Audio Upgrade "Order of Operations"

[F2W12]

Hello all. I'm on a quest to improve the audio in my Bronco, as I know has been the case for countless others. I've reviewed many of the threads on the forum over the past few months, but what I'm looking for is advice from you experts listing the upgrades in order that will have the most appreciable improvement on the sound quality. I don't have a ton of audio experience, so expert-level DIY upgrades might not be preferred.

I have a job-2 2023 OBX, so mine came from the factory with a functional sup and amp. My desire is to make upgrades one at a time until I find the sound I'm looking for. If helpful, while I do value sound clarity, I do prefer heavier bass sound.

So far, I have only 1.) upgraded the OEM dash speakers to Infinity REF-4032CFX with 300Hz bass blockers, and 2.) upgraded the OEM pod speakers to the same 4" Infinitys. This has greatly increased the sound quality, but I'm still looking to continue to improve - particularly in the bass department.

Considering my situation, what do you suggest is the next logical upgrade(s)? Is it investing in Forscan and setting the rears to full range? Upgrading the rear pods to 6.5"? Upgrading kick panel speakers? Replacing the factory sub and/or amp? Adding another amp?

Thanks for your time and expertise!

Sponsored

 

[Brian_B]

If you don't have B&O:

My opinion, as this is somewhat subjective.

You will notice it immediately by going to a upgraded sub/amp - that will give you more bass hands down.

You will also notice a marked improvement in ~everything~ by going to a dedicated 4 channel amp for your other speakers. It won't do anything for your subwoofer (it already has it's own amp back there, but it's pretty weak), but all your other speakers will sound much much better.

I would probably put these two upgrades as tied for best bang. Both are about the same level of difficulty to install (not terrible to do, the hardest part is getting power through the firewall). Neither are terribly expensive - starting at about $250 for some quality stuff and working it's way up to what you are willing to pay.

Past that, kickpanel speakers as a #3, and upgrading the rear pods as #4 for me. Those are both just incremental upgrades - yeah it sounds better but it's not a huge jump for either, and doing either of them before you have a new 4 channel amp is really hardly noticeable for me. I only put the rear pods as #4 because I didn't notice much at all when I did that, but the folks in the back seat did say it sounded better.

I'd also say Dynamat or something similar in there somewhere. That's one of those things that - while you have it apart you may as well do it. Especially in the sub area. You can get the cheaper stuff (kilamat or amazon branded stuff) - it isn't terribly expensive and is easy to put on. One of those cheap things that helps out, and bonus it helps to eliminate rattle from trim pieces and deaden road noise and such as well.

 

[DJ1]

Agree with @Brian_B, I would go like this:

1 - sub and sub amp
2 - speaker amp
3 - DSP
4 - Kick Panel Speakers
5 - sound deadening (don't go crazy, it's a Bronco so it's going to be noisy inside)
6 - rear speakers

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...-dsp-speakers-and-sub-lots-of-pictures.43856/

 

[Area51BS]

I went all in. New speakers, sub, DSP 8/ch amp. Install starts next week.

 

[F2W12]

I appreciate the replies, and it appears both of you agree on the order, so I'll gladly defer to your combined expertise. I definitely agree in that based on my current sound, upgrading the amp/sub would be my first best option.

Another question - is it possible to upgrade the amp and sub where I don't also have to run wiring to the battery? I know that anything much larger will require it, but I'm also not after window-rattling bass levels, so a more plug-and-play option is preferred (if possible). I only ask because during my research, I found this company offering an upgrade kit where they drop in a Kicker 500.1 amp with a new harness. I'm not sure how that would work with that sized amp (I understand the OEM is like 200w?), but I must be missing something.

Thanks!

If you don't have B&O:

My opinion, as this is somewhat subjective.

You will notice it immediately by going to a upgraded sub/amp - that will give you more bass hands down.

You will also notice a marked improvement in ~everything~ by going to a dedicated 4 channel amp for your other speakers. It won't do anything for your subwoofer (it already has it's own amp back there, but it's pretty weak), but all your other speakers will sound much much better.

I would probably put these two upgrades as tied for best bang. Both are about the same level of difficulty to install (not terrible to do, the hardest part is getting power through the firewall). Neither are terribly expensive - starting at about $250 for some quality stuff and working it's way up to what you are willing to pay.

Past that, kickpanel speakers as a #3, and upgrading the rear pods as #4 for me. Those are both just incremental upgrades - yeah it sounds better but it's not a huge jump for either, and doing either of them before you have a new 4 channel amp is really hardly noticeable for me. I only put the rear pods as #4 because I didn't notice much at all when I did that, but the folks in the back seat did say it sounded better.

I'd also say Dynamat or something similar in there somewhere. That's one of those things that - while you have it apart you may as well do it. Especially in the sub area. You can get the cheaper stuff (kilamat or amazon branded stuff) - it isn't terribly expensive and is easy to put on. One of those cheap things that helps out, and bonus it helps to eliminate rattle from trim pieces and deaden road noise and such as well.

Agree with @Brian_B, I would go like this:

1 - sub and sub amp
2 - speaker amp
3 - DSP
4 - Kick Panel Speakers
5 - sound deadening (don't go crazy, it's a Bronco so it's going to be noisy inside)
6 - rear speakers

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...-dsp-speakers-and-sub-lots-of-pictures.43856/

 

[Brian_B]

There are 16AWG wires pre-run through the firewall(B1/B2 probably your best bets) - you could pull about 20A through them max. You have them even if you don't have upfitter switches.

So I guess as long as your amp is less than 20A rated (or you just never turn it up loud) - then yeah. Or you could run both of them to an amp and wire them in parallel for power - you'd need to fuse each line for 20A, but you'd be able to pull more than 20A total across both of them (if that makes sense - I do not necessarily recommend this, just pointing it out as an option)

That said, I'd strongly recommend just pulling something larger through the firewall and be done with it. If you do it with large enough wire, you could tap off on the interior side of the firewall and feed both your 4 channel and your sub amp... or get a 5 channel amp and run new wire under the carpet back to the sub.

 

[KABQ]

You've done some of this already, but in general I would say:

1. Front 4"
2. Front 6" with amp
3. Rear 4" with Forscan
4. (B&O) Upgrade amp first, then sub
4. (Non-B&O) Add amp and sub
5. Sound deadening
6. The Bronco is loud as hell at 80 mph, don't waste any more time or money beyond these steps. Accept that it won't sound like your good headphones no matter how hard you try.

 

[DJ1]

I appreciate the replies, and it appears both of you agree on the order, so I'll gladly defer to your combined expertise. I definitely agree in that based on my current sound, upgrading the amp/sub would be my first best option.

Another question - is it possible to upgrade the amp and sub where I don't also have to run wiring to the battery? I know that anything much larger will require it, but I'm also not after window-rattling bass levels, so a more plug-and-play option is preferred (if possible). I only ask because during my research, I found this company offering an upgrade kit where they drop in a Kicker 500.1 amp with a new harness. I'm not sure how that would work with that sized amp (I understand the OEM is like 200w?), but I must be missing something.

Thanks!

If you want to have a decent amount of power, you will need to run a dedicated power line to the battery. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve.

I have heard lots of people say that they don't need to rattle the windows, have people hear them coming down the street, etc. Unfortunately, you can't have it both ways. If you have enough volume to hear your music well, especially subwoofer frequencies, at highway speed with the windows down and top off - you are going to have window rattling, everyone can hear you kind of volume. That is not a bad thing, that's just how it is.

The Kicker Key 500.1 will be a huge upgrade over what you have. Depending on your frame of reference, it might be just right or woefully underpowered. Also, what sub will you be pairing with it?

I think you said you like bass heavy music, then put more towards the bass frequencies with a good sub, powerful amp and then do the same for your kick panels to give you some punch in the mid-bass frequencies.

 

[Bill K]

Hello all. I'm on a quest to improve the audio in my Bronco, as I know has been the case for countless others. I've reviewed many of the threads on the forum over the past few months, but what I'm looking for is advice from you experts listing the upgrades in order that will have the most appreciable improvement on the sound quality. I don't have a ton of audio experience, so expert-level DIY upgrades might not be preferred.

I have a job-2 2023 OBX, so mine came from the factory with a functional sup and amp. My desire is to make upgrades one at a time until I find the sound I'm looking for. If helpful, while I do value sound clarity, I do prefer heavier bass sound.

So far, I have only 1.) upgraded the OEM dash speakers to Infinity REF-4032CFX with 300Hz bass blockers, and 2.) upgraded the OEM pod speakers to the same 4" Infinitys. This has greatly increased the sound quality, but I'm still looking to continue to improve - particularly in the bass department.

Considering my situation, what do you suggest is the next logical upgrade(s)? Is it investing in Forscan and setting the rears to full range? Upgrading the rear pods to 6.5"? Upgrading kick panel speakers? Replacing the factory sub and/or amp? Adding another amp?

Thanks for your time and expertise!

Highly recommend Forscan update. Have the same speaker upgrades in my 2023 Big Bend, and did the updates for speakers in Forscan per @RagnarKon's spreadsheet (make sure subwoofer is enabled, and change speakers to 2 way). Had too much base, and had to turn it down a few notches... Very happy with the results.

 

[Brian_B]

The misnomer is that power is all about volume.

It isn't always just volume. The speakers use that power to translate the signal into air waves -- better speakers need more power, but they use that power to add more depth and nuance to the music, not just volume.

You could get "loud" with an amazingly little amount of power. But it will sound horrible.

Sound Power Level (SPL), speaker sensitivity, ohm ratings, wire sizing and length, and your own personal preferences all play a big part into that.

 

[4doorbu]

You've done some of this already, but in general I would say:

1. Front 4"
2. Front 6" with amp
3. Rear 4" with Forscan
4. (B&O) Upgrade amp first, then sub
4. (Non-B&O) Add amp and sub
5. Sound deadening
6. The Bronco is loud as hell at 80 mph, don't waste any more time or money beyond these steps. Accept that it won't sound like your good headphones no matter how hard you try.

where is everyone mounting the sub/amp with the non-B&O system? I looked behind the panel on the passenger rear trunk area and there is nothing in there. Unless im blind?

 

[KABQ]

where is everyone mounting the sub/amp with the non-B&O system? I looked behind the panel on the passenger rear trunk area and there is nothing in there. Unless im blind?

I put a standalone under the driver's seat. Kicker 46HS10.

Sponsored