Upgrading base stereo - within reason

[ctandc72]

I'm telling you right now, there's absolutely NOTHING to FORScan.
I just did stuff to 4 vehicles over the weekend. My Raptor and Mustang, my fiance's Focus, and my dad's F150.
On each vehicle, it takes maybe 5 minutes to backup all the current ABD, then 2-3 minutes to make all the changes to the vehicle, then another 5-10 minutes playing with all the new stuff I just changed.

Seriously, if anyone can figure out how to post on a forum, they can follow FORScan instructions.

LOL thanks, but maybe I was unclear. It's not that I'm challenged / intimidated by the thought of messing with FORSCan. I make a living with computers. Working on cars is normally more of a "simpler" thing for me and I don't have to mess with computers as often. Not sure if that makes sense.

Unfortunately I've already registered, downloaded FORScan and my As Built data file etc and ordered the WiFi ELM adapter. :headbonk:

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[HextallS550]

I'm no audiophile or guru - but every factory system I've messed with benefited from aftermarket speakers being driven by an appropriate amp. Are you saying the speakers I linked aren't better than the factory stuff?

If you want an improvement? No. Just because you put in aftermarket drivers doesn't mean you will get better sound. The trick is balancing what you buy with how it's installed and then properly tuning it for your ear. But like it or not that costs money. Would you put a blower or bigger turbo on a car without larger injectors and a proper calibration? Same thing with audio.

So are you saying I can't use a LOC to install an amp or are you saying I don't have to, I can reprogram the factory head unit and get an adapter harness?

Can you? Yes. But why? The base car ACM has the same ability to output line level signals that an aftermarket unit has AND through testing we know that its a rock solid voltage and it doesn't clip. Find me an aftermarket HU built since 2015 that can do that. I know of exactly one. Even if you buy an amp that accepts line level or speaker level input why sabotage yourself.

My best peace of advice for ANYONE is K.I.S.S. The more analog converters (LOCs), unnecessary a/d and d/a conversions and adapters and crap you put between the source and the ampplifier the worse it will sound, period.

I'm not looking for competition quality sound.

Everyone equates improvements over $500 with competition... $500 wouldn't even pay the cost of fabrication and installation if you wanted to compete.

Comments? Feedback? Recommendations on speakers / components without spending $1000?

Buy quality used gear.

 

[Snook66]

It’s actually ridiculously easy. I’ve walked over 40 people through Sync 3 swaps and there is a lot more that needs to be changed in that situation than in the OPs

Can you give me any suggestions on what I will need to do the whole FORscan gimmick ?

Try and be patient with me, I'm a 51 y.o not so tech savvy dude. LOL

 

[ctandc72]

Can you give me any suggestions on what I will need to do the whole FORscan gimmick ?

Try and be patient with me, I'm a 51 y.o not so tech savvy dude. LOL

Start here- first post

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61773

 

[H@mmer]

Best tutorial I have found is this one from the F150 forum.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-8dKaS_Spu4Zw4hV_CrKC4tLoP9G8yejqegF1wxIqxY/edit

 

[Snook66]

Thanks guys, equipment ordered !

 

[HextallS550]

Can you give me any suggestions on what I will need to do the whole FORscan gimmick ?

Try and be patient with me, I'm a 51 y.o not so tech savvy dude. LOL

Considering that in most cases it's more powerful than Ford IDS software, I would hardly call it a gimmick. The success you have with it depends on how much time you want to put into it.

 

[Snook66]

Considering that in most cases it's more powerful than Ford IDS software, I would hardly call it a gimmick. The success you have with it depends on how much time you want to put into it.

I didn't mean to literally call it a gimmick, it's just a word I use.

All of this is starting to make some sense to me.

 

[ctandc72]

If you want an improvement? No. Just because you put in aftermarket drivers doesn't mean you will get better sound. The trick is balancing what you buy with how it's installed and then properly tuning it for your ear. But like it or not that costs money. Would you put a blower or bigger turbo on a car without larger injectors and a proper calibration? Same thing with audio.

I understand (theory) of staging and a good friend was big into the audio scene for many years. Issue for me is that what sounds good to ME, likely wouldn't to someone else. Thanks to the Army, my hearing isn't exactly suited to being an audiophile.

Can you? Yes. But why? The base car ACM has the same ability to output line level signals that an aftermarket unit has AND through testing we know that its a rock solid voltage and it doesn't clip. Find me an aftermarket HU built since 2015 that can do that. I know of exactly one. Even if you buy an amp that accepts line level or speaker level input why sabotage yourself.

My best peace of advice for ANYONE is K.I.S.S. The more analog converters (LOCs), unnecessary a/d and d/a conversions and adapters and crap you put between the source and the ampplifier the worse it will sound, period.

I get it. If the OEM head unit's signal is that solid, then since I've already ordered everything to dip my toe into the FORScan pool, where would I look for the harness / adapter you mentioned that allows me to use RCA's from the head unit after making the needed changes?

Everyone equates improvements over $500 with competition... $500 wouldn't even pay the cost of fabrication and installation if you wanted to compete.

Gotcha. I understand the time, money and knowledge that goes into a competition quality audio install. That of course is not what I'm after. Any brand recommendations for drivers on my hunt for used gear?

I've seen from searching your previous posts, you aren't a fan of rear speakers, so what would your recommendations (generally) for the Mustang? A quality set of 6.5 components up front, keeping in mind I want to install a small footprint sub into a small enclosure in the trunk - I know enough to do my best to match up the box I'll build (likely measure everything and have a friend build it) with the sub I'll be installing.

Any recommendations on wattage / brand of amps I should be looking at for this type of setup?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Cathul]

My car-audio installer put a JL 8w3 into the original enclosure with a spacer.
It's run of a Mosconi Gladen D2 500.1 amp, but any quality amp with enough power will do imho. Sound is not really dependant on the amp (if enough power and damping factor are available), but the quality of the tuning of the system.

Regarding the harness, you can build one like Hextall does, or get yourself one built with molex connectors to be put between default amp and stock harness. You can get the necessary info for that from the sticky in this forum, i.e. molex part numbers and wiring diagrams and stuff like that.

 

[HextallS550]

No, Molex is for Premium cars. Base cars need Yazaki connectors. There is a group by being put together right now.

Amplifiers: any JL Audio amp. If you do a 5 channel get the most sub power you can, not because you need it to shake the neighborhood but because small enclosure ls need a lot of power. A properly tuned sub woofer should sound like nothing. It should not “boom” or give you any chance medication it is in your trunk. It should simply bolster the lowest range of the frequency spectrum. I forget the name of JLs entry level series, JX maybe? Around $250-400 depending on condition.
Speakers: Hybrid Audio Technologies Mirus, Imagine or Clarus. I’ve seen the Clarus 6.5” components on eBay for $350. That is a hell of a deal. Expect to pay around $125-150 for a Hybrid Imagine sub. You can be under a grand without a DSP and then add it later.

What most people on this board think is competition level is skewed severally. I listened to a car in Cincinnati a few months ago and the guy kept telling me what he had and how it blew away the factory stuff and when I heard it I was shocked at how uninformed he was about what is an improvement and what is just a change. His speaker brand was a common one for audiophiles but it was a budget conscious line. It lacked midbass, was bright as the sun because of the metal dome tweeters, the image and staging was all messed up because of the rear speakers playing full range without any delay or attenuation, it had way to much sub, it was crossed over at 120Hz and wasn’t properly blended. There are a lot of things that make a car sound bad or good, some you can control easily others you have to deal with. In the OEM world we are limited by budgets and styling choices it takes some thought to improve on what we are stuck with. But it can be done.

 

[HextallS550]

Regarding the harness, you can build one like Hextall does, or get yourself one built with molex connectors to be put between default amp and stock harness. You can get the necessary info for that from the sticky in this forum, i.e. molex part numbers and wiring diagrams and stuff like that.

On a Premium car the connector that you need to interface between the stock DSP/amp and the sub amp isn’t made by Molex it’s a Tyco part with a Ford exclusive number. I was going to build someone a harness to take the low level signal that the stock DSP/Amp produces and send it to an aftermarket amp with RCAs but they won’t sell it to the public so you have to buy it from Ford as a pigtail for $30-some dollars.

 

[Cathul]

On a Premium car the connector that you need to interface between the stock DSP/amp and the sub amp isn’t made by Molex it’s a Tyco part with a Ford exclusive number. I was going to build someone a harness to take the low level signal that the stock DSP/Amp produces and send it to an aftermarket amp with RCAs but they won’t sell it to the public so you have to buy it from Ford as a pigtail for $30-some dollars.

Premium amp has three connectors which are indeed molex connectors.
Mouser part numbers/molex part numbers

538-34690-0160/34690-0160
538-34772-0142/34772-0142
538-34690-0161/34690-0161

As far as i remember the black one has the signal lines in it.
We built a break-out/passthrough harness with these connectors (and their counterparts) to get the signal and use the existing speaker wires.

Connectors for the harness to complete the pass-through part (for the connection to the premium amp):

34729-0161
34969-0140
34969-0142

 

[HextallS550]

Oh! You’re talking about the DSP/Amp I’m talking about the sub amp. Unfortunately Molex won’t make those connectors wire to wire so we are stuck soldering to the back of the headers. I have asked the Molex rep repeatedly but they won’t do it.
Same problem I have with APIMs and 4.2 screen connectors.

 

[Cathul]

Yes, DSP/AMP. I always tend to forget, that the OP asked specifically about the base system. :(

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