I’m no sound system expert and don’t know much about subwoofers and how to install them in your cars, but I can say that they do sound amazing… I recently bought a FiiO E11 portable amp to use with my iPod for listening with headphones and plugged in my speakers at work. About a week ago I was experimenting to see how well they would work in the Fit’s stock 6 speaker sound system compared to just using the in dash usb cable. To my amazement they increased BASS and CLARITY noticeably! Compared to the standard usb port, the bass is a lot deeper and louder than I expected with the FiiO amp… It’s definitely no sub woofer, but for how small this thing is, it packs a punch for sure. I wanted to share my simple set up!

Here’s all that you will need:



--iPod, iPhone, iPad, or an iPod nano. Pretty much whichever Apple product uses the 30 pin connecter.
--Line out dock (LOD). They come in different shapes and lengths. Amazon.com: line out dock
--FiiO portable amp. They sell different models but I recommend the E11. At around $65, the price and functionality/sound quality can’t be matched. Amazon.com: FiiO E11 Portable Headphone Amplifier - E11: Electronics
--One male to male audio cable. For my setup I use one that is about 6 feet long to be able to conceal excess cable behind the dash. Amazon.com: 6 ft male to male audio cable: Electronics
--Adhesive backed Velcro.

Attach cable to ipod like so and to the ‘IN’ port.


Attach adhesive Velcro to amp and back of ipod case.


Put them together like so. Also, you’ll need Velcro on the back of your amp to install it in your car.


If you can find a round shaped piece of velcro, apply it here like so. It fits perfectly!


Attach and plug your audio cable to the aux port and the other end to the "OUT" port on the bottom of the amp.


My audio cable goes from the aux port down into the glove compartment, behind the dash, and up through the center console where the cup holder is. Not necessary, unless you want a clean clutter free look. Also, you can close the upper compartment easily. It wont snag at all.



The velcro is strong and will hold the weight of the two devices! Changing the direction of where your air blows is as easy as removing your ipod, turning the wheel, and putting it back on. It is nice to be able to access your ipod pretty much at your finger tips. Beats using the in dash controls to be able to find something to listen to! Here it is installed:


Here's my ipod/amp, TomTom, and dual charger all plugged in just to show you an example.


When you are done driving, you can store your ipod and upper half of the audio cable in the upper glove box, or just take your ipod with you. Like I said earlier, you can close the upper glove box without any problems.



The bottom half of the audio cable you can just push back out of sight. It's black so it blends in with the rest of the interior.


The only down fall to this set up is that you can't charge your ipod while driving since the dock connector is being used by the amp. Also, the amp has to be fully charged (or charged enough) in order to use it. No 'charge and play' with this, sorry. But to be able to increase sound quality and bass in your car stereo (headphones and home stereos too!) by not spending a ton of money, it's definitely worth it!

I'm open to comments and suggestions. If you already have a portable amp, give it a try! You won't be disappointed.

 

That is awesome!

 

Couldn't you just do this with the head unit EQ settings and save $65?

 

Sure you can, but it sounds no where near as good as being paired up with a portable amp.

 

Eh I just feel like with the head unit trying to do it's own EQ and then the portable amp doing its own too it wouldn't do that much good. I'd have to hear it I guess.

 

Yeah I was expecting these kind of responses as soon as I posted. It really is something you have to hear to believe. Pictures and words can't do justice!

 

Nothing against what you've done hear. I'm just a tad skeptical lol. I feel that adding a subwoofer to the car did wonders for the sound system even just a little 8". Even though my little 8 packs a nice little punch.

 

so, it doesn't seem like you changed anything with the car. The net of the story here seems to be Ipods do not output as good of a sound signal as with an amp.
I think this is pretty much common knowledge among audiophiles.