2023 7 speaker subwoofer upgrade

[Bugkillah]

I got my MY23 base with the 7 speaker w/sub. I gotta tell ya, after hearing the horror stories of how bad the system is, I took delivery and immediately tweaked settings. Turned treble up, bass up, and mids down a little. Still sounded ok, hardly any bass from 7th speaker sub. Then I went to the fade and holy crap, by default it’s faded forward. I faded it middle, lo and behold there’s the bass! Played some rock and rap on Spotify and it will bump. Ok, it’s still a base audio system, but I’m excited about the idea of changing out the dash and rear pods to the kickers everyone is getting off Amazon. Fade it back to middle!

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[FlyTheCourse]

Thats the guy I sent the amp to. He's getting power but no signal once it was plugged in and tested with a speaker.

Any chance one of you measured the impedance of the factory subwoofer? 2 Ohm or 4 Ohm? Before I change out the factory amp, I am curious what the sound quality will do by just putting in a better speaker.

 

[jshapz]

Any chance one of you measured the impedance of the factory subwoofer? 2 Ohm or 4 Ohm? Before I change out the factory amp, I am curious what the sound quality will do by just putting in a better speaker.

The amp is a piece of shit. Check out this dudes Post, he replaced it with a cheap sub and it barely made a difference. Just gotta go balls deep. It takes time but you only do it once. Well I say that, as long as you have a 4dr it’s easier.

 

[FlyTheCourse]

Thanks for the input. I saw that, I wasn't sure if the B&O amp was the same as the amp in the 7-speaker setup. As others have said I think the 7-speaker setup is actually pretty decent. and upgrading speakers is where I am going to start before I decide to go to new amps and thought maybe switching the 6" sub that ford kindly gave a few of us for an 8" kicker like you did. If I do decide I really need more, thanks to yours and nwGTS's post, I think I will likely skip the Kicker Keys and jump straight up to the AudioControl or Helix setups with a ton more amperage. I started looking at building custom sub-boxes to put 2 subs under the back seats and attach them to the front of the seat legs that fold.

 

[Bronc69]

My '23 WT has the 7-speaker setup. It's winter, so the HT is on. I'm not sure how well this system is going to sound with the roof/doors off in the summer.

I already have the 6.5" Mabett speaker boxes. After reading everything, it looks like I'll only need to upgrade the front speakers, the rear pods to the 6.5" and upgrade the 8" sub/amp in the back (thanks for TOFTT OP).

Do you guys have the exact part numbers for the rear sub?

 

[CO_BRONCO_2023]

Just got the kicker key 200.4 installed today. The sound is WAY better and I haven't run the calibration yet.

So far I have Kicker 4" speakers in the dash, stock in the front panels and 6.5" in the Mabett pods in the back.

I have an 8" sub that I have yet to install, think that will level out the system much better.

 

[jshapz]

My '23 WT has the 7-speaker setup. It's winter, so the HT is on. I'm not sure how well this system is going to sound with the roof/doors off in the summer.

I already have the 6.5" Mabett speaker boxes. After reading everything, it looks like I'll only need to upgrade the front speakers, the rear pods to the 6.5" and upgrade the 8" sub/amp in the back (thanks for TOFTT OP).

Do you guys have the exact part numbers for the rear sub?

Sub and amp. I've seen in other threads people went with the shallow mount 8in kicker, but the full size 8in sub fit fine. Get the 4ohm, wire it in parallel to drop it down to 2ohm.

 

[jshapz]

Just got the kicker key 200.4 installed today. The sound is WAY better and I haven't run the calibration yet.

So far I have Kicker 4" speakers in the dash, stock in the front panels and 6.5" in the Mabett pods in the back.

I have an 8" sub that I have yet to install, think that will level out the system much better.

I'm glad you're happy with it!

 

[Bronc69]

I received the following for my stereo upgrade from Crutchfield (literally, one day delivery!):
Kicker 500.1 Amp
Kicker 8" Sub
RF T1650 (I have the 6.5" speaker boxes from Mabett)
JL C1-400X

One question as I haven't seen anything specific.
Does anyone have the details of how they wired up the amp? From the pics, it doesn't look plug-n-play. I like to have everything ready prior to the install so I can get things done rather quickly.
I like to do my homework before hand.

Thanks to all those who contributed to this thread. I believe this will be a nice upgrade from the stock system for around $800 all in.

 

[jshapz]

I received the following for my stereo upgrade from Crutchfield (literally, one day delivery!):
Kicker 500.1 Amp
Kicker 8" Sub
RF T1650 (I have the 6.5" speaker boxes from Mabett)
JL C1-400X

One question as I haven't seen anything specific.
Does anyone have the details of how they wired up the amp? From the pics, it doesn't look plug-n-play. I like to have everything ready prior to the install so I can get things done rather quickly.
I like to do my homework before hand.

Thanks to all those who contributed to this thread. I believe this will be a nice upgrade from the stock system for around $800 all in.

You need to run power from the battery, at least 8 gauge. Then you need speaker inputs into the amp. If you don’t add the kicker key 200.4 then you can run speaker wire to both kick panel speakers. Use a posi-tap to connect the new wiring from the kick panel speaker to your amp in the back. This means you have to tear apart both sides of the car trim wise. So run your power wire down the driver side at the same time. Also order a bass knob if you want. You can run that down the passenger side to the front at the same time too.

 

[jshapz]

I received the following for my stereo upgrade from Crutchfield (literally, one day delivery!):
Kicker 500.1 Amp
Kicker 8" Sub
RF T1650 (I have the 6.5" speaker boxes from Mabett)
JL C1-400X

One question as I haven't seen anything specific.
Does anyone have the details of how they wired up the amp? From the pics, it doesn't look plug-n-play. I like to have everything ready prior to the install so I can get things done rather quickly.
I like to do my homework before hand.

Thanks to all those who contributed to this thread. I believe this will be a nice upgrade from the stock system for around $800 all in.

Another quick note, check those 6.5 speakers in the mabett boxes before you wire it up and screw it down. I don't think they will fit with the cover on. He didn't make any room on the front cover for a tweeter that sticks out much. You need a speaker with a flusher fit. Let us know how it all goes though.

 

[Bronc69]

Another quick note, check those 6.5 speakers in the mabett boxes before you wire it up and screw it down. I don't think they will fit with the cover on. He didn't make any room on the front cover for a tweeter that sticks out much. You need a speaker with a flusher fit. Let us know how it all goes though.

Thanks for the heads-up.

I'm planning on modifying the mabett boxes to run the RF speaker grills. I'd like to get the most sound out of them as I can.

 

[FlyTheCourse]

Progress update.

I replaced all my speakers with the upgraded Kicker 4" 47KSC404 and 6.75" 47KSC6704, putting 300Hz base blockers on the dash 4" speakers. I will put boom mats in behind them all to further help with noise reduction and speaker projection. As others have already noted, changing just the speakers does make a significant improvement in sound quality. I made the changes one set of speakers at a time to understand the performance and my feeling is without a doubt the 4” makes the most notable audio quality improvement, which can be attributed to the tweeters. The last change I did was on the 6.75” and I can say, although it’s not as noticeable, I could really feel/hear the low end and midrange sound improved. The kicker speakers, even with the stock amp unit, were able to push out more noticeable bass.

Having said all that, I still do not like what I hear, especially when the top is off. I still hear significant clipping at higher volumes, which as I suspected without a DSP the sound levels sent to the speakers are still protected for the lower power-rated stock speakers, therefore I plan to still commit to a DSP/Amp upgrade.

Although I think the stock sub that came with the 7-speaker setup is decent and definitely made a huge difference over those that did not get the speaker, I still think that there is value in upgrading the sub and amp. My challenge will be how to best get all the power wires through the firewall. I have the manual transmission, so I do not have the luxury of the gaping hole all the automatic tranny folks have. Getting a drill/saw into the engine bay or behind the dash is tough with the limited space. If anyone has experience or thoughts on the best cable glands, I am all ears. I will probably run only one power lead from the battery and then put a bus bar for the amps.

Given the feedback that some feel the Kicker Key 200.4 is not worth it, which I can appreciate, I need to look for alternative options. The 200.4 is a little underpowered for the speakers, particularly the kick panel wired in parallel with the dash speakers, so I will need to find a larger amp for them and a DSP that allows me to control output for the front versus the rear, to keep from overpowering the rear speakers at full output. It’s too bad the Key is underpowered as I was hoping to take advantage of the Auto setup.

I started my mockup of putting the subs under the rear seats. It will take some fancy woodworking to get the box built right, but I think having the additional subs closer to the people will help “feel” the sound when the top is off. So, stay tuned for more on that.

Thanks again to jshapz for starting this thread and all the others that continue to contribute on this subject.

 

[CO_BRONCO_2023]

Progress update.

I replaced all my speakers with the upgraded Kicker 4" 47KSC404 and 6.75" 47KSC6704, putting 300Hz base blockers on the dash 4" speakers. I will put boom mats in behind them all to further help with noise reduction and speaker projection. As others have already noted, changing just the speakers does make a significant improvement in sound quality. I made the changes one set of speakers at a time to understand the performance and my feeling is without a doubt the 4” makes the most notable audio quality improvement, which can be attributed to the tweeters. The last change I did was on the 6.75” and I can say, although it’s not as noticeable, I could really feel/hear the low end and midrange sound improved. The kicker speakers, even with the stock amp unit, were able to push out more noticeable bass.

Having said all that, I still do not like what I hear, especially when the top is off. I still hear significant clipping at higher volumes, which as I suspected without a DSP the sound levels sent to the speakers are still protected for the lower power-rated stock speakers, therefore I plan to still commit to a DSP/Amp upgrade.

Although I think the stock sub that came with the 7-speaker setup is decent and definitely made a huge difference over those that did not get the speaker, I still think that there is value in upgrading the sub and amp. My challenge will be how to best get all the power wires through the firewall. I have the manual transmission, so I do not have the luxury of the gaping hole all the automatic tranny folks have. Getting a drill/saw into the engine bay or behind the dash is tough with the limited space. If anyone has experience or thoughts on the best cable glands, I am all ears. I will probably run only one power lead from the battery and then put a bus bar for the amps.

Given the feedback that some feel the Kicker Key 200.4 is not worth it, which I can appreciate, I need to look for alternative options. The 200.4 is a little underpowered for the speakers, particularly the kick panel wired in series with the dash speakers, so I will need to find a larger amp for them and a DSP that allows me to control output for the front versus the rear, to keep from overpowering the rear speakers at full output. It’s too bad the Key is underpowered as I was hoping to take advantage of the Auto setup.

I started my mockup of putting the subs under the rear seats. It will take some fancy woodworking to get the box built right, but I think having the additional subs closer to the people will help “feel” the sound when the top is off. So, stay tuned for more on that.

Thanks again to jshapz for starting this thread and all the others that continue to contribute on this subject.

I will say the Key did make the system louder. But I lost bass in the process. I need to replace the subwoofer with an amplified solution and then I think it will be good.

 

[jshapz]

Progress update.

I replaced all my speakers with the upgraded Kicker 4" 47KSC404 and 6.75" 47KSC6704, putting 300Hz base blockers on the dash 4" speakers. I will put boom mats in behind them all to further help with noise reduction and speaker projection. As others have already noted, changing just the speakers does make a significant improvement in sound quality. I made the changes one set of speakers at a time to understand the performance and my feeling is without a doubt the 4” makes the most notable audio quality improvement, which can be attributed to the tweeters. The last change I did was on the 6.75” and I can say, although it’s not as noticeable, I could really feel/hear the low end and midrange sound improved. The kicker speakers, even with the stock amp unit, were able to push out more noticeable bass.

Having said all that, I still do not like what I hear, especially when the top is off. I still hear significant clipping at higher volumes, which as I suspected without a DSP the sound levels sent to the speakers are still protected for the lower power-rated stock speakers, therefore I plan to still commit to a DSP/Amp upgrade.

Although I think the stock sub that came with the 7-speaker setup is decent and definitely made a huge difference over those that did not get the speaker, I still think that there is value in upgrading the sub and amp. My challenge will be how to best get all the power wires through the firewall. I have the manual transmission, so I do not have the luxury of the gaping hole all the automatic tranny folks have. Getting a drill/saw into the engine bay or behind the dash is tough with the limited space. If anyone has experience or thoughts on the best cable glands, I am all ears. I will probably run only one power lead from the battery and then put a bus bar for the amps.

Given the feedback that some feel the Kicker Key 200.4 is not worth it, which I can appreciate, I need to look for alternative options. The 200.4 is a little underpowered for the speakers, particularly the kick panel wired in series with the dash speakers, so I will need to find a larger amp for them and a DSP that allows me to control output for the front versus the rear, to keep from overpowering the rear speakers at full output. It’s too bad the Key is underpowered as I was hoping to take advantage of the Auto setup.

I started my mockup of putting the subs under the rear seats. It will take some fancy woodworking to get the box built right, but I think having the additional subs closer to the people will help “feel” the sound when the top is off. So, stay tuned for more on that.

Thanks again to jshapz for starting this thread and all the others that continue to contribute on this subject.

I would 100% just go with the kicker key 200.4 if you're not really satisfied with the quality of the sound. I say this because you can order the plug-n-play kit and its just so easy. I don't think its worth the trouble to add another 4ch amp that you would have to wire up yourself.

I didn't really notice clipping on the stock amp with the upgraded speakers, and it didn't really sound that terrible to me with the new speakers. I really think you're not happy because you're not getting much if any bass out the new setup, but that will come with the new subs installed. SO don't jump the gun is all I'm saying. Even with my kicker sub, if I turn the bass knob all the way down, it doesn't sound great because its got almost no bass. It all comes together with the sub. Maybe order a cheap wiring kit for the 4ch amp you may add. Run that power wire through the firewall along with the sub's power wire. Hook the sub up and if you need more then add the 4ch amp.

TLDR: the 200.4 is worth it if you're set on a 4ch amp just because the wiring is easy and quick

Edit: Found this thread for you. On page 2 dude punched a hole in that little nipple looking rubber piece on the passenger side. Just lube up the cable and it should go right through. Shouldn't be to hard to find behind the glove box. Also the OP poked a hole in the driver side nipple thingy.

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