2023 Badlands Stereo Build, Focal, JL Audio, Audison - Lots of fabrication!

[Draughon]

D4 wired in parallel for a 2 ohm load.

It's weird that nobody else makes a 10'' sub box that fits in the factory area (Besides JL)... hmm... maybe 2024 will bring some new products forth.

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[Peter_benton]

I recently embarked on a project to upgrade the audio system in my 2023 Bronco Badlands. The stock stere is pretty awful so this was high on my priority list.

A bit about my audio background – I grew up in the 90s and developed a love from music which translated to a passion for high end car stereo. My first real stereo build was in my FD RX7 with a PPI Pro-650, MB Quart Components and JL 10W6 in the trunk. I am still rocking the same PPI Pro-650 with Focal component and a JL sub in my Mazda 6. (The RX-7 now have a JL 10TW3, JL HD amp and C5 components)

I originally planned a somewhat basic build with a stand-alone DSP and a JL HD 900/5 amp that I had in my Jeep. As I started researching and collecting components, the system continued to evolve (and cost more):

Fronts – Focal K2 3-way components
Rear – JL Audio C5-650 (overkill but I already own them)
Sub – JL 10TW3 shallow mount sub
Amps: Audison Forza AF M5.11 – Running Front woofers, Mids & Sub
Audison SR4.300.2 - Running Tweeters and Rear fill

Amp Mounting – My goal for mounting the amps was to find a place that would be safe from water, should the interior get rained on or I decide to ford some deep water (It’s a Bronco thing). This was one of the driving factors that made the Audison package attractive. My original thought was to mount the amps under the rear seat but once I figured out I could fit them under the dash, it was a no-brainer. I designed a clever mounting system that utilizes factory points, keeping the amps tucked nicely up under the dash.

AF5.11 Mount, uses all factory mounting points without any modifications to the vehicle:

SR4.300 mounts on top of the AF5.11. I was able to leave what should be enough space so things stay cool.

The mid and tweeter placement in the dash presented another challenge. I crafted a non-traditional metal mount, which allowed me to slightly overlap the speakers. This required some trimming of the dash but left both mounting screws in tact. I was also able to use the factory speaker covers, giving it a factory look.
Cad Design:

Brackets:

Installed:

The woofers were easy, I opted to make my own spacers out of 5/8” birch plywood. I could have purchased plastic spacers but it was just as easy to make a pair.
Woofer Spacer:

Installed:

Subwoofer mounting – I waffled over two locations for the sub – the factory location in the cargo area or tailgate mounted. The factory location was definitely more tricky but this gave me a much more factory look and wouldn’t lose cargo space. This made the decision pretty easy for me - factory location. I used a combination of ¾ MDO plywood and fiberglass. I started out making the face to locate the speaker and worked from there. Once I had a portion made with plywood, I mounted it to the chassis through the factory mounts. I then applied a layer of masking tape over everything, then a layer of ¼” carpet pad and another layer of masking tape.

I laid up two layers of fiberglass to get the basic shape. Once dry, I removed and put 3 more layers on the outside of the box and also attached the face with screws and fiberglass. Overall, the box turned out great from a functional standpoint.

Sub Cover - The bronco comes with a factory 8” subwoofer in the same area but I had to shift the TW3 further back so it didn’t line up with the factory hole. This caused me to get creative in my cover design.

Material:
½” MDO Plywood
Diamond Grill material – Plastic
Carbon look Marine grade vinyl

The basic shape:

Test fitment:

Making it perfectly contour to the factory panel via Body Filler:

I used threaded inserts for all mounting points;

Weldwood Landau Contact adhesive to attach vinyl:

Final Wrapping (was not easy)

Overall, I am very happy with how the cover came out.

Wiring: Wiring was kept pretty streamlined due to the convenient location of the amps. I was able to pre-assemble the harnesses using Tesa tape, which gave a very factory look. I ran 16 gauge for the woofer and mid and 18 gauge for the tweeter. The sub has 12 gauge running to the back.
Front harness:

For power, my main power wire is 2 gauge which reduces to 4 gauge for the 5.11 and 8 gauge for the 4300, all through a single fuse block mounted on factory studs under the dash.
Fuse Bracket:

Installed:

Once I had everything installed, now came the nerve racking part…. Tuning the DSP. It is important to note that this was my first venture into the DSP world. I know Audison doesn’t have the best reputation on here but the new Forza Bit series caught my attention. I watched their setup/tuning videos on YouTube and also played with the software and it seemed pretty intuitive.

I used the setup wizard to get everything close enough to start. Within the wizard, it walks you through setting up time delays, Cross-Over points and check polarity. My input signal was pretty flat since I used ForScan to turn off any EQ settings coming from the vehicle. It took me about 2-3 hours to do the initial tune. At this time, I had the system sounding pretty good but wanted to give my ears some rest. After a couple days of listening to the stereo, I went back for another fine tuning session and I have to say, it improved a ton over the initial tune.

My NOVICE review of Audisons software is that it is very easy to use and I am extremely happy with how it currently sounds.


Final Thoughts: This was more challenging of a project than I originally expected but I am extremely happy with how everything turned out. It is by far the best car stereo I have installed and probably one of the cleanest installs to date. The project allowed me to use a just about every skill in my arsenal, Metal Working, Wiring, Woodworking, Fiberglassing and Computer tuning.

Nice work!
Similar to the MTI system.. I have some little mad skills but no time so sent to them for an amazing system.

 

[35tires]

Where did you mount your amp and crossovers?

I am getting a CRAZY high pitch whine from my speakers when driving - it's driving me crazy. I have it going in the shop on Wednesday, but any ideas on what might cause it?

 

[Aking325]

I recently embarked on a project to upgrade the audio system in my 2023 Bronco Badlands. The stock stere is pretty awful so this was high on my priority list.

A bit about my audio background – I grew up in the 90s and developed a love from music which translated to a passion for high end car stereo. My first real stereo build was in my FD RX7 with a PPI Pro-650, MB Quart Components and JL 10W6 in the trunk. I am still rocking the same PPI Pro-650 with Focal component and a JL sub in my Mazda 6. (The RX-7 now have a JL 10TW3, JL HD amp and C5 components)

I originally planned a somewhat basic build with a stand-alone DSP and a JL HD 900/5 amp that I had in my Jeep. As I started researching and collecting components, the system continued to evolve (and cost more):

Fronts – Focal K2 3-way components
Rear – JL Audio C5-650 (overkill but I already own them)
Sub – JL 10TW3 shallow mount sub
Amps: Audison Forza AF M5.11 – Running Front woofers, Mids & Sub
Audison SR4.300.2 - Running Tweeters and Rear fill

Amp Mounting – My goal for mounting the amps was to find a place that would be safe from water, should the interior get rained on or I decide to ford some deep water (It’s a Bronco thing). This was one of the driving factors that made the Audison package attractive. My original thought was to mount the amps under the rear seat but once I figured out I could fit them under the dash, it was a no-brainer. I designed a clever mounting system that utilizes factory points, keeping the amps tucked nicely up under the dash.

AF5.11 Mount, uses all factory mounting points without any modifications to the vehicle:

SR4.300 mounts on top of the AF5.11. I was able to leave what should be enough space so things stay cool.

The mid and tweeter placement in the dash presented another challenge. I crafted a non-traditional metal mount, which allowed me to slightly overlap the speakers. This required some trimming of the dash but left both mounting screws in tact. I was also able to use the factory speaker covers, giving it a factory look.
Cad Design:

Brackets:

Installed:

The woofers were easy, I opted to make my own spacers out of 5/8” birch plywood. I could have purchased plastic spacers but it was just as easy to make a pair.
Woofer Spacer:

Installed:

Subwoofer mounting – I waffled over two locations for the sub – the factory location in the cargo area or tailgate mounted. The factory location was definitely more tricky but this gave me a much more factory look and wouldn’t lose cargo space. This made the decision pretty easy for me - factory location. I used a combination of ¾ MDO plywood and fiberglass. I started out making the face to locate the speaker and worked from there. Once I had a portion made with plywood, I mounted it to the chassis through the factory mounts. I then applied a layer of masking tape over everything, then a layer of ¼” carpet pad and another layer of masking tape.

I laid up two layers of fiberglass to get the basic shape. Once dry, I removed and put 3 more layers on the outside of the box and also attached the face with screws and fiberglass. Overall, the box turned out great from a functional standpoint.

Sub Cover - The bronco comes with a factory 8” subwoofer in the same area but I had to shift the TW3 further back so it didn’t line up with the factory hole. This caused me to get creative in my cover design.

Material:
½” MDO Plywood
Diamond Grill material – Plastic
Carbon look Marine grade vinyl

The basic shape:

Test fitment:

Making it perfectly contour to the factory panel via Body Filler:

I used threaded inserts for all mounting points;

Weldwood Landau Contact adhesive to attach vinyl:

Final Wrapping (was not easy)

Overall, I am very happy with how the cover came out.

Wiring: Wiring was kept pretty streamlined due to the convenient location of the amps. I was able to pre-assemble the harnesses using Tesa tape, which gave a very factory look. I ran 16 gauge for the woofer and mid and 18 gauge for the tweeter. The sub has 12 gauge running to the back.
Front harness:

For power, my main power wire is 2 gauge which reduces to 4 gauge for the 5.11 and 8 gauge for the 4300, all through a single fuse block mounted on factory studs under the dash.
Fuse Bracket:

Installed:

Once I had everything installed, now came the nerve racking part…. Tuning the DSP. It is important to note that this was my first venture into the DSP world. I know Audison doesn’t have the best reputation on here but the new Forza Bit series caught my attention. I watched their setup/tuning videos on YouTube and also played with the software and it seemed pretty intuitive.

I used the setup wizard to get everything close enough to start. Within the wizard, it walks you through setting up time delays, Cross-Over points and check polarity. My input signal was pretty flat since I used ForScan to turn off any EQ settings coming from the vehicle. It took me about 2-3 hours to do the initial tune. At this time, I had the system sounding pretty good but wanted to give my ears some rest. After a couple days of listening to the stereo, I went back for another fine tuning session and I have to say, it improved a ton over the initial tune.

My NOVICE review of Audisons software is that it is very easy to use and I am extremely happy with how it currently sounds.


Final Thoughts: This was more challenging of a project than I originally expected but I am extremely happy with how everything turned out. It is by far the best car stereo I have installed and probably one of the cleanest installs to date. The project allowed me to use a just about every skill in my arsenal, Metal Working, Wiring, Woodworking, Fiberglassing and Computer tuning.

Very well done!

 

[JerryG]

JL wakeboard tower speakers JL M6-650 VEX GmTi's...they are killer

I am running the same rear speakers and you are right, they are killer.

 

[akturbo]

Awesome work on that sub enclosure!! Please sell me one!!

I've been emailing Gearshade, they have been experimenting with a 10" enclosure but nothing yet. https://www.gearshade.com/product/bronco-subwoofer-round/

Like others on here, I don't want to pay that much $$$ for the JL box and a sub I don't want.

 

[Wickedbronco]

Where did you mount your amp and crossovers?

I am getting a CRAZY high pitch whine from my speakers when driving - it's driving me crazy. I have it going in the shop on Wednesday, but any ideas on what might cause it?

The amps have dsp and crossover built in. They are mounted under the drivers side dash.

 

[Draughon]

Awesome work on that sub enclosure!! Please sell me one!!

I've been emailing Gearshade, they have been experimenting with a 10" enclosure but nothing yet. https://www.gearshade.com/product/bronco-subwoofer-round/

Like others on here, I don't want to pay that much $$$ for the JL box and a sub I don't want.

I emailed Audio Designs and got a rather curt response when asking if they were considering 10'' enclosures..




"Good morning,

No.

Thank you,

Matthew Fettik

Audio Designs & Custom Graphics"

 

[Draughon]

And no love from JL Audio either...

Is there an option to get the JL Stealthbox for Bronco with a 10TW3-D4 sub rather than the less powerful 10TW1-2 sub? Bryan Nelson (JL Audio) Jan 22, 2024, 09:04 EST Good morning, and thank you for the inquiry. Unfortunately there are no substitutions for our Steathboxes. Each Steathbox is specifically designed for the subwoofer chosen for the application. I do apologize. Bryan Nelson Is there an option to get the box empty? i.e. without a sub?

I'm sorry, unfortunately that is not an option either. Bryan Nelson

 

[Stevoid]

No, I went ahead and had a box built for the back unfortunately. I am just saying that JL Stealthbox isn't worth the money, you can do a lot of stuff for $1300 bones, sounded like crap.

JL does make an 8W3 in a small slim box that doesn't take up really any space and really booms for an 8. It's a ported box and will shock the hell outta you how good it sounds.

@HOSSMAN is that this? https://www.abt.com/JL-Audio-Dual-8...c_organic&utm_campaign=surfaces across google

No, I went ahead and had a box built for the back unfortunately. I am just saying that JL Stealthbox isn't worth the money, you can do a lot of stuff for $1300 bones, sounded like crap.

JL does make an 8W3 in a small slim box that doesn't take up really any space and really booms for an 8. It's a ported box and will shock the hell outta you how good it sounds.

@HOSSMAN i just put in the stealth box with the MoBridge. The stealth box I’m not a fan of either. Is the JL set up this? https://www.abt.com/JL-Audio-Dual-8W3v3-MicroSub-Subwoofer-System-93331/p/90774.html

how do you like it?

 

[HOSSMAN]

@HOSSMAN is that this? https://www.abt.com/JL-Audio-Dual-8W3v3-MicroSub-Subwoofer-System-93331/p/90774.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=sc_organic&utm_campaign=surfaces across google
@HOSSMAN i just put in the stealth box with the MoBridge. The stealth box I’m not a fan of either. Is the JL set up this? https://www.abt.com/JL-Audio-Dual-8W3v3-MicroSub-Subwoofer-System-93331/p/90774.html

how do you like it?

Hey bud. I have a custom box with 2 JL 10's in it. But if you are looking for that badass box with the 8w3's Crutchfield is way cheaper...like $200 cheaper $729.99

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13628LW3V3/JL-Audio-CP208LG-W3v3.html?tp=112

 

[Bayou State Bronco]

Absolutely beautiful setup. Wish I had your fabrication skills. I could do the install but not the fab work. Great job and thanks for sharing.

wow great work!

 

[FranklinCounty4Door]

Killer install bud!

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