Speakers-best bang for the buck

[TMCCOY]

I'm curious about this to learn if speaker replacement provides a meaningful improvement or not with the OEM head unit. In the past, I've done some swaps (been some years now) and didn't find there to be much benefit, things may have changed by now though.

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[Mosey]

I'm curious about this to learn if speaker replacement provides a meaningful improvement or not with the OEM head unit. In the past, I've done some swaps (been some years now) and didn't find there to be much benefit, things may have changed by now though.

I am wondering the same thing.

 

[towpro]

I did all 4 doors. When fading to the rear channel it does sound better, to a point at least. Ford's rear channel just sounds bad even in the B&O systems. The front doors and a-pillars do the heavy lifting where the rears seems to just add to the overall sound stage.


To give you an idea how weak it is, here are the backs of the OEM speakers. The magnets on the aftermarket fronts are slightly larger than the OEM fronts.

The OEM front


And the rear.

are these B&O speakers shown above? I have B&O and the rear are too quiet. I think I have my fade running on screen behind rear console and they are still to quiet.

And I am not sure if the B&O sends same power levels to all 4 doors are to they only amp the front?

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Those are the non B&O speakers for the F150. On the Ranger with B&O the magnets for both front and rear were about the same size as the 6x9's are on the F150. There wasn't any marking for power handling for those but I'm figuring it probably was about 25-50w RMS and 100w peak to the doors since the Ranger's B&O is about the same as the F150 non-unleashed in total power and speaker count. The fronts were two way coax with a-pillar tweeters and center dash. The rears were single cones so mostly for mid-bass. Not sure if the F150 B&O speakers are setup in the same way or not.

 

[Graygoose2021]

base audio, just speaker upgrade with no other changes is an upgrade alone.

With a factory amplified system adds complexity, but can be modified.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Please post back with what you discover.

I ordered this set of adapters from Amazon so I could return them easily if they didn't match up. Surprise surprise they match up perfectly to the factory front 6x9 bolt hole locations. Encouraged with this I went ahead and got these Kicker 6x9's and will be installing them tomorrow. I did have to splice the adapter wires and to add some length to them as the adapter rings have a hole to run the wiring into but the adapter pigtails supplied with the mounting kit are just shy of reaching the terminals on the Kicker speakers. I also checked the mounted depth of the Kickers and they are abut 3/4" deeper but there should be plenty of room behind them for the window to clear.

The Kickers are three way coaxial so should produce a nice range of sound and hopefully the larger cones will produce a little more bass. I'll post up pictures of them installed if all goes well along with my updated impressions.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Got the 6.75"s swapped out for the 6x9's.. All I can say is if you're not planning on going with a separate amp/sub setup ignore Crutchfield's recommendations and go with 6x9's. The 6X9 Kickers sound amazing off the factory head unit! That is both regular radio and Spotify with tweaked EQ settings. So much so that I'd wager it's now nearly identical to the Ranger B&O system in overall sound quality and bass output now.

The speakers bolted right up and no issues with clearance at all. The pic below is on the passenger door. I added a layer of speaker gasket tape between the mounting plate and door as well as between the speaker and adapter to minimize any rattles. The width I got did require some trimming but otherwise was easy to work with.

Edit: Do yourself a favor and while you are in the doors replacing the speakers put some sound mat underneath as well as on top cover of the module just below the speaker. Otherwise it will produce a VERY annoying rattle with every hit of the bass. I only had to do the passenger side on mine but both front doors have a module mounted like this. Even if you don't upgrade the speakers and theres a rattle in the door with the bass hits, check this as it is the likely culprit.

 

[Mosey]

NICE!

 

[tony72cutlass's']

Got the 6.75"s swapped out for the 6x9's.. All I can say is if you're not planning on going with a separate amp/sub setup ignore Crutchfield's recommendations and go with 6x9's. The 6X9 Kickers sound amazing off the factory head unit! That is both regular radio and Spotify with tweaked EQ settings. So much so that I'd wager it's now nearly identical to the Ranger B&O system in overall sound quality and bass output now.

The speakers bolted right up and no issues with clearance at all. The pic below is on the passenger door. I added a layer of speaker gasket tape between the mounting plate and door as well as between the speaker and adapter to minimize any rattles. The width I got did require some trimming but otherwise was easy to work with.

Edit: Do yourself a favor and while you are in the doors replacing the speakers put some sound mat underneath as well as on top cover of the module just below the speaker. Otherwise it will produce a VERY annoying rattle with every hit of the bass. I only had to do the passenger side on mine but both front doors have a module mounted like this. Even if you don't upgrade the speakers and theres a rattle in the door with the bass hits, check this as it is the likely culprit.

Did you need an adapter to switch from the original size to the 6x9's? Looks awesome

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Did you need an adapter to switch from the original size to the 6x9's? Looks awesome

Thanks, they sound amazing.

The originals are 6x9 but are molded to the mounting brackets. You will need a kit like this one or the Metra 82-5606 for aftermarket 6x9's. Amazon claims the Metra won't fit but oddly Crutchfield says it will, but then only recommends 6.5 and 6.75 rounds for the 21+ models.

 

[angrycookieman]

Got the 6.75"s swapped out for the 6x9's.. All I can say is if you're not planning on going with a separate amp/sub setup ignore Crutchfield's recommendations and go with 6x9's. The 6X9 Kickers sound amazing off the factory head unit! That is both regular radio and Spotify with tweaked EQ settings. So much so that I'd wager it's now nearly identical to the Ranger B&O system in overall sound quality and bass output now.

The speakers bolted right up and no issues with clearance at all. The pic below is on the passenger door. I added a layer of speaker gasket tape between the mounting plate and door as well as between the speaker and adapter to minimize any rattles. The width I got did require some trimming but otherwise was easy to work with.

Edit: Do yourself a favor and while you are in the doors replacing the speakers put some sound mat underneath as well as on top cover of the module just below the speaker. Otherwise it will produce a VERY annoying rattle with every hit of the bass. I only had to do the passenger side on mine but both front doors have a module mounted like this. Even if you don't upgrade the speakers and theres a rattle in the door with the bass hits, check this as it is the likely culprit.

So, you replaced the rear with 6x9’s?

 

[Zyvin]

are these B&O speakers shown above? I have B&O and the rear are too quiet. I think I have my fade running on screen behind rear console and they are still to quiet.

And I am not sure if the B&O sends same power levels to all 4 doors are to they only amp the front?

On the 18 speaker B&O system, the rears run off of the head unit; and on the 8 speaker system they run off the dsp/amp.

 

[dmac]

Got the 6.75"s swapped out for the 6x9's.. All I can say is if you're not planning on going with a separate amp/sub setup ignore Crutchfield's recommendations and go with 6x9's. The 6X9 Kickers sound amazing off the factory head unit! That is both regular radio and Spotify with tweaked EQ settings. So much so that I'd wager it's now nearly identical to the Ranger B&O system in overall sound quality and bass output now.

The speakers bolted right up and no issues with clearance at all. The pic below is on the passenger door. I added a layer of speaker gasket tape between the mounting plate and door as well as between the speaker and adapter to minimize any rattles. The width I got did require some trimming but otherwise was easy to work with.

Edit: Do yourself a favor and while you are in the doors replacing the speakers put some sound mat underneath as well as on top cover of the module just below the speaker. Otherwise it will produce a VERY annoying rattle with every hit of the bass. I only had to do the passenger side on mine but both front doors have a module mounted like this. Even if you don't upgrade the speakers and theres a rattle in the door with the bass hits, check this as it is the likely culprit.

Hey there, especially if you have upgraded door speakers, you should 100% change the ACM to send a flat signal with Forscan.

I too have the 7 speaker system, and after changing entry

727-01-02 from 0901******** to 0900********

I get great balanced sound stage, especially with this speaker in the center dash - https://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-PS95-8-Source-Driver/dp/B00Q3M9852.

I hear details I didnt hear before and actually like the system better now than the Unleashed in my parents powerboost (except for the bass). I havent even added a sub or replaced any door speakers.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to mess with this to see how much of a difference it makes.

Edit:

Made the update and the change to the sound stage is very apparent. The rear door speakers are much more pronounced and improved clarity to all speakers. Thanks for posting this it really helped.

 

[dmac]

Glad to hear. I'd also highly recommend getting a new speaker in the center. Only around $40 and the speaker grill just pops off.

I'm going to experiment with trying to make the chimes & beeps not go through the stereo since they get louder as a consequence of the flat signal

 

[dmac]

Ok I did some more testing.

First & most important is to change the output of the center speaker to "Tweeter only"

This is done by changing
ACM 727-01-01 to ***9 ****
see first picture attached.
This really brightens up the stage and makes songs MUCH easier on the ears imo.


Second:
Go into IPC Module Configuration & change "Chimes - Primary Source" to "Instrument Cluster Only" See second picture. This basically brings back old-style ford chimes and beeps, but since they are not played through speakers with the new flatline audio signal config, they aren't obnoxiously loud (instead through speaker behind the screen somewhere) .


@Porpoise Hork let me know if these work for you. Made a big difference for me.

Update: If you have a sub hooked up to your front speakers, I recommend instead the following configuration to push all bass through the front speakers.
ACM: 727-01-01: 382A 15F1 ****

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Thanks for the updated configs. After spending a few hours in the truck yesterday looking at houses it was made apparent that the Sync 4 alerts such as pre-collision are insanely loud with the flat output enabled. Had someone drift into my lane nearly clipping the bumper and the alert went off, startling the bajesus out of us. The welcome chimes while louder are not as obnoxious as the alerts are though. I also noticed that the mid and high ranges are significantly boosted causing it to sound rather tinny on the majority of songs played. I messed with the EQ from Spotify and on the truck sound but was unable to get it leveled out. It might be the due to the Kicker speakers I went with or just needed more time spent fiddling with it. Unfortunately I might not know as my wife requested I reverted the ACM back to the previous state because of how loud the alert was.

I am curious about changing the output of the center speaker to tweeter only to see what difference it makes with the ACM set to 901. I would be worried about long term damage to the voice coil for that speaker if this setting acts like a cross-over and blocks the 400-2K frequency range to that channel. If that is what this setting does then it might be worth just putting a 1" dome there if enabled or leave the setting along and put a two way coax there instead. As it sits now when on all speaker output you cant really hear the center at all. Sound is there and you can tell a slight difference when covering the speaker grill, but it's not much. Only when switching to front speakers only setting does it push more power to the dash so you can hear it.

Oh almost forgot, did you need a speaker adapter for the 3.5" and what harness adapter did you use for it?

 

[dmac]

Thanks for the updated configs. After spending a few hours in the truck yesterday looking at houses it was made apparent that the Sync 4 alerts such as pre-collision are insanely loud with the flat output enabled. Had someone drift into my lane nearly clipping the bumper and the alert went off, startling the bajesus out of us. The welcome chimes while louder are not as obnoxious as the alerts are though. I also noticed that the mid and high ranges are significantly boosted causing it to sound rather tinny on the majority of songs played. I messed with the EQ from Spotify and on the truck sound but was unable to get it leveled out. It might be the due to the Kicker speakers I went with or just needed more time spent fiddling with it. Unfortunately I might not know as my wife requested I reverted the ACM back to the previous state because of how loud the alert was.

I am curious about changing the output of the center speaker to tweeter only to see what difference it makes with the ACM set to 901. I would be worried about long term damage to the voice coil for that speaker if this setting acts like a cross-over and blocks the 400-2K frequency range to that channel. If that is what this setting does then it might be worth just putting a 1" dome there if enabled or leave the setting along and put a two way coax there instead. As it sits now when on all speaker output you cant really hear the center at all. Sound is there and you can tell a slight difference when covering the speaker grill, but it's not much. Only when switching to front speakers only setting does it push more power to the dash so you can hear it.

Oh almost forgot, did you need a speaker adapter for the 3.5" and what harness adapter did you use for it?

Yeah. Beeps were really annoying before changing them to cluster (not speaker) mode.

So by default I think the center speaker is set to "non-tweeter only", which really shouldn't be the case since its up next to the tweeters that's door woofers job to give bass and mids. In the "non-flat" eq setting, the center speaker doesnt do anything during music anyways (I was worried my install was bad). After the flat eq change was done, the speaker came alive.

Yesterday I experimented with "woofer and tweeter" mode on the center since I have a nicer speaker, but it threw the whole system off... kind of hard to explain, but it just wasnt comfortable to listen to without any balance at any tone setting. I reverted the change back to "tweeter-only" and all is well again.

I used a wire crimper to do the new speaker.

Again, I think both those forscan changes should solve both your issues hopefully.

 

[dmac]

These are my settings now and it sounds really good. (Before changes I had treble way higher)

 

[Mosey]

What exactly is a “flat” signal, and how does it compare to stock?

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