2023MY Standard Audio (6-speaker) Subwoofer Delete Mandatory and Functional Amps Removed

[mpeugeot]

So I tackled part one the 2023 Bronco sound system today. Everything seemed to work out well and despite still having to swap the stock speakers out, it initially sounds much better than stock prior to tuning the Kicker Key 200.4 DSP.

Took 4 hours, start to finish to install the Kicker Key 200.4 and the 46HS10 sub, along with removing the fake-woofer and all the relevant interior part removal and re-installation.

The plug and play harness made it easy. My initial impression of the 10" Kicker 46HS10 sub-woofer was that it was a decent performer considering price point, wattage, and size (more on this later).

Well, a few hours later and after dinner, I tuned the Kicker 46HS10 sub-woofer and Key 200.4 with the factory speakers.

Wow, just wow, once tuned it's sick and I have not even replaced the factory speakers yet. It was "ok" before tuning it, and way better than stock, but after letting the DSP do it's thing and then adjusting the 46HS10 to match. It's just downright sick. Above I totally undersold the 46HS10, once dialed in, it can seriously thump.

I wish I was have as impressed as this with the Ford Performance Tune.

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[RagnarKon]

So I tackled part one the 2023 Bronco sound system today. Everything seemed to work out well and despite still having to swap the stock speakers out, it initially sounds much better than stock prior to tuning the Kicker Key 200.4 DSP.

Took 4 hours, start to finish to install the Kicker Key 200.4 and the 46HS10 sub, along with removing the fake-woofer and all the relevant interior part removal and re-installation.

The plug and play harness made it easy. My initial impression of the 10" Kicker 46HS10 sub-woofer was that it was a decent performer considering price point, wattage, and size (more on this later).

Well, a few hours later and after dinner, I tuned the Kicker 46HS10 sub-woofer and Key 200.4 with the factory speakers.

Wow, just wow, once tuned it's sick and I have not even replaced the factory speakers yet. It was "ok" before tuning it, and way better than stock, but after letting the DSP do it's thing and then adjusting the 46HS10 to match. It's just downright sick. Above I totally undersold the 46HS10, once dialed in, it can seriously thump.

I wish I was have as impressed as this with the Ford Performance Tune.

Would you say it is better than the Lux package??

If I remember right you had a Lux package Bronco for while before getting your 2023 Bronco.

My goal was to make the Bronco’s sound system as good—if not a little better—than the Lux package, without spending the extra money on the Lux package. But obviously I don’t have the Lux package so can’t do the comparison myself.

 

[ILoveToDrive]

So Kicker support is not technically wrong. They require a 4Ω load on the amplifier, and if you wire the front two speakers in parallel (which they are), you'll only get a 2Ω load.

The "right" solution would be to use a crossover. BUT there are simple things you can do to reduce the overall load on the amplifier, such as using a bass blocker on the front dash speakers. Is it perfect?? Not really, but it'll help.

Obviously Kicker is going to say "no you can't do that", because they have warranties that need to be fulfilled, and it looks bad if their amplifiers die. BUT, it ultimately it depends on your appetite for risk.

Am I correct in assuming if I have very modest gain adjustments I will not be "stressing" the amp? I found running the dsp calibration with the volume setting at 21 gave a much better sounding result, and the necessary gain adjustments to balance out the sound stage were very modest. It also resolves the chime volume issue associated with aggressive gain increases. It's not perfect, since some songs still sound a little "muddy", but overall, it's very acceptable, and I'm very picky about the sound quality. As I increase the volume, the muddy sound diminishes.

 

[RagnarKon]

Am I correct in assuming if I have very modest gain adjustments I will not be "stressing" the amp? I found running the dsp calibration with the volume setting at 21 gave a much better sounding result, and the necessary gain adjustments to balance out the sound stage were very modest. It also resolves the chime volume issue associated with aggressive gain increases. It's not perfect, since some songs still sound a little "muddy", but overall, it's very acceptable, and I'm very picky about the sound quality. As I increase the volume, the muddy sound diminishes.

Yeah you should be fine. Can't say for certain because I obviously don't work for Kicker and wasn't involved in the design process. But my gut says you should be fine.

The real killer of amplifiers is increased current draw and the heat associated with that. Increasing the gain increases the voltage output. That does put some extra strain on the amplifier, but it should have a relatively minor impact on current draw overall.

 

[mpeugeot]

Would you say it is better than the Lux package??

If I remember right you had a Lux package Bronco for while before getting your 2023 Bronco.

My goal was to make the Bronco’s sound system as good—if not a little better—than the Lux package, without spending the extra money on the Lux package. But obviously I don’t have the Lux package so can’t do the comparison myself.

The factory speakers, 46HS10, and Kicker Key 200.4 together tuned are FAR superior to the B&O system and even better than the B&O system with my Morel Maximo speakers.

The Key 200.4 is amazing. If nothing else, I think that it's the secret sauce... but that sub-woofer really came alive once I properly adjusted it following the tuning of the Kicker Key 200.4.

 

[mpeugeot]

Yeah you should be fine. Can't say for certain because I obviously don't work for Kicker and wasn't involved in the design process. But my gut says you should be fine.

The real killer of amplifiers is increased current draw and the heat associated with that. Increasing the gain increases the voltage output. That does put some extra strain on the amplifier, but it should have a relatively minor impact on current draw overall.

I watched a podcast from Kicker, it's on YouTube, which was a deep dive on the Key 200.4. They were pretty clear that it could do a 2 ohm load dynamically, but that an engineered test load at 2 ohms would likely be too much for it.

I plan to run the 3 ohm in series speakers in series (6 ohms), because I know that 1.5 Ohms is too little resistance. It will be absolutely fine with 6 ohms front and 3 ohms to the rear.

 

[Triathlonfun]

Where is everyone getting the Kicker Key 200.4? It’s out of stock everywhere I look?

 

[mpeugeot]

Where is everyone getting the Kicker Key 200.4? It’s out of stock everywhere I look?

I got it as part of a kit from Plugnplay, he obviously has a few still. I couldn't find it anywhere else.

 

[Alex Sector]

I got it as part of a kit from Plugnplay, he obviously has a few still. I couldn't find it anywhere else.

Looks like he sold out.

 

[mpeugeot]

Looks like he sold out.

Not if you order Package B which is the whole enchilada.

 

[CN72]

I have a 23 w/ the delete (Fake amp / sub) from factory. I went ahead and installed the replacement fusion amp and a kicker 6.75 this past weekend and made the prescribed changes w/ Forscan. Went smooth and simple thanks to all the great knowledge and info shared here. Thank god Ford left the wiring intact, otherwise it'd be much more hassle. I'm including a few pictures in case they're helpful for anyone else.

The above photo shows the fake sub and amp marked w/ a red 'X'. I unplugged the brown plug, it was all hooked up originally.

This is the wiring hooked up to the fake sub. I reused this by clipping off the metal terminal clips, stripping back the insulation, and using the spring-loaded connections on the kicker 6.75 amp.

This is the new amp and sub fitted to the sub housing. I simply predrilled the holes and screwed the new sub to the housing then replaced the foam-coated 'shroud' over it. It's probably not necessary, as it's what holds the OEM fake sub onto the housing (and the new one is now attached w/ screws) but it didn't get in the way and I figured, if nothing else, it may reduce any potential rattle.

That's the setup I'm looking to do soon. Did you use the Kicker key 200.4 and the Kicker 48CWRT674? Did you need anything else for the install? Thanks for the info!

 

[FCoyote]

That's the setup I'm looking to do soon. Did you use the Kicker key 200.4 and the Kicker 48CWRT674? Did you need anything else for the install? Thanks for the info!

These are the two specific posts that I got most of my information from. The first one has YouTube videos but he has an older model so he didn’t have the wiring already in place like ours (so you can ignore that portion of his video).

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/how-to-forscan-audio-speaker-mods.71145/

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...ional-amps-removed.61106/page-17#post-1840658

Otherwise, the things I ordered:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B081GFP4SK?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B081VQVD3F?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08NFJRMHP?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

https://teamequip.com/fp5t-18c808-ab-ford-fusion-radio-audio-amplifier-2017-2019/

And last, you’ll need to get the forscan software.

It looks like the teamequip link for the amp doesn't work anymore, they might be sold out or have updated their URL. I believe this is the same amp:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166026647236

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

It looks like the teamequip link for the amp doesn't work anymore, they might be sold out or have updated their URL. I believe this is the same amp:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166026647236

This is the link I used last week to buy the amp from TeamEquip; shipped promptly and is sitting with other stuff waiting to be installed (by me).
https://teamequip.com/fomoco-fp5t-1...ystem-amplifier-for-ford-fusion-fp5t18c808ab/

 

[ManSquatch]

The Polks delivered as expected. Clearer, without the harsh brightness. More rounded sound. Must be more efficient than the Kickers since I was able to take the gain adjustment down on the 200.4 amp. I could live with this setup and be happy.
The kick panel piece is nagging at me, but I don’t know if I will hear significant improvement if I invest in a pair of Morel Ultra Integra 602’s. I could put those in the rear pods and move the Polk 6.5’s into the kickpanels. I don’t want to go through the physical swapping back and forth to test this. I’d love to hear some opinions.

Which Polks did you go with? I’m not very happy with the Kicker CS on my dash

 

[BigHoof]

These are the two specific posts that I got most of my information from. The first one has YouTube videos but he has an older model so he didn’t have the wiring already in place like ours (so you can ignore that portion of his video).

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/how-to-forscan-audio-speaker-mods.71145/

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...ional-amps-removed.61106/page-17#post-1840658

Otherwise, the things I ordered:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B081GFP4SK?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B081VQVD3F?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08NFJRMHP?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

https://teamequip.com/fp5t-18c808-ab-ford-fusion-radio-audio-amplifier-2017-2019/

And last, you’ll need to get the forscan software.

It looks like the teamequip link for the amp doesn't work anymore, they might be sold out or have updated their URL. I believe this is the same amp:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166026647236

Good info and the easiest way to do things. The only add is that a lot of guys are going with the 4 ohm sub now instead of the 2 ohm.

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