A customer from Westminster, Maryland came to WSS Westminster Speed & Sound with his 2008 Cadillac Escalade ESV looking for some help with his Bluetooth Handsfree unit we installed years ago. While he was here we sat him in our BMW demo car to listen to the audio system we had just finished. He was blown away by the sound quality and asked if we could do that to his Escalade. After hearing a resounding “yes” from us we sat down together and laid out a game plan for his Escalade audio upgrade. We scoped out the different options for equipment and where it would be installed in his vehicle. A solution was agreed upon and the equipment was ordered.
Escalade Front Speaker Upgrade
One of the biggest priorities in this vehicle was keeping all of the functionality that the Escalade ESV is famous for and keeping the operation as similar to stock as possible. We decided to keep the upgrade very simple and to use high quality products. In the front of the vehicle we installed Audison Voce AV6 woofers in the factory locations in the front doors. Hushmat was installed on the inner door skin to eliminate the chance of any rattling or vibration, and to lower the outside noise coming into the cabin of the Escalade. Foam rings were installed around the woofers to couple them with the door panel. What this does is focus all of the sound energy out the speaker opening in the door which results in much better midbass output.
In the factory locations in the A-pillars we installed Hertz HT25 tweeters to handle the high frequencies. When it came time for bass we chose a JL Audio Stealthbox that got installed all the way in the driver’s side rear of the vehicle above the side panel so he lost zero storage space. For amplification, we installed a Hertz HDP5 amplifier which is a five channel amplifier supplying 60 watts of clean power to each of the four front speakers and 500 watts to the JL Stealthbox.
Audison Bit10D Central To Escalade Audio Upgrade
With the goals in mind that we spoke of earlier, we chose to keep the stock navigation system and integrate an Audison Bit10D processor to the original Bose amplifier. It becomes the brains of the audio upgrade and allows us to “De-EQ” the audio system, which in simple terms strips the music of the heavy processing added to it by the Bose amplifier. When we add high quality speakers we do not want the heavy music processing done by Bose as all it would do is tarnish the sound quality. The second thing this processor allows us to do is dedicate an amplifier channel to each of the speakers. This is known as an active system and it improves the sound quality by giving the amplifier better control over each speaker.
The third thing the processor does is allow us to “time align” the sound arrival to the driver’s ears. This delays the sound coming from some of the speakers so all the music arrives at the same time, so you no longer have the left side bias from being in the driver’s seat, much closer to the driver’s side speakers than the passenger side speakers. It truly has to be experienced to understand the impact it makes on the sound system. The last thing we can do with this processor is adjust for the acoustics of the interior of the vehicle. Every vehicle has its own unique sonic signature that it adds to the music. This hightly complex equalizer allows us to dial in each speaker for the most accurate sound quality.
The Bit10D comes with a controller that we installed in a convenient but hidden spot in the upper console storage lid. The controller allows the customer to vary the total amount of bass in the vehicle and to adjust the time alignment for either front seat.
Amp And Processor Hidden In Center Console
As you can see from the pictures we were able to hide the amplifier and the processor inside of the center console, so when all the panels were put back into place the whole front of the vehicle looks unchanged. This installation took two days to complete and when we delivered the vehicle to the customer he was thrilled with the final product. We must have sat in there for 20-30 minutes just listening to different cuts of music.
So if you own a vehicle and are not satisfied with the sound quality, give us a call. Our specialty is keeping the integrity of the vehice intact while giving you concert quality sound while you are driving. After all, shouldn’t the drive be enjoyable?
If you are in the market or an Escalade audio upgrade or an audio upgrade for any vehicle, we invite you to stop in at our facility. Feel free to give us a call or Contact Us today.
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