# $13.50 eD EHQS12 Subwoofer-Lexus LS400



## Dr.Telepathy SQ (Nov 17, 2007)

By now I'm sure that most of us know about the eD EHQS12 Subwoofer and it's low cost. As many of you were, I was a little  about the concept as well. We have a couple of reviews concerning this sub in other installs, but I wanted to see what it could do with my own ears and eyes.

I have a good friend that I play in a local jazz band with. He is a music prof at a local college here and an ex hippy. Ray claims to be an audiofile,but has never had an aftermarket install in any of his cars. He currenly drives a beautiful LS400. A little over 11 years old, but has less than 75K on the dial. He also owns a Lexus GS350 which is wifes drives. 

I have another friend who is a shop install manager at a local shop. He also plays with us in many of our jazz sets. 
One day Ray kept going on about how Lexus makes the best factory sound systems and the main reason why he keeps a Lexus in the family. I challenged him on his thought process and we talked Ray into letting us tear into the LS400. His only concerns were-to keep it looking factory,has full use of his trunk,and able to use his I-pod. Oh yea, keep it all under $ 1,000.

Over the past few weeks this is what we came up with:

Used Pioneer 880 head unit-with Ipod controler and XM added
A referb JL Audio 500/5 ( picked it up for a whole $275)
Aurum Cantus AC-165 6-1/2" 
Seas Neo metal domes
Pioneer Coax running of deck power-which he can shut off when riding by himself-rear fill
eD EHQS12 Subwoofer mounted IB in factory 12" deck opening
2 layers of Edead for rear deck w/ensolite
Edead doors w/ensolite
water proofed egg crate in the doors

Simple and to the point

I didn't get a chance to help out with the install that much, but let me tell you, when I heard the finished product, my eyes fell out my sockets!

This was the first time I've head AC's installed. Let me tell you, they go low and clean. A lot of midbass and detailed midrange. A perfect mactch for the Seas Neos.

The star of the show, don't laugh, the eD $ 13.50 sub. Steve made a very clean IB install. This sub went low,deep,and danced like a sub costing much more. The sub is crossed over at 63Hz. It filled up the large cabin of the LS400. I tossed my usual line of music to it and I just kept wanting to hear more. I would say the sub reminded me of early Image Dynamics subs.
Accurate and detailed. It blended so well with the front stage. With the AC's giving so much output, it was truly upfront bass. 
I ran the line on this sub, jazz,top 40,classical,blues,pop,old school hip-hop,old rock, classic R&B. All well recorded tracks. 

In car response is flatter than one would think. We haven't played the sub above 80hz, but from what we had a chance to see on the graph at the shop, it was good.

When Ray came to pick up his car and listen to it for the firs time, all he coul do is smile and flapping his arms conducting.

The entire install came to less than $ 1,000. 
This why I love DIY.


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## ws6 beat (Jul 14, 2005)

pics and great to hear that these subs are a good deal.


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## Dr.Telepathy SQ (Nov 17, 2007)

If I can catch up with him I'll try to get some pics. I know we have to play new years together.


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## drocpsu (May 3, 2005)

i dont even need a sub, but for that price, i was considering buying one too. and weren't the 10"s listed at like $5??


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## reker13 (Oct 26, 2007)

Great success story! Really like the gear you pulled together on a budget yet high quality install.


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## unpredictableacts (Aug 16, 2006)

drocpsu said:


> i dont even need a sub, but for that price, i was considering buying one too. and weren't the 10"s listed at like $5??


you mean the 8"


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## jonnyanalog (Nov 14, 2007)

i would love to hear that car. I'm really interested in the IB setup, especially from an impact point of view. I think with a bass notes part of the enjoyment is the impact and the feeling on your skin as the bass notes hit. I want to know if an ib setup can achieve this.


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## wild_eye (Oct 15, 2007)

Dude... loved this story. Thanks for the info. I had never even looked at the Aurum Cantus  and now I did and they look great. I was considering the seas ca18rnx due to all the great reviews but space is really limited so those AC 165's being 6.5" with 2.88" depth are amazing. The price difference is'nt that much, they have a greater vas and play lower. I didn't even know about that sub. I would really like to know how that sub is intergrated in to the car.

1. Is the sub under the rear deck?
2. Is the entire trunk sealed off from the cabin?
3. Do the rear seats fold down? If so did you have to seal them off?

I'll be waiting impatiently till january to see the pics.  

Good stuff......


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## KnightWhoSaysNI (Jul 23, 2007)

Just curious but are the AC-165's the 8ohm version? Good story BTW!


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## Tonyguy (Nov 15, 2007)

wow, great review


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## jonnyanalog (Nov 14, 2007)

I can't wait to get my EHQ12!!


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## wild_eye (Oct 15, 2007)

Yeah, I wanted one but they dont ship via USPS  . Only UPS or Fedex. They want to charge me $55 shipping for 1 and $80 for 2 subs to Puerto Rico   !!!! USPS is like $20 to ship here.  I know its worth it even for $68 bucks but I just don't like the idea of getting ripped off on shipping.


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## Dr.Telepathy SQ (Nov 17, 2007)

KnightWhoSaysNI said:


> Just curious but are the AC-165's the 8ohm version? Good story BTW!


The AC-165's are the 8ohm version.

I think they are great. I just wonder why they are not used more in DIY installs. Another plus factor is, they offer more low end than some 7" drivers and the ease of mouting them in a 6 1/2" location.


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## KnightWhoSaysNI (Jul 23, 2007)

sterlingsharp1 said:


> The AC-165's are the 8ohm version.
> 
> I think they are great. I just wonder why they are not used more in DIY installs. Another plus factor is, they offer more low end than some 7" drivers and the ease of mouting them in a 6 1/2" location.


Nice! So youre running 8ohm ACs and 4ohm SEAS tweeters? With the varied resistance does that mean that the tweeters are getting twice the power as the mids? of course that assumes that its a passive not active setup. Is it?


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## wild_eye (Oct 15, 2007)

It believe it's running on a jl 500/5. The amp puts out 25w x 2, 100w x 2, 250w x1 (all @ 4 ohm). So the tweeters are getting 25w and the mids 50w @8ohm (100w @ 4ohm). I think....


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## Dr.Telepathy SQ (Nov 17, 2007)

KnightWhoSaysNI said:


> Nice! So youre running 8ohm ACs and 4ohm SEAS tweeters? With the varied resistance does that mean that the tweeters are getting twice the power as the mids? of course that assumes that its a passive not active setup. Is it?


The JL 500/5 is rated at 100x2,25X2,250X1. It's a 5 channel amp.

The system is ran active and controlsed by the Pioneer 880 headunit

In an active set up each speaker has it's own channel of power. 

Here is a link to a great thread on 8 ohm drivers by npdang.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

sterlingsharp1 said:


> The AC-165's are the 8ohm version.
> 
> I think they are great. I just wonder why they are not used more in DIY installs. Another plus factor is, they offer more low end than some 7" drivers and the ease of mouting them in a 6 1/2" location.


I consideed those drivers before buying my Seas... Considered then REALLY hard


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## Dr.Telepathy SQ (Nov 17, 2007)

chad said:


> I consideed those drivers before buying my Seas... Considered then REALLY hard


Bro...I feel in love with them. I wish I had a pair.


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## jonnyanalog (Nov 14, 2007)

mine came last night! 
1st impression is it looks very 'stock,' almost like it was an OEM driver which is perfect for IB. If someone were to crack open the trunk to steal yer goodz they might pass on by because of the lack of the 'bling factor.' I can't wait to install it, IB that is!!. I have an Assassin 10 in a sealed box that I would like to compare it with.


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## Dr.Telepathy SQ (Nov 17, 2007)

Funny thing is, these eD were originally made to be "OEM" replacement subs for IB purposes. That's what I was able to learn from Chris at eD. So, they were made for the whole purpose of IB from the start.


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

do the cantus mids have any tonal signature? i'm actually considering them next spring for my rebuild with a pair of hds tweets. you said the nextels sound really neutral and i've heard them so you can compare them to those. thanks.


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