High End Audio Upgrade in Bronco Raptor -- 7 Part DIY Install

[CCPK1]

Very nicely done Your install almost mirrors mine. I don't have the expertise or the time to attempt a DYI so mine was professionally installed (ouch) wish I could have!
Some sort of audio upgrade is requirement on these vehicles regardless of system or model if you like your music.
Put my music on a thumb drive which is a little sketchy Trying to find a particular song but it rocks as well as Sirius.

I'd be curious to see how they mounted your amps/dsp if you have any pics.

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[Billy Goat]

I'd be curious to see how they mounted your amps/dsp if you have any pics.

It's a little late for the DSP but they said there was plenty of room behind the head unit so that's where it is now.
Both Sony's went under the front seats driving frogs in the dash & roll bar, 6.5 kickers in the kick panel & the quarter panel in the back seat (2 Dr).
Swapped out the Phoenix sub and amp for the stinger box with a kicker sub and amp. That drives the sub and two kicker 8" wakeboard cans on swivels They said there was room for the amp in the floorboard . The controls for the cans in the sub are the same place yours are. The cans hang on a DV8 speaker bar

 

[CCPK1]

It's a little late for the DSP but they said there was plenty of room behind the head unit so that's where it is now.
Both Sony's went under the front seats driving frogs in the dash & roll bar, 6.5 kickers in the kick panel & the quarter panel in the back seat (2 Dr).
Swapped out the Phoenix sub and amp for the stinger box with a kicker sub and amp. That drives the sub and two kicker 8" wakeboard cans on swivels They said there was room for the amp in the floorboard . The controls for the cans in the sub are the same place yours are. The cans hang on a DV8 speaker bar

Cool setup, thanks for sharing. Few questions for you: Did you try the Phoenix sub and not like it, or was there another reason to just swap it from the start? For the wake board speakers, is that for tailgating or something? Do you have them set to play lower volume while driving?

 

[Hossfire]

What is this and how does it work?

Ialso have the B&O and want to upgrade the system, but without going too crazy and taking everything apart.

I know very little about the audio world though.

The B&O system is a bit more complicated to upgrade with aftermarket amps. In order to do so, you need to replace the factory amp/dsp, which is located next to the factory subwoofer.

The A2B module (there are now three different ones sold: NAV-TV, PAC, and the Axxess) take a digital signal from the factory head unit and send it to rca outputs. The only one of these modules that forum users have installed (that I know of) is the one made by NAV-TV. These modules are designed to give you the equivalent of a preamp signal for each of the channels while maintaining fader control and chimes.

Note: if all you want is more bass, you don't need this. Running the factory sub speaker lines to a sub amp is fine. Many people like the Kicker Key 500.1. The A2B interface is for people who want more power and dsp control over the front speakers.

 

[Billy Goat]

Everything kicker was q class except the sub itself because of the mounting depth

 

[CCPK1]

From a guy that loves car audio, well done sir, very clean install and great attention to detail, no one will ever see the detail you took, but its great knowing you took your time and did it right. How much did the sound damping help? I just got my Bronco last week and looking to tear apart and start doing this when my weekends open back up from kids sports Lol

If I'm completely honest, it's hard to quantify the improvement of sound dampening. I can definitely say it helps, but it isn't night and day when driving down the street. In quiet exhaust mode, the raptor is already surprisingly quiet. (Of course there is some wind noise, but dampening doesn't help there) I didn't measure, but I think others report 3 - 6 db. It would probably more noticeable on a base model since the don't include any factory deadening. It certainly helps with oddball panel vibrations at high volumes.

It was the part of the build that required the most effort, but I didn't mind and I now know it's as good as it can be. That saidn not everyone would appreciate the the effort/cost to improvement ratio.

 

[Hossfire]

The most common upgrade to the B&O is better, more efficient aftermarket speakers, a sub amp, and an aftermarket sub. If you don't feel confident with adding the sub and amp, there are a number of fairly compact amplified sub enclosures that your local car audio shop will install for a fee.

The front speaker swaps are covered extensively on the forums here, and a number of YouTube videos.

 

[Billy Goat]

Cool setup, thanks for sharing. Few questions for you: Did you try the Phoenix sub and not like it, or was there another reason to just swap it from the start? For the wake board speakers, is that for tailgating or something? Do you have them set to play lower volume while driving?

Well I feel kind of lucky because the shop that did the install is right down the street and has been here for well over 10 years.
When I inquired about the install. They informed me They had already done 14 Broncos ( the dealership shot all their highrollers to him) and were familiar with them. The owner told me that stinger box was solid and capable of handling a better sub & amp so he swapped me out and discounted the upgrade. I don't turn the sub up past 1/3 when driving and the head unit past 10. The cans, you can use to immerse yourself
Filling in the cab if you want but not past .5-1 or your ears will bleed. Open the back up and rock the party no prob or some light country music at the fishing hole.
A couple of salesmen at the dealership wanted to hear the cans/sub setup so I gave them Lincoln Park and when it kicked in after the prelude one guy tripped over himself and fell.
We set the DSP with some ZZ Top Eliminator for the center stage.

 

[Hossfire]

@CCPK1 On the sound deadening: the Soundskins pricing really isn't that bad. For the same $400, you would get their bulk roll, which is 64.5 square feet, vs. the Bronco kit at 60 square feet. All of this stuff is more expensive than it was two years ago.

 

[CCPK1]

@CCPK1 On the sound deadening: the Soundskins pricing really isn't that bad. For the same $400, you would get their bulk roll, which is 64.5 square feet, vs. the Bronco kit at 60 square feet. All of this stuff is more expensive than it was two years ago.

Yeah, that's fair. Everything is more expensive than it was a few years ago... I was originally under the impression the cargo floor was included in the kit, but I just didn't read close enough. The kit was well put together and easy to apply once the interior is out. In my last truck, I did this as a two part process with deadener and then acoustic foam, but all that was cut by hand from sheets which was a lot more time consuming.

 

[Rick U]

beautiful install. I have a few questions re the B&O amp.

Did you delete the factory amp via A2B?

Are you amplifying and dsp the center channel or is that running from the head unit?

Are the forscan changes the same for the B&O as the six speaker system?

 

[CCPK1]

beautiful install. I have a few questions re the B&O amp.

Did you delete the factory amp via A2B?

Are you amplifying and dsp the center channel or is that running from the head unit?

Are the forscan changes the same for the B&O as the six speaker system?

This wasn't the B&O system, it's the base system in the raptor which is more like the standard 6 speaker setup. It includes a subwoofer, but no A2B or center channel to worry about.

 

[marjen]

I added the AF GS42s to my front dash, GS60s to the front lowers and 2 12” AF GS subs. Using the kicker key 200.2 and 500.1. It sounds really great. Honestly probably too much bass, i need to work on smooth that out a bit. I am also waiting till Mabett releases their bigger rear pod then will probably ad a GS62 back there.

 

[Bagziga]

beautiful install. I have a few questions re the B&O amp.

Did you delete the factory amp via A2B?

Are you amplifying and dsp the center channel or is that running from the head unit?

Are the forscan changes the same for the B&O as the six speaker system?

I'm not OP but I've been gradually doing my stereo upgrades from the B&O system and that has involved removing the factory amp. I'm not quite finished with everything but my current signal chain is:

Data Bus > Mobridge DA-G2.Entry A2B > Helix DSP > amps > speakers/subwoofer

Regarding the center speaker, when the B&O module is removed the center and rear channels will also stop working. They'll need to be powered externally if you want them to continue making noise. The PAC AP4-FD31 manual has a bit of information on it. I think their kit includes a loopback harness to make it easier to use the factory wiring for those speakers.

I didn't use Forscan to change anything audio related so I can't speak to that.

This setup is expensive and more involved but all of the flexibility you get in return makes it worthwhile, in my opinion.

 

[vicorjh]

Mobridge DA-G2.Entry A2B > Helix DSP

That's cool. I've been looking at the Mobridge stuff (don't have Bronco yet but can always dream). Could you tell us more about how you have it set-up? It seems as though you are running a single amp? Or two? Using the TOSLINK? Thanks.

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