Audio Upgrade MTI Acoustics

[ChemLab]

Mind giving me an estimate of their install costs on that setup? And duration?

Will do. I just asked about a setup that actually amplifies the new door speakers using a 5 channel JL amp and the NavTV module. Let me get that from them tomorrow and I'll outline the install here for both Stages.

They're going to be using 44 sq ft of SoundSkins too during the install - full doors and the area behind the sub box.

I'll update you tomorrow.

I will say they've told me to make plans to be there all day, so a full 8 hours.

 

[BLACKCHERRY]

I've been debating between the C3-650 in both front and rear, or going with those in the rear, and the C7 stuff in the front. Not sure I can fit the proper amp setup though in that space behind the seat. C3 would probably do well enough and sound great.

C3-650 will be enough. I run 2 sets in my Ram and they're insane. Good enough that i am pairing them with 2 10TW3-D8 under the back seat with a the VX1000/i in the Tremor.

 

[Vecman]

C3-650 will be enough. I run 2 sets in my Ram and they're insane. Good enough that i am pairing them with 2 10TW3-D8 under the back seat with a the VX1000/i in the Tremor.

Glad to hear this - simplifies my amp/space requirements. Thanks!

 

[ChemLab]

@Boarder1995

So, labor for a Stage 1 with full sound deadening to 4 doors and the sub area is ~$835. This includes amp, LC2i, 4 sets of speakers, rack, sub install.

I have decided to go Stage 2 - since they'll already have everything apart. They recommend a JL Audio RD900/5. This also requires a Nav TV unit. The labor this Stage 2 with sub and everything above is ~$1000.

The overall cost difference is ~$1200...so I just decided to go with Stage 2. Should sound sweet!

Either way it's about a day of work, so plan to be there all day.

Let me know if you have any questions. Jim Skaggs is the Director of Online Sales. He said please let him know if you want to get something started. [email protected]

 

[SKEME_SOLO]

My next mod. Very nice set up

 

[speeddev]

I had a classic powerhouse of an amp...an early 2000's vintage a/d/s 650.2 Power Plate sitting on the shelf that I decided to add to my system. Unfortunately, it wouldn't even turn on--new fuses and all. I just bit the bullet and ordered a JL Audio VX800/8i. That should pair nicely with the NAV-TV Zen A2B. I plan on running my stock speakers with that initially and then upgrading those. For now, the single 10" JL Audio 10TW3 being fed by a Rockford Fosgate Punch 500.2 is keeping me plenty happy.

 

[The widge]

Are you still happy with the system. How do you like your 2 way fronts? I am considering hertz milli pro 6x9 3 waycoaxial in doors and a milli pro tweeter. A 3 way component speaker system is a little pricy having to buy new a pillars with the additional 3” mid speaker. Curious if the 2 way system would be better than the 6x9 option and tweeter

How do you like the rear bass box, I also need a behind seat box.

Confirm your running just the one amp, plenty of power? Are you running 2 or 4ohms

Thx for any input, your post was very detailed and this may have solved my problem. Confirming about 4K? Did you get through mti?

Thx Matt

 

[spankee]

Are you still happy with the system. How do you like your 2 way fronts? I am considering hertz milli pro 6x9 3 waycoaxial in doors and a milli pro tweeter. A 3 way component speaker system is a little pricy having to buy new a pillars with the additional 3” mid speaker. Curious if the 2 way system would be better than the 6x9 option and tweeter

How do you like the rear bass box, I also need a behind seat box.

Confirm your running just the one amp, plenty of power? Are you running 2 or 4ohms

Thx for any input, your post was very detailed and this may have solved my problem. Confirming about 4K? Did you get through mti?

Thx Matt

I still enjoy the system very much, especially after riding in my buddies with a stock one. People are still blown away with the SQ when they first hear it.

A two way component system would be better than a 6x9 coaxial since the tweeter would be at the factory location instead of low in the doors. You would lose a lot of imaging, even if you could angle the tweeters up some how.

The subwoofer is a massive improvement over the stock one. Plenty of low end, but don't expect to win any SPL contests. It provides a lot of punch but can't compete with a full rear under seat enclosure with 2 drivers. If you need under seat storage, than this is your best option.

I do run just one 5 channel amp at 4 ohms. It runs good and have never had the amp shutdown due to thermal overload. It will get loud enough that your neighbors, cars next to you at a stop light, and the general public will hear you coming.

I did purchase all items from MTI. The price may be up due to supply and demand. Price for everything when I bought it was around 4k. That's with installing everything yourself.

Hope this helps!

 

[mkbruce]

Are you still happy with the system. How do you like your 2 way fronts? I am considering hertz milli pro 6x9 3 waycoaxial in doors and a milli pro tweeter. A 3 way component speaker system is a little pricy having to buy new a pillars with the additional 3” mid speaker. Curious if the 2 way system would be better than the 6x9 option and tweeter

How do you like the rear bass box, I also need a behind seat box.

Confirm your running just the one amp, plenty of power? Are you running 2 or 4ohms

Thx for any input, your post was very detailed and this may have solved my problem. Confirming about 4K? Did you get through mti?

Thx Matt

More info on a similar install inspired by @spankee and others here:

Another audio upgrade

We bought an F350 King Ranch Tremor last November and initially thought the B&O stereo was OK. After a long road trip over the holidays, we learned otherwise...... So, after a lot of research (a lot of it right here (thanks @Jericho, @spankee, and others), I came up with the follow equipment...

www.fordtremor.com

This install uses MTI custom sub box, amp rack, and tweeter mounts along with a single JL Adio amp, Focal speakersl and JL audio sub wired for 2 ohms Cost was about 4K as well, but that could come down with less expensive speakers. JL C3’s have been recommended in many threads As a cheaper alternative.

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Finally received all the items from MTI for my audio upgrade and installed it over the weekend. Install took a good 2 days to do everything right. Let meet tell you that this is a serious upgrade to the factory B&O garbage. If you spend extended amounts of time in your truck and love music then this really makes it that more enjoyable and worth it.

I wanted to keep my under seat storage and hide everything out of sight. You can go crazy with their under seat multiple subwoofer enclosures but the single 10" is more than enough for great sound quality.

Factory head unit, and all factory wiring was retained, nothing was cut. This is what it all consist of.

- NavTV Zen A2B converter
- JL Audio 1000VX/5i 5 channel amp with built in DSP
- JL Audio DRC-205 Remote level controller
- JL Audio 10TW3 in MTI enclosure
- Focal PS 165 FE Front 2-way components
- Focal PC 165 FE Rear 2-way coaxials
- MTI Amp rack, speaker adaptors, and door access covers
- SoundShield Sound deadening on all doors and rear panel (this is key to great sound)
- PAC speaker harness adaptor

MTI use known for their quality builds and their recommendations did not disappoint.

I've done speaker upgrades with JL Audio speakers in a couple of my vehicle and love the sound. I also found the single 10" does a good job on its own, although maybe I'm just past the point in life where I don't need my bass to heard from a couple blocks away (my buddy had two 10" in the back of his 67 mustang fastback and I always knew when he was a couple of blocks away from my house).

 

[The widge]

I still enjoy the system very much, especially after riding in my buddies with a stock one. People are still blown away with the SQ when they first hear it.

A two way component system would be better than a 6x9 coaxial since the tweeter would be at the factory location instead of low in the doors. You would lose a lot of imaging, even if you could angle the tweeters up some how.

The subwoofer is a massive improvement over the stock one. Plenty of low end, but don't expect to win any SPL contests. It provides a lot of punch but can't compete with a full rear under seat enclosure with 2 drivers. If you need under seat storage, than this is your best option.

I do run just one 5 channel amp at 4 ohms. It runs good and have never had the amp shutdown due to thermal overload. It will get loud enough that your neighbors, cars next to you at a stop light, and the general public will hear you coming.

I did purchase all items from MTI. The price may be up due to supply and demand. Price for everything when I bought it was around 4k. That's with installing everything yourself.

Hope this helps!

Thank you for all the info. I see your running a 5 channel amp with a built in DSP and your running passive crossovers. I was considering on going active, but I believe that would require me to go with two amps. I would prefer to go one amp with limited funds and mounting real-estate. Where you still able to fine tune your system with both the passive crossovers and the dsp. How do you like your amp selection. was it enough power for both mids and your base. Thank you again as I got rid of the 6x9 option based on your response

 

[spankee]

Thank you for all the info. I see your running a 5 channel amp with a built in DSP and your running passive crossovers. I was considering on going active, but I believe that would require me to go with two amps. I would prefer to go one amp with limited funds and mounting real-estate. Where you still able to fine tune your system with both the passive crossovers and the dsp. How do you like your amp selection. was it enough power for both mids and your base. Thank you again as I got rid of the 6x9 option based on your response

The amplifier I used (JL Audio VX1000/5i) puts out 75 x 4 to the 4 main channels at 4 ohms and 600 x 1 to the subwoofer that's wired to 2 ohms. It is plenty of power and I'm sure those ratings are very conservative.

The DSP built into the amp has everything you will ever need to fine tune your system. It has active, fully adjustable crossovers, as well as parametric EQ settings. Everything from crossover slope, frequency, phase, gain are adjustable. The size of the amp makes mounting a breeze (back in the 90's, an amp this powerful would take up the entire rear wall in the truck!)

The passive crossovers for the front speakers are used so that the correct frequencies can be routed to the mid-bass and tweeter. The manufacturer of the speakers specifically designed them for the set so they should be used, unless you have another set of channels from another amp with built in DSP. You could tune the mid-bass and tweeter separately. That's a lot of extra money and work for probably minimal improvement.

 

[Wildcat82]

Just ordered the MTI 10 inch box with JL T3W subwoofer. Do any of you have the 7.3 engine with dual batteries? If so, can you post a few pictures of where you ran the power cable on the passenger side and where fuse block was mounted? I assume you ran grounds from amps directly into ground mounting location on rear panel behind the padded cover? I'm playing on 1/0 from battery to distribution block on amp rack and then 4 gauge to each amp. I was thinking just running directly out the bottom of engine bay, along the frame and then cut a hole on passenger side near back of passenger seat (another post on here showed some pictures of this but can't seem to readily find it).

I'm planning on using the JL JD400/4 to power doors and JL JD 500/1 for sub. Interface is the AmpPro4 AP4-FD31 if that helps.

Appreciate any advice.

 

[mkbruce]

I ran both power and ground to the battery on the driver's side under the door sills, so not exposed outside the body. I used a grommet above the parking brake to get the wires into the engine compartment and to the battery (I have a disel with dual batteries). The NavTV A2B unit I used recommended grounding back to the battery.

See my install post here:

Another audio upgrade

We bought an F350 King Ranch Tremor last November and initially thought the B&O stereo was OK. After a long road trip over the holidays, we learned otherwise...... So, after a lot of research (a lot of it right here (thanks @Jericho, @spankee, and others), I came up with the follow equipment...

www.fordtremor.com

 

[Wildcat82]

I ran both power and ground to the battery on the driver's side under the door sills, so not exposed outside the body. I used a grommet above the parking brake to get the wires into the engine compartment and to the battery (I have a disel with dual batteries). The NavTV A2B unit I used recommended grounding back to the battery.

See my install post here:

Another audio upgrade

We bought an F350 King Ranch Tremor last November and initially thought the B&O stereo was OK. After a long road trip over the holidays, we learned otherwise...... So, after a lot of research (a lot of it right here (thanks @Jericho, @spankee, and others), I came up with the follow equipment...

www.fordtremor.com

Is the drivers side battery on the diesel the main battery or secondary battery? My driver's side in the 7.3 is the secondary battery. I guess I would assume to hook everything up to the main battery but my electrical knowledge is limited in this space. There is certainly more room on the driver's side with mounting options for the fuse block. Do you have any photos of the engine bay? I didn't see any on the other post.

 

[Wildcat82]

@Canyon Trekker would love to get your thoughts here. Any concerns with the following setup on the 7.3?

Connect 1/0 wiring from drivers side positive battery ran back to fuse distribution block (2 amps with negative ground to rear panel grounding point on drivers side), upgrading passenger side battery negative to chassis ground cable to 1/0. Any additional wiring upgrades or changes to this setup I should consider?

 

[mkbruce]

Pics from my 21 diesel. Power and ground are direct to battery via a fuse on the positive wire. Fuse is attached to body by industrial two-sided tape and wires fed into cab through an existing grommet. Note that there are two connections to each battery terminal - one set for the amp and another for an Anderson connector in the fender for jumper cables, etc.

 

[Wildcat82]

Pics from my 21 diesel. Power and ground are direct to batter via a fuse on the positive wire. Fuse is attached to body by industrial two-sided tape and wires fed into cab through and existing grommet. Note that there are two connections to each battery terminal - one set for the amp and another for an Anderson connector in the fender for jumper cables, etc.
View attachment 240708View attachment 240709View attachment 240707

Thanks, very helpful!

 

[Canyon Trekker]

@Canyon Trekker would love to get your thoughts here. Any concerns with the following setup on the 7.3?

Connect 1/0 wiring from drivers side positive battery ran back to fuse distribution block (2 amps with negative ground to rear panel grounding point on drivers side), upgrading passenger side battery negative to chassis ground cable to 1/0. Any additional wiring upgrades or changes to this setup I should consider?

You will likely have no issues with this. Having larger ground cables is a good idea; the reason that most hookups to large amps is directly connected to batteries is that copper is a much better conductor than steel. Even though the bodies on these trucks are aluminum, the main path of conduction is through the steel chassis. This works great if you're not concerned with a bit of drop under large currents such as starting. When it comes to electronics, some devices can be more temperamental, and some will have their own built-in regulators which is likely the case in a high-end amplifier. What I have found in the past is that when you increase the size of the wire directly connected, the low end seems to have a little more punch and clarity. If you were to use a direct cable instead of the chassis, you "may" get a little more punch as well. Trying is believing, you could literally hook a large ground wire directly to the ground points between the battery and grounding spot you used for your amp and see if there is any difference. Likely not much if at all, depending on the size of amps and your ability to hear the difference. My ears are pretty well shot so I don't invest in too high of equipment anymore.

It really doesn't matter which battery you use, the one you hook up to becomes the primary for the amps. The other will simply feed it through the parallel connection.

Hope this helps, Happy New Year! (Got a little head start, sorry for the delayed response.)

 

[EMiller233]

I ordered it all from MTI Acoustics. They will get you everything you need and give you a package discount that will save you a couple hundred dollars.

Did you call them to get the discount, or just a coupon code or something?