2023 Ford F150 Platinum B&O Unleashed (the leash broke) - System Upgrade - Here We Go Again!

[HammaMan]

Looking good @Sonnie!

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[FirstTimeFord]

Going higher impedance will usually only change about 1-2db. Maybe if you could find a 16-ohm driver that can handle the UV, that might work.

Loving the progress on the build!! Care to share some of the during shots? The kind that drops wives' jaws when they see what their husbands have done to their new toys LOL

Anyone try something along these lines to pull down that center channel?

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[Sonnie]

Thanks! Hey... my wife is so used to me working on my vehicle and changing them up; nothing would make her jaw drop. She has a fine system I installed in her Lexus, so she is happy as can be.

 

[Sonnie]

Got the BLAM tweeters installed today... another bit of a chore modifying the factory mounting bracket, and adding the capacitor. Had to trim down the top edge to get the BLAM to fit, but it was like a glove.

I crossed them over with the mids at 5kHz, but I like the mids reflecting off the windshield better, so I'll end up making these super tweeters at 10kHz and up.

 

[HammaMan]

Looking good @Sonnie -- what I did on mine was put 2 of these wago splices at the bottom of the tweeter pillar w/ 3M super foam adhesive, 1ea for the wires so that if the pillar ever needs to come off, just open up them up and the truck side wires come right out.

 

[Spiffy]

Hey sonny. I finishedine. So far I'm using factory tweets as well as the two dash speakers. My amp is jl audio vx800/8i. Fortunately it has digital cross overs. Currently the tweets are crossed at 5000. I have been following your build and am going to get the blame too. I an looking for alternatives for the two dash speakers but not having much luck .
While the sound is very nice the tweets are a bit bright. I will be intrested in your thoughts when you get them running.
What's your thoughts on why your going to cross them at 10000? What speaker are you using to fill the gap?
I would appreciate any info on replacing the 3 inch dash speakers.

 

[Spiffy]

I just reread your first post. You pointed out both the ms3.5 and the ws 8.100. Looks like I'm going to go with blam for my tweets, mid range and mid bass.
My audo dealer had my truck for days tuning. The vxi uses a app called tune 4. Dealers use the max system to tune. It's about 3500.00 and consists of 5 microphones. I swear he had no clue how to use it. After three trips back I finally have a outstanding sound stage. I'm not using the center speaker. There is two different tunes. One for the drivers side and one for the passenger. I have learned the tune 4 system so I'm confident that I can retune after changing the speakers.
I should have gone with the minidsp because I'm fully versed in dirac live. I didn't find much feedback from others that have tuned autos with dirac.
I am watching your build and anxious to hear how the minidsp works out

 

[Sonnie]

Hey sonny. I finishedine. So far I'm using factory tweets as well as the two dash speakers. My amp is jl audio vx800/8i. Fortunately it has digital cross overs. Currently the tweets are crossed at 5000. I have been following your build and am going to get the blame too. I an looking for alternatives for the two dash speakers but not having much luck .
While the sound is very nice the tweets are a bit bright. I will be intrested in your thoughts when you get them running.
What's your thoughts on why your going to cross them at 10000? What speaker are you using to fill the gap?
I would appreciate any info on replacing the 3 inch dash speakers.

I'm comparing the mids running from 300-5000Hz vs 300-10000Hz and I like the soundstage better with the mids handling that 5000-10000Hz area... possibly because they are farther away than the tweeters and firing at the windshield. The combination is doing something I like better.

 

[Spiffy]

I saw the modifications you had to make to get the tweets in. How about the 3 inch? They drop right in?
Looking at frequency response if the blam 3 they look pretty good up to 10 k.

 

[HammaMan]

I'm still debating what to do as the center's impact on the windshield is hard to overlook for staging. I've been pretty busy and since the beater is the MME w/ a much better base level speaker placement resulting in a superior product than the F150's and it's pretty good w/ just a sub. Can't believe I've already had the truck a year in ~2 weeks.

 

[Spiffy]

Ok I decided on replacing all the foward speakers.
I want the same three speakers you used. Tweets, 3inch dask and 8 inch door.
You mentioned where you bought your stuff earlier in this thread. Your guy also is supplying the adapter. What cost can I expect and how long is the wait?

 

[Sonnie]

I saw the modifications you had to make to get the tweets in. How about the 3 inch? They drop right in?
Looking at frequency response if the blam 3 they look pretty good up to 10 k.

Dash speakers... oh boy. Those are difficult with the BLAM speakers. I'm not sure about others, but the BLAM mids have large magnets. I had to Dremel quite a bit in the dash, all the way over to the factory screw locations, before I could get the outer edge of the speakers to sit down into the cavity between the factory screw locations. Then I only had a little bit of lip on the front and back to screw into, and it was tight in the back trying to get a screw in there, even with the small right-angled screwdriver. I stuffed the opening with the fiber 45 really well, and it held quite a bit. Then I took butyl rope (the stuff on the back of dampening material and sold by Resonix in rope form) and wedged it around the speaker rim to seal any holes on the top side. I'm unsure it matters since the factory speakers are not sealed from front to back, but I've always done it when installing dash speakers. I should have taken a picture of it before I put that grill back on, as it is aggravating to an extent, running all the way across the front dash and having to remove the A-pillars too. I wish they had separated the speaker area/grille from the rest of the dash. You may find a speaker that would fit the same factory screw holes, but the BLAM mids are not designed for that. I couldn't see a way to remove the grille on them either, which would have been an issue if I'd made a mounting plate to fit the factory-located screws, so I couldn't come up with any other option but to countersink them down in between the factory screw locations. The opening wasn't anywhere close to large enough to fit the magnets either. On the passenger side, I had to cut out part of the air vent to get the magnet to fit. I cut it out and then resealed the opening with dampening material. The vent seems to work okay still, although it's narrower in that one area. I spent a good 3 hours installing these mids, but I did the same thing putting 4" mids in my RAM dash that wasn't designed for 4"... I made them fit. At some point, I'll probably go back and take the grill off and take a picture to have it for my build.

I'm still debating what to do as the center's impact on the windshield is hard to overlook for staging. I've been pretty busy and since the beater is the MME w/ a much better base level speaker placement resulting in a superior product than the F150's and it's pretty good w/ just a sub. Can't believe I've already had the truck a year in ~2 weeks.

I have excellent center imaging and soundstage without the center. It won't be good for any passenger, but my wife doesn't care.

Ok I decided on replacing all the foward speakers.
I want the same three speakers you used. Tweets, 3inch dash and 8 inch door.
You mentioned where you bought your stuff earlier in this thread. Your guy also is supplying the adapter. What cost can I expect and how long is the wait?

Jon from All Things Aquatic in KC. https://www.allthingsaquatickc.com/ ... super nice guy, and he shipped stuff really fast as he got it in. He can get you pretty much everything you need... treatment, amp board, adapters, wiring, speakers, amps, etc. Give him a shout... I'm sure he work you up a good deal.

 

[HammaMan]

I have excellent center imaging and soundstage without the center. It won't be good for any passenger, but my wife doesn't care.

Wait, we're supposed to factor passengers into the equation? I just pretend they're cargo

 

[Spiffy]

I'm still debating what to do as the center's impact on the windshield is hard to overlook for staging. I've been pretty busy and since the beater is the MME w/ a much better base level speaker placement resulting in a superior product than the F150's and it's pretty good w/ just a sub. Can't believe I've already had the truck a year in ~2 weeks.

At first I was using the center speaker had volume control. No matter how high it absolutely killed imaging. I also took out the head rest and overhead speakers. Using just the pillar tweets, dash and 6 inch door my soundstage is remarkable. But it took a lot of tuning. Delay was important as well as delay in the sub. If you get the timing right you won't believe what you hear. Then I added in the rear door 6x9. I left them full range with no tuning. My control knob has bass and rear speaker control. Push it cycles threw different tunes. I have one for driver and one for passenger.
The rear speaker somehow pulls the sound stage foward as the volume is increased. Doesn't make sense but it was a suggestion from jl audio tech. I never hear the rears. They ar invisible.
I'm a hardend audiophile. While the sound is spectacular I can hear how crappie the factory speakers are.
Not looking foward to retuning.
Problem is I can tune with graphical audio measurement you have to walk away for a day and come back. It's like trying different wines. You have to flush your mouth. Next day you listen and wonder what the hell it sounds bad.
Sonny how close to being done are you? I want to hear how you like dirac live. It automatically adjusts for timing, reflections, frequency calibrations. It amazing in my home 2.1 home setup.

 

[Sonnie]

At first I was using the center speaker had volume control. No matter how high it absolutely killed imaging. I also took out the head rest and overhead speakers. Using just the pillar tweets, dash and 6 inch door my soundstage is remarkable. But it took a lot of tuning. Delay was important as well as delay in the sub. If you get the timing right you won't believe what you hear. Then I added in the rear door 6x9. I left them full range with no tuning. My control knob has bass and rear speaker control. Push it cycles threw different tunes. I have one for driver and one for passenger.
The rear speaker somehow pulls the sound stage foward as the volume is increased. Doesn't make sense but it was a suggestion from jl audio tech. I never hear the rears. They ar invisible.
I'm a hardend audiophile. While the sound is spectacular I can hear how crappie the factory speakers are.
Not looking foward to retuning.
Problem is I can tune with graphical audio measurement you have to walk away for a day and come back. It's like trying different wines. You have to flush your mouth. Next day you listen and wonder what the hell it sounds bad.
Sonny how close to being done are you? I want to hear how you like dirac live. It automatically adjusts for timing, reflections, frequency calibrations. It amazing in my home 2.1 home setup.

I'm pretty much done. I'm still tuning, although it sounds superb right now. I like experimenting just to see if I can discover something more exciting. I've always been impressed with Dirac... use it in my two-channel system (with the miniDSP SHD) and in my home theater 7.6.4 Atmos via the Monolith HTP-1 processor.

I'm am going to try something for giggles. I have an extra pair of amp channels. I think I am going to connect those to outputs 9 and 10 powering the overhead speakers, and see if maybe with some delay if it will do anything other than mess everything up. Should be interesting if nothing else.

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