Kicker Key Amp 200.4 Install DIY Video - Do this first!

[redone17]

You are using 6.5s in the pods, not 4 inch speakers in the pods. WIth the 4 inch speakrs and the Ford EQ turned off, at high volumes I found the 4 inch speakers a bit distorted. Just my set up, though.

Does anyone know what the default setting is for the pod speakers? Speaker, tweeter, etc? I am not even sure these settings matter once the Ford EQ is turned off. I feel like that's the point of the Kicker Key amp - it does the EQ optimization for us.

You mind posting your forescan settings for 727-01-01 and 727-01-02?

Oh yeah, I got rid of those 4” ford speakers within weeks of ownership. They’re about as worthless as tits on a boar hog. I ran an older setting that Budget Bronco suggested for a bit that opened up the upgraded 4” Infinity Reference I had for a while. But, I now with the 6.5” and the gain turned up a bit on the amp - full sound in the cabin.

I used these Forscan settings:
727-01-01: 382B 28F1 00--
727-01-02: 0900 00AA 00--

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[RagnarKon]

Cool - thanks for the reply. Do you have it hooked to the battery? Worth doing? Noticable improvement?

You won't notice any change in terms of audio quality.

Technically it is a safer setup. The "normal" Plug-n-Play kit uses the power off of the harness that is intended for the factory ACM. Which means the power line that Ford only intended to power the factory ACM is now powering the factory ACM as well as the Kicker Key 200.4. That could ultimately cause problems when listening to music at higher volumes—you may blow a fuse.

If you use the adapter to wire it to the battery then you're not longer "stealing" power from the ACM. Which is safer for both the Kicker Key and the factory ACM setup.

THAT SAID... is it necessary? For most people who listen to music at normal volumes, probably not.

Are these in the kick panels or did you bump up the pods from 4" to 6"? Also, what's the impact between the Speaker setting and the Speaker/Tweeter setting? Especially if I have the EQ at 0. I'm still not sure how they all play together.
I do know one hard and fast rule is if changes are made that affect the signal coming out of the ACM...which changing Forscan settings does...the amp needs to be recalibrated, since the amp is getting its audio information from the ACM.

6.5 in kicker and upgraded rear pods. Not sure about the Speaker/Tweeter setting, but, there’s no room for a tweeter. I don’t think it needs it. Plenty of hi/mid range from those Memphis. I re-ran the DSP. It’s pretty perfect for the variety of music I listen to. I could enjoy a bit more low end - but, that’s a bigger project for next winter perhaps.

The Speaker/Tweeter setting adjusts the factory ACM output to account for different speaker configurations.

• Tweeter - 4Ω speaker 4" or smaller
• Speaker - 4Ω speaker 5.25" or larger
• Speaker/Tweeter - One "tweeter" and one "speaker" sharing a channel in parallel (resulting in 2Ω)

Once you get an external amplifier installed the whole speaker/tweeter setting more or less becomes irrelevant, since your new amplifier is driving the speakers and not the factory ACM. You can always play with those settings to see if you notice any difference, but my hunch is you won't.

 

[gaaangs]

Sp/Tw Front $" Kicker Dash/Stock kickpanels (but not for long)
Sp/Tw & Sp/Tweeter/Sub in the Pods (4" Kickers)
EQ 0

727-01-01. 382B. 2AF1. 00AE
727-01-02 0900. 000D. 0047
I included the dictionary for convenience. This is Ragnakon's contribution...

EQ Settings - ACM 727-01-02

• xxYY-xxxx-xxxx
  • 00 = EQ Off
  • 01 = EQ On (High-pass filter on the rear pods)

Speaker Configuration Settings - ACM 727-01-01

• xxYx-xxxx-xxxx - Driver Front Kick Panel/Dash Speakers
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 1 - Tweeter
  • 2 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • 3 - No Speaker (ACM disable)
• xxxY-xxxx-xxxx - Passenger Front Kick Panel/Dash Speakers
  • 3 - Speaker
  • 7 - Tweeter
  • B - Speaker & Tweeter
  • F - No Speaker
• xxxx-Yxxx-xxxx - Passenger Rear Pod Speaker
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 1 - Tweeter
  • 2 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • 3 - No Speaker
• xxxx-xYxx-xxxx - Driver Rear Pod Speaker & Subwoofer
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 2 - Speaker & Sub
  • 4 - Tweeter
  • 6 - Tweeter & Sub
  • 8 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • A - Speaker, Tweeter, & Sub
  • C - No speaker
  • E - Sub only

Okay...did all the tweaking. Here's where it landed, and I'm pretty f--king happy.
Turned the gain adjustments on both sides back a 1/4 turn The chimes are now a reasonable volume AND the audio clarity is vastly improved. I couldn't go above 10 in volume before the tweaks without distortion. Now 15 is no problem?
I turned on the hi-pass filter on the amp. Helped a lot. You'll see which setting in the picture.
I didn't touch Forscan.
Pics of the couplers and the amp dip switches are here...you can't see the last switch...It's set for 60hz

I think the difference between me and you right now is that my pods are in forescan as tweeters, not tweeter and speaker. Did you notice a definite increase in output when you made the change from just tweeter to tweeter and speaker? Think I am going to do this next.

Thanks for all of you info - just ordered the cable to the battery. Most likely more questions coming your way.

 

[ILoveToDrive]

I think the difference between me and you right now is that my pods are in forescan as tweeters, not tweeter and speaker. Did you notice a definite increase in output when you made the change from just tweeter to tweeter and speaker? Think I am going to do this next.

Thanks for all of you info - just ordered the cable to the battery. Most likely more questions coming your way.

Given the incredible amount of support and good advice I’ve gotten from the folks on this forum, I’m thrilled that I can finally contribute and give back.
I’ve made so many back and forth tweaks I can’t remember what sounded like what. The issue now is if we play with Forscan we have to recalibrate. That’s an automatic deterrent to the constant tweaking. I’m waiting on a delivery of replacement clips…
No more sound equipment for awhile. I just ordered a sun top

 

[ILoveToDrive]

You won't notice any change in terms of audio quality.

Technically it is a safer setup. The "normal" Plug-n-Play kit uses the power off of the harness that is intended for the factory ACM. Which means the power line that Ford only intended to power the factory ACM is now powering the factory ACM as well as the Kicker Key 200.4. That could ultimately cause problems when listening to music at higher volumes—you may blow a fuse.

If you use the adapter to wire it to the battery then you're not longer "stealing" power from the ACM. Which is safer for both the Kicker Key and the factory ACM setup.

THAT SAID... is it necessary? For most people who listen to music at normal volumes, probably not.





The Speaker/Tweeter setting adjusts the factory ACM output to account for different speaker configurations.

• Tweeter - 4Ω speaker 4" or smaller
• Speaker - 4Ω speaker 5.25" or larger
• Speaker/Tweeter - One "tweeter" and one "speaker" sharing a channel in parallel (resulting in 2Ω)

Once you get an external amplifier installed the whole speaker/tweeter setting more or less becomes irrelevant, since your new amplifier is driving the speakers and not the factory ACM. You can always play with those settings to see if you notice any difference, but my hunch is you won't.

I’m not sure that’s correct. When speaking to Kicker tech support yesterday, he said that FORScan changes alters the signal coming out of the ACM into the amp. His recommendation was to rerun the DSP calibration if changes are made using FORScan.
My question due to the front driving both a 6” and 4” speaker on each channel, should we be running Bi-amp mode? How would that affect the pods?

Lots of variables!

 

[Glennbob2.7]

I installed mine today. Super easy, great harness from plug and play. OMG did this change the system. I had swapped the speakers previously and did the JBL sound bar but it still was weak and not very loud. This hits hard now. Can’t wait to do phase two with the compact kicker powered 10. You all have to do this upgrade.

So I got the JBl Sound Bar… Got new speakers to put in… was looking at the KICKER KEY… but I also wanted to add a Subwoofer to the system… can You help me understand?

did you just Kept the JBL SOUND BAR As is, and dropped in the Kicker Key 200.4? And it worked fine?
Obviously this was a year ago, but did you ever end up putting in the Sub? How do I do that? Assuming another amp specifically for the sub? How do they connect to eachother? Is it possible?
I’m sorry, I’ve been looking for months… but havnt found a new speakers +JBL Bar + Kicker Key + Subwoofer add yet that gave much.

honestly, anyone insight would be great!!

 

[ILoveToDrive]

You are using 6.5s in the pods, not 4 inch speakers in the pods. WIth the 4 inch speakrs and the Ford EQ turned off, at high volumes I found the 4 inch speakers a bit distorted. Just my set up, though.

Does anyone know what the default setting is for the pod speakers? Speaker, tweeter, etc? I am not even sure these settings matter once the Ford EQ is turned off. I feel like that's the point of the Kicker Key amp - it does the EQ optimization for us.

You mind posting your forescan settings for 727-01-01 and 727-01-02?

727-01-01 382B 2AF1 00AE 727-01-02 0900 000D 0047

The 0900 is a constant. Not changing that, especially with the Kicker amp in the mix.
I've bounced back and forth between 16 and 2A. 2A is giving me a bit crisper (by no means perfect) sound than 16. I still don't understand the 3800 setting that I've seen floating around. I tried it. The speakers played, but nothing special so I saw no reason sticking with a setting that wasn't documented.

My sense is a lot changes when the pods get upgraded to 6.75", and the Kick panels get upgraded to Kicker 6.75" KS's as well.

Does anyone running the Kicker 200.4 amp have experience upgrading the kick panels to 6.75" Kickers? I've read mixed reviews on that upgrade, but it was most often without the amp. I'd be curious if someone during the upgrade, ran the system with a stock speaker on one side and the Kicker on the other, and used the fader/balance control to listen to each speaker individually.

 

[ILoveToDrive]

Set it for Speaker.


I’m running 6.5” Memphis MJP6 and I turned up the gain a couple of notches. No blockers. They sound incredible.

Are they really worth 2X the Kicker 6.75" KS's?

 

[SlvrSurfRidr]

You get some lower response from the Memphis MJP6 (frequency range: 50-10, 000 Hz)

If you wanna get down for bass you're gonna need not only a larger cone, but a lower response. Super hard to do that in the tiny kick panels in this truck. Your best best is the Kicker CSC65 (offered in a couple packages from @plugnplaykits ). They are a larger cone (6.5") and have a SLIGHTLY lower frequency (frequency response: 40-20,000 Hz).

As has been said in this thread many times, you're not getting bass out of the kick panels - they are just too damn small. Get your mid there, then go buy a sub and choose your own adventure on how much you wanna spend, how much bass you wanna get and how much storage space you're willing to lose.

Mentioned this back in February, but welcome to all the new folks trying to get their tunes dialed in.

Are they really worth 2X the Kicker 6.75" KS's?

Depends what problem you're trying to solve. Speakers are basic physics, drivers move cones. Better drivers, better cones, typically better sound. IMHO, LOVE those Memphis in the kick panel. As has been said in this thread many times, you're not getting big bass out of the kick panels - they are just too damn small. If you want bass, you need bigger cones and bigger drivers (Ie. subwoofer).

 

[ILoveToDrive]

Mentioned this back in February, but welcome to all the new folks trying to get their tunes dialed in.


Depends what problem you're trying to solve. Speakers are basic physics, drivers move cones. Better drivers, better cones, typically better sound. IMHO, LOVE those Memphis in the kick panel. As has been said in this thread many times, you're not getting big bass out of the kick panels - they are just too damn small. If you want bass, you need bigger cones and bigger drivers (Ie. subwoofer).

I'm not looking for big bass. I've got the sub giving me good low end. Where I'm suffering is the "muddiness" of the higher frequency of the bass range..even going into the midrange. I'm thinking that a higher quality kick panel speaker will provide more clarity. I'm assuming that will be the case when I take the pods up to 6" as well...even though I've got 4" kickers in the pods now. There's just not enough range coming out of the pods...even being driven by the Key amp.
I'm also thinking another limitation is the way the dash and kick panel speakers are wired. It's not a component setup, so the front feels a little "schizophrenic". Not sure how to get the best quality sound of the front given that setup.

727-01-01 382B 16F1 009A Front - Sp-Tw/Sp-Tw (600Hz bass blocker in dash 4")
Back - Tw / Tw-Sub Sub - Kicker 6.75/Fusion amp

727-01-02 0900 000D 0047

 

[redone17]

Are they really worth 2X the Kicker 6.75" KS's?

There’s a seller on eBay that lists them for $120 each, but accepts offers of $95. AudioSavings.

That being said - I’ve never run Kicker speakers. But, they’re really nice. Superb quality components. Nice warm sound.

 

[ILoveToDrive]

There’s a seller on eBay that lists them for $120 each, but accepts offers of $95. AudioSavings.

That being said - I’ve never run Kicker speakers. But, they’re really nice. Superb quality components. Nice warm sound.

So given a choice for prioritizing an upgrade, would you upgrade the pods before the kick panels? I have 4" Kickers in the pods now, and they still suck. Again, I'm running the 200.4 amp and a sub with fusion amp.

 

[redone17]

So given a choice for prioritizing an upgrade, would you upgrade the pods before the kick panels? I have 4" Kickers in the pods now, and they still suck. Again, I'm running the 200.4 amp and a sub with fusion amp.

I’d prioritize the kicker panel with nice 6.5” and worry about the pods later on. That was just the cherry on top for me. It is a bit front of house until you do the pods. But, can still sound nice.

 

[ILoveToDrive]

I’d prioritize the kicker panel with nice 6.5” and worry about the pods later on. That was just the cherry on top for me. It is a bit front of house until you do the pods. But, can still sound nice.

I’m curious about the “why” behind the choice.

 

[redone17]

I’m curious about the “why” behind the choice.

Memphis vs otherwise? @SlvrSurfRidr suggestion and research/reviews. I always prefer nerdy hi-fi music components. I was also drawn to the fact that I was trying to get full range and enough low end w/o a sub. I’m pretty happy with my setup for $1200.

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