Upgrades coming...

The Navigator is finally going under the knife for some necessary infotainment upgrades next weekend.

Pioneer DMH-WT7600NEX head unit
Kicker Key 200.4 amp
Kicker 47KSS6804 6x8 Components in the front
Kicker 47KSC6804 6x8 coaxial for rear doors
Echomaster wired backup camera with dynamic guidelines and near 0 lux operation (same as I have in expedition)

When its done it will have wireless android auto and carplay, USB C connectivity, HDMI, Miracast, and the rest of your typical radio options. 9 inch HD display w a capacitive touch screen and the floating tablet look modern vehicles have. Mock up looked great despite the truck being an '03. The amp offers a really nice DSP with autotune, 40 band eq, time alignment, etc. This should greatly help the soundstage with minimal cosmetic modification, only the tweeters have to find a home.

The Kappa's we wanted were unavailable and I was going to miss a window to complete install until probably after the holidays so I went kicker, The component set is new for 2020 and I'm buying sight unseen/heard so fingers crossed.

Wireless charging in both 3rd row trays and a tbd location in the front seat area will be added. Possibly the console lid if I can get it to fit, need to find donor lid to experiment as this one is perfect and don't want to wreck it. If so I'll also add to 2nd row console along w a tablet charging station where the current DVD/headphone storage resides in the lower front of it.

The navigator has a nice looking and functional center stack but the dual cockpit design really kills the available space for things. The larger console and forward tray under the hvac controls in the expedition is much more handy imo.

I'll be sure to get some pics of everything.

Can't wait

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I have to say I'm fairly impressed by the Kicker component 6x8s It really changed the soundstage up front with minimal effort. The key amp before tuning was loud and clear but was lacking. They did a fairly good job w dsp in that one, especially at the cost. It, like my powerpack in the expy has been mounted inside the dash cavity so no clutter in the cabin and easy wiring.

All in all, my wife is quite happy with the upgrade, especially that giant screen in the dash. It really updated the look and feel of everything. The interface is smooth and reasonably well laid out. It has so many options that it is inherently complex though and has a bit of a learning curve to know which way to swipe to get where you need. Android auto loads very quickly on wireless or USB connection. The 3A charge from the type C connection is a welcome addition. My 4500 in the expy is still has two type A ports and is limited to 1.5A.

The lighting options are handy, it has a few presets available as well as a choose your own color along w brightness/hue. The rear bias lighting behind the display is a nice touch and gives you a sense of some personalization similar to what sync offers. The display itself is highly adjustable. It has a control panel similar to a TV and you can adjust brightness, dimmer settings, hue, contrast, color temperature, etc and is very bright. Daytime use is no problem with direct sun on it.

It's better than the 10w paper cone factory speakers but nothing to brag on... any aftermarket setup would sound better and impressive

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For sure, its amazing how much was left on the table during this time period for vehicles, much better equipment was available even back then and at the price these commanded they should have been significantly better equipped.

This was by no means trying to anything close to a high end setup, just an overdue upgrade to bring some modern tech into the cabin with a decent improvement in audio quality for daily use. Its a family hauler first and foremost and I'm pretty sure my wife has some higher frequency hearing loss so much more would likely be lost effort.

Imo I like the JBL setup in my expy better overall than this. It may be because I've listened to it so long I'm accustomed to it but feel it has better midrange.

I need to hit up an old forum member from another platform and see if I can get ahold of some HAT Legatia's up front, that'd really change the game.