Snkrjeff020
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Jeff
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2022
- Threads
- 18
- Messages
- 691
- Reaction score
- 609
- Location
- Boulder, Colorado
- Vehicle(s)
- 2024 Ranger Raptor
- Occupation
- Medical Scientist
- Thread starter
- #1
I have posted on another thread about this project and I wanted to give everyone an update on it.
A little background: I preface this post by stating that I am not an audiophile. I listen to podcasts 50% of the time, and music 50% of the time. When I was teenager, my best friend had an F150 that he installed a JL audio sub in the center console and I remember just riding in it bumping Kotton Mouth Kings and I felt so cool, and this is basically why I wanted to do this project, as I always wanted a truck with a sub.
Equipment:
JL Audio TW1-10 Stealth Box: $1099
AudioControl 1.300 ACM amplifier 300 watts @ 2 ohms: $225
Sound Good Stereo pre-tuned Kicker LOC: $255
Professional Install: $500
I have been driving my Raptor for about 4 months prior to this build so I have a fairly good baseline of what the stock stereo is. To me, the speakers always sounded fine and plenty loud. However, it is very apparent that the bass was what is severely lacking. After doing plenty of research and with the help of this forum, I decided on the above equipment which is basically what you need to upgrade the sub with, in my opinion, quality equipment. Well today was install day, and I just drove back 45 mins from the installer, and listened to a mix of Blink 182, Tool, and Eminem, and I will say this set-up is 100% worth it and sounds absolutely amazing. This is exactly what I was looking for, keeping the stock speakers while upgrading the bass, and this did exactly that! This is what the sound system should have sounded like out of the factory.
The sub is obviously the most cost prohibitive part. You can certainly go cheaper, but I grew up with JL Audio, and the off the shelf stealth box was worth it for me. There's also a plethora of amplifier options to power this sub but I landed on the Audio Control 1.300 mainly because it was a good price point, and the very very small form factor really adds to the stealth factor. The KEY component (no pun intended) was the Sound Good Stereo Kicker Key LOC. This device is what makes this build possible. It basically integrates and aftermarket sub/amp to the stock stereo. When first talking to my installer about this project, he was very skeptical. He was used to buying a DSP or a default LOC and having to spend a few hours tuning it himself and splicing into wires. This device is pre-tuned and direct plug in play. There was an issue we had with connection to the stock amp, but a simple 3-way call to SGS had it all cleared up (basically you just need to remove the connectors that came with the unit, and they will plug right into stock amp). He was so amazed by how easy and great this product was, as someone basically does the pain in the ass work for you, that he called them to find out how to purchase wholesale from them.
If you are willing to spend around 2 grand, I feel like this set-up is well worth it to really enhance the stock system. The bass sounds great, and its not too overpowering or annoying. It has that extra bump/kick that the stock sub could not even come close to. Feel free to reply to this thread or DM me if you have any questions.
A little background: I preface this post by stating that I am not an audiophile. I listen to podcasts 50% of the time, and music 50% of the time. When I was teenager, my best friend had an F150 that he installed a JL audio sub in the center console and I remember just riding in it bumping Kotton Mouth Kings and I felt so cool, and this is basically why I wanted to do this project, as I always wanted a truck with a sub.
Equipment:
JL Audio TW1-10 Stealth Box: $1099
AudioControl 1.300 ACM amplifier 300 watts @ 2 ohms: $225
Sound Good Stereo pre-tuned Kicker LOC: $255
Professional Install: $500
I have been driving my Raptor for about 4 months prior to this build so I have a fairly good baseline of what the stock stereo is. To me, the speakers always sounded fine and plenty loud. However, it is very apparent that the bass was what is severely lacking. After doing plenty of research and with the help of this forum, I decided on the above equipment which is basically what you need to upgrade the sub with, in my opinion, quality equipment. Well today was install day, and I just drove back 45 mins from the installer, and listened to a mix of Blink 182, Tool, and Eminem, and I will say this set-up is 100% worth it and sounds absolutely amazing. This is exactly what I was looking for, keeping the stock speakers while upgrading the bass, and this did exactly that! This is what the sound system should have sounded like out of the factory.
The sub is obviously the most cost prohibitive part. You can certainly go cheaper, but I grew up with JL Audio, and the off the shelf stealth box was worth it for me. There's also a plethora of amplifier options to power this sub but I landed on the Audio Control 1.300 mainly because it was a good price point, and the very very small form factor really adds to the stealth factor. The KEY component (no pun intended) was the Sound Good Stereo Kicker Key LOC. This device is what makes this build possible. It basically integrates and aftermarket sub/amp to the stock stereo. When first talking to my installer about this project, he was very skeptical. He was used to buying a DSP or a default LOC and having to spend a few hours tuning it himself and splicing into wires. This device is pre-tuned and direct plug in play. There was an issue we had with connection to the stock amp, but a simple 3-way call to SGS had it all cleared up (basically you just need to remove the connectors that came with the unit, and they will plug right into stock amp). He was so amazed by how easy and great this product was, as someone basically does the pain in the ass work for you, that he called them to find out how to purchase wholesale from them.
If you are willing to spend around 2 grand, I feel like this set-up is well worth it to really enhance the stock system. The bass sounds great, and its not too overpowering or annoying. It has that extra bump/kick that the stock sub could not even come close to. Feel free to reply to this thread or DM me if you have any questions.
Sponsored
