Shekkie2432
Active Member
I am not a fan of Sync or the clock radio sound quality of the stock “upgraded” Sony navigation system so I spent most of today doing something about it.
From a previous vehicle I have an Alpine ILX-207, JL Audio HD 900/5 and an iDatalink Maestro along with most of the appropriate wiring. I recently bought Polk MM-572 speakers for the front/rear, a Kicker 48CWRT84 (8” DVC sub), iDatalink FOR1 (dash/wiring kit) and a PAC APH-FD01 wiring interface (allows plug and play to factory speaker wiring…..I hate cutting a factory harness). All set.
Pulling out the console to get to the speaker wiring was a PITA the 1st time but now I can probably remove/replace in 10 minutes since I’ve done it several times now. I pulled the passenger seat to make running the speaker/signal wires a snap from the rear of the console to under the rear seat (SCAB) where I pulled it all through where the factory sub wiring exits from under the carpet. I ran the amp power along the passenger wiring channel under the sill trim.
I mounted the sub in the factory enclosure and sealed up the factory sub magnet mounting bolt. I know it has been said on this forum that the enclosure is too flexible and small for good bass. It’s well within the volume specs for the sub I bought and if it proves to be too “weak” I’ll do some trimming on the interior of it and add a few layers of fiberglass to stiffen it up.
Anyway on to the results……I am thrilled with how it sounds. HUGE upgrade in sound quality and, of course, volume. The Maestro has the steering controls and dash buttons working as they should along with the climate controls on the Alpine. I may reprogram some of them but I’ll live with it for a bit to see what makes sense.
I did not utilize the pillar tweeters. I may swap ‘em out later but the ones on the front door speakers are doing a solid job for now. My major concern was the Kicker sub in the factory enclosure. In my opinion I think this is a great option. When I’m not listening to podcasts about serial killers I listen to metal/heavy rock and after scrolling through quite a few bass heavy songs at a reasonably high volume I can’t see any reason to upgrade it or modify it further. Sounds strong, clear and musical plus it doesn’t take up the limited space available.
Obviously I am not going for “audiophile” quality, competing in SPL competitions or listening to bass booming electronic dance music or thumping rap. If those are your goals I am confident my setup would be disappointing for you. For an average dope like me that likes to blast some Motörhead after a long work day on the way home I would say it’s the just the ticket.
I didn’t snap everything back into place yet. Just a test run…..
The Kicker mounted and wired……
To do list…..
Gotta fabricate a bracket to mount the amp between the sub and jack. It fits there perfectly. Then I need to trim up the wiring so it’s neat and tucked away. Lastly I need to figure out how to wire the factory backup camera to the Alpine and get an adapter so the factory USB connects to the new stereo aa well.
From a previous vehicle I have an Alpine ILX-207, JL Audio HD 900/5 and an iDatalink Maestro along with most of the appropriate wiring. I recently bought Polk MM-572 speakers for the front/rear, a Kicker 48CWRT84 (8” DVC sub), iDatalink FOR1 (dash/wiring kit) and a PAC APH-FD01 wiring interface (allows plug and play to factory speaker wiring…..I hate cutting a factory harness). All set.
Pulling out the console to get to the speaker wiring was a PITA the 1st time but now I can probably remove/replace in 10 minutes since I’ve done it several times now. I pulled the passenger seat to make running the speaker/signal wires a snap from the rear of the console to under the rear seat (SCAB) where I pulled it all through where the factory sub wiring exits from under the carpet. I ran the amp power along the passenger wiring channel under the sill trim.
I mounted the sub in the factory enclosure and sealed up the factory sub magnet mounting bolt. I know it has been said on this forum that the enclosure is too flexible and small for good bass. It’s well within the volume specs for the sub I bought and if it proves to be too “weak” I’ll do some trimming on the interior of it and add a few layers of fiberglass to stiffen it up.
Anyway on to the results……I am thrilled with how it sounds. HUGE upgrade in sound quality and, of course, volume. The Maestro has the steering controls and dash buttons working as they should along with the climate controls on the Alpine. I may reprogram some of them but I’ll live with it for a bit to see what makes sense.
I did not utilize the pillar tweeters. I may swap ‘em out later but the ones on the front door speakers are doing a solid job for now. My major concern was the Kicker sub in the factory enclosure. In my opinion I think this is a great option. When I’m not listening to podcasts about serial killers I listen to metal/heavy rock and after scrolling through quite a few bass heavy songs at a reasonably high volume I can’t see any reason to upgrade it or modify it further. Sounds strong, clear and musical plus it doesn’t take up the limited space available.
Obviously I am not going for “audiophile” quality, competing in SPL competitions or listening to bass booming electronic dance music or thumping rap. If those are your goals I am confident my setup would be disappointing for you. For an average dope like me that likes to blast some Motörhead after a long work day on the way home I would say it’s the just the ticket.
I didn’t snap everything back into place yet. Just a test run…..
The Kicker mounted and wired……
To do list…..
Gotta fabricate a bracket to mount the amp between the sub and jack. It fits there perfectly. Then I need to trim up the wiring so it’s neat and tucked away. Lastly I need to figure out how to wire the factory backup camera to the Alpine and get an adapter so the factory USB connects to the new stereo aa well.
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