NEED HELP.. (10 spkr ) Stock DSP/Sony Amp UpGrade/HEADACHE..... | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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NEED HELP.. (10 spkr ) Stock DSP/Sony Amp UpGrade/HEADACHE.....

Coleon

Active Member
Joined
January 24, 2020
Messages
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Location
Fort Myers
City, State
Fort myers, florida
Year, Model & Trim Level
2012 explorer limited
Callsign
Coleon
Getting Really Aggravated and desperately need to bounce a couple idea's off of someone who is more knowledgeable than myself..

2012 Limited..
Replaced all speakers with the new Infinity KAPPA's. Sounds great with stock Sony amp. But Clearly not enough.
My issue is this...
My original thought was to grab the output from the stock Sony amp, put that into the Hi/low level inputs on any decent amp ( 6 channel, But a 6 channel dosent have enough inputs/outputs to facilitate a 9 spkr config)
So would the correct way to do this be:

Take the:

* Frt left tweeter positive *Frt Right tweeter positive
* Frt left tweeter negative *Frt Right tweeter negative
-----> 4 Pairs or 8 wires ---------> Hi/Low Level Input on 4-Channel Amp
*Frt left Mid positive *Frt Right Mid positive
*Frt left Mid Negative *Frt Right Mid Negative

AND THEN TAKE THE:

*Rear left Coax Spkr positive *Rear Right Coax Spkr positive
*Rear left Coax Spkr negative *Rear Right Coax Spkr negative
-----> 4 Pairs or 8 wires ---------> Hi/Low Level Input on 6-Channel Amp
*Rear left D-Pillar positive *Rear Right D-Pillar positive ( Using 4 out of the 6 )
*Rear left D-Pillar negative *Rear Right D-Pillar negative

AND THEN.... (420 INTERMISSION THINK TANK RE-CAP SESSION )

*Front Center Spkr Positive
---------------------------> 1 Pairs or 2 wires ------> Hi/Low Level Input on 6 channel Amp using the 5th channel
*Front Center Spkr Negative (Leaving 6th Channel Unused or for sub )

( IF POSSIBLE LEAVING THE SUB ON STOCK SONY AMP )

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------END RESULT---------------

If I want to keep the stock head unit in place, and use the stock DSP, I will have to use 2 amps, My 4 channel amp for the front tweeters and mids using hi/low level inputs.
And my 6 channel amp to power rear speakers, D-Pillar speakers and my front center channel using hi/low level input.

That way, in my mind I will NOT loose any chime alerts, parking alert tones, too close alert sound etc. BECAUSE the only thing I AM DOING IS JUST BOOSTING THE POWER TO THE EXISTING SPEAKERS. IM NOT REMOVING THE DSP. BC IF I DID, ID LOOSE ALL THE KEY FEATURES IN A STOCK UPGRADED SOUND SYSTEM....

OR.....

Buy an aftermarket DSP
Buy the PAC plug-N-Play device for 350, which will give me RCA outputs. and just utilize that when feeding the new amp.

I hope Im saying this correctly and there is someone who has been down this road before and can assure me Im looking at this correctly or Im looking to DEEP into this, ultimately over looking a simpler way to achieve my goals...

MANY MANY THANKS for letting me vent and inquire on my current set-up....

THANKS!!!!!
 



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Getting Really Aggravated and desperately need to bounce a couple idea's off of someone who is more knowledgeable than myself..

2012 Limited..
Replaced all speakers with the new Infinity KAPPA's. Sounds great with stock Sony amp. But Clearly not enough.
My issue is this...
My original thought was to grab the output from the stock Sony amp, put that into the Hi/low level inputs on any decent amp ( 6 channel, But a 6 channel dosent have enough inputs/outputs to facilitate a 9 spkr config)
So would the correct way to do this be:

Take the:

* Frt left tweeter positive *Frt Right tweeter positive
* Frt left tweeter negative *Frt Right tweeter negative
-----> 4 Pairs or 8 wires ---------> Hi/Low Level Input on 4-Channel Amp
*Frt left Mid positive *Frt Right Mid positive
*Frt left Mid Negative *Frt Right Mid Negative

AND THEN TAKE THE:

*Rear left Coax Spkr positive *Rear Right Coax Spkr positive
*Rear left Coax Spkr negative *Rear Right Coax Spkr negative
-----> 4 Pairs or 8 wires ---------> Hi/Low Level Input on 6-Channel Amp
*Rear left D-Pillar positive *Rear Right D-Pillar positive ( Using 4 out of the 6 )
*Rear left D-Pillar negative *Rear Right D-Pillar negative

AND THEN.... (420 INTERMISSION THINK TANK RE-CAP SESSION )

*Front Center Spkr Positive
---------------------------> 1 Pairs or 2 wires ------> Hi/Low Level Input on 6 channel Amp using the 5th channel
*Front Center Spkr Negative (Leaving 6th Channel Unused or for sub )

( IF POSSIBLE LEAVING THE SUB ON STOCK SONY AMP )

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------END RESULT---------------

If I want to keep the stock head unit in place, and use the stock DSP, I will have to use 2 amps, My 4 channel amp for the front tweeters and mids using hi/low level inputs.
And my 6 channel amp to power rear speakers, D-Pillar speakers and my front center channel using hi/low level input.

That way, in my mind I will NOT loose any chime alerts, parking alert tones, too close alert sound etc. BECAUSE the only thing I AM DOING IS JUST BOOSTING THE POWER TO THE EXISTING SPEAKERS. IM NOT REMOVING THE DSP. BC IF I DID, ID LOOSE ALL THE KEY FEATURES IN A STOCK UPGRADED SOUND SYSTEM....

OR.....

Buy an aftermarket DSP
Buy the PAC plug-N-Play device for 350, which will give me RCA outputs. and just utilize that when feeding the new amp.

I hope Im saying this correctly and there is someone who has been down this road before and can assure me Im looking at this correctly or Im looking to DEEP into this, ultimately over looking a simpler way to achieve my goals...

MANY MANY THANKS for letting me vent and inquire on my current set-up....

THANKS!!!!!
 






I see where it says you responded but Im not seeing it...
 












I see where it says you responded but Im not seeing it...
There is no response. Just a copy of your post. I've already PM'd the member.

Peter
 












Ok, here is what I did in my 2018 Limited with the Sony:
The front center and two rear 3.5 in speakers and the door tweeters remain driven by the stock Sony amp.
I used a 5 channel amp for the 4 Door speakers and the subwoofer.
The door tweeters can either be driven off the lower door speakers via crossover or keep them hooked up to the stock Sony amp. Tweeters don't need much power.

Most important is a big box of Dynamat Extreme or the doors and subwoofer will rattle like crazy.

Rockford Fosgate T1675 6.75in Components – Front Doors (Metra 82-5603 adapters)
Rockford Fosgate T1650 6.5in – Rear Doors (American Int NSP710 adapter)
Kenwood KFC835C 3.5in – Front Center, Rear Pillars
Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 8in shallow Subwoofer
AudioControl LC7i Converter
Kicker KXA800.5 Amplifier
Axxera BEW25BT Smart Equalizer


Wiring-Diagram.jpg

Fritz
 






1st off thank you for taking the time to read my post and replying.
I Appreciate that....

Q: With those tweeters being powered by the stock amp are you able to really hear those when your really cranking on your ****?? And what about rear pillars and center channel when using the surround sound feature??

(I was just thinking maybe they would be over powered by the frt and rears)

Q: Sub... I see you replaced the stock sub for the Pioneer,
(Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 8in shallow Subwoofer), So curious as to how that sounds with actual power (watts) using the stock enclosure.... In my Expo you can barley hear the sub, but you know its definitely there.

That being said, I'm not sure what the stock sub is configured as (dual 2/4 ohm) or what the final ohm is when its all said and done (as far as what the amp see's stock) your diagram has it as being wired to the Lc7 using 2 pairs (as opposed to wiring a dvc sub using 1 pair from amp, and jumping terminals at the speaker) It probably is alot better that way, given there's only 1 sub + that Lc7 id definitely rocking the RCA's voltage out (4or5volts). I bet that sub sound pretty good for being what it is and ****. And using stock housing......

In any event its gotta be better than what it was stock..lol

Thanks Bro...
 






Ok, here is what I did in my 2018 Limited with the Sony:
The front center and two rear 3.5 in speakers and the door tweeters remain driven by the stock Sony amp.
I used a 5 channel amp for the 4 Door speakers and the subwoofer.
The door tweeters can either be driven off the lower door speakers via crossover or keep them hooked up to the stock Sony amp. Tweeters don't need much power.

Most important is a big box of Dynamat Extreme or the doors and subwoofer will rattle like crazy.

Rockford Fosgate T1675 6.75in Components – Front Doors (Metra 82-5603 adapters)
Rockford Fosgate T1650 6.5in – Rear Doors (American Int NSP710 adapter)
Kenwood KFC835C 3.5in – Front Center, Rear Pillars
Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 8in shallow Subwoofer
AudioControl LC7i Converter
Kicker KXA800.5 Amplifier
Axxera BEW25BT Smart Equalizer


View attachment 325014
Fritz
Just curious, But why are you only using the EQ on the frt channel, and not both the front and rears? Limitations of the EQ?
 






Yes, the EQ only has two channels. Rear door speakers are only for fill and soundstage movement anyway, main audio comes from the front doors. Adjust the rears with the radio and amp eq, then the fronts with the fancy eq.
The radio EQ still works so I can tweak the tweeter loudness after matching it with the new amp gain.
The two rear rear speakers never put out much audio before the upgrades and are a bit louder now.
The new front center speaker is very loud. I even had to install some foam over the speaker to quiet it down or it would overpower and pull the audio to the front middle.
The sub has polyfill on the inside and two layers of Dynamat on the outside. It is "acceptable" for a 8in tiny sub. A 10 or 12in would match the interior car volume much better. Too cheap to rebuilt a new enclosure.
The Sony amp has two sub outputs, one for each voicecoil in the sub. I simply ran the wire harness disconnected from the old sub into the lc7I. Four wires, four inputs. New amp has one output for the sub. New sub is wired for 1 ohm in parallel.

Fritz
 






Of the 9 channels how many are tweeters? I’d run the tweeters like a typical component speaker, and power it with the door/dash speaker that corresponds to its location.

Then you could run a simple 5/6 channel amp.
 






Yes, the EQ only has two channels. Rear door speakers are only for fill and soundstage movement anyway, main audio comes from the front doors. Adjust the rears with the radio and amp eq, then the fronts with the fancy eq.
The radio EQ still works so I can tweak the tweeter loudness after matching it with the new amp gain.
The two rear rear speakers never put out much audio before the upgrades and are a bit louder now.
The new front center speaker is very loud. I even had to install some foam over the speaker to quiet it down or it would overpower and pull the audio to the front middle.
The sub has polyfill on the inside and two layers of Dynamat on the outside. It is "acceptable" for a 8in tiny sub. A 10 or 12in would match the interior car volume much better. Too cheap to rebuilt a new enclosure.
The Sony amp has two sub outputs, one for each voicecoil in the sub. I simply ran the wire harness disconnected from the old sub into the lc7I. Four wires, four inputs. New amp has one output for the sub. New sub is wired for 1 ohm in parallel.

Fritz
Perfectly Done & Configured my friend....
 






Perfectly Done & Configured my friend....
Though I am very curious as to why the center is so loud... I mean ****... You had to cover it up a little bc it would over power the front spkrs... Thats gotta be "Hell'A" Loud to do that...

Wondering why though... Perhaps bc now the amp only has to power the rear pillars and the center? That can't be, amps aren't that intelligent "YET".....

I was thinking perhaps the center spkr you are using is of a lower ohm, or a DVC and its pulling twice what it was with the old speaker. Dunno....

And ya, I'm totally with your thought process on the small 8" sub. A 10 atleast would be better suited...

Q: Where did you put all this ****? Did you build a fake bottom amp rack or board and take the spare out and put everything in there? Only bc when the seats fold and **** it would be not such a good idea to put everything mounted on the back of the seats...

Or did you tuck everything behind the plastic inside where the Sony amp and sub are??

Again, Thx for your input
 






Of the 9 channels how many are tweeters? I’d run the tweeters like a typical component speaker, and power it with the door/dash speaker that corresponds to its location.

Then you could run a simple 5/6 channel amp.
Technically 2... But keep in mind the front mids and the front tweeters are ran individually to the stock DSP.
So the signal thats going to the Mid range drivers is Purely "Mid Range". So tapping that signal and feeding that to the tweeter would not work or sound correctly.

Or

If we were to take that signal and feed to the x-overs that came with my components, it would already be missing that tweeter frequency.

Ultimately to do it the right way, (in my mind atleast) and NOT having RCA'S or using a Lc7i, would be to take the signal for the tweeters & the signal for the mids, and put those into the Hi/low level input on a small amp, and wire the new speakers individually not using the x-over that came with my Infinity KAPPA front 6x9's.

Hope that makes sence...???...???
 






The lc7i fits underneath the Sony Amp / DSP.
The Kicker amp is under the Pax seat and the EQ velcroed on top.
The original center speaker had a bandpass capacitor installed and a magnet the size of a quarter. The Kenwood 3.5 is full range and has a pound of magnet hanging on it. It didn't "overpower" the front door speakers but it would pull the sound stage forward and reduce the stereo separation. There is no way to reduce the volume of the center speaker only.

Fritz
 






The lc7i fits underneath the Sony Amp / DSP.
The Kicker amp is under the Pax seat and the EQ velcroed on top.
The original center speaker had a bandpass capacitor installed and a magnet the size of a quarter. The Kenwood 3.5 is full range and has a pound of magnet hanging on it. It didn't "overpower" the front door speakers but it would pull the sound stage forward and reduce the stereo separation. There is no way to reduce the volume of the center speaker only.

Fritz
Hell Ya... Good ****....

I've got the old school JL e6450 / 6 Channel and a 4 channel newer Alpine amp thats basically 4x75 @ 4 ohm or 4x110 @ 2 ohm. Should be all I need till I want more...lol. As we Always Do....
 






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