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DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers

Panzer948

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Thought I would include a write-up on how my install went to replace the 4" Dash (minus center channel) and rear pods as well as the 6" kick panel speakers in the B&O system. However, this post will focus more on the 6" installation since when I went looking for tips and advice I discovered there wasn't much out there or that it was very piecemeal. The same cannot be said with the 4" speaker replacements (minus the Center Channel - more on that later). Anyway, I actually wrote this up more than a week ago but did a Bronco Camping/Offroad meet and greet style at Ol'Florida Offroad Park with a few other new owners last weekend so ran out of time!

First, I decided to replace most of my B&O speakers with a mid level upgrade form JL Audio's C1 series, including component systems for the 6" kick panel since the one thing I did hear about was the lack of space behind the grill. I started off with the easy ones first, the rear pods. These went very smooth and the detail to do the work has already been discussed. I did line my rear pods with the KILMAT 80 mil (similar to dynomat). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082Q2J2T4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This stuff is so easy to cut using a box cutter and sticks very easily to the surface. I also used the speaker connectors found here:

These are not a perfect match but the held close enough to where they will not pull out. Make sure you get the polarity correct. In my case, I had to bend the metal prongs just slightly in order to get it to line up better on the female end. There are a couple more posts about this issue here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DXYG2HF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Before adding the grill covers I lined the circumference of the speaker with some extra window seal I had lying around. The audio stores charge 2-3 times as much for similar products! In the end, it's about the same thing as you can buy at Lowe's to seal windows/doors. One-Five-One Garage has a good video on this too.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220125_150252 web


Warning, with this particular model of speakers the grills are not a perfect fit. Matter of fact, the tweeters touch the pod grills, so much so that the center of my grill's bulge out slightly. However, I do not see this as an issue. The speakers are well made and I do not see the pressure from the grill covers being a problem down the road (press hard on the tweeters if you want to confirm). In contrast you could probably figure out how put the grill covers on, but not as tight as stock but I don't think that is worth the trouble. Anyway, if something like that bothers you then I would chose a different brand/model of speaker where the tweeters do not stick out as much. I think these now sound much better. I even played one without the kilmat installed and it definitely had a more hollow sound to it. Thus I am happy with these additions.. However, you can tell these two pods are not getting the full range as the dash speakers receive. It's hard to figure out just how much bass they are getting since the subwoofer is so close delivering most of that frequency.

Now on to the left and right dash speakers. As I wrote in another post, I originally wanted to replace all three of the dash speakers (left, center, and right) but believe it or not you cannot buy speakers (at least at Crutchfield) in singles. Thus I would have had an extra speaker with no home.... that is unless some of us here worked out a trade. I discussed doing that very thing here ;):

I did try to open up that center channel just to see if the new JL Audio speakers will fit. I was not successfully and made a separate post about that here 😢 : https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...-with-3-matching-upgrades.33541/#post-1145830

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220123_225336


Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220123_225357_resized


The left and right dash speakers were the easiest to replace of the group and there is already plenty out there on how to pry them open and remove them. I did use the same sound deadening and cheap amazon.com connectors that I discussed for the rear pods. See pics for how they look. I would say replacing these made a huge improvement in both bass and treble!

Below is grill partially off revealing factory left dash speaker:
Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220125_150124 web


Below shows the kilmat lined speaker opening before adding the JL speaker:
Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220125_150036 web


Finished dash speaker install before reinstalling grill:
Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220125_150019 web


Now onto the kick panels. First of all, I took my time on these and did the driver side woofer, which has extra steps thanks to the foot rest, late at night while leaving the passenger side woofer and both tweeters the next day. When I say late, I mean I didn't even get started on them until 930PM and worked on it until 1AM. Part of that time was simply trying to figure out how to properly remove the panel and figuring out the wiring for the tweeter, which must come back out to be mounted externally. I searched for videos and forum posts on the kick panel removal and there is very limited info out there. Just a few details makes a big difference on how easy or hard this can be. Although once you know how it becomes simple too. First of all, I was already familiar with removing the grab handle and the adjacent side panel, as well as the bottom door panel that both surround the kick panel after accessing them to run wires for an earlier dash cam install. Once those are removed, it's time to tackle the driver side panel that includes the speaker grill and foot rest. This is how I did it:

First figure out where to pull up the foot rest mini panel cover so you can access the 7mm bolts. Believe it or not, this was the hardest part for me as mine was so dirty it was hard to tell where the gaps were and once you did, it was in very tight. Obviously you want to do this smart so you don't break anything and that slowed me down quite a bit. In the end I was able to use one tool to keep it pried open while using another to continue to pry up the areas above and below it (I did the side facing the brake pedal). Once that is pried up enough, it will snap up at an angle.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220125_145947 web


The next big challenge is finding a tool to fit down into these two long holes to remove those 7mm bolt heads. However, the bolt themselves are very long so its best to use a long 7mm socket, if you have one. Here's a tip that I eventually figured out, Ford happily supplied the correct long 7mm socket that fits in these! Not sure if it just for these or other parts but if you don't have one, just immediately find your Ford tool kit and grab that one. Of course you will need a long socket extension too.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220125_145836 web


Once those two sockets are removed the kick panel snaps out fairly easily and you can remove the entire thing. I didn't even bother unsnapping the speaker grill itself. I had already read how flimsy it is and in the end removing it would not have helped my install.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220125_145809 web


The speaker itself is removed with another set of bolts and then slides right out.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220125_145745 web


Crutchfield did supply me with the correct connector for these (came with the speaker for free) and I can confirm it is a perfect fit. Before putting the new speakers in I lined the inside of the speaker opening with plenty of kilamat, as well as along the speaker opening just thick enough to give the new speaker a cushion against the bare metal.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220125_145511 web


After looking over the included mounting bracket and comparing it to the free one crutchfield included, I decided it was best to use the JL Audio bracket since it is not as thick and the speaker would not protrude out as much. Regardless. the included bracket worked just fine for my case.

Because my set of speakers are component, I have a set of four wires that need to go into this opening (two coming in from radio and two going out to tweeter). Instead of drilling a new hole, I slide each pair of wires into two predrilled openings. See pic below where red/black wires and white/black wires are coming out of predrilled holes, just outside of factory speaker opening. Note that my larger (+) speaker connector will only fit thu these holes by trimming off some of the plastic cover (if not you either have to drill the holes larger or run the wires underneath the mounting bracket, which I didn't want to put that much pressure on them. I then moved the wires for the tweeter, small crossover, and warning harness into a spot that the panel would not interfere (plenty of room for that). I kept the tweeter itself out of the way since I decided I would mount it externally after replacing all the panels. Then it's a matter of reverse installing the panels and foot rest.


Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220125_145648 web


The pic below shows the clearance I have with my component woofer when adding the kick panel back in place.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220125_145551 web


Okay, that was the driver side. THe passenger side is much easier since there is not foot rest to deal with. Instead it has a couple of extra snap connections in the back. Other than that, I did that side the same way.

After all of this was together I started to play with the tweeter location by using strong double sided tape and listening as I moved them around. The instruction recommend against placing the tweeter more than 8" or so away as it supposedly degrades the sound quality. I tended to agree and besides, there are not a lot of good places to put it since when the door closes it takes up alot of space between the dash and the door. I thought hard about that flat surface just below the vent but I did not want to drill holes there, although it looks doable since I think there is space back there. In the end, I thought the sound quality was fine mounting the tweeters low in the car, just above the front upper corner of the woofer. I was thinking of doing a flush mount but figured I would try it as surface mount for a while since it only requires three small holes and not one large one. The panel is also angled there so it would not be very flush.... I added a thick rubber washer, which I cut in half at an angle, in order to actually angle the tweeters up toward the occupants. I thought that would help direct the high frequencies just a bit. I know it doesn't look very custom but its so low I am not sure most would notice.

Below are pics of final tweeter placement on driver and passenger sides, respectively. Forgive the dirt/mud as I actually did some serious off-roading in the Bronco over the weekend. We drove it RT to Florida and back to NC (16 hours total) and all day offroading Saturday and Sunday and didn't even notice they were there.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125401_resized


Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


Okay, that's about it. I am very happy with the sound. The next steps for me are to either replace the subwoofer or at least line it with my leftover kilmat. I think it's okay but at higher volumes it tends to vibrate a bit. I do feel that center channel needs to go. I think the new speakers play at a different volume level than factory, so they are not fully matching until I get a similar speaker in there. There is a lot of sound coming from that center channel regardless if you are running it in surround or stereo mode. As I indicated above, I had a big discussion on that and a solution here: https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...-with-3-matching-upgrades.33541/#post-1145830
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Panaran

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Awesome write up, thanks! Did you notice a big difference out of the rear pods? I've read the threads about Ford not sending the full range of sound to the rears.
 

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Thought I would include a write-up on how my install went to replace the 4" Dash (minus center channel) and rear pods as well as the 6" kick panel speakers in the B&O system. However, this post will focus more on the 6" installation since when I went looking for tips and advice I discovered there wasn't much out there or that it was very piecemeal. The same cannot be said with the 4" speaker replacements (minus the Center Channel - more on that later). Anyway, I actually wrote this up more than a week ago but did a Bronco Camping/Offroad meet and greet style at Ol'Florida Offroad Park with a few other new owners last weekend so ran out of time!

First, I decided to replace most of my B&O speakers with a mid level upgrade form JL Audio's C1 series, including component systems for the 6" kick panel since the one thing I did hear about was the lack of space behind the grill. I started off with the easy ones first, the rear pods. These went very smooth and the detail to do the work has already been discussed. I did line my rear pods with the KILMAT 80 mil (similar to dynomat). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082Q2J2T4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This stuff is so easy to cut using a box cutter and sticks very easily to the surface. I also used the speaker connectors found here:

These are not a perfect match but the held close enough to where they will not pull out. Make sure you get the polarity correct. In my case, I had to bend the metal prongs just slightly in order to get it to line up better on the female end. There are a couple more posts about this issue here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DXYG2HF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Before adding the grill covers I lined the circumference of the speaker with some extra window seal I had lying around. The audio stores charge 2-3 times as much for similar products! In the end, it's about the same thing as you can buy at Lowe's to seal windows/doors. One-Five-One Garage has a good video on this too.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


Warning, with this particular model of speakers the grills are not a perfect fit. Matter of fact, the tweeters touch the pod grills, so much so that the center of my grill's bulge out slightly. However, I do not see this as an issue. The speakers are well made and I do not see the pressure from the grill covers being a problem down the road (press hard on the tweeters if you want to confirm). In contrast you could probably figure out how put the grill covers on, but not as tight as stock but I don't think that is worth the trouble. Anyway, if something like that bothers you then I would chose a different brand/model of speaker where the tweeters do not stick out as much. I think these now sound much better. I even played one without the kilmat installed and it definitely had a more hollow sound to it. Thus I am happy with these additions.. However, you can tell these two pods are not getting the full range as the dash speakers receive. It's hard to figure out just how much bass they are getting since the subwoofer is so close delivering most of that frequency.

Now on to the left and right dash speakers. As I wrote in another post, I originally wanted to replace all three of the dash speakers (left, center, and right) but believe it or not you cannot buy speakers (at least at Crutchfield) in singles. Thus I would have had an extra speaker with no home.... that is unless some of us here worked out a trade. I discussed doing that very thing here ;):

I did try to open up that center channel just to see if the new JL Audio speakers will fit. I was not successfully and made a separate post about that here 😢 : https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...-with-3-matching-upgrades.33541/#post-1145830

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


The left and right dash speakers were the easiest to replace of the group and there is already plenty out there on how to pry them open and remove them. I did use the same sound deadening and cheap amazon.com connectors that I discussed for the rear pods. See pics for how they look. I would say replacing these made a huge improvement in both bass and treble!

Below is grill partially off revealing factory left dash speaker:
Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


Below shows the kilmat lined speaker opening before adding the JL speaker:
Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


Finished dash speaker install before reinstalling grill:
Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


Now onto the kick panels. First of all, I took my time on these and did the driver side woofer, which has extra steps thanks to the foot rest, late at night while leaving the passenger side woofer and both tweeters the next day. When I say late, I mean I didn't even get started on them until 930PM and worked on it until 1AM. Part of that time was simply trying to figure out how to properly remove the panel and figuring out the wiring for the tweeter, which must come back out to be mounted externally. I searched for videos and forum posts on the kick panel removal and there is very limited info out there. Just a few details makes a big difference on how easy or hard this can be. Although once you know how it becomes simple too. First of all, I was already familiar with removing the grab handle and the adjacent side panel, as well as the bottom door panel that both surround the kick panel after accessing them to run wires for an earlier dash cam install. Once those are removed, it's time to tackle the driver side panel that includes the speaker grill and foot rest. This is how I did it:

First figure out where to pull up the foot rest mini panel cover so you can access the 7mm bolts. Believe it or not, this was the hardest part for me as mine was so dirty it was hard to tell where the gaps were and once you did, it was in very tight. Obviously you want to do this smart so you don't break anything and that slowed me down quite a bit. In the end I was able to use one tool to keep it pried open while using another to continue to pry up the areas above and below it (I did the side facing the brake pedal). Once that is pried up enough, it will snap up at an angle.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


The next big challenge is finding a tool to fit down into these two long holes to remove those 7mm bolt heads. However, the bolt themselves are very long so its best to use a long 7mm socket, if you have one. Here's a tip that I eventually figured out, Ford happily supplied the correct long 7mm socket that fits in these! Not sure if it just for these or other parts but if you don't have one, just immediately find your Ford tool kit and grab that one. Of course you will need a long socket extension too.

View attachment 261123

Once those two sockets are removed the kick panel snaps out fairly easily and you can remove the entire thing. I didn't even bother unsnapping the speaker grill itself. I had already read how flimsy it is and in the end removing it would not have helped my install.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


The speaker itself is removed with another set of bolts and then slides right out.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


Crutchfield did supply me with the correct connector for these (came with the speaker for free) and I can confirm it is a perfect fit. Before putting the new speakers in I lined the inside of the speaker opening with plenty of kilamat, as well as along the speaker opening just thick enough to give the new speaker a cushion against the bare metal.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


After looking over the included mounting bracket and comparing it to the free one crutchfield included, I decided it was best to use the JL Audio bracket since it is not as thick and the speaker would not protrude out as much. Regardless. the included bracket worked just fine for my case.

Because my set of speakers are component, I have a set of four wires that need to go into this opening (two coming in from radio and two going out to tweeter). Instead of drilling a new hole, I slide each pair of wires into two predrilled openings. See pic below where red/black wires and white/black wires are coming out of predrilled holes, just outside of factory speaker opening. Note that my larger (+) speaker connector will only fit thu these holes by trimming off some of the plastic cover (if not you either have to drill the holes larger or run the wires underneath the mounting bracket, which I didn't want to put that much pressure on them. I then moved the wires for the tweeter, small crossover, and warning harness into a spot that the panel would not interfere (plenty of room for that). I kept the tweeter itself out of the way since I decided I would mount it externally after replacing all the panels. Then it's a matter of reverse installing the panels and foot rest.


Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


The pic below shows the clearance I have with my component woofer when adding the kick panel back in place.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


Okay, that was the driver side. THe passenger side is much easier since there is not foot rest to deal with. Instead it has a couple of extra snap connections in the back. Other than that, I did that side the same way.

After all of this was together I started to play with the tweeter location by using strong double sided tape and listening as I moved them around. The instruction recommend against placing the tweeter more than 8" or so away as it supposedly degrades the sound quality. I tended to agree and besides, there are not a lot of good places to put it since when the door closes it takes up alot of space between the dash and the door. I thought hard about that flat surface just below the vent but I did not want to drill holes there, although it looks doable since I think there is space back there. In the end, I thought the sound quality was fine mounting the tweeters low in the car, just above the front upper corner of the woofer. I was thinking of doing a flush mount but figured I would try it as surface mount for a while since it only requires three small holes and not one large one. The panel is also angled there so it would not be very flush.... I added a thick rubber washer, which I cut in half at an angle, in order to actually angle the tweeters up toward the occupants. I thought that would help direct the high frequencies just a bit. I know it doesn't look very custom but its so low I am not sure most would notice.

Below are pics of final tweeter placement on driver and passenger sides, respectively. Forgive the dirt/mud as I actually did some serious off-roading in the Bronco over the weekend. We drove it RT to Florida and back to NC (16 hours total) and all day offroading Saturday and Sunday and didn't even notice they were there.

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537


Okay, that's about it. I am very happy with the sound. The next steps for me are to either replace the subwoofer or at least line it with my leftover kilmat. I think it's okay but at higher volumes it tends to vibrate a bit. I do feel that center channel needs to go. I think the new speakers play at a different volume level than factory, so they are not fully matching until I get a similar speaker in there. There is a lot of sound coming from that center channel regardless if you are running it in surround or stereo mode. As I indicated above, I had a big discussion on that and a solution here: https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...-with-3-matching-upgrades.33541/#post-1145830

Ford Bronco DIY B&O Speaker Replacement w/ Emphasis on 6" Kick Panel Speakers 20220204_125537
I have a box of killmat. Replaced my 4.5s and I wondered how tf it would be with killmat on the front. I assumed my morel's were too thiccc. I may have to revisit.. Also I was reading on another post ford disabled full freq range to the rear. It enable better sound you have to do the JBL soundbar flash and it unlocks better sound. But u have b&o so idk if that applies. Lastly, if u upgrade that woofer. Revisit this. I'm interested. I like my stuff hidden and clean. I'll pick up a b&o woofer and hook it up and install it in my BD.
 

Brianstrange

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Did you have a chance to test the center channel (and other locations) for sound sources? If used for playback, is it localized in the 600-2K hz range? I'm curious if the B&O center is used for chimes and warnings exclusively or if it's dispersed to all of the locations.
 

jbacchi70

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Any chance you could measure the depth of the B&O sub enclosure when you open it up?
 

mbagne

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Your photos are super helpful! Great post . . . you are going to be busy answering TONS of follow up questions. :ROFLMAO:

By the way, Kilmat is great, I recommend that everyone who upgrades their stereos use it.
 

mbagne

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Thank you for the write-up, as I want to do the same; however, I don't think I want to mess with the separate tweeter in the kick panels. What are your thoughts on these? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084C38CCS/ref=crt_ewc_title_dp_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AP3VA1GJZM3EQ

Do you think the difference is big enough? Would it be a waste of time not going with component?
I know your question is directed at OP, but let me just say that quality components with spatial separation will create a more robust soundstage, in my experience it is worth going that route if you can. Having said that, those Focals you shared are nice units and if it is in the cards for you to avoid the component issue, you will be happy with them, IMO.
 

jbacchi70

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I know your question is directed at OP, but let me just say that quality components with spatial separation will create a more robust soundstage, in my experience it is worth going that route if you can. Having said that, those Focals you shared are nice units and if it is in the cards for you to avoid the component issue, you will be happy with them, IMO.
Thank you SO much. This really helps!
 

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Panzer948

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Awesome write up, thanks! Did you notice a big difference out of the rear pods? I've read the threads about Ford not sending the full range of sound to the rears.
I agree, they are not getting full range. The dash speakers sounded better and made a bigger improvement. But.... I still think it was worth replacing them.
 
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Panzer948

Panzer948

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Did you have a chance to test the center channel (and other locations) for sound sources? If used for playback, is it localized in the 600-2K hz range? I'm curious if the B&O center is used for chimes and warnings exclusively or if it's dispersed to all of the locations.
I discussed this in detail in this post and even gave a link to a separate post about this subject.... Long story short, I think alot of sound is coming out of the center and its not just chimes, etc.
 
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Panzer948

Panzer948

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Center channel comes out pretty easy. Heres the shop manual if you need that extra confidence.
Ug. s
Any chance you could measure the depth of the B&O sub enclosure when you open it up?
haha, I am waiting on someone to do the same before I dive into there. Maybe one day!
 
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Panzer948

Panzer948

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Center channel comes out pretty easy. Heres the shop manual if you need that extra confidence.
Thanks for the post. I hadn't seen this before. It looks so easy when you see the diagram. I guess no more excuses so will need to give it a go again.
 

Brianstrange

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I discussed this in detail in this post and even gave a link to a separate post about this subject.... Long story short, I think alot of sound is coming out of the center and its not just chimes, etc.
Thanks! I hope it sounds better than I'm imagining, but this has narrow staging with a wide center written all over it. It boggles my mind that Ford spends money on licensing and design of a system that has little or no high fidelity qualities. SMH
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