Mach1E

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Of course. The point is you can't hear the stock subwoofer very well if the fade is even between front and back. It's not that the stock sub can't go low, it just lacks volume.

Edit: "Low" is relative. Mark and I DM'd about this and he has measured the output of the stock subwoofer. It drops off significantly under 60 Hz, while the JL one does not. @markboris, do you want to clarify this so my post is not misleading? Thanks!
It really lacks all of the above.

It’s ok for a factory sub. But it doesn’t hit loud, isn’t full sounding, doesn’t hit low and isn’t particularly clear.

Pretty much any aftermarket option is a significant upgrade.

Even the smallest/cheapest aftermarket sub (like an Infinity basslink) will significantly outperform the factory “sub.”
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mkhuffman

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It really lacks all of the above.

It’s ok for a factory sub. But it doesn’t hit loud, isn’t full sounding, doesn’t hit low and isn’t particularly clear.

Pretty much any aftermarket option is a significant upgrade.

Even the smallest/cheapest aftermarket sub (like an Infinity basslink) will significantly outperform the factory “sub.”
I was thinking about getting an Infinity Basslink Mini and putting it under the driver's seat. It has really good reviews on Crutchfield.
 

Mach1E

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I was thinking about getting an Infinity Basslink Mini and putting it under the driver's seat. It has really good reviews on Crutchfield.
If you’re looking for just a modest upgrade in bass….. without a need for the chest pounding/wake up the neighbors kinda sub…….. people seem to love the basslink.

To be honest, my JL ported 10” is way overkill for the factory speakers. At half gain, half bass, and halfway up on the remote bass control, it easily keeps up with the factory speakers. Anything higher and the bass overpowers the highs.

But I love the JL. I really like deep deep bass (around 30 hz) that you can hear and feel.

Have an SVS PB2000 pro sub for my home theater and you can feel it as much as you can hear it.
 

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…when using the 10" PowerWedge + sub, while it does allow you to lower the floor, it does touch the grill on the sub keeping the rear part of the floor up almost 1".
Could you tell me if you tried the sub without the grill? Assuming I put spacers to keep the floor from bending down, I’m wondering if the woofer would still have room to move.

If not, could you tell me the depth of the mounting ring alone and also the total depth of the ring+grill?
By my measurements the max depth of the whole thing should not exceed 5-5/8”

Unless the grill+ring is 1 and 5/8 inch, not sure why your floor sticks up to much.

Thoughts on tw3 speaker? (I think the 14” height won’t fit. )
 

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Could you tell me if you tried the sub without the grill? Assuming I put spacers to keep the floor from bending down, I’m wondering if the woofer would still have room to move.

If not, could you tell me the depth of the mounting ring alone and also the total depth of the ring+grill?
By my measurements the max depth of the whole thing should not exceed 5-5/8”

Unless the grill+ring is 1 and 5/8 inch, not sure why your floor sticks up to much.

Thoughts on tw3 speaker? (I think the 14” height won’t fit. )
Found the grill spec. Total protrusion is .87. I can assume that without the grill the ring would maybe be half that. No more than 1/2in. The only question left then, does the woofer extend more than 1/8” past the ring??
 


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markboris

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Found the grill spec. Total protrusion is .87. I can assume that without the grill the ring would maybe be half that. No more than 1/2in. The only question left then, does the woofer extend more than 1/8” past the ring??
Hi Robert, I just measured the height of the JL 10" sub box at 5 3/16" and the grill protrudes above that just about 7/8" so total is about 6".

I probably should have been a bit more clear in explaining why this 10" JL sub does not fit flush with the cargo floor in the lower position in my GTPE when it did fit just fine in my Premium. I sound deadened both cars which included removing the carpeted lower cargo liner and adding dynamat and 1/4" dynapad then reinstalling the cargo liner. Those three materials together are 1/2". In the Premium I cut out all that material the size of the sub box allowing it to drop down 1/2". In the GTPE I did not cut it out so it is higher and the cargo floor hits the top of the grill.

You won't want to remove the grill as the excursion of the woofer cone gets very close to the grill when fully extended. While that does not happen often, I think it is safer to keep the grill on at all times. I hope this answers you question.

IMG_2998.jpeg


IMG_2997.jpeg
 

Rpgonzalez

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Hi Robert, I just measured the height of the JL 10" sub box at 5 3/16" and the grill protrudes above that just about 7/8" so total is about 6".

I probably should have been a bit more clear in explaining why this 10" JL sub does not fit flush with the cargo floor in the lower position in my GTPE when it did fit just fine in my Premium. I sound deadened both cars which included removing the carpeted lower cargo liner and adding dynamat and 1/4" dynapad then reinstalling the cargo liner. Those three materials together are 1/2". In the Premium I cut out all that material the size of the sub box allowing it to drop down 1/2". In the GTPE I did not cut it out so it is higher and the cargo floor hits the top of the grill.

You won't want to remove the grill as the excursion of the woofer cone gets very close to the grill when fully extended. While that does not happen often, I think it is safer to keep the grill on at all times. I hope this answers you question.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997
That helps so so much I appreciate it! You’re the best!

for future readers though… I’m not sure if anything changed in the trunk area since your premium, but I shaved my box down to 6” exactly and removed the carpet. It’s still too high by about 1/2”.
 

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EDIT: Deal is gone. If you are following this thread and DONT have a TW1 box yet, I just scored one from sonic electronix for 25% off…

Ill also let you know if this is an upgrade from my kicker CompRT. This sub was perfect for my Model 3, but doesn't quite hit as hard in the larger MME.
 
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Rpgonzalez

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WARNING: This is a long winded write up of my very simple, easy and fairly inexpensive upgrade for the sub bass of the Mach-E audio system. Once I started typing, I figured I would explain also why I did it not just how I did it.

A couple of days ago, I had no intentions on upgrading the lack of low end bass in the Mach-E. The sound inside this car is decent. Not great and not bad. I have upgraded many, many cars and trucks in the last 51 years I have been driving. I currently have three other vehicles that have much better sound systems that I have upgraded and I drive all of them about equally, except the GT500.

I was finishing up my sound deadening project on the Mach-E (one on of the first things I do to any vehicle besides changing wheels and tires) and in the last trim panel I removed, came across the pathetic, cheap, 6x9 paper cone subwoofer, if you can call it that. I thought to myself, this has got to go. Some cars I revamp the entire system and limit myself to between $5000-$8000 and others I just change out the sub and call it a day. The Mach-E is one of those. I’ve had all the door panels off and even the dash soundbar cover and the speakers in this car are not of the highest quality but they sound decent and get the job done especially if you don’t need to turn it up too loud. Speaking of volume, the amp in this car measures about 5”x5” and powers all the speakers. I am pretty sure it isn’t very powerful so the speakers are obviously very efficient.

My go to sub and sub amp manufacturer is JL Audio. I have been installing their equipment since the early 90’s. No, I have no affiliation with them but I’ve just been a happy customer for all these years. There are many good subs out there and JL is not the only one for sure but they have never let me down and make a quality product here in the US. I also use their subs for my home theaters. They start at $900 and go up to $16,500!!

Back to the Mach-E sub install, I could have gone all different routes. Small 8” with built in amp all the way up to dual 12” subs with a separate amp. This car does not warrant or need that much volume as it would certainly overpower the rest of the system and you are just wasting money. As it is, even the 8” lower powered sub JL makes would be 10x louder and have a lower range than the OEM sub.

While I had a lot of options, I also had a few requirements. 1. Wanted to be able to continue to use the cargo floor in both the upper and lower position in case I needed the extra space. I normally keep the cargo floor in the upper position so it is easier for me to take things in and out and it gives me the room under the floor to have quite a bit of air space for the bass sound to come out thorough the back seats. I can still store the charge cords, electrical air pump, portable battery charger/starter, rags, cleaners, polish, etc. 2. Ease of install. Really no need to install a sub and separate amp as there is more mounting and wiring to do and not really necessary for this system. 3. Cost. While I have no problem spending any amount of money on this project, again unless I were to revamp the entire system, it is not worth it.

JL makes all kinds and sizes of subs and you can usually find something that fits your application. I prefer a sub with a sealed enclosure because I like tight, accurate bass. While sealed enclosures are not as efficient, it will have more than enough volume for this system. Ported enclosures are much more efficient but at the expense of being a boomy and less accurate. This also depends on the type of music you listen to. Classical, Rock and Pop, you probably want a sealed enclosure. Rap and electronic music you might want the ported enclosure. I listen to mainly Rock, Pop and Country.

My sub of choice for the Mach-E was the JL Audio ACS110LG-TW1 Single 10” PowerWedge+ with built in 400 watt RMS amp. I chose this because of the requirements above. Height is only 5” so fits with the cargo floor to the lower position. It has a built in amp so all wiring (only four wires plus volume control cable) terminate at the sub. Cost is $520 for the sub/amp. I did buy the optional remote volume control which I always do with their subs so I can adjust the volume depending on the music I’m listening to. The RBC-1 remote volume control is $45. Total cost including wiring and power fuse was around $610.

Before I removed the OEM sub, I wanted to test the loudness and frequency that it added to the rest of the system. I was sure it was not much but it actually does add some, just not as much as I would like in the lower frequencies which is what the job of a SUBWOOFER is supposed to do. Adjusting the bass setting in the sound settings of the Mach-E actually is controlling more mid-bass and it is centered around 125 Hz. Now after the install I have two controls, the Mach-E mid bass setting and the JL sub bass setting which is centered around 50 Hz.

I set the volume at 15, all three eq settings flat and pumped some pink noise through the system via an app on my iPhone. The analyzer was set to 80db. I was surprised to see how nice and flat the midrange was and the high end looked good too (it is supposed to have a roll off like it shows). In the first two photos of the spectrum analyzer, the first one is without the OEM sub, second one with it. There is only a 2.5 db difference with and without. While it is something, that is not much. As I suspected, most of the bass in this system is coming from the four door speakers. Adding in the OEM sub, just adds a bit more volume to the bass and doesn’t add any more to the low frequencies. The third analyzer photo is after adding the JL sub. Now of course I have the remote volume control and can vary the output but what is more important is the low end frequency. 31.5 Hz is now much higher than it was before and there is also a little more at 63 Hz all with very little effect on the higher bass frequencies. The final analyzer photo is what I ended up with after setting the bass eq of the car up +2 to remove the dip at 250 Hz.

In the past I’ve taken many photos while doing mods on my cars but in the last few years have gotten lazy but mostly forget to do it. Below are a few photos I did take while working on this. Removed the panels and storage bin in the frunk to gain access to the positive terminal of the battery. Ran the blue 8 gauge wire from the terminal to a fuse that I zip tied to the negative battery wire. It was a good location for the fuse and if I ever need to access it I only have to remove the one panel across the back. In one of the large rubber boots in the firewall with a large bundle of wiring going into the interior, there was an area that looked like it was intended for more wires but closed off. I made a small cut in that rubber area and again made another one on the inside of the firewall under the dash to allow the wire to come through (it is a double wall boot). Ran the 12+V wire down behind the left side kick panel, under both front and rear kick plates and to the rear cargo area.

I removed the right trim panel in the cargo area in front of the OEM sub and disconnected the wires to the sub. Attached an 18 gauge speaker wire to the two wires that were going to the sub for my audio input to the JL amp. Green/Violet + and Gray -. Just above the OEM sub is the B&O amp and to the left of it is a ground to the metal wheel well. I also used this grounding point to attach my 8 gauge ground wire for the JL amp.

Next was mounting the remote bass volume control. There are several places in the Mach-E to do this but I generally like to mount the control where I can easily adjust it without reaching to the dash or taking my eyes off the road. I found the perfect spot at the front of the console. The console cover that has the shifter dial and parking brake switch just unsnaps and lifts up. I drilled a 3/8” hole and mounted the control. It is easily adjustable using just one finger and you cannot see the control while seated unless you move the seat all the way forward. Ran the 18' cable along under the left side of the console then under the driver’s carpet then along the underside of the kick panels to the back and popped through the hole I had made for the other wires in corner of the padded floor.

The sub box fits nicely in the area that was occupied by the styrofoam container that housed the air pump and charging cords. I did not bolt down the sub box as being 20 lbs. it is decently heavy and does not slide at all because of the carpeted box on top of the padded floor. The two materials together are like Velcro. It’s not going anywhere especially since there is a cargo floor and a very heavy Lloyds custom fitted carpet above it. I still have room for all the stuff I had below the floor and now there is a real subwoofer too. If I want to drop the cargo floor down to the lower level, I do have to remove the charge cords and roll of paper towels. On the lower level, the cargo floor actually sits on the grill of the subwoofer which sticks up about 3/4". I can remove the grill and then the floor would be flat as it was before but I'd rather keep the grill on the woofer.

How I have the levels and controls set up: The car’s EQ is set to plus 3 on the treble (I like it a bit brighter on the top end), left the midrange alone and bumped up the bass +2 to bring up the 250 Hz that was lacking a bit. On the sub amp I have the input level set half way, crossover frequency set at 50 Hz. The remote sub volume is set around ½ way which sounds about right for most tracks I listened to . That means since I have the input level on the amp 1/2 way up and the remote volume 1/2 way up, I am using about 1/4 of the volume the sub can put out to match the audio of the OEM system. Tons of volume in reserve if I wanted to produce some rap bass for everyone to hear down the block. The turn on power for the amp is set when it sees an audio signal. I may have to change this if it drains the battery. Have had that happen in the RS if the car supplies signal to the sub for various reasons even when the car isn’t on. I can pull and ignition wire from the B&O amp for the turn on if that is the case.

Ok, done boring everyone with something that could have probably been written in two paragraphs. ?

UPDATE: I posted if using the 12" JL Audio PowerWedge+ sub amp on this post. #14

Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997


Ford Mustang Mach-E Adding a decent subwoofer/amp to your Mach-E IMG_2997
Just got my 10” Powerwedge+ In the mail. Holy crap, what a beast. Definitely out SPL’s my kicker in Amazon box. One thing, without the bass knob the level is really hot even at 0. Might still use my lc2i
 
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Just got my 10” Powerwedge+ In the mail. Holy crap, what a beast. Definitely out SPL’s my kicker in Amazon box. One thing, without the bass knob the level is really hot even at 0. Might still use my lc2i
For a small sub, that thing really does pump out the bass. I always recommend the remote volume control. Mainly because I seem to vary the bass between artists and sometimes tracks.
 

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For a small sub, that thing really does pump out the bass. I always recommend the remote volume control. Mainly because I seem to vary the bass between artists and sometimes tracks.
I am very very much like that. Which is why I literally can’t have a bass knob… I fuss with the damn thing so constantly I feel like a tweaker. I also tend to leave the knob in the car I’m trading, and I do that every 6mon - 2 years.
Anyway, with the LC2i, I can set gain boost to kick in at a certain volume. In the mach-e, I have it set to 18. So if the song needs a boost, I crank to 19, if I’m chillin I set to 17.
 

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I pulled the trigger on the 10" JL and will have it installed this weekend. I just got the 21P22 update done by my dealer and I think it may have included the DSP update or they did it as an extra update. The overall sound seems to have improved quite a bit including the bass. Cranking some bass heavy tunes today after getting my MME back, I noticed a rattle coming from the back of the car. It seems to be emanating from the upper part of the liftgate. I still want the 10" JL because the bass will definitely still be improved, but I'm a little concerned that the rattle will be even more pronounced. It's already very distracting. I'm wondering how I can eliminate the rattle. Will I need to disassemble the liftgate and fill it with sound deadening material? About how much would an installer charge to do that?

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Stupid question (maybe) can you upgrade a mach e selects audio system?
 

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@markboris For those less ambitious of us, do you see any issue with just taping into the fuse box in the passenger footwell for a smaller subwoofer? I just picked up an openbox kicker HS8 that is only 150W. thanks for any insight you might have and thanks for all the great information you have provided so far in this long thread.
 

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@markboris For those less ambitious of us, do you see any issue with just taping into the fuse box in the passenger footwell for a smaller subwoofer? I just picked up an openbox kicker HS8 that is only 150W. thanks for any insight you might have and thanks for all the great information you have provided so far in this long thread.
150W? might as well use the 12V in the trunk. The amp will pull 10A-12A and the 12V is good for 20A.
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