Nazar Abdelrahim's Ford Taurus

Items installed:

Rockford Fosgate RFX8220 CD receiver
Kenwood KFC-577C 5"x7"/6"x8" 2-way speakers — front doors and rear deck
Pioneer TS-T15 tweeters — sail panels
Two JBL Grand Touring Series GT1000 10" subwoofers
Q-Logic Dual Sub Hatchback Box (Type 2)
Profile California 440sx amplifier (50 watts RMS x 4, 150 x 2 bridged)
Kenwood KAC-848 amplifier (50 watts RMS x 4, 150 x 2 bridged)
StreetWires power cable and speaker wire
Monster capacitor

Some people design and install an entire car audio system in one fell swoop. For Nazar Abdelrahim, building his system was a long learning process which began when he replaced the worn-out factory speakers in his 1998 Ford Taurus. Over time, he added other components (receiver, subwoofers, and amps) until he got the sound he wanted — and a new hobby in the bargain!

Nazar chose Kenwood's KFC-577C 5"x7"/6"x8" 2-way speakers to replace the factory speakers in the Taurus's front doors and rear deck. He was thrilled with the improvement in audio quality, but found himself craving some extreme low bass to round out the sound. To that end, he installed two JBL GT1000 10" subs in a Q-Logic dual sub hatchback enclosure — with the Profile California Series 440SX amplifier (bridged to 2-channel operation) providing 150 watts RMS to each speaker.

At this point, Nazar became increasingly unhappy with the performance of his factory radio. He selected Rockford Fosgate's RFX8220 CD receiver as a replacement because it provided so many options (three sets of preamp outputs, CD changer controls, etc.) for system expansion. Also, the RFX8220's powerful internal amp brought the mids and highs into balance with the newly-strengthened bass.

Nazar's growing desire for more overall volume eventually led him to install the Kenwood KAC-848 amplifier (50 watts RMS x 4, 150 x2) to drive his subwoofers, switching the Profile amp to 4-channel mode to push his full-range speakers. He used StreetWires power cable and speaker wire throughout the installation. Recently, he added a set of Pioneer TS-T15 tweeters in the Taurus's sail panels to improve the front soundstage.

Nazar Abdelrahim didn't know much about car stereo when he bought his Ford Taurus, but step by step he has assembled a well-designed, moderately-powered system that's got plenty of room to grow — and he's learned a lot about his new passion in the bargain. Thanks for the look at your tantalizing Taurus, Nazar!