Sound system upgrade cost

[GiaMia]

I’m upgrading my factory system as follows:

Kicker amp under driver seat
Replacing all speakers (unsure of brand)
Stinger 12” sub mounted to tail gate door
Bass knob
Sound deadening for Stinger enclosure

shop told me around 1k. I bought the Stinger sub. They supply all other components and install.

is this a fair price?

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[Karl_in_Chicago]

Pretty light on specifics as to what is being done. That's 6 speakers being replaced but we don't know what type - they can range from (relatively) pocket change to hundreds of dollars each. When you say "Kicker amp under the seat" which amp is that? The popular (here) 200.4 amp for the main speakers or the 500.1 subwoofer amp to drive your Stinger sub? In either case there's only 1 amp being listed so it seems like it is one amp short unless your Stinger purchase included the sub amp as well as the subwoofer itself?

The quality of the answers you receive is going to be (usually) directly indexed to the specificity of the data included in the question, IMO.

 

[da_jokker]

I'm not a guru but being the equipment alone is half that cost..seems like it.

For me, pre sub delete is $250 to add a JBL Nano....post sub delete is $250 to replace factory Bluetooth sub.

 

[Alassise]

Around 1K does sounds reasonable for entry level speakers that will sound better than stock, but limited to what amplification you use. My system was 3.5K with mid level speakers and sounds great to me. Make sure that you ask what interface they are using to connect the amp to the radio.

I am a firm believer that with a quality amplifier and entry level speakers you can get amazing top off sound. Look at crutchfield website and input your Bronco. It will tell you what fits and what interfaces or plug an play kits are available for the vehicle. The more informed you are of what fits in your bronco, the better chance you have of the installer not BS'ing you or the installation.

A lot of people uses Kicker speakers and amplification and get a very good sound out of the system. I do not think that the kicker amp will power the front speakers and the sub in the back, and use the radio power to energize the rear speakers. The stock power of the radio is enough for the factory speakers, but for aftermarket one's, you are better served waiting to grow your budget to get better sound. The amp I used gives me clean sound, and volume level with the top off at 75 MPH is around 12-13, loud and clear enough.

If music is important to you, and you travel a lot, get a better amp to power the stinger and good front speakers. Leave the stock rear ones in place.

Check the link below of some of the stuff I used in my install. The amp was the most expensive thing next to my woofer box (not on the quote).


https://www.crutchfield.com/cart/default.aspx

 

[GiaMia]

Pretty light on specifics as to what is being done. That's 6 speakers being replaced but we don't know what type - they can range from (relatively) pocket change to hundreds of dollars each. When you say "Kicker amp under the seat" which amp is that? The popular (here) 200.4 amp for the main speakers or the 500.1 subwoofer amp to drive your Stinger sub? In either case there's only 1 amp being listed so it seems like it is one amp short unless your Stinger purchase included the sub amp as well as the subwoofer itself?

The quality of the answers you receive is going to be (usually) directly indexed to the specificity of the data included in the question, IMO.

The shop said speakers will cost between $80 to $100 each. The amp is for the subwoofer. Only 1 amp being installed. Thank you.

 

[zombie]

I paid $1,000 CAD (like $32.48 USD with today's exchange not really, obv) for a 5 channel kenwood sub, a 12" sub in sealed enclosure and 4x 4" crutchfield house brand + kenwood 3-way 6.5". (did all the work myself)

If they're not installing complete garbage for speakers, it's likely an OK price.

 

[RagnarKon]

Which amplifier?

---

I will say that my DIY upgrade cost just shy of $1000 (all in parts), and that was two amplifiers along with a complete speaker swap, sub enclosure, etc.

Obviously you're be supplying the subwoofer, which reduces cost. But $1000 seems... low... to me. But if they are cheaping out on the amplifier or speakers that could explain it.

---

EDIT—

Just to price it out and why I am super suspicious about the price...

• Kicker 46CXA6605 - $450
• Speakers - Avg. $90/each ($540)
• Bass Knob - $40
• Misc soundproofing / parts / wiring / etc. - Est. $100

That comes out to be $1,130... which means their install profit margin is a negative $130. Granted they can probably get the amp/speakers for much cheaper than retail... but still... they are leaving very little room for labor and profit.

So.... SOMETHING is not right. They got to be cheaping out big time on the speakers, or... maybe the amplifier is a mono amp (ie. Kicker 46CXA4001) and only for the subwoofer?

 

[GiaMia]

Thank you. I’m going to call them in a few. The amp is a Kicker brand but they didn’t tell me the type of speakers they would use, just said it would be $80-$100 per speaker. They had previously quoted me $1430 to include a Kicker sub, but I didn’t want to compromise the cargo space so I went with the Stinger that mounts on the rear door.

 

[GiaMia]

Which amplifier?

---

I will say that my DIY upgrade cost just shy of $1000 (all in parts), and that was two amplifiers along with a complete speaker swap, sub enclosure, etc.

Obviously you're be supplying the subwoofer, which reduces cost. But $1000 seems... low... to me. But if they are cheaping out on the amplifier or speakers that could explain it.

---

EDIT—

Just to price it out and why I am super suspicious about the price...

• Kicker 46CXA6605 - $450
• Speakers - Avg. $90/each ($540)
• Bass Knob - $40
• Misc soundproofing / parts / wiring / etc. - Est. $100

That comes out to be $1,130... which means their install profit margin is a negative $130. Granted they can probably get the amp/speakers for much cheaper than retail... but still... they are leaving very little room for labor and profit.

So.... SOMETHING is not right. They got to be cheaping out big time on the speakers, or... maybe the amplifier is a mono amp (ie. Kicker 46CXA4001) and only for the subwoofer?

You were so right!!!! The 1K quote was for equipment only. I almost died when he told me the total:
$865 parts
$1,570.95 labor

Almost 2.5 K with taxes

2 4” Kicker
1 6.5” Kicker
Kicker C XARC Bass control
Kicker CXA 400
Amp kit/adapters/matting/poly

It sounds flipping amazing but I didn’t expect to spend this kind of money. Does the price sound fair to you?

Around 1K does sounds reasonable for entry level speakers that will sound better than stock, but limited to what amplification you use. My system was 3.5K with mid level speakers and sounds great to me. Make sure that you ask what interface they are using to connect the amp to the radio.

I am a firm believer that with a quality amplifier and entry level speakers you can get amazing top off sound. Look at crutchfield website and input your Bronco. It will tell you what fits and what interfaces or plug an play kits are available for the vehicle. The more informed you are of what fits in your bronco, the better chance you have of the installer not BS'ing you or the installation.

A lot of people uses Kicker speakers and amplification and get a very good sound out of the system. I do not think that the kicker amp will power the front speakers and the sub in the back, and use the radio power to energize the rear speakers. The stock power of the radio is enough for the factory speakers, but for aftermarket one's, you are better served waiting to grow your budget to get better sound. The amp I used gives me clean sound, and volume level with the top off at 75 MPH is around 12-13, loud and clear enough.

If music is important to you, and you travel a lot, get a better amp to power the stinger and good front speakers. Leave the stock rear ones in place.

Check the link below of some of the stuff I used in my install. The amp was the most expensive thing next to my woofer box (not on the quote).


https://www.crutchfield.com/cart/default.aspx

As it turned out, the estimate of 1K was equipment only. The whole set up ended up being 2.5K with Kicker brand throughout (amp, speakers, bass knob). Almost died when I saw the final bill

 

[RagnarKon]

You were so right!!!! The 1K quote was for equipment only. I almost died when he told me the total:
$865 parts
$1,570.95 labor

Almost 2.5 K with taxes

2 4” Kicker
1 6.5” Kicker
Kicker C XARC Bass control
Kicker CXA 400
Amp kit/adapters/matting/poly

It sounds flipping amazing but I didn’t expect to spend this kind of money. Does the price sound fair to you?

Ah... there we go. Now we're starting to make sense.

I don't know what the going rate for audio installs is if I'm being honest... so I'll defer to others. My younger brother used to do pro audio installs, but that was over a decade ago, so all my knowledge is outdated. I also successfully did a complete DIY install, so if you ask me "hey is $1600 in labor worth it?" I'm going to emphatically say, "NO". But I understand that not everyone is willing to do the DIY approach.

---

I will talk about the gear they picked though:

Right away I see a Kicker CXA 400.1... which is a mono amplifier that is obviously intended to power your Stinger. That means your other 6 speakers are stuck on the factory amplifier. If you were expecting the other speakers to get the aftermarket treatment as well... the parts they quoted you won't make it happen. If you're okay with that, then awesome, you're good to go. If not... then obviously you'll need a different (or second) amplifier.

If you decide NOT to amplify the other 6 speakers, then you really don't need the 6.5" Kicker speakers. From personal experience I can tell you that you won't really see any improvement with the 6.5" Kicker speakers on the factory amplifier. That should save you around $100 or so, although they may not be willing to do that depending on how they intend to feed your Stinger. (It is common to "steal" the subwoofer signal from the kick panel speakers, and in order to do that without cutting into the factory wiring, you need to install aftermarket speakers.)

 

[GiaMia]

Thank you!!!! Very helpful!

 

[HuntersBronco]

Sounds like you got to the truth of it. My local shop quoted me $2000 to install an amp and an 8” sub. No thanks.

For less than that I installed 3 amps, replaced all the factory speakers, added a 6.75 sub (I have the 23 sub delete option), and added a JL Audio tw3.
Only down side was it took me two weekends to install. But that’s part of the fun with this vehicle IMO.

 

[GiaMia]

Sounds like you got to the truth of it. My local shop quoted me $2000 to install an amp and an 8” sub. No thanks.

For less than that I installed 3 amps, replaced all the factory speakers, added a 6.75 sub (I have the 23 sub delete option), and added a JL Audio tw3.
Only down side was it took me two weekends to install. But that’s part of the fun with this vehicle IMO.

I’m stepping out of my comfort zone little by little and tinkering with small changes through videos, but I think this type of challenge was a bit big for me to figure out. I appreciate the reply!

 

[HuntersBronco]

I get it. I’ve installed many, many systems and it was a lot for me. . Let us know how you like the sound when you get it done.

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