[How-To] FORScan Audio/Speaker Mods

[RagnarKon]

So this is nothing new that hasn't been talked about before on these forums, but I've been getting a lot of DMs on the topic, so I thought I'd create a dedicated video for it. This video covers how to adjust your speaker configuration on your Bronco using FORScan. Super helpful if you are installing an aftermarket amplifier, or something like the Mabett Rear Pods.

I geared the video to someone who may not have used or only briefly dabbled using FORScan before, but isn't super comfortable using it—kept it short and to the point. So if you are comfortable using FORScan, just scroll down below the video for the values or checkout the FORScan spreadsheet thread.

Note this video is for the Base sound system for 2021-2023 (and probably later). The B&O system included in the Lux package has a different configuration. I don't have the Lux package, but if someone in central CT with the Lux package wants to get together to figure out what the values/settings are let me know. (Edit: Figured a lot of it out, but not good news. Video coming... someday.)



TL;DW for those who know FORScan already—

EQ Settings - ACM 727-01-02

• xxYY-xxxx-xxxx
  • 00 = EQ Off
  • 01 = EQ On (High-pass filter on the rear pods)

Speaker Configuration Settings - ACM 727-01-01

• xxYx-xxxx-xxxx - Driver Front Kick Panel/Dash Speakers
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 1 - Tweeter
  • 2 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • 3 - No Speaker (ACM disable)
• xxxY-xxxx-xxxx - Passenger Front Kick Panel/Dash Speakers
  • 3 - Speaker
  • 7 - Tweeter
  • B - Speaker & Tweeter
  • F - No Speaker
• xxxx-Yxxx-xxxx - Passenger Rear Pod Speaker
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 1 - Tweeter
  • 2 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • 3 - No Speaker
• xxxx-xYxx-xxxx - Driver Rear Pod Speaker & Subwoofer
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 2 - Speaker & Sub
  • 4 - Tweeter
  • 6 - Tweeter & Sub
  • 8 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • A - Speaker, Tweeter, & Sub
  • C - No speaker
  • E - Sub only

Other videos/guides I've created on the topic of audio upgrades:

• [How-To] Factory Bronco Speaker Replacement
• [How-To] Amp Install - Kicker Key 200.4
• [How-To] Subwoofer Upgrade - Trim panel removal & Kicker install
• [How-To] Subwoofer Upgrade - Replacing/Upgrading the Factory Sub

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[RagnarKon]

@ILoveToDrive asked a really good question in another thread that I should have answered in the video, but I didn’t.

So to preemptively answer the question for others… very rough definition of Speaker vs. Tweeter vs. Speaker/Tweeter:

• Tweeter - 4” and smaller
• Speaker - 5-1/4” and larger mid-range speaker
• Speaker/Tweeter - A speaker and a tweeter sharing the same channel. OR a coaxial speaker with a wide frequency response.

 

[Lak34ers]

@ILoveToDrive asked a really good question in another thread that I should have answered in the video, but I didn’t.

So to preemptively answer the question for others… very rough definition of Speaker vs. Tweeter vs. Speaker/Tweeter:

• Tweeter - 4” and smaller
• Speaker - 5-1/4” and larger
• Speaker/Tweeter - A speaker and a tweeter sharing the same channel.

Thank you. So if we have replaced the rears with 6.5 pods then we do...
1. Speaker and tweeters for fronts and just speakers for the rear pods correct? No tweeters in rear. Also do you put all your stereo settings at zero for the dsp and put the balance right between the front and back seats?

 

[RagnarKon]

Thank you. So if we have replaced the rears with 6.5 pods then we do...
1. Speaker and tweeters for fronts and just speakers for the rear pods correct? No tweeters in rear. Also do you put all your stereo settings at zero for the dsp and put the balance right between the front and back seats?

Yup, you got it!

The config for the front speakers stay at stock. The rear speakers you would change from "Tweeter" to "Speaker". And then yes... disable the EQ/DSP... otherwise your low-end on the rear is going to be lacking.

 

[ILoveToDrive]

So would a 4” speaker like the Kicker with a dedicated tweeter be better utilized going with the speaker/tweeter option? What would that actually do in terms of what I’d be hearing coming out of the speaker? It’s not like these Ford amps push a lot of power. I’m looking at about $400 all in for this upgrade. The next step to anything noticeably better would’ve been 3X and probably out of my capability comfort zone. I’m hoping the soundproofing mods in conjunction with the stereo work will take the “Bronco experience “ up a couple notches.
Can you point me to a great video walk thru of pulling the rear cargo and passenger side rear side panel apart?

 

[RagnarKon]

So would a 4” speaker like the Kicker with a dedicated tweeter be better utilized going with the speaker/tweeter option? What would that actually do in terms of what I’d be hearing coming out of the speaker? It’s not like these Ford amps push a lot of power. I’m looking at about $400 all in for this upgrade. The next step to anything noticeably better would’ve been 3X and probably out of my capability comfort zone. I’m hoping the soundproofing mods in conjunction with the stereo work will take the “Bronco experience “ up a couple notches.
Can you point me to a great video walk thru of pulling the rear cargo and passenger side rear side panel apart?

The speaker configuration impacts the amount of power the ACM sends to those speakers. For example, if you have a Speaker/Tweeter selected, the factory ACM will adjust output due the fact it'll be seeing a 2 Ω of impedance instead of 4 Ω. If you select Tweeter, it'll know that the speaker connected to that channel lis a relatively low-power requirement device.

For a 4" speaker with a separate tweeter... if the amplifier will see 2Ω of impedance I would set it to Speaker/Tweeter. Otherwise, I would just set it to "Speaker". To be honest there is a good chance you won't notice a huge difference, because honestly the factory ACM is pretty weak as it is.

If you are using an external amp already, like the Kicker Key 200.4, you likely won't need to worry about changing those settings at all since the amplifier is doing the work rather than the ACM.

Either way, there is no harm in experimenting with the settings to see what works best.

---

Also, video coming up this weekend on how remove those trim panels... as long as weather holds.

 

[redone17]

This thread needs to supersede ALL of the previously posted misinformation. It should be pinned along with your other HOW TOs. Seriously, kudos to you for taking the time to organize this information for the community.

I used these settings:
727-01-01 382B 28F1 00--
727-01-02 0900 00AA 00--

Very successful. The sound in the cabin is pristine and full. Almost has a surround sound effect.

I most recently installed 6.5” Memphis MJP6 in the IAG pods (cavity wrapped in Dynamat) and re-ran the DSP. Super satisfied with this upgrade and total cost was $1200 .

I confirmed with Joe at @plugnplaykits and the gain dial on right controls the rear separately. So, I’m thinking of bumping that a notch or two since they seem a bit underutilized and I think I’ll be all set

- Dash - Infinity Reference REF-4032CFX 4” + 300hz Bass Blockers
- Kicker Panel + Pods - Memphis MJP6 6.5”
- Kicker Key 200.4 + PnP Harness + Power Adapter

 

[Mborkow31]

Newb question for you - If I’ve got a true DSP that was professionally tuned, would there be any need to go back and change the EQ setting as described here? Installer assured me that the DSP allows them to work with a flat signal. In other words, is this process only necessary if you are using something like the Kicker key’s auto EQ?

 

[Mojo31]

So would a 4” speaker like the Kicker with a dedicated tweeter be better utilized going with the speaker/tweeter option? What would that actually do in terms of what I’d be hearing coming out of the speaker? It’s not like these Ford amps push a lot of power. I’m looking at about $400 all in for this upgrade. The next step to anything noticeably better would’ve been 3X and probably out of my capability comfort zone. I’m hoping the soundproofing mods in conjunction with the stereo work will take the “Bronco experience “ up a couple notches.
Can you point me to a great video walk thru of pulling the rear cargo and passenger side rear side panel apart?

Go to this guy's YouTube channel - he has three videos of him gutting his Bronco. This video will help you with the panel covering the sub:

BRONCO BADLANDS GETS INTERIOR REMOVED IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE & DYNAMAT - YouTube

 

[Blackcat]

Thanks for posting this @RagnarKon. I replaced the stock speakers with some Powerbass speakers and used your for scan info. It’s 1000% better imo.

 

[djn3400]

The speaker configuration impacts the amount of power the ACM sends to those speakers. For example, if you have a Speaker/Tweeter selected, the factory ACM will adjust output due the fact it'll be seeing a 2 Ω of impedance instead of 4 Ω. If you select Tweeter, it'll know that the speaker connected to that channel lis a relatively low-power requirement device.

For a 4" speaker with a separate tweeter... if the amplifier will see 2Ω of impedance I would set it to Speaker/Tweeter. Otherwise, I would just set it to "Speaker". To be honest there is a good chance you won't notice a huge difference, because honestly the factory ACM is pretty weak as it is.

If you are using an external amp already, like the Kicker Key 200.4, you likely won't need to worry about changing those settings at all since the amplifier is doing the work rather than the ACM.

Either way, there is no harm in experimenting with the settings to see what works best.

---

Also, video coming up this weekend on how remove those trim panels... as long as weather holds.

Awesome info, thank you @RagnarKon! I always assumed that the speaker vs speaker/tweeter vs tweeter had to do with the DSP, acting as a crossover/filter, in that it would send full signal to a speaker/tweeter, lower frequencies to a speaker, and high frequencies to tweeter.

If it's the amount of power it sends to the channels, I think I need to update my settings to set everything to "speaker", although with the Key amp it may not make a big difference as you said.

 

[isaacfinnegan]

Huge thank you for detailing this out. I had replaced my 4" (front and rear) with kickers and the did not adjust any forscan. Now that I've followed this, it sounds WAY better!

FYI, have updated this FORSCAN sheet with this info

 

[Coldone]

@RagnarKon Thanks for the info my friend. I just want to confirm that I'm understanding you correctly. I upgraded the rear pods to the SV 6.5s pods with Kicker 6.5" speakers. I do not have an additional amp so just looking to boost the stock power or range via forscan. So I should turn the EQ high pass filter to the off (00) position to gain the extra power and the left and right rear speaker pod and subwoofer both to (0)(speaker) to gain full range correct?

 

[RagnarKon]

@RagnarKon Thanks for the info my friend. I just want to confirm that I'm understanding you correctly. I upgraded the rear pods to the SV 6.5s pods with Kicker 6.5" speakers. I do not have an additional amp so just looking to boost the stock power or range via forscan. So I should turn the EQ high pass filter to the off (00) position to gain the extra power and the left and right rear speaker pod and subwoofer both to (0)(speaker) to gain full range correct?

Yes! Assuming you have the base audio system (the 6 or 7-speaker).

If you have the B&O audio system that was included in the Lux package it's a very different. I'm working with @eduard4us on figuring out the B&O values now, but unfortunately it seems like Ford left very little flexibility for us to play with on the B&O system.

 

[KillerPenz]

So this is nothing new that hasn't been talked about before on these forums, but I've been getting a lot of DMs on the topic, so I thought I'd create a dedicated video for it. This video covers how to adjust your speaker configuration on your Bronco using FORScan. Super helpful if you are installing an aftermarket amplifier, or something like the Mabett Rear Pods.

I geared the video to someone who may not have used or only briefly dabbled using FORScan before, but isn't super comfortable using it—kept it short and to the point. So if you are comfortable using FORScan, just scroll down below the video for the values or checkout the FORScan spreadsheet thread.

Note this video is for the Base sound system for 2021-2023 (and probably later). The B&O system included in the Lux package has a different configuration. I don't have the Lux package, but if someone in central CT with the Lux package wants to get together to figure out what the values/settings are let me know.



TL;DW for those who know FORScan already—

EQ Settings - ACM 727-01-02

• xxYY-xxxx-xxxx
  • 00 = EQ Off
  • 01 = EQ On (High-pass filter on the rear pods)

Speaker Configuration Settings - ACM 727-01-01

• xxYx-xxxx-xxxx - Driver Front Kick Panel/Dash Speakers
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 1 - Tweeter
  • 2 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • 3 - No Speaker (ACM disable)
• xxxY-xxxx-xxxx - Passenger Front Kick Panel/Dash Speakers
  • 3 - Speaker
  • 7 - Tweeter
  • B - Speaker & Tweeter
  • F - No Speaker
• xxxx-Yxxx-xxxx - Passenger Rear Pod Speaker
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 1 - Tweeter
  • 2 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • 3 - No Speaker
• xxxx-xYxx-xxxx - Driver Rear Pod Speaker & Subwoofer
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 2 - Speaker & Sub
  • 4 - Tweeter
  • 6 - Tweeter & Sub
  • 8 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • A - Speaker, Tweeter, & Sub
  • C - No speaker
  • E - Sub only

Thanks for the video and write up. Makes it a lot easier from the first time I messed with FORScan.

I had the kicker key in my Bronco and made a few changes a year ago, don't even remember what they were. Made everything louder (even without kicker installed), but I obviously need to go back and check this out. Makes sense I should turn EQ off with the kicker key installed.

I have a couple questions, that I don't think were asked yet.

I'm considering adding an under seat subwoofer.
Everything I have seen were people tapping into the kick panel speakers to feed the sub.
1. If that's the case do I just set rear speakers to speakers?
2. Currently have 6.5" wakeboard speakers in the rear, but never knew Ford has rear set to tweeter. I'm wondering if that's why some songs the bass from rear cracks. I plan on installing bass blockers this weekend to combat that. But, I need to check and see if rear is set to tweeter and not speaker first.
2a. (Since #2 wasn't really a question) Since the rear pod has option of Speaker & Sub, do you think it'd be better to tie sub into rear speakers instead of kick panel?

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