Adding a real subwoofer w/amp to your Mach-E

[markboris]

Thank you for clarifying everything, it's greatly appreciated.
I just finished the job and it's fantastic!!!!
I'm using a Rockford Fosgate p300 8 inch. I decided on this sub vs others because it runs on 15A and, as such, I connected it to the 12V lighter plug that's in the trunk.
It won't turn off though.. ?

Did you sent the "Auto Turn On" switch to "Audio" on your Fosgate amp?

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[GCC_mtl]

Yeah, it's on audio.
I'm surprised the 12V plug still supplies even if the car is off.
If the sub isn't producing sound, how much juice is it using ? Is this really a concern?

 

[mkhuffman]

Yeah, it's on audio.
I'm surprised the 12V plug still supplies even if the car is off.
If the sub isn't producing sound, how much juice is it using ? Is this really a concern?

I am pretty sure the 12V outlet only has power for about 2 minutes after the car turns off. Turn off the car and come back five minutes later and check your amp. I think it will be off.

 

[Zman1750]

Well folks, despite a successful install of the Kicker HS10 already, @Mach-Jay finally got to me with all his talk of successfully wiring the 12” Powerwedge+ to the 12V power outlet. After a few questions back and forth, I decided to pull the trigger on one since my HS10 was still in the return window.

This thing HITS. I thought the HS10 was a massive upgrade to the stock system but this Powerwedge+ 12” is definitely the real deal, and to me, definitely worth the extra money. Mainly, it goes so much lower and can really vibrate your entire chest vs the kicker 10” which is mainly those harder thumps. This PW+ 12” is also significantly more linear with its bass response.

Some notes on the install:

• I swapped the fuse on the sub from a 30A to a 20A to match the fuse rating of the 12v outlet. I’m hoping this will protect the outlet fuse in case of issues
• No issues at all so far wired to the 12v, but I’m never going to run this thing nearly as high as it’ll go. I do listen to pretty much everything including bass-heavy stuff like rap and edm, but never at super high volumes
• It fits very nice and snuggly in the carpeted cutout after removing the foam holder. You’ve even gotta rock it a bit to get it in after replacing the trim piece. It makes you confident that it’s not moving around without any hardware or Velcro
• Cargo floor obviously has to go in the upper position, but there’s plenty of space once you move it up, and you still have room to store the charger and accessories around it
• If you need the cargo floor lowered, there’s two quick disconnects for the speaker inputs and the power/ground that can easily be pulled so you can move the sub
• 50% input sensitivity seemed pretty hot to me even with no EQ on my source and the bass in the vehicle settings set to the middle

My preferred settings so far:

• EQ in car: Treble @ +70%. Mid @ +10%. Bass in the middle (+0)
• Phase 180
• Turn on: DC
• Input Sensitivity: 3.75/10
• Crossover: 75
• Max volume I’ve pushed in the car: 15

I did not purchase the bass knob because I don’t like to fiddle. Overall I’m super happy I decided to upgrade. I’ll be sure to post if I run into any issues with it wired to the 12v. Obviously it’s the easy choice and not the safe one, so your mileage may vary.

 

[Mach-Jay]

Yeah, it's on audio.
I'm surprised the 12V plug still supplies even if the car is off.
If the sub isn't producing sound, how much juice is it using ? Is this really a concern?

I am pretty sure the 12v turns off eventually - I agree that it does not shut off right away. When I get in the car and turn it on after a certain amount of time, I hear a small "pop" of the sub turning on

 

[markboris]

Well folks, despite a successful install of the Kicker HS10 already, @Mach-Jay finally got to me with all his talk of successfully wiring the 12” Powerwedge+ to the 12V power outlet. After a few questions back and forth, I decided to pull the trigger on one since my HS10 was still in the return window.

This thing HITS. I thought the HS10 was a massive upgrade to the stock system but this Powerwedge+ 12” is definitely the real deal, and to me, definitely worth the extra money. Mainly, it goes so much lower and can really vibrate your entire chest vs the kicker 10” which is mainly those harder thumps. This PW+ 12” is also significantly more linear with its bass response.

Some notes on the install:

• I swapped the fuse on the sub from a 30A to a 20A to match the fuse rating of the 12v outlet. I’m hoping this will protect the outlet fuse in case of issues
• No issues at all so far wired to the 12v, but I’m never going to run this thing nearly as high as it’ll go. I do listen to pretty much everything including bass-heavy stuff like rap and edm, but never at super high volumes
• It fits very nice and snuggly in the carpeted cutout after removing the foam holder. You’ve even gotta rock it a bit to get it in after replacing the trim piece. It makes you confident that it’s not moving around without any hardware or Velcro
• Cargo floor obviously has to go in the upper position, but there’s plenty of space once you move it up, and you still have room to store the charger and accessories around it
• If you need the cargo floor lowered, there’s two quick disconnects for the speaker inputs and the power/ground that can easily be pulled so you can move the sub
• 50% input sensitivity seemed pretty hot to me even with no EQ on my source and the bass in the vehicle settings set to the middle

My preferred settings so far:

• EQ in car: Treble @ +70%. Mid @ +10%. Bass in the middle (+0)
• Phase 180
• Turn on: DC
• Input Sensitivity: 3.75/10
• Crossover: 75
• Max volume I’ve pushed in the car: 15

I did not purchase the bass knob because I don’t like to fiddle. Overall I’m super happy I decided to upgrade. I’ll be sure to post if I run into any issues with it wired to the 12v. Obviously it’s the easy choice and not the safe one, so your mileage may vary.

Hey Zach, glad you are happy with the PW+12. As you can see this thread is coming up on two years and as stated in my first post, I went with the PW+10 so as to have the option to raise and lower the rear cargo floor. However, after having the car for a few months, I decided it wasn't necessary for me to lower the floor plus having it in the upper position I had a few advantages. I can store a ton of stuff under the floor like the Ford supplied EV charger, First Aid Kit, Flares, Tire inflater kit, cleaning supplies, paper towels, rags, etc. Also, when I transport large items, the the cargo floor is level with the rear seat backs folded down.

That said, a few months later I switched to the PW+12 and never looked back. I've had many discussions with members on all different subs plus differences between the PW+10 and 12 and you hit the nail on the head and what I have said several times. The main advantage of the 12 is it goes much lower in frequency and is more liner. Doesn't have as much of a bump around 60 Hz. Don't get me wrong, the PW+10 is a massive upgrade to the stock subwoofer and is the most versatile beings you can raise and lower the cargo floor, however the 12 is the icing on the cake.

Your preferred settings are very similar to mine and wanted to comment on some things. Your EQ settings are Treble +70, Mid +10, Bass +0, Mine are Treble +60, Mid +20, Bass +0. Everyone has different hearing of course plus we all listen to different types of music but you are the first person I've come across with similar settings. About the phase, I had gone back and forth between 0˚ and 180˚ and found while there is more output set at 180˚ it is more the mid-bass since the sub is not interfering with the door speakers but there is actually less deep bass. I now keep my sub at 0˚. I have my turn on same as yours (DC) and my sensitivity is at 50% but I do have the remote volume control and while I know you don't like to fiddle, I highly recommend you put one in. I play a wide variety of music and some have way too much bass and some it is almost non existent and it sure is nice to be able to instantly change that. Your crossover is set to 75 Hz and mine is at 50 Hz. With a shallow filter slope of 12 dB/octave, any higher than 50 Hz starts to accentuate that 60 Hz bump I don't like. Of course some people do like it but I like a smoother response. I have mentioned before I push my maximum volume quite high. It does depend on the source input and music being played but I have no problem playing a lot of it between 20-25 (only when it's my self in the car).

There are many, many subs out there and many that blow away the PW+12. It certainly is not the best sub you can buy nor does it come close to the best I have ever had BUT I think for the stock Mach-E system, having a sub that fits (snugly) into the lower area of the cargo floor and being completely invisible, with such an easy install, it is the best one for this car. I use to install car audio on the weekends back in the 80's and 90's. I made so many sub boxes to fit the specific needs of vehicles it wasn't funny. I've ripped out many so called "high end" audio systems in cars and completely started over as Randy (ElectrikPony) is doing with the Mach-E (looking forward to see his final build). My final two cars I did this with were my '14 Escape and '16 Focus RS. I am very partial to Focal separates (only the ones made in France, not China), Marconi amps and of course JL Audio for the subs. In both cars had to work with the digital signals coming from the Sync systems which was more of a challenge than usual but ended up with a very satisfying sound system. Everything I do has to be completely invisible and look like a stock system. It's just the way I like it. At 68 I am no longer revamping systems like this in my cars. In my GT500 all I did was replace the B&O sub with a JL Stealth 12" and added a separate JL mono amp and of course both Mach-E's got the JL PowerWedge+ 12's. While the B&O systems in both my cars can be improved on, the biggest deficiency is the bass and there was no way I was going to live with the OEM sub in either car. Once you improve the bass and tweak the EQ, it's not a bad sounding system at all. Spending $700 for the PW+12 sub and remote volume is much cheaper than the $4K-$6K I normally spend on my vehicle audio upgrades.

 

[SXBB]

I got my car back from the HVBJB replacement and am having trouble with my 10" Subwoofer. Initially I noticed that the sub wasn't working. I checked the fuse & it was blown. I tried to inserrt a fuse & it blew in my hand. Pulled the harness and inserted another fuse, re-inserted the harness & it worked. Driving around for about 30 mins, I felt like the sub wasn't quite as strong as usual. I opend the floor to check it and found that the silver ring on the edge of the grill was very hot to the point that I could only touch it for a second before pulling my hand away. I spoke to the guy who installed it & he wasn't too concerned. Later I started smelling the aroma of cooking insulation or enclosure. The sub looks ok and is working fine but, it was putting off so much heat, I think the bottom of the floor above it was getting cooked. If I leave the floor open to increase air circulation around the sub, I don't smell anything cooking, but the edge of the grill still gets very hot after about 30mins of running it at a relatively loud volume. I'm not sure what to think at this point. I won't run it with the floor closed until resolving this. Have any others had this problem with the 10" JL sub? Would the 12" get less hot? Not crazy about possibly having to add circulating fans...

Thanks,

Bruce

 

[Mach-Jay]

I got my car back from the HVBJB replacement and am having trouble with my 10" Subwoofer. Initially I noticed that the sub wasn't working. I checked the fuse & it was blown. I tried to inserrt a fuse & it blew in my hand. Pulled the harness and inserted another fuse, re-inserted the harness & it worked. Driving around for about 30 mins, I felt like the sub wasn't quite as strong as usual. I opend the floor to check it and found that the silver ring on the edge of the grill was very hot to the point that I could only touch it for a second before pulling my hand away. I spoke to the guy who installed it & he wasn't too concerned. Later I started smelling the aroma of cooking insulation or enclosure. The sub looks ok and is working fine but, it was putting off so much heat, I think the bottom of the floor above it was getting cooked. If I leave the floor open to increase air circulation around the sub, I don't smell anything cooking, but the edge of the grill still gets very hot after about 30mins of running it at a relatively loud volume. I'm not sure what to think at this point. I won't run it with the floor closed until resolving this. Have any others had this problem with the 10" JL sub? Would the 12" get less hot? Not crazy about possibly having to add circulating fans...

Thanks,

Bruce

Sounds like you have a short circuit somewhere. It should not get that hot. I'd unplug it until you find the cross connection

 

[markboris]

I got my car back from the HVBJB replacement and am having trouble with my 10" Subwoofer. Initially I noticed that the sub wasn't working. I checked the fuse & it was blown. I tried to inserrt a fuse & it blew in my hand. Pulled the harness and inserted another fuse, re-inserted the harness & it worked. Driving around for about 30 mins, I felt like the sub wasn't quite as strong as usual. I opend the floor to check it and found that the silver ring on the edge of the grill was very hot to the point that I could only touch it for a second before pulling my hand away. I spoke to the guy who installed it & he wasn't too concerned. Later I started smelling the aroma of cooking insulation or enclosure. The sub looks ok and is working fine but, it was putting off so much heat, I think the bottom of the floor above it was getting cooked. If I leave the floor open to increase air circulation around the sub, I don't smell anything cooking, but the edge of the grill still gets very hot after about 30mins of running it at a relatively loud volume. I'm not sure what to think at this point. I won't run it with the floor closed until resolving this. Have any others had this problem with the 10" JL sub? Would the 12" get less hot? Not crazy about possibly having to add circulating fans...

Thanks,

Bruce

I agree with Jay. Sounds like something is shorting. I have never heard of the grill getting even the slightest bit warm let along that hot where you cannot touch it. There is definitely something wrong. I would have another installer check it out throughly.

 

[Tscates1]

Thank you Mark for the awesome write up! Just put the 12 inch (fits like a glove!) and like a few others connected to the 12V power outlet (not planning on playing full volume). What an incredible improvement!

 

[Hammered]

...

See my thread post here -- thought you might find some interest in the little amp I came across
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/b-o-speaker-replacement-diy-write-up.23069/post-588238

 

[markboris]

See my thread here -- thought you might find some interest in the little amp I came across
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/b-o-speaker-replacement-diy-write-up.23069/post-588238

I've been reading your posts along with William's thread. My previous two cars (Fords) I gutted and installed all new components very similar to what you guys are doing. I'm not going this route with the Mach-E as I feel the system is a decent one after sound deadening the entire car, tweaking the EQ and adding a 12" sub. Not to mention I will only have the car another 2 years so really didn't see the need to spend money on an audio upgrade.

I looked at that little amp and it's similar to a Kenwood 6-channel DSP amp I used several times in the last 5 years. I don't think it's available anymore but what I really liked about it was you could log into the amp with your phone using bluetooth and change ANY setting on the fly. It was really a great feature and made the setup and adjustments super fast and easy.

 

[Hammered]

I've been reading your posts along with William's thread. My previous two cars (Fords) I gutted and installed all new components very similar to what you guys are doing. I'm not going this route with the Mach-E as I feel the system is a decent one after sound deadening the entire car, tweaking the EQ and adding a 12" sub. Not to mention I will only have the car another 2 years so really didn't see the need to spend money on an audio upgrade.

I looked at that little amp and it's similar to a Kenwood 6-channel DSP amp I used several times in the last 5 years. I don't think it's available anymore but what I really liked about it was you could log into the amp with your phone using bluetooth and change ANY setting on the fly. It was really a great feature and made the setup and adjustments super fast and easy.

Yeah, wireless setup/config would go a long way, especially since the little JBL has 10 presets to select from (even better would be its simple resistance remote having a push button to swap between presets)(the audio control remote knob allows for on the fly switching of DSP presets). One nice thing about the A2B converter device is that it comes with the factory speaker 'intercept' adapters to allow factory wiring to be retained. It comes with both the amp and head unit plugs allowing all factory wiring to be utilized which would be adequate for such a setup.

The adapters make it plug and play so that the amp and a2b can be pulled out quite easily for transfer into the replacement (if it's a ford), or just sold. The factory amp has a 20 amp fuse. My 'test' system is powered by a LFP battery and I didn't see the little JBL pull more than 120w. It averaged around 85w at 13.3v per the BMS. As for the D5.1300, I didn't see it pull more than 220w while driving speakers and sub, granted its refresh rate is ~1.5 seconds. With several hours of usage, probably 5 in total, I only pulled 30ah out of this LFP battery which I found surprising. It also includes a remote out that I'm going to use for switching the LFP's BMS's battery out on and off, as well as the amps.

Factory speaker harness intercept wires (fits 8, 10, and 18 channel B&O fords)

I hope to retain the factory's sliders for at least the bass control. W/ the audio control I'll hide the knob, but the F150's settings are faster to get to than the MME's so we'll just see how it goes once installed as to which is easier to manipulate. The a2b unit has a remote bass knob as well. Not sure it will be installed. I plan on setting and forgetting it once the 'chimes' are dialed in properly.

 

[Tscates1]

Thank you Mark for the awesome write up! Just put the 12 inch (fits like a glove!) and like a few others connected to the 12V power outlet (not planning on playing full volume). What an incredible improvement!

Just replaced the 30 amp fuse with a 15 amp. Figured since I'm hooked to the 20 amp power outlet in the back I should be saf(er) this way. Turned the bass all the way up and volume to 22 and no issue.

 

[Rpgonzalez]

Hey Zach, glad you are happy with the PW+12. As you can see this thread is coming up on two years and as stated in my first post, I went with the PW+10 so as to have the option to raise and lower the rear cargo floor. However, after having the car for a few months, I decided it wasn't necessary for me to lower the floor plus having it in the upper position I had a few advantages. I can store a ton of stuff under the floor like the Ford supplied EV charger, First Aid Kit, Flares, Tire inflater kit, cleaning supplies, paper towels, rags, etc. Also, when I transport large items, the the cargo floor is level with the rear seat backs folded down.

That said, a few months later I switched to the PW+12 and never looked back. I've had many discussions with members on all different subs plus differences between the PW+10 and 12 and you hit the nail on the head and what I have said several times. The main advantage of the 12 is it goes much lower in frequency and is more liner. Doesn't have as much of a bump around 60 Hz. Don't get me wrong, the PW+10 is a massive upgrade to the stock subwoofer and is the most versatile beings you can raise and lower the cargo floor, however the 12 is the icing on the cake.

Your preferred settings are very similar to mine and wanted to comment on some things. Your EQ settings are Treble +70, Mid +10, Bass +0, Mine are Treble +60, Mid +20, Bass +0. Everyone has different hearing of course plus we all listen to different types of music but you are the first person I've come across with similar settings. The big thing I wanted to talk about is the phase. Your's is at 180˚ and so is mine. I never mentioned this in my original post as I had yet to test it since I normally never have to change it. After more testing, I found the sub to be 180˚ out of phase with the stock system so set it for that. It gives a much smoother response and plays lower. I have mentioned it to several members when setting theirs up but never posted it here. Glad you did to remind me to mention it again. I have my turn on same as yours (DC) and my sensitivity is at 50% but I do have the remote volume control and while I know you don't like to fiddle, I highly recommend you put one in. I play a wide variety of music and some have way too much bass and some it is almost non existent and it sure is nice to be able to instantly change that. Your crossover is set to 75 Hz and mine is at 50 Hz. With a shallow filter slope of 12 dB/octave, any higher than 50 Hz starts to accentuate that 60 Hz bump I don't like. Of course some people do like it but I like a smoother response. I have mentioned before I push my maximum volume quite high. It does depend on the source input and music being played but I have no problem playing a lot of it between 20-25 (only when it's my self in the car).

There are many, many subs out there and many that blow away the PW+12. It certainly is not the best sub you can buy nor does it come close to the best I have ever had BUT I think for the stock Mach-E system, having a sub that fits (snugly) into the lower area of the cargo floor and being completely invisible, with such an easy install, it is the best one for this car. I use to install car audio on the weekends back in the 80's and 90's. I made so many sub boxes to fit the specific needs of vehicles it wasn't funny. I've ripped out many so called "high end" audio systems in cars and completely started over as Randy (ElectrikPony) is doing with the Mach-E (looking forward to see his final build). My final two cars I did this with were my '14 Escape and '16 Focus RS. I am very partial to Focal separates (only the ones made in France, not China), Marconi amps and of course JL Audio for the subs. In both cars had to work with the digital signals coming from the Sync systems which was more of a challenge than usual but ended up with a very satisfying sound system. Everything I do has to be completely invisible and look like a stock system. It's just the way I like it. At 68 I am no longer revamping systems like this in my cars. In my GT500 all I did was replace the B&O sub with a JL Stealth 12" and added a separate JL mono amp and of course both Mach-E's got the JL PowerWedge+ 12's. While the B&O systems in both my cars can be improved on, the biggest deficiency is the bass and there was no way I was going to live with the OEM sub in either car. Once you improve the bass and tweak the EQ, it's not a bad sounding system at all. Spending $700 for the PW+12 sub and remote volume is much cheaper than the $4K-$6K I normally spend on my vehicle audio upgrades.

My Settings:

+6 for Treble
+1 for Mid
IMO the B&O absolutely needs treble cranked. Who tuned this thing??

+5 for Bass (I like the stock system to pull some weight in the mid-bass)

Sub set about 60HZ. The Factory system does a good job at taking over the rest.

I thought I toyed with phase and decided that I didnt like 180 but I cant promise I didnt reverse the sub lead.

Lastly, Ive been using an LC2i because I thought even at min level the sub was too hot (perhaps because my bass eq is cranked)

I too have many decades of custom audio installs and I would say that the PW is better than many of the higher end (single) subs of the 90's. My Cadillac has 3 12" subs that can out-SPL the neighborhood, but the SQ on the PW is superior to that system and many of the subs Ive had in the past (mostly JL Audio and Image Dynamics)

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