My 2023 2 Door Stereo Upgrade (Base Radio starting point)

[Bellime]

I thought I would share some thoughts on my stereo upgrade both to date and what I might do in the future. For a little background I am a guitar player and have a very nice stereo at home and used to put aftermarket stereos in my 95 Bronco and trucks/cars I drove until about 15 years ago. Doesn't mean much but think I have. a pretty decent ear but am not high on car stereo knowledge.

I have a 2023 with the sub delete. The stock system is literally awful. Before I got my Bronco, stereo work was def not on my to do list. I did a ton of research talked to some professional installers including getting two bids-one was way too much-DSP amps, custom fab parts using component speakers etc and the other was more reasonable but I did not have a lot of confidence in the guy doing the work. I also read a lot of reviews and posts from others and watched a lot of @RagnarKon S very helpful videos before deciding on my plan.

I am not an expert but I think there are several things working against the bronco sounding good. In no order, 4" speakers in the rear pods with limited signal being passed, weak front dash speakers shooting straight at glass which will make the highs really bright, a head unit/amp that is not anything close to neutral sounding and a listening environment that is beyond suboptimal-no sound deadening and speakers in less than ideal places.

I decided to tackle this project in stages and have only completed phase 1 which is already a very big improvement.

Here is what I did. I found a really good deal on 6 Audison Speakers-4" Coax for the Dash, 6.5 coax for the kick panels and 6.5 inch for some unloaded SSV pods I bought. I chose the Audisons as both installers recommended them and I liked that they were efficient speakers at 94DB. I also bought some cables with 300 htz bass blockers for the 4" and Metra rings for the kick panel installs. I met up with @dubseed who tinted my front windows of my Bronco-highly recommend anyone in the CT area go see him for tint, PPF and he also does a bunch of other Bronco work. Andrew is a great guy and was really impressed with his work. He has done the Kicker Key install and other stereo upgrades to his own Bronco.

He installed all 6 speakers, got wiring done and mounted the SSV pods and most importantly used Forscan to send a full range signal to the new pods, eliminated auto stop/start as well in under 2 hours. Here are a few pics

Results
Even without the sub, Bass is finally a part of the soundstage and the rear pod upgrade with Forscan is a massive change. I can't stress how big a change this made. I listen to pretty much all forms of rock music so I want to hear bass but am not looking for the Bronco to shake or give up space in the very limited back of the Bronco. Besides I think my dog would probably destroy it. If the Bronco shipped like it sounds now, I never would have thought of doing work to it. The Audisons are really efficient and I went from loud settings being like 16 or 17 when I was driving to 13 or 14 on the dial.
The Big Question is if I am done....Not sure yet. The Audison's are really bright in the dash-I almost have the treble all the way down-I may try removing the bass blockers or just get a set with a lower value. I may also activate the deleted sub or add an amp. If I do any of this extra work, it will be with a limited budget as I think the stereo is massively improved with what has been done so far. Also the SSV pods do not block anything out the rear window which was an important consideration as well.

Again, hope this helps some of you trying to improve the sound of the Bronco and again thanks to @Dubsesd for his help with the install! Will update this thread if I decide to take on anything else with the stereo.

Well I think you provided me with answers I needed for mine

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[Bellime]

I thought I would share some thoughts on my stereo upgrade both to date and what I might do in the future. For a little background I am a guitar player and have a very nice stereo at home and used to put aftermarket stereos in my 95 Bronco and trucks/cars I drove until about 15 years ago. Doesn't mean much but think I have. a pretty decent ear but am not high on car stereo knowledge.

I have a 2023 with the sub delete. The stock system is literally awful. Before I got my Bronco, stereo work was def not on my to do list. I did a ton of research talked to some professional installers including getting two bids-one was way too much-DSP amps, custom fab parts using component speakers etc and the other was more reasonable but I did not have a lot of confidence in the guy doing the work. I also read a lot of reviews and posts from others and watched a lot of @RagnarKon S very helpful videos before deciding on my plan.

I am not an expert but I think there are several things working against the bronco sounding good. In no order, 4" speakers in the rear pods with limited signal being passed, weak front dash speakers shooting straight at glass which will make the highs really bright, a head unit/amp that is not anything close to neutral sounding and a listening environment that is beyond suboptimal-no sound deadening and speakers in less than ideal places.

I decided to tackle this project in stages and have only completed phase 1 which is already a very big improvement.

Here is what I did. I found a really good deal on 6 Audison Speakers-4" Coax for the Dash, 6.5 coax for the kick panels and 6.5 inch for some unloaded SSV pods I bought. I chose the Audisons as both installers recommended them and I liked that they were efficient speakers at 94DB. I also bought some cables with 300 htz bass blockers for the 4" and Metra rings for the kick panel installs. I met up with @dubseed who tinted my front windows of my Bronco-highly recommend anyone in the CT area go see him for tint, PPF and he also does a bunch of other Bronco work. Andrew is a great guy and was really impressed with his work. He has done the Kicker Key install and other stereo upgrades to his own Bronco.

He installed all 6 speakers, got wiring done and mounted the SSV pods and most importantly used Forscan to send a full range signal to the new pods, eliminated auto stop/start as well in under 2 hours. Here are a few pics

Results
Even without the sub, Bass is finally a part of the soundstage and the rear pod upgrade with Forscan is a massive change. I can't stress how big a change this made. I listen to pretty much all forms of rock music so I want to hear bass but am not looking for the Bronco to shake or give up space in the very limited back of the Bronco. Besides I think my dog would probably destroy it. If the Bronco shipped like it sounds now, I never would have thought of doing work to it. The Audisons are really efficient and I went from loud settings being like 16 or 17 when I was driving to 13 or 14 on the dial.
The Big Question is if I am done....Not sure yet. The Audison's are really bright in the dash-I almost have the treble all the way down-I may try removing the bass blockers or just get a set with a lower value. I may also activate the deleted sub or add an amp. If I do any of this extra work, it will be with a limited budget as I think the stereo is massively improved with what has been done so far. Also the SSV pods do not block anything out the rear window which was an important consideration as well.

Again, hope this helps some of you trying to improve the sound of the Bronco and again thanks to @Dubsesd for his help with the install! Will update this thread if I decide to take on anything else with the stereo.

Can you provide more model/part number detail on the Audison Speakers-4"?

 

[nc-hiker]

Thanks very much.

I'm not installing my system myself (audio and electrical are not my thing), but I am having a professional shop install it for me. I expect they will be doing just that, by taking the front signal and sending it to the rear.

I have the following items as part of my build, which I hope to have completed by the end of next week:

• ZEN-A2B DSP6A-A2B
• BLAM Relax RA 501 D Mono Amplifier 500 W Ultra Compact Class D
• Audiotec-Fischer Match Up 10 DSP
• JL Audio 10TW3-D4 (10" Subwoofer)
• HELIX Compose i7 Speakers
• BLAM Signature FRS 2N50 Full-Range Speakers
• HELIX PF C100.2 Speakers

According to the shop, they said it'll be the "best sounding Bronco in North America!" lol, I know they were joking, but I am very excited for this.

How did this turn out and what was the all-in cost?

 

[nc-hiker]

I thought I would share some thoughts on my stereo upgrade both to date and what I might do in the future. For a little background I am a guitar player and have a very nice stereo at home and used to put aftermarket stereos in my 95 Bronco and trucks/cars I drove until about 15 years ago. Doesn't mean much but think I have. a pretty decent ear but am not high on car stereo knowledge.

I have a 2023 with the sub delete. The stock system is literally awful. Before I got my Bronco, stereo work was def not on my to do list. I did a ton of research talked to some professional installers including getting two bids-one was way too much-DSP amps, custom fab parts using component speakers etc and the other was more reasonable but I did not have a lot of confidence in the guy doing the work. I also read a lot of reviews and posts from others and watched a lot of @RagnarKon S very helpful videos before deciding on my plan.

I am not an expert but I think there are several things working against the bronco sounding good. In no order, 4" speakers in the rear pods with limited signal being passed, weak front dash speakers shooting straight at glass which will make the highs really bright, a head unit/amp that is not anything close to neutral sounding and a listening environment that is beyond suboptimal-no sound deadening and speakers in less than ideal places.

I decided to tackle this project in stages and have only completed phase 1 which is already a very big improvement.

Here is what I did. I found a really good deal on 6 Audison Speakers-4" Coax for the Dash, 6.5 coax for the kick panels and 6.5 inch for some unloaded SSV pods I bought. I chose the Audisons as both installers recommended them and I liked that they were efficient speakers at 94DB. I also bought some cables with 300 htz bass blockers for the 4" and Metra rings for the kick panel installs. I met up with @dubseed who tinted my front windows of my Bronco-highly recommend anyone in the CT area go see him for tint, PPF and he also does a bunch of other Bronco work. Andrew is a great guy and was really impressed with his work. He has done the Kicker Key install and other stereo upgrades to his own Bronco.

He installed all 6 speakers, got wiring done and mounted the SSV pods and most importantly used Forscan to send a full range signal to the new pods, eliminated auto stop/start as well in under 2 hours. Here are a few pics

Results
Even without the sub, Bass is finally a part of the soundstage and the rear pod upgrade with Forscan is a massive change. I can't stress how big a change this made. I listen to pretty much all forms of rock music so I want to hear bass but am not looking for the Bronco to shake or give up space in the very limited back of the Bronco. Besides I think my dog would probably destroy it. If the Bronco shipped like it sounds now, I never would have thought of doing work to it. The Audisons are really efficient and I went from loud settings being like 16 or 17 when I was driving to 13 or 14 on the dial.
The Big Question is if I am done....Not sure yet. The Audison's are really bright in the dash-I almost have the treble all the way down-I may try removing the bass blockers or just get a set with a lower value. I may also activate the deleted sub or add an amp. If I do any of this extra work, it will be with a limited budget as I think the stereo is massively improved with what has been done so far. Also the SSV pods do not block anything out the rear window which was an important consideration as well.

Again, hope this helps some of you trying to improve the sound of the Bronco and again thanks to @Dubsesd for his help with the install! Will update this thread if I decide to take on anything else with the stereo.

Seems like a great setup. What was your all-in cost?

 

[indio22]

Concerned about top storage space, how bad do the SSV rear pods encroach into or is it no longer an option?

Wondering same. Would prefer less interior obstructions. Given the dash and kick panel speakers, are the rear pods even all that necessary?

 

[kojack19]

Thanks for the write up. Like many I am sure I love a kickass system/sound but am completely dumb when it comes to installing car audio. All our boats have had big mega systems in them but put in by custom installers for many thousands of dollars but I don't want to put that kind of money into the Bronco for a system, just something that actually sounds better than my JBL portable speaker on my back patio at home. I have the base system in mine with the sub delete and yes, it sounds like total crap. Reminds me of my moms 77 LTD wagon with an 8-track sound when I was a kid. I read all the installs everyone does thinking I can do it myself but get gun-shy, especially given how expensive the 12" screen sync system is in the damn thing.

What made you pick the Audison's over the Kickers everyone seems to be using?

Thanks for the write up!

Thanks for your note. While I am really comfortable with electronics soldering and have worked on guitars etc the plastic clips and my RTR grill install left me a bit gun shy to do this myself. There is def an art and research to understand how to remove/pop the clips of all of the factory panels. Watching @dubseed work on my Bronco, I absolutely could have done it. Probably would have taken me an hour or two longer but also needed to do Forscan and I dont have a windows computer.

I went with Audisons because that what both installers I talked to recommended and I found them at a highly discounted price online. If they were at normal pricing, I would have gone with either Kicker or Focal or some of the other great brands out there. Unfortunately, I dont have a bench mark with other speakers to be able to give you a comparison but I think any good quality speaker is going to be a hell of a lot better than factory.

Good luck with doing your upgrades. Anything you do will improve the stereo!

 

[kojack19]

Seems like a great setup. What was your all-in cost?

SSV pods unloaded were 229, speakers were 575 for all 6, wires and mounting rings for kick panels were @45.

 

[kojack19]

Wondering same. Would prefer less interior obstructions. Given the dash and kick panel speakers, are the rear pods even all that necessary?

Rear pods were the best part of what I did. I was concerned about visibility and going to bigger pods. I dont think visibility changed at all. Can't speak about the other 6.5s by Mabett etc but the SSV do not block visibility any more than the stock 4s.

 

[kojack19]

Can you provide more model/part number detail on the Audison Speakers-4"?

They are the Audison 4" coaxial speakers from the Prima line. As I mentioned they are bright or at least they are a lot brighter than stock. I have my treble WAAAY down now. Might be because I dont need the bass blockers. This is the only thing I am likely to try and change. I know others who have changed out to Focal or other 4" in the dash have also had brightness issues so it may be just the fact that these speakers shoot music right into glass and the 300hz blockers.

 

[NoloBronco]

Thank you! I couldn’t believe how much of a difference just the rear pods and forscan did.

Can you provide guidance on which Forscan changes where made?

 

[HOSSMAN]

I read that you and a lot of people go with the 300htz bass blocker on the 4" but you mentioned taking yours off because of how bright they are, would putting a 150htz bass blocker be better (does anyone have input) or does it not work that way? Did you need to put any on your 6.5's?

 

[604Bronco]

How did this turn out and what was the all-in cost?

I mentioned this would be installed next week. I should have an update (which I’ll post in my build journal, linked in my signature) next weekend.

As for the cost - it wasn’t cheap (including install) and I’ll leave it at that.

 

[Tfly]

Rear pods were the best part of what I did. I was concerned about visibility and going to bigger pods. I dont think visibility changed at all. Can't speak about the other 6.5s by Mabett etc but the SSV do not block visibility any more than the stock 4s.

With SSV pods installed, can I put my tops in the factory bag, secure the bag in the rear stowed position, with the rear seats in the upright, locked position?

 

[brtd]

I have my treble WAAAY down now. Might be because I dont need the bass blockers. This is the only thing I am likely to try and change. I know others who have changed out to Focal or other 4" in the dash have also had brightness issues so it may be just the fact that these speakers shoot music right into glass and the 300hz blockers.

You are doubling the tweeters in the front stage, which could be contributing to the experience of brightness. It also likely impacts the soundstage.

You might consider replacing the coaxials in the kick panels with midwoofers instead. Or find a way to low pass the signal to those drivers.

 

[kojack19]

With SSV pods installed, can I put my tops in the factory bag, secure the bag in the rear stowed position, with the rear seats in the upright, locked position?

Not sure. My top lives either in my garage or it is on…

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