factory subwoofer

[zap3nc]

looking for a picture of the factory subwoofer, and any other info about it...

i want to upgrade and would like to know if i can get the sub seperate, or at least

try to emulate the factory look as much as possible.

 

from reading the other post i was thinking of throwing these in too Kappa 682.7cf

but the CF reviews all say you really need a sub with them.

 

i have the 2008SE with the single disc +sync/sat

[JRavey]

looking for a picture of the factory subwoofer, and any other info about it...

i want to upgrade and would like to know if i can get the sub seperate, or at least

try to emulate the factory look as much as possible.

 

from reading the other post i was thinking of throwing these in too Kappa 682.7cf

but the CF reviews all say you really need a sub with them.

 

i have the 2008SE with the single disc +sync/sat

 

You'll absolutely want to upgrade the subwoofer in it, even with the audiophile system it is nothing to praise. If anybody knows good options for updating it, please let me know as well.

 

Addendum: I just spoke with Crutchfield and they said they have the Polk Audio 840DVC that will drop in there fine. That was the only drop-in option.

Edited June 27, 2008 by JRavey

[fraychild]

That makes two of us... If anyone has pictures of their factory subwoofer, I'd appreciate a picture as well -

 

Thanks!

[Loosecannon]

I just finished adding Infinity kappa's in all for door speakers, and had a custom box made, and put a JL 10W3V3 sub in the rear. Over all, it sounds fantastic. Very well balanced. Great mids and highs with the Infinity's. And i have a Rockford Fosgate Amp pushing the sub.

 

-Cannon

[Lex Talionis]

Addendum: I just spoke with Crutchfield and they said they have the Polk Audio 840DVC that will drop in there fine. That was the only drop-in option.

 

thinking of changing mine out since I did the Infinity's a bit back... starting to feel a little more bass might be nice. FYI, Crutchfiled now shows a lot of options it seems for subs.

 

What is the max size (8,10,12 incher) could drop right in back there in the stock enclosure with no modification? I know stock is 8", but how deep is stock depth and could you go bigger in the stock factory enclosure with say a 10" shallow?

 

And what specs (watts, best frequency range) would be run fine with the stock amp and Audophile system?

Edited September 8, 2008 by Lex Talionis

[Lex Talionis]

Crutchfield is saying that to do a new after-market sub you would really have to do a new amp. they claim you need at least 100 watts to an after market sub to "keep from damaging them".. anyone know how many watts our 190 watt Audiophile amp sends to the current stock sub? is that 190 watts peak power? they are talking about 4 ohm 2 voice coil is stock but in the end, really recommended not even fussing with it unless you also changed the amp at the same time as the subs are so reliant on the amp, versus speakers, the differenced noticed in swapping out would be negligible given what we are working with.

 

any thoughts to the contrary, or same. any real world sub swaps to report keeping the factory amp and Audiophile system that really made a noticable difference like speakers do? or are they right.. just not worth messing with.

Edited September 8, 2008 by Lex Talionis

[PrinzII]

I am researching this myself. I am most interested in the shallow subs so I can retain the stock appearance.

[PrinzII]

Crutchfield is saying that to do a new after-market sub you would really have to do a new amp. they claim you need at least 100 watts to an after market sub to "keep from damaging them".. anyone know how many watts our 190 watt Audiophile amp sends to the current stock sub? is that 190 watts peak power? they are talking about 4 ohm 2 voice coil is stock but in the end, really recommended not even fussing with it unless you also changed the amp at the same time as the subs are so reliant on the amp, versus speakers, the differenced noticed in swapping out would be negligible given what we are working with.

 

any thoughts to the contrary, or same. any real world sub swaps to report keeping the factory amp and Audiophile system that really made a noticable difference like speakers do? or are they right.. just not worth messing with.

 

Personally, I would just replace the amp, etc. One of the issues is that while the Audiophile system may be a 5 channel amp, it does kind of route a significant amount of power to the sub so that it meets that requirement. Problem is whether or not it will handle the impedance of the speakers you may want to purchase. Many factory amps are not known for matching the lower impedances of many aftermarket speakers. If it can't handle a lower impedance, you may wind up having thermal issues with the stock amp.

 

I also thought about getting a 5 channel amp but many of them are physically too big which would wind up compromising my stealth install and utility. Therefore, I am thinking about a 300w 4 ch amp and a 250w 1 ch amp for the sub. I may also consider a capacitor because of the HIDs (want to keep them at steady voltage).

[Kanatronic]

Crutchfield is saying that to do a new after-market sub you would really have to do a new amp. they claim you need at least 100 watts to an after market sub to "keep from damaging them".. anyone know how many watts our 190 watt Audiophile amp sends to the current stock sub? is that 190 watts peak power? they are talking about 4 ohm 2 voice coil is stock but in the end, really recommended not even fussing with it unless you also changed the amp at the same time as the subs are so reliant on the amp, versus speakers, the differenced noticed in swapping out would be negligible given what we are working with.

 

any thoughts to the contrary, or same. any real world sub swaps to report keeping the factory amp and Audiophile system that really made a noticable difference like speakers do? or are they right.. just not worth messing with.

 

If they said that, sorry to tell you again that then they are just sellers, and I have nothing else to trust from Crutchfield, honestly, that is an absurd way of pushing an amp...period.

Just think about, if you replace a sub, you are using another different driver, probably better and more sensitive, so the power used should be less, not more, but the parameters must match the stock one, so if they are the correct ones, and closer to the stock one, there is absolutelly no need to use an external amp at all, it will work just fine with the stock amp...

 

Now if you want to install one of those stupid jackhammers, of course you may need an amp, but they are not audiophile quality at all, those are just toys for the bass freaks...A good subwoofer just integrates smoothly into the sound, adding what the sound is lacking in the bottom end, but it will not overpower the bass on top of the rest of the freqs...BTW the stock one works fine to me...

Edited March 30, 2009 by Kanatronic

[Lex Talionis]

yeah, yeah, I hear you BUT they do know more know than I do not this topic and I am just passing on what they said. I deem them credible, as do millions of others in a well know shyster industry packed full of sketchy electronics sales companies, so will continue to shop with them and use their website for research until proven otherwise. I hate to tell ya, but their JD Power awards and 35 years in business trump your 35 posts

[scootertoo21]

yeah, yeah, I hear you BUT they do know more know than I do not this topic and I am just passing on what they said. I deem them credible, as do millions of others in a well know shyster industry packed full of sketchy electronics sales companies, so will continue to shop with them and use their website for research until proven otherwise. I hate to tell ya, but their JD Power awards and 35 years in business trump your 35 posts

 

I put a 10" Alpine in the back of mine to replace the piece of garbage that was in there. Just for kicks, I hooked it up to the factrory amp to see what it would sound like. Suffice it to say that I get more base out of my clock radio than the factory amp/aftermarket sub combo. Do not believe for a second that aftermarket audio equipment requires "less" power. In fact, aftermarket speakers don't really start to sing unless you add an amp to them as well.

 

I now have Kappa's in the doors and the 10" Alpine behind the right rear panel being driven by two alpine amps.

[Kanatronic]

yeah, yeah, I hear you BUT they do know more know than I do not this topic and I am just passing on what they said. I deem them credible, as do millions of others in a well know shyster industry packed full of sketchy electronics sales companies, so will continue to shop with them and use their website for research until proven otherwise. I hate to tell ya, but their JD Power awards and 35 years in business trump your 35 posts

 

 

It is true that here, an automotive forum, I have only 35 posts, but in an audio circle forums more than 12,000 posts, and I have been in home audio business for almost 10 years, trust me that their recos are just based on sales, they do not offer a single good audio product in their website, just best seller and marketing stuff...See if you Can find dynaudio, focal, morel, vifa, skan speak, seals, etc...among their speakers, brands than in audio circles are very well known...

 

 

I put a 10" Alpine in the back of mine to replace the piece of garbage that was in there. Just for kicks, I hooked it up to the factrory amp to see what it would sound like. Suffice it to say that I get more base out of my clock radio than the factory amp/aftermarket sub combo. Do not believe for a second that aftermarket audio equipment requires "less" power. In fact, aftermarket speakers don't really start to sing unless you add an amp to them as well.

 

I now have Kappa's in the doors and the 10" Alpine behind the right rear panel being driven by two alpine amps.

 

A good subwoofer is a sensitive device able to work with no much trouble with the stock audio system, the subs they sell there are just toys for bass freaks, and far from being audiophile quality, those are not good enough without an amp, as in order to be able to produce the stupid bass they want, that is not what is needed, they restrict the movement using stiff materials in the spider and cone surrounds, then you need more power from the amp to offer that muddy one note bass, get a subwoofer from the brands I mentioned above and see if you may need an amp...Also keep in mind that all those amps are misleading while they rate the power, power in watts is calculated as a rough mode, just multiplying current by the voltage (in this case 12 volts) so to get 1000 watts as many claim you need 85 amperes from the battery, not sure how many batteries can give you that for long time or how many alternators are able to give you that amount safely...

Edited November 22, 2008 by Kanatronic

[scootertoo21]

Such impressive credentials...however, no speaker or sub will ever reach its potential without a proper amp to drive it. Surely, you can admit to that. I am not the kid that pulls up next to you in the '94 Civic with his doors rattling and I too consider myself to be an audio enthusiast. I can list off brand names off high-end home theater products (however I may be under-qualified as it is a hobby and not a career) but the moment that I mention to someone that I hooked my Martin Logans (yes I own them and yes I know there are better speakers available) to a Sears home-theater-in-a-box, I will be laughed out of any forum. For me, adding an amp had nothing to do with me wanting my neighbors to here my music--rather, I wanted to unlock the potential of the sub I purchased.

 

Each owner can do what they wish but my advice is not to use a Ford amplifier that was never meant to power anything other than the sub it was paired with.

Edited November 24, 2008 by scootertoo21

[Kanatronic]

Such impressive credentials...however, no speaker or sub will ever reach its potential without a proper amp to drive it. Surely, you can admit to that. I am not the kid that pulls up next to you in the '94 Civic with his doors rattling and I too consider myself to be an audio enthusiast. I can list off brand names off high-end home theater products (however I may be under-qualified as it is a hobby and not a career) but the moment that I mention to someone that I hooked my Martin Logans (yes I own them and yes I know there are better speakers available) to a Sears home-theater-in-a-box, I will be laughed out of any forum. For me, adding an amp had nothing to do with me wanting my neighbors to here my music--rather, I wanted to unlock the potential of the sub I purchased.

 

Each owner can do what they wish but my advice is not to use a Ford amplifier that was never meant to power anything other than the sub it was paired with.

 

The problem is that the specs of the stock system are not known, and the power of the amp that is installed neither, so replacing them for the sake of, is not IMO the way to go, of course you can go and do it, and you may get a better sound, or you may not, depending on what you are replacing them with...if the stock amp is able to go us to 20Hz with a clean sound and let's say 50 watts, replacing it for a 1000 watt amp will do nothing but having more power that you will never be able to use, unless you want to be deaf...you will never be able to listen more than 50 watts inside a car, simply before to get real 50watts, not 50watts on the peaks, you may need to visit your Doctor later on...I have a 25watts per channel Marantz Class A amp here at home with floorstanders and I was never in my life able to go over the half of the volume, the volume to fill is considerably bigger than the interiror of a car, to get 50watts inside such small volume is simply insane...If you know about martin Logan, you know what I'm taking about, tube monoblocks run sometimes around 8 to 10watts and they are enough to power speakers at home...

 

I'm assuming as well that the stock sub is nothing to write home about, sensitivity talking, nor the environment in which it will play, so why not trying first if the stock amp is able to power a supposedly far better and more sensitive one, and if you feel that it is not up to the task, well then replace it, I can not comment on that, as I may need more info on the stock system, which unfortunately we lack off...and remember just because it is stock, does not mean it is bad. we can get good sound nowadays for chips that relatively really cheap.

 

Just to mention one case, yesterday I was touring around all the big electronic stores around home, listening all speakers that I was able to, most of them were hooked to a big amps, and nice aftermarket head-units, and you know what, none of them was my cup of tea at all, not even the Infinity Kappa, Pioneer, Kenwoods, Sony, Polk....and a few other brands not well known...All of them indeed sounded worst than the stock one...I will try today a couple of DLS at the dealer around home...

 

Also if we are talking only of power, I do not see why your Marting Logan could not be powered by a Sears amps, if it is able to draw enough power, now to power the speakers properly is one thing, and to make them sound good, is another completely different...to get good sound you need a refined good design, and not just power...BTW we do not know who designed the Ford stock amp, maybe is good, maybe not...

Edited December 24, 2008 by Kanatronic

[Mkxtra]

I recently replaced the stock speakers from an MKX 2011 THX-II. After seeing the stock OEM speakers, I don't expect the quality of the amplifier to be much better.

At first I found the sound quite acceptable and well balanced with respectable sound stage, After the speaker upgrade new speakers were so much more efficient that the subwoofer was not longer detectable in fact the front speakers were now producing more bass than the 8" and I am now forced to swap out with a new sub.

The initial intent was to keep the factory amp.... I've now accepted the fact the only solution is the swap everthing out.

I will only keep the center and rear surround speakers hooked up to the factory amp.

LC2i for the new 9" mid bass sub, will use stock location with sound deadening material.

LC8I for the front and rear speakers.

Alpine PDX-5, small class D amp with good power management.

Speaker Size component 6.5.

 

I will agree the stock OEM amplifier is quite acceptable, but will need some help with the SUB. If one is going throught the trouble might as well get a 5 CH amp.

and do something to help out the overall quality overall.

[NWS Alpine]

I recently replaced the stock speakers from an MKX 2011 THX-II. After seeing the stock OEM speakers, I don't expect the quality of the amplifier to be much better.

At first I found the sound quite acceptable and well balanced with respectable sound stage, After the speaker upgrade new speakers were so much more efficient that the subwoofer was not longer detectable in fact the front speakers were now producing more bass than the 8" and I am now forced to swap out with a new sub.

The initial intent was to keep the factory amp.... I've now accepted the fact the only solution is the swap everthing out.

I will only keep the center and rear surround speakers hooked up to the factory amp.

LC2i for the new 9" mid bass sub, will use stock location with sound deadening material.

LC8I for the front and rear speakers.

Alpine PDX-5, small class D amp with good power management.

Speaker Size component 6.5.

 

I will agree the stock OEM amplifier is quite acceptable, but will need some help with the SUB. If one is going throught the trouble might as well get a 5 CH amp.

and do something to help out the overall quality overall.

 

 

The PDX amp is a nice upgrade. I really like the new class D amps. I have a JL Audio HD900/5. Same concept but with a regulated power supply so it's delivering 100Wx4 and 500Wx1 at 11-14.5v. I'm running my components actively.

[rogerthat]

For those that don't know.

Wattage is an almost useless measurement. Peak measurement vs. continous is one reason, but brand quality and materials is another entirely.

I wouldn't trust Ford's wattage ratings and Sony is not exactly known for audiophile quality. They are more of a TV brand than amp or speakers brand.

There are countless examples of lower wattage amps that blow high wattage amps out of the water, not just in terms of sound quality but SPL readings and low bass notes as well.

At home I am very pleased with my SVS PB13 Ultra but fitting a similar size beast in my Edge would not be something I would be interested in.

[drjbeard]

2012 Lincoln MKX. Standard sound system. Replaced all drivers excepting sub with Infinity Kappa this weekend. System clips severly at a little over 50% volume - it was exactly the same with the factory drivers. At this level the folume is loud but not overwhelming. Does this system have a discrete amplifer and where is it located? Assume replacment of factory amp with a product with adequate reserve is possible?

[cmillz1331]

I know this is an old post and many have posted already (too many to read) but I wanted to post a recent conversation with Crutchfield. Like another member, they recommended the Polk Audio db840 and a Kicker amp. The sub seems like it will improve from the factory but many people have said you don't need the new amp...the specs make it seem like the sub doesn't use that much power so is it necessary in this case? The info given on the sub is this:

• power range: 50-180 watts RMS
  
• peak power handling: 360 watts
  

They recommend this amp: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2061DX2501/Kicker-11DX250-1.html

Which doesn't seem bad to me in my mind, and I would probably just put it under the back seat but I don't want to do it unless actually necessary....Will probably hold off on this until spring so I can get more information and look at more products but let me know what you guys think.

 

Thanks