Upgrade from Ford Factory Stereo; Speaker Location?

[ANZAC]

Originally Posted by Tapatio

I just installed a Kenwood DNX7140 in my 2006 E-350 following Yubariver's instructions. Thought I would post some picture's to make it easier for the next person.

Ok, did you have to Dremel off some raised lugs on the side of your Kenwood? Mine has about 8 raised bumps on the side near the front, preventing the side pieces of the install kit from laying flat, whic means the escutcheon won't it on.

Thanks again for your help.

[Tapatio]

Originally Posted by geoffff

Tweeters, yes. That's what the stock Ford audio setup seems to lack -- the high range.

Any idea whether I could do this with the stock Ford radio? Is there a way to wire tweeters up in parallel with the front speakers, or do I need a head unit with extra channels?

I'd love to keep the Ford head unit for its theft-repellant looks

-- Geoff

I would replace the front speakers with an aftermarket setup that includes tweeters and a crossover. The crossover separates the signal so the lows stay with the main speaker and the high frequencies go to the tweeter. If you really want to improve the sound dynamat the doors, it will reduce outside noise and improve the bass response. Just my 2 cents.

Sample Speakers
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_575R152...-S.html?tp=106

[Tapatio]

Originally Posted by ANZAC

Ok, did you have to Dremel off some raised lugs on the side of your Kenwood? Mine has about 8 raised bumps on the side near the front, preventing the side pieces of the install kit from laying flat, whic means the escutcheon won't it on.

Thanks again for your help.

No, I didn't modify the stereo. I would widen the opening just where it is needed. The bezel will cover the cuts. Hard to say without seeing it firsthand though. Pics?

[ANZAC]

Here you go:

I need to have the side plates mounted forward so the escutcheon is flush, but to do that, they ride up on these ridges, which makes them too far apart. I either need to Dremel off a section inside of the side plates, or remove these humps. I think these humps are to mate or stop against the DIN sleeve.



I may be able to fashion a bracket to mount that rear plastic bracket. Would just need a short strip of metal to stand it away from the fan.

[JoeH]

I'm the 3rd owner of my 2005 SMB 6.0 with the upgraded system from the SMB shop done by Integrated Audio. It had 5 speakers with a 10" sub all powered by a JL Audio Amp. The 5th speaker in the cargo door was not wired to the system so it was obviously disconnected from the get-go. They just left it in the door. The sub is in a box in the rear storage area under the bed cushion. That seemed fine since a sub is more felt than heard. The doghouse and doors were soundproofed quite nicely so my installer left that alone.

The existing Kenwood HU was replaced with a Alpine head unit. I went with the INA-W900BT All-in-one Navigation/Audio/Video System because I also have a overhead video screen and a rear backup camera. The HU does it all. 2-way Concept line Maestro speakers in the front doors and 2-way coaxials in the rear doors. I second Yubariver's suggestion on tweeters mounted higher to get above the diesel noise. It makes a HUGE difference. Maestro is rather new on the scene but are the same folks that were behind the original MB Quart brand.

I'm really pleased with the sound from the front door speakers but as mentioned by previous posters the rear speakers are difficult to hear when fully loaded on a trip. So, they really don't provide good fill while sitting in the front seat. I may try adding a speaker in the cargo door and finding a spot for a 6th speaker in the small storage under the sink.

[daveb]

Nice! Never seen anything like that.

[geoffff]

Originally Posted by Tapatio

I would replace the front speakers with an aftermarket setup that includes tweeters and a crossover. The crossover separates the signal so the lows stay with the main speaker and the high frequencies go to the tweeter. If you really want to improve the sound dynamat the doors, it will reduce outside noise and improve the bass response. Just my 2 cents.

Sample Speakers
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_575R152...-S.html?tp=106

Thank you, Tapatio! That'll get me started. I'm definitely a car audio novice.

[geoffff]

Hey JoeH -- What tweeter mounts are those? If you mentioned their brand/model, I missed it.

- Geoff

[JoeH]

Originally Posted by geoffff

Hey JoeH -- What tweeter mounts are those? If you mentioned their brand/model, I missed it.

- Geoff

They are the stock Ford A plastic pillars fabricated with a round wood cutout, fiberglass and resin. The tweeter mount was then drilled out and basic automotive undercoating was used to give it the texture and to smooth things out and then spray painted black. Pretty nice not having the tweeters firing at your knees.

The tweeters are titanium dome in a metal housing as part of the Maestro Epic-Line w-way 6.5" component system. Crossovers are in the doors. http://www.german-maestro.de/EN/ev6508.htm

[geoffff]

I replaced my factory speakers in the front doors with a pair of Infinity Reference 6830cs 6x8" component speakers. Yeah, at about $100, these speakers are pretty cheap, but still they're a huge improvement over the old stock Ford speakers. These new speakers make the old ones sound like AM radio in comparison! I'm not an audio connoisseur, especially in my loud van, but I want to be able to hear some treble. For comparison I spent some time listening to music with one new speaker installed (tweeter & midrange set) and one stock speaker. The difference was clear. The new speakers do require me to dial in about twice the volume on the stock head unit for the same perceived volume as with the old speakers. The new speakers are 2-ohm, while the old ones were 4-ohm.

I drilled some holes in the doors' black plastic to make myself some tweeter mounts. These Inifinity tweeters come with adjustable mounts that swing up to 45 degrees from center. I was able to tweak them a bit with a file to get them to turn closer to 60 degrees -- which is perfect for pointing at the front passengers. The end result is not nearly as cool as JoeH's tweeter mounts -- but I still think they look pretty clean! Please disregard the green bungie cord holding the passenger mirror in place.



I had to drill out some metal behind the tweeter mounts to make them fit.



Door panel removal. Here are the screws that need removal before the door panel will lift up and off the door:



Here are the old Ford speakers:



Wiring is:

LF Speaker               RF Speaker 
(+) ORANGE/LIGHT GREEN   (+) WHITE/LIGHT GREEN
(-) LIGHT BLUE/WHITE     (-) DARK GREEN/ORANGE

I know it's not ideal (moisture issues), but I mounted the crossovers in the doors. I wrapped them in plastic baggies and zip-tied them inside the doors just below the speakers.

If I had to do this again, I'd probably mount the tweeters a couple inches higher up, as JoeH did, so they would clear the dash better on the driver side -- which is higher than on the passenger side, where I did my design.

-- Geoff