final installment..underseat sub added..technically more a parcel shelf sub as there is no real space under the seats, didn't get many pics but this was pretty easy with the vibe amp inputs and loom already in place
Firstly i purchased a Vibe Optisound 8 active sub
...bit of a mistake, fabulous looking bit of kit with great build quality but the thing was pretty big and not really suited to the confines of a z4 cab, it was so tall even on its shortest side it wasn't really allowing the passenger seat very far back, it was promptly returned and checking dimensions more carefully I went for the compact Pioneer TS WX130EA, discount code on ebay brought this in at just under £100 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pioneer-TS-WX130EA-Under-Seat-Space-Saving-Active-Amplified-Car-Subwoofer-160W/352729430636?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Also pick up a 3 metre set of RCA leads from the seller to connect up..4 quid, £103 total
Much more compact solution with an 8x5 speaker
Next up I picked up this from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XF4P9H2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 to tap into power on the fuseboard, good buy with shielded connectors and plenty of fuses and lots of spare taps for any future projects.
I removed three plastic panels, the under glovebox 3 screw one to access the fusebox, the footwell speaker panel and the long door trim panel to run the wires through
The sub comes with 2 feeds in the back, your RCA input and power leads..simples
First up the earth lead (black) was a liitle short so I extended that 18 inches or so using 10 amp wire and put a crimp ring terminal on it, i connected it up to the glovebox screw, which despite some reservations did actually work fine
Yellow power lead i connected up to the Amazon fuse tap with supplied connectors and put 2 10 amp fuses on the piggyback ..there are loads of empty blocks on the fusebox so I didn't need to piggyback off anything, there was a block of 3 empty slots here hidden behind the loom in the pic and i went off one of those, they were all live
Blue lead for switched earth i tapped into the orange lead on the Amp loom which is the switched earth for the amp..all very straightforward.
Then just a case of running in the rca leads..originally I run straight to the RCA leads on the amp, this actually caused issues with interference that mimic the kind you would get with a bad earth..after a few back and forth with Vibe tech support it turns out there is another set of rca's (male) on the loom to bypass the amp for any such issues ..had to nip out and pick up a coupler from b and q https://www.diy.com/departments/smartwares-phono-coupler/571906_BQ.prd popped that on the loom males and run the rca into the other side and all my interference issues were solved and I had a working sub.
Then just a case of running the wires away neatly behind the plastics you have removed and putting them back together...very straightforward. Ill post up some pics later of the install position but its neat enough with just a few wires coming out of the plastic trim behind the passenger seat.
In terms of sound quality in all honesty I've not had much time to tweek and test let alone run it in but the little I did hear I was pretty happy with, the reviews are good enough and I trust it will do the job I want with the rest of the system brought up to scratch. Hopefully this weekend coming I will get to that and report back with a few more pics of install location
Total spend £372..more than I planned but thats always the way with our cars eh and frankly money well spent to completely transform an awful system
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