Massive Range Rover Audio Upgrade for Thibodaux Client

A longtime client of ours from Thibodaux, Louisiana, returned to Prestige Car Audio and Marine in Metairie to upgrade the audio system in his brand-new 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography Edition SUV. The client wanted more detail, more accuracy and better bass. Having been teased with what great sound could be, he gave us the go-ahead to create a system that would be amazing. We ordered the products required for this massive build and got to work on upgrading this Range Rover audio system.

Factory Integration on a Grand Scale

The factory audio system in the Range Rover is called the Meridian Signature Sound System. The system has a total of 28 speakers around the vehicle. Factory speaker locations include all the doors, the dash, the rear quarter panels and four overhead speaker zones. We planned to keep the factory radio in place and work with the audio signal after it exited the factory signal processor. This plan maintains the factory up-mixer functionality and excellent imaging from each seating location.

Amplification for the Masses

Lots of power was on tap, thanks to the Tru Amplifiers.

The Helix amplifiers also each contained a digital signal processor.

Mounting platforms were bolted to the floor of the trunk to give a mounting point for the amplifiers.

The electronics layout was neat and easily serviceable.

An unbelievable amount of equipment was carefully fitted in the spare tire well.

There are four Mosconi Pico.2 two-channel amps, four Helix P SIX DSP MK2 amplifiers and a quartet of Tru Technology Billet amps in the system. The four Helix amps are spread around the spare tire well on an amp rack we fabricated. The Mosconi amps are on another amp panel at the rear of the spare tire well. We added a Stinger SPP1200 power cell to help provide current to the massive amplifier collection.

Speaker Upgrades for All Locations

Even with all our speaker upgrades, the doors were able to remain stock-looking.

As with all vehicles in our care, we made sure to protect the areas we would be touching with protective tape.

The rear doors and center console both got speaker upgrades, while retaining a stock look.

Our team constructed adapter plates to fit the Audiofrog midrange in the factory spot.

The top of each door got an Audiofrog midrange and tweeter.

We were able to fit an 8″ midbass driver in the front doors.

The upgraded seat speakers become the center-channel for the rear passengers.

We updated the speakers that were in the rear of the seats with Audiofrog speakers.

These plate speakers were a perfect fit for the overhead speaker locations.

The custom passive crossovers our technician’s built were securely mounted.

Low end authority comes from the JL Audio flagship W7 woofers.

An embossed accent was added to the top of the subwoofer enclosure.

We primarily used Audiofrog GB series speakers to upgrade the factory units in the Range Rover. Each door received a GB25 midrange and GB10OE tweeter. We had planned to use an Audiofrog GS 6×9 woofer, but found that the Illusion Audio C8W fit nicely into the factory location. The center channel is now home to a GB40 midrange and a GB10OE tweeter.

The Meridian system includes speakers in the back of the front seats for the rear passengers. We replaced these with a pair of GB40 midrange drivers and a GB10OE tweeter. We installed another set of GB40 midrange drivers and GB10OE tweeters in the factory rear quarter panel speaker location. The four overhead speaker pods now use Audio Development ESA SAT pods with a 3/4-inch tweeter and a 3-inch midrange. We created passive crossover networks for each of the eight Audio Development speaker pods to divide frequencies between the midrange and the tweeter.

The final upgrade was a pair of the JL Audio 13.5W7 subwoofers and the custom enclosure we crafted for them from his previous vehicle. Each Tru Technology amplifier can provide up to 800 watts of power to each of the 3 ohm voice coils of the subwoofers.

System Configuration and Tuning

Setting up a system like this takes time – a lot of time. The new system has five signal processors. Each Helix amp has an eight-channel DSP, and we added a Mosconi 4to6DSP to handle processing for the subwoofers and overhead speakers. We configured each speaker group for crossovers and equalization for the associated listening position. For example, we tuned the speaker pods in the seats for smooth frequency response in the rear seats. We tuned each overhead pod for the associated seating position. It took a few days to set up and configure the system, but every second of work was well worth the investment.

Additional Vehicle Upgrades

Our technicians precisely cut the opening in the rear-view mirror to allow the Escort display to be seen.

The cutout in the mirror lets it retain a stock look when off, but the display is visible when it is active.

The front laser defusers are barely noticeable but always protecting the vehicle.

We had the vehicle in the shop for roughly three weeks. While it was here, we installed an Escort 9500Ci radar detector and laser defense system. We mounted the red LED display for the system in the rearview mirror to keep the interior looking clean and tidy.

We tinted the vehicle windows with Llumar CTX Ceramic window film to protect the interior and to help keep it cool.

Range Rover Audio System Delivery

After many hours of installation and tuning, it was time to return the Range Rover to the client. He was ecstatic with how the new system sounded. The Audiofrog speakers are the benchmark for detail and clarity, and the client noticed this right away.

If your luxury SUV is lacking in the audio department, contact Prestige Car Audio and Marine, using our online contact form, to start the upgrade process.