Red Rocket’s Full S650 Mustang Stereo Project (9 Speakers)

It’s been a hell of a month, but I finally have an upgraded system in my 2024 EB Convertible. It was a challenge, cine there is limited info out there. Many of you have helped me along the way with diagrams and a few how to Instructions. I am really grateful!

This thread will detail the whole enchilada. I took a lot of photos, but wish I had taken more!

First, a little background on me. I’ve been into car audio for 30 years. I am not an installer by profession, but a Network Engineer and IT guy. But, I’ve installed many systems over the years. I built and competed in USACi Sound Quality competition, where I hold the World Champion cup for 2002. I was also a car audio sound quality judge For years.

My goal here was simple. i wanted a factory upgrade that was far more capable than the stock 9 speaker system (non B&O), with a sub $2.5k budget. I wanted a stealth install that had everything hidden away. And I was willing to compromise best in class components for maximum stealth and cost to benefit ratio. I could have spent 5-10x more, and would have if my goal was to compete and make a world class system. But this is different, I just want some audio bliss that blows away a factory system.

So, first the car and the equipment list;

2024 Mustang EB Premium 9-Speaker.

Equipment buy list:
Maestro A2B Interface
Maestro AF05 Harness
JBL DSP Amplifier DSP4086 (8ch x 40w RMS)
Kicker KSS365 3-Way Component Speaker System
Kicker KSC650 6.5" Coaxial Speakers
Kicker KSC350 3.5" Coaxial Speakers
Cerwin Vega VPSTX12 Shallow Powered Spare Tire Subwoofer
4ga Amp Kit with Fuse
8ga Amp Kit
4ga to 4x 8ga Distro Block
100ft OFC 16ga Speaker Wire
RCA F/M Cable
1 Roll of 12” wide Peel and Seal for Sound Deadening
1 shitload of covered spade connectors, 8ga Butt Splicers, solder, Scotch Electrical tape, Duct Tape, Solder, heat shrink, and doubled sided velco.

Tools needed:
Wire Strippers, Crimpers good to 4ga, Screw drivers, a Knife, a short fish tape, soldering iron, butane torch, and wrenches, plastic trim tools. Probably a few other things, but you catch my drift.

i will build this thread out with posts on each step over over a few days, it’s a lot of info, so please be patient.

Here are the wiring diagrams for everything.
You will need to run new speaker wire to the tweeters in the A Pillars, and Center.
you can sum the Center on Channel 1 and 2, but in the end I decided to wait on doing that. So i am using 8 channels of the amp for 8 speakers, putting 120w per side to the front stage and 40w per side to the rears. The sub is powered.

The JBL directly wires channels 3-8 to the Harness. 1 and 2 go to the tweeters with new wires.

i use the Maestro’s RCA channel 1 and 2 to to the JBL (and use source controlls on the JBL software to assign the channels). I use the Maestro’s 3 and 4 RCAs with a F to Male RCA cable to the sub.

Power is a 4ga positive from the battery to the trunk with a 4ga to 8ga distribution block feeding the JBL and the Sub. The grounds are on the body in the trunk.

Cable paths are easy.

No remote turn on or taps needed. The Maestro supplies it. The JBL has a remote turn on out for the sub.

Run the 4ga through the giant drivers side grommet thats is easy to access to the battery. Run the tweeter wires ( and center wire if you choose ) along with the 4ga power under the trim on the drivers side all the way to the trunk.

You can easily fishtape the tweeter wires once you have the A Pillar covers off.

The door speakers are a little difficult. Use the metra adapters for the woofer. Kicker supplies a 3.5” adapter for the mid.

these kickers have inline crossovers. Thats why I chose them. You mount the cross over with each speaker in line with the factor speakers. You can use metra adapters for the 6.5s. All other speakers require you to clip the adapters off the old ford speakers to wire in.

be sure to sound deaden the inside the door areas, the door areas you can, and the door trim you can.

you need to move a covers on the handle, the switch panel pulls up, and the two screws on the bottom of the door.the rest are just clips you pull straight out.

A pillars are a pain. You habe to remove the sun visors first. Then gently pry down the top, the pull out the rest from the sides.

unhook the factory tweeters. They remove from the a pillar plastic easily. The Kicker tweeters fit right in their place snuggly. You have to push them them in Firmly. Connect them with your new speaker cables.

the center is easy to remove and change out. But routing cable is a pain.

The rears are a cakewalk. Use the metra adapter and plug. Just pull out the side panels if it’s a convertible like mine. Not a lot of work.

The Amp, harness, and A2B module are the real work, i soldered most everything.

i used the factory amp mount, and just added a 1” wide aluminum strip to make a bracket to hold the amp. I velcrowed the AB2 to the sidewall of the trunk.

Follw my wiring guide above.

The sub goes in easy. Just flip the spare, use the supplied threaded center shaft. I cut the shaft an inch or so short and used nuts instead of wingnuts, it’s simple.

For the tune, you need a laptop.

you will want an ODB2 cable and forscan with a trial license to disable active noise cancellation (727-1-1, set the last three to 0EE3)

Use the USB cable to JBLs software to program the EQ. Be sure to set the input mixer to 2 channels only. The rear rcas are for the sub.
here are my settings.

Badass. Thank you for the detail. Wanna come do mine when it gets out of Ford Jail

Absolutely AWESOME POST!! Thanks for the information.

Stanzi said:

Badass. Thank you for the detail. Wanna come do mine when it gets out of Ford Jail

Click to expand...

Ditto for me!

Wow, excellent work. I too have installed many stereos as well as competition level systems. I was really hoping to avoid a stereo swap... got the B&O system with fingers crossed... I think I may have to do swap anyway. I think that requires a different interface device than the 9 speaker system. I also really like a stealth install. Well done!

I didn’t deep dive on the B&O, so I’m not sure what would be different other than the amp running the fronts maybe? And that sub.

Now, I’ve listen to the B&O and it’s a good bit better than the 9 speaker. Some folks upgrade just the sub and use the B&O box. So thats not too bad.

RedRocket said:

I didn’t deep dive on the B&O, so I’m not sure what would be different other than the amp running the fronts maybe? And that sub.

Now, I’ve listen to the B&O and it’s a good bit better than the 9 speaker. Some folks upgrade just the sub and use the B&O box. So thats not too bad.

Click to expand...

Is that an easy upgrade- adding the b&o to the standard 301A 9 Speaker?