TeeMart1984

Member
First Name
Terrence
Joined
Apr 9, 2021
Threads
1
Messages
12
Reaction score
47
Location
Frisco, TX
Vehicles
2021 Mustang Mach E AWD
Occupation
Painter
Country flag
Having the entire system pulled in mine. Found out today that the fantastic, award winning sound bar only houses two very small tweeters. Also disturbing to find was the sub in back is ported through a hole in the wheel well. The technician was in shock that the sub placement and porting the airflow to outside of the car was done that way by Ford. Said heā€™d never seen anything like that. Will post pics when I get them. Thank goodness for that $7500 tax credit.
Sponsored

 
OP
OP
markboris

markboris

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Nov 13, 2019
Threads
26
Messages
2,657
Reaction score
5,546
Location
Sonora, CA
Vehicles
_______ '20 Shelby GT500 FPB '21 Mach-E GTPE IS
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
Having the entire system pulled in mine. Found out today that the fantastic, award winning sound bar only houses two very small tweeters. Also disturbing to find was the sub in back is ported through a hole in the wheel well. The technician was in shock that the sub placement and porting the airflow to outside of the car was done that way by Ford. Said heā€™d never seen anything like that. Will post pics when I get them. Thank goodness for that $7500 tax credit.
Last month I started a thread about the design of the sub and this is what led me to install a better one. https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/can-someone-explain-this-odd-subwoofer-design.5409/
 

trutolife27

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2020
Threads
127
Messages
3,266
Reaction score
13,885
Location
Bourbon Country.
Vehicles
Lincoln mkx , Ford f-150, Mache
Country flag
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. Iā€™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 donā€™t need to turn it up too loud. Speaking of volume, the amp in this car measures about 5ā€x5ā€ and powers all the speakers. I am pretty sure it isnā€™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 90ā€™s. No, I have no affiliation with them but Iā€™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 8ā€ with built in amp all the way up to dual 12ā€ 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 8ā€ 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 10ā€ PowerWedge+ with built in 400 watt RMS amp. I chose this because of the requirements above. Height is only 5ā€ 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 Iā€™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 doesnā€™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 Iā€™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 3/8ā€ 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 driverā€™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. Itā€™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 carā€™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 Ā½ 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 isnā€™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

IMG_42771900.jpg


IMG_42801900.jpg


IMG_42751900.jpg


IMG_43071900.jpg


IMG_43081900.jpg


IMG_43091900.jpg


IMG_43061900.jpg


IMG_42941900.jpg


IMG_43101900.jpg


IMG_44231900.jpg


IMG_44191900.jpg


IMG_42901900.jpg


IMG_42861900.jpg


IMG_44141900.jpg


IMG_44261900.jpg
This right here is overkill for me. But you did an awesome job. Can't say enough how well a post this is. 10 likes.
 

louibluey

Well-Known Member
First Name
Joe
Joined
Dec 21, 2020
Threads
60
Messages
888
Reaction score
1,097
Location
NY
Vehicles
FE "Louibluey" GB
Occupation
retired
Country flag
I copied Mark's project, pretty much following his directions, and pestering him on PM with question. The results are really impressive. If you need neighborhood thumping rap, this is the wrong mod, but if you just want more accurate sound with some decent bass, it is perfect.

I was surprised how good the other speakers sound in my FE. My impression of the demo on tour was terrible audio, but my FE is great, at least as OEM car audio goes.

Totally agree with @69Mach390, most of my post speaker change outs gave much improved audio, but once, it was almost worse with the stock amp.
 

SebastienMachE

Well-Known Member
First Name
Sebastien
Joined
Jun 28, 2020
Threads
7
Messages
171
Reaction score
169
Location
Quebec, Canada
Vehicles
Dodge Journey
Country flag
I couldn't agree more!

I just want it to sound as good as the Harmon Kardon system in my Mini Cooper Clubman. No high-end subwoofer with its own ampā€”just a better quality/sounding sub that will not only fit perfectly, but be compatible with the stock amp (same Ohms) to swap out with the B&O sub that comes with the Mach-E.
Same here! I would like to replace the original Speakers with better ones. Would that make the system better?
 


senbenito

New Member
First Name
srivers
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Threads
0
Messages
4
Reaction score
4
Location
Boulder, CO
Vehicles
MME Select SR AWD
Occupation
WebDev
Country flag
... The colored wires you need for the Left Rear speaker is Gray/Violet +, Brown/Green - and the Right Rear speaker is Green/Violet +, Gray -.
say Mark, would the wires to tap into the front door speakers be the same color code do you suppose?
 
OP
OP
markboris

markboris

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Nov 13, 2019
Threads
26
Messages
2,657
Reaction score
5,546
Location
Sonora, CA
Vehicles
_______ '20 Shelby GT500 FPB '21 Mach-E GTPE IS
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
say Mark, would the wires to tap into the front door speakers be the same color code do you suppose?
No definitely not. Iā€™m not home right now but when I return later tonight I can give you the wire colors for the front door speakers if you want.
 
OP
OP
markboris

markboris

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Nov 13, 2019
Threads
26
Messages
2,657
Reaction score
5,546
Location
Sonora, CA
Vehicles
_______ '20 Shelby GT500 FPB '21 Mach-E GTPE IS
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
say Mark, would the wires to tap into the front door speakers be the same color code do you suppose?
I am really sorry but completely forgot to get back to you on the color wires for the front door speakers. The wiring for the front door speakers originate at the B&O amp behind the right rear quarter panel which is just above the factory sub. From there they are in the large wiring looms that run under the kick panels on each side of the car up to the connection on the body where the door wiring connects to. Wire colors for the Front door speakers are: Left speaker + White, - White/Brown, Right speaker + White/Violet, - White/Orange. These speaker wire colors are from the amp, all the way up to the door. Once they come into the door, they change colors going to the speakers but doubt you need those colors as you will be picking up the audio before it gets into the doors.
 

Dear1nc

Well-Known Member
First Name
Nick
Joined
Jun 7, 2021
Threads
4
Messages
140
Reaction score
165
Location
South Lyon, Mi
Vehicles
Mach E GT PE
Country flag
Update: For those who want even more bass (louder and deeper), the 12" version of the JL Audio PowerWedge+ sub/amp is also an option. It is $50 more and even though it is longer and wider, it will still fit down in the sunken area below the cargo floor. However it is also 2" taller so the cargo floor must stay in the upper position. Below is a photo of the 12" PowerWedge+.

IMG_4448.jpeg
Great post! I have had an aftermarket sub and amp in all of my cars since I was 17. I Thin the 12 inch JL is going in my cart!
 

Dear1nc

Well-Known Member
First Name
Nick
Joined
Jun 7, 2021
Threads
4
Messages
140
Reaction score
165
Location
South Lyon, Mi
Vehicles
Mach E GT PE
Country flag
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. Iā€™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 donā€™t need to turn it up too loud. Speaking of volume, the amp in this car measures about 5ā€x5ā€ and powers all the speakers. I am pretty sure it isnā€™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 90ā€™s. No, I have no affiliation with them but Iā€™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 8ā€ with built in amp all the way up to dual 12ā€ 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 8ā€ 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 10ā€ PowerWedge+ with built in 400 watt RMS amp. I chose this because of the requirements above. Height is only 5ā€ 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 Iā€™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 doesnā€™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 Iā€™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 3/8ā€ 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 driverā€™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. Itā€™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 carā€™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 Ā½ 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 isnā€™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

IMG_42771900.jpg


IMG_42801900.jpg


IMG_42751900.jpg


IMG_43071900.jpg


IMG_43081900.jpg


IMG_43091900.jpg


IMG_43061900.jpg


IMG_42941900.jpg


IMG_43101900.jpg


IMG_44231900.jpg


IMG_44191900.jpg


IMG_42901900.jpg


IMG_42861900.jpg


IMG_44141900.jpg


IMG_44261900.jpg
So you completely disconnected the factory sub? I wonder if it would be at all beneficial to leave the factory sub connected for that small boost in mid bass?

Also from the picture it looks like the 12" fills the entire indent in the floor there. Is that correct? It's hard to tell if its in it or hovering over it. Thanks!
 
OP
OP
markboris

markboris

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Nov 13, 2019
Threads
26
Messages
2,657
Reaction score
5,546
Location
Sonora, CA
Vehicles
_______ '20 Shelby GT500 FPB '21 Mach-E GTPE IS
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
So you completely disconnected the factory sub? I wonder if it would be at all beneficial to leave the factory sub connected for that small boost in mid bass?

Also from the picture it looks like the 12" fills the entire indent in the floor there. Is that correct? It's hard to tell if its in it or hovering over it. Thanks!
I doubt you would notice any difference in mid bass leaving the OEM sub connected. It has such little output. There would be no harm leaving it connected though.

The 12ā€ model fits down in the indent perfectly with a little space left on the left and right side of the indent. The cargo floor must be in the upper position as it is taller than the 10ā€ version.
 

mtxpert

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Jun 16, 2021
Threads
5
Messages
109
Reaction score
253
Location
Phoenix
Vehicles
21 Mach E
Occupation
IT
Country flag
I have some extra set of 4x13tw5v2 from my old blow through setup on my truck. I'm thinking a custom enclosure that will replace the cargo floor entirely and do a little amp rack and some metal mesh so I can still haul things. Should be a fun little build.
 
Last edited:

ManInBlack

Well-Known Member
First Name
Drew
Joined
May 29, 2021
Threads
4
Messages
78
Reaction score
196
Location
PA
Vehicles
Prem. Mach E SR AWD; Jeep Renegade Trailhawk
Occupation
Engineer
Country flag
I have some extra set of 4x13tw5v2 from my old blow through setup on my truck. I'm thinking a custom enclosure that will replace the cargo floor entirely and do a little camp rack and some metal mesh so I can still haul things. Should be a fun little build.
Please start a thread and post pictures when you are done!
 

RapidRedRoy

Member
First Name
Roy
Joined
Jun 8, 2021
Threads
0
Messages
11
Reaction score
9
Location
Colorado
Vehicles
2021 Mach-E; Rapid Red
Country flag
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. Iā€™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 donā€™t need to turn it up too loud. Speaking of volume, the amp in this car measures about 5ā€x5ā€ and powers all the speakers. I am pretty sure it isnā€™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 90ā€™s. No, I have no affiliation with them but Iā€™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 8ā€ with built in amp all the way up to dual 12ā€ 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 8ā€ 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 10ā€ PowerWedge+ with built in 400 watt RMS amp. I chose this because of the requirements above. Height is only 5ā€ 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 Iā€™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 doesnā€™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 Iā€™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 3/8ā€ 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 driverā€™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. Itā€™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 carā€™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 Ā½ 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 isnā€™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

IMG_42771900.jpg


IMG_42801900.jpg


IMG_42751900.jpg


IMG_43071900.jpg


IMG_43081900.jpg


IMG_43091900.jpg


IMG_43061900.jpg


IMG_42941900.jpg


IMG_43101900.jpg


IMG_44231900.jpg


IMG_44191900.jpg


IMG_42901900.jpg


IMG_42861900.jpg


IMG_44141900.jpg


IMG_44261900.jpg
Great write-up! Did you just rip into the panels and dash, or did you find a diagram somewhere? My dash speaker just became extremely distorted so I want to see if I can open it up and see if itā€™s the speaker itself or an electrical glitch but Iā€™m too nervous to try prying stuff blindly.
 
 




Top