2013 SE audio woes

[jtsarby]

I just got my 2013 fusion. I had a 2011 SE before. I really like the looks of the new fusion. My only complaint so far is the stereo. Rather disappointing. Absolutely no bass and everything sounds thin or hollow. I have tried to adjust the settings but even with the bass all the way up it is bad. Am I missing something? The 2011 was much better.

[txtenor]

Which trim level did you get and with what options? There is more than one stereo available depending on if you at base trim level or SE or Titanium?

 

I think you will need to provide more info before folks can give you much help.

 

I have the Titanium with the Sony sound system and I can tell you that it is not thin or hollow at all. The bass can actually be a bit too much depending on the music selected.

[jtsarby]

It is an SE. It is worse through Bluetooth and USB. Sirius is not great but not as bad.

 

[acdii]

The SE leaves a lot to be desired. Ford really screwed up by not offering the Sony in any trim other than Titanium, especially with the Hybrid. Still no clue how long the wait is until the Hybrid Titanium is going to be built.

[nineball]

did they really change things that much for the stereo? i have a '12 SE and the base 6 speaker system is quite impressive for a low end stock setup. the entire thing will be replaced but as far as factory base systems this one is the top so far.

[acdii]

Until you hear the Sony compared to the non Sony, its hard to explain. Then again most people think BASS when they hear about a good sound system, but there is much more to it. When you listen to something like the Outlaws Ghost Rider, the opening guitar sequence in the Sony sounds crisp and clean, and on the other a bit muddy.

 

Treble, midrange, and bass can be adjusted to get the clearest sound in the 13, but not the 10.

[green.cubic]

I just picked up my 2013 Fusion and I'm not too impressed by the stock system either. I am already kind of wishing I bumped up to the Titanium for the sound system.

[FusionNewbie]

I just picked up my 2013 Fusion and I'm not too impressed by the stock system either. I am already kind of wishing I bumped up to the Titanium for the sound system.

 

Ditto - even normal morning talk radio sounded a bit off. Louder noise was too loud and lower volume was too low. Hard to find a happy medium.

[green.cubic]

I have zip for experience upgrading a car speaker system. Any advice is welcome on this topic. I would be willing to throw a few hundred at this for a decent sub and clearer sound.

[green.cubic]

Does anyone know if replacing the speakers in the car will void either the 36k bumper to bumper or Ford ESP Warranty?

[nineball]

Until you hear the Sony compared to the non Sony, its hard to explain. Then again most people think BASS when they hear about a good sound system, but there is much more to it. When you listen to something like the Outlaws Ghost Rider, the opening guitar sequence in the Sony sounds crisp and clean, and on the other a bit muddy.

 

Treble, midrange, and bass can be adjusted to get the clearest sound in the 13, but not the 10.

 

i listened to the sony version before purchasing my '12 with the base and i was anything but impressed. actually i was kind of shocked at what you got for the cost of the upgrade. imho it was one of the biggest add-on rip-offs ford offers.

 

I have zip for experience upgrading a car speaker system. Any advice is welcome on this topic. I would be willing to throw a few hundred at this for a decent sub and clearer sound.

 

for a few hundred you would be able to add a sub, amp, enclosure and wiring but that's about as far as you would get. it would add low end to your system but nothing else.

 

Does anyone know if replacing the speakers in the car will void either the 36k bumper to bumper or Ford ESP Warranty?

 

no clue but if i had to guess i would say it might if something related to the stereo system went wrong (and that could be anything from the radio to the sync module to god knows what they could decide) that would essentially give them their "out" to say your warranty was voided and they won't make the repair under it. i have never messed with the audio system of a car under warranty, i always wait. you can however add a cld (constrained layer damper, like dynamat xtreme or sds tiles) which will not only quiet your car by reducing panel vibrations but it will improve the sound of your audio system. since this is just applied to the sheet metal i can't see a way it would ever even come close to being a warranty issue. plus, once the warranty is over you have one less step to do for your entire audio system upgrade.

[green.cubic]

i listened to the sony version before purchasing my '12 with the base and i was anything but impressed. actually i was kind of shocked at what you got for the cost of the upgrade. imho it was one of the biggest add-on rip-offs ford offers.

 

 

for a few hundred you would be able to add a sub, amp, enclosure and wiring but that's about as far as you would get. it would add low end to your system but nothing else.

 

 

no clue but if i had to guess i would say it might if something related to the stereo system went wrong (and that could be anything from the radio to the sync module to god knows what they could decide) that would essentially give them their "out" to say your warranty was voided and they won't make the repair under it. i have never messed with the audio system of a car under warranty, i always wait. you can however add a cld (constrained layer damper, like dynamat xtreme or sds tiles) which will not only quiet your car by reducing panel vibrations but it will improve the sound of your audio system. since this is just applied to the sheet metal i can't see a way it would ever even come close to being a warranty issue. plus, once the warranty is over you have one less step to do for your entire audio system upgrade.

 

I did a little reading and I think I could probably skip the separate sub-woofer and just get some better door speakers/tweeters and amp. I am currently waiting to hear back from the dealer what impact this would have on the warranty.

[acdii]

As long as impedance and wattage matched the speakers being replaced, and the installation was clean, they would have a hard time denying it. They have to prove that the upgrade caused the problem. Magnuson-Moss I believe its called. The problem I have with aftermarket is I dont want to see it. At least with the factory installed Sony, all 12 speakers are installed, and can be swapped out with higher end ones if needed without cutting, or any other obtrusive work.

[chetmoseley]

Will not void warranty like above stated if installed properly

[truebluetitan]

I opted for the titanium because of the differences in stereo equipment (among other reasons). While the Sony system isn't the best I've heard, IMO it's a worthwhile upgrade from the base sound system. However I'm sure that you can put some aftermarket speakers in with a base head unit and really wake the system up to compliment the rest of the car.

[madtowner]

2013 Fusion SE has 6" speakers in the bottom of the front doors and a tweeter up top on the same front doors. If you are upgrading your stereo in a 2013 Fusion SE, a good idea would be to start with speakers. You want to

look for 6" or 6.5" component speakers. Nothing with an impedence below 4 ohms. Try and find a pair that have a high sensitivity rating, 91db or higher, reason being that the higher the sensitivity rating the less power it takes to drive the speakers. The amp in the 2013 head units really doesnt sound good at high output levels so a high sensitivity speaker will allow the head unit to drive the speakers to high output levels using less wattage. Polk DB6501 is a good match, $105 shipped on Amazon. Geek Squad at Best Buy will install whatever speakers you buy for $99. If you're still not satisfied after the speaker upgrade then you will have to look into adding an amplifier. The 2013 Fusion SE also has speakers in the lower rear doors and 6X9 cut outs in the rear deck.

[KMan]

I am very surprised at what I am hearing. I just got my 2013 se with Sync. The Audio system sounds amazing. Tons of Bass. I don't know if you have experimented with your settings. There is 3 Occupancy Modes (Driver, Full Car and Rear seat) I found the middle setting sounds awesome. Also it is very dependent on the recording level (volume) of the audio source track.

[markmanuel]

I started a component speaker (DB6501) upgrade last night and ran into a problem. I have the SE with premium sound (I laugh as I type the word premium). The speaker harness that attached to the mid woofer apparently has changed and there is no adapter available yet for it. It has 4 wires going into the plug that attaches to the OEM speaker. I believe 2 of the 4 wires are leaving the plug to feed the tweeter. The other 2 are feeding the woofer. I don't want to cut the OEM plug for many reasons. Has anyone installed new components into a premium audio system and if so please shed some light on how it was done?

[nvidican]

The 4 pin connector can be bought from www.fordparts.com - enter your VIN #, then enter the search term 'pigtail' - you can try this link: http://www.fordparts.com/Commerce/PartDetail.aspx?n=JzTfgq31zpyv3fSx0yNXfA%3d%3d&id=242714869&m=2&search=true&year=2013&make=Ford&model=Fusion

[fistfulladirt]

I have the 2013 SE w/sync. I've listened to Sirius since I've owned the car, so I hadn't listened to FM until recently. It is absolutely terrible. No matter what station, it's not bad reception, it's the constant chopping of the high-end tones...it almost sounds like stereo to mono, and back and forth. So bad that I refuse to listen. I'm going to mention it to the dealer when I go in for the latest recall work.

[Gregavi]

I have added a 5 channel amp and 10" subwoofer in enclosed box and replaced the front component speakers to my 2013 Hybrid. The sound is better but not yet great. The head unit will need to be replaced if you want great sound. The reason is, the head unit has no "Pre Outs", therefore the HU's amp is still in the chain. It is of poor quality. Very noisy. The challenge of changing out the HU is keeping the factory appearance and functionality. Kenwood has a HU with all the functions of the factory system (ties into SYNC), adds NAV and HD radio, but at present, AFAIK, there is not a trim kit available for the 2013.

 

Anybody else have the "Noise" from the amp? You can hear it between songs.

[jdelosh]

I have added a 5 channel amp and 10" subwoofer in enclosed box and replaced the front component speakers to my 2013 Hybrid. The sound is better but not yet great. The head unit will need to be replaced if you want great sound. The reason is, the head unit has no "Pre Outs", therefore the HU's amp is still in the chain. It is of poor quality. Very noisy. The challenge of changing out the HU is keeping the factory appearance and functionality. Kenwood has a HU with all the functions of the factory system (ties into SYNC), adds NAV and HD radio, but at present, AFAIK, there is not a trim kit available for the 2013.

 

Anybody else have the "Noise" from the amp? You can hear it between songs.

 

 

Gregavi does your car have the sync system? If so did you lose it when you did the 5 channel install or did you have to do anything special to retain it? I am planning on doing this in mine.

Also the nosie may be the ANC (active noise cancelling) system. You will have to disable it in order for the noise to stop. Providing that is what was causing your problem.

 

Edited November 11, 2013 by jdelosh

[David Garner]

I am very surprised at what I am hearing. I just got my 2013 se with Sync. The Audio system sounds amazing. Tons of Bass. I don't know if you have experimented with your settings. There is 3 Occupancy Modes (Driver, Full Car and Rear seat) I found the middle setting sounds awesome. Also it is very dependent on the recording level (volume) of the audio source track.

 

I'm a little surprised too. For a stock system, my SE with MFS sounds incredible. I have the 6 speaker version. It sounds better on Sirius than on regular radio, but both sound good. CDs sound fantastic. iPod is really good, though the iPod does lack a little in bass response compared to Sirius. I think it sounds better than my old JBL system in my Camry, which I also thought sounded really good for a factory system.

That Sony system must be the jam.

[Anthony Masotti]

This a link I just posted on blue oval about my full overhaul of the stereo in my 2013 Fusion SE

 

 

http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/52931-2013-fusion-sub-install/?p=890089

[RogerThat99]

I just bought a 2014 SE (I had a 2011 SE prior). The base stereo with Sync in the 2011 sounded great. The base stereo with Sync in the 2014 isn't so great (6 speaker system). They aren't even in the same ballpark and it is very disappointing. I have to leave the bass setting in the middle, if I turn it up it distorts. I was expecting the system to sound better than the 2011, or at least the same.