible, especially in the T1.

I think with either system, the Kicker would do a lot to improve things for the average person who doesn’t want a full gut-job. Taking some of the low end off of the door speakers should in theory clean up the sound a bit. That would be my hope for it, and so far that’s what I’ve been hearing.

SierraAT4 · March 14, 2019

Quote

Taking some of the low end off of the door speakers should in theory clean up the sound a bit. That would be my hope for it, and so far that’s what I’ve been hearing.

I'm confused though...I know Kicker has a full replacement amp/dsp they're doing, but I wouldn't think installing just the sub would adjust the crossover points of the doors.

OnTheReel · March 14, 2019

16 minutes ago, SierraAT4 said:

I'm confused though...I know Kicker has a full replacement amp/dsp they're doing, but I wouldn't think installing just the sub would adjust the crossover points of the doors.

The guy I talked to on FB said you can turn the bass down on the head unit and then all of the bass comes from the sub.

I am wondering where it gets it’s signal from but GM doesn’t have the instructions available to email me. If it just taps the rear speaker wires like the last one, I would think turning the bass down at the head unit would also turn the sub down?

BLACK AT4 · March 15, 2019

I have a Kicker sub i pulled out of my 17 Silverado, first let me say, IT'S A HUGE IMPROVEMENT !! If you don't have a Bose system it does change the crossover points, if you have the Bose system it does improve the bass response a lot. Even though Kicker only sells the new kit through GM (part #19417164) I believe my sub from my 2017 will work. It taps into 2 wires on the passenger side kick panel. I will attach a photo of the instruction manual which i requested from Kicker. It installs the exact same way it did in the 17, only wire colors are different. If you are on the fence, I wouldn't hesitate. I did a lot of research before buying the one i have and I was not disappointed. I will say i'm not a fan of the new Bose system and am hoping this sub when i get it installed will be the ticket ! If you are happy with the Bose system, then by all means leave it alone.

BLACK AT4 · March 15, 2019

This is the cover of the install manual for a 2019 Truck. It's configured a little goofy to allow for some storage. I believe GM sells the kit for ~$550

eppieguy · March 15, 2019

I'd like to do this but waiting on some real world reviews once installed. My HC came with the tray under the seat, does the tray have to be removed for this SUB?

Edited March 15, 2019 by eppieguy

BLACK AT4 · March 15, 2019

2 hours ago, eppieguy said:

I'd like to do this but waiting on some real world reviews once installed. My HC came with the tray under the seat, does the tray have to be removed for this SUB?

Yes, in the instructions it says the tray needs to go and that is why its configured the way it is for storage.

hardloaf · March 16, 2019

I've just got the new one installed on my AT4. 4" Bose factory sub doesn't do it for me, so I ordered this one and had it installed in a shop. Took guys about 1.5 hour - not super easy.

It looks well made, guys said it's a 10". $600 online with shipping.

This sub comes with an amp mounted on a side. Amp looks bare, but if you unscrew it there are adjustment switches on the bottom and one plug next to harness. Kicker support says I can connect this knob there to adjust level: https://www.kicker.com/CXARC-Remote-Control-for-Kicker-46CX-Series-Amps

Initially I hated the thing - it was so obnoxiously strong that I started to worry that paint will peal off the cab. Adjusting bass in the head unit EQ helps somewhat, but still not enough and affects sound in a bad way. Wrote email to Kicker and they told me how to adjust gain with those switches - this info is not present in the manual, for whatever reason. Switches 1,2,3 control it. No idea what other switches do and I wouldn't touch them. They also said that I can use that knob for fine tuning, so I'll also install it on Sunday and see how it works. Anyway now after changing gain with those switches it's a completely different thing - sounds really good, deep and not annoying, makes huge difference in all kinds of music. Love this thing!