2015

A previous client from here in Lake City brought his 2015 Ford F-250 pickup truck to Pinnacle Autosound for a stereo system upgrade. We’d worked on the client’s boat in the past, and he was very happy with the enhancements we installed. He wanted the stereo in the Ford to play louder, sound clearer and, of course, deliver much better bass response. After inspecting the vehicle and talking to the client about his listening preferences, our team put together a premium audio upgrade that would deliver on all his expectations.

Ford F-250 Pickup Truck Stereo Upgrade

We used our laser to cut the ABS adapters for the Morel tweeters to mount in the factory location.

The rear doors got upgraded with the Morel coaxials.

The speaker adapter plates were reinforced with sound deadener.

The Morel Virtus speakers were a huge upgrade over the stock speakers.

The front doors were retained their great stock look, but sound much better.

We started the project by removing the stock speakers to make way for new drivers from Morel. Our team used a set of ABS plastic adapters to mount the 6.5-inch woofers from a Virtus 602 component set in the OE speaker location in the front doors. The adapters are lined with sound deadening to make them more rigid. We mounted the tweeters from the Virtus 602 set in the stock locations at the top of the sail panels, and we made ABS brackets to hold the tweeters in place behind the grilles.

For rear speakers, we used a set of Morel Tempo Ultra Integra 602 two-way coaxial speakers in the doors. While the door trim panels were off, we treated the inner and outer door skins with sound deadening to make the interior of the vehicle quieter.

JL Audio Subwoofers Add Impact and Warmth

Our Thunder Laser was used to create the acrylic trim plate.

LED lighting and chrome trim was used to accent the bottom of the enclosure.

Different layers of trim were used to accent the front of the enclosure

We were able to squeeze all of the electronics on the back wall.

The next step in upgrading the stereo in this pickup truck was to construct a custom enclosure for a pair of 13.5-inch JL Audio 13TW5 subwoofers. The enclosure fits under the rear seats with the subs pointed down at the floor. We added a custom trim piece to the face of the enclosure with a panel that bears Ford’s Platinum logo. We used our CNC laser to etch the logo into a sheet of cast acrylic. The trim is wrapped in gray vinyl, and the rest of the enclosure is finished in a gray carpet that matches the interior of the vehicle. Blue LED lighting under the enclosure and behind the accent piece gives the whole thing some extra style.

The subwoofers are powered by a JL Audio RD1000/1 monoblock amplifier that’s mounted to the back wall of the truck. A four-channel Morel MPS 4.400 amplifier that’s mounted beside the sub amp provides power for the front and rear speakers. The amplifiers, passive crossovers for the front speakers and the system’s signal processor are affixed to a carpeted panel to keep things tidy.

We used a PAC AmpPRO interface to connect the new audio equipment to the factory radio. This interface extracts the audio signal that’s normally fed to the factory-installed amplifier and provides a full-bandwidth, processing-free signal that we used to upgrade the sound system in this truck. The preamp outputs of the PAC interface are connected to a JL Audio TwK-88 digital signal processor.

Signal Processing Improves Car Audio System Accuracy

The TwK-88 processor handles frequency filtering for the sub and speakers in the truck. We also used it to equalize the output of each speaker to deliver a smooth and natural response that’s free from peaks and valleys. Finally, we set the signal delays and output level adjustments so that the system would create a very realistic soundstage that spans the width of the dash.

We upgraded the TwK-88 with a JL DRC-205 remote level control, which we mounted on the dash to the left of the steering column. We created a trim ring for the remote with our computer-controlled laser to identify the functions of the adjustments.

North Florida’s Best Car Audio Upgrades

With the audio system installation complete and the processor and level controls on the amplifiers dialed-in, it was time for the client to return to pick up his F-250. He was thrilled with the sound of the upgraded stereo in his truck and loved that everything was integrated so nicely.

If you are interested in upgrading the audio system in your vehicle, drop by Pinnacle Autosound in Lake City and speak with one of our Product Specialists. If you can’t come by the store, give us a call or send us an email using our online contact form.