2011 Ford F-150: The full range of sound quality

This discerning father and son approached us wanting to improve sound quality as a birthday present. We came up with a solution to deliver a marked improvement in the sound quality within a reasonable budget. We did not change the factory radio but added an amplifier, modified the door panels to provide enhanced sound but still look well integrated (component speaker upgraded where there was no factory component location) and added a single subwoofer under the rear seat. The rear stage was left factory but we pre-wired the installation so an upgrade of the rear speakers at a later date would require minimal duplicate work on our part to save the son as much as possible (that part of the build is going to get funded by his summer job).

This long time customer in home and commercial audio/video integration brought us their new Sprinter Van for a number of upgrades over the first year that they had it in service. Over the past months, when the van was in town and not on the road, we added a custom subwoofer enclosure and five channel amplifier, door speakers, backup camera, new AV receiver and a power inverter to keep them entertained on the road and able to do the work they need to.

We usually only have it long enough to get the installation done and have not had a chance to snap photos of all the different components installed but did manage to get one of the inverter before they reconfigured the interior work space again.

This customer came to us with a factory sound system that needed a lot of help. After listening to a couple different options, our demo car was what let them get a true understanding of what it sounds like to have a fully integrated and upgraded audio system.

A subwoofer, amplifier and upgraded speakers along with appropriate installation gear were selected to provide much better sound than factory but kept the car’s appearance and function unaltered.

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The owner of this Accent spends a lot of time in the car and the variety of music that they listen to required some serious changes. When we first heard the car, we knew right off that new speakers were needed but the owner couldn’t believe just how bad they were. A non-mechanism Bluetooth receiver hit the spot for his listening preferences (Spotify) and is ready for the next stage of upgrades (amplifier and subwoofer).

While the install was in progress, we spent some time listening to some amplifier and subwoofer options. We found that he also had issues with sound quality because of his source device. The same music when played from one of our smart phones had better signal quality.

Schedule a Consultation: 919-779-8755

Having just bought the car earlier that day, this customer brought us his almost silent Caprice. We found most of the speakers to be dead and the radio not functioning, either. In just a few short hours, we were able to restore sound to the front stage and provide an appropriate source unit that could connect to any of his devices.

Rear speakers and a healthy dose of bass (the trunk is huge!) are soon to follow…

Schedule a Consultation: 919-779-8755

This customer came all the way from Fayetteville, NC just to work with our shop because he heard of our excellent customer service. He had a huge system in his old Camaro and wanted to get all the pieces from it installed into his new GMC vehicle. We did the work spread across a few visits to help him manage the project in his budget.

Visit #1: Install his high end component speakers in the front doors
Visit #2: Fabricate custom subwoofer enclosure for three 3″ subs (600W x 3 = 1800W)
Visit #3: OEM audio integration, amplifier installations, and component speakers for rear doors

Schedule a Consultation: 919-779-8755

This customer came to us wanting improved sound in their Mustang. The stock Shaker system was inadequate for their taste (especially when the OEM system in their other vehicle was better).

A new CD receiver, amplifier, full set of speakers and subwoofer was just what they needed to fill their ears with great sound with the wind in their hair. On time and on budget is what we did and the smiles were endless when they heard their new sound system for the the first time.

Schedule a Consultation: 919-779-8755

This customer has made two visits in the past year. The first was to replace the front factory speakers that offered low sound quality and clarity.

The second visit was to deal with the rear speakers (after being spoiled with by the superior sound of the fronts). We provided them two options for this visit: coaxial and component. The factory door panel has a place for them but this particular car’s sound package did not come with them. As such, we were able to integrate component speakers without modifying the existing door panel.

We anticipate a third visit in the near future to add an aftermarket amplifier, as the speakers are “barely breathing” at full volume with the factory radio.

Schedule a Consultation: 919-779-8755

This beautiful Air Nautique boat came in for our famous Radio-Active technical diagnosis and customer service. The tower speakers weren’t playing and the bass wasn’t thumping when it arrived.

The owners left with smiles on their faces once we got it rocking again with a few simple parts and our superior technical skills. And they are looking forward to us helping them plan a whole new sound system for the next boating season!

Schedule a Consultation: 919-779-8755

This referral from a prior customer stopped by with his beautiful motorcycle and needed some help with a non-functional radio. It had been months since it had worked and he was headed out of town with his motorcycle club for a motorcycle rally in Florida and wanted to have music for the trip down. He figured the original motorcycle radio had some minor wiring issue and that was why it wasn’t working. He left us the motorcycle to troubleshoot early in the afternoon. We found the radio was bad (it had a refurbished unit tag on it) and we had to quickly come up with a plan so he could make his trip in time.

We decided together that upgrading all the speakers (since they were original) as well as the receiver (opting to not retain the factory intercom functions) would meet all of his needs and that adding an amplifier for the speakers [...]