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About 7 years ago, I purchased one of the new model 2015 F150's and within a few weeks removed the interior, soundproofed, and was one of the first to document an audio upgrade on that model. I still have the truck and it's one of my favorite things every time I get in it. 2015 F150 XLT Screw Audio System Upgrade Log (Sync w/Nav, No Sony) - Ford F150 Forum - Community of Ford Truck Fans I'm not an installer or expert, just someone that enjoys good quality sound and likes a little DIY challenge.
About 2 months ago on September 5th, I picked up my new Bronco Raptor making me one of the few lucky golden ticket holders to take delivery in 2022. The truck is truly amazing, but the base 7 speaker stereo is just OK. One of the first questions my wife asked me is how soon I planned to upgrade the stereo. By the time she asked, I already had more than half the parts on order and then started the build in early October.
There are so many great threads on Bronco audio upgrades already on this forum, I'm not planning to do a detailed build document, but rather just showcase the components of my install. Additionally, I'll try to provide a few pointers on things I struggled with or wasn't sure of along the way.
Part 1 - Soundproofing
Part 2 - Amplifier mounting
Part 3 - Wiring
Part 4 - Speaker Installs
Part 5 - Forscan
Part 6 - Tuning
Part 7 - Remote Control and Extra 12V Power
Part 1 - Soundproofing
Soundskins product was well made and overall a good product. A few minor points:
Part 2 - Amplifier mounting
Fitting these two amplifiers into the rear passenger wheel well was a real challenge. I tried positioning them several different ways to fit without interfering with the cargo panel. It was important to me that the amps be completely hidden, and this was the only option I could make work. Took quite a while to fit and built, but it is rock solid. I used 8/32 screws, 8/32 t-nuts, 6mm locking nuts, small flat brackets, as well as .22" HDPE.
Part 3 - Wiring
I bought the Recoil 20ft True 0 gauge amplifier wiring kit. https://www.amazon.com/Recoil-99-99-Oxygen-Complete-Amplifier/dp/B08MZYH311/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?keywords=recoil+amp&qid=1667855078&sr=8-12&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0 Really happy with the kit, but 20ft was extremely tight. I didn't cut 1" off the power wire and it just made it to the distribution block. To make things easy, I bought the wiring harness kit #37 from PlugandPlay kits 2020 And UP BRONCO / BRONCO SPORT NON Amplified Radio Plug 'n Play Aud – Plug N Play Kits which made connecting everything really easy. That said, I ran my own separate wires to the front mid and tweeter, but leveraged the factory wires for the rear pods since they are configured to play lower volumes.
I'm very particular about protecting the wires. Multiple reason for this, #1 is to prevent shorting out in the future, and #2 is to prevent them from making noise. As you can see, I used a lot of friction tape, about 5 roles. This helps a lot with the reasons listed above. There are some places that have metal edges against the wires that I fear over several thousands of miles might wear through. An example is where the main power leaves the fuse in the engine bay to go to the firewall. The wire sits on an edge of the sheet metal. I ended up buying a cheap role of car door edge guard which worked great to cover all those areas of concern. Best examples of the door edge guard can be seen on metal brackets under the main amplifier where the wiring is sitting next to them.
The line out of the D-6.1200 feeds the LC-1.800 which works great because all of the signal levels and control can be done remotely from the D-6.1200.
Since the D-6.1200 has a USB port for tuning, I purchased a micro USB to USB-C adapter, then added a USB-C panel mount which would allow for easy connection and tuning without removing panels. (And without the Audio Control Bluetooth module)
Picture of the passenger rear cargo panel with added USB-C mount.
Part 4 - Speaker Installs
I thought about doing a 3 way active speaker setup in the front, but ultimately decided the 2 way active setup in the front would work well. I went to with Audio Frog GB60 for the mid, GB15 for the tweeters, GS42's for the rear pods, and finally, the Stinger 12" tailgate sub. In general these all fit Ok, but there was a little customization required.
GB60 mid's - Used the metra speaker adapter which worked fine, but the factory speaker grills required a little bit of material removal around the inside edges since the speakers protrude out further than factory. Note - There is a foam piece at the bottom of the kick panels that, for a short time made an awful noise and had me thinking it was a bad speaker. In the end, that foam was loose and vibrating against the metal. I used some sound deadening panel to seal it up which fixed everything. Also, I did not end up using the speaker baffles on these, primarily because I thought they were causing the issues that ended up being the foam.
The round portion on the grill bracket touches the metal surround of the speaker, so I ended up using some friction tape around the inside, the razer blade the tape every inch or so in order to fold it over. Seems to prevent the vibration.
GB15 Tweeters - Used the boom mat under them as well as just the straps to mount.
GS42 Rear pods
These fit fine, but did require drilling new mounting holes. I used the wiring harness that many others have from Amazon. Amazon.com: Ford Bronco (2021+), Ford Maverick (2022+) Speaker Wiring Harness Grey : Electronics
Stinger 12" Tailgate sub - This is actually the only visible component of the install and I'm very happy with it.
Part 5 - Forscan
This part is important for a good tune. Here are a few before and after shots of the difference frequency response for the same pink noise in front and rear. You can find more details in the Forscan thread. (24) FORScan Bronco Working Spreadsheet (double honk, sport mode, chimes, seatbelts, and more!) | Bronco6G - 2021+ Ford Bronco & Bronco Raptor Forum, News, Blog & Owners Community
Front and Rear response before the Forscan EQ change. Note I"m only using the front and rear input channel 1-2 and 3-4.
Front and Rear frequency response after Forscan
Part 6 - Tuning
Not a lot for me to add here other than to say that being able to tune this with the Audio Control DSP makes all the difference in the work for sound quality. I did end up buying a Dayton USB calibration microphone and learned to use REW to get my starting tune. Definitely a learning curve, but gave me a great starting point and I've just tweaked by ear from there.
One note is that the D-6.1200 doesn't make it easy to tune individual right/left speaker levels, so I did all my tuning speaker group instead of speaker by speaker. (i.e. mids, then tweets, then sub) I don't know enough to say how much of an improvement this would make, but it is the way most of the tuning instruction videos show. I don't think I'm missing much.
Initial tuning with calibration mic was done from outside the Bronco, but final tuning was adjusted by ear with the laptop connected via USB-C to the DSP/Amp.
Part 7 - Remote Control and Extra 12V Power
In the picture below you can also see where I chose to install the AC3 remote for the DSP which allows adjusting different saved settings and adjusting the level of the sub. I'm very happy with the placement of the control, but led lights are very bright. I put black tape over the LED's then poked a pinhole through them which works great to dim them.
For all the things I love about this Bronco, the 12V power outlets / USB charging is not adequate for 2022. As many have noted, trying to use the built in USB for wireless charging doesn't do anything other than make your phone hot because it is limited to 5V charging which isn't great for fast wireless charging. I chose to add three 12v outlets. Two of them are on only with accessories, and the other is constant on, which of course you have to be careful not to drain your battery. Note these are all run with fuses. Right outlet has a slim USB-A/USB-C charger that seats all the way in the socket. Note the simple wireless charging pad which connected this way will do fast wireless charging. Outlet on the right is 12V constant, so only used with discretion.
Rear console panel for kid's devices
Hope that gives everyone some ideas, and yes, there are certainly a lot of different approaches I could have taken to get better value etc. In the end, I did a lot of research, and this is something I've wanted to do for a long time. Overall, the system sounds amazing and is by far the best setup I've ever owned.
Happy to answer any questions you might have.
About 2 months ago on September 5th, I picked up my new Bronco Raptor making me one of the few lucky golden ticket holders to take delivery in 2022. The truck is truly amazing, but the base 7 speaker stereo is just OK. One of the first questions my wife asked me is how soon I planned to upgrade the stereo. By the time she asked, I already had more than half the parts on order and then started the build in early October.
There are so many great threads on Bronco audio upgrades already on this forum, I'm not planning to do a detailed build document, but rather just showcase the components of my install. Additionally, I'll try to provide a few pointers on things I struggled with or wasn't sure of along the way.
Part 1 - Soundproofing
Part 2 - Amplifier mounting
Part 3 - Wiring
Part 4 - Speaker Installs
Part 5 - Forscan
Part 6 - Tuning
Part 7 - Remote Control and Extra 12V Power
Part 1 - Soundproofing
Soundskins product was well made and overall a good product. A few minor points:
- For the price, I think they should include product to for the cargo area and the outer door panels. You'll see in the pictures that I used some generic sound deadener sheets and self-adhesive acoustic foam from my last installation.
- Templates were all precise except it was missing cutouts for the rear seat front bolts, but that was an easy fix
Part 2 - Amplifier mounting
Fitting these two amplifiers into the rear passenger wheel well was a real challenge. I tried positioning them several different ways to fit without interfering with the cargo panel. It was important to me that the amps be completely hidden, and this was the only option I could make work. Took quite a while to fit and built, but it is rock solid. I used 8/32 screws, 8/32 t-nuts, 6mm locking nuts, small flat brackets, as well as .22" HDPE.
Part 3 - Wiring
I bought the Recoil 20ft True 0 gauge amplifier wiring kit. https://www.amazon.com/Recoil-99-99-Oxygen-Complete-Amplifier/dp/B08MZYH311/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?keywords=recoil+amp&qid=1667855078&sr=8-12&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0 Really happy with the kit, but 20ft was extremely tight. I didn't cut 1" off the power wire and it just made it to the distribution block. To make things easy, I bought the wiring harness kit #37 from PlugandPlay kits 2020 And UP BRONCO / BRONCO SPORT NON Amplified Radio Plug 'n Play Aud – Plug N Play Kits which made connecting everything really easy. That said, I ran my own separate wires to the front mid and tweeter, but leveraged the factory wires for the rear pods since they are configured to play lower volumes.
I'm very particular about protecting the wires. Multiple reason for this, #1 is to prevent shorting out in the future, and #2 is to prevent them from making noise. As you can see, I used a lot of friction tape, about 5 roles. This helps a lot with the reasons listed above. There are some places that have metal edges against the wires that I fear over several thousands of miles might wear through. An example is where the main power leaves the fuse in the engine bay to go to the firewall. The wire sits on an edge of the sheet metal. I ended up buying a cheap role of car door edge guard which worked great to cover all those areas of concern. Best examples of the door edge guard can be seen on metal brackets under the main amplifier where the wiring is sitting next to them.
The line out of the D-6.1200 feeds the LC-1.800 which works great because all of the signal levels and control can be done remotely from the D-6.1200.
Since the D-6.1200 has a USB port for tuning, I purchased a micro USB to USB-C adapter, then added a USB-C panel mount which would allow for easy connection and tuning without removing panels. (And without the Audio Control Bluetooth module)
Picture of the passenger rear cargo panel with added USB-C mount.
Part 4 - Speaker Installs
I thought about doing a 3 way active speaker setup in the front, but ultimately decided the 2 way active setup in the front would work well. I went to with Audio Frog GB60 for the mid, GB15 for the tweeters, GS42's for the rear pods, and finally, the Stinger 12" tailgate sub. In general these all fit Ok, but there was a little customization required.
GB60 mid's - Used the metra speaker adapter which worked fine, but the factory speaker grills required a little bit of material removal around the inside edges since the speakers protrude out further than factory. Note - There is a foam piece at the bottom of the kick panels that, for a short time made an awful noise and had me thinking it was a bad speaker. In the end, that foam was loose and vibrating against the metal. I used some sound deadening panel to seal it up which fixed everything. Also, I did not end up using the speaker baffles on these, primarily because I thought they were causing the issues that ended up being the foam.
The round portion on the grill bracket touches the metal surround of the speaker, so I ended up using some friction tape around the inside, the razer blade the tape every inch or so in order to fold it over. Seems to prevent the vibration.
GB15 Tweeters - Used the boom mat under them as well as just the straps to mount.
GS42 Rear pods
These fit fine, but did require drilling new mounting holes. I used the wiring harness that many others have from Amazon. Amazon.com: Ford Bronco (2021+), Ford Maverick (2022+) Speaker Wiring Harness Grey : Electronics
Stinger 12" Tailgate sub - This is actually the only visible component of the install and I'm very happy with it.
Part 5 - Forscan
This part is important for a good tune. Here are a few before and after shots of the difference frequency response for the same pink noise in front and rear. You can find more details in the Forscan thread. (24) FORScan Bronco Working Spreadsheet (double honk, sport mode, chimes, seatbelts, and more!) | Bronco6G - 2021+ Ford Bronco & Bronco Raptor Forum, News, Blog & Owners Community
| Equalizer - assist with rear speakers and subwoofer | ACM | 727-01-02 | xx** | xxxx | xx-- | 00 = EQS Flat EQ |
Front and Rear response before the Forscan EQ change. Note I"m only using the front and rear input channel 1-2 and 3-4.
Front and Rear frequency response after Forscan
Part 6 - Tuning
Not a lot for me to add here other than to say that being able to tune this with the Audio Control DSP makes all the difference in the work for sound quality. I did end up buying a Dayton USB calibration microphone and learned to use REW to get my starting tune. Definitely a learning curve, but gave me a great starting point and I've just tweaked by ear from there.
One note is that the D-6.1200 doesn't make it easy to tune individual right/left speaker levels, so I did all my tuning speaker group instead of speaker by speaker. (i.e. mids, then tweets, then sub) I don't know enough to say how much of an improvement this would make, but it is the way most of the tuning instruction videos show. I don't think I'm missing much.
Initial tuning with calibration mic was done from outside the Bronco, but final tuning was adjusted by ear with the laptop connected via USB-C to the DSP/Amp.
Part 7 - Remote Control and Extra 12V Power
In the picture below you can also see where I chose to install the AC3 remote for the DSP which allows adjusting different saved settings and adjusting the level of the sub. I'm very happy with the placement of the control, but led lights are very bright. I put black tape over the LED's then poked a pinhole through them which works great to dim them.
For all the things I love about this Bronco, the 12V power outlets / USB charging is not adequate for 2022. As many have noted, trying to use the built in USB for wireless charging doesn't do anything other than make your phone hot because it is limited to 5V charging which isn't great for fast wireless charging. I chose to add three 12v outlets. Two of them are on only with accessories, and the other is constant on, which of course you have to be careful not to drain your battery. Note these are all run with fuses. Right outlet has a slim USB-A/USB-C charger that seats all the way in the socket. Note the simple wireless charging pad which connected this way will do fast wireless charging. Outlet on the right is 12V constant, so only used with discretion.
Rear console panel for kid's devices
Hope that gives everyone some ideas, and yes, there are certainly a lot of different approaches I could have taken to get better value etc. In the end, I did a lot of research, and this is something I've wanted to do for a long time. Overall, the system sounds amazing and is by far the best setup I've ever owned.
Happy to answer any questions you might have.
Sponsored
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Thanks for sharing. 
