Thanks for the info! I forget the color I connected to, but no fuses have been blown yet since install. Gauge is certainly smaller than amp specifies as ideal but no issues.
Yeah it's a bit of a pain, I used plastic pry tools to kind of get underneath there. It does come off parallel with the ground. You don't have to lift up. I think there were three or four clips right below that window in the central area.
I think I mentioned it earlier but I did try this. The volume was much lower, I don't think it would give you what you're looking for. If there was a separate base control it might work but we don't have that.