I now drive a 2010 Toyota Prius, and although the original JBL speakers are pretty good, I would want to add a subwoofer eventually. Although the two 12" kickers in my 2010 VW Comfort Coupe that were mounted in a terminator box provide a kick, I’m looking for something more. I described my needs to a vehicle audio store, and they came up with this for me. How do you folks feel about the costs? Is it just? I don’t do things myself. Should I purchase the reconditioned speakers from the internet? That makes them just $244. Should I get a second subwoofer?
I think that’s reasonable. A bespoke box costs $360, and the labor and components are well priced. When it’s itemized that way, you can see that it all adds up quickly, but that’s simply the way things work.
180 for installation? Agree? For less than $200, I wouldn’t install my neighbors’ subs.
I think it looks fine. A high-quality box that fits the subwoofer’s specifications is essential to maximizing the utility and financial return on your investment. While they’re in there, I would ask how much it would cost to add acoustic treatment to the trunk.
Fair enough, and really excellent stuff; if the box is made especially for this setup and the install goes well, you probably won’t ever need to remove it too.
It will for certainly bump hard as hell and will probably be worth it, but for more than 1000 I would learn how to do it myself. But I’m simply a diy kind of guy if I can save myself some money and have the experience/learning lesson I’d spend months learning how to do it haha that’s how I got into car audio. It shouldn’t be that difficult to learn how to wire yourself for one subwoofer. In any case, I would find out from your auto audio shop person how well your Prius charges and see if you can manage the 1000 watt RMS without your engine feeling like you’re towing a trailer.
The only places you could have really saved were on the box, labor, and a little on parts/wiring. I’m sure some labor costs were spread out over those 3 things as well because that’s where we as customers are trying to get them to take some off is labor but they price it lower on labor and add some elsewhere. If you’re not the type that can do it all yourself, then that’s a damn good deal on paper for sure because the sub and amp is spot on pricing.
Cheap labor isn’t always a good idea. What are their prior installations and reviews?
If they perform an excellent job, this labor cost is really quite good. A quality work might take several forms, depending on your expectations. Though I wouldn’t be shocked if it wasn’t flawless at this price.
The audio control locs are a little cheaper but can still become pricy; altogether, it seems relatively affordable. I’ve never bothered with a Prius before, but if it has the factory JBL system, I’m interested what they are using to capture your signal. The fancy PAC integration kits for those are few hundred.