Subwoofer Bass solution

[smistry007]

I doubt it's software issue. It's more of hardware limitation. Sort of like a 1080p projector won't be able to output a full 4k resolution

Perhaps another solution is to improve the enclose/ surround of the native woofer- my impression was that it was minimally enclosed other than the trunk liner

 

[Babyrocko1908]

Perhaps another solution is to improve the enclose/ surround of the native woofer- my impression was that it was minimally enclosed other than the trunk liner

Did you see enough space around the factory sub to build an enclosure? I'm a bass gal so I'm considering all options here.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Perhaps another solution is to improve the enclose/ surround of the native woofer- my impression was that it was minimally enclosed other than the trunk liner

http://www.caraudiohelp.com/newsletter/cabin_gain.html
Of course the sub you added will be amplified by cabin gain effect. These are super interesting and useful pics you took and th description of the process is cool, thanks for doing that. One question, the native Lucid woofer, what size was it, 8” or 10”? I’m super happy with the bass in the car (just mentioning it as a preference, not to criticize anyone’s else’s preference ) I understand others wanting more if that’s what they’re used to from other vehicles, just curious to learn what woofer size seems to be adequate for me since I’m satisfied with the stock system.

 

[smistry007]

Did you see enough space around the factory sub to build an enclosure? I'm a bass gal so I'm considering all options here.

Unfortunately no- the trunk liner seems to be located right up next to the woofer- unless you cut the trunk I liner and fashioned a bigger enclosure

 

[smistry007]

http://www.caraudiohelp.com/newsletter/cabin_gain.html
Of course the sub you added will be amplified by cabin gain effect. These are super interesting and useful pics you took and th description of the process is cool, thanks for doing that. One question, the native Lucid woofer, what size was it, 8” or 10”? I’m super happy with the bass in the car (just mentioning it as a preference, not to criticize anyone’s else’s preference ) I understand others wanting more if that’s what they’re used to from other vehicles, just curious to learn what woofer size seems to be adequate for me since I’m satisfied with the stock system.

I didn’t actually measure it but eye balling it my impression was 8 inches

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I didn’t actually measure it but eye balling it my impression was 8 inches

Thanks that’s what it looked like to me. I’m actually more impressed with the car’s bass if it’s 8 inches. Few songs are mixed with much below 40hz anyway and yet I definitely “feel” that chest thump, it’s likely they were very deliberate with the position of that speaker to maximize the gain effect with the least amount of distortion. But I’m curious how this 12” monster would extend the low end on tracks! I’m also curious the effect on the 12v, given it’s a powered sub adding to the power draw already taken by the rest of the system. It’s not like adding a radar detector.

 

[the1sen]

I don't consider myself an audio expert but I do expect to enjoy a great music experience while driving. Despite the hype of Dolby Atmos, Tidal and Lucid's Surreal Sound, I was disappointed, like a few others on the forum, about the lack of punch in the bass. Don't get me wrong, the highs, mids and spatial imaging are stellar indeed but the bass need attention, in my humble opinion.

Below is my novel solution: I purchased an enclosed self powered 12 inch JBL subwoofer from Amazon. I originally intended to place it in the frunk but ran into too much difficulty plumbing the wires from frunk to cabin so instead I placed it bottom enclosed part of rear trunk.

I took the power supply from the right sided 12v outlet. It is switched meaning power shuts off about 30 seconds after you lock the door and walk away from the car. To access it just pull the trunk liner straight up and take a parallel feed.

I removed the trunk liner just behind the rear seats to expose the Lucid subwoofer below rear package shelf- use screw driver to pry out plastic plugs

This gives access to subwoofer's wire leads. I used two aligator electric clips to take a parallel feed to the JBL subwoofer. I did not cut lead or disinstall native Lucid woofer. At some point I should probably go back and solder them. Next I turned my attention to the trunk partition cover as is was now touching the JBL subwoofer below. I cut and installed plywood in the same pattern as the partition cover to clear the subwoofer's elevation and yet not have the partition cover slide around

With the modified partition hovering about the subwoofer, everything looks relatively factory stock

The sound is now truly phenomenal and bass notes, whether one is seated forward or aft, are exactly what you would expect of a car of this price. This was a low cost (<$300) endeavor and took me a day to complete. Hope others will find this of benefit,

Now if the weather will cooperate.....!

best

Sameer

Hi Sameer!

Thank you for doing this.
Thank you for your humble description of why you did it to begin with.
Thank you for the easy-to-follow directions.

Questions:
- Which enclosure / subwoofer solution did you use (link)?
- Does this 12" have a built-in crossover?
- I assume it has a built-in volume to select as well, is it controlled with a remote?
- Has it caused any interference with the electronics? (I was concerned it might need to be shielded, similar to my 911 Turbo S sub install.)
- Were you considering installing a crossover in the door speakers to prevent the vigorous popping sounds when playing music? If you are, before I did that, I found using the "Balance" setting in an "upsidedown cross" configuration helped with the popping noises.

Comments:
- The frank falloff of anything below 90Hz, and popping of the door speakers are audio engineering failures, but are expected of midrange drivers when used for subwoofer duty
- Sadly, Lucid's marketing team tells customers they have installed 3 "subwoofers," when they really only have 3 mid-range drivers with stiffer cones and a crossover that reproduce paltry bass sound below 90Hz (Frequency charts don't tell you how something sounds.)
- Some vehicles don't give the option for a subwoofer, like my 1995 Nissan, but came from the factory with a dedicated subwoofer enclosure where the volume of the sub could be adjusted on the EQ settings.

Suggestion:
- Regardless of where anyone sits in the debate of "bassless" vs "it's perfectly fine, what's wrong with you", I firmly believe this argument could have been avoided completely.
- Lucid charges $4,000 for their high-end system. It would have been wonderful if they would've given an optional $1000 addition to add something like you did, but from the factory! I know I would have paid for it.
- It would have been a pretty nifty factory addition to the car, and would allow everyone to choose the best-sounding system for their individual music tastes.

- Lucid has a great marketing team and I believed the hype about their system!
- Thankfully Sameer described a reasonable solution to their audio engineering failure.
- Hopefully Lucid will offer their future customers something like what I suggested to accommodate the varying tastes of music!

Joe

 

[bobofat]

That's funny that you posted this. I also took a look at the speaker situation in the rear deck the other day to see how everything was set up. I didn't add anything to it, but just wanted to know for my own knowledge. Can you hear a difference and are you happy with the result or is it too boomy?

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Hi Sameer!

Thank you for doing this.
Thank you for your humble description of why you did it to begin with.
Thank you for the easy-to-follow directions.

Questions:
- Which enclosure / subwoofer solution did you use (link)?
- Does this 12" have a built-in crossover?
- I assume it has a built-in volume to select as well, is it controlled with a remote?
- Has it caused any interference with the electronics? (I was concerned it might need to be shielded, similar to my 911 Turbo S sub install.)
- Were you considering installing a crossover in the door speakers to prevent the vigorous popping sounds when playing music? If you are, before I did that, I found using the "Balance" setting in an "upsidedown cross" configuration helped with the popping noises.

Comments:
- The frank falloff of anything below 90Hz, and popping of the door speakers are audio engineering failures, but are expected of midrange drivers when used for subwoofer duty
- Sadly, Lucid's marketing team tells customers they have installed 3 "subwoofers," when they really only have 3 mid-range drivers with stiffer cones and a crossover that reproduce paltry bass sound below 90Hz (Frequency charts don't tell you how something sounds.)
- Some vehicles don't give the option for a subwoofer, like my 1995 Nissan, but came from the factory with a dedicated subwoofer enclosure where the volume of the sub could be adjusted on the EQ settings.

Suggestion:
- Regardless of where anyone sits in the debate of "bassless" vs "it's perfectly fine, what's wrong with you", I firmly believe this argument could have been avoided completely.
- Lucid charges $4,000 for their high-end system. It would have been wonderful if they would've given an optional $1000 addition to add something like you did, but from the factory! I know I would have paid for it.
- It would have been a pretty nifty factory addition to the car, and would allow everyone to choose the best-sounding system for their individual music tastes.

- Lucid has a great marketing team and I believed the hype about their system!
- Thankfully Sameer described a reasonable solution to their audio engineering failure.
- Hopefully Lucid will offer their future customers something like what I suggested to accommodate the varying tastes of music!

Joe

I’m just gonna go ahead and break the rules of this thread, since you did. If it sounds “paltry” below 90hz (aka not how the track was mixed) and this sound system is a “failure” of Lucid’s audio system designers, then you’re not listening to it correctly (need a reboot, not all speakers working, Tidal not HiFI Plus, lower quality MP3 stream?), or there’s something wrong with your specific system. Play INXS Mediate in Dolby Atmos or The Cure’s “Holy Hour” at 75% of the fader volume and tell me there’s anything wrong with the bass or that they failed at engineering the audio in this car. While some prefer more bass beyond what existed in the original track, there is nothing wrong with the bass in the car under correct listening conditions and it generally represents the audio as it was mixed. I’ve compared another owners car to mine and they sound identical so it’s not like I got the one unicorn car that has the good sound system. Most music mixes are actually done on speakers (Meyer HD1, Genelec 1030A or 1032s) with 8” woofers that are flat down to 32hz with no subwoofer. The Lucid has a very good frequency response down to 40hz, it’s only between there and 32hz it tapers off which you’ll hear if you compare a 40hz tone and a 35hz tone. So a roll off at the very very bottom end of the range is not a failure by any definition of that word.

 

[smistry007]

Hi Sameer!

Thank you for doing this.
Thank you for your humble description of why you did it to begin with.
Thank you for the easy-to-follow directions.

Questions:
- Which enclosure / subwoofer solution did you use (link)?
- Does this 12" have a built-in crossover?
- I assume it has a built-in volume to select as well, is it controlled with a remote?
- Has it caused any interference with the electronics? (I was concerned it might need to be shielded, similar to my 911 Turbo S sub install.)
- Were you considering installing a crossover in the door speakers to prevent the vigorous popping sounds when playing music? If you are, before I did that, I found using the "Balance" setting in an "upsidedown cross" configuration helped with the popping noises.

Comments:
- The frank falloff of anything below 90Hz, and popping of the door speakers are audio engineering failures, but are expected of midrange drivers when used for subwoofer duty
- Sadly, Lucid's marketing team tells customers they have installed 3 "subwoofers," when they really only have 3 mid-range drivers with stiffer cones and a crossover that reproduce paltry bass sound below 90Hz (Frequency charts don't tell you how something sounds.)
- Some vehicles don't give the option for a subwoofer, like my 1995 Nissan, but came from the factory with a dedicated subwoofer enclosure where the volume of the sub could be adjusted on the EQ settings.

Suggestion:
- Regardless of where anyone sits in the debate of "bassless" vs "it's perfectly fine, what's wrong with you", I firmly believe this argument could have been avoided completely.
- Lucid charges $4,000 for their high-end system. It would have been wonderful if they would've given an optional $1000 addition to add something like you did, but from the factory! I know I would have paid for it.
- It would have been a pretty nifty factory addition to the car, and would allow everyone to choose the best-sounding system for their individual music tastes.

- Lucid has a great marketing team and I believed the hype about their system!
- Thankfully Sameer described a reasonable solution to their audio engineering failure.
- Hopefully Lucid will offer their future customers something like what I suggested to accommodate the varying tastes of music!

Joe

Hey Joe

Here is the link: JBL SUBBP12AM - 450 Watts (150W... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VBD8R27?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

It has a build in cross over, separate volume and remote. No issues w interference or excess draw on the battery either. I looked at the speakers in the front foot well but access to them looked quite limited and I was reluctant to start ripping out parts from a brand new car! I played w the balance settings but still wanted more bass.

 

[smistry007]

That's funny that you posted this. I also took a look at the speaker situation in the rear deck the other day to see how everything was set up. I didn't add anything to it, but just wanted to know for my own knowledge. Can you hear a difference and are you happy with the result or is it too boomy?

The difference is significant and well worth the effort

 

[hmp10]

I’m just gonna go ahead and break the rules of this thread, since you did. If it sounds “paltry” below 90hz (aka not how the track was mixed) and this sound system is a “failure” of Lucid’s audio system designers, then you’re not listening to it correctly (need a reboot, not all speakers working, Tidal not HiFI Plus, lower quality MP3 stream?), or there’s something wrong with your specific system. Play INXS Mediate in Dolby Atmos or The Cure’s “Holy Hour” at 75% of the fader volume and tell me there’s anything wrong with the bass or that they failed at engineering the audio in this car. While some prefer more bass beyond what existed in the original track, there is nothing wrong with the bass in the car under correct listening conditions and it generally represents the audio as it was mixed. I’ve compared another owners car to mine and they sound identical so it’s not like I got the one unicorn car that has the good sound system. Most music mixes are actually done on speakers (Meyer HD1, Genelec 1030A or 1032s) with 8” woofers that are flat down to 32hz with no subwoofer. The Lucid has a very good frequency response down to 40hz, it’s only between there and 32hz it tapers off which you’ll hear if you compare a 40hz tone and a 35hz tone. So a roll off at the very very bottom end of the range is not a failure by any definition of that word.

Ditto. When I listen to Lyle Lovett's "The Road to Ensenada" at moderate volume and the deep bass line comes in about halfway through the song, the bottom of my seat cushion begins to vibrate. The first time I experienced this, I turned to the internet to see if I could find any references to Lucid's having put a "bass thumper" under the car seats. I find the bass in the Air to be clean and accurate . . . devoid of the high distortion that often passes for true bass.

 

[borski]

and popping of the door speakers are audio engineering failures

This is trivially fixable by mobile service, FYI. Others on this forum have had it fixed There is a piece of foam that loosens over a hole; a piece of metallic backed tape fixes it right up.

 

[Babyrocko1908]

I really need my Touring soon so I can test these tracks you all are suggesting. One other quick question, does anyone have any Hip-Hop or RnB tracks that they recommend to test the system?

Funny story, in my Jaguar XF when I got it a decade ago, I was driving along just enjoying the ride, a track came on by an obscure artist named Cheri Dennis. The track is called "Showdown." Any who, the track starts off and sounds normal for my XF's Bowers and Wilkins system, then at around the 25th second mark of the intro, I heard something in those speakers produced by that system that I've NEVER heard in a car before. The subwoofer working in conjunction with the rest of the system sent the deep bass to each speaker in a clockwise motion in the next 4 seconds and I almost wrecked my car! The mixing of the track in conjunction with the subwoofer and speakers was the best sound experience I've ever had in a car. There's a few other tracks that came along later like Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" and Jill Scott's "Insomnia" that really highlighted the system. I hope I have similar experiences with this Atmos system in my Air Touring.

Link to Cheri Dennis' "Showdown."

 

[hydbob]

I really need my Touring soon so I can test these tracks you all are suggesting. One other quick question, does anyone have any Hip-Hop or RnB tracks that they recommend to test the system?

Funny story, in my Jaguar XF when I got it a decade ago, I was driving along just enjoying the ride, a track came on by an obscure artist named Cheri Dennis. The track is called "Showdown." Any who, the track starts off and sounds normal for my XF's Bowers and Wilkins system, then at around the 25th second mark of the intro, I heard something in those speakers produced by that system that I've NEVER heard in a car before. The subwoofer working in conjunction with the rest of the system sent the deep bass to each speaker in a clockwise motion in the next 4 seconds and I almost wrecked my car! The mixing of the track in conjunction with the subwoofer and speakers was the best sound experience I've ever had in a car. There's a few other tracks that came along later like Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" and Jill Scott's "Insomnia" that really highlighted the system. I hope I have similar experiences with this Atmos system in my Air Touring.

Link to Cheri Dennis' "Showdown."

Good base, good highs

 

[hmp10]

Help me here. Weren't Dolby engineers involved in the design of the Air audio system? Would Dolby have licensed its Atmos technology to Lucid if its speakers weren't capable of producing full-spectrum sound at the levels required for accurate music reproduction?

From the Dolby website:

"Working with Dolby, the speaker system was tuned and perfected for the unique space of the Lucid Air using the legendary Capitol Records Studio C recording studio as the reference design."

Lucid Air is the World’s First Vehicle to Integrate Dolby Atmos

Lucid Motors, which is setting new standards for sustainable mobility with its advanced luxury EVs, today unveiled the integration of Dolby Atmos as part of its new 21-speaker Surreal Sound system.

news.dolby.com

I really cannot imagine that sound engineers at both Dolby and Lucid failed to notice that the Air's speaker system was too bass-deficient for accurate music reproduction.

I'm sorry, but packing big aftermarket subwoofers into the Air is not about accurate music reproduction. It's about wanting the bum-shaking kick of stadium speakers at a rock concert. I've sat next to those cars at stoplights. It's not music.

 

[hmp10]

I perhaps got a bit too edgy in the above post, and for that I apologize.

However, potential buyers read this forum, and I am frustrated that this thread became something of a discussion about how to address an engineering failure with the Lucid audio system instead of about how to add artificial levels of bass to the sound. Terms such as "fix" and "solution" were used, and a comparison was made between the Air's audio system and a 1080p projector not being able to reproduce a 4K image.

The Lucid's audio system will accurately produce what is in the source signal, frequency-balanced the way it is in the source signal. It does not need "fixing" or "a software solution" to do that. What it will not do is vibrate the body panels so that drivers two lanes over want to reach for a shotgun.

 

[Babyrocko1908]

Good base, good highs

I have this song on my old iPod. I can't wait to check it out in the Air.

 

[stratus]

I really need my Touring soon so I can test these tracks you all are suggesting. One other quick question, does anyone have any Hip-Hop or RnB tracks that they recommend to test the system?

Funny story, in my Jaguar XF when I got it a decade ago, I was driving along just enjoying the ride, a track came on by an obscure artist named Cheri Dennis. The track is called "Showdown." Any who, the track starts off and sounds normal for my XF's Bowers and Wilkins system, then at around the 25th second mark of the intro, I heard something in those speakers produced by that system that I've NEVER heard in a car before. The subwoofer working in conjunction with the rest of the system sent the deep bass to each speaker in a clockwise motion in the next 4 seconds and I almost wrecked my car! The mixing of the track in conjunction with the subwoofer and speakers was the best sound experience I've ever had in a car. There's a few other tracks that came along later like Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" and Jill Scott's "Insomnia" that really highlighted the system. I hope I have similar experiences with this Atmos system in my Air Touring.

Link to Cheri Dennis' "Showdown."

I don’t know if this qualifies as true hip hop and it’s not RnB , but this song in Atmos is chest thumping and fantastic and it gives me energy every time I blast it in the car. Truly exceptional. The Motto by Tiesto: link below.

https://tidal.com/track/202917222

 

[hmp10]

I have this song on my old iPod. I can't wait to check it out in the Air.

My guess is that the music file on an old iPod is somewhat compressed. The Lucid sound system is very revealing, and lower-quality source material might actually sound worse on the Lucid than on some other, less accurate systems. You really need to assess what the Lucid system is capable of by using Atmos-encoded material such as is available from one of the streaming sources (Tidal, I Heart Radio, Amazon Music Unlimited, etc.).