Morel

Honda Civic Stereo Upgrade for Repeat Lake City Client

July 29, 2022 By JOey Knapp

The owner of this 2015 Honda Civic previously had a stereo system installed by us in his old vehicle. We had removed that stereo system for him, and now he wanted his equipment installed in the Honda Civic. We came up with a plan for his Honda Civic stereo upgrade that would use a combination of his old gear and a few new parts.

Honda Civic Stereo Upgrade: Speakers

We mounted the Morel tweeters in the factory tweeter location.

The Morel Virtus speakers fit perfectly behind the door panel.

In addition to upgrading the rear speakers, we also removed the factory 8″ subwoofer to provide a vent for the bass upgrade.

The OEM radio was retained as the source unit.

The previous setup the client had used a pair of Morel Virtus component speakers. These are some of our favorite speakers, so we were happy to be using them again in the Civic. Adding to the Virtus components, we added a set of Morel Maximo coaxial speakers in the rear deck. Powering the speakers are the 8 channels from two Rockford Fosgate 5-channel amplifiers. Six of the channels are powering the Virtus speakers (4 channels powering the woofers, 2 powering the tweeters) and two of the channels power the rear speakers. This provides the client with an incredible amount of power on tap for a very dynamic sound. The client liked the functionality of his existing factory radio, so we integrated his amplifiers with the factory radio outputs. Our Mitchell1 software was used to look up the wiring charts for the Civic and integrate our convertors.

Honda Civic Stereo Upgrade: Subwoofers

The small enclosure left the client with plenty of trunk space.

The corners were rounded on the enclosure and the carpet was neatly wrapped.

The custom lasered insert gives this enclosure a unique look.

We lasered a custom remote bass level plate for the client.

Phase two of this installation was to add some bass. In the clients previous vehicle he had a single 10″ subwoofer. This time he had the trunk space, so he wanted more bass. Answering the call for more bass in this Civic was a pair of Rockford Fosgate 10″ P3 subwoofers. This subwoofers handle over 600 watts each and work in a very small enclosure. We designed and built the enclosure to fit up against the back seat of the Civic. It took up very little of the trunk’s usable space. To add a little bit of cosmetic flare to the enclosure we added an additional front plate that not only recessed in the woofers, but also gave us a mounting spot for a trim plate. The center trim plate featured a Honda emblem. We cut the plate on our laser and used a lower power setting to cut the acrylic paper and use it as a template for painting the design you see.

Honda Civic Stereo Upgrade: Result!

After all the installation work done, we setup the amplifiers to extract all of the potential output from the speakers and subwoofers. The result was a very dynamic audio system that played loudly and cleanly. The client loved this Honda Civic stereo even more than his last car! We would love to chat with you about your next stereo upgrade, stop by Pinnacle Autosound or contact us online to make an appointment.

Jeep Wrangler Backup Camera and Audio Upgrade for Live Oak Client

May 24, 2022 By JOey Knapp

Jeeps and customizing go hand in hand. We don’t think anyone purchases a Jeep and thinks “It’s perfect, I will leave it just like this”. Customizing and enhancing safety were on the mind of a Live Oak client when she called us. The client wanted to make it easier to see when backing her Jeep Wrangler up and also get it sounding a little better. Jeeps aren’t the quietest vehicles on the road, so they always need a little help in the audio department.

Jeep Wrangler Backup Camera and Radio

The Sony radio gave the client access to her backup camera and smartphone.

The backup camera is barely visible hiding away in the wheel spoke

The backup camera is mounted in a metal tube, keeping it safe and secure.

Once the client dropped her Jeep off we began working on the numerous projects. The first we tackled was the Jeep Wrangler backup camera. For our Jeep clients we stock a special mount that positions the camera between the spokes of the spare tire. This provides an excellent vantage point for viewing, as well as having built-in protection from getting hit by anything. To help the client view her new camera, we installed a Sony touch screen radio in her dash. This radio not only shows the output of the backup camera when the Jeep is in reverse, but also give her the option for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Speaker and Bass Upgrade

We designed and cut this acrylic adapter plate on our laser.

The front speakers were upgrade with Morel component speakers.

The small Sony subwoofer fit perfectly under the rear seat.

With the camera and radio done, we moved onto the speakers and subwoofer upgrade. We removed the factory speakers and replaced them with Morel Maximo speakers. We love the Maximo speakers for their smooth response and detailed sound. To fit the tweeters in the factory location we used our laser to cut out custom acrylic adapter plates. Once the speakers were done, it was time to add in a little bass. The client didn’t want to take up any of the usable space in her Wrangler, so we went with a thin, under seat subwoofer system by Sony. We mounted the subwoofer under the rear seat, leaving all of her hatch area accessible. With the new gear installed we went through and adjusted the radio as well as setting the subwoofer controls. The result was a great sounding system that was not only better sounding but also louder, with more bass. Now the client could safely backup her Jeep and sound good doing it! Give us a call or contact us here if you would like to find out options for upgrading your Jeep.

Ford Edge Car Stereo Upgrade for Lake City Client

May 22, 2022 By JOey Knapp

A longtime friend of Pinnacle Autosound decided he needed to upgrade the car stereo system in his Ford Edge. After a brief discussion on the phone, the client stopped by so we could get a better look at his vehicle. Looking at the vehicle, and talking with the client, we came up with a plan for satisfying his audio desires.

Morel Speakers and Rockford Amplifier

The rear doors were upgraded with Morel coaxials.

The front woofers were replaced with Tempo Ultra speakers.

The interior retained its stock look when we were done.

Our adapter plates mounted the tweeters in the factory location.

These plastic adapters were heat formed to fit the tweeters.

The first step in the stereo upgrade for the Ford Edge was to replace the factory speakers. The speakers that came in this Edge were lifeless and sounded even worse when cranked up. Our discussion with the client led us to the direction of Morel speakers. The Morel speakers are a natural choice for those that musically oriented, like this client. We have found that the Morel speakers are very natural sounding and require very little equalization to provide balanced sound. We used Morel Tempo Ultra components in the front and Morel Tempo Ultra coaxial speakers in the rear doors. To mount the tweeters in the factory location, we used our laser to cut some custom ABS plastic mouting adapters. Powering the speakers is a four channel Rockford Fosgate R2 amplifiers. This amplifier packs plenty of power in a small footprint.

Rockford Fosgate Bass

We placed the remote level control for the subwoofer within easy reach of the driver.

The custom lasered plate trims out the bass knob.

The Punch subwoofer offered quite a bit of bass in a small enclosure.

The client wanted a fair amount of bass, but also wanted the option to retain all his hatch space. Given these parameters, we chose the Rockford Fosgate Punch 12″ powered subwoofer enclosure. This awesome setup contains a 12″ subwoofer with a 300 watt amplifier, in a sealed enclosure. Both the power and signal wires into the enclosure are connected with quick release plugs. These make it easy for the client to remove the enclosure, should he ever need every bit of space in his hatch. The enclosure comes with a remote level control. We once again used our laser to make a custom trim plate for the knob.

Great Sounding Car Stereo Upgrade

With all the gear installed, it was time for us to setup the system. We adjusted the levels on the system interface and then the amplifier and powered subwoofer. The result was a great sounding system that exhibited wonderfully balanced tonality and awesome detail. The client loved the upgrade and couldn’t wait to listen to his favorite music in it. If you are interested in turning your vehicle into a rolling concert, give us a call or contact us here.

Premium Stereo Upgrade for Lake City Ford F-250 Pickup Truck

June 11, 2021 By JOey Knapp

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.