Most of us in India might not have heard about the Fusion car audio products. Fusion is a leading car and marine audio equipment manufacturer from New Zealand.

The popular car audio brands in India are Sony xplod, JBL, Alpine, Kenwood and of course Pioneer. However, Fusion is gaining popularity in India with its advanced and integrated car audio solutions.

I recently installed the Fusion EN-AT110 Encounter 10” Bass Tube in my car (Maruti Suzuki Swift ). The Fusion EN-AT110 is a 10” Bass Tube active enclosure with an amplifier integrated within. The amplifier is perfectly suited for the 10” sub woofer.

Product Features:

• 300 Watts Max
• Remote Level Controller
• Speaker Level Inputs
• RCA Line-Level Inputs
• Adjustable Low Pass Filter
• Adjustable Bass Boost
• LED Power Indicator
• LED Protection Indicator

Performance (Sound Quality):

The tube connects to the sub woofer output of your car’s audio system through the RCA Line-Level input jacks. The Fusion ET-AT110 has a frequency response of 30Hz – 250Hz which is good enough for reproducing all the thump and thud we have in our audio. I tested this beast with a selection of songs having emphasis on the lower frequencies. The output will blow you away. This tube complements the existing set of speakers in your car to give you an exceptional audio experience. There was a huge improvement in sound quality after installing this bass tube.

The standard speakers which we install either in the car’s doors or on the back tray are not able to reproduce the lower frequencies of the song the way they are meant to be played. The sound might be OK or enough for ignorant people. However, audiophiles like me will always feel the need of the something extra to enrich the audio listening experience. This tube will satisfy your audiophile lust.

The 10” sub woofer was able to reproduce the low frequencies in the songs I tested pretty well. Just like the whole track, the lower frequencies are also distributed in 3 sub levels. The lowest, medium and high. This tube was able to reproduce all the levels very well without any distortion or creak. The remote control can be used to adjust the bass level in case the sound becomes distorted which does not unless you have a bad audio source.

Rating: 4.5/5

Remote:

The wired remote can be affixed below the dashboard of your car. The remote lets you control the bass level and is pretty smooth in operation. It also has a green LED around the knob which gives it a very sporty look.

However, no matter how you install the remote on your dashboard, the text and indicators will always be upside down. They should probably print the text and the indicators upside down in the first place. Also, knobs to control other tube’s functions such as the Low Pass Filter would have added to the value.

Rating: 3/5

Looks:

Although this enclosure will stay in your cars trunk all the time, I must say that this was the best looking bass tube I saw in the market. This scores pretty well in this segment. All the other bass tubes I saw had a standard speaker grill to protect the sub woofer. This one however, had a punk looking stainless steel grill. Actually its more of a show off thing than an actual grill. Also, the color scheme of blank and florescent green looks fabulous and adds to the visual rating of your car.

Rating: 5/5

Value for Money:

This is another segment in which this tube wins well over the its competitors. Most Bass tubes from other manufacturers do not have an integrated amplifier in built. You have to purchase an amplifier separately. Finding the right amplifier for your bass tube is the most difficult task. There are many compatibility issues and the risk of even damaging the sub woofer if you get an amplifier which is not compatible with the sub woofer in the tube. With Fusion EN-AT110, you do not have to worry about that. The complementing amplifier is built into the bass tube itself. This also saves space as you do not have to install a separate amplifier. However, in case you already have an amplifier, you can still connect this tube through the speaker level inputs. Good quality wiring is also supplied in the box.

Here is what you get in the box:

• Encounter 10” Active Bass Tube
• Wiring Harnesses
• Speaker Level Input Harness
• Power Harness
• RCA Lead (5m -161/2ft)
• Remote Control Lead (6m – 113/4ft-)
• Remote Level Controller
• Manual
• FUSION Sticker
• Warranty Card
• Adhesive Rubber Feet
• Adhesive Velcro Feet

Rating: 4/5

Conclusion:

The Fusion EN-AT110 Bass Tube sells at an MRP of approx 8500 INR. You can get it for as low as 7500 INR at few good shops in local car bazaars. At this price, you get a good looking bass tube with a built in compatible amplifier, a wired remote and good quality wiring. This makes it a very good bargain.

Pros:

• Great sound
• Good value for money
• Built in amplifier
• Remote controller
• Supplied wiring
• Good looks

Cons:

• Vibrations produced due to the sound might not seem enough to some people
• Only bass level controller in the remote

Overall Rating: 4.2