Ford F150 Audio System For Jacksonville Client

A long-time customer brought his new truck to Audio Designs and Custom Graphics for 2015 Ford F150 audio system upgrade. We have built more than 15 audio systems for this customer, so we understood his expectations – excellent sound quality, great bass and the ability to get LOUD! He looked at some of the latest products we carry, and we came up with a plan to build something awesome for him.

Audison Processor For Seamless Integration

We love the small size of the Audison Bit10 processor. It allows us the flexibility to mount it in number of places.

We used our BitTune analyzer to “look” at the audio signal coming from the Ford amplifier.

The customer wanted to keep his factory radio, so we used an Audison Bit Ten D for precise system configuration and tuning. Newer Ford audio systems present several challenges for aftermarket upgrades. The factory amplifier will turn off if it does not detect that speakers are connected to it. We overcame that by adding resistors to the speaker outputs of the amp before connecting them to the processor.

In addition, Ford injects a “rumble” sound into the audio path to increase the perception of power when the truck is driving. The sound changes pitch in relation to engine speed. We bypassed this feature since it becomes overbearing when you add high-power amplifiers and efficient speakers. It also makes the truck seem quieter, so the customer would be able to better enjoy his new stereo.

Knowing that the factory audio amplifier includes crossovers and equalization, we measured the frequency response of each amplifier output. This allowed us to select the correct outputs to connect to the Bit Ten D so it would be able to pull together a full-frequency signal to drive the new system.

Hertz Speakers For Big Improvement In Sound

All of the adapter rings we created were made out of materials that will withstand the harshest of conditions.

The front doors house the midbass speaker from a Hertz Dieci component set.

The rear doors were upgraded with Hertz Dieci coaxial speakers.

The customer chose Hertz Dieci DSK170.3 components to serve as his front speakers. We mounted the woofer from the set in the stock door location on an expanded PVC plastic adapter that we made. We use expanded PVC because it is rigid, and won’t swell and deform like wood does if it gets wet. We mounted the tweeters from the set on small PVC plates in the dash location. We also installed a set of Hertz Dieci DCX165.3 speakers in the rear doors on another set of custom-expanded PVC adapter plates.

Custom Tuned Enclosure For Audiomobile Subwoofer

Our base enclosure for the Audiomobile GTS Subwoofer.

Additional end pieces were cut allowing us the ability to experiment with the tuning length of the enclosure port.

The enclosure for the Audiomobile sub fits perfectly under the rear seat. An amazing amount of bass is created from this small package.

The Audison processor and Audiomobile subwoofer fit perfectly under the rear seat.

We created a ported enclosure for an Audiomobile GTS-2110 10-inch subwoofer that fits neatly under the bottom of the rear seat. Once we had cut the end panels of the enclosure, we made a dozen copies of the one with the slot vent opening. This allowed us to experiment with different enclosure tuning frequencies by adding or subtracting these copied panels. The panel additions use the Stack Fab process that we use in so many of our enclosures. It was incredible to hear the difference that adding length to the vent made. We settled for a nice balance of low-frequency extension and output. We were able to measure the tuning using our SMD IM-SG Impedance Meter.

We created the enclosure and mounting plate designs in our CAD system and cut the majority of the panels on our CNC router. Because we always save the design files for any work we do, we have made the mounting plates and enclosure available for purchase on our website. We even have a version of the front speaker mounting plates that is designed to work with a three-way speaker set. Click here to get all the details.

Audison Processor Digital Controller

We mounted an Audison DRC remote control for the Bit Ten D on a flat panel to the left of the steering column. The DRC allows the customer to select between two system tuning presets and adjust the subwoofer level control built into the Bit Ten D processor.

Tuning For Optimal Sound Quality

The multi-channel Phoenix Gold amplifier fits neatly next to the factory amplifier.

Once all the equipment was installed we were able to tune the system to the truck using the Audison Tuning software.

We started the system tuning by allowing the Bit Ten D to flatten the factory equalization curve and establish a level playing field upon which we could start our configuration. We set the gain controls on the Phoenix Gold Elite.5 amplifier with our oscilloscope, then used our bit Tune to help set the time alignment and equalization settings for the five outputs of the Bit Ten D. As we mentioned, the customer can use the DRC mounted in the front of the vehicle to choose between two different tunes. A reference curve that sounds great will improve any music, and a second tune will provide some more bass and highs for when the customer wants to have a little more fun.

Ford F150 Audio System Delivered To Thrilled Client

When the customer returned to Audio Designs and Custom Graphics, he was thrilled with the results. The system played nice and loud, and was crystal-clear all the time. He loved the way the bass sounded. The imaging, thanks to the Bit Ten D, was great – all the music seemed to come from the windshield, even the sub!

If you are interested in an audio system upgrade and are in the Jacksonville, Florida, area, why not drop by? We’d be happy to have a look at your vehicle and design a system that meets your performance goals and budget.

For more information, contact us here.