Thats a nice box!, giggity.

 

I'm a little confused. So if one uses the PAC converter, then you have to keep the stock Sony amp and run the system passive? Is there a way to run the system active, with a dedicated DSP unit to custom tune the sound?

I've seen a few different companies with sub boxes that go against the rear wall. Others have built their own sub box. If you only use one sub, there's room to install the amps against the back wall.

 

The PAC unit takes a pure digital audio stream from the head unit bus and sends to the VXi amps via optical digital. The amps have onboard DSP. Every driver/speaker can be tuned and time-aligned independently, wirelessly. This includes the sub which has its own 1000 VXi single channel amp. You must keep the SONY amp with the PAC unit, although I’m not sure why, as it’s not in the music playback chain at all.

 

JL Audio Stealthbox

 

Thanks! It’s stealthy, true to its name. Some of the other underseat enclosures are awesome but designed more with a statement aesthetic.

 

you said the correct size is the longer box. I assume the smaller box is just too small to be optimal for that sub?

 

Correct. They made a mistake and cut the wrong box out. That small box was meant for their jl 10 Inch version. I realized after some time of it not sounding like it should that it had to be the wrong size. After taking measurements I found it was only .50cuft. Their customer service is excellent! They sent the correct one out no questions asked.

 

ok thank you for making that clear. I have the Sony system in my 17 and hate it. The fall off sucks as anything other than radio needs to be around volume 16-20 and gets so muddy.

i use my under seat and would prefer behind the seat system like that! I’ve seen some JL 8’s used but worried with all the time and money would it be “enough”.

how does that 13 sound? I assume you had to relocate the factory Sony amp for that box to fit?

thanks!

 

I think it sounds great no matter what kind of music is played. It's not like a JL 10w7 in output but very accurate and definitely pounds if you want it to. I'm powering it with a JL Slash 500/1. I did remove the factory B&O amp from the bracket and removed the bracket. The factory amp is just between the box and seat for now until I get time to figure out what I want to do with it.
As for the 2- 8s, I've heard a set years ago but cant really say how well it sounded compared to this 13.

 

Does your seat fold up all the way?

 

With the factory amp just hanging out where it is right now, no not the whole way. Last couple inches it stops. That will be easy fix, I just have to lift box out and slide the factory amp under seat. On passenger side, it does fold the whole way.

 

Absolutely awesome!

 

Thanks! Would you keep us updated if you get that seat all the way up after moving the amp?

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...or-stereo.html

 

I’ve had the system installed and have been enjoying it for a few weeks, so I thought I’d share pictures of the amps behind the rear seat, and give a short review.

Sound:
The sound is fantastic. Major areas of improvement (1) imaging: it’s impossible to get this perfect in a vehicle sitting in the driver’s seat, but the ability to DSP each driver/speaker produces a very good soundstage with focused vocals in the center of the dash and tons of special separation to the far right (and somewhat to the left ear). It’s as good as you are going to get in a vehicle (2) sound: the Audiofrogs are great. Beautiful highs, rich mids, and the 2X JL’s are fast and provide amazing low true bass (3) volume. This is a big one. I can go really, really loud with no audible distortion. The system is set to max at 80% of capability, and I don’t get close to that. It’s nice to be able to turn it up loud and keep it perfectly clean (4) noise floor. The sound treatment is amazing. Driving with the sound system off, it’s remarkably quiet like a quality sedan. You can still hear some outside sounds, but it’s all muted - this is especially useful listening to music with large dynamic range. I can still hear my Toyo AT2s above 60 MPH but they sound a lot more like the factory Michelins now. Overall, given the time and money spent, I’m glad to say that the sound is really, really beautiful.

Observations:
1. Like most good systems, this system reveals bad recordings for what they are, and shines with really good recordings. I moved up to Tidal HiFi and you can really hear the difference now.
2. The range of usable volume changes with the factory volume. While I used to max out at 15, the system now starts with a default of 18, which is lowish, with usable volume between 20 and 30. I typically max at 25 which is loud on the highway. The system does not remember your last used volume, and reverts to 18 when you start the truck. I was annoyed by this at first, but given how loud I listen sometimes, it’s probably for the best.
3. CarPlay works fine through the speakers like you’d expect.
4. OEM sounds like the backup beeps and collision warning do NOT play through the speakers .. .sounds like they come from an in-dash OEM speaker, which is fine with me.
5. They installed a JL Audio control **** for me. I can adjust the mids and sub ... I find that once you get it where you want it, you pretty much leave it alone and it’s perfect. When you push the switch it switches among as many preset modes as you like. Right now I have #2 as party mode, but I’m going to change that to a mirror of #1 with more high frequency roll off to smooth out poor recordings that can sound harsh with the current high frequency setting.
6. I was worried about tearing down the truck and how well it would be reassembled. Happy to report that after reassembly and treatment all the little rattles and sounds that I used to notice are now completely gone. Looks like hand installing and tightening made a difference here.
7. Had a bunch of rain here for the last two weeks - no leaks or damp carpet. You might recall I had a leak when I first got this truck due to a lack of drain tube connection for the moonroof on the driver’s side. Looks like they did a good job with the vapor seals etc. in the doors.
8. Speaking of the doors, they are quite heavy now. You can feel them when you open and close ... solid and inert when you rap on them from the outside.
9. I miss the storage space under my rear seat. There is still space for small items to the rear of the sub. That said, the bass is so awesome I wouldn’t change a thing. That DiamondBack cover is getting more daily use as a result.
10. When they tuned the system they had the batteries on a charger. This led to some wonky Ford System behavior for a day or two after the install - some strange behavior with the battery management system. It normalized after the first day or two.
11. Speaking of batteries, I have 2X Odyssey Extreme AGMs. If you’re going to do this kind of system, it’s probably a good idea to upgrade the OEM batteries.

Overall, extremely pleased. Took about two work weeks to get it done. Feel free to ping me with any questions.