Aftermarket 6X9 subwoofer experiment in a 2023 R1T

[trainwreck517]

I've had my R1T for a few months now, and as many have noticed the subwoofer performance is subpar in the in-house audio setup. I had really hoped to see an OTA update with a subwoofer gain added to the EQ, but got tired of waiting and decided to experiment with upgrading the factory 6X9 Subwoofer.

There are not really many options for a 6X9 Sub, but I decided to 1st experiment with a Rockville RVL69W 150W/300W "subwoofer". Not sure I really consider it a subwoofer, but figure for the price I'd give it a shot.

I was able to get the RVL69W to fit in the factory box with some finessing.
Inner tab needs to be cut, and box needs to be heated an press downwards:

Subwoofer fitment was also off in which the OEM box is slightly more narrow than the RVL69W speaker, so I also had to heat the oval edge to get the speaker to sit inside. I had to grind two of the speaker holes to align with the OEM box. and then used some urethane caulking to seal the speaker to the enclosure.

Routing power was pretty straight forward, used a grommet on the firewall to route the cable. Trick for me was to pull out the grommet itself, and cut the end off to allow me to feed the wire:

I used a soundstream PN1.650D mono 650W amp, factory sub wiring feeding the high input.

Sub is mounted in the storage area, and remote mounted by the driver side knee area.

Overall I am pleased with the results, low end bass is definitively better at least 2X from the factory but its not as crisp as a 10 sub. I suspect some of that has to do with the limitations of the factory box.

I should have done a 150-20Hz sweep before and after, but didn't think of that until after. I did play a 15 second clip from Big Tymers - Still Fly 2:45 to 3:00 as the base hit at 2:53 is one of the more memorable ones I could recall in a song.

Top is factory, bottom is RVL69W, you can see from about 110Hz picks up a few DB, an carries nicely in the low 10-40Hz range. This is same EQ settings base at 0, sub gain slightly higher so that the song sounds good to my personal ear (not maxed out) and volume at 15.

Increasing the sub volume, even without distortion cause all kinds of rattles within the car and just doesn't sound good. I just wanted something slightly better than stock. At least something comparable to my previous 2018 Model 3, and this setup meets and exceeds that goal. Bass hits much stronger than my model 3 ever did.

I regret not experiment with getting a smaller amp and trying to use the factory subwoofer, not sure what the results would have been but would have been interesting.

Guess the questions to close this out:
1. I am happy results? Yes, though I wished I would have experimented with the factory speaker 1st.
2. Would I recommend this upgrade? Maybe, if you're not an audiophile and just looking for a little more umph in the low end. This combination may work good for you. About $150 in materials, and should be possible to go back to the stock speaker / factory amp if you're unhappy.

I'll likely keep this setup until someone comes along with a 10" box that fits the factory location.

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[babalegba]

Thanks for sharing - been looking to see something like this. Did something very similar with my Model S a few years back. It came with the Tech Package but the Sub was nothing to write home about. I had found a really good drop-in sub that had so much power, I only needed like a tenth of it max.

Still debating if I want to do this with the R1T, but question - where did you place the sub? Under the rear seats, I assume?

 

[moosehead]

Nice work.

+1, feelz like the OEM sub box may be an opportunity despite tight fit and odd geo. Most car manufacturers plastic boxes flex around too much.

Did something similar in an old Range Rover and fit two 6.5” aftermarket JL Audio subs (yes, there is such a thing) into the factory plastic boxes. Despite new components and amp power, still a bit muted given plastic OEM boxes and really small subs pushing less air. Hard to say which is bigger handicap.

 

[iBang]

I am also looking for ways to improve the sound quality. I've taken my R1T to local car audio/tint shop and they quoted me $4800 for new amp, speakers and subwoofer. I am seriously thinking about it and I will post the follow up if I decide to proceed.

 

[trainwreck517]

Still debating if I want to do this with the R1T, but question - where did you place the sub? Under the rear seats, I assume?

Yes, under the passenger side rear seat. I reused the factory OEM sub box, and just replaced the speaker and added an amp.

 

[rickmacc]

Thanks for posting this. I’ve been watching for someone to do something with the factory sub box. How did you route power to the amp? Under the door sills?

 

[trainwreck517]

Thanks for posting this. I’ve been watching for someone to do something with the factory sub box. How did you route power to the amp? Under the door sills?

Yes, through the firewall directly to unused battery lug. Fused cable, with the fuse within 3" of the battery.

Here are a few pictures:

I did drill one hole into the storage bin, as that is where I mounted the amp. The amp does fit in the back side between the metal and the storage bin (top left area in the last picture), which was were I was going to originally mount it, but because I didn't want to remove the sub box when dialing in the sub I decided to just drill a hole and mount the sub amp in the storage area under the seat.

 

[babalegba]

Yes, under the passenger side rear seat. I reused the factory OEM sub box, and just replaced the speaker and added an amp.

My apologies, I meant to ask for the location of the Amp, but I got it per your latest post. Thanks.

 

[Wboatwri]

I've had my R1T for a few months now, and as many have noticed the subwoofer performance is subpar in the in-house audio setup. I had really hoped to see an OTA update with a subwoofer gain added to the EQ, but got tired of waiting and decided to experiment with upgrading the factory 6X9 Subwoofer.

There are not really many options for a 6X9 Sub, but I decided to 1st experiment with a Rockville RVL69W 150W/300W "subwoofer". Not sure I really consider it a subwoofer, but figure for the price I'd give it a shot.

I was able to get the RVL69W to fit in the factory box with some finessing.
Inner tab needs to be cut, and box needs to be heated an press downwards:

Subwoofer fitment was also off in which the OEM box is slightly more narrow than the RVL69W speaker, so I also had to heat the oval edge to get the speaker to sit inside. I had to grind two of the speaker holes to align with the OEM box. and then used some urethane caulking to seal the speaker to the enclosure.

Routing power was pretty straight forward, used a grommet on the firewall to route the cable. Trick for me was to pull out the grommet itself, and cut the end off to allow me to feed the wire:

I used a soundstream PN1.650D mono 650W amp, factory sub wiring feeding the high input.

Sub is mounted in the storage area, and remote mounted by the driver side knee area.

Overall I am pleased with the results, low end bass is definitively better at least 2X from the factory but its not as crisp as a 10 sub. I suspect some of that has to do with the limitations of the factory box.

I should have done a 150-20Hz sweep before and after, but didn't think of that until after. I did play a 15 second clip from Big Tymers - Still Fly 2:45 to 3:00 as the base hit at 2:53 is one of the more memorable ones I could recall in a song.

Top is factory, bottom is RVL69W, you can see from about 110Hz picks up a few DB, an carries nicely in the low 10-40Hz range. This is same EQ settings base at 0, sub gain slightly higher so that the song sounds good to my personal ear (not maxed out) and volume at 15.

Increasing the sub volume, even without distortion cause all kinds of rattles within the car and just doesn't sound good. I just wanted something slightly better than stock. At least something comparable to my previous 2018 Model 3, and this setup meets and exceeds that goal. Bass hits much stronger than my model 3 ever did.

I regret not experiment with getting a smaller amp and trying to use the factory subwoofer, not sure what the results would have been but would have been interesting.

Guess the questions to close this out:
1. I am happy results? Yes, though I wished I would have experimented with the factory speaker 1st.
2. Would I recommend this upgrade? Maybe, if you're not an audiophile and just looking for a little more umph in the low end. This combination may work good for you. About $150 in materials, and should be possible to go back to the stock speaker / factory amp if you're unhappy.

I'll likely keep this setup until someone comes along with a 10" box that fits the factory location.

Can you please provide more photos and info on running a line through the firewall including what power you tapped into. I want to add a remote radar detector and only want it on when the car is awake so doesn’t bleed the battery. Thank you.

 

[Reed1T]

I was debating a conversion plate to make it a 6.5” round. I know I’d be losing some area, but I’d be getting more options.

Nice that you found a 6x9 to try out.

did you try running it off the stock amp first just to see how well it could push a beefier magnet?

 

[trainwreck517]

Can you please provide more photos and info on running a line through the firewall including what power you tapped into. I want to add a remote radar detector and only want it on when the car is awake so doesn’t bleed the battery. Thank you.

Slightly embarrassed to show this picture, but used whatever hardware I could find in my misc bucket of bolts. Will clean this up in the future:

This so the battery, and has power all the time. The amp auto on/off based on whether there is any voltage on the speaker output. So this might not work for you if you only want power when the car is "on".

 

[trainwreck517]

I was debating a conversion plate to make it a 6.5” round. I know I’d be losing some area, but I’d be getting more options.

Nice that you found a 6x9 to try out.

did you try running it off the stock amp first just to see how well it could push a beefier magnet?

No I didn't, but I suspect it would have been much weaker output. I honestly think a small on amp the stock speaker might be just enough bass for most people who want a little extra umph.

 

[HeyEllwood]

I've had my R1T for a few months now, and as many have noticed the subwoofer performance is subpar in the in-house audio setup. I had really hoped to see an OTA update with a subwoofer gain added to the EQ, but got tired of waiting and decided to experiment with upgrading the factory 6X9 Subwoofer.

There are not really many options for a 6X9 Sub, but I decided to 1st experiment with a Rockville RVL69W 150W/300W "subwoofer". Not sure I really consider it a subwoofer, but figure for the price I'd give it a shot.

I was able to get the RVL69W to fit in the factory box with some finessing.
Inner tab needs to be cut, and box needs to be heated an press downwards:

.

question. Does this eliminate the need to turn it to like 15+ just to even hear the music well? Or would I have to replace all of the speakers and sub to something else to make the actual music “louder” without having to crank the actual volume?

makes me crazy that I have to do like 15-18 to even truly enjoy music sometimes.

 

[Phrogz]

Increasing the sub volume, even without distortion cause all kinds of rattles within the car and just doesn't sound good.

Thanks for including this. I've repeatedly tried to get Rivian to find/fix various rattles, and am...pleased?...to see that I'm not the only one finding the car rattles with the road and strong bass.

 

[trainwreck517]

question. Does this eliminate the need to turn it to like 15+ just to even hear the music well? Or would I have to replace all of the speakers and sub to something else to make the actual music “louder” without having to crank the actual volume?

makes me crazy that I have to do like 15-18 to even truly enjoy music sometimes.

Think it depends on what you want to hear. Definitively doesn't need to have the volume high to hear the lows / bass. However the rest the frequency band is unchanged, so I still have the volume between 10-15, which is where I have had it previously prior to the sub change.

You might try to adjust the EQ for more mid-high frequencies if you want to hear the music louder.

Don't think the sub change alone will make a difference on the loudness.

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