Hi there!

(tl;dr putting in a badass stereo system. Check back here for updates and pics)

I started accidentally taking over another thread with my plans for an overhaul of the stereo system in the F-Type so I figured I'd create my own. Before I go into detail, let me get this out of the way... the best sounds of the F-Type come from the engine and exhaust. Nothing to fix there.

However I picked up my 2016 F-Type R about a week and a half ago and on the very first drive home the Meridian system made me so frustrated that I turned it off and haven't turned it back on since. I'm a bit of an audiophile and have had aftermarket car stereos for years, so I knew it's time for an upgrade.

My goals for the system are for it to sound incredibly clear and to really bring the sound of the music to life, to have clear and powerful (but not overpowering) bass, and to maintain the stock look. I want someone sitting in the car to have no idea anything has changed, until I turn on the stereo.

I brought the car to CarTunes of Atlanta (an installer with an amazing reputation in-town and nationally) and have been working with them ever since to figure out what's feasible (and reasonable, money is a real thing!). They spent a couple days exploring the car to see what's possible. Pics of some of that exploration are below.

Now, with the exploration done I met with them today to come up with a plan. Here's what we are doing:

Audison BitOne Processor. This cleans up the signal from the stock stereo, allowing me to send a great signal to the new parts without having to change anything visually in the cabin. No trashy looking thing with a billion lights here... It also allows me to make on the fly preset adjustments to the sound of the system based on the type of music I'm listening to.

Focal K2 Power 165KRX3 component speakers in the front (coming from my old car). These speakers sound incredible. I am absolutely in love. If you like music get yourself to a high end car audio shop and take a listen. You'll hear parts of songs you never knew existed.

JL 10w6v2 sub (from my old car). Great sub for handling a wide variety of music. Can get very deep for things like hip-hop and rap, but also is extremely tight bass for things like alternative and punk. Even better, it doesn't require that much room and so we are hiding it under the trunk space.

JL 600/4 and 900/5. Tons of clean power to drive the speakers and sub. This also allows me to use active crossovers vs passive and avoid the signal loss.

AL Priority Laser Jammer..err..parking sensor. One of the best laser jammers in existence. Tiny heads that allow very clean and unobtrusive look on the outside. Keeping the incredible looks of the car is one of my biggest priorities.

STI-R Plus Radar detector (coming from my old car). Fantastic radar detector. Very configurable and eliminates repeated false alerts using GPS. Display is going to be hidden in either the rear view mirror or the passenger seatbelt indicator.

I'm really excited to hear how this will sound when it's all finished. They estimate it'll take about a week. In the mean time I've asked the shop to send me lots of pictures detailing the install. In the mean time, here are some pics of the speaker pods they've crafted. None of this will be visible when it's finished, but I'm still blown away by the attention to detail.

 

In laymen's terms, can you please explain to us what's wrong with the stereo. Does it lack good treble? Does it lack solid bass sounds? Is the midrange too high? Can you not adjust the tones?
Thanks

 

Many people have different perceptions on the audio system in the F-Type. I find it acceptable, but not what I'd like in a $100k automobile. In particular, the bass lacks a solid crisp punch.

 

As TXJagR noted, there are lots of different opinions on the Meridian system. So, I can only tell you what my ears heard as I didn't take the time to measure anything. Also, please keep in mind I'm quite spoiled having spent so much time with nice aftermarket gear. Compared to a normal stock stereo, I'd say the Meridian system is quite good.

However, to me, much as TXJagR noted, the bass is not very tight and lacks a good sound. On very low frequencies it sounded slightly distorted and rattled like crazy. Higher up in the range, it just wasn't a very tight punch.

On the speakers themselves, I felt like a lot of the highs were missing and unclear. The music just didn't come alive the way a great system does.

I actually thought the mids were pretty decent, though I didn't spend long enough listening to the system to really give it a thorough test, just long enough to know it needed a lot of work to make me happy.

What I'd suggest if you have a chance is to make a playlist of 5-10 of your favorite songs and then go sit in a car with the Meridian system and play them. Then, drive to the best car audio shop in your area and ask them to let you play the same list in a high end sound quality car. For you, the difference might not be noticeable or worth the cost difference to change it. For me, I think it absolutely will be.

 

When you upgrade, you are able to keep the OEM head unit, yes? So basically your swapping the speakers, adding a sub woofer with power amp, yes?

 

Yes, and adding a processor (which is hidden so it's not visible inside the cabin) to clean up the signal that comes from the OEM head unit.

When anyone sits in my car, they'll have no idea anything was ever done to it.

 

I am very anxious to see how much of the already very limited storage space is lost with the amps and sub install. I'll be watching this thread carefully!

 

Yeah, absolutely. Keeping all of the space possible was one my priorities. The sub is going to be mounted in a custom built box that will fit in the small well that sits underneath the floor of the trunk, right near the tail end of the car.

The amps are going to take up a bit of space, but from what we discussed today it will be very little. They are going to be mounted up against the front wall of the trunk and I'll lose a tiny bit of space that way. They gave me the option of having an awesome looking amp rack built for them there or having a false wall created to make them invisible. I decided to go with the amp rack. Inside the cabin it's important to me for it to look totally stock. In the trunk.. *shrug*.

But yeah, I need to be able to use the car for airport runs and road trips, so definitely trying to keep all the space I can.

 

I'm interested with the outcome of this project. I might copy your idea if I'm disappointed with the OEM system.
Thank you....

 

Any concern about heat radiated from the AMPs? I can see that more of a problem with the "false wall" but still, tucked about against the bulkhead separating the drivers compartment from the rear hatch area... I don't think they are going to get much ventilation.

 

LobsterClaws: I applaud your endeavor 100% and while I too love audiophile quality sound...

1) You're quite right that the only thing which matters is your ears, regardless of cost or specs. Hearing, with ones own ears, is believing. Or not.
2) I do think there is a the law of diminishing returns, especially when it comes to audio gear (Although it certainly sounds - pun intended - that you know yourself and your gear extremely well. Kudos to you.
3) I clicked on several of the links to the gear you're buying or looking at and, at their respective prices, they should considerably improve the sound in your F-Type. (For some of us, see #2).
4) I know you know this but a car is one of the worst places to achieve audiophile-quality sound. (Which doesn't mean you shouldn't go the route you're on).
5) And last but not least we can agree that the very best sounds coming from the car is the car itself.

Lots of luck and we'll all be watching (you listening).

 

I'm not too worried. I had the 900/5 in the previous car tucked in a very tight space and never encountered any problems with heat. Are you picturing the amps as I described them mounted in the cabin or in the trunk? They'll be in the trunk itself, which I think should provide more than sufficient ventilation.

 

I assumed they'd be mounted in the very front of the rear hatch area. Somewhere around the location of the "umbrella holder"

I'm anxiously awaiting your perceived results on the sub mounted in the "smugglers box". While I currently use that space, if a custom enclosure and a sub will make the bass crisp, clear, and far less muddy, that might be the route I take as well.

 

Thanks for the well wishes and the thoughtful comments. Replying point by point:

Yep, absolutely. There really is no such thing as objectively good sound. We could measure frequency response and all sorts of other fun things, but the truth is that all that matters is someone likes the sounds they hear. Everything else is irrelevant.
Thanks. Car audio used to be a hobby of mine and so I have some retained knowledge from that, but I'm far from an expert. Also, I have useless lobster claws (get it?!) for hands, so I'd never do my own work on a nice car.

I do agree with you that there's absolutely a point of diminishing returns. Where that point lies depends on the individual, the medium, and lots of other factors. When you look at what some of the more serious home audio enthusiasts do to get improvements that in many cases are likely due more to psychology than change sonically... it gets crazy.
Most expensive audiophile speaker cable in the world is one of my favorite examples.
Yeah, absolutely. Much of the gear I am moving from the car I'm getting rid of for the F-Type, so I'm pretty confident it'll sound great. Except this installation will be even cleaner, better tuned, and with more power!
Oh, absolutely. Compared to what you can do in home audio? Cars are a mess! Not designed for acoustics, road noise, engine noise, exhaust noise, etc. But for me, that's where happiness is. Happiness is an high speed and loud music. Never found anything that relaxes me in the same way. My 30 minute drive to work is like having daily meditation for me.
Oh yeah, I'm really excited for the stereo improvements, but if it came down to it I'd rather have an F-Type with no stereo than a Camry with a $100k stereo.

 

Ah, yes, you have it correctly. By the umbrella holder is a great way to describe it.

 

All excellent points. Shakespeare said it best, "this above all, to thine own self be true". In other words, know yourself. You clearly do (at least when it comes to car stereo ).

Lots of luck with this!

Best regards,
Jay

 

I have updates and more pics! Shop called me today and sent me a ton of pictures. Here's the news...

Laser jammer and radar detector have been installed. The bad news is that the original plan of using the mirror won't work because of the way our rear view mirrors are constructed. The good news is that they went with the backup plan of using the passenger seatbelt indicator instead and IMO it looks great! Pics below!

Also, tint is complete. Pics of that below as well.

Finally, there's the news on the sub. Sadly, my trust 10w6v2 is no longer healthy. When they examined it they noticed wear on it which means it won't live much longer and even now the sound output is reduced. I've had it for over 10 years though, so I'd say it more than exceeded my expectations. The good news is that this means it's time for a new sub! Their recommendation, which I've decided to go with, is an Alpine SWR T-12. I won't be able to make it down to the shop in time to demo it, but all the online reviews are fantastic. Apparently thin subs have come a LONG way in the last few years and the clarity and output of this will be even better than my 10w6v2 was. Also, as you can see in the comparison pics below, it's quite small, meaning hiding it in the trunk space will be even easier and I'll definitely lose no trunk room.

Oh, and the new sub.. even though it won't be visible.. it's an Alpine Type R with a big red R on it. Seems fitting

Oh, btw, in the pics below, in the angled view of my car, look past my car and you can see the McLaren 675LT getting worked on next to mine. The toys that go thru this place are sick!









Radar detector and ALP display hidden in the passenger seatbelt indicator display.





What startup looks like for the ALP and radar detector.





Window tint complete. Check out the McLaren 675LT sitting next to me.





ALP laser jammers installed and hidden under the black bar.





Rear ALP laser jammers under the hatch.





Close up of the mounting of the ALP in the front





Close up of the mounting of the ALP in the rear.





I will never see these parts again.





New sub on the left. Old sub on the right.





New sub on the left. Old sub on the right.





My poor old sub. Look at the side..

 

Thanks for linking me to this LobsterClaws ! As your sales guy, getting to watch you upgrade and customize the R is too cool. Plus, it finally gave me the kick in the behind I needed to get my own JagForums account...so double the value Can't wait to see where it goes from here!

 

Did you get your audio install finished, Lobster? Any more pics of it?

Suddenly remembered you were doing this and dug out this old thread, but wasn't sure if you started a new thread to show off the finished product.

 

I did and it sounds AMAZING. I'll grab some pics tomorrow.