13th gen B&O sub in a 14th gen?

[Spaced25]

Hello,

A few months ago, I traded my 19 Lariat for a 25 501a. I was very happy with the B&O in the 19. The 25 has me feeling really disappointed in the “upgraded” B&O. Common complaints of it being too front biased, too bright and lacking bass(bass drum is non existent in some songs) or bass guitar is boomy and overpowering in a bad way. The 8” sub in the 19 would actually shake the review mirror depending on the track and volume. More importantly it just sounded good for a factory stereo. Now I don’t need to be shaking mirrors but I’m not happy to have lost what my previous truck had.

I’m assuming this is mostly a result of the oval ECS nonsense. Likely another cost cutting item(the list is frustrating coming from my 19). The 8” enclosure is more material and likely costs more than this odd oval ECS.

Anyway, this leads to my question - has anyone replaced the ECS with a 13th gen B&O sub? I’m sure it could fit but wondering about the ohm and wattage compatibility. If I can get one for a decent price i might just try it out.

Also, does anyone else find the sub level changes throughout the same song? It’s almost like it can’t handle multiple frequencies at the same time or is dropping the level to product the sub. I notice this most with the bass drum. Within the same song, it starts out strong and I’m actually somewhat surprised by the hit of the bass drum but then it seems to get softer through the song.

Thanks

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[Porpoise Hork]

Anything is possible if you got enough money. How much are you willing to spend?

One thing you can easily do to make a massive improvement to the mid-bass is install door block off plates from a vendor like Sounds Good Stereo.

 

[Spaced25]

Anything is possible if you got enough money. How much are you willing to spend?

One thing you can easily do to make a massive improvement to the mid-bass is install door block off plates from a vendor like Sounds Good Stereo.

I’m not willing to spend more than a few 100 considering I just bought the truck for almost 70k. Trying to brush off that frustration. The B&O in the 13th gen was great for my needs. I’m past the point of big stereo mods and upgrades. Been there and done that. I just don’t have the time or interest anymore.

Do the block off plates tighten up the mid bass? There appears to be more bass sent to the front compared to the old system. The old sub must have covered a wider frequency range.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

They do indeed as well as significantly enhance what the doors produce. The difference is night/day and worth every penny if you ask me. They won't make it boom like you have a pair of 12's with a 1K watt mono amp driving them, but they do make you realize just how much mid-bass you were missing without them. You can just do the fronts to start with and add the rears later. That's what I did. Before installing the plates I was seriously considering adding a small 8" sub to mine even after upgrading the doors but decided to do the door plates first. That was nearly two years ago and still have not added a sub to my non-B&O. I wouldn't be surprised at all if you install the door plates and decide that you don't need to mess with the sub afterwards.

As for the sound stage Ford definitely biased it to the front and if you adjust the F/R fade a few clicks to the rear it makes a significant improvement to the overall sound stage.

 

[Spaced25]

Can anyone with either version of the 14th gen B&O comment on the improvement with block off plates?

Also, related to my original question, is the frequency information per speaker available to know if swapping subs would help? I know that’s only part of the equation. It’s almost like there’s a range missing entirely.

The system is so treble heavy I can’t imagine how bad the unleashed sounds with more tweeters. Folks at B&O should be embarrassed over this one.

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