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.
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:
- I had no idea if the wiring behind the Ferrari 612 navigation radio was the same as what we found in the 2005 with the basic single DIN stereo (standard ISO style harness)
- I didn’t know if we could retain the original Bose amp and speakers
- I couldn’t find a single example of anyone having completed this upgrade. Anywhere. Ever. I even reached out to a shop in Dubai that looked like they might have done one, but never heard back.
- I found examples of other Ferrari 612 owners that wanted to do the same thing, but got turned down either by their local dealer or car stereo shop and were told it couldn’t be done on models equipped with navigation
- Even if we can do this, I don’t know that we can retain the audio controls on the steering wheel
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
