Aftermarket subwoofer, ported box, and custom 120V amp install in Cybertruck

[JayWebbMD]

Impressive! How's the setup doing? Still like it?

It’s holding up fairly well with a few caveats:
-There’s faint rattling from several of the pieces of interior trim, kind of hard to track down, but not terrible.
-I never got to test the fans on the amp because they’re only activated when the amp gets hot. Turns out they don’t work, as indicated by thermal shutoff one time for about 30 seconds and the fans not blowing. So apparently it passively cools very well even though its packed in very tight underneath the box. I’ll have to pull it back out and do some high volume testing in front of my house, which is hard with old neighbors.
-The subs sound a little sloppy after their break-in period. I may swap them for JL’s when I get around to redoing the upholstery on the box.
-The Epicenter is not the right signal processor for this application. It is designed to enhance and restore missing bass. So there is some processing that happens when it first turns on where it decides its output level based on the incoming signal. If it had a constant 12V source to hold memory, that would be fine, but it doesn’t, so its having to start from scratch every time. So its output signal changes based on the volume, sub level, and amount of bass in the song that’s playing when you first turn it on. Some days that means its very quiet, others its so loud that I have to turn it off and start over. I’m going to switch it out for a more simple active line output converter like the JL LoC-22 or something along those lines.

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[TyPope]

Looks amazing, wanted to do a custom box in my model S, but couldn’t find a decent power source(my previous setup in my BMW had 2 4000W RMS Amps) I didn’t that much, but the model S had no reliable source. I also wanted a separate battery to charge so it would take any range. This setup is great, because you can just kill the outlet if range is an issue, plus see how much it’s actually using. Nice Job

4,000W amp. Man, I used to sell Audio Equipment for cars at Circuit City back in 1990 (still seems like "just a little while ago")... They even sent me to "school" to learn stereo installation and enclosure construction/space requirements for Subs, etc.

We had a 300w Blaupunkt amp that would easily out play all the 1,000+ amps. When it came in, it sold for $300 and EVERY single car audio rep either bought one or put one on layaway. The price went to $999 the next week.

There were no regulations measuring those things to keep manufacturers honest. We had stores around that sold absolute crap but would have amazingly high Wattage. Back when Alpine stereos were a big deal, this one place sold Alphine stereos... That "h" meant it was a cheap knockoff... LOL... looked good though.


Be careful out there. Don't want to burn the car up.

A Class D amplifier's output power (watts RMS) equals its current draw (amperes) times the supply voltage (13.8V) times 75% efficiency.
4,000/.75 = actual draw = 5,333 Watts (in order to get 4,000 RMS from the amp)
5333W/13.8v= 386 Amps is how many amps you pull to get 4,000 RMS when you start with a 13.8v battery.

I never think about my stereo as a battery drain on range. I mean, the hit to mileage just didn't occur to me driving ICE vehicles. I KNEW that the power wasn't free and I KNEW gas mileage was better when not running the AC but things like the radio, lights, wipers... Those all ran on magic.

Imagine pulling 386 Amps from a regular car battery for very long.

Not busting anybody's chops... just nerded out there for a second and wanted to share the affliction. And, yes, I'm WAY out of date... I also remember being able to wire speakers in parallel to drop their resistance... The Blaupunkt could really scream... knocked rear view mirrors off of cars. LOL

 

[Gaximus]

4,000W amp. Man, I used to sell Audio Equipment for cars at Circuit City back in 1990 (still seems like "just a little while ago")... They even sent me to "school" to learn stereo installation and enclosure construction/space requirements for Subs, etc.

We had a 300w Blaupunkt amp that would easily out play all the 1,000+ amps. When it came in, it sold for $300 and EVERY single car audio rep either bought one or put one on layaway. The price went to $999 the next week.

There were no regulations measuring those things to keep manufacturers honest. We had stores around that sold absolute crap but would have amazingly high Wattage. Back when Alpine stereos were a big deal, this one place sold Alphine stereos... That "h" meant it was a cheap knockoff... LOL... looked good though.


Be careful out there. Don't want to burn the car up.

A Class D amplifier's output power (watts RMS) equals its current draw (amperes) times the supply voltage (13.8V) times 75% efficiency.
4,000/.75 = actual draw = 5,333 Watts (in order to get 4,000 RMS from the amp)
5333W/13.8v= 386 Amps is how many amps you pull to get 4,000 RMS when you start with a 13.8v battery.

I never think about my stereo as a battery drain on range. I mean, the hit to mileage just didn't occur to me driving ICE vehicles. I KNEW that the power wasn't free and I KNEW gas mileage was better when not running the AC but things like the radio, lights, wipers... Those all ran on magic.

Imagine pulling 386 Amps from a regular car battery for very long.

Not busting anybody's chops... just nerded out there for a second and wanted to share the affliction. And, yes, I'm WAY out of date... I also remember being able to wire speakers in parallel to drop their resistance... The Blaupunkt could really scream... knocked rear view mirrors off of cars. LOL

Yeah, lots of power draw, I'd would almost always count on any of my systems running the alternator at some point. The 4000W RMS, never did, I paired it with 2, 2 Farad Capacitors, and never had an issue. That's why I wanted to setup a separate chargeable battery system for my Model S. One that would charge off of AC, when plugged in, and when it died, I just lost the Subs, no hit to range or the cars battery integrity(Or working about blowing some computer component, that Tesla would charge a fortune to fix). But could never find a safe reliable way to tie into the AC charing system.

 

[Jason B]

Cool stuff. Would love to see more pics

 

[zacjones99]

Finally finished a project that's been in the works for awhile. Its 2 shallow mount 12's in a ported box and a DIY amplifier that you can read more about below. It runs off of the 120V plug in the center console. I removed the factory subs and ran the factory sub wires into an Epicenter Micro module which is powered from a dedicated 15V output from the amplifier. It sounds fantastic. I can turn them on and off and control the level with the factory subwoofer control on the touchscreen. The factory system was good "for a factory system," but now that I've got real bass, I can lower the bass level on the radio, which lets me go to full volume without causing the door speakers to distort and I can now hear the full audio range and understand the vocals with the windows down at 70 mph, which is my bar for a good system.

Wow amazing build and thanks for posting!! Super creative to DIY the amp and love the box build as well. I've been tossing ideas around my head and will likely do a pair of Audiomobile shallow DVC 10's sealed and downfiring in a similar configuration to yours, powered by 4 channels from a 220v Crown DCI 8|300N that I have -- I'm going to have to check and see but I'm hoping it will fit under the bed floor over the air compressor.

I think even the stock system will sound a lot better with just some basic acoustic treatments.

For reference, in my HT I have 8x18" subs in infinite baffle, and in my gas guzzler '03 330i I have 10" midbass IB in the kickpanels along with a 24" sub IB in the spare tire well so I'm no stranger to crazy installs...

 

[Aleks]

It’s holding up fairly well with a few caveats:
-There’s faint rattling from several of the pieces of interior trim, kind of hard to track down, but not terrible.
-I never got to test the fans on the amp because they’re only activated when the amp gets hot. Turns out they don’t work, as indicated by thermal shutoff one time for about 30 seconds and the fans not blowing. So apparently it passively cools very well even though its packed in very tight underneath the box. I’ll have to pull it back out and do some high volume testing in front of my house, which is hard with old neighbors.
-The subs sound a little sloppy after their break-in period. I may swap them for JL’s when I get around to redoing the upholstery on the box.
-The Epicenter is not the right signal processor for this application. It is designed to enhance and restore missing bass. So there is some processing that happens when it first turns on where it decides its output level based on the incoming signal. If it had a constant 12V source to hold memory, that would be fine, but it doesn’t, so its having to start from scratch every time. So its output signal changes based on the volume, sub level, and amount of bass in the song that’s playing when you first turn it on. Some days that means its very quiet, others its so loud that I have to turn it off and start over. I’m going to switch it out for a more simple active line output converter like the JL LoC-22 or something along those lines.

Did you ever figure what's the best device for tapping the sound signal?

Im trying to do a simplified version. I'm just running a pre built JL e110 home subwoofer with the small seat up, for now I just use android dual audio bluetooth output with a bluetooth receiver but it is not in sync and seems to be no way to fix that even after lots of research and attempts.

All I need are RCAs from the stereo system and my system would be excellent and super easy to remove if I need the space for something.

Considering an LC2i Pro but never messed with them before... how high are the factory subs crossed over? Can the Lc2i restore bass frequencies down to 20hz? Will it mess up the ohms on the oem setup if spliced in? and can I keep the factory subs in place?

 

[zacjones99]

I'll chime in... that sub is a great solution for a quick and easy sub upgrade in the CT. I would first try and keep it simple... use the speaker level inputs on the JL and tap into the sub signal right behind it. Just disconnect thaat OEM sub and run the speaker wire into the speaker level inputs on the back of the JL. Amped Garage has a connector with speaker wire leads they can make for you. Just ask via the contact form. That's the easy button aftermarket sub for sure! Any time you change your mind or need the space just plug the OEM sub back in. I'm about to start working on my setup now but I thought long and hard about just doing something simple like that. How are you securing it? Don't want that boulder of a sub flying around in an accident or hard stop. Maybe mount it by the screw holes on the feet of the sub to a piece of black plywood and secure it to the OEM sub mounting points with some aluminum brackets... let us know how it works out when you get it dialed in!

 

[Aleks]

I'll chime in... that sub is a great solution for a quick and easy sub upgrade in the CT. I would first try and keep it simple... use the speaker level inputs on the JL and tap into the sub signal right behind it. Just disconnect thaat OEM sub and run the speaker wire into the speaker level inputs on the back of the JL. Amped Garage has a connector with speaker wire leads they can make for you. Just ask via the contact form. That's the easy button aftermarket sub for sure! Any time you change your mind or need the space just plug the OEM sub back in. I'm about to start working on my setup now but I thought long and hard about just doing something simple like that. How are you securing it? Don't want that boulder of a sub flying around in an accident or hard stop. Maybe mount it by the screw holes on the feet of the sub to a piece of black plywood and secure it to the OEM sub mounting points with some aluminum brackets... let us know how it works out when you get it dialed in!

I didn't notice the high level inputs on the back, good to know, makes me wonder if bass rolloff will be a major issue...
Also whats wrong with just tapping the subwoofer cable and leaving the oem in place?

 

[Aleks]

I'll chime in... that sub is a great solution for a quick and easy sub upgrade in the CT. I would first try and keep it simple... use the speaker level inputs on the JL and tap into the sub signal right behind it. Just disconnect thaat OEM sub and run the speaker wire into the speaker level inputs on the back of the JL. Amped Garage has a connector with speaker wire leads they can make for you. Just ask via the contact form. That's the easy button aftermarket sub for sure! Any time you change your mind or need the space just plug the OEM sub back in. I'm about to start working on my setup now but I thought long and hard about just doing something simple like that. How are you securing it? Don't want that boulder of a sub flying around in an accident or hard stop. Maybe mount it by the screw holes on the feet of the sub to a piece of black plywood and secure it to the OEM sub mounting points with some aluminum brackets... let us know how it works out when you get it dialed in!

I haven't gotten as far as how to secure it, it's really not that big of a concern it can only move a few inches each way and the rubber feet are so grippy flooring it does not let slide.

 

[zacjones99]

You can certainly try -- I don't think adding the load of the high level inputs will add any significant resistance or take away much power from the OEM sub, but I'm no electrical engineer and that's uncharted territory for me. I'd probably call JL Audio tech support and see what they think You never know it may sound best with just two or all three, or cleaner with just the JL sub... Let us know your results.

 

[JayWebbMD]

Did you ever figure what's the best device for tapping the sound signal?

Im trying to do a simplified version. I'm just running a pre built JL e110 home subwoofer with the small seat up, for now I just use android dual audio bluetooth output with a bluetooth receiver but it is not in sync and seems to be no way to fix that even after lots of research and attempts.

All I need are RCAs from the stereo system and my system would be excellent and super easy to remove if I need the space for something.

Considering an LC2i Pro but never messed with them before... how high are the factory subs crossed over? Can the Lc2i restore bass frequencies down to 20hz? Will it mess up the ohms on the oem setup if spliced in? and can I keep the factory subs in place?

The LC2i did end up being better than the epicenter for this application because the factory subwoofer signal is robust and full strength from 20 Hz to what sounds like a 12 dB rolloff around 180 Hz or so. But I have a 15 volt DC output from my amp board to power the LC2i. You’d have to find a power source for it somewhere. I think I heard there are some low current 12 volt wires somewhere in the truck. Or step down the 48 or 120 volt. Or step up a 5 volt from USB. Easiest thing would be a high power line output converter. A standard one will fry due to the higher voltage to the factory subs. Scosche SLC4 was what I used in early testing. Just tap it straight off the wires going to each sub and it shouldn’t effect anything. Anything bluetooth will never work because you’ll never get the phasing right.

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