New F-150, need some speakers/advice
#1
08-19-2011, 02:09 PM
Join Date: Aug 2011
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New F-150, need some speakers/advice
hey fellas
i just got a brand new 2011 XLT SuperCrew with Sync. naturally, everything is bad ***. the stock stereo is killing me though. I believe there are just 4 speakers - no sub or premium audio package. I've never owned a truck nor have I ever upgrade speakers in a car. so, I could use some advice. I'm not looking to blow out any windows or scare small children in the street. i just want some better sounding sound. quality. shaper. some nice bass would be good, but i'm not rolling up in the hood or anything, so nothing ground shaking.
What size of speaker can fit? I was thinking of ordering some Kickers or Infinitys off Amazon to get a good price and install myself.
Do I need an amp/sub? I know nothing about car audio.
thanks
i just got a brand new 2011 XLT SuperCrew with Sync. naturally, everything is bad ***. the stock stereo is killing me though. I believe there are just 4 speakers - no sub or premium audio package. I've never owned a truck nor have I ever upgrade speakers in a car. so, I could use some advice. I'm not looking to blow out any windows or scare small children in the street. i just want some better sounding sound. quality. shaper. some nice bass would be good, but i'm not rolling up in the hood or anything, so nothing ground shaking.
What size of speaker can fit? I was thinking of ordering some Kickers or Infinitys off Amazon to get a good price and install myself.
Do I need an amp/sub? I know nothing about car audio.
thanks
#2
08-21-2011, 01:24 AM
Senior Member
If you know nothing, and are seeking some decent bass, and sharp, quality sound, there is no do it yourself kit that is going to help your purposes.
I just changed the door speakers in my '10, and it made a noticeable improvement, but nothing that even resembles decent bass, and true Quality sound. If you like having sync, you are pretty much screwed, long story short. The problem with your (and my) factory sound system being the basic unit, is that we got what we paid for.
I've had true quality (and expensive) sound in years gone by. With every dollar you are willing to spend, you will usually notice. It eventually gets to the point where in order to get better quality sound out of whatever amp/crossover/sub/stiffening cap/speaker/EQ setup you get, it will always originate from the crappy factory head unit. But changing the head unit, runs a serious risk of affecting the sync and steering wheel functions.
My personal advice, is to start simple. Replace the factory door speakers with some decent quality ones. If that doesnt give you the effect you are looking for, go with a smaller 8"sub, and a 400 watt mono amp to run it, and a smaller -600 watt 4 channel amp to feed the door speakers. That really should be on the low end of decent. You really will get what you pay for though. If you go for the walmart bargains, you are wasting both your time and money.
I just changed the door speakers in my '10, and it made a noticeable improvement, but nothing that even resembles decent bass, and true Quality sound. If you like having sync, you are pretty much screwed, long story short. The problem with your (and my) factory sound system being the basic unit, is that we got what we paid for.
I've had true quality (and expensive) sound in years gone by. With every dollar you are willing to spend, you will usually notice. It eventually gets to the point where in order to get better quality sound out of whatever amp/crossover/sub/stiffening cap/speaker/EQ setup you get, it will always originate from the crappy factory head unit. But changing the head unit, runs a serious risk of affecting the sync and steering wheel functions.
My personal advice, is to start simple. Replace the factory door speakers with some decent quality ones. If that doesnt give you the effect you are looking for, go with a smaller 8"sub, and a 400 watt mono amp to run it, and a smaller -600 watt 4 channel amp to feed the door speakers. That really should be on the low end of decent. You really will get what you pay for though. If you go for the walmart bargains, you are wasting both your time and money.
#3
08-21-2011, 01:27 AM
Join Date: Aug 2011
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If you know nothing, and are seeking some decent bass, and sharp, quality sound, there is no do it yourself kit that is going to help your purposes.
I just changed the door speakers in my '10, and it made a noticeable improvement, but nothing that even resembles decent bass, and true Quality sound. If you like having sync, you are pretty much screwed, long story short. The problem with your (and my) factory sound system being the basic unit, is that we got what we paid for.
I've had true quality (and expensive) sound in years gone by. With every dollar you are willing to spend, you will usually notice. It eventually gets to the point where in order to get better quality sound out of whatever amp/crossover/sub/stiffening cap/speaker/EQ setup you get, it will always originate from the crappy factory head unit. But changing the head unit, runs a serious risk of affecting the sync and steering wheel functions.
My personal advice, is to start simple. Replace the factory door speakers with some decent quality ones. If that doesnt give you the effect you are looking for, go with a smaller 8"sub, and a 400 watt mono amp to run it, and a smaller -600 watt 4 channel amp to feed the door speakers. That really should be on the low end of decent. You really will get what you pay for though. If you go for the walmart bargains, you are wasting both your time and money.
I just changed the door speakers in my '10, and it made a noticeable improvement, but nothing that even resembles decent bass, and true Quality sound. If you like having sync, you are pretty much screwed, long story short. The problem with your (and my) factory sound system being the basic unit, is that we got what we paid for.
I've had true quality (and expensive) sound in years gone by. With every dollar you are willing to spend, you will usually notice. It eventually gets to the point where in order to get better quality sound out of whatever amp/crossover/sub/stiffening cap/speaker/EQ setup you get, it will always originate from the crappy factory head unit. But changing the head unit, runs a serious risk of affecting the sync and steering wheel functions.
My personal advice, is to start simple. Replace the factory door speakers with some decent quality ones. If that doesnt give you the effect you are looking for, go with a smaller 8"sub, and a 400 watt mono amp to run it, and a smaller -600 watt 4 channel amp to feed the door speakers. That really should be on the low end of decent. You really will get what you pay for though. If you go for the walmart bargains, you are wasting both your time and money.
#4
08-21-2011, 02:11 PM
Senior Member
Ford factory speakers are a 6x8, 25watt, 4 ohm, entry level speaker. I replaced mine with JBL 6" x 8" / 5" x 7" 2-Way Car Speaker (GTO8628), and I got them from Best Buy here in Canada. http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...e983a8ab51en02
They are a decent replacement speaker, and served my purpose very well, and are cape-able of handling a small amp at a later date if I ever decide to go that route. You should be aware though, that you should not be installing any of the door speakers that have ratings of 250 or 300 watt, unless you are installing an amp of the appropriate size to run them. Big wattage speakers, without the push behind them don't sound great either.
In all honesty, In a world of bang for your buck, I think these ....... http://www.crutchfield.com/s_1086829...9cf.html?tp=93 are the best bang for your buck. I kinda kick myself in the *** for not doing these in the first place, but shipping to Canada was an issue, and I was too lazy and impatient to go any other route than the one I chose. Add to the fact the JBL's I bought were $30 off per pair at the time, it made my decision pretty easy.
Install is easy, a youtube search will show you how to remove the door panels, and Crutchfeild sends all necessary adapters, and instructions with every purchase, at least so I hear. They have alot of fans in these woods.
They are a decent replacement speaker, and served my purpose very well, and are cape-able of handling a small amp at a later date if I ever decide to go that route. You should be aware though, that you should not be installing any of the door speakers that have ratings of 250 or 300 watt, unless you are installing an amp of the appropriate size to run them. Big wattage speakers, without the push behind them don't sound great either.
In all honesty, In a world of bang for your buck, I think these ....... http://www.crutchfield.com/s_1086829...9cf.html?tp=93 are the best bang for your buck. I kinda kick myself in the *** for not doing these in the first place, but shipping to Canada was an issue, and I was too lazy and impatient to go any other route than the one I chose. Add to the fact the JBL's I bought were $30 off per pair at the time, it made my decision pretty easy.
Install is easy, a youtube search will show you how to remove the door panels, and Crutchfeild sends all necessary adapters, and instructions with every purchase, at least so I hear. They have alot of fans in these woods.
#5
08-21-2011, 07:53 PM
Join Date: Aug 2011
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Ford factory speakers are a 6x8, 25watt, 4 ohm, entry level speaker. I replaced mine with JBL 6" x 8" / 5" x 7" 2-Way Car Speaker (GTO8628), and I got them from Best Buy here in Canada. http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...e983a8ab51en02
They are a decent replacement speaker, and served my purpose very well, and are cape-able of handling a small amp at a later date if I ever decide to go that route. You should be aware though, that you should not be installing any of the door speakers that have ratings of 250 or 300 watt, unless you are installing an amp of the appropriate size to run them. Big wattage speakers, without the push behind them don't sound great either.
In all honesty, In a world of bang for your buck, I think these ....... http://www.crutchfield.com/s_1086829...9cf.html?tp=93 are the best bang for your buck. I kinda kick myself in the *** for not doing these in the first place, but shipping to Canada was an issue, and I was too lazy and impatient to go any other route than the one I chose. Add to the fact the JBL's I bought were $30 off per pair at the time, it made my decision pretty easy.
Install is easy, a youtube search will show you how to remove the door panels, and Crutchfeild sends all necessary adapters, and instructions with every purchase, at least so I hear. They have alot of fans in these woods.
They are a decent replacement speaker, and served my purpose very well, and are cape-able of handling a small amp at a later date if I ever decide to go that route. You should be aware though, that you should not be installing any of the door speakers that have ratings of 250 or 300 watt, unless you are installing an amp of the appropriate size to run them. Big wattage speakers, without the push behind them don't sound great either.
In all honesty, In a world of bang for your buck, I think these ....... http://www.crutchfield.com/s_1086829...9cf.html?tp=93 are the best bang for your buck. I kinda kick myself in the *** for not doing these in the first place, but shipping to Canada was an issue, and I was too lazy and impatient to go any other route than the one I chose. Add to the fact the JBL's I bought were $30 off per pair at the time, it made my decision pretty easy.
Install is easy, a youtube search will show you how to remove the door panels, and Crutchfeild sends all necessary adapters, and instructions with every purchase, at least so I hear. They have alot of fans in these woods.
jz
#6
08-22-2011, 10:00 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Austin TX
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The stock deck is fine as long as a good sound processor is used. A quality sound processor will eliminate the short falls of the stock deck and will allow full control of amplifiers just as if you had an aftermarket deck. If you only run the speakers off of the stock deck though, a sound processor will make no difference to you.
Good sound comes from eliminating as much of the stock stuff as you can without sacrificing in the areas you feel are most important. I personally wanted a stock appearing truck, but have plenty of amps and speakers in the truck. I kept the use of all steering wheel controls and the Sync system and unless you turn up the volume, you would never know it was anything but stock.
Good sound comes from eliminating as much of the stock stuff as you can without sacrificing in the areas you feel are most important. I personally wanted a stock appearing truck, but have plenty of amps and speakers in the truck. I kept the use of all steering wheel controls and the Sync system and unless you turn up the volume, you would never know it was anything but stock.