If you look earlier in the thread, @dubseed spells out the specs. It was really the 2nd line that was the biggest difference.
If you are using KS series speakers you won’t really notice a big difference without an amp. There should definitely be a noticeable difference for the better, but you won't get that meaningful improvement without an amp.
"To bass blocker or not.." on dash 4" is my big question..
When researching, it seems like turning up the 4" without the blockers led to some distortion for others but some also said no problems. Sounds like which speakers you decide to use will be part of the equation along with how loud you like to run your stereo.
Makes sense.. maybe it has to do with how well the built in crossover of the speaker directs frequencies to coax components (tweeter/speaker).. so some may need bass blockers some may not?
That reads like something an AI would come up with these days, telling you everything you need to know while also not telling you anything you didn't already know - and still not telling you what needs to be done.
Bass blockers would block the low frequencies from ever reaching the speaker. The internal crossover just prevents high frequencies from reaching the woofer and low frequencies from reaching the tweeter. It does nothing to stop the 4” speaker trying to play at 50hz if that’s the signal going to it.
Ah, I see. So the internal cross over is basically a high pass filter for the tweeter, and a low pass filter for the speaker.
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.
I have a question about this. I installed the Fusion Amp and 8" kicker Sub. When I did that, I used ForScan to change From 727-01-01 382B 14F1 0098 to 382B 16F1 009A, I've already changed the 6th digit from a 4 to a 6 for the amp & sub. I did not change 727-01-02
