Sound system overhaul project: F430 F1 Spider

Much has been written about the poor quality of the base sound and navigation system in the Ferrari F430 and how as a Ferrari owner I am supposed to just appreciate the sound of the engine and not worry about navigation, connectivity, music, etc. While a reasonable point, after buying my first Ferrari in April I kept asking myself "why can't I have both?"

Turns out you can!

Initially I set out to build iPhone integration into my '06 Spider in a way that would match the car's exquisite interior. I had my sound and radar guys (Musicar Northwest, check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Musicar-Northwest/110852968938195) swap out my CD input (which I was not using) for a Blackberry Bluetooth receiver and a bespoke iPhone cradle (photos below.)

The result was awesome! Now I have access to my local music collection and any/all streaming music services available, all without wires. What's more, I have access to turn-by-turn navigation thanks to Google Maps and the fact that the directions will play through the car's stereo system (and more on that below as well.)

While this was great, the next problem was that the speakers in the car were sadly lacking. While I know a bunch of other folks have upgraded their entire system, I wanted to preserve the Becker faceplate since that is part of the car, and was extremely hesitant to add anything else that would detract from the overall "pristine" look of my car.

To this end, the Musicar guys went with a Mosconi 100W-per-channel amp with a separate amp for the subwoofer and Illusion Audio Carbon 2-way speakers. The speakers fit perfectly in the existing speaker bays and become essentially invisible. The amps and wires go under a "false floor" in the boot and the only visible addition is the subwoofer which is also bespoke using the same Ferrari leather and stitching as the original car.

To round this out, and to assist with navigation and sound during longer drives, the guys built a bespoke iPad Mini mount to swap out with the iPhone mount, giving me a much larger screen to work with (photos coming soon.)

I pick all of this up tomorrow and will post more after I get a test drive. Happy to answer any questions you may have.
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So I picked up the car today and have some more pictures and thoughts about the process. First, the guys did an AMAZING job with every detail ... down to the cover plate in the boot etched with the Ferrari logo and their brand name (see photo.) The subwoofer enclosure turned out brilliantly --- only the stitching is a little off but not so much so that it is bothersome --- and the leather is a perfect match (see photo.)

The iPad Mini mount turned out differently (and better) than I had imagined. The installer went with a landscape mount instead of the portrait I had envisioned --- and that was awesome. Turns out the iPad navigation options out there are optimized for landscape, as is Pandora and other music apps I use (photos below.)

Keep in mind that I kept all the factory covers and even the Becker faceplate to preserve the original look of the car. Aside from the iPad mount and the subwoofer box you'd be hard-pressed to determine there were any changes at all. There is a four-way switch --- driver only/top down, driver only/top up, driver and passenger/top down, and driver and passenger/top up --- that is hidden with the Escort 9500ci controls in the ashtray (picture below.)

The sound is better than I could have possibly imagined, expected, or hoped for! Even over the pipes at 4300 RPM there is a crispness in the treble and a richness in the bass that is better than any stereo I have ever owned, in car or out. No loss at all via the Bluetooth stream from my iPhone and iPad Mini, even from Pandora, at least not that I can detect.

As I drove away from the shop and cranked up Jimi Hendrix a smile crept across my face and stayed there all the way home.

I have a drive with the Cars and Coffee crew tomorrow and then a week of fast and twisty roads ahead so I will report back if people are interested. Happy to answer questions!
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Sorry --- bespoke as in completely custom made for the buyer, not a company. I'd be happy to introduce you to the guys who built the holder --- PM me if you're interested. They have the dimensions for a F430 but I suspect that either A) they have or B) can easily get the dimensions for a 360 (or any other Ferrari for that matter.)

I cannot recommend the install enough --- the holder is one thing but the sound system itself continues to blow my mind.

Anyway, PM me if you'd like their details.

 

The total install with the sound system upgrade was about $8K but I went with a very, very good sound system, custom subwoofer cabinet, etc. Could have done it for much less (around $2K to $3K) but, hey, it's a Ferrari ... might as well have the Ferrari of sound systems.