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AUII Falcon Forte - Sound Upgrade Questions

2K views 8 replies 3 participants last post by  au2_xpack 
#1 ·
in my AUII forte i've got the standard 100w (apparently) sound system.

I am thinking of upgrading, speaker wise only because i can't change the headunit or even get to it (car isn't mine).

I've pretty much decided on the following equipment - just wanted to ask some install questions.

jaycar 2x84w mofset amp, jaycar 12inch double stack enclosure kit, pair of JLaudio 5x7s.

i'm going to use the JLs in the front. how hard is it to get the speakers in the door? how much space is in the door? will i have to cut or break anything? how do i get it off (and back on)? will the JLs run fine off the standard headunit?

for the sub in the boot - can i run the amp off the wires comming from the head unit to the back speakers? will i need a high to low converter? has anyone done this before? risks?

Thanks a million to anyone that can help!!!!
 
#2 ·
Long post warning:

Tacky, I'll try and help u out, but I'm definitely no car expert here. But with help from a mate (neither of us are pro's), we managed to u/g the whole factory system. Anyways here goes:

As you can work out from my alias, I have the same car (au2 forte). The JL 5x7 speakers you are talking about: are the TR570-CX ?? (am I right?? :) ) If so, I have them as well (actually I had one pair for rears and the another for fronts, but recently changed my fronts to splits). Anyways, if that's the model you are referring to, then yes they are a snug fit, and no cutting of anything was needed. They ran fine off head unit, but obviously amped was significantly better (I think the factory h/u's only put out ~10-15rms or something??). And the highpass filters on the amp help as well.

The best advice I can give is consider buying the Gregory's workshop manual for the car, I found it very useful (among other things it describes step by step how to get various panels and door skins on/off and how to get the h/u out etc). If you want me to list some instructions gimme a yell (but IMHO it's a really good thing to have anyway, also it has pics).

As far as running your amp off the rear h/u speaker wiring. It depends, because I'm not familiar with your amp. If it has a feature called "high-level inputs" then yes you should be able to use the head unit wiring (as always, initially be conservative with your gain settings, use of bass boost and use of h/u volume control, because I know the factory decks will clip when cranked). If you don't have "high-level inputs" on the amp, you'll need high-low converters (I think you could ask for these at jaycar?).

If you want some good advice on system components, or car stereo tips I'd highly recco visiting the forums on www.caraudioaustralia.com . But the guru's on this site should be able to help you out as well :)

Just my 2 cents.
 
#3 ·
Swoit

Thanks so much for your thoughts xpack!

Yeah i'm getting the TR570-CX from JB hifi in brisbane. i've heard them and they are pretty good. i know the best is to hook them up to the amp but i really am restricted to minimal minimal alteration of the car - perhaps at a later date. doing things in stages is a good idea.

With the gregory's manual - what a fantastic idea! i'll hunt around up here and get one.

with regards the amp, i've heard nothing but fantastic reviews about it if you go to jaycar's website www.jaycar.com.au it's catalogue number is AA0432. yes it has high level inputs so i should be fine there. also - good idea - be conservative with the gain, ect first!

i'm going to be doing it all this weekend sometime, so yeah wish me luck.


Thanks again,

Tacky
 
#4 ·
Another long post:

Tacky, as I said before I'm no expert, but since you're installing this weekend, I though I'd post a couple of tips that might help you (well stuff that I remember having problems with ...apologies in advance if they seem too "obvious" or "basic").

Speakers: When you get the front door skins off, you'll find to get the speakers out, you will see that the screws do not have a normal head. According to the gregory's manual to remove them you'll need an "E6 Torx" socket. [Also when u get a factory speaker out, be sure to hold it next to the JL's for a comparison, and you'll see exactly why the JL's are going to sound so much better :)].

When trying to get the door skins loose, you'll prolly need to use a flat head screw driver. Put some fabric over the tip to to protect your paint.

Amp: To run cable from the engine bay into the cabin: In my car (an auto), there was a nice sized hole already there to feed amp power cable through the firewall (I'm told it's used for the clutch cable in a manual). However, the cabling for my alarm is using that hole. So, the next best place I found was (hard to describe but): say you're looking into the engine bay: top, back left corner there's a big black grommet through which a lot of the main wiring goes through. By puncturing a small hole in this I was able to get 4 gauge cable into the cabin (later on you can seal the hole).

Amp Fuse: (ie the one that goes between the amp and battery) be sure to buy the right one (ie amp rating) and either use good double sided tape or physically screw it down on metal so there's no chance of it moving.

Installation (this one is pretty obvious but I learnt it the hard way hehehe): Start in the morning, not at night, because at night if you find out you need/forgot something, the bunnings (it's a hardware shop in melb) shops won't be open !! :)

Since you're not pulling out the h/u or replacing the factory cabling to front speakers, I think that's about all I can think of off the top of my head.

Good Luck :) (ooh and remember to disconnect the battery !! hehehe).
 
#6 ·
Pics

Yeah pics i'll see what i can do!

I'm doing it all tmro so i'll try and remember a camera


Xpack - thanks a mill for the info!!! i got the gregory's manual and had a look in it - got everything i need to know in there. swoit.
but i'm not sure if i'll do the door speakers tmro. i'm waiting to get a better price on the speakers 170atm from JBhifi - i should be able to get them for 140/150.

so i'll probably only do the sub and amp first

Thanks again for your input.

Wish me luck!!!
 
#7 ·
Cokekid: There's basically nothing to see with my install. Apart from the head unit, the stereo "looks" pretty much stock. Speakers are hidden behind the factory grills (kinda the way I like it). Anyways, I'm also not really comfortable posting pics.

About your questions: The only thing I did change was later on I ended up getting splits for the fronts instead of coax. Altho, since the speakers are 5x7 front and rear, I still use 5x7's as rears. Also, I think I should have gotten an amp with a bit more power (but it's always easier in hindsight). Aside from that, it's definitely nothing special, but I'm happy with it :)

If you're thinking of u/g your system, I can already tell you what the two biggest choices that you will have to make are :)

(1) Do you keep the factory head unit? Because you'll like the way it looks because it matches the interior and you'll like the way it interfaces to the steering wheel controls (most (all?) aftermarket h/u won't be able to do this. Well, not without some jiggery pokery tho afaik).
(2) Do you stick to going for a 5x7 sized speaker (which will be the easiest to install), or should u go for a conventional round speaker (eg 5.25"), of which there is much much much more range to choose from (also it's much easier to get shops that have them available for demoing).

If you haven't thought about either of those yet, don't worry, you will when the time comes ;)

Tacky: good that you got the manual :) About the price you're being quoted on those speakers, I'll go further and say $170 is an absolute B/S price. fyi I bought a pair last year (in august) from jb for $149. You should be able to get them to beat that price or at the very least, match it. [Edit: absolute worst case, tell them that you can get them from hifidirect online for $155 and see what they do ?] --> http://www.hifidirect.com.au/product.asp?product=JLA-TR570-CX


Anyways, enough of my ramblings.

Just my 2 cents.
 
#8 ·
Pics

Umm i don't know how or i don't think i can attach pictures.

However if you want to see some pictures on how I installed the sub, amp and all wiring drop me a PM or ICQ 10510786, or email me on eagerbees@hotmail.com


First off i want to say thank you very very much guys for your input!

I haven't done the front door speakers yet - that's a task for another day, I've only done the sub and amp.

BTW - the dual voice coil sub ****ing r0x0rz!!!! seriously ****ing kewl.

the power for the amp i got through the firewall by going through the hole for the clutch cable.
remote wire i plugged into the sat nav fuse
grounding wire for amp and high level out i secured to the bootlid with a nut.
the sub box itself is just sitting there - chocked up with a brick until i can figure something more permanent out. it really fits quite sung.

the hardest part of the whole process was running the power and remote wire under the B pillar (that's the one in the middle of the car yes?). In the AUII it is really really tight in there. it also changes level from the front to the back half of the car. also the only passage through is very low down. use a coat hanger connected to the wire, with two ppl - one forcing the wire through the other trying to find it.

i was originally using a 3 speaker setup (two in front doors and sug) and there wasn't enough treble and mid from the back. so i hooked up the back speakers as well. now 5 speaker setup.

fader control is now basically sub control, and one thing i can recommend is that you always leave PL (no distortion mode) on and loudness off. in this way, distortion never happens!

All in all, very very happy with the setup - looking forward to getting JL5x7s for the front.

P.S, lemme know if you want to see pics
 
#9 ·
Good Stuff Tacky !! :) It's always so satisfying to do something yourself and have it work :)

Compared to what you've just done, connecting front speakers is a piece of piss (assuming you're going to be connecting them to the h/u and will use the existing factory wiring).

As far as pics go, yeah sure I'd like to see them, but I won't ask you for them because I wouldn't be able to reciprocate.

Anyways, definitely have some fun with it (I've heard those jaycar subs can go pretty hard :) )
 
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