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Learn: Home » 2002 Mustang Custom Sound System Install
Talk about a dream assignment! When 5.0 Mustang magazine wanted a killer audio system installed in their 2002 Mustang project car, Crutchfield's Project Car Designer Warren Hawkins was given the job. His mission? Pick the best components and put in a sound system that will match the performance and good looks of the car.
There was one important ground rule though. The system's audio performance should stand out, but the components must blend in. Speakers were to be located in the factory locations, and the amps and subs needed to be as unobtrusive as possible (until he wants to show them off!)
The gear
As a senior tech at Crutchfield, Warren knows the best equipment to use. For the receiver, his choice was the impressive Alpine IVA-D900 DVD/CD/MP3 receiver. With the capabilities to play CD (CD-R and CD-RW), MP3 and DVD discs, there's not much this head can't handle. The three sets of 4-volt preamp outputs, coupled with Alpine's Bass Engine Plus controls, provide super clean signal output and sound-shaping control for the system. The IVA-D900 sports a motorized 7" LCD monitor with an eye-popping 1.15 million pixels display for exceptional picture quality. The Alpine TUA-T020XM XM tuner was selected so the IVA-D900 can tap into the wide world of satellite radio right from the drivers seat.
Warren's speakers of choice were Polk MOMO 6-3/4" components for the front and back. The MOMO components' separate tweeters and high quality external crossovers allowed Warren to mount the tweeters separately from the woofer locations low in the door panels — key to getting optimal stereo imaging and separation. The standard speaker size for Mustangs is 6"x8" — Warren's installation expertise would come into play when customizing the 6"x8" openings for the 6-3/4"component sets. The choice to power the Polks was a Rockford Fosgate Power 851X four-channel amp, cranking 110 watts RMS of solid power at a clean 0.05% THD.
In Warren's book, the sound isn't right if it doesn't have a rock-solid, tight low end. The bedrock foundation for the Mustang is provided by two 10" Kicker Solo-Baric L7 subs. The square-coned Solo-Barics push lots of air, meaning big sound. Powered by a Rockford Fosgate Power 1001bd, 1000 watts of total power gets the subs cranking big time!
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| Comin' at ya! 5.0 Mustang magazine's 2001 Ford Mustang GT Coupe |
There was one important ground rule though. The system's audio performance should stand out, but the components must blend in. Speakers were to be located in the factory locations, and the amps and subs needed to be as unobtrusive as possible (until he wants to show them off!)
The gear
As a senior tech at Crutchfield, Warren knows the best equipment to use. For the receiver, his choice was the impressive Alpine IVA-D900 DVD/CD/MP3 receiver. With the capabilities to play CD (CD-R and CD-RW), MP3 and DVD discs, there's not much this head can't handle. The three sets of 4-volt preamp outputs, coupled with Alpine's Bass Engine Plus controls, provide super clean signal output and sound-shaping control for the system. The IVA-D900 sports a motorized 7" LCD monitor with an eye-popping 1.15 million pixels display for exceptional picture quality. The Alpine TUA-T020XM XM tuner was selected so the IVA-D900 can tap into the wide world of satellite radio right from the drivers seat.
Warren's speakers of choice were Polk MOMO 6-3/4" components for the front and back. The MOMO components' separate tweeters and high quality external crossovers allowed Warren to mount the tweeters separately from the woofer locations low in the door panels — key to getting optimal stereo imaging and separation. The standard speaker size for Mustangs is 6"x8" — Warren's installation expertise would come into play when customizing the 6"x8" openings for the 6-3/4"component sets. The choice to power the Polks was a Rockford Fosgate Power 851X four-channel amp, cranking 110 watts RMS of solid power at a clean 0.05% THD.
In Warren's book, the sound isn't right if it doesn't have a rock-solid, tight low end. The bedrock foundation for the Mustang is provided by two 10" Kicker Solo-Baric L7 subs. The square-coned Solo-Barics push lots of air, meaning big sound. Powered by a Rockford Fosgate Power 1001bd, 1000 watts of total power gets the subs cranking big time!
