Daniel Rios's 1995 Mercury Cougar

Items installed:

• Kenwood eXcelon KRC-PS955 cassette receiver with CD changer controls
• Kenwood KDC-C710 10-disc CD changer
• Kenwood KGC-9044 11-band electronic equalizer
• Kenwood KFC-HQ575C 5"x7"/6"x8" 2-way speakers — front doors
• Kenwood KFC-577C 5"x7"/6"x8" 2-way speakers — rear seat side panels
• 2 Kenwood KFC-W2500 10" poly cone subwoofers (max power handling 120 watts RMS each)
• Kenwood KAC-428S car amplifier (35 watts RMS x 2)
• Kenwood KAC-728S car amplifier (100 watts RMS x 2)
• Custom-built ported dual subwoofer enclosure
• StreetWires amp wiring kits and speaker wire
• Dynamat sound-deadening material

Daniel Rios chose to outfit his 1995 Mercury Cougar exclusively with Kenwood equipment. He picked the top-of-the-line Kenwood eXcelon KRC-PS955 cassette receiver for its excellent tape performance, the security of its retractable MASK face, its changer control capability, and the convenience of its wireless remote control. The addition of the trunk-mounted KDC-C710 10-disc CD changer puts three-source entertainment at Daniel's fingertips.

The receiver sends its signal to the dash-mounted Kenwood KGC-9044 11-band graphic equalizer, whose 6 preset and 3 user EQ curves allow Daniel to adjust for a wide variety of music. Three sets of preamp outputs accommodate any plans for system expansion, and the spectrum analyzer display (11 bands, 11 patterns) really lights up the dash.

The front soundstage is supplied by Kenwood HQ Series KFC-HQ575C 5"x7"/6'x8" 2-way speakers mounted in the front doors — their adjustable tweeters swivel to direct the high frequencies upward for a cleaner image. Each speaker receives 35 watts RMS, courtesy of Kenwood's KAC-428S amplifier. The receiver's built-in amplifier (22 watts RMS/40 peak x 4) powers the KFC-577C 5"x7"/6"x8" 2-way speakers mounted in the rear seat side panels.

Daniel did a spectacular job on the trunk installation — designing, building, and installing the twin ported enclosure assembly that houses two KFC-W2500 10" subs and the Kenwood KAC-728S amplifier (which supplies 100 watts RMS to each sub). He also mounted the CD changer and the KAC-428S amplifier on the carpeted wall of the assembly in between the two woofers — way cool! All connections — power cable, patch cables, and speaker wire — are by StreetWires. Daniel used Dynamat in the trunk lid to eliminate any annoying rattles. The photographs make it clear — this is one kickin' Cougar!


Daniel's 1995 Mercury Cougar lookin' fine.


Check out the happy couple! The Kenwood receiver and equalizer make beautiful music together in the dash.


The Kenwood HQ series speakers with their swivelling tweeters take care of business in the front doors.


Perfect fit! Daniel installed the Kenwood KFC-577C 5"x7"/6"x8" speakers in the rear seat side panels.


The trunk setup is the crown jewel of Daniel's installation — the woofers, KAC-728S amp, and CD changer are all mounted on the face of the custom enclosure.


Pull the trunk divider back, and see the two woofer enclosures, with the CD changer and the KAC-428S amp mounted in between. Great use of space!