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So I picked up a 200.4 from someone who wasn’t impressed with the results they got. It came with the harness from Rad. I installed it and the first thing I noticed is how hot the amp was getting and how little gain was available before clipping. Practically none.
The sound was improved thanks to the DSP and it was louder but not hugely. I upgraded my kicks to Memphis 6.5 and dash to Alpines. Another improvement but still not as amazing as expected. And the heat and clipping still remained.
so it was RTFM time on the kicker. First takeaway? It says right there that these are four ohm stable only. Yet all the harnesses being sold with your kick and your dash speakers wired together are sending a two ohm load to amp one. Clearly, this is not right and it explains both the heat and early clipping.
It also got me thinking about the fact that this harness sends 50 W to the rear pods, which are high passed. I’m a big believer in using speakers in the back only for rear fill. We should be focused on the front sound stage not what’s behind us. That said, 50 W is a complete waste to the pods. It would be better just using head unit power. Rear fill should be mostly unnoticed. You want the music out in front of you.
So back to RTFM. The Kicker Key 200.4 has a bi-amp mode that is literally perfect for how the front sound stage should be run in a bronco. Assuming you don’t have an amazing 8 to 12 channel DSP amp of course. That would be better. But if you want to use the Key 200.4, this is the way. When running bi-amp mode, your dash speakers will run on amp one and your kick panel speakers will run on amp two. An automatic high pass will be placed on the dash speakers at 340 Hz. Ideal for my 4” alpines with a tweeter. A low pass will automatically be applied to the kick panels at 640 hertz. You then have the option of setting your dip switches to block lower bass frequencies if you choose. I prefer the 60 Hz setting but 80 Hz would probably work pretty well too. Higher than that seems like a waste since the kick really has midbass if you set it up right.
Leave EQ and time delay on. I don’t care for the compression setting so I don’t use them. Set both of your gains settings all the way down and rerun the DSP set up. Then be prepared for something amazing. Your dash speakers will be running in the optimal frequency range as will your kicks. Set your gains and be prepared for yet another surprise. You have plenty of headroom before you start to clip now. You will also notice an enormous volume increase for your front sound stage. And your amp probably won’t even be noticeably warm.
For the rear speakers, you need to take apart the incorrectly wired harness (all of them are wrong. Period) and just send the head unit Power to the pods. Luckily the manufacturer of the harness I received use the same color wires on both sides of the harness, so it was very easy to discern.
so I’ve made some very declarative statements and I’m sure it’s gonna come off as a hot take. Good. The fact is that the Key 200.4 amp is not 2 ohm stable. Anyone having trouble with settings on the amp resetting or not feeling like the volume is good or wondering why it’s so damn hot or wishes it didn’t clip so freaking quickly….. The problem is your harness and how you’re using the amp. Will it work the other way? Sort of. It functions, but it isn’t doing what it can do. It most likely is throttling because of the thermal issues.
Go make these changes and you’ll be shocked at how much better your front stage sounds. Not having mids and lower frequencies going to the dash lets them really shine with the DSP applied. The kicks having the exact right frequencies for midbass adds to tons of snap and clarity. You get tons more volume and the sound quality is vastly improved.
If you haven’t upgraded your subwoofer, you can pretty much plan on not hearing it anymore. That’s a good thing. Just means you need to upgrade your sub. I know I have my replacement ordered.
If you disagree, I suggest you do what I did. RTFM then wire it correctly.
The sound was improved thanks to the DSP and it was louder but not hugely. I upgraded my kicks to Memphis 6.5 and dash to Alpines. Another improvement but still not as amazing as expected. And the heat and clipping still remained.
so it was RTFM time on the kicker. First takeaway? It says right there that these are four ohm stable only. Yet all the harnesses being sold with your kick and your dash speakers wired together are sending a two ohm load to amp one. Clearly, this is not right and it explains both the heat and early clipping.
It also got me thinking about the fact that this harness sends 50 W to the rear pods, which are high passed. I’m a big believer in using speakers in the back only for rear fill. We should be focused on the front sound stage not what’s behind us. That said, 50 W is a complete waste to the pods. It would be better just using head unit power. Rear fill should be mostly unnoticed. You want the music out in front of you.
So back to RTFM. The Kicker Key 200.4 has a bi-amp mode that is literally perfect for how the front sound stage should be run in a bronco. Assuming you don’t have an amazing 8 to 12 channel DSP amp of course. That would be better. But if you want to use the Key 200.4, this is the way. When running bi-amp mode, your dash speakers will run on amp one and your kick panel speakers will run on amp two. An automatic high pass will be placed on the dash speakers at 340 Hz. Ideal for my 4” alpines with a tweeter. A low pass will automatically be applied to the kick panels at 640 hertz. You then have the option of setting your dip switches to block lower bass frequencies if you choose. I prefer the 60 Hz setting but 80 Hz would probably work pretty well too. Higher than that seems like a waste since the kick really has midbass if you set it up right.
Leave EQ and time delay on. I don’t care for the compression setting so I don’t use them. Set both of your gains settings all the way down and rerun the DSP set up. Then be prepared for something amazing. Your dash speakers will be running in the optimal frequency range as will your kicks. Set your gains and be prepared for yet another surprise. You have plenty of headroom before you start to clip now. You will also notice an enormous volume increase for your front sound stage. And your amp probably won’t even be noticeably warm.
For the rear speakers, you need to take apart the incorrectly wired harness (all of them are wrong. Period) and just send the head unit Power to the pods. Luckily the manufacturer of the harness I received use the same color wires on both sides of the harness, so it was very easy to discern.
so I’ve made some very declarative statements and I’m sure it’s gonna come off as a hot take. Good. The fact is that the Key 200.4 amp is not 2 ohm stable. Anyone having trouble with settings on the amp resetting or not feeling like the volume is good or wondering why it’s so damn hot or wishes it didn’t clip so freaking quickly….. The problem is your harness and how you’re using the amp. Will it work the other way? Sort of. It functions, but it isn’t doing what it can do. It most likely is throttling because of the thermal issues.
Go make these changes and you’ll be shocked at how much better your front stage sounds. Not having mids and lower frequencies going to the dash lets them really shine with the DSP applied. The kicks having the exact right frequencies for midbass adds to tons of snap and clarity. You get tons more volume and the sound quality is vastly improved.
If you haven’t upgraded your subwoofer, you can pretty much plan on not hearing it anymore. That’s a good thing. Just means you need to upgrade your sub. I know I have my replacement ordered.
If you disagree, I suggest you do what I did. RTFM then wire it correctly.
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