# 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum by Steve Cook



## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

this is #5 he will being doing for me, this is a little premature/early post but we plan to start in a week or to, pics as we progress

system is strictly SQ for me and stealth, it will have the following:

1) phass re4.25 on dynaudio consequence gold 52mm mid and 1.1" gold tweeter
2) phass re50 black edition on dynaudio esotar 8" mid bass
3) phass re50 black edition in pair of dynaudio 9.5" custom subs
4) helix pro II dsp
5) sound deadening
6) tributaires ref 8 speaker and interconnects
7) all custom work by steve


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## truckguy (Sep 2, 2013)

Very nice! Do you compete with any of these vehicles or is it more for your own listening pleasure? Do you have a favorite out of all your builds? Any reasons why?


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

truckguy said:


> Very nice! Do you compete with any of these vehicles or is it more for your own listening pleasure? Do you have a favorite out of all your builds? Any reasons why?


i do not show them, i am not into the WOW factor. without question my audi rs7 is the best i have, 2nd would be my porsche turbo s, 3rd my macan turbo (now sold) and 4th my little escape

i am pretty sure this build will be the best of them all


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## unix_usr (Dec 4, 2013)

Watching intently - have the exact same car  (wifeys explorer)


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## cmusic (Nov 16, 2006)

Phass....Wow!!! I would love to try some of those amps! From what I have heard they are based on a class A tube design but not using tubes. Where are you getting them from?


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Porsche said:


> my audi rs7 is the best i have, 2nd would be my porsche turbo s, 3rd my macan turbo (now sold) and 4th my little escape


Can I borrow some money ? 

J/K. I’m jealous. Thanks for posting!


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

unix_usr said:


> Watching intently - have the exact same car  (wifeys explorer)
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


i never pictured myself in an explorer but this platinum is an awesome work suv for me, i like it a lot


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

Please take plenty of pics, I'm going to enjoy this one. :snacks:


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

GreatLaBroski said:


> Please take plenty of pics, I'm going to enjoy this one. :snacks:


it should be stunning, i know it better be. the dyna gold dome mid is the most accurate i have ever heard and same goes for the tweeter, i have it in my rs7 and it is better than the esotar 110 and i never thought i would say that


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## aholland1198 (Oct 7, 2009)

Love the rs7. Any build pics of that ride?

Steve does killer work. 


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## mrichard89 (Sep 29, 2016)

Love the RS build. Looking forward to seeing this one.


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

Porsche said:


> it should be stunning, i know it better be. the dyna gold dome mid is the most accurate i have ever heard and same goes for the tweeter, i have it in my rs7 and it is better than the esotar 110 and i never thought i would say that


I’m pretty interested in seeing those custom drivers. I’ve never seen a publicly advertised Esotar 182 woofer. Is the mid a dome or cone mid?

This should be great!


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

GreatLaBroski said:


> I’m pretty interested in seeing those custom drivers. I’ve never seen a publicly advertised Esotar 182 woofer. Is the mid a dome or cone mid?
> 
> This should be great!



i may have mis worded that, the 8" is an esotar driver from there $10k contour home speaker, the 9.5" is a true sub from there home line as well. the consequence gold dome 52mm is a dome mid and the 1.1" gold dome tweeter is from there $75k consequence gold edition home speaker.


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

aholland1198 said:


> Love the rs7. Any build pics of that ride?
> 
> Steve does killer work.
> 
> ...


theres a topic under the build section


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

mrichard89 said:


> Love the RS build. Looking forward to seeing this one.


thanks, it turned out great, no complaints


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Hey Chris (its Chris, right?), have you tested these amps outside of the car?


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

SkizeR said:


> Hey Chris (its Chris, right?), have you tested these amps outside of the car?


nope, why


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

Porsche said:


> i may have mis worded that, the 8" is an esotar driver from there $10k contour home speaker, the 9.5" is a true sub from there home line as well. the consequence gold dome 52mm is a dome mid and the 1.1" gold dome tweeter is from there $75k consequence gold edition home speaker.


Ahh makes sense. Sweet drivers, should be wicked.


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

GreatLaBroski said:


> Ahh makes sense. Sweet drivers, should be wicked.


yea, I'm not a huge fan of the 172 or 182 for a true mid bass, they are very nice but lack a little slam, the 8" out of the contour is a different story, a lot more money but worth it. same goes for the 9.5" sub from the home line, pricey but i have one in my rs7 and it is wicked good, fast, deep and clean


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

the consequence gold dome mids


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## rockinridgeline (Feb 2, 2009)

Wow! Didn’t even know those drivers existed. They are sexy! It should sound amazing. Good luck with the build. I am guessing it is next in line after Steve is finished with mine!


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

Ooooooo, those look nice.


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

thanks, they are a stunning dome that plays low, they are very proud of em


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

The chamber and magnet design is very nice. They look like they play low. Dome mids have always sounded great to me.


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## mrichard89 (Sep 29, 2016)

Gorgeous mids!!! Just curious, but what does a set of those retail for?


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

mrichard89 said:


> Gorgeous mids!!! Just curious, but what does a set of those retail for?


about $6200 pair


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

GreatLaBroski said:


> The chamber and magnet design is very nice. They look like they play low. Dome mids have always sounded great to me.


they recommend to cut them off about 350 cycles, they are extrodinarily smooth sounding, a great match for the gold dome tweeter


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

Porsche said:


> GreatLaBroski said:
> 
> 
> > The chamber and magnet design is very nice. They look like they play low. Dome mids have always sounded great to me.
> ...


Nice, that’s very low. What slope do they recommend for that crossover frequency? 24/oct?


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

GreatLaBroski said:


> Nice, that’s very low. What slope do they recommend for that crossover frequency? 24/oct?


actually i need to confirm that, i may have that confused.


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

Porsche said:


> actually i need to confirm that, i may have that confused.


It's a pretty large chamber. If it's 12db/oct then those are monsters.


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## Rainstar (May 22, 2017)

Subbed =]


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

GreatLaBroski said:


> It's a pretty large chamber. If it's 12db/oct then those are monsters.


i was wrong, its 700hz on the mid dome


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

she's finally under the knife


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## rockinridgeline (Feb 2, 2009)

Is there normally a third row that you are permanently taking out? Looks like plenty of room!


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

rockinridgeline said:


> Is there normally a third row that you are permanently taking out? Looks like plenty of room!



yes sir


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## BigAl205 (May 20, 2009)

I took the 3rd row out of mine. Since the seat frame is structural, make sure to use the police interceptor x-brace.


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

few pics

re50 x 2 black series & re4.25 along with dyna ester 8" mid bass


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

:surprised:


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

progress


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

more


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## knever3 (Mar 9, 2009)

Gasp, no words.

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## mrichard89 (Sep 29, 2016)

I don't think I've ever seen anyone put out work this level of work as quickly as Steve does. He's a boss.


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

mrichard89 said:


> I don't think I've ever seen anyone put out work this level of work as quickly as Steve does. He's a boss.


true


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## mrichard89 (Sep 29, 2016)

Is that the tweeter or mid on the dash? They look similar, so it's hard to tell. Looking great!


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

mrichard89 said:


> I don't think I've ever seen anyone put out work this level of work as quickly as Steve does. He's a boss.


Holy crap, Im over here trying to get good circles for my sub cut outs and then you see this kinda of work.


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## rockytophigh (Apr 16, 2008)

I'm dropping my kid's car off for an install there on Monday. Can you please get that low level install out of my way


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

mrichard89 said:


> Is that the tweeter or mid on the dash? They look similar, so it's hard to tell. Looking great!


52mm dome mid


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## mrichard89 (Sep 29, 2016)

Beautiful! Tweeter going into the sail panels?


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

mrichard89 said:


> Beautiful! Tweeter going into the sail panels?


yes, 28mm gold tweeter like i have in my rs7


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

little progress


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## rockytophigh (Apr 16, 2008)

I took a quick sneak peek yesterday.....this is going to be beyond amazing. I only glanced in the back and wow. Congrats on one incredible build.


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## nyquistrate (Apr 17, 2011)

Is that CNC'ed from one piece or built up from layers?


Porsche said:


> little progress


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

rockytophigh said:


> I took a quick sneak peek yesterday.....this is going to be beyond amazing. I only glanced in the back and wow. Congrats on one incredible build.


it better be, cost me a small fortune


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

getting real


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

more progress


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

few more


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## danno14 (Sep 1, 2009)

Classy and understated....much respect!


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

more pics


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

progress


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

fuse block, processor


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

pods galore


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Looks like some solid gear there. Is this a lease vehicle? Reason I ask is the way the pods are built and integrated. Looks like they are meant to be removable without much modification to the factory interior.


Congrats, Steve's shop does nice work.


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## unix_usr (Dec 4, 2013)

Might be a dumb question, but are you planning to put the third row back in? (Because the seat mounting structure, the steel tubing of which, is an integral part of the structure - aka very important). 

Might want to check this out:  https://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/third-row-seat-delete-brace.397886/ 


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

unix_usr said:


> Might be a dumb question, but are you planning to put the third row back in? (Because the seat mounting structure, the steel tubing of which, is an integral part of the structure - aka very important).
> 
> Might want to check this out:  https://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/third-row-seat-delete-brace.397886/
> 
> ...


nope, installing the brace


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

captainobvious said:


> Looks like some solid gear there. Is this a lease vehicle? Reason I ask is the way the pods are built and integrated. Looks like they are meant to be removable without much modification to the factory interior.
> 
> 
> Congrats, Steve's shop does nice work.


nope, i own it,my work truck


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Porsche said:


> nope, i own it,my work truck





Ahh, ok.


Looking forward to the completed install pics.


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## cmusic (Nov 16, 2006)

Steve didn't make those pods! He stole them from two Wall-E robots and turned them upside down! Steve Cook, robot disassembler/parts reuser!


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

captainobvious said:


> Ahh, ok.
> 
> 
> Looking forward to the completed install pics.


you and i both


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## brett (Apr 27, 2005)

gotta say, while the execution of the pods is of course great and well crafted, i'm not a fan of their design/placement. i understand the size of the tweeters largely dictated this and this may be a function>form situations, but aesthetically, it's awkward.


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## preston (Dec 10, 2007)

I actually like the way those pods look quite a bit. You can go with the totally blended aesthetic or more this direction where they look like an elegant add on. So I think they look great, except I've very sensitive to vision blockage, and those do look obtrusive but not my vehicle so if the owner is happy then great ! I bet they sound divine.


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## twinrink (Dec 31, 2017)

brett said:


> gotta say, while the execution of the pods is of course great and well crafted, i'm not a fan of their design/placement. i understand the size of the tweeters largely dictated this and this may be a function>form situations, but aesthetically, it's awkward.


I agree.
Nice build and no doubt about craftsmanship but the pods are just off


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## Jscoyne2 (Oct 29, 2014)

^

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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

got it back yesterday. pods are large, however, they sound great. they do not effect my view when driving. takes a little getting use to but i think I'm good with it. the system sounds great, not 100% complete but getting there


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## slope (Aug 1, 2017)

Very Nice


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## CAudio (Aug 29, 2016)

What are you doing in the trunk area? False Floor? I loved how the Macan turned out and I am borrowing the layout for my G-Class.


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

CAudio said:


> What are you doing in the trunk area? False Floor? I loved how the Macan turned out and I am borrowing the layout for my G-Class.


we did a "floating sub enclosure behind the seat but we are making some changes/adjustments to that. will post pics once I'm 100% satisfied with everything, been a work in progress

chose not to do triple sub floor etc since this is a work SUV and i do a lot of trips in it and need a spare and what not


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

redo is almost complete, pics to come


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## ToNasty (Jan 23, 2013)

Porsche said:


> redo is almost complete, pics to come


What was there to redo? It looked perfect


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## tranv9565 (Jun 6, 2017)

ToNasty said:


> Porsche said:
> 
> 
> > redo is almost complete, pics to come
> ...


Probably some nice new amps! ?


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

tranv9565 said:


> Probably some nice new amps! ?


:laugh:


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## TomT (May 19, 2005)

tranv9565 said:


> Probably some nice new amps! ?


Had a feeling those would end up here. LOL


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

almost done


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## brett (Apr 27, 2005)

can amps be sexy? they can, right?


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## TomT (May 19, 2005)

This is going to sound amazing!


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

OMG.


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

Awesome work, as usual!


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

TomT said:


> This is going to sound amazing!


hope so, i haven't heard it yet. steve said it is amazing, images extremely well, mid bass will make you blink and the subs are very smooth


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## rockinridgeline (Feb 2, 2009)

Nice!


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## Porsche (Jun 29, 2008)

install complete, time for new tubes and a tune


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## ToNasty (Jan 23, 2013)

How is the differance in sound? I had tube preamps years ago but never tube amps


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

It looks sooo good.


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