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Need some help with 2012 base audio

10K views 17 replies 7 participants last post by  CMT1 
#1 · (Edited)
To begin, I swear I used the "Search" function. Unfortunately I got a couple of "No results found" and some links that didn't fully help.

As per the thread title, I have a 2012 base, 4 speaker, no frills radio. I would like to upgrade the speakers before I add an amp and sub. I have some installation experience but will retain the factory HU since I can't justify (to myself) spending over $400 on an install kit.

Here's what I need help with:

What is the factory radio output wattage? EDIT: 16wx4 according to another site
What is the max door speaker mounting depth?
What are the ohm ratings on the base factory speakers? Someone posted it was 4 for the rears on a Shaker.
Can someone here direct me to a component speaker install article/video? I understand that finding a place to mount the crossovers can be a problem. EDIT: Probably going with Kenwood 5 1/4 component with inline crossover (Front)

I know that I need a kit like the AOEM FRD24 to get RCA's. I haven't decided about who to go to for an amp. Or even if I need one. The quality after the speaker install will determine. Luckily I have an Infinity Basslink sitting around, so that's covered.

Thanks in advance.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
The stock HU probably (at most) puts out 18watts X 4 channel's. You could try to integrate with a good DSP but that could be a major PIA and expensive.

Tons of options...any idea of what level you want to get to?? Budget?? Willing to do a little fabricating...do you want double din GPS, or a single din unit geared more for audio performance and much more affordable? Aftermarket drop in's on the stock radio might be a slight improvement...slight

BTW...I have a spare new scoshe bezel, I have one installed and love how it looks and works great, as well as other audio stuff if your interested. OH...and one of the biggest things to do in these (or any) car is to deaden those huge coupe doors!! I've gotten into the hobby over the last couple years and am always trying different drivers so...

You in Ontario?...
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

Music is very subjective and the best advice I've read is "Buy what sounds good to YOU" I believe in quality over quantity, or in this case , volume.

I learned a long time ago that components really bring the music to life. In my ears anyways. I just love the difference in sound quality that true separates bring. I have only owned the car for a week and have already found that the equalizer function in my $30 MP3 player makes a difference to the sound quality. So every bit will help.

I would like to keep the factory HU for several reasons. I don't like the price of the replacements. And I have seen what happens to touch screens during a Canadian winter. (Yes I am in Ontario BTW) An LCD that freezes solid and ruptures is not pretty. Where I have to park at work is less than secure and a few co workers have had HU's, Amps, and Subs stolen, so having the factory HU is a visual deterrent.

As my name suggests, funds are a little light. That and the fact that we pay a LOT more for too many things in Canada (up to 2/2.5x as much at times) means my budget is small. Sure I can buy from US suppliers, but the international shipping charges and duty fees often cancel out any savings.

Compliments of this board, and a lot of research, I'm thinking about the following setup:
Audio Control LC6i to get 3x RCA out (around $175)
Alpine KTP445U (@45/50w/ch, not mighty but sufficient for my needs. Around $180)
Pioneer TS A1305C 5 1/4 components (Doors) I found someone with them on clearance for $100. I've had good luck with Pioneer.
For a Sub I have an Infinity BassLink from my previous car. Again, not mighty, but it works for me. I listen to Led Zeppelin, not LMFAO
The rears, I'm still unsure about. The factory setup emphasizes the front speakers quite a lot so I'm thinking that a pair of MTX Thunder "somethings" will suffice to fill in the mids.

As you can see I'm not looking to spend a lot of money, but I'm not looking to set off car alarms on the next block or win any competitions either. I just want to upgrade the quality to something more acceptable to me and my own personal tastes.

Thanks again for the help, I do appreciate it. If you know of any Canadian suppliers/shops, or US dealers with great prices and reasonable shipping rates please do tell.
 
#6 ·
Only place I've seen in Canada is Solen.ca but they sell alot of just raw drivers.

I usually just buy everything off of Amazon or ebay from reputable vendors ie: Mobile Sound Works, Woofersetc, Three Kings Audio...even with the shipping fees it is still cheaper than buying from a retail outlet up here by far.

Also...I would just keep the stock rear speakers for a little "rear fill" and put that money towards some Dynamat for the front doors...
 
#9 · (Edited)
@ wjbertrand
I tried downloading the PDF instructions to see what all is involved,(I like the PnP idea a LOT) but got a 404 error redirect.

With the built in signal processer, I wouldn't need the LC6i, so that money could go towards the difference in price. $500 is kind of steep , but quality is what counts. The mounting bracket suggests that there is a pre determined place to install. I'll check the Shelby forums to see what I can find.

While on the subject of plug n play: Is there a harness kit that would allow me to go from the HU speaker out plug to an LOC/AMP (high level) in; and then from the amp out to the speaker plug(s)? I would like to NOT cut any factory harnesses at all. I understand that I will still have to wire an LOC/Amp one wire at a time.

(That's not exactly clear to me, and I wrote it LOL) To simplify:

FORD HU Speaker out---??? Plug---LOC/Amp---??? Plug---Speakers

I'm looking for the "??? Plugs" Thanks.
 
#10 ·
Other than the Shelby/Kicker set up, I am not aware of any other plug and play solutions. Maybe Metra or Crutchfield have some adapters??

The S/K amp goes up under the right hand dash behind the glove box. There are two harnesses that come with it, one to connect to the factory amp and the other for power. For the first one you unplug the factory connectors coming from the HU at the factor amp, plug them into the S/K harness and then plug the S/K harness back into the factory amp. The other end is routed under the dash to the new S/K amp. The second harness is routed to the fuse box under the hood for power, and you're done. The S/K amp for my premium provides a low frequency non-amped signal for connecting to an amplified subwoofer. I think the S/K amp for the base stereo also has this.

When I'm done with the upgrades my car will have three audio amplifiers in it! The factory one will be left powering the 8" S/K door subs, the new S/K amp powering the four 6x8 speakers and finally the amp in the trunk sub.
 
#11 ·
So if I hear about an earthquake in SoCal I'll know your upgrades are done? Sounds like an amazing system. Congrats!

Just as an update, I've ordered the Pioneer comps for the doors, and Polk DB571's for the rear deck. It'll be the first time I've ordered without hearing them first,(Polks) but I've literally read hundreds of pages on various Mustang forums and have had a hard time finding complaints about them. So fingers crossed.
 
#12 ·
Woofersetc is very good, I buy all my stuff from there, (I'm in Ontario as well) or you could look up Skar Audio they're out of Florida but get really good shipping rates to Ontario, very good quality stuff speaker wise, I've never tried their amps as I love hifonics to power my speakers.

But you're on a budget as you stated so woofersetc is where it's at.




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#13 · (Edited)
I have the shaker in 2014 V6. I replaced the ford speakers with Infinity 6832's all around. I did the doors and had the backs done. This alone improved the sound greatly. I also ordered a 100w Bazooka 6.5" powered tube. That should let me dial down the 'shaker bass' and perserve the the factory amp and subs.

The guys that did the rears, were saying to go any more would require an amp (possibly a JL 700/5 4 x 100 & 1 x 300 - 2ohm stable). With your car you could put a sub in the trunk and amp a 4 speaker, in mine I'd probably put the Kicker 8" replacements in the doors and run those in a parallel 2 ohm load.
 
#14 ·
After checking some of the supplier websites that have been mentioned, I'm going to have to admit that the price difference between Canada and the US has closed quite a bit. If we could just catch a break with shipping, Canadians would be laughing. However, audio equipment is rarely light weight.

A further update: I installed the Polk DB571's in the deck today and was reminded of a couple of things.
1 Don't do audio upgrades in the summer.
2 If you do, do it in the shade.

That said, the install was a lot easier than a certain YouTube video implied. 4 push pins per side and a little bending of the plastic trim panels and the shelf was out. Getting the screws back in was a little awkward but not impossible. (I used baffles) The sound difference was more substantial than I thought it would be. Without changing any settings on the radio, I suddenly had rear speakers! Hopefully the weather will cooperate tomorrow morning and I can change out the door speakers for the Pioneer components.
 
#15 ·
After checking some of the supplier websites that have been mentioned, I'm going to have to admit that the price difference between Canada and the US has closed quite a bit. If we could just catch a break with shipping, Canadians would be laughing. However, audio equipment is rarely light weight.



A further update: I installed the Polk DB571's in the deck today and was reminded of a couple of things.

1 Don't do audio upgrades in the summer.

2 If you do, do it in the shade.



That said, the install was a lot easier than a certain YouTube video implied. 4 push pins per side and a little bending of the plastic trim panels and the shelf was out. Getting the screws back in was a little awkward but not impossible. (I used baffles) The sound difference was more substantial than I thought it would be. Without changing any settings on the radio, I suddenly had rear speakers! Hopefully the weather will cooperate tomorrow morning and I can change out the door speakers for the Pioneer components.

Awesome man, I agree with the weather (rain) but when you're done with those components post some pics I'd like to see where you're putting the tweeters

Jason


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#17 ·
Mother Nature has a heart! Just finished the component install and all I can say is WOW! What a difference.

I used Metra 82-5601 adapter plates. They have a starter hole for tweeters that you will probably have to enlarge yourself. There are grooves where you can run an exacto knife but it will take an EXTREMELY long time (the plates I received were rather thick, contrary to other reviews). Use a hole saw as close to your tweeter mounting cup size as possible and trim (exacto knife) to fine tune.

***HEADS UP!*** The 2012 mounting brackets have 4 "ears" that the factory speaker sits in. The ears prevent the Metra plate from sitting flush on the factory mount. These have to be cut off or ground down. (Bench grinders are messy but quick)

I mounted the plates with the tweeters at the top as close to ear level as possible. Mounting them in the sail panel (mirror control) is supposed to be better, but my fabrication skills are limited.

The only thing I noticed after the component install is that my rears almost disappeared. So I just faded one notch to the rear. That resulted in the sound being almost surround like. The sound quality is night and day compared to the factory speakers. The highs are crisp and clear, the mids sharp and focused, and the lows are there. Not a lot of bass, but I didn't expect there to be. That's why I'll be adding my BassLink soon.

Ford may have released an amazing car with an amazingly bad sound system, but at least they made it easy to take apart and improve.

FYI: An MP3 or Ipod with an equalizer built in makes a vast improvement by itself.
 
#18 ·
"Ford may have released an amazing car with an amazingly bad sound system"
plus1..gif

That about sums it up.... the speakers I removed from my shaker were garbage... I didn't even go component, just 2ohm Infinity 6832's and that made a huge difference....
 
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