phungus's Full Review: Infinity BassLink Car Subwoofer
I drive a 2005 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck with the Access (extended) cab. Earlier this year, the factory stereo in it crapped out, and I replaced it with a pretty decent Kenwood brand MP3/CD player. I also upgraded the speakers in the back doors. Ever since then, I felt like my system was lacking strong bass. I had good highs and mids, but it lacked the punch that I'm used to hearing in my music. This is why I finally decided to install a powered subwoofer, and I went with the Infinity Basslink.
What sold me on this subwoofer is that it is self contained. By that, I mean it has its own amplifier built in, so I did not have to purchase a separate amp to run the subwoofer. I didn't want to have a bunch of hardware taking up space in the back of my Tacoma, nor did I want the hassle of dealing with separate components. For me, adding this subwoofer was a one-time upgrade and I have no intention of ever putting anything more in my truck. We have a noise ordinance where I live!
Installation of this subwoofer was pretty easy. You'll have to get an amplifier wiring kit, which runs @ 20-30 bucks, and I got one with a 10-gauge power cable. Just make damn sure you get one with an inline fuse or else you could risk blowing the whole thing out. I ran the power cable through a rubber gasket underneath the dash and then along the bottom of my driver's side door, then I ran the audio cables through the center console and up to the back of my stereo. I've done this sort of thing once before on a previous vehicle, so I kind of knew what I was doing. If you are unsure, get some help because you could get hurt messing with a car battery.
I installed the subwoofer behind the driver's seat in my Tacoma. It includes stands to place it upright or on its back, depending on how you want to mount it. I did not bother with drilling holes through my floorboards, as it is already so heavy that I'm not worried about it falling over or bouncing around very much. The box is about 14 inches square and 10 inches deep, so it's not exactly small. If you have an Access cab pickup like mine, it leaves very little space behind whichever seat you install it. This thing would fit really well in the back of an SUV or in a car's trunk.
The Infinity Basslink is designed with a 10-inch subwoofer and a 10-inch passive radiator placed back to back in the box to maximize bass response. Although it looks like there are two speakers inside the box, only one of them is a real speaker and the other is there to flex and reflect the bass. It includes two sets of RCA inputs, plus speaker output if you want to use some of the amplifier's power to push other speakers in your car. The connection terminals are all gold-plated.
For a 200-watt 10-inch subwoofer, this thing thunders. It is really overkill for my truck, but I got too good a deal on it to pass up. If I turn up the volume more than halfway, it rumbles so much that I don't even want to be inside my Tacoma. This thing will rattle your doors, but it isn't so much that it'll vibrate the car next to you. I don't have any noise dampeners or any of that kind of stuff installed, but I also don't listen to my stereo like some punk kid, either. I like to feel my bass, but I don't particularly want to share it with the person next to me.
Although I don't really listen to rap or hip hop, I did test some Beyonce tunes on this thing and it hums right along with the bass. Whether it is handling the pumping bass lines of a Kings of Leon track or the punch bass kick of a White Stripes song, this speaker delivers excellent output that is clear and clean. It also makes male vocalists sound better by adding that little bit of extra bass to fill out the sound. Since installing this subwoofer, I am rediscovering all my music.
Another thing I really like about this speaker is how much control you have over the sound it produces. You can adjust the gain, which is sort of like the volume, but you can also add a bass boost or adjust the crossover from 50 to 120Hz. My stereo has built-in crossover controls, which help to isolate certain frequencies for better sound reproduction, so I don't have the knob on this speaker turned up very much. The included Basslink LC Remote Control is perfect for on-the-fly adjusting of the bass levels without having to change the audio settings of your car stereo.
In conclusion, the Infinity Basslink installs and configures easily, looks good, sounds great, and really compliments the audio system in my truck. For the price and performance, I am very happy with it.
One last thing - The Infinity Basslink currently retails on Crutchfield.com for $299. I bought mine off Amazon.com, brand new with free shipping and no sales tax, for $199. Be sure to shop around before you buy, because the price seems to be all over the place.
Technical Details:
10" woofer and 10" passive radiator Class D 200-watt amplifier Wired volume control with 16-foot cable Frequency response: 20-120 Hz Low-pass crossover variable from 50-120 Hz at 12 dB per octave Speaker and line-level inputs Phase switch Bass boost adjusts from -6 dB to +3 dB at 40 Hz 20-amp fuse Auto turn-on with speaker-level inputs Remote turn-on lead (12V) required for use with RCA inputs 19' speaker-level input wires with plug-in harness included 14-1/2"W x 13-3/8"H x 9-7/8"D (vertical mount); 14-1/2"W x 9-1/2"H x 15-3/16"D (horizontal mount) Warranty: 1 year
Powered subwoofer with onboard 200-Watt Class D amplifier Variable electronic crossover (50Hz to 120Hz), sensitivity, and bass-boost 10-Inch subwoofer...More at Amazon
200 Watt Powered 10" Subwoofer Unique enclosure with one treated paper woofer and a passive radiator, Class D 200-watt amplifier, frequency response 2...More at Crutchfield
Bass LinkBuilt-in 200w Class D amplifierVariable electronic crossoverPhase control (0-108) degreesBass EQ (+3dB to -6dB at 45Hz)Input level controlRCA...More at BoatersWorld.com
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