Changing out the center speaker
- Thread starter AZGT
- Start date
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
I just pulled the Mac out and replaced it with a Alpine CDA-9855 an 05 model receiver.
A few answers to a few questions I have read over the last few weeks:
The Mac is made now by Clarion and the removable tools are very easy to get from any Clarion shop/installer. They are two thin stripps of metal and if you ask nice they will probably give them to you. Every unit installed comes with a set. Remember the Clarion tools work don't so ask for a Mac set because the installer may not know they are the same.
The Mac system is driven by the "matched" Mac amp so if you just throw in any head unit your probably gonna be sad at how it sounds. This is why I went with the unit I did because it is completely tunable. After quite awhile I got it to sound good but you can't crank it. (I'm way to old for that anyhow). However it doesn't sound as good as the Mac.
All the leads for the speakers come from the sub/amp, so I ran the wires from the new receiver down the tunnel to the wire orig. harness. By doing this I was able to leave everything alone/stock/uncut so it will be a snap to reinstall.
Someone asked about the amp, my tec. buddies at Kenwood looked it over and say it is a 200watts and was probably made special for Ford by Mac. The cone mag. is in the front of the speaker, very unusual but he guessed Mac didn't want the mag. sitting next the amp. Thus the reason for the high price. He says when a auto mfg wants Kenwood to build a "one off" system for one of there line of cars the auto mfg has to guarnty a certain amount of units and then they quote a price. Ford probably needed to sell 90+ % of their GTs' with the upgrade to make the numbers work and recoup the tooling and R&D money.
The amp and speaker weigh 12.5lbs.
The loss of sound quality is a bit sad but I really don't miss that bid cone next to my head. :thumbsup
A few answers to a few questions I have read over the last few weeks:
The Mac is made now by Clarion and the removable tools are very easy to get from any Clarion shop/installer. They are two thin stripps of metal and if you ask nice they will probably give them to you. Every unit installed comes with a set. Remember the Clarion tools work don't so ask for a Mac set because the installer may not know they are the same.
The Mac system is driven by the "matched" Mac amp so if you just throw in any head unit your probably gonna be sad at how it sounds. This is why I went with the unit I did because it is completely tunable. After quite awhile I got it to sound good but you can't crank it. (I'm way to old for that anyhow). However it doesn't sound as good as the Mac.
All the leads for the speakers come from the sub/amp, so I ran the wires from the new receiver down the tunnel to the wire orig. harness. By doing this I was able to leave everything alone/stock/uncut so it will be a snap to reinstall.
Someone asked about the amp, my tec. buddies at Kenwood looked it over and say it is a 200watts and was probably made special for Ford by Mac. The cone mag. is in the front of the speaker, very unusual but he guessed Mac didn't want the mag. sitting next the amp. Thus the reason for the high price. He says when a auto mfg wants Kenwood to build a "one off" system for one of there line of cars the auto mfg has to guarnty a certain amount of units and then they quote a price. Ford probably needed to sell 90+ % of their GTs' with the upgrade to make the numbers work and recoup the tooling and R&D money.
The amp and speaker weigh 12.5lbs.
The loss of sound quality is a bit sad but I really don't miss that bid cone next to my head. :thumbsup
BlackICE
GT Owner
I got the tools speced by Ford. How do you use them? I tried to slide them between the Mac head unit and the console but no go. The service manual said to take out the center console that holds the radio, power plug and start button.
BlackICE
BlackICE
BlackICE
GT Owner
That explains why it is so hard to buy a car without the Mac system! I remember a someone say a dealer told him ordering a car without a Mac would hold up the car's production to the end of the year. This seem correct since I don't see many 05 cars without a Mac with low VIN numbers.
BlackICE
SteveA said:
He says when a auto mfg wants Kenwood to build a "one off" system for one of there line of cars the auto mfg has to guarnty a certain amount of units and then they quote a price. Ford probably needed to sell 90+ % of their GTs' with the upgrade to make the numbers work and recoup the tooling and R&D money.
BlackICE
SteveA said:
He says when a auto mfg wants Kenwood to build a "one off" system for one of there line of cars the auto mfg has to guarnty a certain amount of units and then they quote a price. Ford probably needed to sell 90+ % of their GTs' with the upgrade to make the numbers work and recoup the tooling and R&D money.
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
BlackICE said:
The head unit has on each side a little brushed alum. spacer. Take a small "hook" type tool and pop them off. Then remove two small hex head bolts that you can reach through the small side vents (one on each side) of the reciever incasement trim piece. Once both items are removed slide the tools, one on each side and at the same time down the sides of the unit. This will disengage the unit from its mounting bracket. There isn't a tail end mounting strap on the unit. The unit should slide out.
I didn't remove the center console or the housing for the start button. However I did remove the bolts for the center console as to tuck my wires under it. Also lay down some towels on the console, it looks very easy to scratch.
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BlackICE
GT Owner
Thanks SteveA I will give that a try.
Steve you said,
All the leads for the speakers come from the sub/amp, so I ran the wires from the new receiver down the tunnel to the wire orig. harness. By doing this I was able to leave everything alone/stock/uncut so it will be a snap to reinstall.
How did you connect your new wires into the existing harness? Did you cut and solder them to the existing wires, or did you find a source of connectors that would fit the existing harness?
BlackICE
Steve you said,
All the leads for the speakers come from the sub/amp, so I ran the wires from the new receiver down the tunnel to the wire orig. harness. By doing this I was able to leave everything alone/stock/uncut so it will be a snap to reinstall.
How did you connect your new wires into the existing harness? Did you cut and solder them to the existing wires, or did you find a source of connectors that would fit the existing harness?
BlackICE
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
I went deep into the harness and sodered the new wires to the old. Then shrinked the joints. Once the wrapping is put back one can't tell the joints are there. It just looks like the amp is unplugged.
BlackICE
GT Owner
Steve thanks for the tips. I will do the same. I have a
Pioneer DEH-P4800MP on order that I will replace the Mac head unit with and dump the sub for the stock piece. This unit only has 3 Band Parametric equalizer a high and low pass filter for a sub. Where did you set your high pass filter? I am sure that the 5" speakers are not going handle low freq. very well without severe distortion or damage. I have the choice of 50/63/80/100/125Hz. I am thinking of 63 or 80hz.
It seems like I am doing something wrong to replace a $1000 head unit with a $140 head unit in a car like the GT. But tunes are not a prority for me and the space and the looks of the interior are. I think the car looks much better without the sub and the silver head unit better matches the interior compared the the black Mac.
BlackICE
Pioneer DEH-P4800MP on order that I will replace the Mac head unit with and dump the sub for the stock piece. This unit only has 3 Band Parametric equalizer a high and low pass filter for a sub. Where did you set your high pass filter? I am sure that the 5" speakers are not going handle low freq. very well without severe distortion or damage. I have the choice of 50/63/80/100/125Hz. I am thinking of 63 or 80hz.
It seems like I am doing something wrong to replace a $1000 head unit with a $140 head unit in a car like the GT. But tunes are not a prority for me and the space and the looks of the interior are. I think the car looks much better without the sub and the silver head unit better matches the interior compared the the black Mac.
BlackICE
Now I know that I don't own a GT but this is one item in the car that has always bothered me.
I never understood why they put something that looks like a CD player from the early 80's and put it in a car such as this. Granted I've heard that the Mac brand makes some good sounding audio equipment but they certainly missed the boat on the looks part of it. :confused
I never understood why they put something that looks like a CD player from the early 80's and put it in a car such as this. Granted I've heard that the Mac brand makes some good sounding audio equipment but they certainly missed the boat on the looks part of it. :confused
BlackICE
GT Owner
If they really wanted retro, they would have specd a Mac AM radio with a tube design. There were not too many transistor radios in 66 not too many with FM tuners and certainly no CD player
BlackICE
BlackICE
so those of you that are putting in aftermarket head units, do you have to get a new wiring harness. By that I mean like a Metra harness or something like that or is it more in depth since it is a Mac from the beginning and not an average run of the mill Ford radio?
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
I don't mind the retro look and IMHO the Mac sounds quite nice. It's the #%*! sub right next to my head that makes me nuts. When I first got the car I thought it looked out of place. Then I saw a GT without the center speaker...... it just had to go. The additional storage is small but still a additional plus.
Blackice, the 5 1/4's don't sound too bad but the watts that come with head units ( mine is 18x4) run out of poop real quick. My Kenwood buddy said a few years back Mfg claimed mega watts built into head units but the FCC now makes them back their claims. Anyway, at low to medium volume the system sounds ok but I had messed with it for quite awhile. The other problem is both our head units using parametric eq's (mine is a 5 band) can make those little speakers hit frequencies Mac never intended them to hit. Therefore tuning was a big deal and until I got it close I was convenced that I was going to re-install the Mac and sub.
Blackice, the 5 1/4's don't sound too bad but the watts that come with head units ( mine is 18x4) run out of poop real quick. My Kenwood buddy said a few years back Mfg claimed mega watts built into head units but the FCC now makes them back their claims. Anyway, at low to medium volume the system sounds ok but I had messed with it for quite awhile. The other problem is both our head units using parametric eq's (mine is a 5 band) can make those little speakers hit frequencies Mac never intended them to hit. Therefore tuning was a big deal and until I got it close I was convenced that I was going to re-install the Mac and sub.
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BlackICE
GT Owner
The Mac has much more power than an integrated cd player. The one I am getting has 22 watts x 4 at a whopping 5% distortion! I am sure the Mac has much better specs. I wonder since we need only 2 channels, can the other 2 be bridged to get more power? Probably not, since you would need to invert on input signal to the other amp channel. If mine sounds too bad I may have to mount the Mac amp in back of the seats and use the Mac head unit. But is probably will suit my needs not big into car music on a car of this type or any car for that matter.
What is your option on how the Mac system would sound without the sub? Have you tried it?
BlackICE
What is your option on how the Mac system would sound without the sub? Have you tried it?
BlackICE
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
BlackICE said:
No I didn't try that. Behind the seat is where the wifes purse goes. If I take that last little storage place from her she is gonna make me sell the damn thing make me by a mini van.
The Mac deck looks like a typical Mac product. I think Ford just picked something that would somewhat blend with the interior as much as possible without starting from the ground up.
I like the styling of Mac products, but no longer like the product itself since Clarion bought them out several years ago.
Now you are paying the Mac price for a Clarion! :thumbsdow
Ford is just selling it of of the Mac reputation.
Quite frankly, it does not sound bad for a stock system, BUT it is not a stock system. :frown
I like the styling of Mac products, but no longer like the product itself since Clarion bought them out several years ago.
Now you are paying the Mac price for a Clarion! :thumbsdow
Ford is just selling it of of the Mac reputation.
Quite frankly, it does not sound bad for a stock system, BUT it is not a stock system. :frown
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
BlackICE
GT Owner
This might work if you use a aftermarket head unit with an integrated amp to power the door speakers and this sub woofer with its built in amp for the sub. Then you could mount this sub behind the passenger seat. But as Steve said that would take away the storage space behind the seat and we all know don't need to remove any storage space from the GT.
Steve what is the trick to remove the trim strips from the Mac radio so that I could slide the removal tools in. I don't want to break anything and they are not coming out easily.
BlackICE
Steve what is the trick to remove the trim strips from the Mac radio so that I could slide the removal tools in. I don't want to break anything and they are not coming out easily.
BlackICE
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
I used a dental tool but any thin hook or L shape will work. Stick the hook behind the alum trim strip, hold your breth, bite down on your lip, close you eyes and tug. Pop off either the top or bottom first but not both at the same time. The trim strips have two tiny little plastic clips that will pop lose.