Friendly advise on a 2014 Ford Fusion build

[tommymilan311]

Okay. So a little background story for you. My buddy is wanting me help him install some bang in his 2014 Ford Fusion SE (I believe). He set out a budget of $1000 for me and says he wants plenty of loud to go with quality and smooth bass. He has the Sony premium sound system and touch screen display. He wants to keep those. So first we tackle integration with this:

AudioControl LC2i - Line-Output Converter

With that issue out of the way we are looking at Subs. As many had advised Sundowns can give you some pretty good bang and comes with smooth bass as well. Given this lack of budget constraints I want ahead and said pick up 2 SA-8s. I've seen plenty of good reviews of these, also will help with getting a manageable box.

SA-8 V.3 D4 - PAIR

Okay, So onto the box. There is a custom box "company" on ebay. Other than making 5 to 10 of one box for a popular speaker, you go to their website, let them know your speakers, wants, and music and they come up with a design, go back and forth yada yada. I'm sure my buddy would be completely open to someone building him a box for less $$$s tho.

"custom" box for 2 SA-8s

This is where I feel things will be most difficult. Neither of us have the equipment to build a box. This is also going to only be a 1 day install as I'll be driving longish distance and doing the install over the weekend. INCITE HERE IS MUCH APPRECIATED!!

Next onto the amp. I have a bit of a bias currently. I have been running the FSD FD2600 and love it. Not only was it affordable (for a 2600+ watt amp) but it dynos rated. He doesn't need something this big. I recommended him to the same product line but the smaller model.

FSD Audio FZ1200D

And we cap it all off with a 0ga wire kit. Conventionally I would recommend going with OFC but given how close we are to the budget and the current draw, I think he'll be safe without OFC.

Oversided 1/0 AWG Amp Kit

Thoughts?

Would this be a quality setup?

He's spending a lot of money and I don't want to steer him wrong.

Click to read more...

 

[MOTA.TIMTIM]

On wire I've heard good things about Knu knocpects (I may has spelled that incorrectly ) But I think the 0 gauge is $115 for the kit OFC.

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[tommymilan311]

On wire I've heard good things about Knu knocpects (I may has spelled that incorrectly ) But I think the 0 gauge is $115 for the kit OFC.
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Yup, thats what I'm running in my car. And I bought some Sky High for the AUX battery to my amps and such. The budget at this point is restraining us from going OFC. As is this build is a $977.21. Sky Highs OFC is very similar in price BTW, but Knu Knocpects did have a pretty flexible wire.

 

[MOTA.TIMTIM]

the thing about CCA (IF my sources are correct) it can only handle half the load IE: 4awg cca = 8 gauge ofc. Might wanna dig deeper into that but it's what I heard.

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[atoz2]

Yup, thats what I'm running in my car. And I bought some Sky High for the AUX battery to my amps and such. The budget at this point is restraining us from going OFC. As is this build is a $977.21. Sky Highs OFC is very similar in price BTW, but Knu Knocpects did have a pretty flexible wire.

Why not just buy some 2/0 welding wire off eBay. Buy some lugs and there's your amp kit?? If your looking to save money there's plenty of places to look. Like buy a used amp. find some nice used subs? Honestly if you have the time just buy a circular saw and a guide from harbor freight, put a nice saw blade on it and build the box. If you need a design ask around here or use the Xplicit audio app that's 1$ it has a nice box calculator on it.

Honestly from my past experience enclosure makes the whole setup it's not always about the gear it's about the install.

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[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I'd use #4 OFC copper cable before going with CCA 1/0 gauge. For a 1000W amp it should be fine.

I suspect the real weak link is your prefab "custom" box, but if you don't have time or some basic power tools you're pretty stuck. I've been away from the forums most of the year, but last I knew there really wasn't any more box guys around that did good work and shipped.

 

[tommymilan311]

Why not just buy some 2/0 welding wire off eBay. Buy some lugs and there's your amp kit?? If your looking to save money there's plenty of places to look. Like buy a used amp. find some nice used subs? Honestly if you have the time just buy a circular saw and a guide from harbor freight, put a nice saw blade on it and build the box. If you need a design ask around here or use the Xplicit audio app that's 1$ it has a nice box calculator on it. Honestly from my past experience enclosure makes the whole setup it's not always about the gear it's about the install.

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I'm 99.9% sure he doesn't want to go used on anything. (us engineers are generally pretty keen on being the ones to wear out equipment. I want to know where it has been, how it has been used, and so on. Maybe its a trust thing over an engineer thing?) And We definitely don't need to go with 2/0 for a 1000W. Not a bad idea though and something to keep in mind for my build, but I'm not familiar with running wire outside of the car.

I'd use #4 OFC copper cable before going with CCA 1/0 gauge. For a 1000W amp it should be fine.
I suspect the real weak link is your prefab "custom" box, but if you don't have time or some basic power tools you're pretty stuck. I've been away from the forums most of the year, but last I knew there really wasn't any more box guys around that did good work and shipped.

I completely agree. If I had the tools, or he had the tools, and the time. If I had the tools I'd just have him send me the money and I'd build him the box before the install, as I will be crimping, soldering, and heat shrinking all the lugs before the install. I did come across this nice little kit however that should fit in the budget:

1/0 OFC Kit

This combo could probably work. I have some nice speaker wire and RCAs I'm gonna throw his way so a "kit" isn't exactly necessary.

1/0 - 20 ft OFC

300A Fuse

Okay. So math says he shouldn't draw more than 94 amps. Should I be using a 100A fuse? Conventional wisdom is telling me 100-120 amps.

 

[tommymilan311]

I'd use #4 OFC copper cable before going with CCA 1/0 gauge. For a 1000W amp it should be fine.
I suspect the real weak link is your prefab "custom" box, but if you don't have time or some basic power tools you're pretty stuck. I've been away from the forums most of the year, but last I knew there really wasn't any more box guys around that did good work and shipped.

Also. I have a question about the "prefab" boxes. So... what is the major difference if I build my box to spec, match optimum specs (.5-.75 ft^3 @35Hz) and port area, vs. buying a box with those same specs? I'm finding a hard time seeing what the major difference is going to be.

The box I'm looking at has 1.00ft^3 which is right on the low end of box area (More punchy, I tend to like punchy, given that my buddy and I are right on par with music variety, I think he'd prefer punchy over boomy as well?) Tuned to 32 Hz (which is a bit on the low side). And Port area is also on par with what Sundown says. They've also rounded off some edges on the interior walls of the ports which is something I don't have knowledge of. I understand not buying cookie cutter boxes, but I think there is a bit of a bias around here. As tho every company that builds boxes only build cookie cutter boxes and don't build to high quality speakers. While I agree that you SHOULD build a box to your specific build (maximizing your space) sometimes that isn't the best option. But as they list here, they aren't just a cookie cutter prefab company (also their website allows you you specify EXACTLY what you want and they will build it.)

§ Years of real world experience removes guess work§ The perfect balance of SPL and SQL

§ Unparalleled LOW bass reproduction

§ Engineered for the widest frequency response

§ Every enclosure is proudly handcrafted in the USA one at a time

§ 3/4" Cabinet Grade Birch Wood made in the USA

§ All of our materials are sourced within the USA

§ Rounded and 45 degree bracing

§ Doubled Woofer Baffle included for superior strength (1.5" Thick)

§ Competition proven

§ Free Shipping in 48 States

Any seasoned audio enthusiast will tell you "It's all about the box." Experience 2-4 times the output of any pre-made speaker box on the market. Pre-made speaker boxes (pre-fab's) are generic, structurally weak, poorly tuned, and below recommended airspace. A subwoofer in a prefab enclosure will perform poorly overall in frequency response but especially on the "super-low" bass found in today's music (below 40 Hertz). This results in a very "muddy" and "boomy" sound, not to mention a complete loss of bass in half of your music collection. Remember: a subwoofer will only sound as good as it's enclosure, regardless of how deep your pockets are. Don’t be a victim of the small ports!

They seem to preach the same as those here do. I just am confused as to why people would discredit a company before ever looking into them. Stating that hand made custom boxes are prefabs.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Good luck with the box. Like I said, I don't know anybody doing it so that guy may be an up and comer. Give it a whirl and report back.

As far as the wire kit, have realistic expectations if the wire isn't a known brand, but if they claim 1/0 gauge and it's all copper it should be plenty adequate and the kit packages are typically a good deal on everything you'll need.

Seems like that amp is fused itself so you'll just need to fuse to protect the wire in case of dead short. I can't open an 80A fuse with my 1200W amps, but mine may be a bit more efficient. I would suspect that 100A fusing is plenty, but do whatever. If anything fuse a little lower on the amp and go as high as 200 on the battery.

 

[the727kid 10+ year member]

Don't listen to the clowns that say all pre-fabs are bad. If it's not a huge box and it fits the specs you need it will be no different than if you had someone build it. There are plenty of pre-fabs that work perfectly fine for a ton of subwoofers.

 

[tommymilan311]

Good luck with the box. Like I said, I don't know anybody doing it so that guy may be an up and comer. Give it a whirl and report back.
As far as the wire kit, have realistic expectations if the wire isn't a known brand, but if they claim 1/0 gauge and it's all copper it should be plenty adequate and the kit packages are typically a good deal on everything you'll need.

Seems like that amp is fused itself so you'll just need to fuse to protect the wire in case of dead short. I can't open an 80A fuse with my 1200W amps, but mine may be a bit more efficient. I would suspect that 100A fusing is plenty, but do whatever. If anything fuse a little lower on the amp and go as high as 200 on the battery.

That's generally the plan. And I'm pretty weary as well using an unknown brand. He decided buying a 20 ft OFC wire from Sky High and getting a fuse separate would be a good plan. I have used Sky High in my build and it works fantastic for my needs.

And when buying a box, If not "custom" I look for box volume, port area and port tuning. I ran the speakers specs through WinISD and the box seems to match perfectly to the speakers, So I'll trust them and raise hell if the product isn't as advertised. But when speaking with them (because I do call to know the process of what they are doing) they seem to have a pretty firm grip on what they are doing. And generally they are doing builds to speaker brands such as Sundown, DD, and many more. I'll trust them for this one, and report back. They also have price ranges from 235 (Like the one on ebay) to well over a grand if you custom design a box on their website. A little rich for my blood, but you gotta pay what you gotta pay if you don't wanna put in the work. If I had the tools, they also have an option to cut your wood and send it to you for assembly at a lower cost. Okay, I probably do have the tools to do that, but don't want to. If my buddy wants to save money he can, however, so that is an option.

Don't listen to the clowns that say all pre-fabs are bad. If it's not a huge box and it fits the specs you need it will be no different than if you had someone build it. There are plenty of pre-fabs that work perfectly fine for a ton of subwoofers.

I honestly don't see it as a "pre-fab." IMO, its more of a mass produced (Guy says they cut 5 at a time) custom box. This box I'm looking at has been custom designed around the Sundown SA8v2 and SA8v3 speakers. It also claims its good for SD-2, E8v3, and E8v4. But it matches everything WinISD is telling em and they used higher quality material than your standard MDF.

There are key advantages for using Birch wood. Birch has a much higher Modulus of Elasticity (stress to strain ratio) making it 3 times stronger than MDF. Many manufactures use Chinese MDF, which is even weaker and softer than conventional MDF. Customers also love the weight reduction. Weighing 40% less, Birch is ideal for both the performance and fuel economy minded.

As many times as I've tried to poke holes in their design I just haven't been able to. I honestly don't think I could build a better box, the only advantage would be $$$, and if I decided to go with 3/4 inch birch... how much am I really saving?