[How-To] Subwoofer Upgrade - Replacing/Upgrading the Factory Sub

[RagnarKon]

I used your video to guide me with installing the fusion amp and 6.75 kicker 4 ohm in my 2023. It made the job very easy. I used your forscan tips to turn on the amp and turn the factory eq off. I still feel as though the front speakers have too much treble. I wound up using my phone eq settings to getter a better sounding eq to cool the highs. I have all kicker speakers throughout. I'm considering turning the factory eq back on. The sub helps but to be honest it's pretty weak with the fusion amp driving it. I wonder if plugging the port would be worth the hassle. I'm leaning towards adding a powered 10 inch enclosure to get enough bass. I just don't know of the little 6.75 can really provide enough bass. I am also considering turning on the full range to the rear pods and upgrading to 6.5 pods. I may even go to a higher end 6.5 and 4 inch speakers because the kickers just seem to heavy on the treble. But it may all just be the crappy ford head unit. Maybe I need to upgrade to the kicker key 200. Curious what your thoughts are and what everyone thinks of the sound of the kickers. It's definitely improved but still not great in my opinion. Either way your videos are a life saver.

It kind of depends what your desires are honestly.

My setup is the following:

• 4" Kicker KS series (dash)
• 6.75" Kicker KS series (kick panels)
• 4" Kicker KS series (rear pods)
• Kicker Key 200.4
• Kicker Key 500.1
• Kicker 8" CWRT 4Ω sub

Looking at that list someone may think "wow you must be sponsored by Kicker or really like them or something". But that's not the case at all. They just had a really good Black Friday sale last year when I was putting all of this together—it's actually my first time ever using Kicker products. Some of their stuff I really think is solid stuff... like the Key 500.1. Some of it I'm less happy with and probably wouldn't buy again unless it was on sale... like the 4" KS series speakers.

I would describe my setup as a solid premium-level audio system that you might find in many of the more luxury-oriented vehicles. We're not talking like Rolls Royce or anything crazy... think Lexus, Acura, Audi, etc. Could it be better?? Absolutely, but I gave myself a budget, and forced myself not to go over that budget. If you are in a similar situation, then a setup like mine may be a good option.

But if you like heavier music and you really want to hear that low-end, you will need to go with a 10" or 12" subwoofer. There really is no other way around it. If you want to bring out solid mids, you will probably need to replace the rear pods with 6.5" pods, and/or you will need to upgrade from the factory amp. And if you decide to upgrade the factory amp, you may want to consider something OTHER than the Kicker Key 200.4. Don't get me wrong, the Kicker Key 200.4 is a solid little amplifier, but I wouldn't describe it as an "audio lovers" amplifier. It's only a 200 watts, and to be frank, 200 watts isn't much to power six speakers. Especially on a vehicle with a removable top where you really need to push the volume levels to hear music with the top off.

So it all depends on your budget, what you want, etc. etc. But my setup isn't the best audio setup by any stretch of the imagination—it wasn't designed to me to be honest (maybe I should have said that during my videos). I effectively just created what I felt like should have been the factory audio setup for a $50,000+ vehicle.

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[graham5david]

It kind of depends what your desires are honestly.

My setup is the following:

• 4" Kicker KS series (dash)
• 6.75" Kicker KS series (kick panels)
• 4" Kicker KS series (rear pods)
• Kicker Key 200.4
• Kicker Key 500.1
• Kicker 8" CWRT 4Ω sub

Looking at that list someone may think "wow you must be sponsored by Kicker or really like them or something". But that's not the case at all. They just had a really good Black Friday sale last year when I was putting all of this together—it's actually my first time ever using Kicker products. Some of their stuff I really think is solid stuff... like the Key 500.1. Some of it I'm less happy with and probably wouldn't buy again unless it was on sale... like the 4" KS series speakers.

I would describe my setup as a solid premium-level audio system that you might find in many of the more luxury-oriented vehicles. We're not talking like Rolls Royce or anything crazy... think Lexus, Acura, Audi, etc. Could it be better?? Absolutely, but I gave myself a budget, and forced myself not to go over that budget. If you are in a similar situation, then a setup like mine may be a good option.

But if you like heavier music and you really want to hear that low-end, you will need to go with a 10" or 12" subwoofer. There really is no other way around it. If you want to bring out solid mids, you will probably need to replace the rear pods with 6.5" pods, and/or you will need to upgrade from the factory amp. And if you decide to upgrade the factory amp, you may want to consider something OTHER than the Kicker Key 200.4. Don't get me wrong, the Kicker Key 200.4 is a solid little amplifier, but I wouldn't describe it as an "audio lovers" amplifier. It's only a 200 watts, and to be frank, 200 watts isn't much to power six speakers. Especially on a vehicle with a removable top where you really need to push the volume levels to hear music with the top off.

So it all depends on your budget, what you want, etc. etc. But my setup isn't the best audio setup by any stretch of the imagination—it wasn't designed to me to be honest (maybe I should have said that during my videos). I effectively just created what I felt like should have been the factory audio setup for a $50,000+ vehicle.

It's definitely a major upgrade. I think I might swap out the 4 inch speakers in the dash and see if that helps. I'll probably add the 6.75 pods to the rear and put something with out a built in tweeter in them. I might try adjusting the settings in forscan first and switching the pods and front to speaker instead of speaker/tweeter. It could also be that I just like tinkering. Lol. But your videos are awesome.

 

[graham5david]

I went ahead and put the eq back on. It seemed to help. Turning the factory eq back on had no ill effect on the sub output. I may swap out the Kicker pods and dash to a speaker tweeter combo with silk tweeters so the highs are softer. I used the Kicker KS instead of cs in the kick panel and the highs are much softer from it than the cs speakers in the dash and pod. I'll probably buy a kicker downfire 10 inch sub to get a little more bass. I think my issue is I have a soft top so I really have to crank it up on the highway to drown out the wind noise when going 80mph. I'm ordering a dirty dog headliner so that will probably help as well. I couldn't have done all this without your write up and videos.

 

[skim276]

@RagnarKon - thank you so much for this post! You have inspired me to give this a shot myself. I've got a 23MY with the amp/sub delete.

Most of the posts on this thread are about using the factory mounting, but I am thinking I would like to try an enclosure with a built in amp (something like this: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13693335/JL-Audio-ACS112LG-TW1.html?tp=114).

Am I correct in assuming that I can just use the +/- sub line line as inputs to this? From your wiring schematic they are pink and green out of the brown harness, is that right? Also can I get power somewhere from the back harness or do I have to run new thicker gauge wiring from the battery? Here's a screenshot of the interface to the sub/amp combo.

I am hoping that this will make a big difference in the emptiness of the sound in the Bronco. I will likely upgrade additional parts of the audio system in the future, but wanted to start with this. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you all.

 

[RagnarKon]

Am I correct in assuming that I can just use the +/- sub line line as inputs to this? From your wiring schematic they are pink and green out of the brown harness, is that right?

Yup! The sub lines from the factory unit are low level, so you'll have to adapt the Ford wiring to an RCA connector.

Also can I get power somewhere from the back harness or do I have to run new thicker gauge wiring from the battery? Here's a screenshot of the interface to the sub/amp combo.

You'll have to run a thicker gauge cable. The factory wiring is only good for amplifiers up to 150 watts... maybe 200 watts at most. The amplifier in this unit is 400 watts, so you will definitely need to run a new power cable.

 

[graham5david]

@RagnarKon - thank you so much for this post! You have inspired me to give this a shot myself. I've got a 23MY with the amp/sub delete.

Most of the posts on this thread are about using the factory mounting, but I am thinking I would like to try an enclosure with a built in amp (something like this: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13693335/JL-Audio-ACS112LG-TW1.html?tp=114).

Am I correct in assuming that I can just use the +/- sub line line as inputs to this? From your wiring schematic they are pink and green out of the brown harness, is that right? Also can I get power somewhere from the back harness or do I have to run new thicker gauge wiring from the battery? Here's a screenshot of the interface to the sub/amp combo.

I am hoping that this will make a big difference in the emptiness of the sound in the Bronco. I will likely upgrade additional parts of the audio system in the future, but wanted to start with this. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you all.

I did this last weekend with the Kicker powered 12 inch sub. If you like more bass it's the way to go. The little 6.75 inch sub enclosure just wasn't enough for me. I tapped into the left and right kick panel speaker for my high level input. Then ran speaker wire to the Kicker kisl adapters. Then ran ground to the rear tie down bolt under the rear floor. Then ran power to the battery. The remote wire isn't needed for the Kicker powered sub when using high level input. The Kicker sub comes with a dial you can attach to the lower dash to easily adjust bass up or down. I attached it with some 3m double sided adhesive. Use whatever amp wiring kit you prefer. I put links below. Easy install. Took me about 2 hours. They sell a 10 inch version as well which probably would have been more than enough bass.

https://www.amazon.com/Kicker-KISL-...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584207577361955&psc=1

https://www.sonicelectronix.com/ite...mpaign=Shipping+Confirmation&utm_medium=email

https://www.sonicelectronix.com/ite...mpaign=Shipping+Confirmation&utm_medium=email

 

[Badsquatch2021]

Edit: added more details @RagnarKon I've watched your videos and read through pages of your responses. You're an awesome human for all the info you have provided. Thanks a lot.

I have a 23 that has the sub non b&o. I swapped out all speakers, added a key200.4 and messed with forscan. I want to add the key 500.1 and swap an 8in sub in to the box like you did. I'm still confused on the wiring and the factory amp. Do I need to leave the sub amp in for the dsp and tap the wires for signal from the factory amp into the kicker key? I know I still need to run power. Or am I missing a dsp processor between the factory harness and the new kicker amp

 

[RagnarKon]

@RagnarKon I've watched your videos and read through pages of your responses. Your an awesome human for all the info you have provided. Thanks a lot.

I have a 23 that has the sub non b&o. I want to add the key 500.1 and swap an 8in sub in to the box like you did. I'm still confused on the wiring and the factory amp. Do I need to leave that in for the dsp and tap the wires for signal from the factory amp into the kicker key? I know I still need to run power. Or am I missing a dsp processor between the factory harness and the new kicker amp

You don't need the factory subwoofer amplifier.

There is a wiring harness going into the factory subwoofer amplifier, two of those wires provide the signal. (Refer to the wiring diagrams on the first post.)

• Violet-Green: Sub low-level positive
• Green-White: Sub low-level negative

Those two signals need do be fed into the 500.1. The 500.1 accepts two sets of inputs (4 wires total), one for the left channel, another for the right channel. This is done under the assumption that you will be splicing into the factory speaker wires to feed the amplifier, but you won't need to do that because the factory wiring is already there. Instead you can just feed one of the inputs (either just the left channel or just the right channel). OR you can just double-up and feed both inputs with the same signal from the factory head unit like this:

• Violet-Green > Left Positive
• Violet-Green > Right Positive
• Green-White > Left Negative
• Green-White > Right Negative

Hopefully that helps. Let me know if you have more questions.

 

[skim276]

@graham5david - thanks for the info! So I just did some googling on high level vs low level subwoofer inputs and I am a bit confused. Why didn't you just use the low level inputs as RagnarKon did? Is there a reason you have to tap into the high level inputs from the kick panel lines? Is it so that you can install other speakers in the future?

Also, you said 10" is probably more than enough...so your 12" is a bit overkill? Did you upgrade any of the other speakers? I haven't yet and hoping that the sub will tide me over until I get to installing the rest. Curious to get your general thoughts on how it sounds just by adding the 12" sub. Thanks!

 

[skim276]

One more question - I just chatted with the Crutchfield guy about installing one of these and apparently I need to know where the "remote turn on" wire is in the harness so that the amp isn't powered on all the time draining the battery. I guess it to coordinate the sub/amp with the radio turning on. It is somewhere in the harness I'm sure but didn't see it in RagnarKon's wiring diagram (unless it's the yellow line). Anyone know which wire in the harness it is? Thank you.

 

[skim276]

One more question - I just chatted with the Crutchfield guy about installing one of these and apparently I need to know where the "remote turn on" wire is in the harness so that the amp isn't powered on all the time draining the battery. I guess it to coordinate the sub/amp with the radio turning on. It is somewhere in the harness I'm sure but didn't see it in RagnarKon's wiring diagram (unless it's the yellow line). Anyone know which wire in the harness it is? Thank you.

Sorry, found it in another thread:
https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/sub-amp-remote-turn-on.43821/

 

[graham5david]

@graham5david - thanks for the info! So I just did some googling on high level vs low level subwoofer inputs and I am a bit confused. Why didn't you just use the low level inputs as RagnarKon did? Is there a reason you have to tap into the high level inputs from the kick panel lines? Is it so that you can install other speakers in the future?

Also, you said 10" is probably more than enough...so your 12" is a bit overkill? Did you upgrade any of the other speakers? I haven't yet and hoping that the sub will tide me over until I get to installing the rest. Curious to get your general thoughts on how it sounds just by adding the 12" sub. Thanks!

I already replaced all speakers. I replaced the dash and pods with the 4 inch kicker cs. I wouldn't recommend the Kicker cs for the dash. The tweeters are not silk tweeters and way too bright. Spend the extra for a kicker KS or any other better 4 inch speaker for the dash.with silk tweeters. I used kicker 6.75 inch KS series for kick panel. They sound excellent. I also installed the Ford fusion amp and kicker 4 ohm 6.75 sub in the factory enclosure. It was pretty easy following @RagnarKon instructions And videos. I also did the forscan mods he recommended and disabled the factory eq.

I chose to tap into the kick panel because I honestly didn't want to pull the side panel where the factory amp is. The clips are a little flimsy and tapping the kick panel wiring was much easier. The kicker powered sub can use high or low input so I went the easier route. To tap the the kick panels and install a powered sub requires no more than popping the door seals, the kick panels and the transition panel behind the rear seat.

I personally don't think the 12 is overkill because I enjoy bass. Plus I can dial it down or up to my preferences. I went with the 12 to ensure I had enough bass for my liking. I'll be replacing the kicker cs in the dash soon because the treble is ear piercing from them. This could also be related to the stock ACM or the fact that i used 600hz bass blockers on them. I'm beginning to think that could be the issue. Im going to try some 150hz bass blickers before swapping soeakers. It seems like those who installed the kicker key 200.1 to drive their 6 speakers don't have an issue with excessive treble. If new 4 inch dash speakers don't calm it down then I will go the kicker key 200.1 route.

If I did it all over again, I would never use the fusion amp and 6.75 kicker sub. I might consider using an 8 inch with a better aftermarket amp. I don't think the little fusion amp can drive that sub very well. But the powered 12 inch sub was well worth it.

 

[skim276]

I already replaced all speakers. I replaced the dash and pods with the 4 inch kicker cs. I wouldn't recommend the Kicker cs for the dash. The tweeters are not silk tweeters and way too bright. Spend the extra for a kicker KS or any other better 4 inch speaker for the dash.with silk tweeters. I used kicker 6.75 inch KS series for kick panel. They sound excellent. I also installed the Ford fusion amp and kicker 4 ohm 6.75 sub in the factory enclosure. It was pretty easy following @RagnarKon instructions And videos. I also did the forscan mods he recommended and disabled the factory eq.

I chose to tap into the kick panel because I honestly didn't want to pull the side panel where the factory amp is. The clips are a little flimsy and tapping the kick panel wiring was much easier. The kicker powered sub can use high or low input so I went the easier route. To tap the the kick panels and install a powered sub requires no more than popping the door seals, the kick panels and the transition panel behind the rear seat.

I personally don't think the 12 is overkill because I enjoy bass. Plus I can dial it down or up to my preferences. I went with the 12 to ensure I had enough bass for my liking. I'll be replacing the kicker cs in the dash soon because the treble is ear piercing from them. This could also be related to the stock ACM or the fact that i used 600hz bass blockers on them. I'm beginning to think that could be the issue. Im going to try some 150hz bass blickers before swapping soeakers. It seems like those who installed the kicker key 200.1 to drive their 6 speakers don't have an issue with excessive treble. If new 4 inch dash speakers don't calm it down then I will go the kicker key 200.1 route.

If I did it all over again, I would never use the fusion amp and 6.75 kicker sub. I might consider using an 8 inch with a better aftermarket amp. I don't think the little fusion amp can drive that sub very well. But the powered 12 inch sub was well worth it.

Ah OK, that makes a lot of sense now. It does seem like a lot of trim and panel work to access the sub/amp location. Your way does sound a lot easier, and if all the lines I need are there, I guess you just open the kick panel, take a part the mass of wires, find the pink and green ones and splice them there, and run the extra wire back to the cargo area where you connect up the amp/sub. Sound about right? Did you use a "remote-turn-on-line" for your setup or does your amp do it automatically? That other thread didn't help much, still trying to figure out which wire that is...

 

[graham5david]

Ah OK, that makes a lot of sense now. It does seem like a lot of trim and panel work to access the sub/amp location. Your way does sound a lot easier, and if all the lines I need are there, I guess you just open the kick panel, take a part the mass of wires, find the pink and green ones and splice them there, and run the extra wire back to the cargo area where you connect up the amp/sub. Sound about right? Did you use a "remote-turn-on-line" for your setup or does your amp do it automatically? That other thread didn't help much, still trying to figure out which wire that is...

If you are replacing the kick panel speakers they come with wiring adapters from crutchfield.com. just use those and splice into them so you don't hack up your factory harness.

 

[NoloBronco]

It's definitely a major upgrade. I think I might swap out the 4 inch speakers in the dash and see if that helps. I'll probably add the 6.75 pods to the rear and put something with out a built in tweeter in them. I might try adjusting the settings in forscan first and switching the pods and front to speaker instead of speaker/tweeter. It could also be that I just like tinkering. Lol. But your videos are awesome.

I copied @RagnarKon with the upgrade, except I upgraded the rear pods to 6.5” Kickers with the SSV enclosures and I went with the Kicker 8” with Gear Shade enclosure. With the Key 200 for the speakers and Key 500 for the sub and the Forscan mods, I am extremely satisfied with the sound quality and can say it makes each trip better.

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