Active Powered "All-N-One" Subwoofers

[Cowtown Husker]

No, I do not think just adding a subwoofer is a waste of time or effort. It is a fairly easy upgrade to the factory system. A sub will enhance the bass response to supplement the front speakers. Just make sure to take the feed to the subwoofer from the front speaker leads as the rear speaker frequency response is limited. Not sure where the limitation starts as I've seen 75Hz, 80Hz, and 150Hz.

With that said, the fronts were an easy install. Even the rears were fairly easy through taking the simple step by step process. Replacing the front speakers with 6.5” REF-6532IXm and rear speakers with 4” x 6” REF-6432CFX Infinity Reference was a tremendous improvement. After installing the Infinity speakers, I'm not so sure I would have installed a subwoofer and Amp, but they were already ordered.

Anyway, go for it, you'll be glad you did.

Sounds good, now I just need Ford to build my truck! Please post a final update once you get amp and sub installed! And let me know if you want to make a trip over to Fort Worth to help with my install (whenever that may be)

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[uh50]

Sounds good, now I just need Ford to build my truck! Please post a final update once you get amp and sub installed! And let me know if you want to make a trip over to Fort Worth to help with my install (whenever that may be)

You probably don't want me helping. I'm 75 years old and it takes forever for me to do anything, but I'm always game to try anything.

 

[uh50]

When I got home from a trip to Tyler, this afternoon, I had a package that included the Puzu DSP Amp harness for the Maverick. I took the HVAC vents and cover off, unplugged the connector at the ACM, and plugged in the Puzu harness, then connected the loose connector on the other side of the T-harness. Snaked the cable down the side and plugged it into the DSP Amp. Everything worked great and even with the factory default setting there was improvement in the sound and the Amp made the Infinity Reference speaker come alive even more. I sat there in amazement switching from Amp mode to bypass and back. The difference in sound was markedly fuller, especially from the front speakers. But, the highs coming from the rear were rich, bright and filled out the overall sound very nicely.

I set the 3 band on the factory ACM to flat and switched back and forth between amp mode and bypass. Again, it was remarkable the difference and that's without messing with any settings. I just hope that with Thanksgiving coming up I can find the time to finish connecting the subwoofer and tune the DSP Amp through the software and laptop.

Anyway, the Puzu PZC7 DSP Amp with the Ford harness is plug and play—that's no splicing of wires. The harness also includes a blue wire to connect to the sub for remote turn on/off. It also has a red wire and I've not found out what it is for yet. Can't find it in the manual so I'll ask the vendor who has been excellent to work with so far. But it's not needed to get the DSP Amp working and to power up. By the way, the harness has an inline fuse on the power for the DSP Amp and get the power from the ACM.

Here's a blurb from the manual about what the PZ-C7 DSP Amp is supposed to do:

PZ-C7 overcomes inherent acoustical anomalies within vehicles to develop a well-balanced response and proper sound stage even from a factory head unit. Customize your system with the 15-bands EQ and make precise adjustments to the detailed high/low crossovers and expansive time correction for each of the 6 channels. Easily control PZ-C7 via an android smartphone connection or wired connection to your PC either way you get fast, real-time results. The verstile PZ-C7 can be used with a factory syslem or other after market head unit.​

Lot's to play with. More later when I get the sub connected and working, and tune the DSP Amp.

 

[uh50]

Went to the grocery store yesterday to pickup more Thanksgiving supplies and carefully listened to the music through the Puzu PZ-C7 DSP Amp.

First, had to turn the audio volume down a little more as everything is a louder through the DSP Amp. I don't listen to music loud most of the time, but there are some songs I like to turn up. Listening to them through just the ACM, sometimes it required me turning up the volume to 17-19 settings to hear the parts I wanted to hear. Through the DSP Amp, now a volume setting of 13-14 does the trick.

Second, the volume from all songs emitting from the speakers is much more consistent now. Before through just the ACM some recordings were loud and some were quite low with the same volume setting on the ACM. It's nice not to have to worry about listening volume. I also noticed that I didn't skip past songs as much and listen to the random shuffle of my 4377 songs.

Third, Since I don't have the DSP Amp tuned, I turned the ACM to play for all passengers instead of focusing on the driver's position. It was like clicking a switch that allowed true stereo with various sounds coming from one speaker and other sounds coming from the other side. Stereo recordings playback were interesting to me again.

Fourth, the music seems more alive through the DSP Amp. I've said before I like the bright sounds of surfer music and Jimmy Buffet's attempt at Reggae. Those of you that have listened to Jan & Dean probably have experienced the duo singing and a muddled mess of background music without definition, which makes it hard to listen to, especially on low quality systems. Yesterday, a Jan and Dean song came on and the background guitars were clear, bright, and individual notes could be definitively heard with a solid plunk. Drums too. Reminds me of my old Kenwood system with Bose 901s in the front and 601s in the rear.

I just realized that I haven't listened to Acoustic Alchemy nor Home Free a cappella since I connected the DSP. Hope I have to go somewhere today so I can do that.

I'm definitely impressed with the clear, pure, sound through the DSP Amp. Again, this is using the default factory settings as I still have not connected the subwoofer nor tuned the DSP Amp.

 

[jcgaskil]

Went to the grocery store yesterday to pickup more Thanksgiving supplies and carefully listened to the music through the Puzu PZ-C7 DSP Amp.

First, had to turn the audio volume down a little more as everything is a louder through the DSP Amp. I don't listen to music loud most of the time, but there are some songs I like to turn up. Listening to them through just the ACM, sometimes it required me turning up the volume to 17-19 settings to hear the parts I wanted to hear. Through the DSP Amp, now a volume setting of 13-14 does the trick.

Second, the volume from all songs emitting from the speakers is much more consistent now. Before through just the ACM some recordings were loud and some were quite low with the same volume setting on the ACM. It's nice not to have to worry about listening volume. I also noticed that I didn't skip past songs as much and listen to the random shuffle of my 4377 songs.

Third, Since I don't have the DSP Amp tuned, I turned the ACM to play for all passengers instead of focusing on the driver's position. It was like clicking a switch that allowed true stereo with various sounds coming from one speaker and other sounds coming from the other side. Stereo recordings playback were interesting to me again.

Fourth, the music seems more alive through the DSP Amp. I've said before I like the bright sounds of surfer music and Jimmy Buffet's attempt at Reggae. Those of you that have listened to Jan & Dean probably have experienced the duo singing and a muddled mess of background music without definition, which makes it hard to listen to, especially on low quality systems. Yesterday, a Jan and Dean song came on and the background guitars were clear, bright, and individual notes could be definitively heard with a solid plunk. Drums too. Reminds me of my old Kenwood system with Bose 901s in the front and 601s in the rear.

I just realized that I haven't listened to Acoustic Alchemy nor Home Free a cappella since I connected the DSP. Hope I have to go somewhere today so I can do that.

I'm definitely impressed with the clear, pure, sound through the DSP Amp. Again, this is using the default factory settings as I still have not connected the subwoofer nor tuned the DSP Amp.

Where did you end up installing the DSP? Is the cable long enough for under the seat or behind the seat? or did you find a location behind the dash? I am interested in this product as well using the Infinity reference series speakers. I'm considering getting the component infinities but need to do more research.

 

[uh50]

Where did you end up installing the DSP? Is the cable long enough for under the seat or behind the seat? or did you find a location behind the dash? I am interested in this product as well using the Infinity reference series speakers. I'm considering getting the component infinities but need to do more research.

Thanks for the question and interest in my slow build.

I don't have it in a permanent place yet. The cables are long enough for under the seat, maybe in the storage bin, probably not behind the back seat. I'll know more when I get enough time and good weather at the same time to finish connecting the Rockville Sub and tune the DSP with my Mac. Might as well draw this out as long as I can

 

[jcgaskil]

Thanks for the question and interest in my slow build.

I don't have it in a permanent place yet. The cables are long enough for under the seat, maybe in the storage bin, probably not behind the back seat. I'll know more when I get enough time and good weather at the same time to finish connecting the Rockville Sub and tune the DSP with my Mac. Might as well draw this out as long as I can

Thank you Howard. I am looking forward to the outcome of your build. I'm even slower since all I've done is purchased the Infinity 4x6 speakers. Pending an answer on the precise dimensions of the infinity tweeter since I want it to sit in the same location as the current one. I'm also very interested in your opinion of the Rockville sub. I haven't found one yet locally to listen to.

 

[uh50]

Thank you Howard. I am looking forward to the outcome of your build. I'm even slower since all I've done is purchased the Infinity 4x6 speakers. Pending an answer on the precise dimensions of the infinity tweeter since I want it to sit in the same location as the current one. I'm also very interested in your opinion of the Rockville sub. I haven't found one yet locally to listen to.

I'm getting a little impatient about getting it done now. It's been a few weeks since I installed the harness and with Thanksgiving and other things, I've not had a day to work on the audio. I can't wait to hear the Rockville sub, but I'm reasonably sure it will be much more than I need. Thankfully, it does have a dash gain control. Yes, I'm ready to get it done.

 

[daddio211]

I've been scouring the info here, thanks folks for the details.

I have a '22 EcoBoost but my '23 Hybrid will be here in less than two weeks. I've already purchased my component speakers and it's been really hard wait for the hybrid to get here as I'll sell the EB.

Being a big fan of car audio going back to the IASCA days I tend to use what I know my ear likes, so I chose:
Front: Rockford Fosgate R165-S (sensitivity 92 dB, 2-40 RMS)
Rear: Rockford Fosgate R14X2 (sensitivity 85 dB, 2-30 RMS)

Plan to run ACM power but after reading @uh50's experience, a Chinese DSP may be in my future!

Also hoping a Rockford Fosgate P300-10T will fit under the seat. I'm sure plastic will be cut but that doesn't scare me. Guess it's time to pull apart my '22 and get a plan together for the '23.

 

[uh50]

I've been scouring the info here, thanks folks for the details.

I have a '22 EcoBoost but my '23 Hybrid will be here in less than two weeks. I've already purchased my component speakers and it's been really hard wait for the hybrid to get here as I'll sell the EB.

Being a big fan of car audio going back to the IASCA days I tend to use what I know my ear likes, so I chose:
Front: Rockford Fosgate R165-S (sensitivity 92 dB, 2-40 RMS)
Rear: Rockford Fosgate R14X2 (sensitivity 85 dB, 2-30 RMS)

Plan to run ACM power but after reading @uh50's experience, a Chinese DSP may be in my future!

Also hoping a Rockford Fosgate P300-10T will fit under the seat. I'm sure plastic will be cut but that doesn't scare me. Guess it's time to pull apart my '22 and get a plan together for the '23.

I love the Rockford Fosgates and their brilliant sound. Good choice. Good luck with your build.

 

[Adospeed]

I've been scouring the info here, thanks folks for the details.

I have a '22 EcoBoost but my '23 Hybrid will be here in less than two weeks. I've already purchased my component speakers and it's been really hard wait for the hybrid to get here as I'll sell the EB.

Being a big fan of car audio going back to the IASCA days I tend to use what I know my ear likes, so I chose:
Front: Rockford Fosgate R165-S (sensitivity 92 dB, 2-40 RMS)
Rear: Rockford Fosgate R14X2 (sensitivity 85 dB, 2-30 RMS)

Plan to run ACM power but after reading @uh50's experience, a Chinese DSP may be in my future!

Also hoping a Rockford Fosgate P300-10T will fit under the seat. I'm sure plastic will be cut but that doesn't scare me. Guess it's time to pull apart my '22 and get a plan together for the '23.

Definitely let us know if you stuff a Fosgate 10 under the seat. I refuse to spend money on anything smaller than a 10.

 

[daddio211]

Definitely let us know if you stuff a Fosgate 10 under the seat. I refuse to spend money on anything smaller than a 10.

I have it all mathematically figured out. I got my '23 on 12/31 and started taking it apart immediately. See thread: https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/my-23-arrived-lets-lower-it.25531/

On 1/2 I put the above mentioned Fosgate speakers in after doing the math for an underseat 10". The speakers sound good, much cleaner than the Ford OEM, but I still desperately need some bottom end. Here's what I've come up with...

A sealed box out of 1/2" MDF with external measurements of 18" x 11" x 6.10" totalling 0.5 cubic feet internal volume with speaker "should" slip into the plastic tray below the driver's side rear seat.

A Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-10 DVC (2 ohm per VC) sub will fit in the above mentioned box and prefers 0.40-1.0 cubic feet in a sealed environment.

Now I need to figure out a good inexpensive amp that will comfortably run the 2 ohm DVC sub on line power. Thinking about a Rockford Fosgate R2-250X1 and only running one VC. I'm starting to forget how to wire things up for optimum performance.


[EDIT:] After additional reading I think the Fosgate PBR300X1 may be a better amp choice for the sub I've chosen. Any suggestions?

 

[Adospeed]

I have it all mathematically figured out. I got my '23 on 12/31 and started taking it apart immediately. See thread: https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/my-23-arrived-lets-lower-it.25531/

On 1/2 I put the above mentioned Fosgate speakers in after doing the math for an underseat 10". The speakers sound good, much cleaner than the Ford OEM, but I still desperately need some bottom end. Here's what I've come up with...

A sealed box out of 1/2" MDF with external measurements of 18" x 11" x 6.10" totalling 0.5 cubic feet internal volume with speaker "should" slip into the plastic tray below the driver's side rear seat.

A Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-10 DVC (2 ohm per VC) sub will fit in the above mentioned box and prefers 0.40-1.0 cubic feet in a sealed environment.

Now I need to figure out a good inexpensive amp that will comfortably run the 2 ohm DVC sub on line power. Thinking about a Rockford Fosgate R2-250X1 and only running one VC. I'm starting to forget how to wire things up for optimum performance.


[EDIT:] After additional reading I think the Fosgate PBR300X1 may be a better amp choice for the sub I've chosen. Any suggestions?

I have no idea, but RF has so much nostalgia for me, and the fact that it's a solid brand seals the deal for me. BTW.........that red Toyota extra cab you had......man, I'd love to have that, those were the days, mini-truckin.

 

[daddio211]

I have no idea, but RF has so much nostalgia for me, and the fact that it's a solid brand seals the deal for me. BTW.........that red Toyota extra cab you had......man, I'd love to have that, those were the days, mini-truckin.

Not had, HAVE. Still sitting outside my shop waiting to be built. I have all of my old stereo equipment for it too, including an Eclipse 412, HiFonics amps, Orion subs....

 

[Adospeed]

Not had, HAVE. Still sitting outside my shop waiting to be built. I have all of my old stereo equipment for it too, including an Eclipse 412, HiFonics amps, Orion subs....

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