A repeat client from Metairie, Louisiana came to Prestige Car Audio & Marine with his awesome 2007 Aston Martin Vantage V8 wanting to upgrade the audio system. As we often do with clients, we started with and in-depth audio consultation. We went over goals and aspirations, things they liked about the car, and things they wanted to improve. We realized very early on that this person wanted an incredible sounding audio system and wanted the installation to fit with such a beautiful car. After reviewing the vehicle and talking to the client, we presented our solution. They liked our proposal, and an installation appointment was scheduled.
Mosconi Helps Tame The Factory Audio Signal With Their Supercharged 6to8v8 Digital Sound Processor
We chose to leave the stock radio in the dash and integrate a Mosconi 6to8v8 processor with it. The Mosconi processor is truly an incredible piece of electronics. When it is put in the hands of talented technicians, it becomes the hub of a great sounding audio system. It takes the musical signal coming out of the stock Aston amplifier and modifies it so we have a flat, un-equalized signal that is full range. You see Aston Martin takes the musical signal and divides it up into several slices for the different speakers in the vehicle, and it adds equalization to the music to make the inexpensive speakers sound better. Unfortunately, when you go to add really good speakers and amplifiers, their choices of equalization and signal dividing will hurt the sound quality. So in its simplest form, we are reversing what the Aston engineers did to the music so we can start with a pure, unmodified signal. Just like the audio engineers who record the albums, the client will be listening to the sound as it was intended.
While this sounds very simple, it is, in fact, pretty difficult to achieve, and that is one of the major differences in the quality of the technicians at Prestige Car Audio & Marine. We use devices like real-time analyzers, oscilloscopes, and digital multi-meters to evaluate what is going on in the vehicle, and to make proper adjustments.
Further Tuning With The 6to8v8 Dials In This Aston Martin Audio Upgrade
Once the musical signal is back to full range, we can begin to modify it for the best sound quality with the new equipment. We now adjust the 6to8v8 with its sophisticated equalizers, digital delay, and crossover networks. The result is speakers playing the perfect range of musical frequencies that are fine-tuned to the specific acoustical environment present in the Aston Martin. What makes the icing on the cake is the time delay added to the speakers, so all of the sound now arrives at the perfect time for your ears. When you sit in the driver’s seat, you are offset to the left a whole bunch, but with the magic of the 6to8v8, it sounds like you are sitting in the middle of the car. The instruments and vocals are spread across the top of the dash like the band is playing in front of the car, and you have front row center seating.
The controller for the Mosconi 6to8v8 was flushed into the center console, giving it a factory appearance. From this Mosconi command center the client can adjust different tuning presets, the subwoofer level and the master volume of the system.
This Supercar Gets Super Door Panel Rebuild
As the Aston Martin is a supercar, not much attention was given to the speaker locations by the factory. The original audio system is mediocre at best, but we were about to breath new life into it. We chose the Focal 165 KRX3 speakers for the front of the vehicle. The 6.5” woofer in this set has a large motor structure that did not fit into the factory locations in the bottom of the door. We reconstructed the bottom of the door panel to allow fitment of this speaker, resulting in more midbass in the front of the vehicle. At the top of the door, the stock tweeter location was modified to house the 3” midrange speaker.
Rebuilt A-Pillars House Tweeters In Optimum Position
We still needed a good location for the tweeter, so we rebuilt the stock A-pillar with a custom mount and grill to house the Focal tweeter. Since we needed to recover the A-pillar in the vehicle, we offered the customer the option of replacing everything in the interior that was covered in gray suede. This included the headliner and many pillars and trim pieces. The client wanted only the best for his car so we chose genuine Alcantara to upholster all the pieces. This is an OEM spec material that is very durable and looks very classy. The end result was a dramatic improvement in the look of the interior.
Rear Speaker And Sound Proofing Provided By Focal
We chose Focal 100KRS separates to go into the stock speaker location in the rear of the vehicle. While the car was disassembled, we did a complete sound treatment with Black Hole Foil to lower the noise level in the vehicle and to eliminate any rattling or buzzing that could occur from the performance audio system.
Concert Level Sound Thanks To Clean Italian Power Via Mosconi Amplifiers
In the rear of the vehicle, we spent significant time building the enclosure for the 2 JL Audio 12TW3 subwoofers and the amp rack for three Mosconi amplifiers. Two AS100.4’s and one AS100.2 amplifiers power the whole system. Having over 1000 watts of clean power means the customer can experience concert level volume any time he chooses. The AS100.2 powers the rear speakers, while one of the AS100.4 amps powers the subwoofers. The remaining AS100.4 amp is configured so two channels power the door woofers and the remaining two channels power the front midrange and tweeter set.
Trunk Build For This Supercar Is Superb!
Significant time was spent on the cosmetics in the rear of the vehicle by the custom fabrication experts at Prestige Car Audio & Marine as this is an Aston Martin Vantage. We wanted the cosmetics of the audio system to look right at home in this supercar. As you can see in the pictures, they knocked it out of the park. Every piece in this Aston Martin audio upgrade was custom-made, nothing was an off the shelf part. We knew the fit and finish had to be perfect.
If you look closely at the speaker grills and the trim panels for the amplifiers, you will see that we integrated white LED lighting around the edges. For an over the top look, we designed a bridge that ran down the middle of the rear enclosure. We outfit it with hidden LED lighting on the underside that casts a beautiful red glow on the equipment. If you look closely at the bridge, you will see that we applied red stitching to the black material to continue the theme of the red stitching on the seats in the vehicle.
The client couldn’t wait to see the finished product, and they were completely blown away by the attention to detail of our technicians. They thought the Aston Martin looked like it came that way from the factory, and that made our day. But the proof is in the sound. A beautiful audio enhancement is not worth anything unless the sound matches it. And the first time he cranked it up he was grinning from ear to ear. It reproduced concert level sound with studio quality in an almost effortless way. Every note, every plucked string, every nuance in the vocals, came through in the music. You could sit in the driveway and listen for hours on end, never wanting to get out.
Trust Our Team To Fulfill Your Automotive Dreams
So if you like the audio system in this 2007 Aston Martin Vantage V8 and have always wanted something incredible done in your vehicle, we invite you to contact us here. We will set up a time for an audio consultation where you will bring your vehicle to our facility. We will get to know you better, explore the vehicle together, and go over your goals and aspirations for the improvements. We will then custom design and install an audio upgrade that fits your unique needs and desires. We look forward to meeting you.
Awesome guys!!
I have 2007 V8 Vantage Roadster and want to upgrade audio/nav and maybe some interior work.
I’m in Westfield, Indiana, but I’m happy to travel.
Can you guys help?
Thanks,
Mike