Complete Stereo Install - Amp, DSP, Speakers and Sub. Lots of Pictures.

[DJ1]

Thanks for the response. I'm going with the JL Audio XD700/5v2 amp if I can find a place to mount it. It will also be powering a JL Audio 8" sub mounted in the stock B&O enclosure. Glad to hear the mid bass and tweeter sounds good even without the ideal placement. I like the idea of turning up the mid and bass. Thanks.

That should be a good setup. Not sure if you have considered a DSP/amp combo or a separate DSP. The ability to really tune the sound across the entire range is a huge benefit. Not sure if the JL XD700 will have enough parameters to really fine tune the sound. I say this only because I have done several rounds of DSP tuning to get things where I want - boost certain frequencies that seem to be affected most by wind and road noise, tone down the highs for high volumes, balance the front and back, etc.

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[menikmati]

Best place for the amp/DSP and any line out converter will be the passenger side cargo area, same as the OP did. This is where my JL MV1000/5i lives as well:

 

[ou812545]

Best place for the amp/DSP and any line out converter will be the passenger side cargo area, same as the OP did. This is where my JL MV1000/5i lives as well:

That looks great. I'm going for the stock look so I purchased the B&O sub enclosure. I'm going to have to get creative on where to install the amp.

On another note, did you splice into the speaker and head unit lines or did you use one of the available T-Harnesses?

 

[menikmati]

On another note, did you splice into the speaker and head unit lines or did you use one of the available T-Harnesses?

Took the head unit line and ran it to an Audiocontrol LC2i Pro (black box on the wheel well, just below the red WeBoost enclosure) then to the JL Audio amp+DSP.

 

[Imoxfordwhite]

Took the head unit line and ran it to an Audiocontrol LC2i Pro (black box on the wheel well, just below the red WeBoost enclosure) then to the JL Audio amp+DSP.

I did a very similar set up. My start-up chime and backup sensor chimes are now coming out of the dash instead of the speakers. By chance did you have something similar happen? And if so, how did you fix it?

 

[menikmati]

I did a very similar set up. My start-up chime and backup sensor chimes are now coming out of the dash instead of the speakers. By chance did you have something similar happen? And if so, how did you fix it?

Nope, nothing like that is happening here. Sorry that I can't help.

 

[ejaffe]

This is gong to be a long one, I apologize in advance. I ordered my Badlands SAS with the base stereo since I was pretty sure that even with the B&O, I would have ended up replacing everything anyway. I have enjoyed reading all of the approaches people have taken to get better sound from their Broncos, both base and B&O. I am not a professional, so I am sure there are things I could have done differently, but now the sound system sounds great at any speed.

Background
I have always had big stereos in my cars and most recently I put a complete system with DSP into my Tundra. After hearing that and getting a feel for what DSP tuning can do, I was sold. This is my first stereo upgrade in an open-top car so I was not exactly sure how to approach it. Our wake boat has a stereo that sounds great at speed, with the engine roaring, wind, etc. so I figured I could try to duplicate the things that make that sound good. What I ended up with was trying to find components that work together and an amp that has lots of clean power. I also wanted to have the simplest approach possible, so a 5 channel system with an amp that had a built-in DSP seemed like the best solution for packaging and economics. I have seen a lot of things being done on this forum that I wanted to avoid (forscan reprogramming, boom mats, multiple co-axial speakers, etc.), so here is what I went with:

Equipment List
AudioControl D-5.1300 Amplifier and DSP
Morel Maximo 6 - 6.5" 2-way Speakers for the front
Kicker KSC40 4" Co-Axial for the rears
Kicker 12" sub w/passive radiator
KnuKonceptz Compleet 4GA Wiring Kit and 16GA speaker Wire

Install Process
The install was fairly straightforward and took a few days to get the entire thing done. One error in the install set me back a bit, but more to come on that later. First, I pulled all of the interior panels out that I needed for access to the various areas. Cargo area floor, rear trim, seat back floor trim and wall. Kick plate panels on all four doors and the access panel under the steering wheel and the glove box. There are plenty of threads that have this info, nothing new to report.

Next I ran the power wire from the cargo area across to the driver side, and then up the wire channels to the grommet under the steering wheel. Again, no issues, easier than working on previous cars. In previous installs I have done, everything was packed in so tightly that there is no room to work. Maybe the body-on-frame just leaves more room for wires and stuff. My Tundra was also really easy to work with. Anyway, here is how the power wire went:

And then a simple fuse holder with an L-bracket from the hardware store:

Next was getting the signal from the head unit back to the amp. I have seen T-harnesses and other plug and play solutions, but I couldn't stomach the idea of paying someone that much money to do something I can do myself. Yes, my time is worth more than the cost of a harness, but for $25 of speed wire and an extra 10 minutes, I decided to do it myself. Here is the speed wire I used:

8 wires for 4 channels of signal plus a remote wire. I tapped in to the factory signal at the back of the head unit and ran the speed wire back down the passenger side wire channel to get the input signal and remote turn-on to the amp. I also used a new tool for this - a wire puller:

No more coat hanger and tape for pulling wires! 12" connectable sections with a wire loop at the end to grab wires. This thing made passing all of the wires through the various places a breeze! So while I was at it, I ran my own speaker wire from the cargo area to the front kick panels and existing roll bar pods. It did take some creative routing to get the rear wiring in place, but nothing too difficult.

Installing speakers was straightforward, Kickers in the rear fit with no problem. I just had to remove the extra mounting tabs and they fit perfectly. 6.5" woofers in the kick panels using the adapters that came with them through Crutchfield. I purchased some tweeter mounting plates from Crutchfield even though they said they wouldn't fit. I thought, "No worries, I can make them fit." I was wrong. So I ended up making some mounting plates from 1/4" plexiglass:

I wasn't too worried about the esthetics, nobody is going to see these. It took a couple of tries to get them to fit perfectly. Maybe I should re-evaluate my process of measure once, cut, cut, cut. Passive crossovers in the kick panels tucked up and away. Before mounting to their final location:

Once I had all the speakers installed and wire going where I needed, I installed the amp. This was my one error that really cost me time. I made an amp rack and mounted the amp like this:

I had seen a few like this and I was pretty proud of myself. Until I tried to test fit the panel back in place. I had a couple of clearance issues and blocked a couple of the holes that the panel clips into. Ugh.

So on to amp mount number 2:

Once I got that sorted I hooked everything up and by some miracle it worked! Next I used the DSP programming to start tuning the system:

I entered the active crossover points and time alignments and then started tuning. This is the audio output on top and the electrical output below. I am using the channel summing feature to get a full range signal to all 5 channels of my system and then controlling crossovers as I want them.

One downside to this is that I lose the ability to fade the front and rear. Fortunately the DSP solved this for my purposes. I have one program set for normal listening and a second program for the front only. That way if we are road tripping and kids want to watch movies or listen to their own music with headphones, I can just choose program 2 and only send sound to the front. I am going to play with the tuning more and see if I want to run a separate program for top off.

Here is the sub control and sub:

I used a small bracket to attach the sub box to the tie-down point. That is as far as I am going to go with securing the sub.

Final Thoughts
I still have some tuning to do to really optimize the system, but so far it sounds great. Completely clear at 70mph with top off and windows down. The last thing I need to do is make a cover plate for the "access" hole I left in the cargo area panel.

I have seen a lot of different approaches to sound deadening, polyfill, boom mats, etc. After looking at the different areas of the Bronco I only used a few sheets of sound deadening. 1 small piece on the inside of the rear pods just because it was easy and I already had them open. I also put some on the floor of the cargo area. Also because it was easy. When I installed the system in my Tundra I put Kilmat on the rear wall, inside every door and anywhere else I could access. With the Bronco, I have not had any issues with rattles or other unwanted noise.

I was a little concerned about only having the 6.5" woofer and tweeter for the front channels since the factory system had that weird 6.5" and 4" combo thing going. Nothing to worry about, the simple 2-way components up front sound great and have a full, rich sound. I guess simplicity and enough power are good enough.

Overall, this was not hard to do. I enjoy working on my cars and got to spend a weekend in the garage. I already had all of the extra bits (panel tools, heat shrink tubing, wire ferrules, connectors, etc.) from previous installations, so that did help. I still had to make a few runs to the hardware store for brackets, bolts and nuts for mounting the amp and fuse.

Now the system sounds good, has plenty of bass and I can keep tuning it though the DSP to really get it exactly where I want.

Big question for you. I have a very similar setup but used the LC model amp, not the D model you have. I could not get the sub to work since it pulls from channels 3 and 4. Instead I had to set up the amp using only channels 1 & 2 as input sources. Did you have any issues or trouble shoot anything similar?

 

[DJ1]

Big question for you. I have a very similar setup but used the LC model amp, not the D model you have. I could not get the sub to work since it pulls from channels 3 and 4. Instead I had to set up the amp using only channels 1 & 2 as input sources. Did you have any issues or trouble shoot anything similar?

No issues like that. However, I am summing my channels 1/2 and 3/4 inputs and sending one signal to all 5 output channels. I have a couple of thoughts though. To get the 3/4 input channel to output to the sub I think you need to sum the 3/4 and 5/6 channel. But if your 3/4 inputs are from the rear speakers you won't be getting a full range to the rear so you will lose your low frequencies that you need for a sub. IMO, the best way to set up something like you and I have is to just use the input from the front speakers to feed all 5 output channels of the amp by summing everything together. Then control each output channel with your crossovers.

 

[ejaffe]

No issues like that. However, I am summing my channels 1/2 and 3/4 inputs and sending one signal to all 5 output channels. I have a couple of thoughts though. To get the 3/4 input channel to output to the sub I think you need to sum the 3/4 and 5/6 channel. But if your 3/4 inputs are from the rear speakers you won't be getting a full range to the rear so you will lose your low frequencies that you need for a sub. IMO, the best way to set up something like you and I have is to just use the input from the front speakers to feed all 5 output channels of the amp by summing everything together. Then control each output channel with your crossovers.

Thanks. I agree and so far that has been the best way for me to get full sound out of the system. I just notice that if I fade to the rear I lose bass but I can't see why I would do that. Now I am trying to set the the gains and bass roll off controls.

 

[DJ1]

Thanks. I agree and so far that has been the best way for me to get full sound out of the system. I just notice that if I fade to the rear I lose bass but I can't see why I would do that. Now I am trying to set the the gains and bass roll off controls.

If you fade to the rear and you have the rear speaker inputs feeding your 3/4 you will definitely lose the bass as you fade more. I use the amp controls to balance the front/rear and never touch it on the head unit. Good luck with the tuning, I went through a few rounds to try and get better each time.

 

[Bruno]

This is gong to be a long one, I apologize in advance. I ordered my Badlands SAS with the base stereo since I was pretty sure that even with the B&O, I would have ended up replacing everything anyway. I have enjoyed reading all of the approaches people have taken to get better sound from their Broncos, both base and B&O. I am not a professional, so I am sure there are things I could have done differently, but now the sound system sounds great at any speed.

Background
I have always had big stereos in my cars and most recently I put a complete system with DSP into my Tundra. After hearing that and getting a feel for what DSP tuning can do, I was sold. This is my first stereo upgrade in an open-top car so I was not exactly sure how to approach it. Our wake boat has a stereo that sounds great at speed, with the engine roaring, wind, etc. so I figured I could try to duplicate the things that make that sound good. What I ended up with was trying to find components that work together and an amp that has lots of clean power. I also wanted to have the simplest approach possible, so a 5 channel system with an amp that had a built-in DSP seemed like the best solution for packaging and economics. I have seen a lot of things being done on this forum that I wanted to avoid (forscan reprogramming, boom mats, multiple co-axial speakers, etc.), so here is what I went with:

Equipment List
AudioControl D-5.1300 Amplifier and DSP
Morel Maximo 6 - 6.5" 2-way Speakers for the front
Kicker KSC40 4" Co-Axial for the rears
Kicker 12" sub w/passive radiator
KnuKonceptz Compleet 4GA Wiring Kit and 16GA speaker Wire

Install Process
The install was fairly straightforward and took a few days to get the entire thing done. One error in the install set me back a bit, but more to come on that later. First, I pulled all of the interior panels out that I needed for access to the various areas. Cargo area floor, rear trim, seat back floor trim and wall. Kick plate panels on all four doors and the access panel under the steering wheel and the glove box. There are plenty of threads that have this info, nothing new to report.

Next I ran the power wire from the cargo area across to the driver side, and then up the wire channels to the grommet under the steering wheel. Again, no issues, easier than working on previous cars. In previous installs I have done, everything was packed in so tightly that there is no room to work. Maybe the body-on-frame just leaves more room for wires and stuff. My Tundra was also really easy to work with. Anyway, here is how the power wire went:

And then a simple fuse holder with an L-bracket from the hardware store:

Next was getting the signal from the head unit back to the amp. I have seen T-harnesses and other plug and play solutions, but I couldn't stomach the idea of paying someone that much money to do something I can do myself. Yes, my time is worth more than the cost of a harness, but for $25 of speed wire and an extra 10 minutes, I decided to do it myself. Here is the speed wire I used:

8 wires for 4 channels of signal plus a remote wire. I tapped in to the factory signal at the back of the head unit and ran the speed wire back down the passenger side wire channel to get the input signal and remote turn-on to the amp. I also used a new tool for this - a wire puller:

Here is the sub control and sub:

This is gong to be a long one, I apologize in advance. I ordered my Badlands SAS with the base stereo since I was pretty sure that even with the B&O, I would have ended up replacing everything anyway. I have enjoyed reading all of the approaches people have taken to get better sound from their Broncos, both base and B&O. I am not a professional, so I am sure there are things I could have done differently, but now the sound system sounds great at any speed.

Background
I have always had big stereos in my cars and most recently I put a complete system with DSP into my Tundra. After hearing that and getting a feel for what DSP tuning can do, I was sold. This is my first stereo upgrade in an open-top car so I was not exactly sure how to approach it. Our wake boat has a stereo that sounds great at speed, with the engine roaring, wind, etc. so I figured I could try to duplicate the things that make that sound good. What I ended up with was trying to find components that work together and an amp that has lots of clean power. I also wanted to have the simplest approach possible, so a 5 channel system with an amp that had a built-in DSP seemed like the best solution for packaging and economics. I have seen a lot of things being done on this forum that I wanted to avoid (forscan reprogramming, boom mats, multiple co-axial speakers, etc.), so here is what I went with:

Equipment List
AudioControl D-5.1300 Amplifier and DSP
Morel Maximo 6 - 6.5" 2-way Speakers for the front
Kicker KSC40 4" Co-Axial for the rears
Kicker 12" sub w/passive radiator
KnuKonceptz Compleet 4GA Wiring Kit and 16GA speaker Wire

Install Process
The install was fairly straightforward and took a few days to get the entire thing done. One error in the install set me back a bit, but more to come on that later. First, I pulled all of the interior panels out that I needed for access to the various areas. Cargo area floor, rear trim, seat back floor trim and wall. Kick plate panels on all four doors and the access panel under the steering wheel and the glove box. There are plenty of threads that have this info, nothing new to report.

Next I ran the power wire from the cargo area across to the driver side, and then up the wire channels to the grommet under the steering wheel. Again, no issues, easier than working on previous cars. In previous installs I have done, everything was packed in so tightly that there is no room to work. Maybe the body-on-frame just leaves more room for wires and stuff. My Tundra was also really easy to work with. Anyway, here is how the power wire went:

And then a simple fuse holder with an L-bracket from the hardware store:

Next was getting the signal from the head unit back to the amp. I have seen T-harnesses and other plug and play solutions, but I couldn't stomach the idea of paying someone that much money to do something I can do myself. Yes, my time is worth more than the cost of a harness, but for $25 of speed wire and an extra 10 minutes, I decided to do it myself. Here is the speed wire I used:

8 wires for 4 channels of signal plus a remote wire. I tapped in to the factory signal at the back of the head unit and ran the speed wire back down the passenger side wire channel to get the input signal and remote turn-on to the amp. I also used a new tool for this - a wire puller:

No more coat hanger and tape for pulling wires! 12" connectable sections with a wire loop at the end to grab wires. This thing made passing all of the wires through the various places a breeze! So while I was at it, I ran my own speaker wire from the cargo area to the front kick panels and existing roll bar pods. It did take some creative routing to get the rear wiring in place, but nothing too difficult.

Installing speakers was straightforward, Kickers in the rear fit with no problem. I just had to remove the extra mounting tabs and they fit perfectly. 6.5" woofers in the kick panels using the adapters that came with them through Crutchfield. I purchased some tweeter mounting plates from Crutchfield even though they said they wouldn't fit. I thought, "No worries, I can make them fit." I was wrong. So I ended up making some mounting plates from 1/4" plexiglass:

I wasn't too worried about the esthetics, nobody is going to see these. It took a couple of tries to get them to fit perfectly. Maybe I should re-evaluate my process of measure once, cut, cut, cut. Passive crossovers in the kick panels tucked up and away. Before mounting to their final location:

Once I had all the speakers installed and wire going where I needed, I installed the amp. This was my one error that really cost me time. I made an amp rack and mounted the amp like this:

I had seen a few like this and I was pretty proud of myself. Until I tried to test fit the panel back in place. I had a couple of clearance issues and blocked a couple of the holes that the panel clips into. Ugh.

So on to amp mount number 2:

Once I got that sorted I hooked everything up and by some miracle it worked! Next I used the DSP programming to start tuning the system:

I entered the active crossover points and time alignments and then started tuning. This is the audio output on top and the electrical output below. I am using the channel summing feature to get a full range signal to all 5 channels of my system and then controlling crossovers as I want them.

One downside to this is that I lose the ability to fade the front and rear. Fortunately the DSP solved this for my purposes. I have one program set for normal listening and a second program for the front only. That way if we are road tripping and kids want to watch movies or listen to their own music with headphones, I can just choose program 2 and only send sound to the front. I am going to play with the tuning more and see if I want to run a separate program for top off.

Here is the sub control and sub:

I used a small bracket to attach the sub box to the tie-down point. That is as far as I am going to go with securing the sub.

Final Thoughts
I still have some tuning to do to really optimize the system, but so far it sounds great. Completely clear at 70mph with top off and windows down. The last thing I need to do is make a cover plate for the "access" hole I left in the cargo area panel.

I have seen a lot of different approaches to sound deadening, polyfill, boom mats, etc. After looking at the different areas of the Bronco I only used a few sheets of sound deadening. 1 small piece on the inside of the rear pods just because it was easy and I already had them open. I also put some on the floor of the cargo area. Also because it was easy. When I installed the system in my Tundra I put Kilmat on the rear wall, inside every door and anywhere else I could access. With the Bronco, I have not had any issues with rattles or other unwanted noise.

I was a little concerned about only having the 6.5" woofer and tweeter for the front channels since the factory system had that weird 6.5" and 4" combo thing going. Nothing to worry about, the simple 2-way components up front sound great and have a full, rich sound. I guess simplicity and enough power are good enough.

Overall, this was not hard to do. I enjoy working on my cars and got to spend a weekend in the garage. I already had all of the extra bits (panel tools, heat shrink tubing, wire ferrules, connectors, etc.) from previous installations, so that did help. I still had to make a few runs to the hardware store for brackets, bolts and nuts for mounting the amp and fuse.

Now the system sounds good, has plenty of bass and I can keep tuning it though the DSP to really get it exactly where I want.

why doesnt anyone use the little trunk box as a foundation for a sub build?

 

[ejaffe]

why doesnt anyone use the little trunk box as a foundation for a sub build?

I think there are several reasons. 1. too small, 2. if that is where the cone goes, your speaker is facing up and is exposed to whatever is in the cargo area, 3. would probably vibrate like crazy and though you can deaden it, I think it will be hard, 4. There is very little storage that is out of the way so while some give this up to amps, I'd prefer to keep it for tools and other things and 5. I have heard that some people have gotten water in there. I have not had that experience but am pretty sure I read it in one of these threads.

 

[Bruno]

I think there are several reasons. 1. too small, 2. if that is where the cone goes, your speaker is facing up and is exposed to whatever is in the cargo area, 3. would probably vibrate like crazy and though you can deaden it, I think it will be hard, 4. There is very little storage that is out of the way so while some give this up to amps, I'd prefer to keep it for tools and other things and 5. I have heard that some people have gotten water in there. I have not had that experience but am pretty sure I read it in one of these threads.

1) looked wide and deep enough
2) not really you would make a cover with holes on the sides
3) why vibrate more than anything else?
4) boxes in the back eat more storage

** Just seems like a really obvious solution. Yes it would have to be designed with more thinking than building a plywood box

 

[kgolive]

@DJ1 I'm assuming you removed the storage cubby with your original amp rack and you were still having issues with fitting the panel back into place, correct? Also, I know the 5.1300 is larger than this JL amp in the top pic, but I'm curious if you tried moving the amp closer to the right by the taillight housing?

Here are some screenshots I took from an IG story that show an amp rack with multiple Kicker Keys for another reference.

The audiocontrol amp will only fit if you reverse it on the amp rack. I learned the hard way when I tried to put mine back together. Here's a photo of it mounted on the back side and now I can put the quarter panel cover back on.

 

[Njchris1968]

Great install

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