Hi.

2010 F150 Supercrew. Stock non-Sync single disc player. I've replaced the door speakers with some Pioneer 6x8's. The sound is pretty good, but the bass is still a bit muddy and the door panels rattle.

I'd like to improve the sound. I'm not looking for anything loud, or anything that's going to take up a lot of floor space in the back seat area. I just want cleaner sound, a bit better defined bass, and the ability to reduce the bass going to the door speakers so I can eliminate the panel rattle. I'm happy with the stock headunit and don't want to change it out.

I'm considering a few different options and would like opinions/feedback.

- Add a 4 channel amp. Not sure if that's going to help a lot as I'm fine with current volume levels.

- Add a small powered sub - something like the Sound Ordnance underseat one Crutchfield sells, or a 6" bazooka or similar.

- Add a 4 channel amp and a small sub. Run the rear speakers off the HU and use the amp for the fronts and sub.

- Add a 5 channel amp and a small sub.

Any recommendations to get the improvement I want? I'd like the keep the budget under $500 if possible.

Thanks!

 

I would deaden the door, tbh.

 

FatMat sound deadener door kit (2) and trunk kit (2) for the floor pan.

two: http://www.fatmat.com/kits/fatmat/door.html

two: http://www.fatmat.com/kits/fatmat/trunk.html

$202.00 with free shipping

 

Careful... some people perceive clipping as rattle. And if the panels truly are rattling then something is amiss. They shouldn't, not with a stock HU driving your new speaks. Before going to the time and expenses of deadening your panels, make sure all the fasteners are tight, the cables secure, and the clips on the speaker covers intact and pressed securely home. Double check your speaker connectors and connector adapters. One of those hanging against the speaker or buzzing agains the cone will sound like a panel rattling.

Aside from that, if you want cleaner, clearer, more defined sound, step one is to ditch the factory HU. Even without an amp the swap to a good aftermarket HU will do wonders, especially if you've already replaced the speakers.

Brad

 

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

it could be clipping. If I drop the bass setting down a click or two, there's no problem. I'll double check the connectors and wiring.

On head units, I'm more concerned about aesthetics than anything else. Most of the install kits I've seen don't match the texture/color of the factory, and many of the non-navigation double din units look a bit weird. I'll check it out, though.

 

Hopefully AI makes a kit for the 2010. This is the kit in my 07.

Brad

 

U can create the sound u are looking for without going broke. I Have a 2006 crew cab and the only sound mod upgrades are 2-10" subs under the rear seat with an alpine mrp-1000 mono amp . I did replace the head unit with a Soundstream dvd player , but I didn't change any of the factory speakers in the doors....It sounds really awesome for a small price and I really didn't need but 1 of the subs to do it..

 

With the stock hu, the upgraded speakers will sound ok at low volumes but once you get to higher levels they sound bad. I put my Kappa's in without the amp for a week and had to keep my volumes low. Once I put in my 4 channel amp and adjusted the gains and crossovers they were really screaming. I am getting ready to purchase a mono amp and 10" sub for under the seat so I can free up the door speakers from producing bass.

Of your current options listed I think purchasing the 5 channel amp and later adding a sub would be the best bang for your buck. A good quality 5 channel amp is probably going to run you about $425 to $500 new plus you need a wiring kit ($100 to $170 for a good one).

Forgot to add, you can adjust your gains on your amp higher so that you don't reach the point of the stock HU clipping your bass. THe higher volume you reach the more it clips (starting at about 2/3 to full volume). My gains are set so that a comfortable level of volume is around 3 full bars. If I get to the part where it starts to clip bad enough that you can hear it, the volume level feels like you are front and center stage of a concert.

 

How diffficult is it to install an amp and connect it to the stock hu and speakers. Are there rca inputs on the hu that you can connect the amp to. Is there a kit you can purchase that includes all the wiring and harness. Is there a video somewere that outlines the install.

 

Quick update. I worked on the door panels a bit to quieten them down, and added the Sound Ordnance B-8PT sub under the front passenger seat. Install was easy (would have been a lot easier if I'd ran the remote line at the same time as everything else instead of trusting the 'auto-sense' feature to work. It fits perfectly under the seat - I'll post a photo soon.

I still have some tuning to do, but the little sub really fills in well. I'm able to drop the bass setting to mid-point or below and keep a nice sound - which improves the quality of the door speakers. It adds significant depth over what the door speakers are capable of on their own.

I'll look to add an amp for the door speakers and/or a new HU next.