Explorer Audio upgrade(s)

[roadliner2008]

Cant wait to see how this works out. Was going to use a audio control lc2i running off front door speakers to feed an infinity 475a bridged to 2 channel and powering a pair of infinity 850w s...not exactly my first choices but is what I have laying around from previous endeavors. If it works its a cheap upgrade. May even swap out the front doors with a pair of infinity 9602 6x9s and the rear doors with the infinity 6502 s. But then I gotta change out the pillar tweeters I guess and then the center channel....ok im getting a head of myself here....lol lets wait and see if a loc ran off door speakers is gonna work. Sub first then I will go shopping

 

[danxmanly]

Getting there....

Manged to at least get started on the project of adding the amp and woofer box over the weekend.

Pictures show the wiring color code off the back of the head unit, then my finished installation of the line level adapter with all wires soldered in, taped and tied. I've ran the 4 gauge battery cable to under the driver seat where I will mount the amp.. hopefully tomorrow afternoon. Most difficult thing was drilling through the firewall and getting the grommet installed for the wire to run through. Will try and get a pic of that tomorrow.

 

[danxmanly]

We have bass!

System complete... and I'm very pleased with the end result which is more bass added to the stock 9 spkr MFT factory Ford system.

I added these components:

JL Audio 500 Watt amp
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0081K3M5G/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Remote Bass Control
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UVWFPM/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

JL Audio W3 8" ported woofer box
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UDIGAC/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Used this battery kit.. it is a true 4 gauge wire and very flexible.

Scoshe Revopak4
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001U636NQ/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is the connection to the batter terminal. The wire that will be exposed under the hood is actually covered in a braid for protection.

The cable going through the grommet / firewall... added an extra nylon washer and some silicon to seal up tight. This hole actually goes through a thin double wall and is located about 4" to the right of the steering linkage when in the engine compartment. ( toughest part of installation!! )

Here's the amp that is mounted to a 1/2" thick piece of plywood ( painted black ) that is secured to the vehicle. Battery cable comes in from the driver side, ground is secured right to the vehicle frame near the amp ( make sure you scrape off the paint to get a good ground ), low level signal and remote turn on come in from the head unit, run down the center console and into the amp.

Here's the sub box just sitting in the back behind the third row on drivers side keeping my steel toed shoes company. ;-) Spkr wire was ran down the drivers side of the vehicle.

And my first song to test the bass was something a little old school. Yello... Gold Rush...

I have the gains on the input to the amp at about 50%, Crossover @ 120 Hz, and I have a lot of control with the remote bass knob on the JL Amp. On the headunit I have the bass clicked down two notches to keep the front speakers from "blapping" ... mid range down one notch, and treble up a couple. Front imaging sounds really good even with the stock speakers. Staging is nice with the center channel.. Ford did that part right.

As for the rear door speakers and 3rd row... they are what they are.. just barely "fill-in" if that. If you really wanted to improve sound in the back, you would pretty much have to go with some type of enclosed speaker I believe. Anyone remember the old Radio Shack Optimus 7 speakers?! Something like that mounted in the back is what I'm talking about.

None the less.. I'm gonna keep things the way they are for now and enjoy the bass!

 

[kenv]

After reading this entire thread, my head is spinning. I usually change out the factory system to something better when I buy a new vehicle. After looking what you have to go through with the Explorer system, I think I am going to live with the stock unit (the truck is not even built yet- `14 Limited. Just got the VIN yesterday). Besides that, this will be my wife`s "Retirement" car & I can just picture her coming out & finding that I have torn her new vehicle apart "Happy wife, Happy Life" would definitely not apply. Also with my skill set, I would probably "fix" the radio so it don`t work anymore, or more likely burn down the truck. Things are not as easy as they once were for the DIYer.

 

[scottk]

Hi Everyone,
Hopefully this is an easy answer for someone.

Want to replace my front door speakers in a 2012 XLT. Standard stereo package.
I just wanted to make sure that 6x9's will fit. I saw someone had posted pics of them using the spacers for the stock speakers to install some Polk db 6X9's, but that was about all I could find relating to door speaker replacement. 6x8's have been mentioned as well, so i wanted to make sure i got the right size.

The Polk's look to have a depth of 5.5". I was thinking about installing a pair of Infinity Reference 6x9 2 ways that are a 5" depth. I installed those in my wife's prius and they sound pretty good. Plus, $66 is a good deal.

Would be curious if anyone has any thoughts on Polk vs Infinity (besides 3 way vs 2 way.) I've been out of the car electronics game for a while. Mainly just want an improvement from the stock stuff.
Thanks!
Scott

 

[NoDakExplorer]

System complete... and I'm very pleased with the end result which is more bass added to the stock 9 spkr MFT factory Ford system.

I added these components:

JL Audio 500 Watt amp
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0081K3M5G/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Remote Bass Control
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UVWFPM/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

JL Audio W3 8" ported woofer box
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UDIGAC/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Used this battery kit.. it is a true 4 gauge wire and very flexible.

Scoshe Revopak4
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001U636NQ/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is the connection to the batter terminal. The wire that will be exposed under the hood is actually covered in a braid for protection.

The cable going through the grommet / firewall... added an extra nylon washer and some silicon to seal up tight. This hole actually goes through a thin double wall and is located about 4" to the right of the steering linkage when in the engine compartment. ( toughest part of installation!! )

Here's the amp that is mounted to a 1/2" thick piece of plywood ( painted black ) that is secured to the vehicle. Battery cable comes in from the driver side, ground is secured right to the vehicle frame near the amp ( make sure you scrape off the paint to get a good ground ), low level signal and remote turn on come in from the head unit, run down the center console and into the amp.

Here's the sub box just sitting in the back behind the third row on drivers side keeping my steel toed shoes company. ;-) Spkr wire was ran down the drivers side of the vehicle.

And my first song to test the bass was something a little old school. Yello... Gold Rush...

I have the gains on the input to the amp at about 50%, Crossover @ 120 Hz, and I have a lot of control with the remote bass knob on the JL Amp. On the headunit I have the bass clicked down two notches to keep the front speakers from "blapping" ... mid range down one notch, and treble up a couple. Front imaging sounds really good even with the stock speakers. Staging is nice with the center channel.. Ford did that part right.

As for the rear door speakers and 3rd row... they are what they are.. just barely "fill-in" if that. If you really wanted to improve sound in the back, you would pretty much have to go with some type of enclosed speaker I believe. Anyone remember the old Radio Shack Optimus 7 speakers?! Something like that mounted in the back is what I'm talking about.

None the less.. I'm gonna keep things the way they are for now and enjoy the bass!

Bringing back an old ass thread. But were there not any other places to run your power wire?

 

[danxmanly]

Believe me... I tried to find an existing grommet I could run my 4 ga. battery wire though.. but couldn't find one. The ones I did see, were already so tightly crammed with existing wires, there was no extra space. Plus with upwards of 60 amps of current that could be pulled by the amp, there would be a chance of interference if those existing wires carried low level signals.

Yes, it would have been easier to drill lower in the firewall, but then there would be more of a chance for road debris to be thrown up into the nylon grommet and possibly damage it. Up higher on the outside of the firewall would have been nice, but on the inside of the driver side compartment higher there was quite a bit of sound proofing and other plastic inserts blocking a clear path.

Like I mentioned, it was the toughest part of the install. Plus, nothing like drilling a hole through your brand new $40K vehicle to make even a seasoned installer just a little nervous. It's not like in my old 78 Datsun 280Z where you could essentially sit inside the engine compartment, bring footlong sandwich and a case of beer, set beside you and drill away with ample room to spare! ;-)

You thinking of doing something to your ride?

 

[NoDakExplorer]

You thinking of doing something to your ride?

Yeah putting an Alumapro Alchemy MX12 single 4ohm in a 1.44cu.ft sealed enclosure running off a JBL GTO-501ez amp. Only running 8 gauge power and ground wire, as the amp will only pull a max of 50 amps at full tilt. And thats at 2ohm 500 watts. I will only be running at 4ohm 350 watts. So the most I will see is probably 35-40 amps.

Can you take a pic of that spot just little further back from the closeup?

 

[SkrApUNB]

Yeah putting an Alumapro Alchemy MX12 single 4ohm in a 1.44cu.ft sealed enclosure running off a JBL GTO-501ez amp. Only running 8 gauge power and ground wire, as the amp will only pull a max of 50 amps at full tilt. And thats at 2ohm 500 watts. I will only be running at 4ohm 350 watts. So the most I will see is probably 35-40 amps.

Can you take a pic of that spot just little further back from the closeup?

Make sure you post pics of your set up.


I just finished reading every bit of this thread and wow. lol.

I will also be looking to add a sub to the lady's XLT in the near future. We would like something a little more concealed so we will see how it goes. possibly do a false floor back there somewhere.

Danxmanly,

Have you had any issues with your line in set up? Thats how i had my set up in my Acura TL and currently in my e46 and i haven't had any issues. I was hoping to get in here and read exactly what you posted, so thanks. I will be referring back to this when its time to do her sound system. For now its on to springs, and a few other exterior mods for her!.

 

[danxmanly]

Extra pics of grommet as requested..

Here is an inside view of the grommet coming through the firewall:

Here is one taken further back showing grommet going in from engine compartment:

 

[danxmanly]

In line setup..

"Have you had any issues with your line in set up? "

None whatsoever.... no induced engine noise whine into the line level signal. Course running just low frequencies out of it could be masking things???

I am finding myself starting to desire a little more "umph" out of my front door speakers and center channel now. I always do this to myself! LOL But not going to do anything just yet. Still a 100% improvement over what I had and thoroughly enjoying the bass!

 

[NoDakExplorer]

Thank you

 

[golfmonke]

2014 Audio Upgrade

Hello,

Should have my new 14 Sport any day now... waiting on delivery.

I'm trying to plan my audio upgrade , wasn't impressed at all with the stock Sony system...

I plan on keeping the head unit, so i'm assuming i'll need a line driver between the head unit and new amp.

I plan on getting some Rainbow vanadium 265's up front and maybe one of their cheaper lines in the back.

But was wondering how many watts the stock amp puts out because the lower end components need 30 or 50 watts minimum.

Then i'll be getting a 10" sub, either a vanadium rainbow or an Image Dynamics. I'll be putting it in a box in the back, I know I can't get it into the stock location. (with only ~3" of mounting depth)

Also, does anybody know the mounting depth on the front speakers? The rainbow powerline looks nice, but they are deep.

I'm hoping I can run the rear speakers off the existing amp, and then add something like a JL HD900 to power the fronts and the sub.

Has any upgraded their system using the stock head unit with good results?

Any other suggestions and comments are welcome!

Really excited for delivery

EDIT: Hmmm , I was originally planning on the power line and using 4 channels on the JL 900 to power just the fronts...

If I get the vanadium 265's and SLC 265's for the back I can power all of them + the sub on that amp...

But, still wondering what the specs on the existing amp are.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum :wavey:.
There are a few threads already about upgrading the audio system and replacing the sub etc. When you say "front" speakers I assume you are referring to the front door speakers. There is a speaker in the dash as well but you have to be very careful what you do up there since the GPS unit is located there as well.
I'll merge your thread with this one.

Peter

 

[golfmonke]

Ok, I had already been through this thread

Yep, the front door speakers, I don't plan on touching the one in the dash or the ones in the rear pillars I believe they are.

 

[danxmanly]

factory wattage...

Just from the Ford website... the Sony system has 390 watts total. That's divided up into 12 speakers. So if they did the "right" thing, and threw at least 100 watts to the sub, you're looking at essentially 300 watts to the rest of the system.

Just ballparking I'd say you'd be looking at around 35 - 45 watts per pair of speakers.

Now one thing that is not clear from the 390 watts.. is if that is peak.. or average.

Either way, I'd highly recommend getting a new amp for "any" new speakers you put in the vehicle. If you keep the stock speakers in the middle / rear, and use them as fill.. then you'll probably be ok with the stock amp left in the system.

Not sure how much you wanna spend on a sub box, but JL Audio makes a Stealth Box for the Explorer, but they're proud of it. Like $700 proud. But it does mount to the rear side of the vehicle and integrates nicely... as it should for that price.

 

[coolerbill]

danxmanly thanks man for a great write up! just curious isn't there a way to fit a small free air, or just simply a small 6" woofer under the driver seat and just throw a small amp/woofer combo unit under one seat for some of us that just want a little extra? or was there anything you found that would prevent that?

 

[deewan]

danxmanly thanks man for a great write up! just curious isn't there a way to fit a small free air, or just simply a small 6" woofer under the driver seat and just throw a small amp/woofer combo unit under one seat for some of us that just want a little extra? or was there anything you found that would prevent that?

Free air subs still need a baffle that separates them from the listening cabin. They don't simply not require a box. A very low profile sub enclosure may fit under the driver or passenger seat. I have powered seats and there isn't a whole lot of room under there. So you would need to look at your Ex and determine if there is room or not.

 

[aandrews19]

Hi guys, new here... this is my first post. I've been lurking a bit since I bought my 2011 XLT about a year ago, but have not really been able to find a lot of the answers I'm looking for when it comes to upgrading the sound system. I recently purchased a bunch of stuff to get started on an install, and figured it might help others down the line if I kind of document the whole process here.

I am the furthest thing from an expert, but I have done a number of basic speaker/ amp/ sub installs in previous vehicles... so we'll see how this goes! This will be the most in depth audio install I have done.

List of NEW equipment:
- Alpine Type S component speakers (FRONT)
- Alpine Type S coaxial speakers (REAR)
- Alpine Type R 12" sub (been laying around the garage for a few years)
- Alpine 4 channel amp (to power speakers)
- Alpine Mono amp (to power sub)
- AudioControl LC6i (to convert receiver signal to RCAs)

A few things that I know I need to figure out off that bat:
- Best remote signal location to tap into? Should I just dive right in behind the receiver?
- How much of a PITA is it going to be to run new speaker wire to the door speakers?
- What kind of surprises am I going to run into?

I am not sure when I will begin the install. Thinking about jumping into it today if it's not too cold out. If it is as cold as the past few days, I may wait until next weekend. I'm coming off night shift this morning, so we'll see what the day brings when I wake up around 1pm. Meanwhile, if anyone has any previous experiences to share on this topic, please do.

 

[ExplorerHP]

Stereo Wire Color Designation

Hello everyone, I do believe that I have searched to the end and back on the internet looking for any information on the designation of the wire colors on the back of my 2014 Ford Explorer Stereo with the Sync without the navigation. As I have done to my previous Fords without problems I want to hook up a stand alone sub control, amp and sub to the factory head-unit. To accomplish this I instal a RCA converter (usually behind the dash) via tapping into the wires coming out of the head-unit (left +/- and right +/-) I also need the color description for a remote wire (power comes on when the radio turns on). Very long story short if anyone could give me some guidance on this it would be GREAT!!!!!!! God Bless and thank you. Ed. (direction to a previous post that addressees this would also be greatly appreciated)