So, all I wanted to do is add an amp and one sub to my trunk. I ordered the OWC harness that retains the factory amp and sub, and just simply plugs in between the two to add RCAs and remote to an external amp. Well, it works......sorta. I'm getting the bass, but I'm getting some sorta mid-high range garble. It's almost like a low pass filter is needed but the highs passing through aren't even legible. It's just crinkly sounding garble is the only way I know how to explain it. I've tweaked the input and sensitivity settings on my amp, with no luck. Yes, this is a brand new amp and sub purchased from a reputable stereo shop.
What am I missing here? I really don't want to have to add an LOC, because that defeats the purpose of having this harness. Any ideas?

 

@OWC , please help

 

Yeah, that is probably NOT the sound you were hoping for. A couple ideas for troubleshooting:

First, the "amp on" signal from our Bose systems is for some reason only 10V. The manual for your Kenwood amp doesn't specify but it might want to see 12V at the "power control terminal". An easy test would be to temporarily jumper your +12V battery connection to the "power control terminal" to be sure the amp is 100% coming on.

Second test would be to get some adaptors and send some audio from your phone (for example) into the amp's RCA jacks to see it is passing audio. That would also let you experiment with the amp's settings to see what sounds best through the sub. If that signal is still messed up then you need to be sure the sub box wiring isn't weird, or speaker isn't blown, or the amp itself isn't defective.

Let us know what you figure out.

 

The OWC harness I purchased provides a low level balanced feed from the OEM Bose amp to the new sub amp. Nothing more.

I think the LOC is only needed when you go between balanced (differential signals) and unbalanced. Stereo shops always recommend those LOCs as it leaves little to chance. Chris at OWC (owner) has a list of amps and can tell you which ones work with a simple OWC cable upgrade.

Have you spoken to Chris at OWC?

He also has a day job, so don't get upset if he takes a day or two to get back to you. Good dude.

 

I picked a simple sub and amp from Walmart today for easy testing. Check the signal voltage. It was good. Plugged in the other sub and no distortion. Going to the dealer tomorrow to see about a replacement sub. I'm already expecting a fight. The chick running the front of the shop was extremely rude throughout the entire process. She got especially hateful when I tried to explain I want to use the speciality harness from OWC instead of the LCi she was trying to sell me. She couldn't wrap her head around it. Ive also contacted Kenwood and explained the situation. Though their customer service was robotic, it seems as though they will let me mail back the sub if the dealer won't cooperate.

 

You need one of these: https://ddaudio.com/ss-series/monoblocks/ss850/

Call DD and you will likely get an engineer that has been with the company in Oklahoma City for years.

I drive this amp at 2ohms and it's half asleep. Extremely stable down to 1ohm.

Pair it with one of their dual voice coil 2 ohm or 4 ohm 10, or even 12 inch subs (more power or more surface area creates more bass, to a point where either can drown out the rest of the spectrum).

I use the following OWC harness: "G35 / G37 (2007-2013): Audio Interface Harness Adapters, PLATINUM SERIES SKU: G3537SDSUB AUDIO UPGRADE Add a Subwoofer Amp Price: $149.95"

Horsepower is in the trunk....

 

See my comment above. Seems to be a blown sub from the factory

 

Tried the voltage test and it made no difference. Then, rather than try to source some sort of RCA adapter, I just picked up a cheap sub from Walmart to test. It sounded fine. So, I guess I'll be going back to the Kenwood dealer to fight them on a return. That should be fun :-/ I also reached out to Kenwood. They said if the dealer won't take care of me, I can ship the sub to a service center.

 

Are you saying the x-502 Amplifier is the problem or the actual Speaker is blown? I can't quite tell from your description.
But it's great that you found the source of the problem.

 

Seems to be the speaker is defective from the factory. I plugged in another sub and it sounded fine.

 

Great! Good luck on the return. They should certainly swap out a defective product without question.