Ford Powerstroke Diesel Forum banner

add subs to stock radio?

22K views 38 replies 16 participants last post by  Rossterman 
#1 ·
i am purchasing a 2008 f250 and i wam wondering if i can add a mild sub/amp to the stock radio. i am not looking for anything extreme, just wanting a little bit of bass in my sound. thanks!
 
#2 ·
#5 ·
I used a audio control lc6 it's an oem interface but it's not plug and play you have to splice the wires behind the dash
 
#8 ·
So what is a decent price for a single sub & amp set up installed?
I realize the quality of components can play a huge role in this, but maybe just a gen cost over view!
The main reason I ask is I went to our local stereo shop yesterday & got a quote for a 10" memphis sub in box, amp not sure what brand installed for $455! I didn't think this was a bad deal!
What do you all think?
Thanks
 
#11 ·
Well I just picked my truck up! The audio shop installed a memphis sr10, didn't have the correct box so at the moment its in between the front and back seat, new box will be here wed., matrix 1000 watt max I'm sure amp & all the wiring components necessary for $455 out the door! I have had big custom systems in the past & this is not 1 of them, but it adds a nice bass to the factory stereo! I say good score!
 
#18 ·
The amount of bass you turn up from the radio will determine the amount of bass signal the amp will receive. But he amp also will have a gain control. So if you turn the bass up just under half way on the radio and you have a decent class d amp (almost always a one channel amp) you will be able to turn the gain up on the amp half way or better and get good quality bass and be able to turn your factory door speakers (your highs or mids) up about all the way and have a good combination of bass and voice.
 
#16 ·
so all i need to do is buy this part aoem-frd24 and i can replace the factory amp and sub?? or does it work in sequential order with the factory amp.. do you leave the factory amp in place?? i'm looking to upgrade mine as well. i just dont want to buy parts that i dont need or not buy everything i need..
 
#17 ·
There are many different adapters out there. Any of them will work. There are some that you just splice into any of the speaker wires and the one you plug your stock radio cable into and plug that into your radio. On any of those boxes you will have your RCA output that you plug into and run to your amp. As far as the rest you run your power cables and when you do your remote wire you can get a test light touch the fuses and see which one turns on and off by the key. You can find one that turns the amp on only with the key forward and then when you turn the key backwards your amp won't get power and you can
Lay the radio without having to worry about killing the battery.

Btw $455 for that setup won't be a bad deal if you get a good clas d amp with it. You need to find out cuz that's a good sub and will require a decent amp to play it.
 
#35 · (Edited)
in order to set up volume elevels and gain, you first need to know your line out voltage. will usually be 1.5 to 4v. you want to set the gain at about whatever voltage your preouts are then tune by ear from there.

when doing a factory system with an add on sub, i first set the stock system to about 3/4 volume (or the highest volume setting with no distortion) and set my treble and bass to get good sound, with no distortion. then set the gain of your sub amp to match your line level inputs, and set any bass boost to off. then i turn it all on, set the volume where i determined my best factory system sound was, and then tune my sub amp settings from there. The gain knob is not a volume knob for the amp, it is their to tell the amp whata the maximum line in voltage will be, so you dont overdrive or "clip" the signal. clipping is hard on amps anad subs alike.
 
#36 ·
All of this is so very true. People always mistake the gain and all of that stuff for being a volume control. It is a signal like you stated being usually 1.5-4v and usually a aftermarket radio puts out about 1-1.5v signal to RCA but of corse your high end ones will put out 3-4v on average.


If they follow your steps above they will be happy with their setup for sure. Well explained sir
 
#37 ·
i would say look at something like these amps. they have speaker level inputs, which negate the need for an external converter.

All Car Amplifiers at Crutchfield.com

also one with an internal crossover......
 
#38 ·
i just bought a kicker mono amp and it comes with a remote bass control and you can run rca's or speaker wire for signal. it is a very simple and versitile typa of amps. i belive it is a dx series?? and i allso wanted to run a single 10 so i ordered one in 2 ohm. a single at 2ohm would draw more if using a smaller amp.
 
#39 ·
It looks like most folks run new speaker wires from the amp directly to the speakers. I'd like to send the amplified speaker signal back down the original radio plug connection an utilize the factory speaker wiring. Can this be done or accomplished by adding an additional plug adapter rather than cutting or splicing any wires? The factory manual isnt clear as to how amplified speaker outputs are handled or if they can be tied back into the facotry wiring?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top