Puzu concerns

[Tmh573]

Anyone have any issues with the puzu dsp that seems to be so popular on here? I'm looking to improve the awful sound system in my 24 xlt on a budget and haven't done anything like this in over 20 years.

After reading through just about all of the audio build threads on here I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and intimidated.

I think the route I want to go with is to put in the drop in powerbass speakers in the doors and tweeters. I suspect these are not as nice as some others, perhaps the focal 165s I've seen on here or on reddit but I do like that they seem to be the most compatible, particularly where the tweeters mount.

I'd also like to mount either the Kicker HS10 or the Rockville Ss8p powered sub behind the rear seats.

From there, either I would swap out the rears and tap the signal for the sub from a rear speaker or install the puzu and run the sub signal from the puzu.

Any concern with the puzu drawing power through the factory harness? Seems like as an amplifier it could cause issues, but I know nothing about this. I did see that plug n play kicker key installs used to draw power this way and have switched to wiring to battery so I would think there is some concern.

Also, any chance any of this impacts the warranty on the truck in anyway? I just want crisp bass pedal on metal songs, no need to shake up the world.

As an aside, kind of surprised at the lack of install videos for the puzu, but oh well. If anyone can weigh in on these concerns or provide some feedback about this plan, I would really appreciate it. Hope to start buying pieces soon.

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[nandesho]

Funny, I was just thinking about the power concern driving into work this morning.
In my ~3 months of use, I've counted 3 instances where the Puzu amp inexplicably powered off for about 5 seconds before returning to normal. The odd part is that this happens at low volume levels so maybe it could have been because of the "input sensing." (it detects input from what the ACM sends to the speakers to power on/off) When it is violently loud, it never misses a beat. I have not invested enough time to troubleshoot any further than my initial suspicions.

The Puzu overdrives the stock door speakers fairly easily, and the tweeters at high volumes. To resolve this, I took the easy route out and used the DB drop-in speakers.
After a lot of DSP tuning they work quite well with the Puzu amp. When you weigh cost and effort against sound quality improvement, the Puzu & DB combo is a no brainer.

Regarding a subwoofer- To me, the Puzu nearly pays for itself with the added sub channel feature. Being able to use high/low pass along with all 15 points of the EQ (if you so desire) is truly awesome!

 

[Tmh573]

Funny, I was just thinking about the power concern driving into work this morning.
In my ~3 months of use, I've counted 3 instances where the Puzu amp inexplicably powered off for about 5 seconds before returning to normal. The odd part is that this happens at low volume levels so maybe it could have been because of the "input sensing." (it detects input from what the ACM sends to the speakers to power on/off) When it is violently loud, it never misses a beat. I have not invested enough time to troubleshoot any further than my initial suspicions.

The Puzu overdrives the stock door speakers fairly easily, and the tweeters at high volumes. To resolve this, I took the easy route out and used the DB drop-in speakers.
After a lot of DSP tuning they work quite well with the Puzu amp. When you weigh cost and effort against sound quality improvement, the Puzu & DB combo is a no brainer.

Regarding a subwoofer- To me, the Puzu nearly pays for itself with the added sub channel feature. Being able to use high/low pass along with all 15 points of the EQ (if you so desire) is truly awesome!

Where did you end up mounting your puzu? I've read some people put it under the seats and others seem to leave it in the glove box.

Also, are you running a powered sub? At least for the Rockville one I'm looking at I'd need to run a remote wire along with the RCAs. It looks like the puzu harness has an acceptable place to tap for that signal, but have not seen a write up from anyone regarding where that one goes. Trying hard not to cut any factory wiring.

 

[colinl]

I would say your concern is justified. I have no experience with the Puzu, but I have installed Kicker Key 200.4 amps twice - neither in a Maverick - and most definitely wired separately to the battery.

Even if the factory fuse holds, which would be somewhat surprising if I'm honest - I would not trust the stock wiring to handle any amp's current draw. Puzu, Kicker, any powered sub. That's a big nope from me.

 

[nandesho]

Where did you end up mounting your puzu? I've read some people put it under the seats and others seem to leave it in the glove box.

Also, are you running a powered sub? At least for the Rockville one I'm looking at I'd need to run a remote wire along with the RCAs. It looks like the puzu harness has an acceptable place to tap for that signal, but have not seen a write up from anyone regarding where that one goes. Trying hard not to cut any factory wiring.

I mounted the Puzu amp in the large void directly under the rotary gear selector. It is easy to access too, pop off the panel on the passenger side of the center console and take a peek in.

I, again choosing the cheap & easy way out, used a Rockville SS8P powered sub. I think as a whole (Puzu + DB front door and tweeters + SS8P) its a very crisp/clear and 'tight' audio system. Although it has nothing on the punishingly-loud-at-all-volumes bass that the Lariat B&O system does.
The Puzu remote wire works for my SS8P properly. No pops or other odd noises when powering on/off. I ran the RCA wires under the trim along the door sills on the passenger side. I just pushed it under with a trim panel tool.

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