audio options

[Jason]

I have seen some nicely done glove box installs. Is there any brand/ model of radio that fits better? I am also looking for the best fitting speakers for both the front doors and rear. Thanks

 

[jbojo]

I have seen some nicely done glove box installs. Is there any brand/ model of radio that fits better? I am also looking for the best fitting speakers for both the front doors and rear. Thanks

Same here Jason. I saw a pair of 4 x 8 front door speakers at California Mustang (part # 18808B) that are supposed to fit. Not much description about them and they cost only $25.00 a pair, unsure about the quality of these. I am looking for a 2 way speaker that will fit so I am curious what everyone recommends too.

 

[Mister 4x4]

I'll be installing mine very soon.

The previous owner had a period-correct "monster" custom stereo in the car (and was removed when I bought it - of course) - which they cut some undetermined sized holes in the doors and door panels for some 5.5"-6.5" roundies - same sized holes in the quarter trim panels as well... sounds like it was a quality job (yeah... right). The center gauge panel radio/heater insert was missing, and the center gauge panel itself had holes in the very bottom for the graphic EQ/booster, that was no-doubt mounted and powering the speakers through the 20-gauge cable I found everywhere. (Hey... it's what I had in my '82 as a kid - whatever works on an E-2 budget, right?)

I went with a Retrosound Model 2 (ordered and on its way), since it's loaded up with all sorts of modern goodness (iPod interface, USB "flash drive" interface, Bluetooth w/hands-free microphone, CD-changer/DVD player inputs, 4-channel + separate sub-woofer outputs) - and it looks pretty much like a factory unit while doing all that. It's a bit pricey for a head unit at $329, but buying a cheaper unit and adding on those extra features will run about the same money, anyway. I haven't completely decided on the speakers yet. I understand that 4x8s fit into the door, and 4x10s in the package tray without modification, but I'm thinking 6x9s in the rear deck without having to cut the rear deck itself. I'll use spacers as necessary, since I'll be straying from the factory "cardboard" package tray trim. Directly under the package tray will be a custom box with a pair of Kicker Solobaric 12" subs with cut-ins for the amps.

Go to Crutchfield.com to find/compare the speakers - they have tons listed, but if you get sucked into the "what kind of car do you have" feature, you will only find 4x10s listed for "dash & rear deck" to fit our cars - everything else will come up with "does not fit." Ignore that when choosing your speakers, only because if you're going to be doing some direct replacement speakers, you'll want to measure the mounting holes for yourself anyway.

The Retrosound R-693 6x9 speakers look pretty promising. They have a very good RMS power rating (2-100watts) with 200watts peak - not bad for a $90/pair speakers. The R-413N 4x10s look good also with 2-90 RMS/200 peak watts ratings as well for only $130/pair. Most of the other brand-names (Kenwood, Kicker, Pioneer, Alpine, et al), have RMS in the range of 5-50 and peak around 100-150 for similarly priced offerings.

I'm a big fan of Infinity and MTX speakers - as I have an awesome stereo in my Ram. However, the 2-ohm impedence of the Infinitys makes for some 'clipping' at med-high volumes until the speakers "warm up" (Infinity's comments). The 12" MTX subs and their Sledgehammer amp are freaken awesome in their MTX Thunderbox. But I just 'want' some Kicker Solobarics for the Mustang's custom box... they only require 1 cubic foot (each) of airspace, so that should be easy to keep the box fairly small to keep some of that trunk space under the package tray.

I'll come back to this thread and post my results, if anybody's interested.

 

[rocro]

I'll be installing mine very soon.

The previous owner had a period-correct "monster" custom stereo in the car (and was removed when I bought it - of course) - which they cut some undetermined sized holes in the doors and door panels for some 5.5"-6.5" roundies - same sized holes in the quarter trim panels as well... sounds like it was a quality job (yeah... right). The center gauge panel radio/heater insert was missing, and the center gauge panel itself had holes in the very bottom for the graphic EQ/booster, that was no-doubt mounted and powering the speakers through the 20-gauge cable I found everywhere. (Hey... it's what I had in my '82 as a kid - whatever works on an E-2 budget, right?)

I went with a Retrosound Model 2 (ordered and on its way), since it's loaded up with all sorts of modern goodness (iPod interface, USB "flash drive" interface, Bluetooth w/hands-free microphone, CD-changer/DVD player inputs, 4-channel + separate sub-woofer outputs) - and it looks pretty much like a factory unit while doing all that. It's a bit pricey for a head unit at $329, but buying a cheaper unit and adding on those extra features will run about the same money, anyway. I haven't completely decided on the speakers yet. I understand that 4x8s fit into the door, and 4x10s in the package tray without modification, but I'm thinking 6x9s in the rear deck without having to cut the rear deck itself. I'll use spacers as necessary, since I'll be straying from the factory "cardboard" package tray trim. Directly under the package tray will be a custom box with a pair of Kicker Solobaric 12" subs with cut-ins for the amps.

Go to Crutchfield.com to find/compare the speakers - they have tons listed, but if you get sucked into the "what kind of car do you have" feature, you will only find 4x10s listed for "dash & rear deck" to fit our cars - everything else will come up with "does not fit." Ignore that when choosing your speakers, only because if you're going to be doing some direct replacement speakers, you'll want to measure the mounting holes for yourself anyway.

The Retrosound R-693 6x9 speakers look pretty promising. They have a very good RMS power rating (2-100watts) with 200watts peak - not bad for a $90/pair speakers. The R-413N 4x10s look good also with 2-90 RMS/200 peak watts ratings as well for only $130/pair. Most of the other brand-names (Kenwood, Kicker, Pioneer, Alpine, et al), have RMS in the range of 5-50 and peak around 100-150 for similarly priced offerings.

I'm a big fan of Infinity and MTX speakers - as I have an awesome stereo in my Ram. However, the 2-ohm impedence of the Infinitys makes for some 'clipping' at med-high volumes until the speakers "warm up" (Infinity's comments). The 12" MTX subs and their Sledgehammer amp are freaken awesome in their MTX Thunderbox. But I just 'want' some Kicker Solobarics for the Mustang's custom box... they only require 1 cubic foot (each) of airspace, so that should be easy to keep the box fairly small to keep some of that trunk space under the package tray.

I'll come back to this thread and post my results, if anybody's interested.

I just installed the Retrosound Model Two (Malibu) in my 72 Mach 1 along with the R693N 6x9 speakers and pods for the rear deck. I didn't want to cut any metal, so they worked very well.

The head unit (which is designed to be a direct fit) took a lot of adjusting to get just right, but looks great and mounts into the original bezel without any modifications. I really like all of the features, and the sound is pretty good - I'm sure it would be better with an outboard amp and sub, but good enough for now.

I would definitely recommend this setup for anyone wanting to upgrade to a more up to date system keeping with the old school look.

 

[matrixx]

I'm not sure about the retro sounds but back a few years a company (custom auto sound) made factory looking units with modern tech. Looked great and functioned great...for 13 months. Right after the warranty expired.

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