[TheCatalyst]

Hi All,

Just wanted to share my experience regarding the recent subwoofer addition in my Honda CRV. This was on my mind since a while now, however I never could really find the time nor was I ready to toy with the warranty of my car. I own a 2019 AWD Honda CRV and the car has been running flawless (braving Mumbai traffic). It does have an 8 speaker OEM system, which is pretty decent however the audiophile in me was always missing the low end for the music (<80 Hz). The international version comes with a subwoofer, but the Indian version misses on many features. Typical Honda .

Finally decided to do something about it and began researching underseat subs, powered vs active setups as well as boom boxes in the boot. A quick search on team-bhp pointed me to FM Drive in SantaCruz Mumbai (it is located near the Straight line shop which I use for my wheel balancing needs) which had good reviews. The shop has moved to a new location nearby in the last few years.

After a lenghty discussion with Pankajbhai from FM Drive, a suggestion which stuck was the spare tyre subwooofer. This had an added bonus of saving boot space, which as a family man was a valuable asset to hold.

Finally decided the JBL BassPro Hub which cost me Rs.35000 + installation charges. This is an active speaker, so an amplifier wasn't needed. I was told similar setups have been done in Seltos and Creta as well.

Speaker specs for JBL BassPro Hub -
Amplifier Power 200W RMS (2 ohms)
Frequency Response 30Hz – 150Hz
Fuse 30A
Maximum Current Draw 30A
Quiescent Current Draw <1.2A
Crossover Frequency 50Hz – 150Hz
Crossover Slope 24dB/Octave
Bass Boost 0 - 12dB Variable @ Fix 50 Hz
Line level input sensitivity 0.2 V - 4V
Speaker level input sensitivity 0.5V - 10V
Dimensions (D x H) 14-3/16” x 6-1/2”

Also was surprised to see only a handful of players made such models (JBL and Cerwin Wega) although I was ready to stretch my budget for other brands. A quick internet search later and I was convinced that the reviews were good.

I will let the pictures do the talking.

Few points to note
- OEM wires were only spliced, no cuts or joins
- Front speakers were tapped as various onlines reviewers mentioned that the front signal is fuller than the rear
- Dashboard was not touched. No risk of scratches etc.
- Boot space remains intact. The spare tyre had a foam cut out to hold some tools which have been kept in the hazard warning pouch
- Battery fuse is adequately sized at 60A
- Rear seat bolt was tapped for ground
- No need for remote accessory fuse tap, since the high level speaker wires automatically turn the active sub on / off on car shutdown (takes about 60 seconds to shutdown).
- No parked battery drain issue. Parked for a week and the car cranked without any issue (Btw the CRV is still on original 2019 battery, touchwood)
- The speaker is easily removable with a wire plug and a long screw to access the tyre.
- The whole installation took about 3 hours

Once the installation was done, it was time to tune the sub. This involved polarity checking which Pankaj bhai expertly completed and had to swap a speaker connection. Once that is done, the setup is straightforward and as you can see in the final photo that I like my music on modest bass, but with a fuller sound. My preferred style is low - medium volume with a bass setting which 'just' completes the low frequencies. You really shouldn't be able to tell that there is a sub, if you know what I mean.

Believe me, this speaker really moves air and can go very loud to vibrate the entire car. One thing to note here that the OEM honda speaker signals had some extra boost between 100-200 Hz which I had to reduce using the equaliser (you can use the one from the car or within apps like spotify) and then use the subwoofer gain which created the linear crossover.

Anyway, on the return journey home I was a happy soul with enough vibes in the rear view mirror on medium volume.

[condor]

Ingenious placement of the sub ! No additional space used, yet getting the desired audio upgrade.

[Chinmay]

Oh, I had this mind since ages. A nice space for the sub that won't eat into the limited storage space in my vehicle. Glad to see this here! Where else could this have happened anyway!
Does the enclosure fit perfectly within the tyre?

[TheCatalyst]

Originally Posted by Chinmay

Does the enclosure fit perfectly within the tyre?

The speaker itself is a 11 inch woofer with the enclosure slightly greater than 13 inches. In my case, there are couple of inches of space on the sides as the tyre is R18. But I think I have seen it fitted in R15 onwards if I remember. You may want to check the inner tyre dimensions. The height is less than the tyre, so there is about an inch of clearance.

[TN20CQ5187]

That is a decent addition to the audio in any car and I also have been looking to do something like this for some time now.

Just out of curiosity,
1. Does the sub placement hinder in anyway when inflating the spare tyre?
2. Is the Sub easily removable incase I need to use the spare tyre?

[Doge]

Wouldn't it be better to just get an under seat active subwoofer? Nevertheless this is very cool.

[TheCatalyst]

Originally Posted by TN20CQ5187

1. Does the sub placement hinder in anyway when inflating the spare tyre?
2. Is the Sub easily removable incase I need to use the spare tyre?

Inflating would be a tight fit, you may need an extension unless you remove the speaker. I personally only inflate during wheel balancing.

The sub is easily removable in 2 minutes with the provided elongated screw. Just have to make the wires are kept above and not pulled from below the tyre to hide them. See photo.

Originally Posted by Doge

Wouldn't it be better to just get an under seat active subwoofer? Nevertheless this is very cool.

The underseat subs are quite weak and only marginally improve the sound stage. Also an issue if you have electric seats. If you already have a good OEM system they do not make much difference and would also sound somewhat tinny without deep lows. This sub is almost as same as the trunk box mounted subwoofer at medium power levels. Able to vibrate the surrounding when tuned properly.

[mh09ad5578]

Superb details mate, really helpful. Could you share the costs that were involved in this upgrade? Regards.

[TheCatalyst]

Originally Posted by mh09ad5578

Could you share the costs that were involved in this upgrade? Regards.

Online prices for this sub are around 40K. FM Drive managed to source it from the distributor for 35K (there is QR code to check for authencity on the sub) + 1K for speaker/battery wiring and fuses + 1K for labour and tuning. If your wheel well needs damping it will another 1K for a single damping mat.

[sunnsood]

Hi dear,

Is this the same model as yours? Just confirming as the price gap is nearly 13k?

[TheCatalyst]

Originally Posted by sunnsood

Hi dear,

Is this the same model as yours?

The model looks to be the same, however the price is too good to be true (even the MRP), unless it's a refurbished item. Flipkart also has it different.

JBL India website mentions the correct MRP and price. Even in the US its available at around USD 375, so this price looks suspicious.

By the way, there used to be an older model which did not have the built in amplifier, just the speaker to be powered externally.

As I mentioned earlier, the product comes with a hologram and QR code to scan for authenticity. Not sure how reliable that this though. But registration is needed for any warranty.

[MT_Hyderabad]

Wow, great placement and best use of the space. I would have punched some holes on the spare tyre cover to let 30-40% of the waves come out un-obstructed.

[TheCatalyst]

Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad

Wow, great placement and best use of the space. I would have punched some holes on the spare tyre cover to let 30-40% of the waves come out un-obstructed.

That's a great idea . I might just get the plank replaced with a wooden board with 2inch holes to test it out first rather than messing with the OEM cover, in case I need to go back.

[sunnsood]

Originally Posted by TheCatalyst

As I mentioned earlier, the product comes with a hologram and QR code to scan for authenticity. Not sure how reliable that this though. But registration is needed for any warranty.

This is too good to be true offer and I will wait to see if others also correct or update their prices. I heard previously that JBL had lots of fake products too so this could be one of those cases.