I recently had a pioneer avic-n1 installed. The shop said that the factory sub would not be functional afterwards, so after taking advice from this board, I spliced a pair of RCAs from the preamp sub output of the HU to the original sub harness (black) there is sound coming from the sub now but is very weak and when i called the shop about it they said I could possibly damage my HU by having it hooked up like that. I can't believe this is true, also they said they didn't bypass the factory amp. Basically I want to know if anyone has had a similar problem or knows how to fix it so my little sub thumps again.

Well you aren't alone. A few of us with some of the newer model aftermarket receivers have the same problem. Apparently it's due to the low pre-out voltage of some of the units. I have the Kenwood DDX7015 with 2V pre-out and it doesn't have the power with tapping into sub harness to actualy make the sub audible. Your AViC I believe has 1V, so the same outcome.
Anyone please correct me if anything I say is false, I'm learning many new catagories of auto accessories I've never dabbled in since before buying the Element so alot of the audio tech is new to me. But it's forcing me to learn and do for myself so it's all good.
Since my situation was the same I'll go through the options I pondered to get a sub of any kind back into the mix after installing my head unit.
First how could I keep the stock sub.
I could probably power the stock sub from an extra amp. Several small ones available might be able to tightly fit mounted under one of the front seats since I was looking for just enough to power the sub alone. But then it's mounted where I'd eventually put a NAV unit and or TV tuner and I didn't want it bolted down under the rear seats incase I needed to flip them up and use the floor space.
Then I thought to ditch the stock sub and put in a sub enclosure in the cargo area. But I'd still need an amp to power it and both would be taking up under-seat AND cargo space.
Then I started looking at powered subs with amplifiers built in like Bazooka tubes for example. Still has to sit in the back taking up space but can easily be disconnected to give floor space but where do you put it when you fill up the floor space?
For my situation I rarely flip up the seats but always use the cargo area. So I finally stumbled across something best suited for myself. The Kenwood KSC-WA62RC "wOOx" powered sub. It's small enough to fit under one of the rear seats and I can disconnect it in a couple seconds and slip it in the seat-back bungees stowed out of the way. It takes up no formally used space, keeps my cargo area empty, is practically hidden and gives me very deep adjustable bass. Plus the novelty of having a "Rumble Seat" in the back. Sitting in that rear seat with certain music/DVDs playing will make men groan and girls moan. :shock:
Installation was easy and I have the wires pulled through one of the holes used for the rear tabs of the cargo floor panel. After the sub is out of the way those wires can be slipped under the panel out of the way hidden.
The sub came with a wired remote which I ran up through the center console. It sits perfectly in the weird spot between the 2 cup holders and the sub controls can be adjusted down there or the remote can be pulled out with it's wire slack hidden under the console. The drilled hole the wire goes through in the console has a rubber grommet to give a clean appearance.
You can also see the game controllers stored in the rear storage tray with AV inputs behind the parking brake for easy plug and play for the rear passengers without having cords draped up to the dash.
Since the stock sub was wasting space now I pulled it out and installed the DX lower dash bin enclosure. This holds my game controllers and I also installed additional AV input within the pocket so the cords aren't all over the place. These battery operated, self contained, multi-game controllers are neat because I just grab it and flick the on switch and it automatically pops onto the screen even while the CD or DVD audio still plays.


http://www.pix8.net/pro/pic.php?u=7564FApN&i=42162

http://www.pix8.net/pro/pic.php?u=7564FApN&i=42169

http://www.pix8.net/pro/pic.php?u=7564FApN&i=42276

http://www.pix8.net/pro/pic.php?u=7564FApN&i=42164

i installed a pioneer deh-7600 back in october and had no problems with the factory sub. why would they say that the HU would be damaged when connected to the sub? maybe they don't know how to connect the sub back?? either way they should have their own warranty and install warranty. did you play with the HU controls yet and go to the subwoofer option for turning on the sub from the HU??? on the pioneer HU's, theres an option for you to set the sub to 3 settings... normal, reverse, and off. you have to press the audio function button on the HU to get there... if you have any other questions you can visit pioneer's website and tell them your situation. good luck!!! http://www.hondaelement.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4529

I've thought of getting a line driver signal aplifier that will convert the 1-2v pre-out to a 4-5v pre-out and i've pretty much written off that installer as an idiot. I have the sub output turned on, but i don't know what the difference between normal and reverse on the HU means, besides the name i can't tell a difference

I have a Pioneer unit as well but an older model. It also has 2V RCA outs and like elementology I have had no problems using stock amp and sub. I disagree with Empire's diagnosis faulting the 2V pre-outs since there are many without problems as well. The difference between normal and reverse is the phase of the output. You should leave it on normal.

Settings: Check pg. 83 of your operations manual.
- Did you turn the subwoofer output on
- Did you set it to normal
- Did you try adjusting the level (e.g. +6)
- Does loudness setting make a difference

If none of these things help, then you are going to have to pull out your HU and check your connection.

Connection:
- How did you splice the RCA into the sub harness
- Did you get the positive and the negative mixed up
- Is the wire too thin (high gauge), frayed, exposed, etc.
- Can you take a picture and upload your splice job for a better diagnosis

It is either a settings issue or a connection issue. Let me know how it goes. Hopefully when you get everything working right, you will post some pics and a small write up.

I really don't know what would make some units work with the stock sub and others not. I do know that when I built and used the sub connector Brendan demonstrated that I had a very weak signal as described by Hobbz and a few others. I tested the connector on some home audio components and it worked fine providing a normal strong sound. I went through every setting I could on the unit and nothing changed. Eventually I gave up until more info was available but the second I connected the Kenwood sub to the unit everything was back to normal if not better.
Did we ever get a list going of what recievers were able to still use the stock sub with a connector of any kind. Alot of it will depend on installation and who's installing but we might narrow down the cause of the problem, faulty installation, low pre-outs or otherwise. The weird thing is it seems most of the posters mentioning weak stock subs after installation are the ones with units including monitors and/or DVD capability. Might not hold any merit but just an observation.

No Empire, we never got that list going though as you have stated it would be very helpful. I, for one, am very curious to figure this little brain teaser. That is also why I am trying to get pictures to see what people are doing. Your Kenwood looks nice but I really like the AVIC-N1 (*drools*). I'll try to get a lil poll together to see if we can get better data.

I had an AVIC n1 installed and the sub works as good as before. Question about this unit though, does anyone notice that the clock on the display (screen folded in) doesn't work between 8pm and 10pm?

pagefan, did your sub pre-outs go to the stock amp harness?