Another subwoofer option - NVX Audio

[bic.skylighter]

Just purchased from group buy. Amazon prime shipped fast.. Loved it.. The video instructions were great on removing liners and what not. I feel at a loss though with the included instructions for the xlca2 and the amp. I don't have any guidance on how to wire any of this up. I've played with this stuff before.. so I'm comfortable with some direction.. but I have none.

Anyone have pointers on hooking up the xlca2? I figured after that it should be easy.. but I don't know which wires to tap and dig into... etc

 

[tlr1000]

Just purchased from group buy. Amazon prime shipped fast.. Loved it.. The video instructions were great on removing liners and what not. I feel at a loss though with the included instructions for the xlca2 and the amp. I don't have any guidance on how to wire any of this up. I've played with this stuff before.. so I'm comfortable with some direction.. but I have none.

Anyone have pointers on hooking up the xlca2? I figured after that it should be easy.. but I don't know which wires to tap and dig into... etc

Do you have factory sub in your car? If so, there's a diagram on the product page:

If you have SR+ then the main difference would be tapping sub from front door speakers and power from the penthouse location under the rear seat. Basically it's 6 wires you have to find alternate sources for compared to the premium system which relies on the sub amp connections - front door left+, front door left-, front door right+, front door right-, 12v, ground. I believe the rest is the same. As for finding front door speaker wires you can trace the wire from the door itself or contact TeslaOffer to get a plug and play connector that they can modify for this purpose. Going the TeslaOffer route will also activate dormant speakers.

 

[leonar40]

power from the penthouse location under the rear seat.

To be clear, I think even with the premium system you'd want to use the connection at the DC-DC converter (under the back seat) to power the amp, right?

 

[tlr1000]

To be clear, I think even with the premium system you'd want to use the connection at the DC-DC converter (under the back seat) to power the amp, right?

You are right. Penthouse for amp power but for LOC power they use the power at the oem sub amp harness. For non-premium systems both amp and LOC power would be at penthouse.

 

[sbtz]

Just purchased from group buy. Amazon prime shipped fast.. Loved it.. The video instructions were great on removing liners and what not. I feel at a loss though with the included instructions for the xlca2 and the amp. I don't have any guidance on how to wire any of this up. I've played with this stuff before.. so I'm comfortable with some direction.. but I have none.

Anyone have pointers on hooking up the xlca2? I figured after that it should be easy.. but I don't know which wires to tap and dig into... etc

This is what I was afraid of. If they don't include detailed step by step instructions or some sort of wiring harness to bypass existing wiring, I'd be at a loss about what to do. I know my clumsy-clueless self would destroy something. I was hoping there'd at least be instructions like "find the red wire, tap it with this, then connect that, etc."

If there aren't, I'll have to find an installer or skip this.

 

[tlr1000]

@sbtz, from your signature looks like you have factory sub so the diagram above is exactly what you would need to do. Once you have the panels removed and are able to access the factory sub, the connection points are there. The colors of the wires are in that diagram. What some may find challenging or uncomfortable is splicing into the wiring harness itself. NVX uses what they call a military splice (see google/youtube) which provides a strong connection. You could also cut, solder, heatshrink as well. If any of this is outside your comfort level, you may want to consider just practicing on some wire you have kicking around.

But overall, I do agree that the instructions could be more step-by-step or better yet they just have a plug and play harness included.

 

[leonar40]

@sbtz, from your signature looks like you have factory sub so the diagram above is exactly what you would need to do. Once you have the panels removed and are able to access the factory sub, the connection points are there. The colors of the wires are in that diagram. What some may find challenging or uncomfortable is splicing into the wiring harness itself. NVX uses what they call a military splice (see google/youtube) which provides a strong connection. You could also cut, solder, heatshrink as well. If any of this is outside your comfort level, you may want to consider just practicing on some wire you have kicking around.

But overall, I do agree that the instructions could be more step-by-step or better yet they just have a plug and play harness included.

Just use posi-taps. Best splicing method I've ever used, and it's completely reversible. Way better than those t-taps that can come loose over time. It's incredible to me that the 12V, GND, and all the signal wires are all right there either under the seat or in the trunk already. 80% of the work of installing a sub in a normal car is running power from the battery (in the engine bay) and tapping the signal lines from the radio and running them all the way through the car to the trunk.

BTW, why is the little space under the seat called the "penthouse"? It's literally a foam block under the seat. LOL

 

[tlr1000]

BTW, why is the little space under the seat called the "penthouse"? It's literally a foam block under the seat. LOL

Good question. You got me thinking and all along I thought it was just a nickname but I found that the two covers there are referred to as "penthouse caps" by Tesla and in the parts catalog, that's what it shows as.

 

[tlr1000]

Ok folks, I was in touch with TeslaOffer about another unrelated question so I asked about their wiring harness. They said they have had some requests for modding the harness for subwoofer add-ons on SR+ cars where they pull the signal from the front door woofers. If you request it, they will modify it for you. The best part is for now it is free for the modification but they said if they get too much demand, they may charge $10 later which is still very reasonable if you don't want to splice into the front door woofers and want to activate the extra speakers.

 

[amorris]

Hello Everyone, long time lurker on these forums. I've been following this thread for a while now so finally decided to create an account and chime in.

I also purchased the NVX BOOM kit for the TM3 but I replaced the kit VADM1 with an JL Audio 500/1 (500W at 2ohm). Purchased through Sonic Electronix who I think has a direct partnership with NVX. I was able to snag everything for $800 out the door tax included. I think if you're able to speak to a Sonic Electronix support rep, they can give you a discount for y'all that can't wait for the group buy.

I plan on doing the install during President's day so will update y'all with my set up with the juicier amp.

any luck? My guess is you’ll get the same error messages I’m getting in my car. I have a Helix M one amp and it’s causing “electrical system power reduced” problems and the car won’t even drive. The helix is also around a 500-600w at one ohm.

 

[tlr1000]

any luck? My guess is you’ll get the same error messages I’m getting in my car. I have a Helix M one amp and it’s causing “electrical system power reduced” problems and the car won’t even drive. The helix is also around a 500-600w at one ohm.

Did you do a hard reset like how its explained here? Tesla Model 3 Hard Reset | Mountain Pass Performance

 

[amorris]

Did you do a hard reset like how its explained here? Tesla Model 3 Hard Reset | Mountain Pass Performance

yup. Several times. Car is fine without the amp. Just too big of caps in it probably. I’m looking for a more efficient amp now. I really don’t want to do the resistor relay mod because of the parasitic draw and fire hazard.

 

[tlr1000]

yup. Several times. Car is fine without the amp. Just too big of caps in it probably. I’m looking for a more efficient amp now. I really don’t want to do the resistor relay mod because of the parasitic draw and fire hazard.

I think you're on the right track. More efficient amp is probably a better option than resistor relay mod. Let us know how it all works out.

 

[6spdcoupe]

Isn't the NVX amp 500w rms too

 

[tlr1000]

Isn't the NVX amp 500w rms too

Continuous power output is close between these two amps but the Helix does have more output. If running the NVX sub with dual 4 ohms crossovers, the load on the amp is probably 2 ohms so 320w vs 410w (28% more for the Helix) might be enough to trip the power message.

 

[amorris]

View attachment 639761

Continuous power output is close between these two amps but the Helix does have more output. If running the NVX sub with dual 4 ohms crossovers, the load on the amp is probably 2 ohms so 320w vs 410w (28% more for the Helix) might be enough to trip the power message.

Yeah except the amp isn’t even running when the message happens.
Also I have a Helix V Eight MK2 DSP/Amp in there right now and no issues. It’s total power output is more than the M One.

pretty sure it’s capacitor inrush, the M One has a fair amount of stiffening caps inside. If you look in the NVX they’re much smaller.

After talking to several installers they say they’ve done large amp systems in Model 3/Y with no problems but they go straight off the 12V battery in the front. I’m gonna try that next.

 

[Ucsbshawn]

Maybe I missed it, does anyone have recommended settings for both the NVX amp and the XCLA2? At least it would give me a starting point that I can fine tune. Just finished the install, waiting for a reasonable time of the day to blast the stereo.

 

[Skione65]

When does this Group Buy on the NVX end?

Ski

 

[Skione65]

Just purchased from group buy. Amazon prime shipped fast.. Loved it.. The video instructions were great on removing liners and what not. I feel at a loss though with the included instructions for the xlca2 and the amp. I don't have any guidance on how to wire any of this up. I've played with this stuff before.. so I'm comfortable with some direction.. but I have none.

Anyone have pointers on hooking up the xlca2? I figured after that it should be easy.. but I don't know which wires to tap and dig into... etc

@bic.skylighter,

How’d you’d get the group buy through Amazon? Link?

Ski

 

[Skione65]

Maybe I missed it, does anyone have recommended settings for both the NVX amp and the XCLA2? At least it would give me a starting point that I can fine tune. Just finished the install, waiting for a reasonable time of the day to blast the stereo.

@Ucsbshawn,

How’s it sound? And are you running the OEM amp concurrently with the NVX or NVX alone? Premium Audio I assume.

Ski