355 The Custom Subwoofer Box Thread

Over the years, I have seen various interesting attempts to install a custom subwoofer box behind 355 seats in an attempt to improve audio quality.

Personally, I’ve experimented with different audio setups and regardless of how good my headunit, speakers, tweeters, amp etc were, the audio never really sounded great until a subwoofer was installed. I suppose most attempting decent audio on the 355 came to the same conclusion, which would explain the various attempts I’ve seen at custom subwoofer boxes. 99% of which are hideous and a sign of desperation .

Before anyone argues the 355 doesn’t need a sound system, I agree. But this thread is for those curious about the various attempts that have been made over the decades as it is at least an interesting exercise in creativity, which I think deserves a thread of its own.

Post what you’ve seen done … cool or ridiculous .

 

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It is silly, but if I were to do one I’d target the passenger’s footwell.

 

I used this in my Pantera and it worked great under/behind the seat. It's less than 3" tall so don't know if there's room under the 355 seat for it? I'd measure but my car is currently in the shop. Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Saw passenger foot well long ago in a few Testarossa builds. They make some shallow drive subs now and you can create some volume behind center console and do a sealed box that would allow a passengers feet to rest on it. I would buy the aluminum foot rest and space it out 1-1.5”, just enough to clear the excursions. I had said high end sub in a BMW and worked great.

Cockpit of 355 is small. I would run Focal speakers in factory spot, small digital Alpine amps and the sub described above.

With today’s technology, you don’t need massive power in the 355. Clean signal is best. Sealed box for a good kick drum bass and enough to get to those 80hz bass guitar vibes. Would be hard to get anything bigger without all the stupid stuff we have seen in the front bonnet. I might try it in the Uno-Uno GTB. I am going to drive it. Seriously drive it. With 116km, why not !?!

I love my Tesla Plaid sound system. Stock is fine by me. I am running Kenwood, JL Audio and Alpines amps in my Suburban. It rocks! I had Focal in one vehicle. Built a killer Alpine Focal JL system in my 540i Touring wagon. Was phenomenal.

Will be interesting to see what lands here in coming weeks. Cheers!


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Not enough room under seat.


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Our car came with a custom passenger footwell subwoofer, which was removed and given away to someone on here.
We removed the entire stereo system, the best noises come from the engine. ;-)

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That was a good idea. I like over the top wild custom stuff that is just loud and obnoxious in a mini truck/SUV/Van…. But anything else has to be stealth and super clean.

Edit: will add that was a lot of work and I am sure not cheap for original install. We know finding the right leather would not have been easy.

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I dunno… it’s kind of hideous. The edges are so jagged. Maybe if it was wrapped in carpeting and not mismatched vinyl it would be better. Still, I’m committed to the location.

 

I could be wrong, but I think the sub should be behind the person for better quality.

 

Position does not matter in a sub - if done right. Any metal structure separating you from the sound waves is bad - obviously. Once inside the cabin, low hertz is omnidirectional. More of the feels. Open top, no bueno. Sound outside the cabin is for everyone else, but inside, bass is bass. Down low, with a good sealed environment, you will not know where the bass is coming from. This is my 38 year experience with car audio and building a system in something I have owned almost annually. But I can definitely be wrong [emoji51]


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I'm glad I have left and right fan switches and a shielded master ignition switch in place of a head unit...


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That is a nice place to put those switches.

 

I have something similar in my Pantera as well. It is behind the passenger seat.

 

Those switches were mandated by the Challenge Technical Regulations Manual. Both fans had to be ON while the car was on the track. Having all three of those switches in the same place makes the startup and shutdown routines orderly. There's also a FANS ON? sticker on my steering wheel...


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Look at it a little closer - it was wrapped in REAL automotive-grade leather as far as we could tell.

We came to the same conclusion - it was not perfect and so out of place in the car. It must have cost someone an absolute fortune to make, and in the end it only looked terrible, ate up precious passenger footwell space, and did not sound great.

 

If I were to do it, I would considering sacrificing a 348 Schedoni case and put 2 small subs in there. I’ve set it up with small subs before and the sound was fantastic.


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Or… here’s a slim underseat sub. This might actually work.

Only 27mm tall

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I see approve. I have one of those cases to hold all of my original swag and paperwork on the 5800 mile car. [emoji41]


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I've got one of those low profile subs which just sits behind the passenger seat. Its not pretty, but it does make a difference to the overall sound.
There's no way anything will fit under either seat. There just isn't the clearance.

My old MR2 turbo had twin subs mounted behind the seats in dedicated small boxes and they sounded plenty good enough. I think the ideal solution is a custom enclosure along the rear parcel shelf with some storage built in.

 

I've been eyeing those for my Citroen build. Does it fill out mid or just super low end? How is the sound?

For the F355, I would look at sub boxes for single cab trucks. They have the same packaging issues the 355 does.

 

I’ve gotten a couple of quotes recently that I’ll share for upgraded head unit, doors, side vent tweeters, and a custom sub enclosure on the rear deck.

Quotes ranged from $6k - $10k which I found to be utterly absurd. But what the hell do I know about this stuff??

Here is a similar setup on a Testarossa:



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TR is in that price range easily. Well done high end car audio is not cheap. Don’t do it! Listen to the engine


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I know someone doing a sub in the frunk that is going to port into the HVAC. I'll report back once I hear his thoughts.