SimonT

If we lived in the US, we'd just start a class action lawsuit based on the premise that the ICC is not Fit For Purpose. They may argue back that the standard crap speakers etc suit the standard crap ICC just fine, but I'm sure the same lawyers that sued McDonalds and won when a lady burned herself with a hot coffee could win the case for us!! Sometimes I yearn for the days when I loved Jap crap imports with their standard DIN headunits that were SOO easy to upgrade. But then I drive my car, and those 206kW limited cars no longer seem so awesome :-) Simon

It's the factory head-unit. Premium is the same (what I have). Using all awesome gear, but factory head-unit = hiss. Worse through iPod connector, but still there through CD. Installer hooked up an aftermarket headunit via RCA. An entirely different type of sound. Clean, crisp, with an awesome dynamic range. No comparison to factory headunit. But I, like you, wanted to retain the factory headunit. So for now I'm putting up with sub-par sound, with terrible hiss, (not alternator whine), until it sh*ts me enough to install another headunit in the glovebox (FPV has the stupid Start button where an aftermarket head unit would normally mount). If anyone knows of a way to fix the factory hiss, I'm all ears. I'm using a Cache line-level converter, but from what I've read, the hiss is still there even with units like the Audison Bit One. Garbage In = Garbage Out. :-( Simon

It's interesting - when I got my gear installed and had noise, the installer said he called a few other installer contacts, and was told there's no way to get the FG silent - the ICC is just rubbish. He asked me if I'd read about it on the forums I frequent. I said I hadn't, but would check. I came across this thread, posted my story, and now more and more people are popping up with the same issue. It seems the ICC is just pure rubbish. Rubbish in = rubbish out. While my installer was trouble-shooting, he plugged a high-end Clarion headunit directly into my Amp, and said the sound was 'Magic'. Compared to the ICC, the sound was on a whole other level. Pure, perfectly silent noise floor. Awesome sound, without the 'compression' of sound the ICC spits out. Now, an aftermarket head unit seems the obvious choice. But in an FPV, where you'd put it is where the 'Start' button is. Has anyone relocated the Start button on an FPV, or would it be easier to get a standard car's barrel, and get an auto electrician to wire the car up so a key starts it? Both options present new problems. What a pain. Why do car manufacturers integrate the stereo into the dash so it can't be upgraded, then install a POS system like the so-called "Premium" sound I've optioned up to? Premium sound my arse. A colour screen and dual-climate control does not make "Premium Sound!" So frustrating... Give me back my old-school jap cars where you could install an awesome single or double-DIN head unit easily. Shame they were all limited to 206kW at the engine....

I considered aftermarket, but where PhantomXR6 has his head unit I have the stupid FPV Start button, so even more hassle would be involved. It seems crazy that the hiss is much worse with aftermarket gear - I really never noticed it before, but with aftermarket gear it's TERRIBLE. For future troubleshooting purposes, does anyone know if it's OK to start the car without the seats in? I'm worried some code might result due to the missing airbags. What's the go? It seems odd that the volume of hiss does not change with the volume of the headunit - surely that points to what the fault must be - to an Electronics guru anyway? I like the ipod, mobile phone etc integration of the ICC, and would rather keep it if at all possible, but the hiss really is annoying!

Earthing problem is the obvious answer yeah. Installer has tried everything though. Different earthing points, everything to the same earthing point, all the usual fixes for the obvious installation stuff-ups (which weren't made in the first place), but multiple new things were tried, all to no avail. In-line RCA ground loop isolator was tried - no difference. I'm just wondering if there are any pro installers on here who have fitted full aftermarket gear (besides the head-unit) to an FG, in particular the ute, and had a completely silent noise floor.

Yeah everything is pointing to the factory Premium sound setup as the problem. A few other installers have noted the same issue according to my installer. The thing is, it's so nicely integrated I'd rather not go to an aftermarket solution. Has anyone had and fixed the issue? Would it be worth trying to figure out how to mod the ICC to have RCA outs like the sticky? Or would the noise be sent from those outputs as well? Does anyone have an FG with Premium sound, in a Ute (no amplifier or sub) and upgraded to an amp and new speakers, and NOT had noise?

Hi, I have the exact same issue with a recently installed cache coe6 Line Level converter, Diamond Audio Hex Amp, Diamond Audio splits, and Diamond Audio Sub. The stereo sounds great - with the volume turned up! At lower levels there's a very obvious amount of noise. No amount of messing with the line levels on the cache unit or amp can eliminate it. Not cheap rubbish gear, so everything is pointing to the factory head unit. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions for us both??

MY EYES!!! THEY BURN!!! How amazing is that colour??!? Pure awesome.

No probs on the pics I'd give you a ride, but probably won't be back in Adelaide in the Ute for some time. Bummer.... The SRT8 is the wife's car. Rated at 317kW, only got 257.3rwkW on the dyno. More proof that Ford underrate the Turbo 6's perhaps, given I got 277rwkW from a 310kW car?

OK then, let's see how this works out!

I'll try and upload some pics later on. Took a bunch today cos I entered it in a local dyno comp. Was coming 1st for 95% of the day on 277rwkw, then got pipped at the end by an XR6 Turbo that had a bunch of work done to it. He'd run a 266 as the first car of the day, then did some late tweaking and came out with a 304! Was very surprised at the 277 though, pretty happy with that! What an awesome car. Handles OK, but not as sharp as the sedan (test drove an XR6 Turbo sedan before I got the Ute). Any links to how to upload piccies for a newbie?

WORKUTE is my plate. I reckon you may have spotted my car. Dash, Argent Wheels, Hard top with spoiler. Not an Adelaide car - so you can get one as well, and still be unique! My wife didn't love taking the car to Adelaide - I reckon I'll be taking the SRT8 300C next time she comes with me. The ute did come in handy though when I had to transport the broken windscreen from Craig Lownde's car (the one he broke on the 4th last lap of Saturday's Clipsal race) from the pit to another location - try doing THAT in a Sedan! If you spotted me on Tuesday, it must have been either on my way to, or from, Mallala, for my FPV Drive Day. SO much fun. Buy an FPV. You won't be disappointed! Simon

Do you remember the plate on the one you saw? I was in Adelaide on that date, but I'm from Mt Gambier. If you got one it still might be the only Adelaide one.... P.S. They're freaking awesome - just get one!

I took delivery of a Dash F6 Ute on New Year's Eve. ZF Auto. What an engine. What a gearbox. What a car! Went with Hard Cover, Premium Sound (which still 'sounds' like arse), Leather, FPV Mats, Dark Argent Wheels, but not Premium Brakes. The colour is awesome. A real head turner. The non-premium brakes are fine for the street. I'll see how well they hold up on my FPV drive day at Mallala on the 24th. I really should take some pictures of it one day! You won't be disappointed.

I figured behind the driver would give the maximum bone-jarring spine-tiggling bass effects, as well as making it more convenient to stash stuff behind the passenger seat as you get in from the driver's side. But maybe behind the passenger seat is better? Dunno

Thanks for your feedback Smicky! The Polks are supposed to be an awesome speaker, but I'm worried they're overkill. I want sound quality, but can I get away with similarly good quality in a cheaper speaker perhaps? I'm guessing a 6.5" split will install into the factory locations in the doors and A-Pillar's of the FG with no issues? I'm not sure exactly what Earthquake 10" sub it will be yet - still waiting to hear back from the installer on that one. The DQL8 was suggested because of its great EQ and crossover capability. The factory headunit's Treble/Bass, and 5-band EQ probably won't cut it for flattening out the frequency curve. At over $1300RRP though it is a pretty serious piece of equipment. I would rather pay the price of the LC6i! The car is my daily driver - I leased a UTE because of the FBT exemptions. The family car is a 300C SRT8 - but the wife drives that one. It has a factory 13 speaker Kicker system that destroys the F6's factory system. I'm very jealous that the wife's stereo humiliates mine in every respect. The installer is finalising the quote, and hopefully sharpening the pencil a bit, but I think I may end up sourcing some equipment from overseas, or over the internet locally. The DQL8 can be found on Ebay under $700 Australian, so even with some freight it will come under the local price by hundreds of dollars. Alternatives to Dynamat can also be sourced locally (Ebay) much cheaper than Dynamat from the installer. smicky - you say the sub may be too loud. Of course, I don't have to turn the volume up (yeah right!) but do you think it will overpower the main speakers? Cheers!

Aaah, Tool. Great album that is. I get " nema" too. iPod classic 120GB. If only there was a quick easy way to scroll through 120GB worth of Albums. I find myself listening to a lot of Albums and Artists that start with A or B because everything else takes too long to scroll to. Technology - great when it works and is easy to use! Not so great otherwise. Simon

I picked up my FPV F6 Ute on New Year's Eve, having ticked the Premium Audio Upgrade box, expecting a decent stereo, only to be unpleasantly surprised at how crap it is! So now I'm looking to upgrade it, hoping to get great Sound Quality, preferably with the option to really crank it if the mood desires. I've had some great systems in past cars, have some experience with car sound and installing, but currently don't have much time to spend installing gear myself, so am relying on a local installer. His suggestions, which I pretty much agree with, are: Polk SR6500 Speakers for the front. Earthquake 10" sub in a ported box behind the driver's seat, firing down, tuned for maximum punch. Earthquake PH2200W/4 Amp, running the Polks off two channels, and the sub off the other two channels bridged. Audiocontrol DQL-8 to convert the speaker-outs from the factory deck to RCA's for the Amp. Rears to be disconnected/unused. Dynamat everywhere, in doors, behind seats etc.... Does anyone see any problems with this? Expecting to pay under $5k installed, which is a lot of coin, but if the quality is awesome, I guess it's justified. Any suggestions on how to improve the install? Different speakers, Amp, line-level converter etc? Cheers! Simon