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: 142
• 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?

 

[John_Matrix]

Pioneer TS-WX400DA Space Saving Active Subwoofer with built-in Class-D

Upgrade your car audio system with the Pioneer TS-WX400DA Active Subwoofer. With a compact design and a built-in Class-D Amplifier delivering 250W, this subwoofer provides deep, powerful bass without taking up valuable space in your vehicle.

caraudiocentre.co.uk

 

[Rapture]

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.

I would really like something that is built into the vehicle. I've found a few 6X9 subs that may be worth trying. the first one below is on sale for a very low price. It seems these are made mainly for the motorcycle "Bager" market. I have heard some of those systems put out a lot of bass. The second option is a bit more money but may be worth checking out also. Both have very large magnets and I'm sure are much deeper than the factory speaker so who knows if they can be made to fit. I'm not sure if they would also require an additional amp. I'm planning to take the rear interior panels off and would like to put some sound deadener in/around the area. I'll try and remove the sub to get an idea of what may potentially fit back there. Below is the stock subwoofer (taken from another audio thread). That enclosure is unusual. I would think that KEF would install something that would show the benefit of their brand, but not sure about this piece. There must be some reason this is what they chose. I also wonder if there just may be resonance from that enclosure. That should be easy to confirm.

Also, I don't think I need more bass, I just need it to be consistent good. For me the stock subwoofer sounds fine at times and like total crap at other times. And yes, I have tried resetting and other suggestions to tune the system. It's just inconsistent.

I do think that someone will come up with a beneficial solution for better bass in the factory location. We have some smart folks on this forum.

https://www.rockvilleaudio.com/rvl69w/#:~:text=6 x 9" Single Voice,Double 60oz.

MBW690 - MMATS Pro Audio

We at MMATS believe this to be the very first in our industry of a true 6x9 Subwoofer. The Voice Coil is actually the same spec as our LS series of subwoofers. At 2” in diameter and a winding length of 1.25”, this subwoofer delivers excursion that has never been seen before in a 6x9 speaker. An...

www.mmatsproaudio.com

 

[Nova]

I would really like something that is built into the vehicle. I've found a few 6X9 subs that may be worth trying. the first one below is on sale for a very low price. It seems these are made mainly for the motorcycle "Bager" market. I have heard some of those systems put out a lot of bass. The second option is a bit more money but may be worth checking out also. Both have very large magnets and I'm sure are much deeper than the factory speaker so who knows if they can be made to fit. I'm not sure if they would also require an additional amp. I'm planning to take the rear interior panels off and would like to put some sound deadener in/around the area. I'll try and remove the sub to get an idea of what may potentially fit back there. Below is the stock subwoofer (taken from another audio thread). That enclosure is unusual. I would think that KEF would install something that would show the benefit of their brand, but not sure about this piece. There must be some reason this is what they chose. I also wonder if there just may be resonance from that enclosure. That should be easy to confirm.

Also, I don't think I need more bass, I just need it to be consistent good. For me the stock subwoofer sounds fine at times and like total crap at other times. And yes, I have tried resetting and other suggestions to tune the system. It's just inconsistent.

I do think that someone will come up with a beneficial solution for better bass in the factory location. We have some smart folks on this forum.

View attachment 60134
View attachment 60135

https://www.rockvilleaudio.com/rvl69w/#:~:text=6 x 9" Single Voice,Double 60oz.

MBW690 - MMATS Pro Audio

We at MMATS believe this to be the very first in our industry of a true 6x9 Subwoofer. The Voice Coil is actually the same spec as our LS series of subwoofers. At 2” in diameter and a winding length of 1.25”, this subwoofer delivers excursion that has never been seen before in a 6x9 speaker. An...

www.mmatsproaudio.com

I generally would stay away from Rockville products.

The MMATS audio subwoofer looks very well built and should work well in a small sealed enclosure, but gain, you might as well use an 8" driver because there are many more choices available.

Fitting a different driver into the stock subwoofer box is unlikely to work due to different flange designs. Also, the subwoofer box vents out the back to the outside of the car - it's kind of an infinite baffle design. Even if you got the MMATS subwoofer to fit, for example, it's a poor fit for open baffle applications due to the relatively low Qts, low Vas, and high Fs. I guess you could always seal up the subwoofer box. But again, you have to get the driver to fit in the first place.

This subwoofer is not designed by KEF. KEF supplied the three front drivers and *POSSIBLY* assisted in tuning the overall system but we don't know. The subwoofer is a "Fresh air" design provided by a different company.

 

[Rapture]

I generally would stay away from Rockville products.

The MMATS audio subwoofer looks very well built and should work well in a small sealed enclosure, but gain, you might as well use an 8" driver because there are many more choices available.

Fitting a different driver into the stock subwoofer box is unlikely to work due to different flange designs. Also, the subwoofer box vents out the back to the outside of the car - it's kind of an infinite baffle design. Even if you got the MMATS subwoofer to fit, for example, it's a poor fit for open baffle applications due to the relatively low Qts, low Vas, and high Fs. I guess you could always seal up the subwoofer box. But again, you have to get the driver to fit in the first place.

This subwoofer is not designed by KEF. KEF supplied the three front drivers and *POSSIBLY* assisted in tuning the overall system but we don't know. The subwoofer is a "Fresh air" design provided by a different company.

Thanks Nova,

Only one way to see if it may fit, take the existing one out. I wouldn't mind if it protruded out further but again, I'm not 100% sure where it's mounted yet. I'm sure if it protruded a bit, I could find a way to finish it nicely or find someone to help with that. I think the enclosure could also be sealed if that is the right approach for that sub.

Do you think the KEF amp could drive that sub, or would an additional amp need to be added. And if so, any recommendations?

 

[MPD]

I'm in the process of replacing the audio system as it is terrible IMO for this level of car. What they call a sub is hilarious and weighs like a pound I am buying the kit from kjwemira to install some proper speakers ... separate tweeter, 6.5', 5", low profile sub, and an amp. I can't give up the entire bench for a large sub so just adding a better quality sub along with the better speakers and sound dampening will improve the interior immensely.

 

[Nova]

Thanks Nova,

Only one way to see if it may fit, take the existing one out. I wouldn't mind if it protruded out further but again, I'm not 100% sure where it's mounted yet. I'm sure if it protruded a bit, I could find a way to finish it nicely or find someone to help with that. I think the enclosure could also be sealed if that is the right approach for that sub.

Do you think the KEF amp could drive that sub, or would an additional amp need to be added. And if so, any recommendations?

Come to think of it, you can design and 3D print a flange adapter. It would add some thickness but you might need that additional clearance for the MMATS subwoofer to fit into the box anyway since it has that huge magnet in the back. If you do that. I don't know how much frontal clearance there is between the stock subwoofer and the trim panel, though. So making it protrude out a bit may bump/rub against that? I don't know.

As for driving the MMATS subwoofer with the stock amp, the most immediate problem is that the MMATS driver is a single voice coil while the OEM sub is dual. So you are going to lose half the power off the bat. The MMATS driver is 4 ohms and I don't know what the OEM sub is at impedance wise, so you may lose further power there. And then MMATS is probably less efficient due to the higher cone mass and stiff suspension, plus you'll likely be sealing the box. It may not keep up in terms of output. As a replacement amp, this should work well in bridged mono mode:

https://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fosgate-P300X2-2-Channel-Amplifier/dp/B00BF6I0RS/ref=zg_bs_g_10980711_d_sccl_33/141-1476718-2773559?th=1

This one is also interesting as it seems to have some sort of auto OEM system processor that "detects" and "fixes" any EQ adjustments in OEM systems, kind of like what Audisson systems do, but just for the bass. It's "only" 150 watts into 4 ohms, so you lose about 3dB of headroom compared to the RF amp above, but it's much more compact and is made for OEM integration:

KICKER | Key 500.1 Smart Amplifier

KICKER produces high-performance car audio, vehicle specific solutions, marine audio, home and personal audio, and power sports products since 1973.

www.kicker.com

 

[Orchardbike]

I did a similar mod in my Evora 400. In my opinion, the audio in the Evora is many, many times worse than the one in the Emira. I replaced the sub amp with a Kicker (not the one above, but it had around 40% more power than the original Alpine sub amp). I replaced the subwoofer with an 8” Pioneer low mounting depth sub. It was slightly deeper than the original, but it JUST about fitted in the enclosure and the gap between the rear panel and the front trim. I modified the enclosure by sealing the back and lining it with insulation. The panel trim at the front had to have the diameter opened up by around 20mm to stop the woofer hitting it when operating.

The result was an improvement, but wasn’t exactly groundbreaking. I think if you try to go down a similar route with the Emira, then you’ll see the same limitations, due to the location of the sub. A separate sub enclosure and amp will sound much better, but of course, you’ll have the aesthetic issue on the back shelf.

I’m not saying what to do, just detailing the limitations of trying to utilise the standard sub location.

 

[John_Matrix]

I am investigating another option which may be a solution here.

 

[FearGuise]

I added this 12in JL Audio subwoofer to the shelf.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-Y8ED1OcCtJJ/p_136112TGW3/JL-Audio-CS112TG-TW3.html?XVINQ=GZ0&XVVer=S3D&awcr=628208419587&awdv=m&awnw=g&awug=9013478&awkw=pla-936802110186&awmt=&awat=pla&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAlPu9BhAjEiwA5NDSA_tRG7v7BrN8DfvChK17PiHMYFutWaTcR0E2Tu7lcxStqJeCdDEQyRoCfi4QAvD_BwE