9 speakers and it still sounds like this?

[RaleighNC]

Howdy all, newbie here.

Took delivery of 2013 FFE on a lease deal about two weeks ago. Still learning how to work the weird (relatively speaking) climate controls and touch screen inputs, but for now am extremely happy to be off the ICE. Glad to have found this forum and look forward to adding something of value to it in the future.

For now though, the most trivial question you'll probably see all night:

Why does this sound system suck so bad? I've been really, really impressed with the overall quality and thoughtfulness that went into this car. But man...9 Sony speakers and it sounds barely better than the AM/FM manual tune radio coming out of two speakers on my old '76 Mercedes beater.

Are none of these 9 speakers bigger than 2" diameter? Does a subwoofer just take too much range away?

Have tried all the bass/midrange/treble/seating configuration combinations I can think of -- the poor thing just sounds likes it's trying to mumble mantras through water whenever it's trying to replicate anything approximating "bass" range. I'd put a subwoofer in myself but I honestly don't even know how I'd begin, with this car, if it were even an option (which I'm guessing, it ain't).

Again -- good to be here. Thoughts on this trivial pursuit?

 

[WattsUp]

Other than some plastic panel vibrations at certain low frequencies, especially in the rear doors, I find the sound system quite powerful and rich-sounding. So, I'm at a loss to explain how yours can sound so bad, as you've described. Perhaps something is wrong... maybe go to the dealer and try out the sound system in another FFE to compare with yours? Use the same music material (perhaps on a USB stick or CD you can play in both).

I believe the FFE doesn't have a subwoofer simply because there was no "easy" place for it to go. In the normal FFE, it's in the back, but the rear configuration of the FFE was rearranged for the battery... the normal Focus subwoofer would not fit. But, as I said, I find the FFE system quite powerful... sometimes I would swear there is a subwoofer in there somewhere.

Btw, the power consumed by the car's electronics (all of them... radio, lighting, wipers, fans) is relatively minuscule, and does not affect range. Even the heated seats consume almost negligible energy (which is why they are provided as an aid/alternative to heating the cabin). The only exception is the heating element for the climate controls, which consumes a few thousand watts when engaged.

 

[RaleighNC]

I'll try that, thanks for response WattsUp.

 

[unplugged]

Why does this sound system suck so bad?

I agree that the sound system is poor, primarily because it lacks the "punch" of a superior system because of the lack of a subwoofer. The low end is necessary in a sound system to round out the dynamic range produced from the other speakers. Without the subwoofer, the system has one frequency that is unbalanced. While the sound is otherwise full and capable of volume, the lack of low-end punch creates a lob-sided experience.

I read in this forum that someone was going to try and see if they could install the subwoofer in the FFE, but I never found a follow up. With a lease, I am hesitant to investigate the alternatives, but I am sure there is a way to hook up some type of subwoofer, even if it is an aftermarket installation.

 

[WattsUp]

a lob-sided experience

Sounds like a new finish option. I'm picturing an FFE with side panels made of lobster shell. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

 

[RaleighNC]

As long as it's free-range lobster.

 

[hcsharp]

I have to agree with WattsUp that it sounds quite good to me. I was surprised to discover that it sounds nearly as good as my other EV which has a sub-woofer.

 

[EVA]

I think Ford played loose and crazy on the speakers between 2013 and 14. My 2013 sounded like garbage - really bad. I could never tune it to sound anywhere near good. The 2014 sounds great. I'm pretty confident Ford didn't use Sony speakers in some of the 2013's, and moved back to them in 2014.

No there is no subwoofer in the FFE. I have a 2012 ICE Focus. The Sony subwoofer is in the hatchback area and is too big to fit with the battery. I think Ford also did a lot of small cost cutting on the FFE and a subwoofer was something they decided to leave out. If they really wanted a sub, they could have figured it out; instead they took the short path and left it off.

The sound on the 2013 was so bad, I was reading up on how to put in new speakers in the 2014 when we got it. Replacing the speakers in a Focus is not a trivial job.

There is another factor - what sounds good to one person may sound like garbage to another.

Sorry to say this RaleighNC - you are probably absolutely right, it sounds like garbage; and I would totally agree with you. The only solution is to have the speakers replaced. If you get to that level, I can point you in the right direction.

 

[az erik]

Most of the down fall of the 'stock' Sony system is the rattle of the other cheap crap that's loose in the doors/ panels. Some dynamat will help a lot. Better speakers would help more with more dynamat. Kill the rattles and it sounds better.

BTW my right rear door rattles like hell from the stereo. I finally looked and it was 1/2 popped off. Popped it back on and not much changed. This car needs some sound deadening badly.

 

[WattsUp]

Why does this sound system suck so bad? I've been really, really impressed with the overall quality and thoughtfulness that went into this car. But man...9 Sony speakers and it sounds barely better than the AM/FM manual tune radio coming out of two speakers on my old '76 Mercedes beater.

Fwiw, here are my audio settings:



I admit, the "default" sound settings (all sliders at 0 position) gives a pretty shrill sound... the mids are very accentuated. So, as you can see above, I have heavily attenuated the mids (-4). And, although I normally only boost the lows by +1, I sometimes go +2 or +3 depending on how much "umph" I want. Overall, these settings correct the default shrillness and give a nice, full sound. It sound as good or better than any car stereo I've ever owned.

Additionally, I have the Occupancy Mode set to "All Seats" (which seems to fill more of the cabin than "Driver") and slightly faded forward, as shown here:



(Interestingly, I can't find any way to set Occupancy Mode to "Rear"; it simply cannot be used. Anyone else?)

I was used to, with my previous car, the audio "coming" mostly from the rear of the cabin, but that configuration in the FFE didn't sound as good as a configuration were audio comes mostly from the front. I quickly got used to that in my FFE, and now it seems normal.