Sponsored

Audio Upgrade Questions for newb (2021 Bronco Black Diamond)

geebs

Black Diamond
New Member
First Name
Matt
Joined
May 7, 2022
Threads
1
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
2021 Ford Bronco Black Diamond Sasquatch Edition
Your Bronco Model
Black Diamond
I've been tasked to upgrade the speaker system in our 2021 Black Diamond. I'll preface by saying im fairly good with tools and tech, but i know jack-shart about audio systems. So i have a few simple questions for you good folks to hopefully help me along my path to victory.

What i have:
- Crappy 6 speaker system that came with the vehicle. No subwoofer, no sub enclosure or any sub wiring.
- i replaced all 6 crappy speakers with the following:
- Dash: (2) C1-400x speakers
- Front feet areas: (2) C1-650x speakers
- Rear roll cage: (2) Focal Auditor CWR8 speakers.
they all work. Hooray.

Now a have to install a sub and amp. I have the following sub and amp:
- Amp: Kicker Key500.1
- Sub: Kicker 8" CWR8 600W peak, 300W RMS.

And I have the following accessories: for the sub install:
- 8 gauge power wire.
- fuse box cable for power
- Bass knob
- 8awg grounding thingy to ground the amp.

For todays task Im going to attempt to connect the 1 foot long 8awg fuse cable thingy to the battery and run the 8awg power cable from the fuse thingy to the amp/sub area in the back (amp & sub not yet mounted). Is there a recommended path for this power cable to be run to the rear cargo area? Its my understanding that power and signal wires shouldnt be run next to each other? I may install the sub in the rear side panel (hidden) or in a sub box mounted on the rear cargo door. Dont know yet.

Questions:
- best path for the amp power cable from battery to cargo area.
- What gauge wire to use between the amp and sub? Photos ive seen show some pretty thick wire.
- best path for the bass level knob (to be installed in the dash by radio/ac controls) wire to run to the amp in the cargo area.
- Since no existing sub installed, how to i get audio signal to the amp/sub? tap into a speaker? isnt it best to have a dedicated sub channel coming from wherever my radio is located?
- where do all the existing speakers plug into? where's the radio? dont all speakers plug into the radio or some audio amp in the vehicle? is there a dedicated subwoofer port available that is better to use rather than tapping into speaker for signal?

Simple, and probabyl flawed, questions for you gurus i know. Would love to get my head wrapped around this. thanks for any help!!!

thanks for any help here. I'll have more questions I'm sure.

photo_2022-05-10_09-26-37.jpg
Sponsored

 

Wannabe Techie

Big Bend
Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2022
Threads
12
Messages
711
Reaction score
945
Location
Chicago
Vehicle(s)
2021 Ford Bronco
Your Bronco Model
Big Bend
Clubs
 
While you are in there, I'd recommend a Key Amp 200 for the speakers you already installed. The head unit doesn't have enough power to drive those speakers you just installed.
 
OP
OP

geebs

Black Diamond
New Member
First Name
Matt
Joined
May 7, 2022
Threads
1
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
2021 Ford Bronco Black Diamond Sasquatch Edition
Your Bronco Model
Black Diamond
Thanks! Yes i think i'd like to install that amp after my sub install. Any good online guides that you know of to help me get that wired up? where to tie the amp into the speakers? wheres the head-end located etc? Apprecieate the help!
 

DJ1

Badlands
Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2022
Threads
10
Messages
202
Reaction score
269
Location
Minnesota
Vehicle(s)
2022 Honda Civic Si, 2020 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
Thanks! Yes i think i'd like to install that amp after my sub install. Any good online guides that you know of to help me get that wired up? where to tie the amp into the speakers? wheres the head-end located etc? Apprecieate the help!
There are lots of good threads in this section about different ways to approach this. From the questions you are asking, you might want to go with a plug and play style harness with all of the connections already complete. Then you can just plug in the matching connectors, power and ground wires. Lots of people seem to like the Kicker Key amp and harness that one of the companies here is offering. It is probably a good way to get started without delving into more serious audio upgrades.
 

Dmorty217

Black Diamond
Well-Known Member
First Name
Derek
Joined
Feb 6, 2022
Threads
40
Messages
1,345
Reaction score
1,515
Location
Venice FL
Vehicle(s)
Camery
Your Bronco Model
Black Diamond
I purchased the kit for the kicker key 200.4 amp to the radio and also the 17ft sub adapter for the kicker 500.1 from here https://plugnplaykits.com/
Sponsored

 
 


Top