2023 Bronco Total Speaker Upgrade Notes

[Porque No]

UPDATE: I guess that I didn’t realize I had the PODs. I went to look for the wire and the pods are there but they sure don’t put off a lot of sound being as I never noticed them. Lol


Hi Steve, thanks for the comments!
I don't know specifically, but if the factory ran the wires you should be able to clip into them. I would look at your rollbar area first and see if you have speaker wire pre ran, otherwise you need to run some lines yourself. That would probably be a job I outsource for me personally. The pods I posted comes with the correct wiring harness to connect your speakers to, by the way.
Good luck!
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[Bronceaux]

@jasonstephens37221 This is an excellent summary with all the links one could need to reach the most common denominator in total audio system 'fixes'. Well done sir!

I'm an audiophile and have always had to do something to fix factory poo poo systems in the systems I love. Except for my Jaguar's which really are darn near perfect if they have the top trim sound system. That aside, I just got my Bronco a week ago and couldn't believe the stock sound was that bad. It is the WORST of any vehicle I've owned - and I've owned a lot. They must have worked hard to make it suck this bad - especially with modern tech within these modules to resolve a lot of issues on reflections and sound absorption.

In your approach, you mention that the rears didn't have any power / bass until you added the amp. While I support the 4 channel amp replacement wholeheartedly, I wonder if a forscan tweak would have opened up the rear channel before the 4 channel amp add. It seems that this should be a parameter within the settings to feed a stronger signal to the rear - like a db / level increase. Going back to the sub amp you added, I assume you cranked the gain up on that amp to "try" and get some bass to thump out of it before the 4 channel amp add. Right? It should have started pumping with that extra gain. I'm asking before I start my own journey to fix this crappy sound - and I intend on walking down the same path you laid out here. (again - thank you).
-Rob

Rob, I can confirm, the ForScan mod does open the rear speakers more. I added SSV 6.5 pods, and speakers. I have not added a sub yet.

 

[FischSD]

Just wanted to chime in as I did similar upgrades. The first change I tried was the same rear pods with 6.75" kicker ks, and changing the dash to 4" kicker ks with bass blockers in the dash. I then did the recommended forscan changes and tbh it was extremely underwhelming.

After that major disappointment I went all out adding a 12" tailgate sub, a 4 channel amp for the speakers, the kicker 500.1 amp for the sub, and while I was at it I put in the kicker 6.5" ks speaker's in the kick panels.

After that second round of upgrades the system is wow.

Apologies in advance, audio swap/electronics/wiring is new to me so if this is a dumb question I'm sorry, BUT to clarify you're saying that swapping the 6 total speaks (2 dash, 2 roll bar pods, 2 front speakers) to the kicker was underwhelming? And if you really want to see a difference you need to go with the gear mentioned in your second paragraph? Trying to weigh the costs here Thank you!

 

[FischSD]

2023 Bronco Total Speaker Upgrade Notes

As so many have indicated, the factory speakers that come with the Bronco are crap! My 2023 arrived last month and I instantly started researching how to replace and upgrade my sound system. I did not upgrade the sound system to the B&O package in my initial Bronco order. It did however arrive with a working factory sub and amp in the back cargo area. Therefore, it came equipped with 6 speakers (2 in the dash, 2 in the front floor kicker panel, and 2 in the rear rollbar speaker pods), plus the 1 sub and amp.

I watched several YouTube videos and read several blogs on which speakers to get and amp(s) that were the easiest to install yourself for the best bang for the cost while saving money to do it on my own. Below are my notes of what I did and what I purchased, which I hope saves any newbie like me just starting the sound system upgrade or considering upgrading some time and finds this information helpful.

I started by simply replacing just the rear rollbar pod speakers first from the factory 4” speakers with 6.5” Kicker speakers. In order to do this you will need to get a pair of 6.5” pods to accommodate the bigger speakers.

These are the 6.5” Pods I purchased:

https://amzn.to/3ZqZmyN

Note: the first set of 6.5” Kicker speakers I purchased were the “DS” series, which were 240 watts (120 watts each). Once installed I only heard a slight increase in sound, then realized I should have gotten the “CS” Kicker series which were 600 watts (300 watts each) for only just $0.97 more (yes, less than a dollar more). After returning and installing the “CS” series speakers, it was a noticeable improvement.

These are the Kicker 6.5” CS series speakers I purchased:

https://amzn.to/3PKwXRd

I still wasn’t satisfied with the overall sound, even though it was a little better. I continued on with my overhaul and upgraded the 2 front dash speakers and the 2 front kicker panel speakers with Kicker “CS” series 4” for the dash, and Kicker “CS” series 6.75” for the kicker panels.

These are the Kicker 4” CS series dash speakers I purchased:

https://amzn.to/3Lsdrqc

These are the Kicker 6.75” CS series kicker panel speakers I purchased:

https://amzn.to/3EL8fd4

After now having all 6 speakers upgraded to the Kicker “CS” series, it sounded even better, but no real bass! So I moved forward with my sound system upgrade by replacing the factory sub and amp to the Kicker 8” CompRT sub and the Kicker Key 500.1 amp. (I first ordered the 6.75” CompRT sub and used the factory amp and this changed nothing bass wise. I then returned and got the 8” sub along with the Kicker Key 500.1 amp).

Note: the Kicker 6.75” CompRT fits nicely without having to make any modifications. Upgrading to the lager 8” sub will take a little modification to get it to fit in the whole. I used the cardboard cutout that came in the speaker box and traced an outline around the new whole diameter I needed to cut with a sharpie pen and used a multi-purpose tool to cut the new larger whole diameter.

This is the Kicker 8” CompRT sub I purchased:

https://amzn.to/452CQgQ

Here is the 6.75” Kicker CompRT sub that fits and requires no modification if that's the route you would rather take:

https://amzn.to/450lJwi


Note: you will still want to upgrade the amp to the Kicker Key 500.1 whether you go with the smaller 6.75” sub or the larger 8” sub or you will not get the power needed to hear a difference in the bass quality.

Here is the Kicker Key 500.1 amp I purchased for the sub:

https://amzn.to/3RpT9kQ

You will also need to get a remote bass controller to be able to adjust the bass output if you desire. This is optional, but I went ahead and installed it and placed it under the steeling wheel just to the right.

This is the Kicker Remote Bass Controller I purchased:

https://amzn.to/3t0c1wx

Regarding the sub installation, you’ll want to go with a thicker gauge wire for powering the amp. I went with the 8 gauge recommendation over the factory 12 gauge. This kit has everything you need, even an inline fuse for added amp protection. Also, make sure you disconnect the battery before you clip the factory wire harness feeding the factory amp (if you have it) because one of the lines is hot. Simply wire nut and tape off the existing factory hot/power line. I did the same for the ground as well.

Here is the wiring kit I purchased:

https://amzn.to/3t96cwJ

Note: there is a nice spot to connect the ground located above and to the right of the amp/sub panel area where you’ll see an existing ground placement used by the factory.

Lastly, since the overall sound system was at 4 ohms, I connected my sub as shown below for achieving 2 ohms so it could handle the full 500 watts of power from the Kicker Key 500.1 amp.

Here is the wiring diagram to go from 4 ohms to 2 ohms:

Now I was getting a little more bass, but no where near what I expected. I adjusted both the amp's gain and played around with the FORScan settings (more detail on the FORScan settings below), and still not achieving much bass from the 8" sub and amp. Frustrated, I pulled the trigger to purchase and install the Kicker Key 200.4 amp for all the other speakers, including the rear speakers where the sub speaker inputs are coming from. This step did the trick and I was literally getting some great sound from all the speakers and really good bass from the sub.

Here is the Kicker Key 200.4 amp I purchased:

https://amzn.to/3ZugGTS

With the Kicker Key 200.4 amp, I recommend getting a plug n play wiring harness kit specifically for your Bronco. I purchased my wiring harness kit from https://plugnplaykits.com/

Here is the Kicker Key 200.4 wiring harness I purchased specifically made for the Bronco, which is Kit 11-1

Note: note shown in the picture, but the kit comes with all the additional power wiring: hot, ground, and fuse!

https://plugnplaykits.com/products/...y-audio-harnesses-kits?variant=41157659852990

Now that you have all speakers upgraded, including the sub, and you now have two amps, one powering the sub in the back, and one powering the other 6 speakers, it’s now time to adjust your FORScan computer settings. You’ll need to get the recommended adaptor that plugs into your laptop to make the changes. You will also need to download the free software on your laptop at: https://forscan.org/download.html

Here is the recommended adaptor I purchased:

https://amzn.to/3RuzDU8

Finally, the FORScan settings I used for the ACM Module were:

First line in the module series: 727-01-01

The Hex String: xxXX – XXxx – xxxx

I only adjusted the capital X’s above. I left the lower case x’s at their default settings. I am merely using a lowercase “x” and a capital “X” for sequence illustration purposes.

The last two capital XX’s in the first group box I changed to: 03

This sets the settings to read [Speaker/Speaker] for your driver side and passenger side kick panel and dash speakers to get full power.

The first two capital XX’s in the second group box I changed to: 02

This sets the settings to read [Speaker/Speaker & Sub] for your driver side and passenger side rear pod speakers and sub to get full power.

Note: If for some reason you are not getting any sound from your sub, you can try setting to: 0E

This sets the settings to read [Speaker/Sub Only] for your driver side and passenger side rear pod speakers and sub.

Now that everything is completed and installed from all the above recommendations, what an overall noticeable sound quality improvement. Just wow! I’m getting some amazing bass and the clarity of the music is so clear and clean. What I observed is if you do not install the Kicker Key 200.4 amp you will not get the power you need to fully access the wattage from all the new Kicker speakers you upgraded to and send enough power to the sub amp's speaker input.

In summary, I tried to layout out as much as possible my approach and process. That said, I really could not just replace a speaker here and there and not get an amp or amps in order to get the sound I was looking for and wanted that provided enough bass and kick. Therefore, skip the slow cutting corners approach like I originally did and go all in, otherwise, you’ll eventually get there like I did. Order it all at one time and allow yourself a day to install and tweak at your own pace.

Order summary:

[Pair of Kicker CS 4” dash speakers, Pair of Kicker CS 6.75” Kicker speakers, Pair of 6.5” new Pods, Pair of 6.5” Kicker CS speakers, one 8” Kicker CompRT Sub or one 6.75 CompRT sub depending on whether you want to do any modifications, one Kicker Key 200.4 amp, one Kicker Key 500.1 amp, a Plug and Play wiring harness for the Kicker Key 200.4 amp, Power/Ground wiring kit for the Kicker Key 500.1 amp, Kicker Remote Bass Controller, and a FORScan adopter]…and don’t forget to wire your sub from 4 ohms down to 2 ohms so you get the max 500 watt output from your amp to your sub!

Here are a few recommended YouTube videos to watch for making this upgrade and how to remove panels, etc. Tremendous help, so I wanted to say thanks and give credit to these folks for their helpful videos!!

From @RagnarKon

Sub Upgrade


Speaker Upgrade


FORScan




From Jacob Doty

Speaker Upgrade

This is awesome! I wish you were in SoCal so I could say "hey if I buy all the parts and throw in a 6 pack can you help me out?" Looks like a lot of time spent on the install and a lot of time spent on the write up. This is why I love this forum. Thanks man!

 

[Ixr]

Apologies in advance, audio swap/electronics/wiring is new to me so if this is a dumb question I'm sorry, BUT to clarify you're saying that swapping the 6 total speaks (2 dash, 2 roll bar pods, 2 front speakers) to the kicker was underwhelming? And if you really want to see a difference you need to go with the gear mentioned in your second paragraph? Trying to weigh the costs here Thank you!

Yes changing out the speakers with forscan tweaks was not a big improvement or much of anything. To make the sound decent from my experience is to get decent speakers and amp them, the sub definitely adds another layer and rounds out the sound.

 

[jasonstephens37221]

This is awesome! I wish you were in SoCal so I could say "hey if I buy all the parts and throw in a 6 pack can you help me out?" Looks like a lot of time spent on the install and a lot of time spent on the write up. This is why I love this forum. Thanks man!

brother I would if I were out there, and I'd also get my buddy Lo Neal to come for some added entertainment!

 

[mig1980]

Question, what are the benefits of upgrading the gauge of tbe power wire for the sub installation? Is this really needed?

 

[jasonstephens37221]

Question, what are the benefits of upgrading the gauge of tbe power wire for the sub installation? Is this really needed?

Basically, the larger the wire, the more current it can carry, so the amp can put out more power. This is sometimes referred to as the wire's "ampacity." That's the basic premise at play here. The more power in your system and the greater the distance you need it to travel, the larger the wire you need to get it there, and the 8 gauge thickness based on the amp I purchased is what was recommended to carry the power. My understanding was any thinker would be overkill and any less not as efficient. Hope that helps!

 

[Draughon]

Just a heads up - the adapter you originally listed (ELMConfig with the switch) is no longer recommended by Forscan. I purchased the one you had listed off Amazon and got this error message -

Returning it and buying this one instead (listed as recommended on the Forscan site)-

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081VQVD3F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Draughon]

Finally got Forscan to work and got these values for my 727 ACM module - they don't correspond to anything I've seen so far... not sure what to do.

I *thought* the 3017 I'd change to 3027 for speaker/tweeter, but have no idea what that 7 is doing, and in the second set of hex I get values of "F"

I don't know what to do.

 

[jasonstephens37221]

Finally got Forscan to work and got these values for my 727 ACM module - they don't correspond to anything I've seen so far... not sure what to do.

I *thought* the 3017 I'd change to 3027 for speaker/tweeter, but have no idea what that 7 is doing, and in the second set of hex I get values of "F"

I don't know what to do.

been gone all day...glad you finally got it to work, but I will update my notes with the FORScan recommended adaptor as a secondary option. Thanks for the information and comment. Let check my other notes on the settings and send what I show each value stands for and respond.

 

[jasonstephens37221]

Finally got Forscan to work and got these values for my 727 ACM module - they don't correspond to anything I've seen so far... not sure what to do.

I *thought* the 3017 I'd change to 3027 for speaker/tweeter, but have no idea what that 7 is doing, and in the second set of hex I get values of "F"

I don't know what to do.

Looks like your system is set to
[17] = Tweeter / Tweeter for the fronts
[34] = No Speaker / Tweeter for the rears (meaning no sub turned on)

For the Front Speaker settings, the third value in the first group I show to be:
This is where you have a value of [1]
0 = Speaker
1 = Tweeter
2 = Speaker/Tweeter
3 = No Speaker (disabled)

For the Front Speaker settings, the forth value in the first group I show to be:
This is where you have a value of [7]
3 = Speaker
7 = Tweeter
B = Speaker/Tweeter
F = No Speaker

For the Rear Speaker settings, the first value in the second group I show to be:
This is where you have a value of [3]
0 = Speaker
1 = Tweeter
2 = Speaker/Tweeter
3 = No Speaker

For the Rear Speaker settings, the second value in the second group I show to be:
This is where you have a value of [4]
0 = Speaker
2 = Speaker & Sub
4 = Tweeter
6 = Tweeter & Sub
8 = Speaker/Tweeter
A = Speaker/Tweeter & Sub
C = No Speaker
E = Sub only

Hope this coding helps you, Daylon!

 

[Draughon]

Okay, old versus new should be:

From: 727-01-01 - 3017 - 34FD - xxxx

to one of these combos:

721 - 01-01 - 3003 - 02FD - xxxx (speakers only in front, speakers/sub only in back)

721 - 01 -01 - 302B - 02FD -xxxx (Speaker/Tweeter x 2 in front, speaker/ speaker sub in back)

721 - 01 -01 - 302B - 2AFD - xxxx (speaker/tweeter x 2 in front, speaker/tweeter/sub in back)

Does that look right?

Looks like your system is set to
[17] = Tweeter / Tweeter for the fronts
[34] = No Speaker / Tweeter for the rears (meaning no sub turned on)

For the Front Speaker settings, the third value in the first group I show to be:
This is where you have a value of [1]
0 = Speaker
1 = Tweeter
2 = Speaker/Tweeter
3 = No Speaker (disabled)

For the Front Speaker settings, the forth value in the first group I show to be:
This is where you have a value of [7]
3 = Speaker
7 = Tweeter
B = Speaker/Tweeter
F = No Speaker

For the Rear Speaker settings, the first value in the second group I show to be:
This is where you have a value of [3]
0 = Speaker
1 = Tweeter
2 = Speaker/Tweeter
3 = No Speaker

For the Rear Speaker settings, the second value in the second group I show to be:
This is where you have a value of [4]
0 = Speaker
2 = Speaker & Sub
4 = Tweeter
6 = Tweeter & Sub
8 = Speaker/Tweeter
A = Speaker/Tweeter & Sub
C = No Speaker
E = Sub only

Hope this coding helps you, Daylon!

 

[Draughon]

Went with xx2B-02xx-xxxx

Can't really tell any noticeable difference, but hey - at least they're changed.

FYI - I got this semi-scary warning (but clicked "Yes" anyway) -

 

[jasonstephens37221]

Went with xx2B-02xx-xxxx

Can't really tell any noticeable difference, but hey - at least they're changed.

FYI - I got this semi-scary warning (but clicked "Yes" anyway) -

Yeah, I got the same, and one of the earlier videos said to just accept and click on YES and continue. Honestly, after I installed the 200.4 amp and made the changes myself I could tell I had installed the amp and made the FORScan changes, but was like "eh" ok better than before. However, when I turned the EQ off, man I got some better sound and so great kick from the speakers. Not sure what the factory EQ is restricting, but it opened up the signal to the Speaker/Speaker settings I did for the front and rear (rear I made sure I had the Speaker & Amp setting), but something to try, but looks like your have your EQ set to off. If you haven't installed that 200.4 amp, that should do the trick from you! It was pretty straight forward install like the videos show.

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