47 replies to this topic

[ZepDad]

Completed replacement of the Shaker 500 speakers today.  I now have 100% Kicker speakers paired with a Pioneer F700 touchscreen nav head unit.  Amazing difference.  Over the last several months I was becoming more and more frustrated with the Shaker speakers.  They could get loud enough for that occasional urge to ROCK (come on...everyone has that certain driving song that must be played LOUD....try Radar Love for one), but I couldn't coax much clarity from the speakers despite trying a variety of EQ settings. The sound was just muddy and the factory subs very boomy.  

When I found that Shelby was selling direct replacement Kicker door subs separate from the $1,200 upgrade kit, I had to jump.   Until this set no other aftermarket subs have been available as direct fit in Shaker systems.  I purchased from Champion Mustang for $139 Shelby subs.  The 8" shallow mount subs say "CVT" on the speaker cone so I'm guessing they are from Kicker's CompVT line.   I believe they are 2ohm single voice coil for compatibility with the Shaker amps.  I've seen the CompVT's online for $75-$125 so the Shelby package price is reasonable.  (If anyone is curious, the stock subs are dual voice coil.  Each stock sub has 4 wires total with 2 separate inputs.  For the Kicker install one of these wire sets is not used.)

I paired these with 4 Kicker KS680 6X8 for the parcel shelf and doors.  Found on ebay for about $60 per pair.   I also picked up 2 sets of Metra 72-5600 speaker adapter harnesses.  (Shelby also sells Kicker 6x8 speakers separately for around $90 a pair.  Can't say if they are the KS680 which Crutchfield sells in their "Signature" line for $130 a pair.  The DS680 is the next step down in the Kicker line.  The DS680's probably sound fine but the price on the KS680's was too good.)

The door install was fairly painless.  Just a lot of pieces & parts to get to the speakers!  By the way Shelby provides excellent instructions specific to the subs.  The generic Crutchfield instructions floating around also provide a good walk-through for all the speakers (and radio).  I can scan the Shelby instructions if anyone is interested.

The rear parcel speakers were a different matter.  I'd like to meet the brilliant Ford engineer who decided, starting with 2007 models, to mount the speakers underneath the parcel shelf, thereby requiring nearly complete disassembly of the interior. ("Hey boss, I found a way to save $50 off the assembly cost and make life miserable for owners....").  The rears took 2.5 hours alone.  The two doors only took about a hour each if that tells you something.    I found great instructions at Mustang Forums including a "must use" tip when installing the new speakers.  Turn the orange mounting clips upside down and mount the speakers from the bottom.  No clearance issues with the parcel shelf and easy to replace again if necessary.  Way too easy for the Ford engineers I guess.  

I can post pictures upon request, including the original factory speakers.  How Ford can claim 500 watts from those puny things....

Highly recommended upgrade.  Install isn't a breeze but most of us on this forum can handle with a little patience.  You'll be rewarded with clean highs/mids and punchy bass.  I can't vouch for the sound from the factory head unit but better speakers always help.

Edited by ZepDad, 27 March 2010 - 07:45 PM.

[Burning Blue Star IV]

Thanks for the terrific info. I would love to upgrade the speakers in my car at some point. (Probably a while down the line) As you mentioned the stock speaker and head unit is okay for just "average" use - you can't really crank it up. Seems like a strange thing to put in a car like this. I'd just be looking to replace the speakers...and keep my stock head unit. I've read about the nightmare of the rear deck install..and frankly, it scared me off.

I'd love to see some pics...if it's not too much trouble and maybe if someone else requests. I kind of figured the stock speakers were quite weak looking.

[ZepDad]

Here are some pictures:

Factory Rear front:



Factory Rear back:




Factory front front:


Factory front back:


Factory sub back:


Factory sub side:


Shelby sub side:
[Sorry, forgot to take front view]
Notice the huge difference in magnet size as compared to the factory sub.  


Shelby sub installed:
[the Shelby's do stick out more than the factory subs, maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inches more]
[pardon the dirt!!  it's pollen season in florida]


Kicker KS680 rear:


Kicker KS680 front (minus end tabs):
[Note: End tabs need to be removed for doors, just clip off with side cutters]

Edited by ZepDad, 27 March 2010 - 06:42 PM.

[Fontech]

ZepDad, on 27 March 2010 - 06:22 PM, said:

Here are some pictures:

Factory rear front:


Factory rear back:


Factory front front:


Factory front back:


Factory sub back:


Factory sub side:


Shelby sub side:
[Sorry, forgot to take front view]


Shelby sub installed:
[the Shelby's do stick out more than the factory subs, maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inches more]


Kicker KS680 rear:


Kicker KS680 front (minus end tabs):
[Note: End tabs need to be removed for doors, just clip off with side cutters]

  The pics were stolen....

Tom

[39Mustang]

ZepDad, on 27 March 2010 - 04:27 PM, said:

Completed replacement of the Shaker 500 speakers today.  I now have 100% Kicker speakers paired with a Pioneer F700 touchscreen nav head unit.  Amazing difference.  Over the last several months I was becoming more and more frustrated with the Shaker speakers.  They could get loud enough for that occasional urge to ROCK (come on...everyone has that certain driving song that must be played LOUD....try Radar Love for one), but I couldn't coax much clarity from the speakers despite trying a variety of EQ settings. The sound was just muddy and the factory subs very boomy.  

When I found that Shelby was selling direct replacement Kicker door subs separate from the $1,200 upgrade kit, I had to jump.   Until this set no other aftermarket subs have been available as direct fit in Shaker systems.  I purchased from Champion Mustang for $139 Shelby subs.  The 8" shallow mount subs say "CVT" on the speaker cone so I'm guessing they are from Kicker's CompVT line.   I believe they are 2ohm single voice coil for compatibility with the Shaker amps.  I've seen the CompVT's online for $75-$125 so the Shelby package price is reasonable.  (If anyone is curious, the stock subs are apparently dual voice coil.  Each stock sub has 4 wires hooked to different inputs.  For the Kicker install one of these wire sets is not used.)

I paired these with 4 Kicker KS680 6X8 for the parcel shelf and doors.  Found on ebay for about $60 per set.   I also picked up 2 sets of Metra 72-5600 speaker adapter harnesses.  

The door install was fairly painless.  Just a lot of pieces & parts to get to the speakers!  By the way Shelby provides excellent instructions specific to the subs.  The generic Crutchfield instructions floating around also provide a good walk-through for all the speakers (and radio).  I can scan the Shelby instructions if any one is interested.

The rear parcel speakers were a different matter.  I'd like to meet the brillant Ford engineer who decided, starting with 2007 models, to mount the speakers underneath the parcel shelf, thereby requiring nearly complete disassembly of the interior. ("Hey boss, I found a way to save $50 off the assembly cost and make life miserable for owners....").  The rears took 2.5 hours alone.  The two doors only took about a hour each if that tells you something.    I found great instructions at Mustang Forums including a "must use" tip when installing the new speakers.  Turn the orange mounting clips upside down and mount the speakers from the bottom.  No clearance issues with the parcel shelf and way too easy for the Ford engineers.  

I can post pictures upon request, including the original factory speakers.  How Ford can claim 500 watts from those puny things....

Highly recommended upgrade.  Install isn't a breeze but most of us on this forum can handle with a little patience.  You'll be rewarded with clean highs/mids and punchy bass.  I can't vouch for the sound from the factory head unit but better speakers always help.

This is one of my next mods as the Shaker 500 in my 08 GT/SC is terrible! Funny thing is the Shaker 500 in my 06 GT daily driver sounds good but in the Shelby its below average quality. I heard the Shelby/Kicker setup at the Birthday bash in Vegas in Jan. and sounded good but I have no experience with Kicker before as in the past used Infinity, Kenwood, and MB Quarts for speakers. Different speakers sound good in different cars and anyone have an opinion as to what speakers they think sound great in the Mustang? Will only consider using Infinity, Kenwood, Pioneer, MB Quart, and maybe the Kickers.

[ZepDad]

Fontech, on 27 March 2010 - 06:30 PM, said:

  The pics were stolen....

Tom

Sorry 'bout that.  Original post has been fixed.

[ZepDad]

39Mustang, on 27 March 2010 - 06:33 PM, said:

This is one of my next mods as the Shaker 500 in my 08 GT/SC is terrible! Funny thing is the Shaker 500 in my 06 GT daily driver sounds good but in the Shelby its below average quality. I heard the Shelby/Kicker setup at the Birthday bash in Vegas in Jan. and sounded good but I have no experience with Kicker before as in the past used Infinity, Kenwood, and MB Quarts for speakers. Different speakers sound good in different cars and anyone have an opinion as to what speakers they think sound great in the Mustang? Will only consider using Infinity, Kenwood, Pioneer, MB Quart, and maybe the Kickers.

A lot of good speakers on the market.  Any of those you listed will sound great I'm sure.  I decided on Kicker mostly because of the direct replacement subs, with the Shelby sticker on them of course!!

[Burning Blue Star IV]

Thanks for posting the pics..and that is cool with the Shelby sticker on the door panel speakers for sure. I haven't had any experience with the Kicker brand either. Really hope to do this one day.

[kahmann]

Those door subs look awesome. I'm definitely jumping on those for that price. I tried upgrading my system at one point with JL Audio top tier equipment. However, I didn't have a sub to put in the doors, because like you said, there was never a direct replacement until this Kicker setup. So I gained a lot of clarity, mids and highs, but had absolutely zero bass. It sounded excellent really loud, but the lack of bass was killing me. Then my Pioneer AVIC fried out after only 3 months of use. That was enough for me to yank everything out and sell it on eBay, then go back to stock. But a direct replacement, built by Kicker, with the Shelby name on it, that doesn't cost $1200 is too good to pass up. Thanks for the pics and opinion.

Ken

[ZepDad]

Burning Blue Star IV, on 27 March 2010 - 05:57 PM, said:

I've read about the nightmare of the rear deck install..and frankly, it scared me off.

Yeah...the engineer should be taken out back and shot for that decision!!  In all seriousness, it's time consuming but nothing can really go wrong.  Everything is plastic secured by various push on fasteners.   The large plastic interior pieces are awkward and do require a bit of coaxing to remove/replace, but I never felt like anything would break.  I certainly would not want to do the job in the summer.  You will be in the back of the car for some time.  By the way, the Mustang Forum thread mentioned that window tint could be damaged by the awkward quarter panels.  My windows are tinted and didn't have an issue.  I just tried to be careful.

[awakeinAZ]

If I just wanted to change the subs out, do you have to remove the door panel?

On a side note, appearing on that page is a carbon fiber sirius satellite cover. First time I have seen one of these.


http://www.championm...roducts_id=1499

[greaser]

well there goes another 500 bones.  lol

[ZepDad]

awakeinAZ, on 27 March 2010 - 08:50 PM, said:

If I just wanted to change the subs out, do you have to remove the door panel?

Yes, the door panel will need to come off.  The subs mount from the front; however, there is a 10mm bolt on the back side that secures the sub tightly into the door panel assembly.  Probably necessary to prevent rattling.  The Shelby woofers also use the same bolt.

(Edit) In fact you can see the bolt in the picture of the factory sub.  The bolt mounts to the rear of the Shelby subs (see the black round tip in the Shelby side view).

Edited by ZepDad, 28 March 2010 - 02:30 AM.

[andrewnagle1964]

Slightly off topic but need help, I have the stock Shaker 500 and upgraded to the Shelby Kicker finally got it in  a month ago.

My son was home from school this weekend and I am like "Hey Dude listen to this "Kickin" system I got.  He says sounds good, i am like "good" ? what about that rocking BASS !!! he says it is okay I am like  I got 200 watts !!! he says nooooo you don't....

so we open the trunk turn up the bass and he is right nothing is coming from the sub woofer just the back speakers putting out good bass. So I emailed Kicker and and asked for help and then looked online and unless I am smoking crack the Shaker 500 does not work with the subwoofer ? ? Or was it a just a bad install or a bad unit ?

I'll be honest I really thought it was working because the bass coming from the other speakers is that good (for a 45 year old that is ) we had to put or ear on it and hand over it to know for sure .

Has anyone installed the Shelby Kicker with the Shaker 500 Head Unit  and know for sure the subwoofer is thumping ?



Thanks
Andrew

[awakeinAZ]

ZepDad, on 28 March 2010 - 02:18 AM, said:

Yes, the door panel will need to come off.  The subs mount from the front; however, there is a 10mm bolt on the back side that secures the sub tightly into the door panel assembly.  Probably necessary to prevent rattling.  The Shelby woofers also use the same bolt.

(Edit) In fact you can see the bolt in the picture of the factory sub.  The bolt mounts to the rear of the Shelby subs (see the black round tip in the Shelby side view).

Thx for the response.

Edited by awakeinAZ, 20 October 2012 - 08:41 PM.

[check6]

Great write-up and pics. The Kicker system is definitely a mod on my list of things to do!  

[Burning Blue Star IV]

ZepDad, on 27 March 2010 - 07:22 PM, said:

Yeah...the engineer should be taken out back and shot for that decision!!  In all seriousness, it's time consuming but nothing can really go wrong.  Everything is plastic secured by various push on fasteners.   The large plastic interior pieces are awkward and do require a bit of coaxing to remove/replace, but I never felt like anything would break.  I certainly would not want to do the job in the summer.  You will be in the back of the car for some time.  By the way, the Mustang Forum thread mentioned that window tint could be damaged by the awkward quarter panels.  My windows are tinted and didn't have an issue.  I just tried to be careful.

Thanks again for the pointers. I was actually going to do this upgrade right after I got my car...Just remembering how easy it was to pop out those rear speakers in the past....thought it would be a simple swap. Then I read on line about the process with the newer cars. Ugh. Still...I think I will eventually do it.

[ZepDad]

andrewnagle1964, on 28 March 2010 - 05:07 AM, said:

So I emailed Kicker and and asked for help and then looked online and unless I am smoking crack the Shaker 500 does not work with the subwoofer ? ? Or was it a just a bad install or a bad unit ?

Sorry to hear about your problems.  At the Champion Mustang store The Kicker upgrade kit comes in two flavors, one for the Shaker system, one without.  Based on the pictures the only difference is the door subs.  SPP only sells the Shaker version and the description says, "compatible with either the factory Shaker 500 or 1000 system." [Curious SPP doesn't sell the non-Shaker version.]

Your problem could be either a bad install or bad unit.  Some basic troubleshooting should point you in the right direction.  Does the trunk sub have a separate 12V power supply?  If so, I'd first verify that it's getting power.   If power is good then test the signal from the amp.  Use an old speaker at low volume to verify signal.  If you have power and signal then the sub is probably bad; if power and no signal then check your wiring from the amp.  Ultimately you may simply have a bad amp.  Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[39Mustang]

ZepDad, on 27 March 2010 - 04:27 PM, said:

Completed replacement of the Shaker 500 speakers today.  I now have 100% Kicker speakers paired with a Pioneer F700 touchscreen nav head unit.  Amazing difference.  Over the last several months I was becoming more and more frustrated with the Shaker speakers.  They could get loud enough for that occasional urge to ROCK (come on...everyone has that certain driving song that must be played LOUD....try Radar Love for one), but I couldn't coax much clarity from the speakers despite trying a variety of EQ settings. The sound was just muddy and the factory subs very boomy.  

When I found that Shelby was selling direct replacement Kicker door subs separate from the $1,200 upgrade kit, I had to jump.   Until this set no other aftermarket subs have been available as direct fit in Shaker systems.  I purchased from Champion Mustang for $139 Shelby subs.  The 8" shallow mount subs say "CVT" on the speaker cone so I'm guessing they are from Kicker's CompVT line.   I believe they are 2ohm single voice coil for compatibility with the Shaker amps.  I've seen the CompVT's online for $75-$125 so the Shelby package price is reasonable.  (If anyone is curious, the stock subs are dual voice coil.  Each stock sub has 4 wires total with 2 separate inputs.  For the Kicker install one of these wire sets is not used.)

I paired these with 4 Kicker KS680 6X8 for the parcel shelf and doors.  Found on ebay for about $60 per pair.   I also picked up 2 sets of Metra 72-5600 speaker adapter harnesses.  (Shelby also sells Kicker 6x8 speakers separately for around $90 a pair.  Can't say if they are the KS680 which Crutchfield sells in their "Signature" line for $130 a pair.  The DS680 is the next step down in the Kicker line.  The DS680's probably sound fine but the price on the KS680's was too good.)

The door install was fairly painless.  Just a lot of pieces & parts to get to the speakers!  By the way Shelby provides excellent instructions specific to the subs.  The generic Crutchfield instructions floating around also provide a good walk-through for all the speakers (and radio).  I can scan the Shelby instructions if anyone is interested.

The rear parcel speakers were a different matter.  I'd like to meet the brilliant Ford engineer who decided, starting with 2007 models, to mount the speakers underneath the parcel shelf, thereby requiring nearly complete disassembly of the interior. ("Hey boss, I found a way to save $50 off the assembly cost and make life miserable for owners....").  The rears took 2.5 hours alone.  The two doors only took about a hour each if that tells you something.    I found great instructions at Mustang Forums including a "must use" tip when installing the new speakers.  Turn the orange mounting clips upside down and mount the speakers from the bottom.  No clearance issues with the parcel shelf and easy to replace again if necessary.  Way too easy for the Ford engineers I guess.  

I can post pictures upon request, including the original factory speakers.  How Ford can claim 500 watts from those puny things....

Highly recommended upgrade.  Install isn't a breeze but most of us on this forum can handle with a little patience.  You'll be rewarded with clean highs/mids and punchy bass.  I can't vouch for the sound from the factory head unit but better speakers always help.

Do you have any pictures of the Shelby/Kicker subs in the trunk? Curious to how much space it takes up?

[andrewnagle1964]

39Mustang, on 29 March 2010 - 01:01 PM, said:

Do you have any pictures of the Shelby/Kicker subs in the trunk? Curious to how much space it takes up?

Here you go, it does not take up much room at all and tucks nicely into the corner.





Take Care
Andrew