B&O Sound System Upgrade Tip

[Ft. Worth Rob]

Focal is known for excessive peaks in their highs. If you check out the technical sheet from their site for the ASE-165, take a look at the almost 15 db peak just above 10k Hz, the ~7 db peak at 2k Hz, and the ~6 db peak at 2800 Hz. Those peaks create the harshness your ears are sensing from the tweeters. That's why I would skip Focal altogether if I were to do it again. They claim it's for accuracy. In my experience, it just creates a harsh, unpleasant sound.

You can correct for it by dropping your treble in the head unit down 4 or 5 notches. It won't fix the peaks, but it'll just lower the entire treble range enough to keep the peaks from being obnoxious.

You mentioned you're running a Kicker Key. Did you re-run the Key corrections after installing the new speakers? The built-in DSP in the Key is supposed to correct for peaks like that. I don't have firsthand experience with the 200.4 unit but I've read enough of others' experiences.

Thanks. I installed the Focals before the Key then ran the pink noise process so that part is as good as it gets. That’s why I figured I’d play with positioning to aim the tweeters away from the glass and see if that’s better then run the Key program again. I always used to use Polk Audio components and was happy with those but Crutchfield didn’t show their 6.5” mid to fit the Bronco kick panels. Of course any tweeter can fit the dash but I prefer a component set with the crossover for ease.

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[kvec]

Thanks. I installed the Focals before the Key then ran the pink noise process so that part is as good as it gets. That’s why I figured I’d play with positioning to aim the tweeters away from the glass and see if that’s better then run the Key program again. I always used to use Polk Audio components and was happy with those but Crutchfield didn’t show their 6.5” mid to fit the Bronco kick panels. Of course any tweeter can fit the dash but I prefer a component set with the crossover for ease.

Makes sense. I haven't put a permanent mounting solution in place yet for my tweets, so they're still sitting on a bed of poly-fil, strapped down with Tesa tape. I think I'll probably replace them with a set from Morel or AudioFrog when I get around to permanently mounting them. They're just firing straight up right now.

Interested in what you find when you play around with the positioning. All things equal, it should sound better aimed directly at your ears rather than bouncing off the glass. That said, the volume will likely be higher straight at your ears as well, so YMMV.

 

[Ft. Worth Rob]

Makes sense. I haven't put a permanent mounting solution in place yet for my tweets, so they're still sitting on a bed of poly-fil, strapped down with Tesa tape. I think I'll probably replace them with a set from Morel or AudioFrog when I get around to permanently mounting them. They're just firing straight up right now.

Interested in what you find when you play around with the positioning. All things equal, it should sound better aimed directly at your ears rather than bouncing off the glass. That said, the volume will likely be higher straight at your ears as well, so YMMV.

I went ahead and drilled a hole through the dash speaker grills and mounted the tweeters flush. The grills are only like $22 and I figured I could replace them as needed. This gives me more ability to play with angles and not have the grill interfering with dispersion given only the center section of the grill is open.
I put them in this position and reran the Kicker DSP. I’m getting some harshness reflecting off the door glass but overall an improvement from firing straight up at the windshield and not audible until about 17 on the volume with the windows closed. No harshness with windows down at any volume. They may be better still mounted in the A pillars but I’ve not researched whether that would affect the air bags, if there is sufficient space behind them and what the cost of the A pillar covers are if I screwed them up or wanted to remove the speakers at some point.

 

[kvec]

I went ahead and drilled a hole through the dash speaker grills and mounted the tweeters flush. The grills are only like $22 and I figured I could replace them as needed. This gives me more ability to play with angles and not have the grill interfering with dispersion given only the center section of the grill is open.
I put them in this position and reran the Kicker DSP. I’m getting some harshness reflecting off the door glass but overall an improvement from firing straight up at the windshield and not audible until about 17 on the volume with the windows closed. No harshness with windows down at any volume. They may be better still mounted in the A pillars but I’ve not researched whether that would affect the air bags, if there is sufficient space behind them and what the cost of the A pillar covers are if I screwed them up or wanted to remove the speakers at some point.

That's really cool. Looks awesome. Did the Focals come with the swivel mount? I think you've just given me inspiration.

What did you use to drill the holes? Hole saw?

 

[Ft. Worth Rob]

That's really cool. Looks awesome. Did the Focals come with the swivel mount? I think you've just given me inspiration.

What did you use to drill the holes? Hole saw?

They came with a couple cup options depending on how much swivel you wanted. I just measured to find the center of the grill, ran an awl through the closest hole to open it up enough to start the hole saw bit without it “walking” over the grill surface. I went slightly smaller than the tweeter cup with the hole saw then used a file to open the hole a bit more, still keeping the tweeter snug.

 

[bytheway]

Thank you for making me feel less insane. I highly recommend the PRV speaker in my post. It's dirt cheap and still a much nicer voice coil than the stock center channel.

Free returns on Amazon if you decide that I'm nuts:
https://a.co/d/diKMkNN

What adapter or harness would I need to put this PRV in my center channel?

 

[STING555]

What adapter or harness would I need to put this PRV in my center channel?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3345187624...8RMlT5WTDa&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[ATLBronco75]

What adapter or harness would I need to put this PRV in my center channel?

http://www.metraonline.com/part/72-5603

 

[John P.]

I went ahead and drilled a hole through the dash speaker grills and mounted the tweeters flush. The grills are only like $22 and I figured I could replace them as needed. This gives me more ability to play with angles and not have the grill interfering with dispersion given only the center section of the grill is open.
I put them in this position and reran the Kicker DSP. I’m getting some harshness reflecting off the door glass but overall an improvement from firing straight up at the windshield and not audible until about 17 on the volume with the windows closed. No harshness with windows down at any volume. They may be better still mounted in the A pillars but I’ve not researched whether that would affect the air bags, if there is sufficient space behind them and what the cost of the A pillar covers are if I screwed them up or wanted to remove the speakers at some point.

Nice job. Looks clean! Could be a decent way to run 3-ways in the front. Did you happen to take any pictures of the grill from the rear and side before popping it back in? I’m wondering if one could mount the tweeter a little to the left (depth clearance-wise) and place a 4” or smaller midrange where the factory one sits?

 

[emulous74]

Thanks for this thread. I just got my Bronco with the Lux package and have already started on this journey.

Yesterday put in CDT EuroSport ES-643's 6.75" woofers in the Kick Panels. I plan in the future to incorporate all the pieces of this 3-way set (that I've been holding on to for 20 years), but the budget doesn't allow for that at this time.

I didn't think I would hear any difference, but I'm happily surprised that I did. The muddiness that I heard on the mid to low end is almost completely gone. (I think the rear sub is to blame for is still there).

As a stopgap solution until I can afford to properly redo the whole system. I've purchased 4 CDT ES-4EX 4" Coaxial speakers that I will put in the front and the rear. Just waiting on the Fast Daddy harnesses to arrive.

Still need to get a center speaker, just not sure what direction I want to go with it. And will need to change the subwoofer out as I don't like bass sounding the way the majority does.

 

[Ft. Worth Rob]

Nice job. Looks clean! Could be a decent way to run 3-ways in the front. Did you happen to take any pictures of the grill from the rear and side before popping it back in? I’m wondering if one could mount the tweeter a little to the left (depth clearance-wise) and place a 4” or smaller midrange where the factory one sits?

Sorry, I didn’t. There may be room to drill the pillars below the air bag and mount a tweeter there too.
If I was smart I’d have recorded videos of all the stuff I’ve done to this truck and made a YouTube channel but my wife wouldn’t let me invite a stripper in a bathing suit over to be in my videos to get more subscriptions and likes. Lol.

 

[John P.]

Sorry, I didn’t. There may be room to drill the pillars below the air bag and mount a tweeter there too.
If I was smart I’d have recorded videos of all the stuff I’ve done to this truck and made a YouTube channel but my wife wouldn’t let me invite a stripper in a bathing suit over to be in my videos to get more subscriptions and likes. Lol.

I hear ya. My wife is unreasonable, too.

 

[BRBlue]

Before I pull it again, I'm going to order some of the metal clips that I seem to knock off every time I pull the cover. Only done it twice so far but three have come off each time. The first time I was able to find them all but the second time, one went deep into the abyss... I'm sure lost for eternity.

I'm considering ordering the other speaker based on your recommendation and the low price. Only thing that sucks is having to pull the cover again.

First time I put it back on, I couldn't get the back fully seated but I think I had too much of the harness still in the way so I pulled it again and tucked it back down. Released the USB ports from the cover to make it a little easier and that seemed to help. Those clips are definitely in there nice and tight. I think I'm getting much better at it at this point but hope to never become a pro.

@flip - what was that part number again for the metal clips that hold on the center channel speaker cover? If you'll send me a link to where they are in your store, I'll order a few or a pack or whatever.

Did you find the part number for the metal speaker grill clips? I’m missing one.

 

[Wolfeman]

Did you find the part number for the metal speaker grill clips? I’m missing one.

 

[rguest3]

I Have the Lux package and the B&O system. Although I found it adequate I've done light modifications to the sound system in almost all of my vehicles so I couldn't leave well enough alone. If you aren't going to do a full upgrade including a new DSP consider my experience carefully.

I planned to upgrade the main 5 speakers that most people complain about. Front Left, Right and Center on the dashboard and the rear Speaker Pods. I also stuffed those 5 spots and the Sub with polyfill and added some foam to reduce rattles near the sub.

I used 2 Focal ACX (https://www.focal.com/en/car-audio/.../performance/auditor-new/coaxial-kits/acx-100) speakers in the Right and Left Front channels and 3 Kicker KS4s (https://www.kicker.com/47KSC40) for the rear pods and center channel. Here is where I went wrong. The front Center channel doesn't seem to have a low pass filter on it. After installing a two way speaker with a tweeter I got tons of hiss and almost painful highs. This was super noticeable on Audio books when the reader would pronounce an S. I had to run the system in Stereo mode for a few weeks because the highs from the center channel were so annoying.

So just this weekend I replaced my center channel with a PRV Audio 4" Mid (https://prvaudio.com/products/4mr60-4/). The improvement is hard to overstate. It sounds radically better with a strong front center stage now. Almost all of the high end hiss is gone. Additionally this speaker is much louder and allows me to listen at a lower volume while still getting good mids.

If I could do it all over again I think I might even get 3 of these PRV speakers for the Center and Rear channels and use the Kickers in the Front side channels. The Kickers just sound better than the Focals to me and the PRVs produce huge sound at low volumes.

TLDR; Don't put a 2-way speaker in the center channel of the B&O system unless you are adding a DSP.

Tom,

I agree with your speaker set-up with the B&O factory Amp. This is a big difference!

I also had too much highs from the Dash speakers. I changed out to the PRV Audio Midrange in the Center Channel and this really cured the problem.

Kicker KSC-4" in the Front Corners
PRV 4MR60-4 in the Center Dash
Kicker KSC 6 3/4" In the Kick Panels and Mabett Rear Pods
8" kIcker Sub in the Factory Sub Box with Poly Fill

Adding Amps and a Matrix with DSP may sound better, but it's so much nicer than factory now, I may not go that route.

Thank you for your information and write up.

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