Adding Bass to My 2014 FFET with Sony Premier Sound Package

[Sledge0001]

After having my 2014 FFET for over a year and a half I find myself missing those deep bass notes that you can feel. In my opinion the Sony system does a decent job providing a nice punchy mid bass out of the front speakers but the rear deck is underpowered and the subs are not cutting it with lower end frequencies.

 

So here is what I am going to do about it...

 

I have purchased what will hopefully may be a great solution. 

 

Qty 1 x 10 inch Bazooka tube (Model BTA10250D) $250 that has a built in Class D Amplifier that puts out a *Maximum of 300 Watts @ 2 Ohms* if you power an additional BT1014 Bazooka Bass Tube.

Qty 1 x 10 inch Bazooka Tube  (Model BT1014) $130

Qty 1 x Remote Control Bass Module (Model RBCM-250D) $30 that should allow me to select a crossover frequency between 50HZ and 120HZ and offers a gain control.

 

*Realistically I expect that this will really end up providing about 200 Watts (100 Watts to each 10 inch Bass Tube) which should bring a nice bit of growl to the stock system especially if the back seats are down.

 

 

Considerations:

 

1. Will they fit?

Bazooka recommends corner loading these tubes (firing the open end of the tube toward the trunk / back corners) which isn't really possible given the size of the trunk. However given that the specified dimensions of the Powered BTA10250D Tube is 10 3/8 Wide x 12 1/4 High x 20 3/4 Depth and the Passive BT1014 Tube is 10 3/8 Wide x 12 1/2 High x 21 9/16 Depth. As I measure the floor of the trunk I have found that I have 44 Inches wide and 12 inches from front to back which puts both of these fitting snugly but seated well in to the floor of the trunk. Now that doesn't leave a lot of room for the cabling but I have a feeling this is going to work perfectly. (Only time will tell since the dimensions on the web need to be exact) If the dimensions are off for any reason then I will be forced to mount the tubes on top of each other which isn't a terrible option but I would lose much more of the limited trunk space I am already giving up.
 

2. Power Consumptions:

I have no idea just how much my normal 23-24 EV miles per charge will be impacted and if the 12V battery will even be able to handle the additional draw of a 300 Watt amp. I am certain that if I was to really crank these up I am guessing that I will lose about 1/2 to 1/4 of my EV range in no time. I don't think anyone can accurately predict this as I appear to be venturing into uncharted territory.

 

3. How will I power this system?

I plan to tie directly in to the 12Volt battery located in the back of the trunk. I will be using the remote / accessory wire from the lighter socket in the rear to automatically turn the Powered Tube with amp on and off when the car is started.

 

4. On / Off Switch

During the installation I will be adding an additional remote power switch (will be buried in the center console) that will allow me to completely shut off the amplifier power in the BTA1025D in event I really need to save my EV range although most of my trips are 7 miles to and from work.

 

5. Bass Control Remote:

This will also be housed in the bottom of the center console where it is hidden from the outside world.

 

6. Noise Cancellation System:

I will not be disabling the Noise Cancellation system unless I find that it is absolutely necessary. My hope is the On / Off switch will allow me to stop any funky noises coming from the bass tubes if the ANC kicks in and adds some weird tones. If I find that I am unsuccessful with keeping the Noise Cancellation System then as others have done I will be forced to unplug them from the head liner as cutting them from the amp isn't an option for me. This will be a last resort option as I do like the quietness of the car sometimes as well.

 

Thoughts???

Edited December 19, 2015 at 05:49 AM by Sledge0001

[stevedebi]

After having my 2014 FFET for over a year and a half I find myself missing those deep bass notes that you can feel. In my opinion the Sony system does a decent job providing a nice punchy mid bass out of the front speakers but the rear deck is underpowered and the subs are not cutting it with lower end frequencies.

 

So here is what I am going to do about it...

 

I have purchased what will hopefully may be a great solution. 

 

Qty 1 x 10 inch Bazooka tube (Model BTA10250D) $250 that has a built in Class D Amplifier that puts out a *Maximum of 300 Watts @ 2 Ohms* if you power an additional BT1014 Bazooka Bass Tube.

Qty 1 x 10 inch Bazooka Tube  (Model BT1014) $130

Qty 1 x Remote Control Bass Module (Model RBCM-250D) $30 that should allow me to select a crossover frequency between 50HZ and 120HZ and offers a gain control.

 

*Realistically I expect that this will really end up providing about 200 Watts (100 Watts to each 10 inch Bass Tube) which should bring a nice bit of growl to the stock system especially if the back seats are down.

 

 

Considerations:

 

1. Will they fit?

Bazooka recommends corner loading these tubes (firing the open end of the tube toward the trunk / back corners) which isn't really possible given the size of the trunk. However given that the specified dimensions of the Powered BTA10250D Tube is 10 3/8 Wide x 12 1/4 High x 20 3/4 Depth and the Passive BT1014 Tube is 10 3/8 Wide x 12 1/2 High x 21 9/16 Depth. As I measure the floor of the trunk I have found that I have 44 Inches wide and 12 inches from front to back which puts both of these fitting snugly but seated well in to the floor of the trunk. Now that doesn't leave a lot of room for the cabling but I have a feeling this is going to work perfectly. (Only time will tell since the dimensions on the web need to be exact) If the dimensions are off for any reason then I will be forced to mount the tubes on top of each other which isn't a terrible option but I would lose much more of the limited trunk space I am already giving up.

 

2. Power Consumptions:

I have no idea just how much my normal 23-24 EV miles per charge will be impacted and if the 12V battery will even be able to handle the additional draw of a 300 Watt amp. I am certain that if I was to really crank these up I am guessing that I will lose about 1/2 to 1/4 of my EV range in no time. I don't think anyone can accurately predict this as I appear to be venturing into uncharted territory.

 

3. How will I power this system?

I plan to tie directly in to the 12Volt battery located in the back of the trunk. I will be using the remote / accessory wire from the lighter socket in the rear to automatically turn the Powered Tube with amp on and off when the car is started.

 

4. On / Off Switch

During the installation I will be adding an additional remote power switch (will be buried in the center console) that will allow me to completely shut off the amplifier power in the BTA1025D in event I really need to save my EV range although most of my trips are 7 miles to and from work.

 

5. Bass Control Remote:

This will also be housed in the bottom of the center console where it is hidden from the outside world.

 

6. Noise Cancellation System:

I will not be disabling the Noise Cancellation system unless I find that it is absolutely necessary. My hope is the On / Off switch will allow me to stop any funky noises coming from the bass tubes if the ANC kicks in and adds some weird tones. If I find that I am unsuccessful with keeping the Noise Cancellation System then as others have done I will be forced to unplug them from the head liner as cutting them from the amp isn't an option for me. This will be a last resort option as I do like the quietness of the car sometimes as well.

 

Thoughts???

Saw another thread that might be of interest:

 

http://www.fordfusionenergiforum.com/topic/2085-custom-audio/page-2?do=findComment&comment=24518

[Sledge0001]

Yep I did reach out and was able to get a bit more info.

 

The Amplified Bass Tube arrived today with the added control module. Now just need the Passive Tube and let the install begin!!! :) 

[Sledge0001]

Well the 2 Bazooka Tubes fit and I mean they just barely fit in the bottom part of the trunk due to the cabling placement.

 

From a sound quality perspective just as bass tubes are known for these hit those ultra low notes just as I thought they would. I currently have the gain set on the powered bass tube to between 1/2 and 3/4 of its max power setting and the crossover set to about 90-120hz. This provides nice tight, mirror shaking clean deep bass that doesn't overpower the factory system. Since it's a modest 300 Watts of power the bass does seem to compliment the mid bass punch that the Sony fronts nicely although with the tube set at full gain the tubes drown out the factory system and for my liking the bass gets overwhelming. I want to keep a nice clean well performing sound system and with the added bass this tubes deliver rather efficiently.

 

The surprising thing for me is how punchy and how much bass the Bazooka bass tubes are producing. When the low bass lines come in the tubes drop and reproduce those lows with detail all while keeping those thumping drum sounds hitting damn hard. I account this punchyness to the tubes being placed directly against the back / side walls of the trunk. I believe this takes the sloppiness out of what bass tubes are known to have a tendency of producing. This was not the recommended placement however. It was mentioned by SAS the company that makes the Bazooka Tubes for nice tight punchy bass to give 2-4 inches of space between the tube and the back / side walls of the trunk. Although not the recommended placement they deliver punch and depth flawlessly. I do need to go back and clean up the wiring and once I do I will post a few pics.

 

Now with the lights on, heater on in EV mode I don't have any issues with dimming lights or loss of sound quality although just as the case when I put the heater on high I do have the ICE kick in but I have the same thing occur without the sound system. Oddly enough I don't seem to have lost any of my EV range (22-28 on average) although I would assume that the 12v battery is taking most of the hit here and not the HVB.

 

As mentioned I did NOT unplug the ANC. I have heard the ANC inject some hokey low frequency stuff one time so far for about 3 seconds. This only seems to happen when the ICE was running which for me I only use about once a month. I will continue to leave the ANC system functional unless it becomes an issue. So far it is not.

 

I have heard the Sony system compress the entire bass spectrum and overall sound system volume between 3/4 and full volume which factory sound systems are notorious for doing but the sound quality overall is impressive.

 

Overall I got exactly what I had hoped for at what I feel was a great deal. A nice tight, deep sounding car stereo system where I can easily remove the tubes If needed to use what little trunk space we have!

[Tammap]

Hi Sledge0001,

 

Do you run a signal wires direct from the Sony head unit to the Bazooka?

[Sledge0001]

No. I tapped the 2 stock sub leads which are working perfectly!

[Tammap]

I'll try that.  Thank you!

[Fat Fusion]

How well do you think just the one powered sub would be?  Also, any chance you can post some pictures of your install?