2026 Audi RS3 SONOS Audio Upgrade

2026 Audi RS3 SONOS upgrade

The Car

The 2026 Audi RS3 is Audi’s sporty, compact sedan. Turbo charged with 394 horsepower, a sport tuned suspension and a proper enthusiast’s steering wheel, this car is an absolute hoot to drive. But the stereo? It kind of sucks. Especially for our client Paul who has enjoyed a variety of aftermarket audio systems over the years. Which is why he asked us to tackle this Audi RS3 audio upgrade.

2026 Audi RS3

I was surprised to see the SONOS badging on the door. Typically in an Audi with “premium” sound we see a Bang & Olufsen or Bose emblem. Audi’s equipped with one of these premium stereos typically have a separate amplifier that is part of the vehicle’s fiber optic network.

2026 Audi RS3 equipped with SONOS

Mapping it out

The 1st place I like to start is with a vehicle wiring diagram so I can verify the number of speakers I see in the car and see how they are configured off the factory amplifier. With the vehicle wiring diagram I can confirm exactly how many channels of audio we are working with. The only trouble is because it’s a 2026, we didn’t have any wiring diagrams yet available on ProDemand.

The trouble with the Audi SONOS audio system

The SONOS system in this 2026 Audi RS3 has your typical overprocessed factory premium audio sound. Upon first hearing it I noticed everything is up front. There is zero rear fill. Even if you fade to the rear, there’s nothing going on back there.

It sounds like they were trying to create a front and center sound stage for both the driver and front passenger. Which to me is kind of like all season tires. They’re okay. Nothing like the performance you get in winter with a winter tire or in summer using a summer tire. This audio configuration is passable for most, but disappointing to those with a good ear. And the bass? Quite boomy, disappointingly shallow and all up front. The bass is mostly coming from the front doors even though there is a subwoofer in the trunk. Overall there is no detail or separation. Everything is sort of all smooshed together.

Our client’s biggest disappointment was the utter lack of rear fill. He was looking for a much more immersive and enveloping sound. He describes the SONOS system as though he is listening from far away. As though the music isn’t even in the car with him. That’s a great way to put it. So, how do we tackle this 2026 Audi RS3 audio upgrade?

The factory configuration

Before we can upgrade the audio we first we need to figure out the factory set up. This car has 16 speakers. Most of them reside in the front of the car. In the front doors you’ll find the front mid bass drivers. There is no midrange even though it looks like there is a grille in the front door for some mid range speakers.

2026 Audi RS3 Audio Upgrade – front dash mid range and tweeter driver’s side

And then there are tweeters on the A-pillars along with a mid range in each corner of the dash and a pair of mid’s in the center channel (or it could actually be a dual voice coil midrange – we did not take the grilles off).

2026 Audi RS3 – Center channel location. There are either two midranges here or a dual voice coil center channel speaker.

In the rear doors there is a set of components with a tiny tweeter. We did not take off the rear door panels, but we suspect this is either a 6.5″ or 5.25″

2026 Audi RS3 Sonos – Rear door component speaker location

The signal from these rear door speakers is mixed in a way that creates minimal presence or impact on the driver. I guess Audi assumes most driver’s want a front focused stage. Lastly we have the speakers located on the rear deck. These are tiny 4″ effects speakers. Warning chimes for things like cross traffic detection and blind spot assistance are routed through these rear deck speakers.

2026 Audi RS3 – rear effects speakers

The challenge in this Audi RS3 audio upgrade is 3 fold.

  • Number one – performance of the existing speakers is being throttled by the SONOS amp. With 16 individual channels, that factory amp is dictating exactly what frequency range gets sent to each speaker and at what timing to create the so-so front focused sound stage.
  • Number two – the majority of the speakers in this car are located in the front. In order to create some semblance of balanced rear fill that can keep up with the front, we need either more speakers in the rear OR more speaker surface area.
  • Number three – we need to overcome the very shallow, lackluster bass. I know part of this can be cleaned up with a DSP amp, but I anticipated adding an aftermarket subwoofer to provide the truth depth and presence that Paul was accustomed to.

The fix

Ideally I want to grab audio signal before the factory amp, before it’s been processed. If we can grab signal before the amp, while it’s still digital, we can go directly into a high quality aftermarket DSP amp where we’ll have full and total control over the frequency range going to each speaker. The DSP amp also gives us EQ controls and time alignment enabling us to get the desired immersive sound stage.

To tackle the lack of rear fill our client Paul suggested swapping out the rear 4″ speakers to a 6×9. Honestly I found the thought of cutting into the rear shelf of a brand new vehicle a bit repulsive. It’s just not what we do here. Maybe something we did 25 years ago? We’re all about upgrading the sound while retaining the original appearance and aesthetics. I couldn’t envision how we could do this and keep an original appearance, but thankfully our team came up with a great solution.

Audi RS3 Audio Upgrade Key Ingredients

For this Audi RS3 audio upgrade I planned to use the NAV TV Zen V which is a digital pre-amp adapter. I learned from NAV TV we’d have to get the vehicle coded. I didn’t even think that was possible because of the strict SFD2 platform. Audi/VW implemented SFD2 back in 2024. It’s basically a much more secure vehicle operating network.

ZEN V digital pre-amp adapter

SFD2 makes it much more difficult for an end user to make changes to their vehicle’s computer. Unlike a Ford using Forscan, you can’t connect to the OBD2 and enable or disable options or change functions. VAG-COM does not work in these vehicles. Any changes made on the SFD2 platform need to be done in an authenticated fashion. NAV TV referred me to NPG Technology for this coding service. They specialize in Matrix headlight activation, but also offer other services.

Helix V Eighteen DSP

To power this audio system I planned to use the Helix V Eighteen DSP. This 18-channel amplifier is an absolute powerhouse. It measures just 44 x 255 x 220 mm. That’s about 1.75″tall with a footprint of about 10″ by 8.5″. It has staggered outputs. There are 12 channels rated at 70 watts RMS @ 4 ohm and 6 channels rated at 75 watts RMS @ 4 ohm or 120 watts RMS @ 2 ohm. This is enough channels to cover all existing 16 speakers plus another 2 to power a secondary dual voice coil 2 ohm subwoofer.

Factory rear deck speaker to the left – Sony 6×9 to the right

For the rear deck speakers I suggested the Sony Mobile ES XS-690es coaxial speakers. We chose the Sony speakers for a couple reasons.

Factory rear deck speaker to the left – Sony 6×9 to the right

Not only for the larger magnet and overall surface area, but mainly for their tonal characteristics, efficiency and reliability. The Sony 6×9’s feature a soft dome tweeter and aramid fiber cone. These speakers have a warm midrange with a detailed tweeter that is smooth, open and airy.

Coding

I want to tackle the coding session done 1st for a couple reasons. If coding is successful we’ll know immediately because we’ll no longer have audio once completed. I know it sounds weird, but hear me out. We’re basically telling the car it’s equipped with the same type of fiber optic amp that the ZEN V is compatible with – the Bang & Olufsen.

2026 Audi RS3 Audio Upgrade

So if we code it and no longer have audio that means it worked because that head unit would be looking for the Bang & Olufsen amp or in our case the NAV TV Zen V in place of the Bang & Olufsen amp. The other reason I want to tackle coding first is to make sure there are no errors on the dash as a result of the coding process. By getting this out of the way 1st we isolate that process from the rest of the work we plan to do. Unfortunately we ran into a snag immediately.

Errors Galore

The actual coding process was very straightforward. NPG shipped us a dongle to connect to the OBD2. They also emailed us a link to a software download with a username and password. We connected the laptop, opened the software, reached out to NPG on Whatsapp and off we went. The process took about 10 minutes. We started the car afterwards and had 3 different errors pop up on the cluster.

  • Exit warning malfunction!
  • Rear cross traffic assist malfunction!
  • Parking aid malfunction!

Not exaggerating. Each error actually has an exclamation point after it on the dash. We let NPG know what we were seeing. They advised they had just successfully coded a 2025 RS3 without errors, but in that car, they did the coding at the very end – after everything else was installed. So we tried a sleep cycle. Next we tried driving the car and then doing another sleep cycle. Eventually we asked NPG to log back in and check it out.

Totally disturbed

The error logged was “Driver assistance systems audio output, Infotainment system, implausible signal. Sound output MIB totally disturbed”. Oh, it was disturbed! Our working theory was that we had just taken away the car’s ability to output any of these warning chimes because we essentially disabled the SONOS amp in preparation of installing the ZEN V and Helix V Eighteen DSP amp. So it kind of made sense to us. We all concluded it was safe to proceed.

Next up, John removed the head unit located behind the glove box. At this point it became apparent what was actually happening.

Missing MOST!

We were all shocked to find this head unit was not equipped with a MOST bus output. No wonder why we had all these errors. We essentially told the car it was equipped with a MOST bus amp. However the cheap head unit Audi put in here isn’t compatible with a MOST bus amplifier.

2026 Audi RS3 head unit – no MOST connection

NPG sent us a picture of what the back of the head unit looked like in the last 2025 Audi RS3 they coded. You can clearly see the MOST bus connection on this one. On our 2026 Audi RS3 that area where a MOST connection would be? It’s capped over. I hoped that metal casing was just a cover. Maybe the MOST connection was hiding underneath it? Nope. This 2026 Audi RS3 was simply not equipped. Upon learning this, NPG Technology stepped up. They kindly and promptly reversed the coding for no additional charge.

Example of MOST connection found on a 2025 Audi RS3 head unit

What does this mean for the installation?

With the errors gone and factory audio back, we re-grouped. Not being able to use the ZEN V was going to make the installation a LOT more complicated. Number one – it means we HAVE to grab our audio signal after the factory amp after it’s already been processed. Number two – since the factory amp has to stay in line, John has to make a custom T-harness in order to neatly add the V Eighteen DSP. The custom T-harness adds a lot of time to the build. This is because it needs operate in a way that the Helix V Eighteen can be disconnected, while leaving the original system fully in tact.

That’s a lot of soldering

In order to make the T-harness function in a way that the original system remains in tact created a lot of solder connection points. It was a total of 12 solder points per speaker. Across 16 channels, that’s 192 solder connections.

That’s a lot of soldering – custom T-harness diagram connections needed per speaker.

Connection location points

The factory amp is resides in the passenger side rear trunk. It looks like your typical PP-UNI 2.38 style connector. This harness would have been great if we could have taken the factory amp out completely. But since it had to stay in there, John opted to make his own harness. We were already behind schedule with the coding fiasco and he didn’t want to wait another day to receive the PP-UNI 2.38. If we were to do this car again, I would still order one just to cut down slightly on prep time for the T-harness.

Rear T-harness in progress – 2026 Audi RS3 with Sonos

The connections were made at 2 different locations. The front tweeters, corner dash midranges and center channel are actually all powered off the head unit. The rear SONOS amp powers the front door speakers, rear door speakers, rear shelf speakers and factory subwoofer.

Toning out – Testing – Identifying

Before John could create and wire up the T-harness he had to identify each speaker wire, polarity, location and function. He tested and toned out each speaker. This is kind of hard to do by yourself so at one point I hopped in and helped him with this process. For anyone looking to do the same upgrade, here are his findings in a nice, neat organized chart.

2026 Audi RS3 16 speaker SONOS vehicle wire chart

Testing, identifying and then wiring up the amp was a multi-day task. With 16 channels it’s important to take your time to get it right.

Helix V Eighteen DSP amp – mid-install – 2026 Audi RS3

With the amp wiring sorted out, John could shift his focus to the rear 6×9 speakers.

Cutting in the 6×9 speakers

To prep for the new Sony Mobile ES XS-690ES speakers John used a template to mark out the location in the rear deck. This template is included in the box from Sony. He then used a nibbler to start making his cuts.

Using a nibbler to cut the Sony 6×9’s in

With the rear openings made, PJ assisted in the process by mounting the rear speakers and applying sound dampening to the rear shelf.

2026 Audi RS3 – Rear 6×9 installation – Dynamat sound dampening applied

My biggest worry about this car was how they were going to finish out the grilles for the newly added 6×9 speakers. John had a great idea for clean execution and handed that task off to PJ. Using the original grilles as a template, PJ created a new thin plastic grille frame and covered it in simple grille cloth. He secured it in place using tiny magnets. The original speakers and grilles were returned to the client.

New 6×9 grille – 2026 Audi RS3

I had mixed feelings about the grille cloth. I couldn’t find a grille cloth that was a close match to the existing rear shelf dark gray/charcoal finish. Standard “Gray” grille cloth is too light. And standard “Black” grille cloth felt like too stark in comparison to the original rear deck. However, once it was in place I thought it looked great.

2026 Audi RS3 Audio Upgrade – New rear 6×9 grilles

With everything lined up and ready to go, John re-installed the passenger seat and reconnected the battery. Once he started the car and confirmed all systems were functional, he proceeded to connect the amp to power. With the amp powered up, he began the tuning process.

Helix Subwoofer Add-on

Since we didn’t use the NAV TV Zen V, this freed up a little money in the build that could be shifted towards a subwoofer. Our client needed something low profile and dual 2 ohm. We used the Helix IK ES10.1-DVC2. This is a low profile, compact, down-firing enclosure. However in this case our client asked us to mount it vertically so he wouldn’t loose any height for the various equipment he carries around.

Helix IK ES10.1-DVC2 mounted vertically against the seatback

This positioning isn’t my favorite. The enclosure definitely creates a greater impact when it’s firing down on the trunk floor, but I also understand our client’s need for functionality. John used two of the higher powered, 2 ohm stable channels on the Helix V Eighteen to power the new sub. The Helix sub added deep and accurate bass. It did a great job filling out the range where the factory subwoofer simply could not perform.

Bass Knob – Bring on the Laser

As with all of our installations, I included a remote bass knob. John and I had different opinions about the location of this knob. Originally he considered surface mounting it above the USB C, below the lip of buttons, in between the Traction Control and Hazard. But surface mounting is not our style. I proposed putting it in place of the 12 volt outlet, but our client offered up the spot right behind it.

Fun with lasers – Remote bass knob insert fabricated with an xTool P2S laser cutter by technician John

Now we had the perfect excuse to try out our new xTool P2S laser cutter. This was John’s 1st project using the new device. He cut his teeth with our Bambu Labs 3D printer learning how to draw in CAD with SHAPR3D. My understanding is learning the 3D software is definitely more challenging than 2D. Still, this is another form of software he has to learn on the fly. Together we figured out the layers, how to import an Audi symbol and gave it a go. He hand filed the edges for a clean fit. The black acrylic matched the rest of the interior finishes perfectly.

Final Result

After extensive tuning on both the input and output side, this Audi RS3 Audio upgrade hit the mark. The Helix V Eighteen allowed us to clean up the audio signal coming from both the factory head unit and SONOS amplifier. Each channel signal was eq’d, levels were appropriately mixed resulting in a clean RTA response.

This vehicle now has proper real fill that is balanced and can compete with what’s happening up front. The audio is tuned for the driver’s listening position creating an immersive experience. There is detail, separation and nuance along with a level of richness and accuracy that was completely absent from the original SONOS system. The bass is no longer boomy and shallow. It is tight and accurate, but not at all overbearing.

Helix V Eighteen DSP amp – under the passenger seat with seat in rear most position.

The best part is unless you push the passenger seat all the way back or take a closer look at the upright subwoofer in the trunk, you would never know that anything was altered or changed. We did our best to keep original appearances down to the finer details such as the Audi symbol on the custom fabricated remote bass knob insert. If you’re interested in an audio upgrade for your Audi, check out our shop Sounds Incredible Mobile in Brookfield, CT. We’re happy to help you take your audio system to its full potential.

INEOS Grenadier Sound Dampening & Audio Upgrade

INEOS Grenadier 7" Sentinel Elite

For those not familiar with this vehicle, the INEOS Grenadier is the brainchild of the British billionaire and founder of INEOS chemical group, Sir Jim Ratcliff. Brought to market in October 2022, the Grenadier looks and feels like what a modernized Land Rover Defender could or should have been. Rugged to the core, this vehicle is designed to handle unforgiving off road terrain in ways many of its drivers will never fully utilize. In our neck of the woods, these beasts are likely spotted blasting through unplowed roads full of snow or navigating the busy parking lot of the local Whole Foods. Yet, I’m sure anyone who owns an INEOS Grenadier takes great comfort in knowing its full capabilities if SHTF. I know I would.

INEOS Grenadier featuring Sentinel 7″ Elite Lights

In many ways the INEOS Grenadier is a little too rugged. It’s not without modern creature comfort tech like wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but surprisingly the quality of the reverse camera is a bit “meh”. Certainly not what you’d expect given the $70 – 80k price tag. The interior lacks any sort of meaningful insulation resulting in a cavernous tin can cabin sound. And the audio system? It leaves much to be desired.

INEOS Grenadier Accessories

It’s no surprise this new automobile spawned a vast market of unique accessories designed to improve the Grenadier. Our shop recently completed a large upgrade for an INEOS Grenadier owner addressing many of this vehicles pitfalls. Let’s dive into the details!

Phase 1 – Sound Dampening

If you’re considering upgrading the audio system in this vehicle you must also include some sound dampening. At a minimum you want to apply sound dampening in the doors. Ideally, we recommend sound proofing the full cabin: all doors, roof, floor and behind as much of the plastic paneling that you can access.

The INEOS Grenadier driver’s side door stripped down

In our shop we use Dynamat. Founded in 1989, Dynamat is known in our industry as the original car audio sound dampening product. Unlike many other automotive sound proofing materials, Dynamat is made proudly in the USA.

INEOS Grenadier Dynamat sound dampening application driver’s door

We use Dynamat Xtreme as a base layer on the sheet metal and frame of the vehicle and also apply a secondary layer called Dynaliner. The Dynaliner can either be layered on top of the Xtreme or on the backside of various panels like door panels, B-pillars and rear cargo panels.

INEOS Grenadier sound dampening application door panel

In this Grenadier, Dynaliner was applied to the backside of all removable plastic panels including the center console trim and b-pillars, a portion of which is shown here.

INEOS Grenadier B pillar sound dampening application

This product isn’t difficult to install, but it is very time consuming to strip down the vehicle interior and cut each piece of material to the ideal size and shape. A full cabin dampening job like this can take about 30 hours to complete.

INEOS Grenadier headliner removed sound dampening applied – Dynamat Xtreme & Dynaliner

With the vehicle stripped down, technician John applied dampening in all accessible areas including the front and rear floors as well as the rear cargo floor.

INEOS Grenadier sound dampening in the rear cargo area

One area that required a tedious amount of attention to detail was this rear door rack. The rear doors were also disassembled and material was applied to the frame and backside of those panels as well.

INEOS Grenadier Dynaliner application rear door rack

However, this INEOS Grenadier wasn’t here just to eliminate the cavernous tin can esq cabin acoustics. Ultimately our client wanted an audio upgrade. With the cabin sounding quiet as a panic room, John moved on to addressing the lackluster Grenadier stereo system.

Phase 2 – Audio System

The Grenadier is equipped with just 4 speakers: a set of 6.5″ coaxials in the front doors and a set of 4″ coaxials in the rear doors. We’re talking rugged. Not even separate tweeters in front! If you happen to have the optional subwoofer, you’re 1 step above a vintage Defender 90 audio system. In the sense that the Grenadier is unmatched in its off road capability, our client wanted an audio system with equally unmatched quality. The only way to achieve that was with top shelf equipment.

Ingredients:

Tweeter placement

Where is the best place to add tweeters in this vehicle? That is a personal preference. We’ve seen shops flush mount them in the doors (not my favorite). This looks clean, but for sound stage purposes, it’s not ideal. We really want the tweeters coming at you. Think of when you attend a concert. It always sounds better when you’re facing the stage near the center rather than being seated off to one of the sides.

INEOS Grenadier Tweeter Placement Driver’s Side

I’ve also seen shops flush mount them in the A-pillars flush. Also not ideal as this ends aiming the tweeters away from you reflecting off the glass (ouch – bright – my least favorite option). That’s why we used adjustable stand alone pods for the massive Morel Elate Carbon Pro 62A Alto tweeters.

INEOS Grenadier Tweeter Placement Passenger Side

These machined aluminum tweeter mounts are from Valicar Stuttgart in Germany. They manufacture a variety of tweeter housings available in two different style mounts. We prefer the Elongated Hole option (Langloch) as it provides the ability to adjust and dial in the angle. These housings could also be surface mounted on the dash in the corners if preferred.

INEOS Grenadier A-pillar tweeter mounts from Valicar Stuttgart

Visually speaking, we understand these pods are not for everyone. But if sound quality is your ultimate goal, this positioning trumps the other tweeter mounting options. Surprisingly John did not have to fabricate speaker mounting adapters for any of the door speakers. The Morel speakers fit perfectly under the original door panels and grilles.

Amplifier Location

Despite the large interior cabin space, there was no great way of hiding the Helix V Eight DSP Ultimate and P One MK2 amplifiers. In vehicles equipped with just the single battery aftermarket DSP amps can be mounted under the rear seat.

INEOS Grenadier – amp rack assembly

This client equipped his Grenadier with a Buzz Overland rack system which maximized his vertical rear cargo space. Focusing more on sound quality vs functionality with a space saving design, our client gave us the freedom to utilize the space under the rack system.

INEOS Grenadier featuring Helix V Eight DSP Ultimate and Helix P One MK2

John took full advantage of this and created a dedicated platform for the custom built Morel Ultimo PowerSlim 12″ subwoofer enclosure and amplifiers.

Morel Ultimo PowerSlim 12″ Subwoofer Enclosure Secured to the Amp Rack Platform

The subwoofer enclosure was secured to the platform behind the rear seats. Both the amp rack and enclosure were fabricated out of MDF and covered in automotive grade carpet and vinyl. Using our 3D printer, John fabricated an INEOS badge for a special added touch. We positioned the subwoofer enclosure on the larger side of the split folding rear seats so he could still fold down the smaller section for longer objects.

INEOS Grenadier custom amp rack and Morel Ultimo Powerslim 12″ enclosure

The Helix V Eight DSP Ultimate does an amazing job cleaning up the signal coming this factory stereo. For most clients, this is all they will ever need. For the purist, it’s still not as clean as a direct input. One of the great features of this amp is the direct hi-res USB C input.

Direct Hi-Res USB C input

With this configuration our client can connect his iPhone or a high quality portable player like an Astell & Kern directly into the DSP amp. This connection provides audiophiles with the cleanest source signal and highest fidelity possible.

Helix Conductor mounted in INEOS Grenadier

How do you control this secondary input? Using the Helix Conductor control knob. This is a multi-functional knob. When the client is using CarPlay through the factory stereo, he can tap the knob and quickly adjust subwoofer level. Tap again to adjust the level of rear fill (fader control). Each function is color coded. When he connects his device to the hi-res direct USB C input the Helix amp automatically detects this and switches the input. At that point the client can use the Conductor knob as his master volume controller. Pretty neat, right?

Extras

In addition to the sound dampening and audio upgrade, we also installed a Wolfbox mirror. The Wolfbox functions as both a dash camera and adds a higher resolution reverse camera display. This gets mounted in place of the existing rear view mirror. We also installed the client’s Sentinel 7’’ High Performance LED lights and a pair of high powered auxiliary reverse lights. The Grenadier is equipped with a variety of AUX switches so we might as well put them to good use!

With this complete upgrade, our client has optimized his INEOS Grenadier driving experience. Whether he is traversing challenging off-road terrain or cranking Taylor Swift tunes for his girls, all occupants of this Grenadier will enjoy an elevated driving experience. To learn more about how we can enhance your INEOS Grenadier, contact our shop, Sounds Incredible Mobile in Brookfield, CT.

2007 Ferrari 612 Navigation CarPlay Upgrade Challenge

Ferrari 612 navigation CarPlay upgrade

Recently we had a new client reach out who had seen our previous Ferrari 612 upgrade seeking to do the same thing in his 2007 Ferrari 612. Great! We know this car, no problem. Right? Well, kind of.

2007 Ferrari 612 Navigation CarPlay Upgrade Challenge – Can the factory radio be replaced?

There was one slight issue. This Ferrari 612 came equipped with the navigation stereo. I had no idea what we were working with on this one. Working on a car that is exotic is tricky because it’s not like we can just go on ProDemand and look up a vehicle wire schematic. Heck, it’s been said that Ferrari doesn’t even have true wiring diagrams for this vehicle.

I had a few concerns and let the client know:

Think in terms of possibilities – not limitations

John and I both needed this challenge. This client was definitely unlike any other client I’ve ever worked with. He was unperturbed and undeterred by any potential obstacles. He clearly had more faith in our capabilities than we did. I was sweating this one. Can we really do this??? What if that factory stereo has to stay in line in order for the car to start kind of like an old 2005 Saab 9-3? After pouring over my concerns with John, we decided the best thing to do was to get the car here so he could explore how the original navigation radio worked and see what the possibilities actually were. The client has happy to drop it off and told us to take our time.

What John found

After taking a look at the car in person we found there were various vehicle settings that were only accessible through the Ferrari 612 navigation radio. Things like Buzzer Volume, Dusk Light Sensitivity and Door Lock settings were only accessible through the dated Bose navigation stereo.

Ferrari 612 navigation CarPlay upgrade challenge 1 – figuring out the factory stereo

We also spoke with the dealer and asked some questions. Their technician confirmed our thoughts. If we removed the stereo and started the car, there would be a continual error on the dash. So the original stereo would have to stay in place. But the neat thing about this factory stereo is it’s not unlike some of the newer modern “hideaway” style receivers. After seeing how the display panel removes from the stereo chassis, I immediately thought of one of the newer Pioneer modular receivers like the DMH-WC6600NEX.

Ferrari 612 OEM navigation display utilizes a modular stereo concept

I thought what if we just left the original stereo in place and used a modular stereo like the Pioneer or maybe even a Kenwood DAX800XR? John thought that might work. But I still needed to know if we could we interface it with the original Bose amp and speakers.

More details on this install in the video above

After investigating further John told me the answer was no. The best course of action would be to install aftermarket speakers, run new speaker wiring, use an aftermarket amp and leave the original Bose amp and wiring in tact to keep the data flowing through the car without errors.

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Speaker Upgrade – Original speakers and the original Bose amp from the rear shelf subwoofer

Okay, one problem solved. But what size speakers could we fit? It appeared to be equipped with a set of 4″ in the upper dash corners and center dash. There was a set of 6.5″ components in the rear. A subwoofer in the front passenger footwell and another subwoofer in the rear deck along with another set of 4″. Oh and did I mention mounting depth was definitely going to be an issue?

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Speaker Upgrade

I presented the equipment options to John 1st and he concurred with my system design and recommendations. I called the client and explained the limitations and scope of what we would need to do if he wanted to move forward. Here’s what we came up with:

  • Morel Virtus Nano Carbon Integra 42 to replace all 4″ speakers front and back
  • Morel Virtus Nano Carbon Pro 6.5″ components for the rear
  • Depending on impedance on the factory subwoofers we would try and re-use them powered by the new amp
  • Kenwood DAX800XR modular stereo (we would utilize the toslink out and keep the signal digital for optimal sound quality)
  • Helix V Eighteen DSP amp to power all the new speakers actively (14 channels for the new Morel speakers and potentially 1-2 channels for the factory subwoofers)
  • URC.1 as a remote bass knob
  • Kenwood CMOS-740HDLP front camera
  • Kenwood CMOS-740HDLP rear camera

I wasn’t sure how the conversation would go. During one of my earlier conversations with the client he mentioned he was also interested in upgrading the speakers. I had initially pushed back on that because I wasn’t sure I wanted to go that deep into this project. I was a bit intimidated. For anyone that’s worked on a Ferrari before – you get what I mean – they can be tedious AF. However, the client sounded optimistic when I told him about the Kenwood receiver, Morel speakers and Helix amp.

It was all good quality equipment that he was familiar with. These were brands he owned in previous vehicles. He was definitely interested in both an audio upgrade and technology upgrade. He was also happy to give John whatever time he needed to get the job done.

The question at this point was whether or not John was up for the challenge?

Mid installation – Ferrari 612 Navigation CarPlay Upgrade Challenge

I think because he knew it would give him plenty of reasons to use his new 3D printer he was all over this. Challenge accepted.

Up for the Challenge

Once the client signed off, John dove right in. However, each step of the way he encountered a new unforeseen obstacle. Accessing the dash speakers was incredibly difficult. Mainly the driver’s side. There were many screws that had previously been stripped which prevented him from removing the instrument cluster, steering wheel and dashboard.

The passenger side wasn’t quite as tricky to access. This pic a great example of the intricacies he encountered trying to mount the Morel Virtus Nano speakers.

3D printed parts galore

As you can see below, he had to fabricate speaker mounting adapters for each speaker. Each speaker had to be slightly offset in the mount in a different manner.

Ferrari 612 navigation CarPlay upgrade challenge – CAD designing and 3D printing various speaker mounting adapters.

He ended up having to design a unique set for the front dash, rear shelf and rear cabin speakers. Although the rear cabin speakers were more of a standard size, 6.5″, with a separate tweeter, it was still a tight fit.

Speaker mounting adapters being printed for the Ferrari 612 speaker upgrade

Throughout the installation process John did what he always does and repaired whatever he could along the way. He resecured peeling leather, replaced any hardware he found missing and repaired the non functioning blend door while everything was apart and easily accessible.

Ferrari 612 rear cabin speaker replacement featuring Morel Virtus Nano Carbon 62 components

As John continued the installation process he ran into a few more unexpected speed bumps. This caused us to shift certain aspects of the plan.

Pivot Plan

There were a few things that popped up that we either had not thought of or simply didn’t see until we got into the weeds with this one.

Center Channel Speaker

Without being able to remove all of the stripped screws in the instrument cluster, he was unable to remove the entire dashboard and access the center channel speaker. We questioned whether it made sense to spend the time to replace it. Ultimately we decided to leave that speaker as is. Between the Helix DSP tools like time alignment and virtual center channel, John knew he could still create an amazing sounding system without it.

The center channel in this case would remain the only original speaker still connected to the stock audio system in the vehicle. It would have been nice to replace, but I also had the nagging ‘What if‘s about that speaker too. What if certain vehicle warning chimes go through that speaker? What if the park distance chirps go through that speaker? John assured me they didn’t, but I still had my worries about it.

Factory Subwoofers

We knew from working on an earlier 2005 Ferrari Scaglietti that the car was equipped with one subwoofer in the front passenger foot well and one in the rear shelf. Originally we were thinking we might be able to replace them with something like the Helix Ci5 woofers. However, after John opened it up and examined each woofer, it was clear that wouldn’t be possible unless he fabricated new enclosures/mounting solutions. We weren’t working with an unlimited budget so we focused on trying to re-use the original Bose subwoofers.

2007 Ferrari 612 fitted with Morel Virtus Nano 42 in the rear shelf and original Bose subwoofer powered by a new amp

My hope was that each subwoofer would be 2 ohm and we could power each with a channel off the Helix V Eighteen DSP amp. Here’s what he found. Each woofer measured .5 ohm. The front passenger floor subwoofer was getting powered by the same amp that was powering all the original speakers. The rear shelf subwoofer on the other hand was quite peculiar. It had its own amp built into it. John had to carefully remove the amp from the rear shelf subwoofer before he could even measure its resistance. That sub? Also .5 ohm.

Mid installation process – Ferrari 612 Helix V Eighteen DSP & MATCH UP1FX

Yikes. The V Eighteen DSP was only 2 ohm stable. We were going to need another amp.

Retaining the factory Bose subwoofers

We chose to wire the subwoofers in series and use the MATCH UP1FX. Surely way more power than necessary, but we needed something with:

  • Excellent sound quality
  • 1 ohm stability
  • Compact design

John had already fabricated an amp mounting solution for the V Eighteen DSP (3D printed of course), but he knew there would be enough room to piggyback the UP1FX right next to it. With the amp situation sorted out and speakers installed and wired up, John could focus on some of the smaller details. Those devilish little details are where all the time goes.

The devil is in the details

USB Placement & Volume Knob or Bass Knob or Both?

Originally we planned to mount the USB C port in the ashtray similar to how John did in the last Ferrari 612 he worked on. After realizing we wouldn’t be able to retain the steering wheel controls, I desperately wanted the client to have a master volume knob. Although the Kenwood DAX800XR looks incredibly sleek and modern, it does not have any hard tactile buttons. It’s entirely touch screen controlled.

Devilish details adding up in this 2007 Ferrari Navigation CarPlay Upgrade Challenge

That is not a design flaw. This model stereo was designed to be used in vehicles that are compatible with an iDatalink APX dash kit. With these installation kits the Kenwood DAX800XR becomes a simple way to upgrade a stock 8″ display. It’s meant to be used with existing volume controls in a modern vehicle like a 2015 Chevy Tahoe for example. This wasn’t a modern vehicle.

Original plan – USB port and volume knob in ashtray, but the ashtray was tight to access and unfortunately brittle and broken beyond repair

We had hoped we could retain the steering wheel controls using a Dual Unico Plus steering wheel control module. In that case we would have made the control knob in the ashtray a sub level control knob. But then we remembered with the factory stereo still in line, the steering wheel controls (if compatible) would still be controlling two stereos.

That would be weird. Theoretically the client might accidentally switch sources on the original stereo and start hearing AM radio buzzing through the sole remaining center channel speaker. Ditch that idea. So now we need a volume knob and a sublevel control knob.

Fabricating the new console insert

Since the ashtray was already brittle beyond repair it made more sense to make a new panel to house all 3. But it had to be PERFECT. And here’s the crummy reality about that UP1FX. You can’t use the URC.1 as a sub level control for that amp. The only way we could do this was either to use a Conductor to act as both sub level control and master volume control or have 2 different controls knobs.

The Conductor was just too big for the space and also would look out of place in the interior. This car was clean and classy. The head unit was sleek with a minimalist appearance. The LED lights on the Conductor would have stuck out like a sore thumb in this interior. This meant we had to use the URC.1 as master volume and the SRC as sub level.

Final design of the remote bass knob USB C insert panel

Poor John. I made that man redesign that insert 100 times. The SRC is literally the worst sub level control knob in the Helix line, but it’s the only direct plug in compatible knob that would work for the UP1FX. It’s big and even if you take it out of the housing there is a huge circuit board that doesn’t like to fit behind anything (come on Helix – do better here!).

Example 1 of a universal bass knob – I didn’t like that the bass knob was slightly larger than the master volume knob

We could have used an RCA level style bass knob, but I didn’t like the clash in design/style of any of the universal bass knobs. It weirded me out that the sub level knob was bigger than the master volume knob.

Example 2 of another universal bass knob that didn’t pass the visual test

I felt it would be more intuitive if the volume knob was the larger knob and the sub level was the smaller knob. We tested all of them out and none of them looked right. Which is why I made John redesign this insert so many times.

Final design – backside of the insert to house the bass knob and hold the circuit board of the SRC

John lovingly obliged and redesigned the insert for the 100th time. He had to taper the edges so each knob would fit neatly and still move freely. The trickiest part of the design was incorporating the circuit board from the SRC. He made a slight notch behind the panel for it to lock into place. Genuis! The final result is exactly what I was hoping it would be.

Final result – Helix URC.1 as master volume, USB C for optional charging and SRC for sub level control

I kid you not when I tell you he spent at least 7 days on this. And here I was thinking designing the dash bezel would be the hardest, most time consuming part.

Custom fabricated Mounting trim Ferrari 612 CarPlay

With all his hours spent designing speaker mounting adapters and the insert for the ashtray, John breezed through the design and fabrication of the stereo bezel.

Custom bezel for 2007 Ferrari 612 navigation CarPlay upgrade fitted with Kenwood DAX800XR

Here you can see the Ferrari 612 navigation head unit sitting behind the bezel. The hideaway module brain for the Kenwood DAX800XR was mounted up high under the driver’s side dash. We did have to use Kenwood’s KCA-A150EX extension cable to reach the display.

2007 Ferrari 612 Navigation CarPlay Upgrade Challenge – custom fabricated dash kit housing Kenwood DAX800XR

In order to make this serviceable, John made it so the display can be removed. If you pull down the tab covering the OEM USB port just to the right of the CD player, the display can be removed with a simple panel access tool. Hopefully the dealer never has to take it out for any service related reasons, but if they do, he designed it to be serviceable.

Amazing sound quality and exceptional workmanship

With the interior buttoned back up, John was able to focus on tuning. We spent some time dialing it in listening to a variety of tracks we know well as well as a few of the clients favorite tracks.

Ferrari 612 fitted with Morel Virtus Nano Carbon Integra 42 dash speakers

Initially I was worried about just having the two 4″ speakers on the dash. Would there be enough of a sound stage in front? Would it sound like everything was coming from behind?

Ferrari 612 fitted with Morel Virtus Nano Carbon Integra 42 dash speakers

Thankfully the sound quality surpassed my expectations. In a word, it was impressive. There really is nothing else quite like Morel speakers. The highs are incredibly detailed and nuanced. The mids are warm and enveloping. The bass from the factory Bose subwoofers was downright phenomenal. The end result was absolutely incredible sound.

Looks and Sounds Incredible

Perhaps one of the best aspects of this installation was the overall execution. We tried really hard to do this upgrade tastefully in a way that matched the original interior aesthetics.

Amp rack cover driver’s side trunk

This is reflected in how John fabricated a panel to cover the custom amp rack. It blends in and mirrors a factory panel on the passenger side of the trunk. It looks like it was always there.

Mirrors the squared off panel that was already existing on the passenger side

This Ferrari 612 Navigation CarPlay upgrade not only sounds amazing and looks amazing – it’s now fitted with the modern creature comforts that we’ve all come to rely on.

Ferrari 612 with modern tech

In addition to the 8″ wireless Apple CarPlay Android Auto display, this set up also features a high definition reverse camera and high definition front park assist camera.

Kenwood HD reverse camera Ferrari 612

Upon switching the vehicle in reverse, the rear camera automatically turns on. When shifting out of reverse, the front camera then automatically pops on and stays on for several seconds. You can also manually trigger either camera conveniently from the touch screen by tapping the camera icon.

Kenwood HD reverse camera fitted in a 2007 Ferrari 612

As beautiful as this car is, it lacks great visibility. The front and rear park assist cameras will provide the driver a lot more comfort and ease on the rare occasions he takes this vehicle out for a drive.

HD Kenwood front park assist camera Ferrari 612

There is certainly a palpable thrill to owning and driving a rare super car. But when you have a modern stereo that sounds incredible it takes that driving experience to a completely different level. To learn more about how we can help with your audio upgrade, please call/text or visit our shop Sounds Incredible Mobile in Brookfield, CT.

2007 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti – CarPlay and full audio upgrade

Defender 110 Audio Upgrade

Recently we had a lovely client reach out about an audio upgrade for his 2020 Defender 110. His L663 Defender 110 was manufactured June 30th, 2020 which may have played a factor in vehicle build production variations. Since I was not familiar with the audio system in this particular year & model, I did some research and found that there were 3 different audio packages available:

  • 6 Speaker Basic Audio System (build code 025KN)
  • 15 Speaker 700 watt Meridian System (build code 025LM)
  • 19 Speaker 1280 watt Meridian System (build code 025LN)

Before making any type of recommendation I first have to identify the existing audio package. I was perplexed because when I looked at the vehicle, I could only visibly identify 13 speakers. And yet, when I ran the VIN on OutVIN it appeared to have option code 025LN.

It obviously did not have the 19 speaker option, but I also had trouble finding all 15 speakers. I was even more confused after I found this promotional image from Land Rover which clearly denotes 15 speakers, yet only shows 14 on the image.

Do you see 15 speakers in this image? Common core math maybe?

It’s hard to know what equipment you will need for a job if you don’t know exactly what set up you are working with.

Investigating the 15 speaker Meridian audio system

The next step is what we often do when dealing with a vehicle where we have limited information available. Since the wiring schematic for this car was not available in Mitchell ProDemand, I asked the client if he would mind coming in for an investigation/consultation appointment. This would give John a few hours to do some disassembly and during this time he would:

  • Access the factory amp
  • Identify, test and tone out each of the speakers
  • Confirm the exact number of speakers and their placement
  • Test and verify impedences
  • Test and confirm how many channels are on the OEM amp
  • Test frequency outputs on each channel
  • Verify exactly how many channels we would need for an aftermarket DSP amp

This was about 4 hours of work in and of itself, but I do not like going into a project blind and telling a client, “Well, we might be able to do this or we might end up having to do that. It all depends on what we find.” I’m always relieved when a client is willing to give us the time to investigate prior to bringing the car in to execute the full project.

How many channels? What impedances?

What John found during his testing is there are technically 14 speakers in the exact locations marked on the graphic above. The subwoofer under the driver’s seat is a dual 2.2 ohm woofer so perhaps they are counting that as 2 speakers. Each of the main door 6.5″ speakers are 2.3 ohm. The front door midranges are 2.6 – 2.8 ohm and the rear satellite speakers in the ceiling are 4.6 – 4.8 ohm. We weren’t able to get an accurate impedance reading on the original tweeters and center channel at the amp harness, but we were able to tone them out and confirm they are on individual channels. There are no passive crossover networks in this set up.

Defender 110 Audio Upgrade Wiring Notes Page 1

If you want to do an audio upgrade, you will need a 12+ channel DSP amp and follow channel per channel amplification after the original amp. Unfortunately Mobridge does not have a pre-amp adapter available at this time (we checked).

Defender 110 Audio Upgrade Wiring Notes Page 2

In addition to identifying wiring, John also checked the output side to see if any of the channels provided a full range signal. They did not. He found that the subwoofer played from about 80 Hz and down. The 6.5″ door woofers played from about 20 Hz to 500 Hz (this is actually the signal he ended up using for the new subwoofer amp). The front midranges played from about 500 – 2,500 Hz. The rear surrounds played about 4k and up and the tweeters measured at about 2.5k and up.

Defender 110 Audio Upgrade Wiring Notes Page 3

Based on his in depth testing, he concluded we could most likely disconnect/eliminate the rear satellite speakers and perhaps the center channel. That would leave us with 12 channels.

What DSP amp is best for this Defender 110 Audio Upgrade?

Since we needed a minimum of 12 channels and possibly needed those to be 2 ohm stable, I recommended the Helix V Twelve DSP amp for the job. This compact 12-channel amp measures in at only 1.73″ tall, 8.66″ long and 8.66″ wide. It provides an impressive amount of clean power rated at 75 watts RMS per channel at 4 ohm or 120 watts RMS per channel at 2 ohm. With the heart of the system decided, I hashed out the rest of the build with the client.

Where will the equipment fit?

Thankfully this client wanted to eliminate his 3rd row seat. This gave us a decent amount of room to house the new equipment. The full scope of the work included:

  • Helix V Twelve DSP
  • UP1FX mono amp to power a new custom subwoofer enclosure
  • Eliminate the 3rd row seat
  • Create a new trunk floor covering to hide the new amps and new subwoofer enclosure
  • Morel Ultimo PowerSlim 12″ subwoofer in a custom enclosure
  • Sound dampen the doors and rear cargo space
  • Upgrade the front 3-ways with Morel Hybrid 63
  • Upgrade the rear 2-ways with Morel Hybrid 62
  • Fabricate speaker mounting adapters as needed
  • Fabricate a panel to trim out the client’s existing CB radio
  • Fabricate a panel to house the Conductor control knob and the clients existing roof light switch

During the process of installation, John found that he was able to disconnect the rear satellite speakers as he assumed he could. And he was able to turn off the center channel by turning off the surround settings in the audio menu. He left this speaker in line for the SOS function. Additionally, he had to disconnect the tach wire going to the amp in order to disable the ANC function.

Morel Hybrid 3-way midrange in custom fabricated speaker mounting adapter for the Defender 110

Plan of attack

John decided to start with the doors. He carefully applied Dynamat Xtreme to the outer panels and Dynaliner to the inner door panels. He was able to use modified pre-fab speaker mounting adapters for the 6.5’s.

Defender 110 Audio Upgrade Inner Panel Dynamat Application

The Helix CFMK165 JLR.1 were a match, but these are technically a direct fit for the Helix Compose series speakers. With a little modification, he was able to use these mounts with the Morel speakers. He did have to design a mounting adapter for the mid ranges. That will be covered in one of our YouTube videos coming soon.

John applies Dynaliner to a section of the Defender 110 door panel

In addition to Dynamat and Dynaliner, John also utilized Morel fast rings. This is a foam ring that goes around the outer frame of the speaker which ultimately helps to direct the soundwaves directly into the cabin. With fast rings, sound waves coming off the speaker are less likely travel adjacently inside the door frame.

Once John completed the speakers and sound dampening, he moved on to figuring out the layout and space limitations for the new amplifiers and custom subwoofer enclosure. With the rear seat removed, it was evident to me there wasn’t quite as much room there as I had originally perceived there to be.

Midway through the install – Helix V Twelve + UP1FX on an amp rack in the Defender 110

I started to have my doubts. Was there really enough room for the Morel Ultimo PowerSlim 12″ subwoofer? Or would John have to raise up the rear floor? For reference, the Morel Ultimo PowerSlim 12″ requires .8 cubic ft sealed.

3rd Row Rear seat delete Defender 110

I’m not sure how he fit it all there so neatly, but he did it. The man is a magician. Some even call him a wizard! Here is the vehicle post installation with the original floor mat in place the same way it arrived to our shop. Without hearing this audio system, you would never know anything was added.

Defender 110 Audio Upgrade with 3rd row seat delete false floor hidden DSP amps and custom subwoofer enclosure

This is what it looks like with the mat removed. You can see the new 2 piece trunk floor cover he created. What you can’t see in this photo is the slim mesh grill directly above the woofer allowing for airflow and venting.

Defender 110 Audio Upgrade with 3rd row seat delete and new trunk floor

What lies below that beautiful new trunk floor covering? The Helix V Twelve DSP alongside the MATCH UP1FX on a custom fabricated amp rack. Next to both is the custom fabricated enclosure for the 600 watt Morel PowerSlim 12″ subwoofer.

Defender 110 Audio Upgrade featuring Helix V Twelve, UP1FX and Morel PowerSlim 12″

Not only does this vehicle sound absolutely amazing, it looks completely original and unaltered. The rear cargo space is fully functional with no loss of space. The 3rd row seat was something the client didn’t want or use. Eliminating it created the perfect space for these high fidelity components.

The finishing touches – 3D printed trim

After watching hours and hours of YouTube, John convinced me that our shop needed to buy a Bambu labs 3D printer. Since my attempts to get a free one from the Bambu Labs marketing department were unsuccessful, I broke down and let him spend the dough. I know. He was right. I’m late to the game on this one.

John initially started out using the 3D printer to make speaker mounting adapters like the ones used for the Morel midranges. However, with this Defender 110 audio upgrade, he thoroughly impressed me. With zero background designing with CAD, he went to YouTube university and got busy measuring and designing. He was able to create 2 really nice trim pieces. Not bad for a newbie, right?

3D designed and printed CB radio trim and insert for the Helix Conductor

For me, this is the chef’s kiss of the installation. First he created a trim ring for the client’s existing CB radio. Then he created an insert to house the Conductor DSP control knob and a switch for the client’s aftermarket lights. His original design did not have any lettering in place, but I told him I thought it would look nice if we could get the Defender logo etched in there. Together we researched the font and adjusted the layout trying to achieve a balanced aesthetic. For anyone looking to do something similar, the name of the font we used is called Eurostyle Bold.

What do you think of the Meridian sound system in your Defender? Is it lacking? Could it be better? If you are interested in an audio upgrade for your Defender 110 reach out to our shop in Brookfield, CT. Call or text us today to learn more.

Porsche 993 Subwoofer + PCCM Audio Upgrade

Porsche 993 Subwoofer Under Seat

Another 993 audio upgrade – this time with a small subwoofer!

We do a lot of Porsche 993 audio upgrades at our shop in Brookfield, CT, but in this audio build we managed to squeeze in a completely hidden, compact, powered subwoofer. The addition of this modest subwoofer in this Porsche 993 really took this audio system up to the next level.

Porsche 993 subwoofer
Kenwood KSC-PSW7EQ installed in Porsche 993 under passenger front seat.

Porsche 993 Subwoofer – what are the options?

I typically do a lot of research prior to designing an audio system – especially if a client asks us for something we haven’t done before. When I did a google image search for Porsche 993 subwoofer I saw nothing appealing. Of course we could have created a fiberglass formed enclosure for a small sub in the the passenger footwell area or make something that could fit behind the seats taking up the non existent rear passenger footwell area. We had done that before and knew what it entailed, but this client, understandably, didn’t want the interior to look altered.

I thought about the space under the passenger seat. I knew from experience there was enough room for a compact amp there. But the space under both front seats is TIGHT. I thought maybe we could fit a powered sub under the seat?? It was a big maybe because I couldn’t get confirmation that any one single compact powered subwoofer on the market was ever successfully installed under the front seat in a Porsche 993. So I did some more research and found the most compact powered subwoofer on the market that had a snowball’s chance in hell of fitting under one of these seats.

Test fitting the Kenwood KSC-PSW7EQ powered subwoofer under the seat in a Porsche 993
Test fitting the Kenwood KSC-PSW7EQ in the Porsche 993 under passenger front seat.

I set aside 2 different powered subwoofers for this Porsche 993. The Kicker HS8 and the Kenwood KSC-PSW7EQ. The Kicker HS8 is a subwoofer we have used before. We regularly use the Kicker HS10 and HS8 in various installs at our shop. In the compact powered subwoofer world, both Kicker subs are pretty rock solid options for clients looking just for a little extra something to fill in those deeper bass frequencies that you just can’t get out of a 5.25″ or 6.5″ speaker. I had not used this Kenwood powered subwoofer before and my expectations for it were quite low.

It features a 8.5″ x 5.5″ woofer. So it’s not even quite a 6×9, but close. The entire enclosure measures at only 11.03″ wide, 7.875″ deep and an impressive 2.75″ tall. I compared those measurements to the MATCH UP 6 DSP amp we normally use. The MATCH UP 6 DSP is 5.12″ wide, 5.12″ deep and 1.81″ tall.

Retaining the original Nokia 993 amp harness

Fitting the subwoofer under the passenger seat was a challenge. John was able to relocate the existing modules directly behind the new 993 subwoofer. My other concern was I didn’t want to cut the original amp wire harness for this installation.

Porsche 993 Nokia amplifier
Porsche 993 Nokia Amplifier

We used the PPI ISO-2 harness from MATCH to get our output from the Porsche PCCM stereo and go directly into the UP 6 DSP, but we still needed to grab most of our speaker wires at the factory amp harness.

Porsche 993 Nokia amp harness connection
Porsche 993 Nokia Amp Harness

During my research I managed to find an OEM amp harness connector so John was able to retain the original Nokia amp harness. That was a big win for me. Whenever possible, I look to source parts that allow us to retain the original wiring for integrity and value purposes. It may not look pretty, but it’s functional.

Porsche 993 Nokia Amp Bypass Harness

With most of the devilish details ironed out, I could breathe a sigh of relief. I knew John would do an amazing job executing the rest of this installation because he knows these cars so well and like me, gets hyper focused on details.

Next challenge – bass knob

The Kenwood powered subwoofer’s major drawback is that it comes with an obnoxious remote bass EQ controller that looks like an old school car stereo remote control with a long wire attached to it. It is ugly asf. So ugly, I won’t even post it here. There is no neat or aesthetically pleasing way to mount the included control knob. Hiding it or simply not using it altogether is your best bet.

Helix URC.1 Remote Bass Knob Porsche 993

Thankfully we used the UP6 DSP amplifier to power the speakers. This powerful compact DSP amp has the ability to control an external subwoofer amp using the much more attractive URC.1 bass knob. John was able to expertly mount the knob in a blank to the left of the steering wheel. He knows I am OCD and happy wife = happy life so he used calipers to take measurements before drilling the hole to mount it. In my opinion, it blends in with the rest of the car interior and looks like it was always there.

Overcoming the wired CarPlay function of the Porsche 993 PCCM

I love the look of the CarPlay PCCM stereo that Porsche offers, but there a few things clients and I despise about it. Mainly that CarPlay is wired only. This presents an issue with cabling getting in the way of shifting. Secondly, the only way to connect for CarPlay is through the large and obtrusive USB/AUX hub. Bizarrely, there is no rear USB input on this stereo so unlike most aftermarket CarPlay stereos on the market, you can’t simply connect a USB extension to the rear of the unit, forget the hub and flush mount a USB in a move convenient location. You have to use the included hub.

Porsche PCCM installed in a 993 with Wireless CarPlay adapter installed behind dash

The challenge we had is this client wanted the option to use wireless CarPlay, but also retain the option to use wired CarPlay. We used a very compact wireless CarPlay adapter and a 90 degree angle USB cable to overcome this. Routing the USB extension cable from the wireless adapter to the hub was incredibly tight, but John managed to get it through while keeping the door opening and closing fully functional.

Porsche 993 Speakers

Like previous Porsche 993 audio upgrades, we recommended Helix speakers due to their exceptional quality and ease of fitment. The client selected the higher fidelity Helix Compose i7 series in front and the Compose i3 series in the rear.

Porsche 993 Helix Ci7 speaker upgrade
Helix Compose i7 5.25″ mid range and .75″ tweeter installed in Porsche 993

The Helix i7 tweeters fit perfectly in the original Porsche tweeter housings. Although this car arrived without door speakers or grilles, the Metra SMG5 (sold individually) looked quite sharp with an OEM appearance.

Rear speakers – always a bit taxing

John typically makes his own mounting adapter plates for the rear speakers. Yes, this takes added time, but it’s worth it to make sure the aftermarket speakers fit perfectly under the original grilles.

Rear speakers Porsche 993
Helix Compose i3 coaxial in rear shelf Porsche 993 installed with custom made speaker mounting adapters

Although the rear tweeters are still in tact, they are not functional. With the original grilles in place you would never know there are aftermarket speakers installed. Of course that is until you turned it on and took a listen.

Rear speakers upgraded Porsche 993
Porsche 993 with Helix Ci3 C100.2FM-S3 installed in rear shelf under original grilles

With nearly all the ingredients assembled, John got busy tuning the UP 6 DSP amp.

MATCH UP 6 DSP ties it altogether

The MATCH UP 6 DSP is a powerful compact DSP amplifier that we use in a wide variety of installations at our shop. It features incredibly powerful DSP software and pushes out 65 watts x 4 plus 90 watts x 2 RMS at 4 ohms. With this amp we ran each speaker actively on their own channels.

MATCH UP 6 DSP installed under driver’s seat in Porsche 993

The vast level of control available in the software is what enables us to achieve the highest level of performance possible with the components used.

How did it sound?

Impressive. Everyone at our shop, including the client, was thoroughly impressed. This audio upgrade had detail, clarity, warmth, separation, volume, punch, but in an understated and perfectly balanced manner. We were all thoroughly impressed with the surprising performance of the Kenwood powered subwoofer. This little subwoofer is respectable. And it’s the perfect fit under the passenger seat for a Porsche 993 subwoofer that is truly hidden.

Porsche 993 Audio Upgrade including Kenwood KSC-PSW7EQ powered subwoofer

What do you think about this Porsche 993 audio upgrade? What have you done in your own 993? To learn more about our shop in Brookfield, CT, call or text us at 203-778-3330.

2005 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Apple CarPlay Android Auto Retrofit

Sony XAV-9000ES Apple CarPlay + Android Auto retrofit

Have you ever wondered if it was possible to retrofit Apple CarPlay +Android Auto to a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti? Perhaps, if you’re one of the handful of people out there that owns one of these rare vehicles. Only 3,025 were produced between 2004 and 2011. This supercar was designed to be a cruising vehicle featuring a more spacious and comfortable interior with room for 4 passengers. Powered by 532-horsepower 5.7-liter V12, you can cruise in comfort from zero to 60 in 4.1 seconds!

As you effortlessly weave in and out of traffic and your passengers grip the fine, Italian leather seating holding on for their dear lives, you may think it’s a perfect time to pop on some tunes. But what’s up with the radio? The tuner isn’t pulling in any local stations. The CD player isn’t working. And there is no way to stream any music from your phone. Well that kind of sucks.

Factory Bose Stereo Ferrari 612

The Ferrari 612 is equipped with a decent speaker and amp setup. It features a 10-inch subwoofer in the rear deck plus another one in the passenger floor. There is an adequate number of full range speakers situated throughout the cabin. When paired with an aftermarket head unit, the Bose amp and speakers come to life providing a pleasant amount of output and acoustical range. It’s not your typical “no high’s, no low’s, must be Bose”. For the few Scaglietti drivers out there who have replaced their stereo, they typically gravitate towards a single DIN style receiver.

Ferrari 612 original single DIN stereo

This is a good idea if you want to retain the ability to put the factory radio back in place. But let’s face it. As of the time of this writing, there aren’t any decent single DIN receivers that look remotely good in this interior. Models from major brand names like Alpine, Sony, Kenwood, Pioneer, etc. all look too flashy and tacky for a car like this. Perhaps an old Nakamichi CD-400 would look appropriate. Even if you could find one, it wouldn’t provide any way to connect your phone and thus no ability to stream any of the music apps we’ve grown so accustomed to having available at our beck and call.

So what’s the solution?

If there aren’t any period appropriate single DIN Bluetooth models, and we’re so used to the convenience of Apple CarPlay, Android Auto with park assist cameras, why not try and retrofit that modern tech into this car? When our client sent us this initial picture of his dash, my immediate thought was if we just eliminate the pocket we can fit a double DIN in that space. How we were going to do that? I wasn’t quite sure, but I knew once we saw it in person, we would be able to figure it out. One thing I did know is this would be a permanent modification to the OEM radio bezel. The client understood this. He pointed out that the original trim was available for a whopping $507.94 if he desired to restore it back to original equipment.

Upon closer inspection

After the Ferrari 612 arrived, John and I had a closer look. We immediately noticed whoever previously tried to service the original radio damaged the trim slightly. The radio was no longer locking in place and there were hairline cracks in 2 locations that needed to be shored up. Once that was done, John and I began looking at what we had and argued discussed the best way to transform this bezel into a clean, double DIN stereo housing.

Ferrari 612 stereo bezel initial double DIN conversion prep

John wanted to use plastic and filler to flesh out the gap, but I had a different take on it. I wanted to keep it simpler. To me it didn’t look like it would be absolutely necessary to use filler. I begged him to try it my way first. As two stubborn and passionate people that can get lost in the details, I knew using filler would be a rabbit hole time suck aiming for absolute and unattainable perfection.

Scaglietti double DIN conversion side profile pic with the rectangular insert added.

I had set aside a Pioneer ATDVA-133 universal double DIN mounting kit with trim ring and he agreed this would be the best way to hold the stereo in the dash. But with the pocket door removed, we needed to fill in the space below and have it look seamless. Looking at the bezel together, I showed John we only needed a small rectangular piece to line up at the edges to fill in the gap.

Ferrari emblem relocated to new Double DIN bezel

John took a piece of HDPE plastic and cut it to size. It appeared that would fill the gap nicely. He removed some of the texture on the plastic and painted it to match the dash trim as close as possible. As a really great afterthought, he removed the emblem from the original pocket and added that to the new lower trim. Like other Ferrari models, the 612 uses a standard euro harness 70-1784, so the wiring is straight forward. That is probably the only straight forward thing about this car.

Scaglietti double DIN conversion side bezel.

Why use the Sony XAV-9000ES?

In order to try and keep the stereo looking like it was always meant to be there, I steered the client towards the Sony XAV-9000ES for a couple reasons. I am partial to the matte black finish on the few buttons it does have. I also like that this stereo actually has buttons and isn’t entirely touch screen.

The Ferrari 612 doesn’t have steering wheel controls for the stereo. Therefore it’s nice to be able to reach over and feel a button when you want to adjust volume vs having to look at the screen to see what you’re doing. The illumination on the buttons is a neutral white backlight, but for the true minimalist, even that can be disabled/turned off. And with wireless connectivity, the USB C is available for optional charging so you don’t have to see any cables if you don’t want to – only when you need to charge.

Ferrari 612 Apple CarPlay Android Auto retrofit

John and I both felt the factory 12 volt outlet would be the best place to retrofit the Sony’s USB C which provides a 3 amp fast charge. On top of that, the client asked us for a secondary USB C charging port. John was able to flush mount a secondary USB C charger inside the Ferrari 612 armrest console.

USB C retrofit Ferrari 612

The great thing about putting the USB C in place of the 12 volt outlet is it is completely reversible. With rare and classic vehicles, that is something that is always front of mind for me. How can I do this upgrade in the least invasive manner that is also reversible? John was able to pop out the original 12 volt outlet and return it to the client should we ever need to revert it back to stock.

That secondary USB C isn’t easily reversible, but it is tucked away and hidden inside the armrest console. If it did need to be removed in the future for any reason, we could plug the opening with a matte black retainer clip. Or I’m sure the client could replace that center armrest insert from Ferrari parts for an absurd amount of money.

Front and Rear Park Assist Cameras

When you’re driving an extremely rare supercar, you probably take extreme precaution in any parking situation. Aside from paint protection film (which this car has, but will soon be replaced – you can see from close up pics that it did its job), front and rear park assist cameras can be extremely helpful to prevent mishaps. The Sony XAV-9000ES has a reverse trigger wire. John connected that to the reverse light in the Ferrari so just like any modern vehicle, when the client puts the car in reverse, the rear camera automatically engages.

We used the Echomaster PHD5N1 for both the front and rear cameras. We use these cameras in a lot of our builds. They are analog HD. When used with Stinger’s IX210 or IX212 head unit, you can get full 720P resolution. When used with a standard 7-inch aftermarket head unit like this Sony, the resolution is 480P. Aside from the resolution, one of the main reasons I like this camera is that it comes with various mounting options.

Both housings John used are clean and look appropriate on this vehicle. Nothing makes me cringe more than a big, fat ugly license plate bar camera going across the top of a license plate. We don’t carry anything like that at our shop, but we’ve seen plenty of installs featuring hideous looking cameras and I’ll never understand why. If you’re going to go through the trouble and effort to add a front or rear camera, why not try and make it look like it actually belongs on the car?

We feel that both cameras on this Ferrari 612 Scaglietti are mounted in a way that blends in without marring the vehicle appearance. There is one drawback on the front camera input with the Sony XAV-9000ES. Technically the front camera would be manually triggered from the touch screen when you wish to see it displayed. However, the client requested if there was a way to re-purpose the old phone button on the center console to activate it.

Straight out of the gate I said “Probably not, but John needs to open it up and see if it is something he can use to trigger a relay to activate”. In many vehicles what looks like a simple momentary or latched switch can actually be part of a larger circuit. In this case, it actually wasn’t that complicated and genius that John is, he was able to make it happen. It’s super cool! And quite convenient.

Retrofitting wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto with front and rear park assist cameras in a rare supercar is not something we get to do every day. This was definitely a very fun, challenging and time consuming installation. Throughout the process John tightened up and added missing hardware where needed and replaced damaged one time use retainer clips that another mechanic had previously tried to re-use. You never know what you’re going to find working on an old, rare vehicle. But it’s a project we were honored to take on.

Apple CarPlay retrofitted with front and rear cameras Ferrari

To learn more about what we can do for your vehicle, call or text our shop, Sounds Incredible Mobile in Brookfield, CT, at 203-778-3330. We’re happy to help you explore the options that would make your vehicle – whether that’s your daily driver, weekend summer fun car or rare supercar – even more enjoyable to drive.

Escort Redline Ci 360c Custom Mount Install Kit | Porsche 992 Turbo S

Redline Ci 360C custom mount install Porsche 992

Just another day at the shop

For those not familiar with our shop in Brookfield, CT, we carry some great brands and get to work on some very cool cars including this 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet.

Redline Ci 360C custom mount install Porsche 992
Redline Ci 360C custom mount install Porsche 992

Our shop does a lot of audio upgrades in various Porsche, Audi, BMW and Mercedes models. Because of that, we carry brands that cater towards European makes. One such brand is Helix and their sister company Match. Both have been featured a lot in our more recent posts on the blog and our YouTube channel. The North American distributor for both brands is MSC-America. MSC also offers some pretty cool integration products for the Escort Redline Ci 360c. I’ve been waiting for the chance to utilize said cool product and sort of finally got the chance to with this Porsche 992.

Custom install kit for Redline ci 360C

If you’ve done any research on the Redline Ci 360C, you may have noticed the very snazzy custom install pics on Escort’s website featuring a Porsche 992 with a sport bumper. The control pad sits snuggly against the dash in an attractive, angular housing that matches the instrument cluster profile perfectly.

Redline Ci 360C control pad Porsche 992
Escort Redline Ci 360C control pad Porsche 992

The display sits proud on the steering column in an expertly molded pod. The positioning makes it easy for the driver to see without taking their eyes off the road. The front and rear laser shifters are attached to the front and rear bumper with similar custom molded pods. It’s exactly how any Porsche 992 owner would want the Escort Redline to be installed.

Redline Ci 360C display Porsche 992 custom install pod
Redline Ci 360C display Porsche 992 custom install pod

When I first saw those pictures on Escort’s website I thought, “Wow. We really need to get a 3D printer and learn how to use it. That looks so clean.” But then life goes on, the shop is busy, I’m helping customers, answering phones, texts + emails, booking jobs, ordering inventory, helping John with a final tuning tweak or troubleshooting something and poof! The 3D printer thought goes out of my head. Until one day, I was chatting with one of the fine folks from MSC and I learned that this wasn’t some one-off installation completed by an unknown master technician. The Redline Ci 360C in the Porsche 992 you see on Escort’s website was completed by the team at MSC who have actually designed and built these housings – which are available for purchase! Mind blown.

From that point forward I had it in the back of my head to offer this option at the very 1st chance I had. It took nearly a year for that opportunity to present itself, but as soon as it did I closed the deal. Before the client had even taken delivery of his vehicle, he signed up for the Escort Redline with the optional 992 custom install kit.

Redline Ci 360C front laser housings Porsche 911
Escort Redline front laser housings Porsche 911

The car arrived along with the parts and John was ready to execute. There was just one problem. It didn’t have the same bumper. Since the client didn’t have the car in his possession when we scheduled the work, we checked compatibility using a pic from the original vehicle listing. It was hard to tell from the image, but this 992 was in fact slightly different than the one shown on Escort’s website. It did not have the front camera. And the rear bumper? That was totally different.

Measuring for rear laser pods Porsche 992 Escort Redline Ci 360c
Measuring for rear laser pods Porsche 992 Escort Redline

John had to modify the front outer 2 housings slightly to fit in the correct location. After providing some measurements on the rear bumper, MSC was able to create custom housings for the rear. Although this install didn’t go exactly as planned, the end result yielded the same outcome. The Escort Redline was professionally installed in an elegant and timeless manner.

Rear laser housings Escort Redline Ci 360C Porsche 992
Rear laser housings Escort Redline Ci 360C Porsche 992

To learn more about an Escort Redline Ci 360C installation for your vehicle reach out to our shop, Sounds Incredible Mobile in Brookfield, CT. If you’re a Porsche owner interested in this custom Redline Ci 360C install kit, but you are located well outside our area, please reach out to MSC-America to find an expert near you.

Ford Bronco Speaker Upgrade

Bronco Speaker Upgrade

This week in the shop we had the pleasure of working on this Ford Bronco Badlands edition that was in desperate need of a stereo upgrade. This Bronco came equipped with the base 6-speaker audio system featuring a set of 6.5″ kick panel speakers, dash tweeters and rear 4″ sound bar speakers.

The stock Bronco stereo system is very underwhelming due to a couple limiting factors:

  • Lack of power
  • Low quality original speakers – which are also simply too small in the rear sound bar
  • Lack of a subwoofer to reproduce any sort of bass

Your first thought might be to do a Bronco speaker upgrade, but without addressing the core issues above, you are spinning your wheels. You’ll never hear the full potential of higher quality aftermarket speakers unless you include a DSP amplifier to A) clean up the shoddy signal coming from the original radio B) add the power that is missing.

DSP Amplifier necessary for non amplified models

If you happen to have the premium 8 speaker B&O system, you don’t necessarily have to use a DSP amplifier. For OEM amplified models we prefer to use a digital pre-amp adapter such as the PAC Audio AP4-FD31. The pre-amp adapter allows us to get a flat, clean RCA pre-amp level or toslink digital out from the factory radio. From there you could go to a high quality aftermarket amp or one with a DSP included. To learn more about pre-amp adapters, you can check out this video below.

The pre-amp adapter isn’t currently an option for the basic 6 speaker model. That is why in this Bronco speaker upgrade we used the MATCH UP 6 DSP amplifier. Don’t let the size of this compact little amp fool you. It packs a tremendous amount of power and audio control tools making it an amazing value.

Bronco Speaker Upgrade - MATCH UP 6 DSP amplifier

The MATCH UP 6 DSP is one of our shops favorite DSP amps to use. It features 4 channels of power at 65 watts plus another 2 at 90 watts RMS @ 4 ohm. The higher powered channels are also 2 ohm stable and deliver 160 watts at that resistance. The MATCH UP 6 DSP is what allows us to analyze and correct the crummy signal coming from the original radio. It features a whopping 31 bands of equalization per channel.

But really – why do I need a DSP amp for my Bronco speaker upgrade?

Have you ever heard the analogy garbage in/garbage out? If you don’t use a DSP amp with your Bronco speaker upgrade, that is essentially what you’re dealing with. Your speakers performance will continue to be throttled unless you include a DSP amp to change that signal from garbage to clean and powerful. Only adding an amp without addressing the quality of signal simply makes that crummy signal louder. To learn more about our shops car audio tuning process, whether it be with a DSP amp or aftermarket head unit, check out the video below.

With a clean audio signal and plenty of power in place, we upgraded the Bronco speakers using the Sony Mobile ES XS-162ES 6.5″ component speakers in front and XS-160ES 6.5″ in the rear.

Using the right Bronco speaker mounting adapters

To upgrade to larger speakers in the rear, we used the Metra 6.5″ sound bar kit FD-BROPOD1. This kit is a must in order to create a nice full range response in the rear. The great part about this accessory is the factory fit and finish. You can barely see the Sony logo under the grille which is perfect. No one will know this Bronco has an upgraded stereo unless they hear it.

Ford Bronco Speaker Upgrade Sony Mobile ES

For the front 6.5″ kick panel speakers we used speaker mounting adapters and fast rings. A fast ring is a foam ring that goes around the outer edge of the speaker. This helps to create a seal against the panel directing more of the sound waves directly into the cabin, rather than getting lost in the kick panel itself. We also used mounting adapters for the dash tweeters enabling us to neatly mount the new Sony tweeters in the factory location under the original grilles.

Ford Bronco Speaker Upgrade featuring Sony Mobile ES component speakers

These Sony Mobile ES speakers deliver sound quality with high power handling capability. A combo that is hard to beat. To learn more about the Sony Mobile ES speakers, check out my video below.

This Bronco speaker upgrade would not be complete without a subwoofer. Did you know that we can hear down to 20 Hz? Yet your average 6.5″ car stereo speaker can only really effectively play down to about 60 – 80 Hz. Even then it’s typically not even at a high enough output level to overcome things like road noise and wind noise. That’s a pretty big gap in frequency range. This is why you need a subwoofer. To fill in that natural frequency range that is missing from your Bronco car stereo system.

Bronco subwoofer upgrade

The Bronco is tight. Most clients want to utilize the existing cargo space without any compromise. Thankfully Stinger makes a great little 400 watt 12″ subwoofer designed to mount right on the swing gate.

Bronco tail gate subwoofer

This low profile enclosure looks clean and sounds amazing. Powered by the MATCH UP 1FX shown below. Both amplifiers were mounted discretely under the driver and passenger seat using a vehicle specific amp mounting rack by Stinger Electronics.

MATCH UP 1 FX Bronco Stereo Upgrade

With each speaker on its own dedicated channel perfectly tuned and dialed in, we don’t want to change the signal going to them by adjusting the bass level on the original radio. Instead, we leave that at 0 and have the Conductor control knob acting as a dedicated sub level control knob.

Conductor as a sub level control knob

The Conductor is a programmable illuminated control knob specific to the Helix/MATCH family of DSP products. It can be programmed to activate different listening presets such as one for driver, another for driver + passenger or, top up, top down, etc. In this application we used it solely as a sub level control knob.

Our preferred mounting location in the Bronco would be on the center console, but it was too crowded with the aftermarket Best Top power top switch so we mounted it right behind the 4-wheel drive control knob.

A true Bronco stereo upgrade requires the total package

This might seem a bit like an all or nothing approach, but the reality is, if you want to upgrade the audio in your Bronco, you need to address each weakness in the factory system:

  • Lack of clean signal
  • Lack of power
  • Low quality original speakers
  • Tiny rear speakers
  • Lack of a subwoofer to reproduce any sort of bass

With this quality package of equipment expertly installed by our experienced technicians, this Bronco stereo is ready to be cranked and enjoyed. Doors off, top down, sun on your skin, warm air flowing though the cabin with excellent tunes fully enveloping you. That is my kind of summer. If you’re ready for a Bronco stereo upgrade, reach out to our shop Sounds Incredible Mobile. Call or text us today to learn more.

Porsche 993 Stereo, Speaker + Amp Upgrade

Porsche 993 Stereo Upgrade

In the shop, we recently had the pleasure of working on this super clean, 1995 Porsche 911. This is one of my favorite types of jobs to do. I love figuring out how to deliver an upgraded audio system while maintaining the integrity of the vehicle and without detracting from the originality or value of the vehicle. If you own a classic Porsche 993, you understand the push and pull that exists between wanting to upgrade the dated stereo and speaker system with the need to keep everything original without modification. You wouldn’t want to do anything that would in any way detract from the value of the vehicle.

Porsche 993 stereo speaker upgrade

That is why I was extremely selective about what components I recommended to this client for their Porsche 993 speaker and stereo upgrade. We had a couple key requirements.

Porsche 993 Stereo Upgrade Rules to Abide by

I naturally wanted to use equipment that would require minimal to no modifications which means we were limited by certain parameters:

  • Use all the original speaker grilles
  • No modification to the dash, doors or wiring
  • Nothing visibly altered other than the PCCM Classic CarPlay stereo in the dash

It was also imperative for me to include an amplifier simply because the power of any in dash aftermarket radio would not be enough to overcome the road/engine noise of this vehicle. Additionally I wanted to use a DSP amplifier in order to extract maximum performance potential possible out of the speakers as we were not going to add any type of subwoofer.

Good Things Come in Tiny Packages

Meet the MATCH UP 6 DSP. Measuring up at 5.12″ x 5.12″ and only 1.81″ tall this compact amp is an installers dream. It’s a 6-channel amp designed for either speaker level connection or optical SPIDF. Unlike many aftermarket car audio amplifiers, it does not feature an RCA connection.

MATCH UP 6 DSP Porsche 993 stereo + speaker upgrade

The MATCH UP 6 DSP is one of our favorite DSP amplifiers here at the shop. We install this particular amp on a regular basis in a wide variety of vehicles. It features 90 watts X 2 RMS plus another 65 watts x 4 RMS @ 4 ohms with an integrated 31 band EQ and Audiotec Fischer’s advanced digital signal processing software. The higher powered channels are also 2 ohm stable which bumps up output to 160 watts x 2. This compact little amp packs a mighty punch!

Key Ingredients to a Seamless Porsche 993 Stereo Upgrade

I’m about to spill some secrets so take note! This car was equipped with the basic stock audio system which has:

  • Factory tweeters measuring at .75 inches
  • 5.25″ front door speakers
  • 4×6 rear door speakers

In order to keep everything fitting nicely under the original grilles, we utilized the Helix Ci 3 series speakers. The 5.25″ Helix Ci 3 speakers fit perfectly without any modification. Prior to the vehicle arriving, I did a lot of research to find out what speakers would fit with the original grilles.

Helix Ci3 Speakers - Porsche 993

Some of the speakers that kept coming up in my research for the Porsche 993 were old and long discontinued MB Quart speakers that featured a .75″ tweeter. After reaching out to Helix to confirm I was on the right track with fitment, I learned that the Helix Ci3 and Ci7 series are similarly sized to some of the 90’s MB Quart models. This is probably due to Helix having a heavy focus on integration with German vehicles, similar to MB Quart’s original roots from back in the day when it was actually made in Germany (MB Quart is a completely different company today). How convenient!

Helix Ci3 Compose Tweeters .75" Porsche 993

Having the right size equipment is half the battle. The other half is the actual execution which presented some challenges that were expertly overcome. John came up with a very creative solution in order to retain the factory speaker grilles. Check it out:

1995 Porsche 911 Speaker Replacement re-using OEM grilles with Helix Ci3 5.25" speakers

Those are little tiny magnets that John glued to the back side of the original grille. This created a very clean, uniform look that is easily serviceable, but also surprisingly strong. While testing out John’s speaker grille solution I was very satisfied to see that these grilles will not easily pop off.

Attention to Detail in Every Installation

As a small business owner serving clients for 25 years, I have come to embrace an eccentric level of attention to detail in the initial planning phases because I want to cover as many variables as possible and have all the questions covered before the car even arrives. This helps to increase overall efficiency, insure we have all the right parts the day the car arrives and minimizes surprises and delays during the installation process. This hyper focus on details is a strength John and I both share.

While working on the car, inevitably, something will pop up that I couldn’t have foreseen. In this case, one such example was the driver’s side door panel. While working on the Porsche 993 speaker replacement, he noticed one edge of the trim was coming apart at the corner.

Be Prepared to Make Repairs Along the Way

Not able to overlook anything, John went ahead and resecured that corner. He even added some additional reinforcement for the other edges to prevent them from coming loose as well.

The man just can’t help himself. If he sees it, he will fix it. Schedules be damned.

While he was at at, he also repainted the grilles with a fresh coat of black paint. Below you can see the final result on the driver’s side with the freshly painted grilles.

The passenger side came out pretty sharp too:

In preparation for the rear speakers, I ordered and set aside a set of 4″ coaxials, the Ci3 C100.2FM-S3 and 4″ components, the Ci3 K100.2FM-S3. I wasn’t sure whether this car was equipped with a 4×6 or the 4″ component we sometimes see in Porsche models. This turned out to be a non amplified Porsche 993 with a set of 4×6 in the rear deck. I was also slightly concerned about the rear tweeter protruding too high up and interfering with the factory grilles, but luckily that was not an issue.

Porsche 993 rear speakers Helix Ci3 C100.2FM-S3

The old original rear speaker grilles did present a major challenge. The plastic base for each side was cracked. Despite John’s numerous attempts and hours spent trying to repair them, the stubborn old plastic would just crack again each time he reattached the grille. After the 3rd attempt to rebuild I convinced him to order new grilles which of course look great.

The new rear grilles look much better than the original 1995 Porsche 911 grilles. The replacement rear grilles weren’t cheap, but we think it was well worth the cost for a clean look.

It’s not just about looks, we also needed this Porsche 993 stereo to be fully functional. The client opted for the Porsche PCCM Classic CarPlay radio.

Making the Porsche PCCM Classic CarPlay Stereo Sound Incredible

The Porsche PCCM Classic CarPlay radio is interesting to me. The display is SO small I am not quite sure how I feel about it. I generally appreciate the overall look of the modern Porsche 993 stereo.

Although the display is small, it certainly fits the dash and maintains a period appropriate look. The knobs and buttons certainly have a factory like feel to them and the Porsche logo on top seals the deal.

PP-ISO 2 MATCH up 6 DSP harness used to connect to the Porsche PCCM Classic CarPlay Stereo

We used the PP-ISO 2 T-harness to make a clean speaker level connection from the Porsche PCCM Classic CarPlay radio to the MATCH UP 6 DSP amplifier. I asked John to mount the amp in the factory location under the passenger seat. If you didn’t know where to look, you’d never know it was there!

Porsche 993 Stereo Upgrade featuring MATCH UP 6 DSP amplifier mounted in factory amp location under passenger seat.

We chose to run each speaker actively for maximum performance and efficiency. Utilizing each channel for each speaker eliminated the need for any external crossover network. The tweeters were run on the 65 watt channels, the 5.25″ midranges powered off the 90 watt channels and the rear 4″ run off the remaining 65 watt channels.

The combination of equipment used along with John’s expert installation and tuning process created a powerful system that was crisp, clean, detailed and vibrant yet fully maintained the original aesthetics of the vehicle. If you’re interested in a clean and classic Porsche 993 stereo upgrade like this for your vehicle, please contact our shop, Sounds Incredible Mobile in Brookfield, CT.

2024 Mercedes E 350 Speaker DSP Amp Audio Upgrade

2024 Mercedes E 350 Standard Audio Upgrade

Missing Burmester

We recently had a client reach out inquiring about what options were available to upgrade the audio system in his 2024 Mercedes E 350. He recently acquired the vehicle, having traded in his last Mercedes which had been equipped with the premium Burmester stereo (option 810). Like so many of the clients that we meet, it wasn’t until after he took delivery that he realized his new Mercedes did not have the premium audio option. It was just the standard audio package and it sucked – BIG time.

How does Mercedes get away with this?

Take a look at this picture. That is a super basic paper cone speaker. Mercedes charges around $80 for this piece of hardware. This is an $80,000 car with a paper cone speaker that couldn’t cost them more than a few dollars to manufacture. They didn’t even throw in a tweeter or whizzer cone! The rear passengers are lucky to have any sound apparently. There is a nice empty channel where a tweeter could have gone if the car had been equipped with the premium audio option.

Thankfully our shop has what it takes to bring this audio system up to and beyond the level of quality you would expect in such a luxury vehicle. For this build we used a combination of vehicle specific products from MATCH and Helix.

Mercedes Standard Audio Components

The standard audio system in the 2024 Mercedes E 350 can be been described as horribly thin, tinny and reminiscent of an old transistor radio. Depending on the build date of your Mercedes you may only have 6 speakers – all in the front and nothing in the rear. However, this vehicle had 8 speakers total:

  • 4″ components (midrange and tweeter) in the front doors
  • Passenger side floor mounted “subwoofer”
  • Driver’s side floor mounted subwoofer dummy plate
  • 4″ round piece of foam in the center channel speaker location
  • 4″ rear mid range speakers – we were surprised there were actually speakers back here – you could barely hear them!
2024 Mercedes E 350 with standard audio - center channel speaker location.

Not wanting to do any sort of modifications to the vehicle, our plan was to use a combination of Helix and MATCH products including a super handy vehicle specific T-harness.

MATCH and Helix – the Perfect Match for this 2024 Mercedes E 350

The MATCH UP 8 DSP amplifier is at the heart of this 2024 Mercedes E 350 audio upgrade. This compact, yet truly powerful DSP amp features a hearty 6 channels x 65 watts RMS (4 ohm) +plus another 2 channels x 160 watts (2 ohm). We used the main channels to power the center channel, front components and rear coaxial speakers and the higher powered channels for the new Helix i5 subwoofers. John found a great spot to mount the amp under the passenger side dash, right behind the glove box.

The DSP software by Audiotec Fischer is what makes this audio system shine. Helix and MATCH DSP amplifiers are our go to product when upgrading a factory audio system because we know the results achievable thanks to their incredible software. We use their vast array of audio tools to perfect whatever audio signal we are working with. Each and every time we execute an audio upgrade using their hardware we remark on how incredible their products are. Our team is always deeply impressed and the client is equally floored by the end result.

2024 Mercedes E 350 8 speaker audio upgrade

The other benefit of the MATCH series products are their vehicle specific T-harnesses. We do not want to modify anything in a brand new vehicle if we can help it. We want the upgrade to be heard, but not seen. This is the case whether you’re simply looking at the vehicle interior or if you’re a Mercedes mechanic taking the car apart and servicing another item in the vehicle. We want these components to integrate seamlessly and for the most part they do in an exceptional manner.

Mercedes Speaker Upgrade Components

Not having seen the vehicle in person, it was hard for us to verify exactly what this car was equipped with prior to it arriving for the audio upgrade. Using the MATCH upgrade finder and working with MSC America, we presumed based on earlier models we would need the MATCH UP C42MB-FRT for our front component speakers and the UP S4MB-CTR for our center channel. However, once we disassembled the front doors, we hit a snag.

2024 Mercedes E 350 audio upgrade - MATCH UP 8 DSP

The UP S4MB-CTR matched perfectly for the center channel, but we found the front doors utilized a different type of mounting system. At this point we were already committed to the Match series speakers. We are big fans of their silk dome tweeter.

In order to use the MATCH UP C42MB-FRT John did have to make a modification to the plastic factory speaker housing in the front doors. If we were to do this again, we would recommend using either the Helix Compose i3 series (titanium dome tweeter) or Compose i7 series (silk dome) along with the appropriate CFMK100 MB.5 flex mount adapters.

MATCH C42MB-FRT - not a perfect match for 2024 Mercedes E350

The MATCH series speakers sounded superb. The silk dome tweeter is delicate and detailed, the midrange quite warm and pleasant. Performance wise we were quite happy with this choice despite the modification that we hadn’t planned on. After discovering this car had rear speakers, we proceeded with the Helix Compose Ci3 C100.2FM-S3 (3 ohm) with the Flex Mount adapter for a perfect fit.

Helix Compose i3 Mercedes E350 speaker upgrade

The speakers is this car are really quite small. Even with a robust DSP amplifier, the best 4″ speakers can only play so low in frequency range. To really fill out this audio system with some depth and punch we needed to reproduce bass. But we did not want to see any type of subwoofer enclosure in the trunk or anywhere else in the vehicle. Meet the Helix i5 S200FM-S2.

The Helix Compose i5 Subwoofers Steal the Show

Hands down, the showstopper of this Mercedes audio upgrade are the Helix Compose i5 subwoofers. Holy cow. The amount of bass these free air subwoofers produce is off the charts and totally unexpected. Granted anything was an upgrade over the single passenger side factory subwoofer – if you can really call it that.

This is what the factory 2024 Mercedes E 350 subwoofer looks like:

2024 Mercedes E350 factory subwoofer

And this is what the Helix Compose i5 subwoofer looks like:

Helix Compose i5 Subwoofer

This 8″ (200 mm) mid bass/woofer is available in single 2 ohm voice coil or dual 2 ohm voice coil. These impressive drivers also have some serious weight to them. They can handle up to 200 watts RMS and perform as both a mid range and subwoofer covering a frequency range of 25 to 500 Hz. Using the Flex Mount adapter CFMK200 MB.1S, the i5’s fit perfectly in the factory locations. Accessing these areas to install the new subwoofers does take a little time and skilled maneuvering.

Helix Compose i5 subwoofer Mercedes E350

John removed the dummy plate from the driver’s side footwell to install the new Helix i5 subwoofer. He also had to run wiring for the new sub to the new MATCH UP 8 DSP amplifier. The passenger side subwoofer is buried pretty deeply behind power distribution panel. The necessary effort to access and upgrade both sides is well worth it for the dramatic performance and punch the i5’s deliver.

Mercedes factory subwoofer upgrade featuring Helix Compose i5

It’s not only important to select the right components for an audio upgrade. It’s equally important to have these products installed by a skilled technician that knows how to use the tools of the DSP software.

DSP Tune for the Magic Touch

Installing the actual equipment is just half the battle. Setting up the DSP correctly to optimize and maximize performance is something our technician John is a master at. Once all of the equipment was installed he began the tuning process which he usually spends anywhere from 2-4 hours doing.

2024 Mercedes E350 audio upgrade

This involves setting up digital time alignment so all speakers are timed to hit the driver’s ears at the same time. It also entails setting optimal crossover points and gains for each speaker. Critically, it involves analyzing the frequency response with an RTA using pink noise with a mic stand set up in the driver’s listening position. The technician then makes the adjustments necessary in the MATCH UP 8 DSP to achieve the optimal sound quality RTA curve. Once this is complete, we do some additional fine tuning by ear listening to a variety of audio tracks together. I like to include sample tracks from the client as well.

Upgrading the stereo system in a brand new vehicle doesn’t have to be complicated if you use the right equipment and the right team to execute the task. If you’re interested in upgrading the audio system in your vehicle, contact our shop today. We’d love to help take your audio system from Standard to Holy Cow!

Have you tried the MATCH or Helix products in your vehicle? If so, let me know what you think of it in the comments below.