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The journey to achieve decent Navigation and quality audio in my V.

32K views 53 replies 27 participants last post by  9t8z28 
#1 ·
Well, I figured I should provide the info I said I would in a previous post. I ranted about the stock navigation unit sucking and hating it so badly. I decided to pick up the Stock head unit out of a base CTS that has an external DIC (driver information center). Everything I have read so far says that when base CTS’s add a navigation unit to their car they get use of the DIC without any major issues so I figured I would test the compatibility going there way as well. For the disassembly I will follow the write up that was done in the FAQ. Without reading that for hours on end I would not have attempted this. I thank the person who wrote it. In this thread I will keep everyone updated on the progress of my build and detailed info on the system. If anyone has questions feel free to ask.

Equipment:

Head unit:
Kenwood DNX8120 + HD Radio

Front & Rear Stage:
Morel Tempo 6 Comps

Speaker Amp:
Kicker ZX850.4 175watts x4 @4 ohms

Subwoofer:
15” Stereo Integrity Mag v3

Box:
Self designed and built 3.7 Cubes Before displacement Slot port Tuned to 30.09 Hz (may change)

Sub Amp:
Elemental Designs Nine.1

Sound deadener:
Fat mat (yeah I have used this stuff for 10 years if you don’t like my choice then waste your own money for me on another brand.)

Electrical:
Knu stuff, Ill update when I dig it all out of my garage and as the thread goes on. I will also demonstrate why I chose what I did.

Objective:
To eliminate the lame stock navigation and sound system and retain most of my DIC controls and features. Maintain as stock of an appearance as I can and an above average sound system that has decent output and quality to match.

Progress:

I am waiting on the Comps in the mail they should be there tomorrow and my Head unit as well. That should be here this week some time.

I have an appointment on Thursday morning to get the base head unit de theft locked at a local dealer. I have hooked it up and the display shows fine so far its just theft locked so I am un able to test the features of the DIC yet. I was able to go into sport mode and turn my traction and stab completely off as well so I am confident that wont be an issue although there wont be a visual notation of that as of right now any longer.

I am designing my box right now and before I start making the cuts on my wood I want to be sure about my design. I am currently questioning myself with port area as it will be a bit low for the space of the box. I am seriously considering a re design to adjust. I will have this figured out in the next couple days. I will be cutting my wood this week. I am using ¾” Birch ply to save weight over mdf. I have been using birch for many years now. It can be a pain to cut but I enjoy the weight savings. The box will be covered in carpet to match the stock stuff.

I will take lots of pics along the way and plan on this not being complete till about august. I am in no rush to get everything done. Sorry I just don’t have tons of spare time right now. I will do my best to keep this thread updated on a regular basis with any new progress.
 
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#7 ·
I should mention this, for anyone that isnt aware or really into audio. The sub woofer chosen is one of the most well respected sound quality subs out there. It has the potential for great output as well but is first a foremost a SQ speaker hence the low tuned box and the comps that have such a great range of play. That being said i love the boom boom.
 
#9 ·
I have an appointment on Thursday morning to get the base head unit de theft locked at a local dealer. I have hooked it up and the display shows fine so far its just theft locked so I am un able to test the features of the DIC yet. I was able to go into sport mode and turn my traction and stab completely off as well so I am confident that wont be an issue although there wont be a visual notation of that as of right now any longer.
Will you be able to access (turn on/off) T/C and Stabilitrak with that DIC?
Reading fail. :thepan:

j/k lolly. Reads like he was able. :bouncy:
 
#14 ·
I had the Morel Elate 6's in the front doors of my "V". I had purchased a set of the Morel Piccolos for the front pillars before my car was totaled. Never got to install them in the "V" but all my equipment is now in my Lexus coupe. Build thread for it is below to if your interested. I did basically the whole car (V) but contemplated doing what your talking about. The thread for my install is below. If your a member on the DIY mobile forum my build there has a ton more pics. Car is very easy to do.

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forum...rum-2004/133152-stereo-complete-new-pics.html

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-build-logs/17514-2004-cady-cts-v-install.html

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-build-logs/49945-1992-lexus-sc-300-build-stealth.html


Shane
 
#15 ·
Well, I got my Morel comps and the Kenwood Nav unit in today. Upon inspection of the Morels I immediately suspected them of being counterfeits. I won’t mention the retailer that I got them from because they have always been good to me but I will keep the thread updated.

I also built the box today. It came out pretty nice. I have carpet coming in the mail to cover it with all I had around the garage was left over black and it didn’t match at all. The carpet will probably get here mid next week and I will update with pics on that when it’s completed. I did do a test fit to see if I would be able to get the box in since it’s fairly large. I won’t be able to get it in how I wanted it so I will have to settle with it sitting sub and port facing up. If the sound quality isn’t there then I will rebuild and go sealed.

A couple pics below...




 
#16 ·
Well, I got my Morel comps and the Kenwood Nav unit in today. Upon inspection of the Morels I immediately suspected them of being counterfeits. I won’t mention the retailer that I got them from because they have always been good to me but I will keep the thread updated.

I also built the box today. It came out pretty nice. I have carpet coming in the mail to cover it with all I had around the garage was left over black and it didn’t match at all. The carpet will probably get here mid next week and I will update with pics on that when it’s completed. I did do a test fit to see if I would be able to get the box in since it’s fairly large. I won’t be able to get it in how I wanted it so I will have to settle with it sitting sub and port facing up. If the sound quality isn’t there then I will rebuild and go sealed.

A couple pics below...
What made you suspect?
 
#19 ·
Ok, I have several updates. All good news!!!

Morels - Authentic, confirmed but they are a new line called the Tempo 6X. They are a lower line but similar to the Normal Tempo 6. The biggest difference is some materials and the tweeter. The mid bass is the same driver. The vendor I purchased these from agreed to take them back and exchange them for the regular Tempo 6's. That situation is taken care of. Be careful if you buy these things in the future and make sure you look at the exact model number! (Lesson learned)

Now for the big news. As promised I said I would let everyone know as soon as I found out if the base DIC interfaces with the CTS-V. I am happy to say that it does in fact 100% interfaces perfectly with the V. As a matter of fact I am even happier to let everyone know that it even has a Visual Queue for when switching into Comp Mode and turning stability off. Pics are below for proof!!! I will now also say this. I like the DIC externally 100000000000000000000 times more then integrated into the nav. It is responsive and I couldn’t be happier about this so far.






Update on box - Last night I couldn’t find my circle cutting jib but I found it this afternoon and finished the box up. I still need to cover it but that will have to wait until the carpet gets here next week. The box will have to go in sub and port up on its back. I would have liked to get it in sub and port back but that can’t be done. To get the box into the car it’s a big struggle and a puzzle. I had to remove all the trim of the trunk to squeeze it in.


 
#51 ·
Now for the big news. As promised I said I would let everyone know as soon as I found out if the base DIC interfaces with the CTS-V. I am happy to say that it does in fact 100% interfaces perfectly with the V. As a matter of fact I am even happier to let everyone know that it even has a Visual Queue for when switching into Comp Mode and turning stability off. Pics are below for proof!!! I will now also say this. I like the DIC externally 100000000000000000000 times more then integrated into the nav. It is responsive and I couldn’t be happier about this so far.
Does the DIC show trip mileage/fuel mileage/oil life/fuel economy/ect... ??
 
#22 ·
I'm mid way through modifying the console right now. It is really simple. It takes quite a few cutting discs with the dremel but its going well so far. If it all works out ok I would be willing to modify these if anyone wants one.


what is the benefit of switching out the head units???

Well, if you look though my posts you will find that I hate the stock navigation. It seems just cruddy. I love the garmin navigation systems and I also like a nice audio system. I chose to go with an aftermarket unit that has the navigation options I want plus many extra things. I also will now mention that the external DIC is in my opinion much easier to navigate. It retained all function including driver prefs etc....
 
#23 ·
Well, I didn’t do too much today with the stereo system. I am waiting on the speakers to be exchanged. I hope to have them back by about Thursday if I am lucky. I focused on the performance aspect of the vehicle today and did a few things which I posted in another thread. I figured I would give this update though since late last night I did gut the base cts unit and got it ready to fab my new nav into. Here are the pics! The write up in the FAQ is awesome but I did find myself trimming a couple more things and doing it a touch different but over all it’s a great write up. Here are a couple pics showing that it works when gutted.



 
#25 ·
No XM built in. Need a module to get it. I dont like sat radio to be honest. I had it for 3 years and listened to it maybe 10 times. I did get the HD radio module and of course the ipod cable. I'll get into those a bit down the line when i get some serious distance into my build.

Today i shaved more off the center housing and had to take a touch off the hvac housing on the top. I have my filler hardening right now and will add more tomorrow. I hope to have it ready to mount by mid week. No real pics for today nothing exciting, just lots of sanding, cutting and trimming on the units with some filler work...
 
#27 ·
:werd:

Need update.
 
#28 ·
Sorry guys!!!! Yes i am for the most part done!!! I will work on a post to update right away!! I finished last week. It is sounding awesome! I didnt take as many pics as i would of hoped to but i got a few! The console is not complete as i have yet to find a decent paint to match the stock look so i just used some satin black dupli color. I should have a complete post up in about a half hour!
 
#30 ·
Ok, as of my lat update I had modified a stock DIC to work in my V. Well I got a bit carried away and took a bit too much of the old board off and lost use of the right knob when I did it. I have tried to fix this by soldering wires etc but have yet to fix it. So I will be buying another unit and re modifying it. I also decided that I would like to just make one unit of the HVAC and stereo. Well that wasn’t the best idea either. They seem to need a bit of play with the flex of the vehicle so I will re do that as well. For these reasons I will not be doing any more finish sanding or molding on the trim piece that I made I will just wait till I get a new unit. It looks acceptable right now but I will eventually like to go for an even better fit. Below are pics of this process that I would not suggest anyone take on as the units need to be able to flex with the car.






So I also deadened the entire car and wired it of course. This was a simple thing that I have done many times now and didn’t take pics of although I should have. There are a few specifics to this car and I wish I had taken pics of how I ran the power wire specifically. I will explain without pics though. So to run power the easiest way would be to take the carpet out and on the passenger side there is a large grommet that you can pass through. You wont be able to see it though it will be an all by feel process. It is located high on the firewall passenger side and you will need to remove the carpet and trim pieces to find it. Just shove your hand up there and you will feel it though. In order to pass through however you must take your battery out and the stock battery box. While doing this replace the cabin filter as its easy access. You will have plenty of room to run however large and however many runs of wire you wish using this spot. I will almost mention that when you run all of your wires please think about the route for the signal wires. We have a ton of electronics in these vehicles and you don’t want to get noise from any of them. I deadened the car first then ran the wires and then covered the wires to protect them with more deadener. I also used looming in several key places. This helps prevent noise issues that many people run into. I am very proud to say that I have absolutely zero noise with my system. (Yes i use fatmat, for any who are on the "I hate fatmat cause____" band wagon I don't really care. I have used it for 10 years now and it does as good of job as the others when you apply it correctly.)




I installed my speakers in the stock locations. The front doors worked awesome since I was able to use the stock speaker mounting rings with the Morel Tempo 6 comps that I had gotten. I replaced the stock tweeter unit with the morel unit as well and they fit well. I will do some minor epoxy molding to get a better fitment down the line some time. As far as the rear speakers go I mounted them into the stock locations with the xovers behind the door panels. I mounted the tweets flush to the panels as well and called it a day. No pics of this process sorry guys I should have taken some. It was vary simple and easy to do. Instead of running wires through the doors though I took the easy was since the stock speaker wire were vary heavy gauge and tapped into them at the pillar right before they went into the door. This kept a clean install and the stock wire were the largest I had ever seen come stock in a vehicle. I believe they are about 14 gauge. For the front I used the stock wire for the woofers in the door at the pillar once again and ran a new wire for the tweets.

I covered my box like I always cover my boxes so I didn’t go into much there. If you would like a good box covering lesson then check out this link since it’s the same way I do mine and is how I show people to do theirs as well. I mounted my amps in the spare tire location that has no spare and made a new false floor out of some ¼” board from home depot that I use for all my beauty panels. The carpet was a dark grey from parts express but didn’t match the best. It isn’t too bad but in the pics it looks more off then it does in real life. I will also mention that the box I made I could not rotate to face the port and sub backwards like I had wanted to. We have a small opening to get boxes into so I might address that in the future with an in trunk build or a different box.

Over all I am really happy with the system. It has some awesome sound quality and gets quite loud as well. The single 15 can be over powering at times but that’s how I like it. The morels keep up with the sub just fine and they can pierce your ear drums if you wanted them to. When I get around to re doing a few things ill update but they aren’t on my list to do right away! Thanks for all the comments and if you have any specific questions feel free to ask me. Finished pics below!!




 
#32 ·
WOW, that is one nice ass setup!!!
 
#34 ·
:2thumbs: great thread, way to be original using the cts DIC. real clean set up too. only thing i don't like is the front tweeters, they look tacked on.. i guess im just a fan of the stock diamond shaped shrouds.. but i dont know anything about audio.. i dont really think the stock system is that bad.:duck:. just a little weak.. in the bass and volume department.. i can listen to it full blast when the windows are down..
 
#37 ·
The tweets will be fitted better when i get some free time. I have several things to do to the caddy before i can get back to finishing details on this audio project. The tweets will be fit a touch better and blended into the pillars. I really need to find a paint that will match the stock paint. The console will be better fit as well

Excellent install and writeup richdash. Are the two side knobs still needed for DIC functionality or could they be removed/filled in?

Any issues with rattles/buzzing in the door or overall? I'm trying to track down a buzz in my install during certain notes and it sounds like its coming from the front door lock hardware.
To answer the first question yes, the knobs are needed. I did mention that i cut a bit low on one side and therefore kind of screwed the right knob up. I will have to fix this issue later on to adjust the clock as it shows the wrong time. I can scroll between all the stuff still but i want to adjust the user settings and time so i do need the knobs. I did fill most of the lines and un needed stuff on the pieces though.

I sound deadened all of my doors with quite a bit of deadener. They all sound good without any issues. I did find that on one of my rear doors that i had bent a tab when i re installed it. This created a noise when i opened and closed the door. I fixed this by bending the plastic back and re installing the panel. I will note that the stock lock indicator hardware sucks and crumbles when you take it apart even with the correct tools.
 
#35 ·
Excellent install and writeup richdash. Are the two side knobs still needed for DIC functionality or could they be removed/filled in?

Any issues with rattles/buzzing in the door or overall? I'm trying to track down a buzz in my install during certain notes and it sounds like its coming from the front door lock hardware.
 
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