This has been brought up before, but I want to discuss what I have found.

I used to be a big car stereo enthusiast and have built a few pretty nice car audio systems in my time. What I have noticed about the Crossfire (non-base coupe) sound system is that it really isn't that bad... after one small modification is done. The problem IMO is that there is an absolute overabundance of low frequency energy in the 100-200 hertz range with no possibility for the bass control to get rid of… and no fader to control the relative volume of the subs to the rest of the system. I have personally found that I usually had the bass control at about -7 or -8 to reduce the mid-bass sloppiness that it exhibited (IMO, too much mid-bass is the single biggest issue that can make a sound system sound terrible). This "extra" bass energy is coming from the poorly crossed over door bass/mids. In fact, I suspect those bass/mids may be running straight up (or close to it) and contributing way too much energy in that range.

What I did was to install a 200 Hz high pass crossover in the form of a 200uF capacitor in series with the front speakers. Simple enough if you are a car stereo guy. This little mod does ABSOLUTE wonders to the system. I am absolutely amazed how much quality low frequency energy the subs actually produce. It was there before, but was being muddled by those front speakers and reduced in volume by my having to turn the bass control down so much to control the overzealous mid-bass. The new sound is rich and detailed in all the mid-bass frequencies, and the subs really nicely fill in the lower frequencies at just about the right crossover frequency. The subs do not produce "thumping" volumes, but the quality of the bass is quite good. Subjectively, I estimate that the system is easily producing 40 Hz at relatively good volume. It won't be enough for bass volume freaks, but the quality of the bass is pretty darn good, and I am all about the quality.

This overabundance of mid bass is probably the most common problem that most stock car stereos have. Manufacturers do this purposefully to help compensate for road noise, but it really mucks up the sound, especially in the relatively quiet Crossfire. Once this mod is done, in addition to the huge bass improvement, is that the midrange opens up and sounds so much more natural and smooth.

This mod will not address the issue that some think the head unit is crappy. I would say that it is very average in the reproduction of upper midrange and treble frequencies, and at volumes more than "fairly loud" the sounds gets a bit grainy, but that's about it. Sure it doesn’t have a ton of features, but IMO it looks better than a lot of the aftermarket stereos, at least in our Crossfire. To me, all the spinning circles, flying dots, and multi-color displays are just too much, although I have seen a few units that I like (but big $$$). I prefer the simplicity of the stock unit, and with this mod, it sounds so much better.

I highly recommend this mod to anyone interested in improving the sound quality, but really don't want to spend a lot. It may be just the ticket before resorting to a complete overhaul! It is pretty good bang for the buck mod and isn't too hard to do (depending on your skill set). I can't imagine a stereo shop charging more than about $100 for this mod.

 

interesting...

very informative.

j

 

Can you provide instructions for the DIYers?

 

Yes this is very interesting and I am also interested in how you go about doing this.

 

I'll put together something soon and post it here.

 

Now I know what is going on with my speakers. I often time have to shut down the radio because of the heavy bass sound that is unpleasant, on certain music's. I tried to adjust while driving but with little result and can be dangerous. Thanks Pelked1 for understanding the problem. Looking forward for your next posting.

Ron.

 

Man a guy that actually knows what he's talking about...Thanks! Hurry with directions!

 

I was talking to ben audio here about the same thing.
Let us know how you make out.

 

I, too, look forward to your help w/ instructions. Wonderful input.

 

Yup, this is exactly what the modification will fix.

I'll have a DIY procedure soon.

 

Yes I would be interested as well...

 

I have recently found out that I cannot upload pictures with my account. I may try and open up a new one to see if that would work.

Without pics, this DIY thread would be almost worthless...

 

I'm new to the forum and a new XF owner and love my car. Thanks for the info, I will be watching for the DYI.

 

can't wait to see this.

 

I would be very interested in this also!

 

Any chance we'll see this soon pelked1? Thanks!

 

Since the gallery is back and running, maybe it'll work now?

 

I saw your pic in the gallery for this mod. Do you think there is any way this can be done where the wires come out at the amplifier?

 

Took a bunch of pics today on how to remove the door panel and where to wire-in the capacitor. I will post a guide soon after I figure out how best to describe the exact procedure...don't want to ruin anyone's day with incorrect instructions...

Wiring the capacitors directly out of the amp is a really good idea. Quite honestly, I didn't think of doing it this way. Intriguing idea. Somebody posted the stereo diagram at one point and it looks like the pins out of the amp as marked on the diagram are 7 and 8. A little problem looks to be that there are two pins that are labeled 7 and two that are 8. So one would have to find the wires that are Black/Pink and Black/Blue and wire in the capacitors there.

I am going to have a look at the amp and see if this is a possibility. I have read that it is in the passenger footwell area behind a panel somewhere...

 

Link for door panel removal: (see page 2)

http://homepage.mac.com/gregmeach/XF..._DoorPanel.pdf