Should I go dual sub

[Dahoe06]

I have a 2006 Chevy Tahoe z71 with Bose system and factory amp and subwoofer. My friend gave me a free subwoofer and amp and I’m wondering if I should put it in my car to add to the bass or not. The bass already sounds good, so I’m not sure. Also, would I need to bypass the original amp or could I just use the original amp for 2 subwoofers? Thanks

 

[2010gmcyukon]

You would need a second amp to run a second sub. In my opinion its probably not worth it unless you are going to just rip all the factory stuff out and replace it.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I agree with 2010gmcyukon. You could 'MacGyver' it, and try to add a low level feed from the existing Bose unit and connect it to the low level input of a second amp, connected to a second sub. From what I have seen, Bose has its own connectors (not standard RCA connectors) between components, so it would not be a trivial adaptation.

I ripped out my entire Bose system and replaced it with an aftermarket system, including a sub in a custom fabricated, sealed enclosure.

In all probability, your budget will help drive your decision.

 

[iamdub]

I have a 2006 Chevy Tahoe z71 with Bose system and factory amp and subwoofer. My friend gave me a free subwoofer and amp and I’m wondering if I should put it in my car to add to the bass or not. The bass already sounds good, so I’m not sure. Also, would I need to bypass the original amp or could I just use the original amp for 2 subwoofers? Thanks

Short answer:
If you're fine with how it sounds now, then it's probably not worth the hassle of you running the wiring, having a box consume cargo space, etc.


Detailed answer:
You can't simply tap the second sub onto the wires feeding the stock sub, the amp won't like that and the output will be weak and/or distorted and, depending on the net impedance, may kill the amp.

Besides, the output of the Bose amp is optimized for the Bose sub in wattage and frequency range. Connecting this filtered signal to a different sub, particularly a larger one, would result in a sub that's underpowered and limited to playing only higher bass frequencies than it's better suited for.

If the factory Bose system sends a full-range signal to the Bose amp, you could tap those channels for the input to the extra amp. Many amps have both low- and high-level inputs and a built-in crossover. If the full-range signal is low-level (~5V), you can splice on some RCAs and connect them to the amp's RCAs. If it's line-level (AKA "speaker level"), then you would connect them to the amp's other inputs. Adjust the amp's gain and crossover appropriately for the sub and let 'er rip.

Buuuuuuut, running two subs like this would also mean that some of the frequencies the factory sub plays would be overpowered or completely cancelled out. So what you hear up front may sound louder overall, but you may not hear other notes (particularly midbass) that you hear now.