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skater777

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Just wanted to share my recent install (sorry no pictures) with those who are interested in improving mid-bass (70 - 300 Hz). I have a 2023 non-B&O system. I replaced the factory sub w/6.75" kicker and 500.1 amp in the factory enclosure (sealed, polyfilled, and dynamatted), added Kicker Key 200.4, and replaced all speakers. I noticed the bass had decent boom from the sub, but it was missing the tighter snap from snare drums, etc., especially with rock music.

I put Memphis MJP6s in the kick panels (must be totally sealed with dynamat and polyfilled), which are rated for 125 watts RMS. No way the Key 200.4 could make those hit hard with 50 watts split between the kick and dash speakers. I have seen other posts where members have recommended skipping the 200.4 and going with a much larger amp for all speakers, but that means it has to go under the seat, in the glove box, etc. My goal was to get the most power possible while keeping everything hidden and out of the line of fire of my garden hose for my washout interior.

Here's how I did it:

1. I took the speaker leads to the kick panels from the Metra kick panel harness. The dash and kick panel speakers are wired in parallel at the kick panel harness, so all you are doing is taking the speaker wires that normally get plugged into the kick speakers. I spliced speaker wires onto these and ran the 2 sets of wires to a line output converter I intended to hide behind the glove box. Any small one will do as long as it can handle at least 50 watts RMS from the Key 200.4.

2. From there, I ran RCAs to a DS18 XOHV crossover (https://ds18.com/products/ds18-xohv-pre-amp-with-crossover-for-high-volt-amplifier), which is a perfect 2-channel unit with both a high and low pass filter (and is also very small).

3. I ran RCAs to an Alpine KTP-445U Power Pack (90 watts RMS x 2) (make sure you don't get the "445A"), which unlike the Key 200.4, can be bridged, and then ran that to the speakers. I looked at other 2-channel amps with more power, but they all looked too big for my intended mounting location behind the glove box. I removed the glove box and installed this on a plastic board that I ran across the two curved bars. I tucked the LOC and crossover above it.

4. I re-ran the Key 200.4 DSP with the new kick panels, which worked fine because the Alpine amp is just a "slave" amp to the Kicker. I manually adjusted the gain on the Alpine as needed. I'm still playing with crossover settings, but for now, I have the hi pass set at 70 Hz and the low pass at 300 Hz. I have the crossover mounted with the controls facing me, so all I have to do is take out the glove box (5 seconds) to adjust things.

It took a hell of a long time to do this because I had to run power cables to the battery, remote lines, grounds, and a ton of speaker wire back and forth. It probably took me 8 hours, 5 of which was just zip tying cables in impossible to reach locations.

The improvement is dramatic. The Alpine really makes the kick panels come alive and brings the bass forward to the front seat. You can feel the tighter bass in your chest. And the best part is that everything is hidden away.

Ford Bronco Improving Mid-Bass in Kick Panels w/Alpine KTP-445U "slave" amp and DS18 XOHV crossover Mid-Bass Upgrade
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FreddieLee

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Smart set-up, and it's nice to see folks are actually using midbass drivers in the kick panels.
 

Dads_bronze_bronco

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I haven’t swapped out the 200.4 for the AudioControl ACX-600.6, but I am planning on using the 6 channels to split the front as you are doing here.
 

Brian_B

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I thought about doing something similar. I've currently got a 50x4+500 4 channel that I'm using, factory speaker wiring.

My first thought was to run the dash from the APM and parallel feed that to the front channel input, then run the kicks from the front channel (not in parallel with the dashes any longer), and the rears from the rear.

That would give me more power to the kicks and split the kick from the dash for a bit more tuning ability (albeit limited by what you can do with the APM)

But then I dropped some Morels in the rear, and now that 50W in the rear is a bit limited. So thinking something like this might work, if I bridge the front, split the dash and kicks but run one from the A channel and the other the B channel, and then using something like this Alpine unit to drive the rears.

But if I go to that trouble... why not replace my Infinity kicks with something more powerful as well?

It's a damn rabbit hole. And I'm not upset with how it sounds now apart from the occasional rattle from the sub being in the stock location. Just one of those things that's fun to tinker with.

My only question about your setup (and maybe it shows a flaw in my idea) -- why are you driving the Alpine from a post-amplified output from the Kicker, and not picking it up from the APM? Both are line level, so you'd still need the converter since (I'm assuming, I didn't look) the Alpine isn't a line level capable amp, but now you have a signal that's been amplified, reduced and amplified, then reduced and amplified again. But I guess so long as it sounds ok...
 
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Headless Horseman

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I have a 2023 B&O system and truthfully, I find it lacks in lower end depth. Thursday, I'm having an amp and sub put in. If anyone is interested, I can share what's being done. The audio shop near me is quite creative and they've done amazing work on other vehicles I've had.

Should I need more, likely JL audio speakers will follow...
 
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skater777

skater777

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I thought about doing something similar. I've currently got a 50x4+500 4 channel that I'm using.

My first thought was to run the dash from the APM and parallel feed that to the front channel input, then run the kicks from the front channel (not in parallel with the dashes any longer), and the rears from the rear.

That would give me more power to the kicks and split the kick from the dash for a bit more tuning ability (albeit limited by what you can do with the APM)

But then I dropped some Morels in the rear, and now that 50W in the rear is a bit limited. So thinking something like this might work, if I bridge the front, split the dash and kicks but run one from the A channel and the other the B channel, and then using something like this Alpine unit to drive the rears.

But if I go to that trouble... why not replace my Infinity kicks with something more powerful as well?

It's a damn rabbit hole. And I'm not upset with how it sounds now apart from the occasional rattle from the sub being in the stock location. Just one of those things that's fun to tinker with.

My only question about your setup (and maybe it shows a flaw in my idea) -- why are you driving the Alpine from a post-amplified output from the Kicker, and not picking it up from the APM? Both are line level, so you'd still need the converter since (I'm assuming, I didn't look) the Alpine isn't a line level capable amp, but now you have a signal that's been amplified, reduced and amplified, then reduced and amplified again. But I guess so long as it sounds ok...
Definitely a rabbit hole, which is how I got to this point.

The Alpine was a late addition after my initial replacement of the speakers and the Key 200.4 install. I had zero desire to open the dash panels again and splice into the (very expensive) aftermarket harness, and it was super easy to just get the leads from the kick panels. The signal is amplified either way, so the difference was a few less broken dash clips.

The Alpine does have speaker-level inputs up to 10v, but I couldn't do this for a couple of reasons. First, 10v isn't enough for the potentially 50w from the 200.4 ( the Kicker LOC at 16v can handle 55w). Second, I wanted to use an active crossover before the amp. It was impossible to find a 2-channel crossover with hi and low pass, as well as speaker level inputs, which is why I needed a LOC as well. It sounds fine. Gain is at 50% and I could probably go higher without clipping.

A minor added benefit of having the amp slaved to the Kicker is the DSP, although I have no idea if it really makes a difference in this limited frequency range.

Good luck!
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