Reversing Stock Sub wires.

[peterg22000]

This is in reply to this thread: http://forum.grrrr8.net/showthread.php?t=27120


After playing with all the radio settings and playing different types of music, I could not seem the get that punch that ought to be there (well as much as can be expected for a stock system). It always sounds “off”. I was about to go ahead and pull out the stock stuff like a lot of people have, but I was having one last overview of the system before I spent money on it, but it dawned on me that the “off” sound was like the system was out of phase.

Well I am happy to report that I have solved the crappy stock stereo mystery (at least on my vehicle). The two subs in the rear deck are out of phase with the speakers driven by the head unit. After doing a quick swap of the wire position on each sub, WOW the system absolutely cranks compared to before.

This DIY is for those that can't/wont cut and sauder wires while upside down in there trunk. ;)

Step 1
Remove rear seat bottom by pulling up in the middle of each seat position
http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab65/peterg8/IMG_0303.jpg
http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab65/peterg8/IMG_0305.jpg

Step 2
Using a 13mm socket, remove the two nuts holding the bottom of the seat back in place
http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab65/peterg8/IMG_0306.jpg
Pull the bottom of the back forward enough to pass the studs, then lift seat to disengage the hooks at the top
http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab65/peterg8/IMG_0307.jpg
http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab65/peterg8/IMG_0308.jpg

Step 3
reach in the opening where the seat hook goes through and disengage the Sub wire ( the clip is located where I'm pointing with the mini driver
http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab65/peterg8/IMG_0309.jpg

Step 4
swaping the pins is the most difficult part but very do-able even for the less inclined.
Using a pic or small watch screwdriver pry up the pin lock
http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab65/peterg8/IMG_0311.jpg
untill it looks like this
http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab65/peterg8/IMG_0312.jpg
Next with the pin lock that you just released facing up, place the same driver into the end of the terminal and give it a slight pry or giggle while pulling tthat wire, it should pull right out, repeat for for the other wire, then reinsert the wires in the opposite sides and press the pin lock back down
http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab65/peterg8/IMG_0319.jpg

Step 5
reverse the process, kinda self explanitory...

[warbird]

Thanks perterg22000, been planning on making the swap to see if it helps.Like this way the best.

[vert]

Did you notice a difference?

[peterg22000]

Did you notice a difference?

it wasn't like wiring in a whole new system, but it there was an improvment. and well worth the time it takes to do this.

[GeoffA]

May tackle this tomorrow and add to the key fob sensor wire at the same time.

:cheers:

[m6speed]

did this today, my car sounds quite a bit better now

[firstcherokeekid]

I had to do this as well, but went the solder route. Well worth the effort.

[travis gore]

I have been looking to do this myself. Thanks for posting an alternate way of doing this


Sent from the iPhone 4S

[todds87ss]

[QUOTE=peterg22000;441025]
This DIY is for those that can't/wont cut and sauder wires while upside down in there trunk. ;)

[QUOTE]

Cowards...

[DavesG8GT]

Thanks for posting this! I'm going to try doing this to mine very soon.

[GXPaycheck]

I did mine yesterday but I removed the shelf (had to reposition my GPS sensor anyway). Have to tweak the bias knob a bit more.

Here's a couple extra pics of the subs with the shelf off.
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/paycheck409/Cars/IMG_1587.jpg

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/paycheck409/Cars/IMG_1589.jpg

Thanx to Peterg22000 for showing us the easy way!

[DavesG8GT]

So I can't get the wires out of the plastic connector. I got the lock tab up just fine but those wires don't want to come out even sticking a tiny flathead down in the terminals and wiggling. In fact after about 5 minutes of trying it looks like I even bent one of the metal tabs. Maybe I shouldn't have tried this after all. :-/

[peterg22000]

So I can't get the wires out of the plastic connector. I got the lock tab up just fine but those wires don't want to come out even sticking a tiny flathead down in the terminals and wiggling. In fact after about 5 minutes of trying it looks like I even bent one of the metal tabs. Maybe I shouldn't have tried this after all. :-/

I'm sorry to hear that.. here is a better visual/discription then I gave yesterday..

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab65/peterg8/IMG_0319-1.jpg

[DavesG8GT]

^^^^ That most definitely helps. Thanks! Will try again this weekend. I can do a cam swap like nobody's business but apparently am having trouble here lol.

[GXPaycheck]

You can always do what I did and trim the plastic on the plug and put it in upside down.

[warbird]

So finally found time this afternoon once I got the hot water heater replaced. Almost as soon as I started the neighbor came over (has tweeked out 1 series) and is drinking beer. Well needless to say kinda wanted one or 2 or 3 myself,. Well absolutely positive I correctly swapped driver's side, between him talking and me drinking not sure if once I got them out on passenger side that I didnt put them back exactly like they were stock.
So if anyone else does this can they please confirm which wire (stock position) is on the top side of clip?

[peterg22000]

So if anyone else does this can they please confirm which wire (stock position) is on the top side of clip?

green

[vert]

I completed this today and I can say the bass has more thump with the beat of the music. What took the longest was getting the pins out of the connectors. I just pried up on the plastic piece that holds the pin tab.

[GXPaycheck]

Somebody on another board did the same thing with the other end of the plug. Beats the heck out of getting solder up yer nose!

[Greg@PacePerformance]

Are we doing both sides or just one? I thought it was just one side.

[vert]

I did both sides. The first member that did this did both sides and I figure if one is out phase, then both should be. I did notice a difference and I had to turn my bass down. I had it set at +4 and truned it down to +2.

[GXPaycheck]

Do both. I reset my bias knob to the mid point detent to see how it sounds. Gonna have to turn it up a bit more.

[MeanGreenZ71]

Did this tonight. Great write up! Definitely made the job straightforward and simple. Sounds much better just sitting in my garage. Should make a big imrovement on the road. Not bad for stock audio now. :)

[Struggle]

Did this today as well. I had a lot of distortion on the subs prior top this.

I was shocked at how much better it sounds now. System is way more balanced allt he way around. Still need to rid myself of the center speaker though.

[The Beej]

Working on this now.... So the "correct" wire position is green on top, blue on bottom for both connectors?

[speedisking]

Just finished this. In the garage it seems to make a real difference. Took about 20 min. OP thanks for the tip.

[TooManyHobbies]

I heartily endorse this mod. I am actually listening to the radio now. Before I much preferred listening to the engine music. They both sound good now!

[DavesG8GT]

I finally got this done. Neither myself nor my electrically inclined shadetree mechanic buddy could free the wire/tabs from the plastic snap clips, so we ended up cutting the wires behind the clip and swapping and butt splicing. In addition, I turned up the dial on my factory sub which I had yet to do, went from the 1/2 setting all the way to the max. I had to mess with the settings on the radio, but doing these two things made it sound SO SO much better.

My radio actually sounds pretty dang decent for a factory system now! Before, I thought it was an absolute joke of a factory sound system.

[Scorpious]

i gotta ask sorry if it was alrady asked now is this on all g8 or jus certain ones?

[peterg22000]

i gotta ask sorry if it was alrady asked now is this on all g8 or jus certain ones?

All

[08G8V8]

All

hmmmmm......guess I'm going to have to get this done here one of these days

[Scorpious]

was it jus the connector that was wrong? cuz i pretty much rewired the rear deck with new speakers and subs. i took off the plug and pluged in wires directly. dont really hear distortions

[gearhead65]

Done. It seems to sound better, but we'll see when I take her out.

[HLDNG8]

Just did this and wow WOW my infinity refrence speakers sound amazing now


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I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?devzlc

[SK360]

My pass side was blue on top stock and the drivers side was green on top stock. Normal?

[SK360]

Thanks for the Writeup

If you shine a light into the end of the connector you will see where the metal pin meets plastic... That is where you need to push down at, NOT all the way back. I pushed down/tried to get under the plastic and pry up... After figuring that out they slipped right out

[DavesG8GT]

All

I'm not so sure about this. My stereo was wired incorrectly and now it sounds great after I swapped the wires. I have a buddy with an '09 G8 GT and we were going to listen to his stereo to make sure his were also wired incorrectly because he wanted to also do this "mod". We played the exact same song with the exact same radio settings in my car after doing the wire swap and in his car before doing the wire swap. They sounded identical. His appear to have been wired correctly from the factory.

[warbird]

I'm by no means a hardcore audiophile, but this was definetely an improvement overall imo. I do notice occasionally on some XM stations or depending on whom the artist is you do seem to lose some midrange, still thumbs up overall.
Also DavesG8GT, they are not wired incorrectly from the factory, if you search some of the other threads dedicated to swapping the wires you will get a pretty good explanation, this thread is just the easiest way to do it.

[lwh0032]

Great writeup. I just finished this a few hours ago. After I figured out how to get the wires out of the clip, it was a breeze.

[GXPaycheck]

Now you guys know you don't have to pull the wires. Just undo the plug and turn it upside down. Trim off a bit of plastic and it fits perfectly.

[tempo8]

This is a great find. I really don't mind the stock system, but a little more bass would be nice!

[KenV]

I just tried this out. Played the same track before and after, in the same seating position with the car completely closed up. The bass sounds clearer to me, with the drumbeats being more distinct. I can run the volume higher without getting trim shakes, which were at their worst from behind the car.

Maybe it's in my head, but I detected less distortion as well. I may move the bass mod setting higher now that it's clearer. BTW thanks to all who contributed.

[Eidolon]

Thanks for this, Peter G. I did this tonight using this method. It definitely does help. For those of you who are wondering, here's what the plug looks like inside, labeled, where the right side is the side that will plug into the subwoofer. The retaining clip engages the hole in the top of the connector, holding it in place, and the lock holds the retaining clip. So once you pry the connector lock up, you insert your screwdriver and either press the connector down to free it from the retaining clip, then pull, or else you use a small enough screwdriver that it can grab the retaining clip and lift it out of the way.

http://www.eidolways.com/images/G8/mods/Connector.jpg

[JimmyJazz]

Finally did this. Very easy. Very worth it!!!

[JonnyG2132]

Where does everyone have there bias knob turned to? halfway? all the way?

[JonnyG2132]

So I just did this and Im finding an issue. So for the passenger side.. When I took the plug out, the green wire was on the right hand side and the blue wire was on the left hand side.. Meaning the blue wire was on top when it was in place. I swapped the wires so that side should be good. when I did the drivers side, the green wire was already on the left hand side and the blue wire was on the right. I swapped them so that the green was on the right and the blue was on the left. now when I put that in, the blue is on top? should I have not swapped those wires on the drivers side?

This is how they look after the swap

Passenger Side
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt352/JonnyG2132/IMAG0706.jpg

Drivers Side
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt352/JonnyG2132/IMAG0707.jpg

[JonnyG2132]

Anyone?

[JonnyG2132]

Everyone loved this thread until I had a question lol. I just need to know if I should keep the drivers side the way it came stock since the green was on top already? The passenger side I had to switch for sure. The system sounds different but seems more distorted. I dont know if its bc I didnt change the drivers side

[Eidolon]

Everyone loved this thread until I had a question lol. I just need to know if I should keep the drivers side the way it came stock since the green was on top already? The passenger side I had to switch for sure. The system sounds different but seems more distorted. I dont know if its bc I didnt change the drivers side

Yep, you need to change both sides. The wire colors should not be "matched" between sides, as they're not the same set of wires. :) I noticed the color sameness, too, but double checked the pin setup in the service manual. Both should be swapped.

[alandcin]

why don't u look in the trunk and see if they're wired properly in there? if they are, just do the soldering method. it's not hard, my boy could do it. GM leaves you plenty of solder on the speakers to spare. my amp is turned all the way up and then a slight turn back. the whole way up sounds a lil too distorted

[JonnyG2132]

Yep, you need to change both sides. The wire colors should not be "matched" between sides, as they're not the same set of wires. :) I noticed the color sameness, too, but double checked the pin setup in the service manual. Both should be swapped.

Ok thats what I needed to know. So only the passenger side will have the green on the top when both sides are changed. I thought I read that both needed to be green on top. Thats where I was confused. So green on top for passenger side and blue on top for drivers side. Got it! Thanks!

[JonnyG2132]

Wow def hits harder after that switch. I swapped the drivers side last night. I think im going to have to turn the sub knob down to around 75 percent or so.. I moved it to 100 and it rattles too much

[micheal0484]

Mine sounds worse after the switch. Going to switch it back.

[waltjrUM]

Did this mod today, night and day difference! Thank you, thank you to all who have contributed to info surrounding this change!

[muller817]

Mine sounds worse after the switch. Going to switch it back.

Same here!

[Formula2K]

I am shocked at the difference swapping the wires made. It's true that the sound became tighter and the rear deck rattles disappeared. My only disappointment was that when I removed the back seat bottom, I found a small puddle. My car has the sunroof and I guess that may be the culprit.

[disco monkey]

thanks for this write up. will have to try this.

[SH1ZN1T]

Just did this mod and I was able to crank the volume up to 20 easily without any distortion but with way better clarity!

[I12XLR8]

On the last car I did the soldering method and loved the results. I just wanted to refresh myself on the process so went hunting for the thread and came across this one. I'm going to try this way for sure!

[I12XLR8]

WOW! Having now done it both ways I can say that the soldering route was easy but the connector wiring swap was even easier! Less than 30 minutes from getting my tools ready to sitting back here to tell you about it. Awesome!

Thanks, Peter!

[Doug Hilliard]

Just finished this mod with a little excellent consult from Eidolon! I had to turn the bias down a little as well and now the sound is really nice! I'm running Infinities in the doors and they have a nice punch and now with the subs working nicely, has a thick and clean sound! Thanks to everyone who contributed to this!

[knglibrty]

Subd.

Way out in left field.

[2nice2slow]

Some reason I can't get rear seat off. I am pulling up like stated in middle and not a slightest budge. I get mad and think I'mweak and end up pulling to hard to where I hear ripping. what am I doing wrong. It seems there's something holding it down up front.

[J Wikoff]

Pull up about 8" inward from the end on the front corners. That's where the two clips are.

[Chewy]

Some reason I can't get rear seat off. I am pulling up like stated in middle and not a slightest budge. I get mad and think I'mweak and end up pulling to hard to where I hear ripping. what am I doing wrong. It seems there's something holding it down up front.

You have to put a ton of ASS into it. They take a LOT of work to get them off. Pull up until you can feel where the latch is, and then grab hold and yank.

[I12XLR8]

Are you in the cold somewhere? I did mine in the garage but up here in the cold and it took a lot of force... then I broke the clips ;-(

[Chewy]

Yes! It's currently -18ºC... I just grab, pull up to put tension on it, and then jerk.

[Seattle09GT]

I know this has been asked a bunch of time - but to quadruple check.

If the green wire is "forward" when in the trunk laying looking up at the speakers - that is, the green wire is closest to the seat back and further from the rear bumper, then the wiring is out of phase and needs to be reversed.

I've noticed that the rears sound like ass since the MS-8 install, which is probably just emphasizing the out of phase situation.

[2nice2slow]

Tried again, kept hearing ripping of foam. Now seat is up a little on that side. I give up. Ill just leave this wiring as is.

[-Ray-]

Tried again, kept hearing ripping of foam. Now seat is up a little on that side. I give up. Ill just leave this wiring as is.

If you reach under the seat you can feel where the clip is. Put one hand on each side of the clip and pull quickly. there is a clip on each side.
You can see the white clip in this pic. The metal bar that presses in this remains with the seat.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t16/ElecBlueG6GT/G8/ZL1%20fuel%20pump%20install/Fulepumpinstall004_zpsca10c2e9.jpg

[TooManyHobbies]

It is easier to do when warm. Also less chance of breaking a clip. I broke one in the cold and it was very tough to pull up.

[stombaugh25]

Just did this, took about 20 minutes. Thanks for the great write up. Only bad thing was stabbing myself with the pick right under my finger nail. That one hurt. Haha. Seems to make a big difference at the louder volumes, but when its low I'm still getting some rattle, time for some cheap dynomat?

[s/c'd cav]

ive still gotta do mine

[2nice2slow]

If you reach under the seat you can feel where the clip is. Put one hand on each side of the clip and pull quickly. there is a clip on each side.
You can see the white clip in this pic. The metal bar that presses in this remains with the seat.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t16/ElecBlueG6GT/G8/ZL1%20fuel%20pump%20install/Fulepumpinstall004_zpsca10c2e9.jpg


Thanks for re illustrating for me that clip. Now I'll go back give it one more shot. Ya its 28-30 degrees here so kinda cold that may be the factor on stubborn ness.

[Seattle09GT]

I know this has been asked a bunch of time - but to quadruple check.

If the green wire is "forward" when in the trunk laying looking up at the speakers - that is, the green wire is closest to the seat back and further from the rear bumper, then the wiring is out of phase and needs to be reversed.

I've noticed that the rears sound like ass since the MS-8 install, which is probably just emphasizing the out of phase situation.

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

[imajeenyas]

Present

[SH1ZN1T]

This really works! Love the sound of my system now.

[08G8V8]

I'll get around to doing this one of these days......

[dru21281]

Just did this today and it makes a big difference! I reversed the pins behind the rear seat backs on each side, the hardest part was figuring out how to un clip the pins. Only took about 20 mins...

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[Jae]

I went this route.
21166

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[Crazy8]

That'll do if, lol. Nice and clean look!

[brewski]

I want to remove the rear speakers from the top C/O reverse polarity

[kevinm0131]

search is easy:
http://g8nation.com/showthread.php?t=30404&highlight=reverse

[mrroy61805]

I tried like crazy to swap the wires around in the harness but could only get one out lol..So I quit trying to swap them and took out my soldering pen and laid down in the trunk of the car (but no directly under the speaker I was soldering) and put the tip of the pen on the solder and heated it up enough to pull the wires out and swapped them around plus I'm only 5'6'' lol so the helps..took me about 10 min maybe.

[brewski]

That was a remarkable post,hats off to You.

[firefighter]

I need to try this. Probably Sunday. The system sounds flat to me. Hopefully this is just the fix.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[scott8833]

Wow I cannot believe how easy this was been reading about this and found this was way easier than trying to lie on you back and solder wires.
Thanks for the great post.

[parish8]

i just tried this. I trimmed the plastic so I could just flip the plug over. I had music playing so I could try the plugs in both positions and instantly hear the difference. my subs are much louder in the original positions.

the car is used so the previous owner may have already made this mod but it seems unlikely.

i also turned the amp up to about 75%. that helped. i think it sounds good for a factory system, good enough to want to turn it up and rock out.

anyone know what the stock speakers look like through the grills, i am wondering if they are stock. the fronts i see have a small paper cone in the middle, the rears and a 2 way with a small tweeter in the middle. does that sound original?

[firefighter]

I turned up the amp and that was enough to hold me.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Chewy]

The difference this mod makes isn't mind blowing, but it's VERY noticeable!

[G8eraid]

The difference this mod makes isn't mind blowing, but it's VERY noticeable!

Agree, did this a couple months ago along with turning up the gain on the amp. Def sounds better!

[FCNFST]

Both retainer clips broke while removing the seats....they are now loose. Hopefully, a local Pontiac dealer will have some in stock.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e12/garrettmclark/March%202013-/New/20150419_102413_zpszvbbq0rf.jpg (http://s36.photobucket.com/user/garrettmclark/media/March%202013-/New/20150419_102413_zpszvbbq0rf.jpg.html)
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e12/garrettmclark/March%202013-/New/20150419_102432_zpsgvlgxd55.jpg (http://s36.photobucket.com/user/garrettmclark/media/March%202013-/New/20150419_102432_zpsgvlgxd55.jpg.html)

[FCNFST]

How do you replace these clips?

[FCNFST]

Can anyone help me out on these clips? I just purchased two for 50 dollars(if you can find any cheaper, please let me know)! I'm guessing I just tear the broken ones out with pliers? I just don't want to cause anymore damage to this car, as I already have a to-do list a mile long.

[TooManyHobbies]

I have had one broken for about 4 years. I just left it. They should just pull out. If it is already broken just grab what is left with pliers and yank. $50 seems way excessive. Call Greg at Pace or talk to Crazy Paul. Probably can get them way cheaper.

[FCNFST]

I'd leave it alone if both were like the passenger side, but I feel the drivers side is just too loose, and yea 25 bucks a clip is high. Everyone else wanted 35....

[antec800]

did this and the subs sound much worse, unsoldered the wires and put it back to stock and sounds so much better, what ever you guys are hearing is placebo

[cstmg8]

did this and the subs sound much worse, unsoldered the wires and put it back to stock and sounds so much better, what ever you guys are hearing is placebo
Or yours were correct from factory, or already switched. No doubt that the hundreds that changed them had an improvement.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[STL_G8GT]

did this and the subs sound much worse, unsoldered the wires and put it back to stock and sounds so much better, what ever you guys are hearing is placebo
Sorry, but you're wrong. As stated above, yours were done by last owner or were correct from factory. Tons of others noticed the same difference you experienced, but reversed, they went from bad to good. Would you say that was a "placebo"? Cmon man.

[6 litre]

I did mine by removing the rear seats (bottom and seat back), then you can see the plugs for the subs
I pulled out the plug and switched the pins.

No soldering.

[I12XLR8]

did this and the subs sound much worse, unsoldered the wires and put it back to stock and sounds so much better, what ever you guys are hearing is placebo

Lol. "My experience doesn't follow everyone else's so everyone else is wrong."

[madmax032]

Thank you for this writeup! I did this last night, in the dark while it was raining and it was totally worth it!

[Chewy]

Thank you for this writeup! I did this last night, in the dark while it was raining and it was totally worth it!

Agreed! It makes a notable difference.

[Chooch]

I am curious if this is known which would help maybe see a pattern, IE build date where the sub wires are correct and build dates where they are known to be bad. Long shot but might help others.

[smittybuilt]

I did this mod last night and the wires were just as everybody said they would be so I switched them and my subs sounded worse so I put them back the way they were.