Are you planning to upgrade the sound system of your Chevy Colorado by adding a subwoofer, and you want to know how to do it? You’ve come to the right place, for we have researched this question, and we have the answer for you.
Adding a subwoofer to your stock sound system will not do much unless you also increase the output capacity of the stock sound system by adding an amplifier. You then need to reroute all the output from the stock stereo to the amplifier and connect all the speakers to the amplifier. Connect the subwoofer to the amplifier, and connect the amplifier to the battery to power it.
Let’s talk about the steps in greater detail in the succeeding sections. It may sound simple when you read it, but I’m sure you’d appreciate a bit more detail in the succeeding sections, right?
Read on!
Where to install a subwoofer on a Chevy Colorado?
The challenge of upgrading the sound system of a truck is the lack of space. The biggest space in a truck is its bed, and you cannot install a subwoofer there. Not unless you’re OK with exposing it to the elements and probably replacing it every few months.
The passenger cabin of most trucks does not have enough space to accommodate the installation of a regular subwoofer without sacrificing some of the available space. Needless to say, installing a subwoofer in a regular cab truck leaves you with only option three below.
You have a few options of where to install the subwoofer in your Chevy Colorado.
The first option is under the rear seats. You can remove the box under the rear seat and leave only the metal brace that holds the seat in place. Measure the space and install the subwoofer in that area.
You can install braces on the subwoofer, then connect them to the bolts that hold the seats in place.
The tradeoff is that you lose the area under the seats for storing the toolbox and the jack.
The second possible location is not available in all models. There is a small space behind the rear seats of the Chevy Colorado. This space is big enough for slim subwoofers in some models.
The tradeoff to this option is that the back of the rear seats is often the best place to install the amplifier. If you place your subwoofer there, then you’d have to look for another spot to install the amplifier.
The third and last option is the most expensive of the three. However, for Colorado models that have really small space, to begin with, this is the best option.
You can have a custom side door panel to fit a pair of subwoofers. The advantage is that you don’t lose any of the usual space inside your truck and you get to have a cool set of doors that you can leave open to maximize sound output.
How to pick the right amplifier?
The right amplifier for your truck will make your subwoofer upgrade sound even better. Picking the wrong amplifier, on the other hand, can leave your sound upgrade wanting.
Count the number of speakers that you currently have on your Chevy Colorado. Add the number of subwoofers that you plan to install. The total is the number of channels that you need on the amplifier.
You can get an amplifier that has a few more channels than your total in case you plan to add more speakers in the future. Alternatively, you can get two amplifiers. One amplifier for your current speakers and another for the subwoofers that you plan to add.
Having two amplifiers will create a better and louder sound output for your Chevy Colorado. The downside is that it will consume more electrical energy. Make sure your alternator is up to the task if you plan to go this route.
How to pick the right amplifier wattage?
Compute the total speaker wattage that you will connect to the amplifier. If you plan to install two amplifiers, group the speakers that will go to each amplifier and get the total wattage per group.
The ideal amplifier has a total wattage that is 10% higher than the computed total.
For example, the total wattage of all the speakers that you will connect to an amplifier is 1,000 watts. The ideal amplifier for this group of speakers is 1,100 watts.
Pick An Amp With Remote
You normally install amplifiers in hard-to-reach areas so that they will not get in the way. Moreover, installing amplifiers in unusual places helps ensure that the connection will not be disturbed.
Unfortunately, this also means that it will be a challenge to adjust the setting on your amplifier whenever you need to. An amplifier with a remote is not a requirement, but it will make your life easier.
Pick A High Range Amplifier
The amplifier range tells you the frequency ranges that it can reproduce and amplify. A wide range amplifier will be able to recreate all the tones in a song and not just the ones that come from musical instruments.
An amplifier that has a range of 20 to 20,000 Hz covers the full audio range for humans.
After picking an amplifier, get a line-out converter with the same number of channels as your amplifier.
Putting It All Together
Here are the steps to put all the components together to get your subwoofer working.
Redirecting Output To The LOC
- Use a plastic trim removal tool to access the speakers. Work on one speaker at a time.
- Disconnect the wires from the speakers.
- Connect a wire with the same color to the speaker wire and connect the opposite end to a channel on the input side of the LOC (line-out converter).
- Repeat the first three steps above until you complete redirecting the wires from the speakers to the LOC.
- An alternative to this is to pry off the car stereo and get the wires that go to each speaker from there.
- Cut the speaker wires from the wire harness that goes to the car stereo and connect the extension wire from the car stereo to the LOC. You will need knowledge of the wire colors to achieve this.
- You can pry the speakers to know the colors of wires that you need to cut and connect to the LOC.
Tresalto Auto Trim Removal Tool Set is available on Amazon through this link.
DS18 V5HL 5-Channel Line Out Converter is available on Amazon through this link.
Installing The Subwoofer
- Choose a location to install your subwoofer.
- Fasten the subwoofer, making sure that it will not slide while you’re using it. Subwoofers make a lot of vibration and they can slide if not properly secured.
Connecting To The Amplifier
- Provide power to the amplifier. If you don’t want to drill a hole in the firewall of your Colorado, you can connect your amplifier to the accessory power from behind the dashboard.
- Secure the amplifier to a specific location.
- Connect the output side of the LOC to the input side of the amplifier. Make sure that you are connecting the correct polarity of wires. If you’re using RCA cables, connect the correct color of plugs to the matching port on the LOC and amplifier.
- If you’re going to use two amplifiers, make sure that you’re connecting the correct wires to the right amplifier.
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Connecting To The Speakers
- Connect the output side of the amplifier to the speakers. Work on one speaker at a time. You can use the same color of wires as the original wires to eliminate confusion.
- Repeat the same process until you connect all the speakers of your Colorado.
- Connect the output wires from the amplifier to the subwoofer.
- Make sure that the polarity of the wires coming from the amplifier is the same on the speakers and the subwoofer.
Cleaning Up
Tuck the wires under the carpet and trimmings of your Colorado to give your installation a more professional look. Reinstall all the panels you pried off and reinstall any screws that you had to remove to access the wires from the back of the car stereo or the stock speakers.
Test your sound setup at a low volume and make sure that all the speakers are working.
Next, test your speakers at high volume, monitoring the power level of your Colorado’s battery.
Conclusion
Installing a subwoofer on your Colorado is straightforward if you have a guide and tools to complete the task.
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