AS SEEN IN OUR F-Series Builders Guide Summer 2026 ISSUE – Buy Now!

2024 F-150 DS18 Audio Install

Since getting my 2024 F-150 earlier this year, I knew immediately that I wanted to upgrade the sound system. It wasn’t bad by any means, but the system simply lacked a serious punch of bass. And any time I really cranked it loud, the highs and mids got pulled out quite badly. So I voiced my concerns to our good friend Kyle Wardwell from Amplified Designs LLC, and he configured a sound system for the truck that would be extremely loud and clear. To be perfectly transparent before we get into it, the system absolutely pounds.

It wasn’t long before a whole bunch of DS18 Pro line parts showed up at the house, and I was off to Code Zero Customs in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to have it all installed by the legends themselves. Bobby got right into it, disassembling and removing the entire interior and laying out all the components. Out came the stock 6x9s in the door panels, the stock head unit (which we are keeping for the upgraded system), and the stock tweeters in the A-pillars. Then came braiding all the individual cables together for everything, which looked fantastic despite them all being hidden and sadly tucked away for nobody to appreciate. The shallow 10-inch sub fits perfectly into the Audio Intensity 2024-2025 F-150 direct-fit sub box (make sure you select Kicker Comp RT10 in the fitment option), which is mounted so nicely against the back of the cab like it was designed to. Yes, you do lose the factory jack, as the box takes up some of its space, but let’s be honest, we all have our preference in aftermarket jacks that we rely on and trust over a factory jack.

The amps are located under the passenger seat on a plastic plate that’s bolted to the floor and are basically the only visible cables you can find in the whole cab, and you guessed it; they too are very tidy and organized. The new DS18 6x9s that went in the doors are coaxial, which means there is both a 6×9 speaker and a tweeter in one convenient unit, which thankfully fit with no issues either. The Wavtech Link 6 was tucked up behind the AC control panel, as that is the most necessary component to make your factory big-screen head unit work with any aftermarket speakers. Without that piece, you are guaranteed a bad time. What seems like a light upgrade (just four speakers and a sub) absolutely transformed the sound, without altering the interior in any way besides removing the factory jack.

Audio:

• Audio Intensity 2024-2025 F-150 direct-fit sub box
• DS18 ION1600.4D amp
• DS18 ION1200.1D amp
• DS18 PRO-ZT69 6×9 speakers (2)
• DS18 iXS10.2D subwoofer
• DS18 2.2-inch dome neodymium tweeter with aluminum body, 30 watts
• DS18 0-GA OFC 100% copper amplifier installation kit – red
• DS18 DB1020 distribution block (2)
• Wavtech Link 6