Need help on stereo system...

[jplinville]

2006 XLT Explorer...

I'm not looking to kill my ears here...just looking for a decent, strong sounding double din system that has BT and not going to break the bank. I wouldn't mind a touchscreen, but it's not necessary.

I'm also going to swap out speakers, so if anyone can tell me the size speakers that are in the doors, I'd appreciate it very much.

What are some of your suggestions on brand and accessories for it?

Thanks.

 

[Trac Marks]

The front and rear doors are 6x8, so those, the more common 5x7, and round 5.25 with a plate kit will all fit. Your best bang for the buck will be the speakers in my opinion. Doesn't help with your BT needs though.

I have 2-way JL Audio 5X7 in my front doors and 2-way Polk 5X7 in the rear doors. No idea of the model numbers, but each had very good reviews at the time of purchase and were right at $200 for each pair. The sound difference over stock is day & night, enough so that I haven't even thought about replacing the head unit. I have a Sport Trac and also upgraded the single sub. Stock amplifier(s) are used.

I'm from SW of the Pitts, out past what use to be the Star Lake amphitheater on Rt 22.

 

[MotorCityFats13]

either 5x7 or 6.5" in the doors.... focus more on fronts and less on rears.... more you can save on the rears more you can spend on the fronts.... lower priced name brand double din headunits will start in the $150's and rise quickly, they pretty much all have BT, backup cam inputs and touch input, nav and front camera options cost more .... if you don't plan on going with amps look for a speaker with a high sensitivity so you will get the most out of the 20 watts and if you do not plan on adding a sub stick with the 5x7/6x8 because bass is really short with 6.5 and pretty non existent on a 5.25"

 

[bobditts]

what is your budget for everything? Will you be installing everything yourself?

 

[jplinville]

Budget is around $500. The original system is a basic single disc MP3 without AUX input, even though it has an AUX button. Not knowing much about these stock systems, I'm assuming the only speakers I have are what is in the doors. I'm not interested in subs at the moment...haven't had any in many years, and not sure I'll need them with this.

Darned shame that the doors aren't 6X9, as I have a set of Alpine that I just pulled from my Jeep that is being bought back under the Lemon Law. I was hoping to be able to use them...perhaps I'll utilize the twin rear storage compartments to hold a pair of them in the future.

 

[Tech By Trade]

If your are upgrading your HU, budget another 50 bucks for the Metra install kit with the proper can bus adapter or you will loose all your OEM functions. It also makes it much easier if you decide to add a backup camera, rather than hacking in and draping wire all over under the dash.

 

[Trac Marks]

The original system is a basic single disc MP3 without AUX input, even though it has an AUX button.

Just FYI, if your truck has a SiriusXM tuner, the AUX button is how you source it. Easy way to find out if it has the optional SiriusXM tuner is to press and hold both the AUX and preset #1 button. If there is a SiriusXM tuner factory installed under the dash somewhere, a 12-15 or so digit code will appear in the display. From time to time SiriusXM reactivates subscriptions.

 

[MotorCityFats13]

unless you have steering wheel controls you can do all the wiring with the basic stuff and spend less than $15 and retain everything.... i have even patched in the factory aux location into the after market head unit... less than $5.... most of my threads on here pertain to my sound system.... aux, rap and sub install

putting 6x9's in the rear rear will just screw up the sound stage and adding anything larger to the rear doors will screw up the sound stage..... too bad the front window will never clear the motor of a 6x9

I realize 99% of the user base here are not looking for great sound systems but the instal is 90% of the job and budget gear set up right will sound better than top of the line gear set up wrong

 

[Skaegottz]

2006 XLT Explorer...

I'm not looking to kill my ears here...just looking for a decent, strong sounding double din system that has BT and not going to break the bank. I wouldn't mind a touchscreen, but it's not necessary.

I'm also going to swap out speakers, so if anyone can tell me the size speakers that are in the doors, I'd appreciate it very much.

What are some of your suggestions on brand and accessories for it?

Thanks.

 

[Skaegottz]

I went with a Kenwood ddxbt374 I also installed a nice Kenwood small self powered sub under the back seat, speakers 5x7 or 6x8 i used pyle driver speakers the subwoofer really rounds out the system

and its not ear killing I bought the speakers and sub on Amazon and the head unit and installation kit from crutchfield

 

[07EddyB]

I did a swap about a year ago to a JVC unit. I got everything through Crutchfield - even if you don't buy there take advantage of their fit applicator. I'm not sure what your budget is but I spent about $400 for everything - head unit, 4 speakers, wiring adapters, and a backup camera. As for the door speakers, I think I ended up with 6.5 inch round speakers.
The good - touch screen, back up camera, bluetooth for my cell phone in a seamless way, my favorite tunes on a USB stick, looks killer over the stock radio, better sound overall,
The bad - screen washes out severely in sunlight (Part of the problem is my EB interior has near white seat inserts), lost volume increase with speed (adjusting the volume much more now), no more 'punch' than the factory system, slower performance than I had hoped on the radio in general (USB in particular), occasional power resets because it doesn't come up correctly.
I'm thinking about adding a sub.
Overall, I'm very happy with the change and I don't think I spent a lot for it. I've seen some head units here that are android based that allow you to run the Torque app. That would be cool.
The point - hard to go wrong with an aftermarket unit. But like most things, the more you spend the more you get.

 

[PotatoExplorer]

I've never pulled my stock head unit from the Explorer yet so I had several questions for you guys that already did the after market head unit install -

1) On 08+ Explorer, how does the center console USB and AUX cables feed into the head unit or are they fed in by the wiring harness?

2) I see on the back of most units they have a "MIC" input - are the microphones that are already within the car from SYNC, do they simply plug/play via a mic jack?

3) I'm guessing when you install a new head unit, SYNC is completely removed from the vehicle

4) Do you/can you retain all the steering wheel controls or only a few of them?

 

[SixPonies]

I've never pulled my stock head unit from the Explorer yet so I had several questions for you guys that already did the after market head unit install -

1) On 08+ Explorer, how does the center console USB and AUX cables feed into the head unit or are they fed in by the wiring harness?

2) I see on the back of most units they have a "MIC" input - are the microphones that are already within the car from SYNC, do they simply plug/play via a mic jack?

3) I'm guessing when you install a new head unit, SYNC is completely removed from the vehicle

4) Do you/can you retain all the steering wheel controls or only a few of them?

If you already have SYNC, the microphones for it are in the rear view mirror, on the top. As for retaining SYNC functions and steering wheel controls with an aftermarket stereo, adapters are available that allow you to do so. Crutchfield's website is great for helping you select a stereo and the appropriate adapters.

 

[PotatoExplorer]

Gotcha, thanks SixPonies. I've used Crutchfield for my Ranger and a few other jobs in the past. They definitely make sure you have everything you need, but all my other vehicles were pretty dumbed down (Head unit, front/rear speakers, sub).

I guess I'm wondering if any functions will no longer work (like what about the 'voice' button or 'media' buttons?) and is everything fed directly into the head unit via the wiring harness, or is there a USB cord/aux cable that feeds up through the center console and a mic jack that feeds down from the rear view mirror that plug directly via ports on the head unit?

 

[SixPonies]

Plug all your vehicle's info into the search on Crutchfield, and it'll show you some plug-and-play adapters that connect to the factory wiring harness.

 

[Skaegottz]

I used ads maestro rr bought from crutchfield it retained sync and steering wheel controls

 

[jplinville]

I appreciate the help you all have given.

I picked up a Kenwood DDX375BT today up at Best Buy, since they, and everyone else local were out of the 374. 375 gives the Spotify option, amonth a few other minor updates. At any rate, I'm satisfied with what I have now as far as head units go. It will do much more than I need at the moment, and will grow with me as I upgrade things on the Ex.

Knowing that i"m pleased, I'm puszzled with one things...where to plug up the parking switch wire. I've read somewhere that I can cheat by grounding out the wire, causing the head unit to think that Ihave the parking break on, and be able to play a DVD for the passenger while I only listen. Is this correct?

 

[Brandon L Armstrong]

I appreciate the help you all have given.

I picked up a Kenwood DDX375BT today up at Best Buy, since they, and everyone else local were out of the 374. 375 gives the Spotify option, amonth a few other minor updates. At any rate, I'm satisfied with what I have now as far as head units go. It will do much more than I need at the moment, and will grow with me as I upgrade things on the Ex.

Knowing that i"m pleased, I'm puszzled with one things...where to plug up the parking switch wire. I've read somewhere that I can cheat by grounding out the wire, causing the head unit to think that Ihave the parking break on, and be able to play a DVD for the passenger while I only listen. Is this correct?

What i did was used a corresponding bolt inside the dash near the radio and grounded it. Works perfectly.

 

[jplinville]

I wound up getting back into the harness and connecting to the wire to the ground there, giving a good solid connection. It seems to be working as it should.

 

[jplinville]

Looks good, too! Im going to see if i can load a file and change the start up screen to the Ford symbol, making look even more stock.