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Adding aftermarket amps to factory system with new AR module in second gen


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I copied this from another thread where we were discussing the same thing. Love the stereo now!

 

As far as noticing a difference in sound from stock Sony to the Kenwood/Maestro install, it's like night and day. To my ears the system sounds fantastic now, best I ever had in any car I've owned. I also had the center channel dash speaker along with the front and rear door speakers(left in the stock tweeters) and sub woofer replaced as part of the upgrade. Also as a result of the install I lost the rear pillar speakers but honestly if I wasn't told, I wouldn't have known.

Before the stock system was way to muddy sounding and not nearly as crisp as I prefer. Now I get much more punch along with way more clarity especially at higher volumes, more ratta tat tat on snare drums rather than boom boom boom. The lower bass could be a little tighter and more powerful but I'm happy.

I lost all the eq adjustability from the head unit but everything can be adjusted on a Kenwood app on your phone which is kind of cool to play around with. There's either preset settings for rock, jazz, pop etc or you can flip a little switch on the amp and tweek every little setting using the pro setting. That gives you all kinds of different eq sine waves to set, all Greek to me but after experimenting with some I found a setting for me that's awesome

 

If you don't mind sharing, what was the cost for everything you did (amps, speakers, installation, etc.)?

 

After I'm satisfied with all my performance/appearance mods, the shit Sony stereo system is next. I'm almost ready for this, but I want to do as much of the stereo install myself. I can handle replacing all the speakers, but I'm probably going to pay to have the amp and DSP installed so I know its all functioning properly. I've been out of the car stereo game too long to feel confident doing that myself.

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If you don't mind sharing, what was the cost for everything you did (amps, speakers, installation, etc.)?

 

After I'm satisfied with all my performance/appearance mods, the shit Sony stereo system is next. I'm almost ready for this, but I want to do as much of the stereo install myself. I can handle replacing all the speakers, but I'm probably going to pay to have the amp and DSP installed so I know its all functioning properly. I've been out of the car stereo game too long to feel confident doing that myself.

 

 

roots57

 

The whole package including speakers, amps, labor etc was just around two grand. A lot to spend on a leased vehicle but worth it to me as a quality system is one of the most important parts of a car in my opinion.

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roots57

 

The whole package including speakers, amps, labor etc was just around two grand. A lot to spend on a leased vehicle but worth it to me as a quality system is one of the most important parts of a car in my opinion.

 

thanks, thats about what I expected...I can handle that. To me its going to be worth it too, as of now I'm planning on keeping this car for years to come, at least until the note is paid in full and I've got a good 4 years left.

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  • 3 months later...

Jeez I didn't see this thread was still going sorry.

 

Roots if you can install speakers and have experience in car audio you can install the Maestro and the amps. With the adaptor harnesses it's really all plug and play. I wish I would have done the install myself and just paid for the tuning, it would have saved me a lot of money.

 

As for the bass/mid/treble controls on the factory stereo they now become individual volume controls. So the bass is the sub volume which it nice to have the adjustment and the rest will control the volumes based on what is setup in the amp. For me the treble controls the front tweets and the mid controls the from mid door speakers since that how its wired.

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  • 2 months later...

Hey guys, I just wanted to update this post with my results. This thread was a huge help and I couldn't be happier. If you're even thinking about diving into this, do it. 100% worth it. I only upgraded the amps and sub. I'll keep the factory speakers for now. The difference in sound quality is night and day. I did the install myself. If you have any experience wiring, you shouldn't have a difficult time. Maestro has an excellent wiring guide for the AR unit. The hardest part of the whole job was re-installing the two rear side panels on the Edge. The bottom seatbelt mechanism makes alignment of the panel snap pins extremely difficult. Just keep wiggling it and be patient, you'll get it.

 

Here's my parts list:

 

Hardware w/ date purchased:

Kenwood Exceleon XR600....……500.00. 3/6/2018 (ebay, new, buy it now offer)

Idatalink Maestro AR…………..…..73.49. 3/7/2018 (Amazon, new)

Kicker 43CXA3001…………………99.95 3/13/18 (ebay, refurb)

Kicker CompRT CWRT82……..…110.00. 3/13/18 (ebay, new)

Kenwood KAC-5207………….……69.95. 8/12/18 (Amazon, new)

Hardware Total: $853.39

Consumables:

InstallGear 4 GA Amp Wiring Kit……......…38.99

3M Electrical Tape………………………..…..4.95

Harbor Freight Heat Shrink Pack….….........5.00

Extra 8 GA Wire………………………..……12.95

8/10/12 GA Ferrule Pack………….…….…13.95

4 GA Ferrule Pack…………………………..13.22

Labor....................free

Grand Total...........................$942.45

Photos:

4 GA power wire in engine bay w/ fuse

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Kenwood installed where factory Sony amp was (Maestro unit is mounted behind it)

gallery_20329_819_23606.jpg

Figuring out slave amp placement & wiring

gallery_20329_819_7996.jpg

Wiring complete and tidied up

gallery_20329_819_63298.jpg

All done and 100% invisible

gallery_20329_819_49589.jpg

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