Adding a subwoofer

[John_Matrix]

Has anyone added a powered subwoofer to their Emira? Perhaps to the rear shelf? I’ve seen some companies advertising these but £1500 for a sub and some sound deadening is ferocious.
What did you fit? Who fitted and is it a palpable improvement?

 

[netsinah]

Do a search using "subwoofer" and you'll find several Forum threads, with some answering your questions. Be patient though; you may have to wade through a few posts on the threads. For example:

S

Thread 'Audio thread- to KEF or not to KEF?'

Jan 16, 2023

Let me be clear- I’m buying an Emira for the driving experience (and its looks). However, even though I’m not a bonafide audiophile, I’m still pretty into listening to music while driving.

I had my test drive a couple of months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, including the engine sound (which has not been lauded universally).

I was only able to listen to about a minute of music streamed via the Lotus rep’s phone. I wasn’t that impressed with the KEF audio but I didn’t want to draw too many conclusions from such a limited experience.

Since my test drive, I’ve been eager to read reviews...

• Skinwarrior
• Replies: 138
• Forum: Lotus Emira Electronics

• 

 

[John_Matrix]

Cambridge Audio offer the installation of a sub with the standard system, which is something I think I’d enjoy. Really hoping that someone had used another business for this who weren’t charging such an enormous premium for something relatively straightforward

 

[Orchardbike]

Cambridge Audio offer the installation of a sub with the standard system, which is something I think I’d enjoy. Really hoping that someone had used another business for this who weren’t charging such an enormous premium for something relatively straightforward

I got a quote from them for a previous car and the price was extortionate!

 

[Man.v.Cars]

I got a quote from them for a previous car and the price was extortionate!

They do have a video on YouTube showing most of the work involved, adding a sub looks to be the easiest part.

I have a 21 Yr old X-Type sport with a better sound system from the factory, my son has an A200 1.4 AMG Line and that has a better sound too. Crazy that a £80+k has such poor sound.

 

[Orchardbike]

They do have a video on YouTube showing most of the work involved, adding a sub looks to be the easiest part.

I have a 21 Yr old X-Type sport with a better sound system from the factory, my son has an A200 1.4 AMG Line and that has a better sound too. Crazy that a £80+k has such poor sound.

‘Poor’ is subjective though. If you compare the audio to what came in the Evora or a Jag F-Type, then the Emira is miles better!

 

[Davebeats]

I added one to mine, all in I think it was under $600, night and day difference of course, but honestly I prefer driving with the radio off and hearing the car

I went with the all in one Rockford Fosgate P300-10T

 

[John_Matrix]

I suspect a self amplified sub, integrated with the system, will yield a significant benefit. Without sounding precious, there are LOADS of car audio shops around but the car is under warranty. I’d feel far more comfortable with a shop doing the work who have done an Emira before rather than being a guinea pig. Cambridge have positioned themselves as a prestige option. I’ve had lots of aftermarket stereo installs fitted to lots of cars but never anything that already had a ‘premium’ system. Never anything under warranty either. On my Emira test drive I thought the system would be comparable to other upgrades in other cars. The HK system fitted to Mini and BMW for example. Both those systems sound OK, far better than standard, but they lack the ability to do bass. Some people are sniffy about the BOSE systems in Porsche cars. I was always happy with that. Dynaudio installed a good system in the Golf as well.
The KEF system sounds quite bright but the lack of a sub robs the ability to reproduce bass. I’m amazed the designers of the system were happy to put their name to it. It’s not nearly as good as it should be.
But- maybe the addition of a sub could be a game changer. Just want to follow in someone’s footsteps rather than blaze a trail. And £1500 for a sub install would leave me filled with self loathing.

 

[Rapture]

I would really like an option where we can upgrade the sub in the factory location. Perhaps find a better 6X9 inch sub or retrofit an 8-inch round model. I'd really rather not install a sub box on the rear shelf. I've looked up 6X9 inch subs and there appear to be 5 or 6 that may be a better (more powerful) option however they have much large magnets so they probably would not fit without serious modification. I'd pay decent money if someone created a custom solution that fits in the original location, even if that area had to be modified a bit to make everything fit. I'm also not sure if the factory amp could support a different 6x9 or 8 inch sub if they may require more power.

 

[Nova]

An 8" is not that much larger than a 6x9 in terms of cone area. You would need something with extremely long excursion and that means a deep basket and a large magnet structure. It would be a lot easier to get similar levels of performance out of a more generic 10" subwoofer driver because of the cone area advantage.

It may be possible to remove the stock subwoofer and do a custom fiberglass sealed enclosure there for a 10" subwoofer". That would be a pretty costly custom job, however, and probably in the 1500 USD range after all is said and done.

A pre-made integrated sub box like the Rockford Fostate can probably be installed for $600-700 all in. A half way decent audio shop works with all kinds of expensive cars. The Emira wouldn't really be that much more special. Just a sub-box install would take them 2-4 hours of work, probably. If you don't like the way the Rockford Fosgate sub looks, there are many other brands, including ones with composite enclosures that look sleeker and take up less space.

 

[John_Matrix]

Pioneer do a range of compact, subwoofers in a small, flat enclosure which are amplified and don’t take up much space at all. I wonder how much better that has that standard system sounding?