Clock radio is dead [pic heavy]

[LilPartyBox]

The clock radio Ford saw fit to punish our music with is a crime against all music lovers. After suffering for 8 years, I finally put some money & time into giving the silly Sony some help. There are a few decent videos on YouTube so this won't be a full write up. Just sharing my setup, some thoughts on its current performance, and additions I'll make in the future. This is just an incomplete stop gap. Admittedly, a quick and dirty install lol

Let's start with a parts list:

• Front & rear speakers - Hertz DSK 170.3 = $456.45
• Subwoofer - Infiniti Bass link SM2 = $280.37 (does NOT fit under any seat!)
• Amplifier - JL Audio JD 400/4 = $150
• Line-out-converter - Audio Control LC7i = $137.55
• Crutchfield 4 AWG Power & ground - $104.65
• 8 AWG Power & ground - $12
• EFX X2AFH fuse holder -$10
• RECOIL power distribution blocks x2 = $14.92
• Kilmat 80mil 18 sq. ft. = $35.18
• 14 AWG copper wire = $96.42

The speaker installs were straight forward. Precleaned the door surfaces with isopropyl 91% alcohol before tacking on a couple of sheets of Kilmat behind each speaker. Crutchfield includes the adapter rings which fit perfect. I used the included adapter harnesses for connecting to the factory speaker wiring on the rear doors only.

I first wired up a 2-channel Audio Control LC2i but quickly realized it wasn't enough. I wanted to fade the inputs so I returned it for the 6-channel LC7i. Each door has 2 wires going away from it and 2 going back to it. That's eight 14 AWG wires running down each side of the car. The 1st run was to extend the factory speaker wire to the line level input on the LC7i. The 2nd run was from the amp to the speakers themselves. If you don't have a fish tape, GET ONE.



After many cuts and curses, wires fished! Notice the power wire isn't red. Crutchfield didn't have red in stock and everything on Amazon was copper plated crap. I did use a small scrap of red at the battery/fuse holder just to denote that this random black wire is indeed power lol



My recommendation is to use the existing wire channels Ford provided in the front. Another quick tip is to remove the rubber seal FIRST, then pull the interior plastics.



I tapped the front signal at door harnesses requiring wires into the door panel. I learned the hard way after disconnecting the factory accordion gromet that it is impossible to put back in. I did run my wires through it with the fish tape but not worth it in the end. On the driver front I left it alone. I wrapped my wires in black tape and tucked them behind the accordion instead.



For the rear, I spliced the factory harness clipped in at the B-pillar, reusing the factory wires/adapter harness to the speakers - probably my favorite part of the install since it was so easy and neat.



In the hatch, I tacked down some Kilmat directly under my planned install location. The floor is filled with dips and bumps everywhere. To level it, I used sticky velcro pads to secure 1/4" MDF that I wrapped in Gorilla tape. Wrapping it in tape provided a smooth, clean surface for more sitcky velcro pads to secure the amp and sub. I had a couple of screws just long enough to secure the sub to the MDF w/o getting into the sheet metal. I also cut away a part of the side pocket so that the amp would fit.



The amp just barely fit while leaving enough room for the LC7i to tuck away into the pocket. I also cut a piece of the side pocket "door" thing to allow for the power, ground, and remote wires to sneak into the LC7i without stress.



The finished product





A few caveats:

• The ground wire on the amp is red. My first order from Crutchfield included a red 4 AWG power wire. But measuring off the top of my head, I ordered it too short. My install started and ended in 60 seconds lol. I went to order a longer red one but no stock. I ordered the black and got going. I shrink wrapped a few bits of black plastic on the red ground and so be it.
  
  
• I didn't include the tweeter signal from the front factory harness. I don't really understand how I would have included it on the LC7i with all the input channels filled. I don't even understand how it could be included at all. I plan on a JL Audio FIX 86 in the distant future but even that device would run out of inputs. This is where I regret not pulling the signal direct from the head unit. Are the head unit and amp separate? If so, this would allow us to grab signal before the crossover splits it. Can anyone confirm this?
  
  
• The LC7i AccuBass is no match for the muck coming out of that factory head unit. It's better than nothing but the bass still drops off at higher volumes. I feel it starts to happen around 19. And once in the 20s it just wreaks havoc. I'm going to re-adjust my levels so that 20 is the max and see if I can crank it up without the factory EQ interfering. I'll report back.
  
  
• I didn't use a remote turn on lead. The LC7i can turn on from speaker level signal. Seemed like a great time saver and it works well, but it causes the sub to make a low pop when the system shuts down. I tried moving the ground and reducing levels but that didn't help. The googles had some complicated relay/capacitor solution that seems like overkill. It's especially annoying because our cars send a speaker wire signal when opening any door or even the hatch. So i find myself rushing to turn the car on so that it won't pop lol I have yet to win this game. I may run a dedicated remote sometime in the future.

I'm an audiophile of sorts. I'm used to replacing a head unit and feeding amps from 5v preamp outputs. This is my first LOC install and I have to admit I'm not fully satisfied. I can hear the signal drops in some songs and inconsistent bass sometimes. It's mostly over volume 19 that this happens tho. And yes, I used FORscan to shut off the processing and it got better but like stability control, it's not fully defeated dammit! It sounds REALLY good when parked too lol. But once I'm driving, the Ford EQ takes over and bleh - saving up for a FIX 86/TWK-88.

I want to also mention that this system is not shaking windows or rattling dentures. It can barely be heard outside the car at full tilt. It's not loud enough to drown out highway noise with the windows open either. But it's a got a certain quality and thump that the factory stuff just didn't have. In the end, the system is a night and day improvement over stock but not the best it could be. I'm mildly content....for now.

 

[M-Sport fan]

If we only wanted to upgrade the in-door speakers, and did not want/need any subwoofer & amp, nor a separate 4 channel amp, would those Alpine 'in line' type mini-amps work with our Sony head unit at all?

It seemed to be a much simpler solution in my Z28, and also saves a lot of added weight as well.

Is there a pre-out at all on the Sony unit?

 

[LilPartyBox]

If we only wanted to upgrade the in-door speakers, and did not want/need any subwoofer & amp, nor a separate 4 channel amp, would those Alpine 'in line' type mini-amps work with our Sony head unit at all?

It seemed to be a much simpler solution in my Z28, and also saves a lot of added weight as well.

Is there a pre-out at all on the Sony unit?

I looked on ebay for pics of our APIM SYNC module and it doesn't have a pre-out.

I think your referring to the Alpine KTP-445A Power Pack. It's what keeps coming up when i search for "Alpine inline mini amp". It's a 45 x 4-channel amp. According to the specs at Crutchfield, it does handle speaker level inputs. So it would work without a dedicated LOC.

But i feel like anything you choose will need power & ground run to it. Which means mounting it in the rear. Which then means you're doing what I just did and running 2 pairs of wires to and from each door.

A problem you might run into is most speaker upgrades for doors are component speakers with a separate woofer and tweeter running off an included passive crossover. Most of these setups only go down to 50Hz or so. Depending on what you listen to, the missing subwoofer frequencies may be noticeable. My Hertz speakers stop at 50 Hz and I ran them off the head unit without a sub for a while and absolutely hated it. Just be mindful of the frequency response of the speakers you choose. You want 20 to 20,000 - the full spectrum of human hearing.

 

[LilPartyBox]

According to this diagram from AllDataDIY, it might be a full (albeit Ford EQ'd) signal at the head unit (ACM) for the front door speakers. There's no indication of a crossover situation until it reaches the door itself. At least that's what this looks like to me.

 

[M-Sport fan]

THANKS!
YES, that is the exact Alpine mini-amp I had in my Z28, albeit with an Alpine head unit.
Yes, it had keyed power and ground running into it but it all did fit and work under the dash of that car.

I listen to NO; death metal, techno/industrial, dance/trance/rave, rap/hip-hop, or any other bass heavy music at all,
It is mostly lower mid range to highs type stuff (vocals oriented; folk, folk-rock, singer-songwriter, some alt rock and heavier alt country type stuff), so although it might not sound as good as it could without the sub, it would be good enough for me with my very much impaired hearing at this point in time.

 

[Intuit]

I said from the beginning that Ford should've went to Alpine instead of Sony. My Alpine 600 RMS amp has ~250,000 miles and around 20 Winters and Summers use. If anyone knows how to make electronics reliable under extreme conditions, it's Alpine. The prior two Alpine head units (first one stolen) never gave me any issues. Sound quality and features were awesome! If the Sony headunit weren't so thoroughly integrated, (which is par for the course for modern vehicles,) it would've been replaced.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I said from the beginning that Ford should've went to Alpine instead of Sony. My Alpine 600 RMS amp has ~250,000 miles and around 20 Winters and Summers use. If anyone knows how to make electronics reliable under extreme conditions, it's Alpine. The prior two Alpine head units (first one stolen) never gave me any issues. Sound quality and features were awesome! If the Sony headunit weren't so thoroughly integrated, (which is par for the course for modern vehicles,) it would've been replaced.

Yes, if I could have had the option (Alpine or not), to just have a regular size DIN head unit, (instead of the fully integrated into the critical functions of the whole car crap they force on us, and therefore prevent us from replacing with anything decent from the aftermarket ), I would have joyfully forgone the effing touch screen to have.

 

[LilPartyBox]

I'm old enough to have owned plenty of cars with single or double DINs. 5V pre-outs and built-in DSPs were the norm for high end HDs.

But I really, really like my touchscreen! @M-Sport fan would you really prefer a DIN to our GPS touchscreen? You can point at it and stuff happens. Remember when that was only on spaceships?!

But we can get the same great sound albeit for a bit more money. I tried getting away with "cheap" but as I'm building this, I keep coming up short. The factory EQing and bass cut off are just interfering more than I can stand.

So I'm probably returning the LC7i and going with the JL Audio Fix 86. Budget willing...

As a side note, the LC7i is by no means at fault here. It's providing clean, strong signal. But it can only output exactly what it's given. On a less intrusive factory HD I would be ok keeping it.

 

[M-Sport fan]

But I really, really like my touchscreen! @M-Sport fan would you really prefer a DIN to our GPS touchscreen?

YES! If it would allow us to replace the head unit with a great aftermarket one, and allow the use of a simple, low weight, acceptable improvement in sound (if one does not want/need the thumping {but clean} bass).

 

[Intuit]

Aftermarket replacements have long included touch screens as an option.
IIRC the way some worked was, they would automatically fold out of what used to be a CD slot in the radio.
I know of one member that might not go for that as a CD replacement though.

 

[LilPartyBox]

Aftermarket replacements have long included touch screens as an option.
IIRC the way some worked was, they would automatically fold out of what used to be a CD slot in the radio.
I know of one member that might not go for that as a CD replacement though.

That's riiiight, I remember those. They still make them?! I never liked the idea though. Those lil motors moving the screen in and out would eventually give. I had a Kenwood KDC-X979. GREAT HU. Not a touchscreen but the face would fold out on power on. Well, it stopped doing that after a year and i had to go without music for a few months while it was repaired. But that doesn't mean that'll happen to everyone, every time obviously.

Hehe CDs. I just realized I can use the FIX 86 tuning CD in our setup. My default was to download the file! lol

YES! If it would allow us to replace the head unit with a great aftermarket one, and allow the use of a simple, low weight, acceptable improvement in sound (if one does not want/need the thumping {but clean} bass).

Considering what I'm going through to get accurate, clean sound, I'm with you on that. Unfortunately, it doesn't exist. I got some side hustle funds that i was saving for a rainy day & it feels like it's raining on my music right now! So I think I'm getting the FIX 86. Stay TUNED.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I know of one member that might not go for that as a CD replacement though.

Yeah, guilty as charged.

 

[M-Sport fan]

That's riiiight, I remember those. They still make them?! I never liked the idea though. Those lil motors moving the screen in and out would eventually give. I had a Kenwood KDC-X979. GREAT HU. Not a touchscreen but the face would fold out on power on. Well, it stopped doing that after a year and i had to go without music for a few months while it was repaired. But that doesn't mean that'll happen to everyone, every time obviously.

Hehe CDs. I just realized I can use the FIX 86 tuning CD in our setup. My default was to download the file! lol



Considering what I'm going through to get accurate, clean sound, I'm with you on that. Unfortunately, it doesn't exist. I got some side hustle funds that i was saving for a rainy day & it feels like it's raining on my music right now! So I think I'm getting the FIX 86. Stay TUNED.

View attachment 61078

Would it pay/be worth the coin spent to get the JL Audio unit above IF one is never planning to have an aftermarket 4/5 channel amp, or amp/sub installed in the car, but just high quality aftermarket replacement speakers?

 

[Intuit]

I don't know what's available now but the place to find out should be https://crutchfield.com/ .

Back in the early 2000s had generated some test tones using the Cool Edit software from Syntrillium...
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhsZJDCN8kMMiQFCgnjUg2NadIgi?e=uhgUT6

 

[LilPartyBox]

Would it pay/be worth the coin spent to get the JL Audio unit above IF one is never planning to have an aftermarket 4/5 channel amp, or amp/sub installed in the car, but just high quality aftermarket replacement speakers?

If ur just plopping speakers into the doors then no. Without an amp there wouldn't be any point.

If you do go with the Alpine, also no.

The FIX 86 takes speaker wiring on the input side and converts it to RCA outputs (among other tasks). The Alpine amp you plan on using doesn't have the required low-level RCA inputs to receive the signal from the FIX. The Alpine also receives speaker wire as it's input. This means that Ford's caca EQ curve will be feeding the Alpine, in turn feeding your quality speakers. Do what I've been doing...ordering what I can from Amazon and returning it if I don't like the sound.