>>> RADIO / STEREO <<<

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

What can I add to my radio that will give it a bit more volume ??

I am not interested in vibrating people's bedroom windows and cracking block walls; I just want to be able to hear the radio clearly over the engine's roar.

The factory-original stereo in my son's 1990 W-250 is loud and clear; I would love to have the same sound quality in my F-350.

Thanks.

 

[linkman440]

From my experience ford factory stereos are under powered. I just change my speakers out and that helped quite a bit. But there just isn't enough watts out of the radio to get anything

 

[GOOSE]

Polk make some great speakers. I would replace the ones in your doors, most likely 6.25" speakers, and add a pair of 6x9" behind the seat or in the lower rear doors if a crew cab. After that, almost any new head unit will give you an astounding improvement in volume, sound quality, and radio reception.

 

[smolkin]

This is the audio equivalent of "What can I do to make my stock IDI faster?" There are many paths up that mountain, depends how much you want to deviate from the OEM look and how much you want to spend. I think there may have been a "Premium" sound option that Ford offered, don't know if they put it in these trucks, but my '87 Tempo had a little amp under the package tray. But then again I've never seen another one, so it might have been a dealer option.

FWIW I have a 6yr-old Walmart CD/MP3 player that I paid $70 for...been in 4 diff. vehicles of mine since, keeps on truckin. Swap in some cheap ($30) 6.5"s in the doors since OEM ones are miserable, and there you go. If you have a reg cab, you can get cheap truck boxes to put behind the seats; I have some little Optimus 8" with tweeters on top that I just run off radio power. The result is very functional but not too "urban".

 

[BrandonMag]

I installed a Kenwood head unit, a JL two-channel amp and a pair of 6.5" Pioneer component speakers in the doors of my F250; it sounds great.

If you're just looking to get a little more volume out of your existing head unit, new speakers will help. Here's a tip that most people overlook: speaker wire. If you decide to install new speakers, buy a 50 ft. roll of 14 gauge speaker wire and use it in place of your 18-gauge factory wiring. Do both of those things and I think you'll be impressed with your new stereo.

 

[riotwarrior]

Go to stereo shop....listen to all the different speakers till you find ones you like. TAKE YOUR OWN MUSIC CD and listen to what you like!

Once you find a set of speakers...install those in the doors, Try that with the factory head unit for a while. If still not enough, then go head unit shopping. Pay close attention to how the controls work, would it be fumbly in the dark? Rotary volume is generally the best...button up/down for volume sucks, I like to reach over zip that knob up or down as needed myself. Also pay particular attention to the level of brightness and colour of the display. Some head units have different colour options and can be adjusted up/down in intensity as well. My wife bought a unit that is BLUE and I mean really really bright BRIGHT BLUE at night so much so I have to turn the unit off completely. Or stick a big tab of tape over the display because it is just overwhelmingly bright. It has a negative effect on my night vision and is distracting!

Once you find a head unit with features/display/controls you like. Invest in a factory harness adapter. This allows you to sit in your easy chair, wire the stereo to the adapter, go out to truck plug in and slide deck in ....barring that you already installed the sleeve for mounting deck!

Take a piece of cardboard, label it stereo removal tools, stick the tools that come with the deck on the cardboard and hide that some place you know in your cab! A failure on the road and no way to remove stereo sucks....trust me on this!

There that's my how to make it louder better...There is more but it requires some cutting of wood to fit doors and small amp etc. How fast do you want yer IDI how much do u wanna spend....HOW LOUD do u wanna go...how much do u wanna spend!

 

[Old Blue]

If you are attached to your factory head unit and find that door speakers alone won't do the trick, buy yourself a small 2 channel amplifier with speaker level inputs. You can wire your left and right channel up to that and drive either the front door speakers, a new set of speakers in the rear, or drive the set of 4 speakers off the new amplifier.

I too am considering upgrades but I'm soundproofing the cab a little bit first and see how much that helps. I find the aftermarket head units I've seen lacking for an old truck like mine, maybe if I had a Honda they would fit right in, but in the truck a lot of them just seem out of place. Let me know if you find a head unit that you like that doesn't stick out. It would be nice to have some new features like line in and bluetooth in a unit that doesn't look like it belongs in a gettomobile.

 

[FordGuy100]

I have the stock head unit in mine (gotta dial in the station...oh yeahh!) with some speakers I just picked up at Napa. It definatly helped out a lot! I dont think the speakers were to expensive, something like $60-70, nothing to major. Pair them up with a new head unit, and you should be golden.

 

[riotwarrior]

REMEMBER folks...


SPEAKERS ARE THE KEY...THEY ARE WHAT WE HEAR.....BUY DECENT SPEAKERS FIRST BEFORE THE HEAD UNIT.....THEN ADD HEAD UNIT WITH FEATURES AND SO FORTH YOUR LOOKING FOR....ULTIMATELY...It's the speakers you hear though!...so listen to lots before you buy....with your own music...at a volume you like...don't take no guff from no salesman...listen to one whom knows...

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

here's my setup:

JVC CD Receiver WAV/MP3/WMA/WMA-DRM/iPod & iPhone Audio/Dual USB #KD-R900
Rockford Fosgate Prime # R250-4
Pioneer 4-Way Premier A-series Front 6.5" Speakers #TSA1683R
Pioneer 4-Way Premier A-series Rear 6x8" Speakers #TSA6882R

she can really scream if desired.however im just into reasonable volume levels.i enjoy the clarity.

if your just looking for increased depth and volume,the frosgate amp may be all you need.however like others,id suggest some real speakers too if you want true updated sound.

 

[idi_econoline]

Figured out early on that my E had no stereo, nor even radio from the factory. Not the best install job. So, I've been upgrading as I go along.

Older Blaupunkt head unit was stolen a couple years ago; replaced with cheapy Pioneer.

Will be replacing old, crunchy speakers with something a bit better. Oval speaker holes in E doors, BTW. I bought 4x6", but looks like I need 5x7s!

And replaced the universal-fit antenna and cable with a used factory unit. Someone had to make the center fender hole larger to make the universal fit!

Time for new speaker wiring, too. Cheap stuff looks like 18 ga, maybe!

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Thanks for all the ideas; keep them coming.

A couple questions come to mind after reading these replies.

1. BLUETOOTH ABILITY : What various benefits does one gain with a stereo that has "bluetooth" ??

2. TWO-CHANNEL AMP : What is meant by the channels and are there also "one-channel" or "more-than-two-channel" amps ??



Thanks, FORDF250HDXLT, for the actual part-numbers; I will definitely be looking those up.

 

[The Warden]

1. BLUETOOTH ABILITY : What various benefits does one gain with a stereo that has "bluetooth" ??

There's two potential benefits.

First and IMHO most importantly, it lets you connect a cell phone to your radio...the radio will also have a remote-mount microphone that you can put somewhere (the driver's side visor is a popular spot), so you can use your cell phone "hands-free" without having a headset stuck in your ear. It's basically like a speaker phone; the person you're talking to's voice will come over the vehicle's speakers. If you don't ever use your phone while driving or your state doesn't have hands-free laws, then it's a moot point.

Second, if you have a Bluetooth-capable mp3 player or if you keep your music stored on your phone, you can pair the device to your radio and have it "stream" your music through the radio without a physical wire, if you so wish.

 

[f-two-fiddy]

You don't have to spend a fortune to have decent sound. Good quality speakers Are key.

I recently updated my setup using an Alpine HD138BT and a new Alpine product, the KTP445U Power Pack. I'm very inpressed with both, so much so that the wifes ride is getting a power pack. For such a small inexpensive amp, it's amazing.

BT is great in a car stereo, I use mine all the time with Pandora.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

here's my setup:

JVC CD Receiver WAV/MP3/WMA/WMA-DRM/iPod & iPhone Audio/Dual USB #KD-R900
Rockford Fosgate Prime # R250-4
Pioneer 4-Way Premier A-series Front 6.5" Speakers #TSA1683R
Pioneer 4-Way Premier A-series Rear 6x8" Speakers #TSA6882R

she can really scream if desired.however im just into reasonable volume levels.i enjoy the clarity.

if your just looking for increased depth and volume,the frosgate amp may be all you need.however like others,id suggest some real speakers too if you want true updated sound.

I just looked at the JVC receiver on Amazon, but the information details were quite lacking.

I assume the big round thing is the volume knob, right ??

It is also a radio, right ??

If it is indeed a FM radio, how does one switch from one pre-selected station to another ??

What is "pandora" ??


Does it also have a clock display ??


Sorry for so many questions.



From what I gather, seeing as how us poverty-stricken Kentuckians must always cross the creek one rock at a time, my best plan of action is to first upgrade the speakers, including bigger wire and strategically located sound-deadener, then add the amp, and finally a good head-unit, right ??


Thanks.