How to basicly Upgrade Car Audio and Add CarPlay to 2014 Range Rover Sport?
In our article “How to improve car audio” one of the options involves a basic improvement of music, when only the standard speakers are replaced and the doors are prepared for audio (their soundproofing). This project will relate specifically to the first option from this article. True, in this 2014 Range Rover Sport we also added the CarPlay module to the standard display. But first things first.
What did the car come with? In terms of music, it has the most basic audio system with midbass in the doors and a tweeter in the rack as front speakers. There was room for a midrange speaker, which we decided to install. Well, the factory car radio from ten years ago simply physically could not have the CarPlay function, but the large screen gives us the opportunity to add something interesting to the standard radio.
Let’s start with the car audio. The acoustics were changed only in the front, but audio preparation was made for both the front and rear doors. Despite the fact that we did not change the speakers in the rear, but left the standard ones, we did soundproof the rear doors – this will in any case have a positive effect both in terms of acoustic comfort and in terms of the sound of the standard midbass.
In the factory version, this is how it all looked – bare metal doors, rotten, almost cardboard spacers for the midbass and the midbass itself is about the same.
We always soundproof doors in three layers – two layers of vibration insulation on the metal, and one layer of sound-absorbing material on the door panel. In the end, everything looks like this:
Speakers for Range Rover Sport 2014
As we mentioned above, instead of the two-way acoustics installed at the front, we decided to use the empty space in the door panel for a midrange speaker and install a three-way front. The choice was made in favor of a three-component set of Blam speakers from the Relax series.
To mount all components, we used spacers, custom-made, reliable in terms of mounting and overall speaker operation.
There were few photos taken with the new speakers, but we recorded a shot video where we shoed everything and told about everything.
CarPlay Module for Range Rover Sport 2014
So, good news for Range Rover owners – it is not necessary to change the standard car radio if you want to add modern features and expand the functionality of the multimedia system in the car.
What features does the Range Rover Sport owner have at his disposal with the installation of the CarPlay module? Here is an incomplete list:
- Wireless connection for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay via Bluetooth/Wi-Fi
- Allows you to sync your iPhone with CarPlay using a Lightning cable (your phone will still charge)
- AirPlay – Play music and video / navigate via USB connection
- Mirror-Link is also available for Android smartphones
- Convenient navigation (Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, etc.)
- Play music from Spotify, Apple Music and other apps on your entertainment system.
- Voice control (Siri or Google Assistant)
- Control using standard buttons on the steering wheel or joystick
- High quality video playback
- Allows you to connect front, rear and 360° all-round view cameras (parking assist lines are supported).
- Images from the front and rear cameras are displayed on the screen of your multimedia system.
- Music and video can be played from a USB flash drive.
How long does it take to install new speakers and CarPlay module in Range Rover Sport? In this case, all the work took two working days.
What is the price? The cost of this project was about $1,500.
And here is the promised video about improving car audio and installing the CarPlay module in the Range Rover Sport:
