The 1994 Defender with our LIS Audio protection package on ready for installation!
This 1994 Land Rover Defender came into the shop with absolutely no audio or wiring installed from the manufacturer. We had to add wiring as well as tuck the entire system away from the elements of an open cabin while delivering good sound quality and decent output. We turn once again to Audio Dynamics to help us meet our client’s needs! Read on to see exactly what we did to battle the elements in this particular Defender!
There wasn’t much space to work with in the rear seating/cargo area but we made it work
The Land Rover Defender tends to run loud while on the road so it was up to us to add a stereo system that would keep up with the noise presented by the outside environment. We decided to skip adding Hushmat to the vehicle due to the fact that the sheet metal on the body is super thick. The top will be left of a majority of the time so road and wind noise is unavoidable in this instance. The only pre-existing placements for audio components were the single DIN cutout in the center console for a stereo and 5.25” speaker cutouts in each front door. Obviously, we had to improvise.
The 5.25″ cut outs in the doors we modified for 6.5″ coaxial AD Designs speakers
There was an opening for a Single DIN stereo but no wires to be found
For starters we added a JVC single DIN media receiver to the center console to head the whole system. We opted for the KD-X340BTS media receiver because the bumpy ride the Defender offers will rarely allow for a CD to play without skipping often. CD players will very possibly be fazed out of the market in the near future, as they are already starting to be left out of new vehicles. We ran 4 speakers directly off of stereo power and decided to amplify 4 more for a total of 8 speakers playing in the Land Rover when the system is on.
The 6.5″ Coaxial speakers installed in the doors with grilles for protection
The roll cage speaker pod with four 5.25″ coaxial AD Designs speakers
We chose Audio Dynamics 1100 Series speakers for the entire vehicle. We added a pair of 6.5” 1100 Series Coaxial speakers to the front doors and built some custom pods for near the rear hatch for a second pair of 6.5” 1100 Series Coaxial speakers. The sound bar that adds 2 sets of 5.25” 1100 Series Coaxial speakers to the top of the roll cage directly above the front and rear seats. The above head speaker pod is powered of the stereo power while the 6.5” speakers are all powered off of the 4 Channel amplifier. We used Stinger HPM Oxygen Free Copper wire for the installation and Stinger 6000 Series RCA interconnects to transfer a clean signal.
The rear most speakers went into Custom pods we built that fit near the rear hatch door firing forward
This 8″ Audio Dynamics subwoofer in a custom sealed LIS Audio enclosure does the job
With the top off and music up this little sub really helps enhance the tailgating experience
Two Audio Dynamics amplifiers amplify the entire system, the ADM60.4 and ADM60.2, which are mounted in the storage area under the front passenger seat. These two amps provide power to the 6.5” speakers and the 8” 1100 Series subwoofer. The 8” subwoofer is in a custom built LIS Audio enclosure tuned to the specifications of the subwoofer while taking into account the manner in which it will be used, tailgating. A small white LED strip also added to the enclosure to illuminate the subwoofer. We wanted sound to really project from the vehicle whether it was parked or moving. The 8” sub is more to fill in the low-end frequency but not meant to shake the block. The system is well balanced and very loud for being on such a tight budget! LIS Audio nailed it with this one!
You can see the custom pressed grille offers plenty of room for the subwoofer to move
Still plenty of leg room in the rear while still getting that extra bass!
Check out this quick video to see how the system turned out! You can watch more videos on our other installations and builds on our LIS Audio YouTube Channel or on our Facebook Page!
This video will walk you through the setup freshly installed and playing music!
Thanks for reading our Blog! Watch for when our next monthly feature will come out. We feature a client’s car from the past or recently finished to display our work and the different levels of installation that we offer.
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