B&O….Oh No!

[Chili]

I ordered a 302a with B&O but I can't give you any opinions on it yet. If I didn't have kids I would have skipped it for the base system with a set of front speakers and a small sub, but I don't have the time to replace speakers anymore. I'm ok with my fully base 2020 XLT system, it just lacks clarity and it doesn't get loud before distorting.. If it sounds as good as my base 2020 system with more clarity and a smidge more volume I'll be happy.

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[RyanStroeder]

I have B&O unleashed and also am an audiophile. it is very disappointing. The way all the B&O systems send information to the speakers makes upgrading them very expensive. I wish I had gotten the base system and then upgraded to aftermarket speakers and amplifier for a reasonable price. Much better use of money. The ceiling and in headrest speakers are a total gimmick and the "subwoofer" (which isn't a subwoofer) is a joke. stay with normal speakers....

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Ahhhh, I get it! Thank you!

So, question remains. Is the B&O 8 Speaker version option on XLT really worth it relative to base system for a non-audiophile?

Thanks again.

I'm not an audiophile either, but I do like the sound system to well sound nice.

The stock sound in the F150 XLT leaves a little to be desired. I went from a 20 Ranger Lariat with B&O and the XLT is really lacking. Especially in clarity and mid-bass. To rectify this I went with 6.75" Kicker CS and DS two ways in the doors. This alone made a HUGE improvement over the stock speakers and only took a couple hours to install myself. Spent about 140 at Crutchfield for them with wiring kits and mounting rings included. Low end still is lacking just a little bit but I'm not ready to drop 600 on the Ford 8" Kicker sub upgrade for it just yet. All in all what I spent on it so far was worth every penny. It almost sounds as good as the Ranger did with just upgrading the doors.

On a sub-note, to my surprise when I pulled the rear door speakers out the magnets were absolutely tiny. At best the magnets are 1.25-1..5" in diameter. No wonder the stock XLT sounded like crap to me.

 

[fwunder]

Great tips!! Thank you!

I'm not an audiophile either, but I do like the sound system to well sound nice.

The stock sound in the F150 XLT leaves a little to be desired. I went from a 20 Ranger Lariat with B&O and the XLT is really lacking. Especially in clarity and mid-bass. To rectify this I went with 6.75" Kicker CS and DS two ways in the doors. This alone made a HUGE improvement over the stock speakers and only took a couple hours to install myself. Spent about 140 at Crutchfield for them with wiring kits and mounting rings included. Low end still is lacking just a little bit but I'm not ready to drop 600 on the Ford 8" Kicker sub upgrade for it just yet. All in all what I spent on it so far was worth every penny. It almost sounds as good as the Ranger did with just upgrading the doors.

On a sub-note, to my surprise when I pulled the rear door speakers out the magnets were absolutely tiny. At best the magnets are 1.25-1..5" in diameter. No wonder the stock XLT sounded like crap to me.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Great tips!! Thank you!

Anytime sir.

If you do decide to skip the B&O and upgrade the factory speakers, be sure to get these as well. You don't need this stuff but it helps.

Road Kill RKFR6 3 Piece Foam Speaker Enhancer System Kit
Speaker Gasket Tape
Tesa 51608, 15m X 19mm Adhesive Wiring Loom Cloth Tape
Sound deadening mat

For the front doors the foam disks will need to be cut to fit between the door skin and window. They also do not line up perfectly due to a horizontal ridge that's right behind the speaker. Either cut the disk and place it above/below the bar or If you have a sheet of sound deadening mat cut down a 2" wide by 8" long strip for the bar. Then a 6X6 square for the area above it. This will improve mid-bass by killing the reflections off the inside of the door skin. The rear doors don't have this bar and there's enough room that the disks don't need to be cut. The gasket tape is used between the speaker and mounting plate, as well as the plate and door skin to eliminate rattles. Use the Tesa tape to wrap the wiring up so it doesn't rattle against the door skin or door.

 

[fwunder]

Wow, thanks! Are these the speakers you speak of?

Kicker 43DSC6704



https://www.crutchfield.com/S-AJ1N5euJXNU/p_206DSC6704/Kicker-43DSC6704.html

Anytime sir.

If you do decide to skip the B&O and upgrade the factory speakers, be sure to get these as well. You don't need this stuff but it helps.

Road Kill RKFR6 3 Piece Foam Speaker Enhancer System Kit
Speaker Gasket Tape
Tesa 51608, 15m X 19mm Adhesive Wiring Loom Cloth Tape
Sound deadening mat

For the front doors the foam disks will need to be cut to fit between the door skin and window. They also do not line up perfectly due to a horizontal ridge that's right behind the speaker. Either cut the disk and place it above/below the bar or If you have a sheet of sound deadening mat cut down a 2" wide by 8" long strip for the bar. Then a 6X6 square for the area above it. This will improve mid-bass by killing the reflections off the inside of the door skin. The rear doors don't have this bar and there's enough room that the disks don't need to be cut. The gasket tape is used between the speaker and mounting plate, as well as the plate and door skin to eliminate rattles. Use the Tesa tape to wrap the wiring up so it doesn't rattle against the door skin or door.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Wow, thanks! Are these the speakers you speak of?

Kicker 43DSC6704



https://www.crutchfield.com/S-AJ1N5euJXNU/p_206DSC6704/Kicker-43DSC6704.html

I went with the DS 6704 on the fronts and the 46CSC674's in the rear. The decision to go with the CS-674's in the rear is they list a minimum 10w RMS and are perfect for low power applications like rear channel factory speaker locations where they don't get a lot of power from OEM head units. Both stets will also run 100w RMS all day long if an aftermarket amp is installed. But honestly unless you're wanting A LOT of volume these do fabulously just off the head unit's output.

The only other thing to note is you will need to drill a hole in the adapter rings for the wiring and seal it up with some silicone. Also the screws that come with the speakers are a touch too small for the adapter rings intended for the rear doors.

 

[fwunder]

Great! Thank you again! Now I just have to wait to get a production schedule for my new truck.

I went with the DS 6704 on the fronts and the 46CSC674's in the rear. The decision to go with the CS-674's in the rear is they list a minimum 10w RMS and are perfect for low power applications like rear channel factory speaker locations where they don't get a lot of power from OEM head units. Both stets will also run 100w RMS all day long if an aftermarket amp is installed. But honestly unless you're wanting A LOT of volume these do fabulously just off the head unit's output.

The only other thing to note is you will need to drill a hole in the adapter rings for the wiring and seal it up with some silicone. Also the screws that come with the speakers are a touch too small for the adapter rings intended for the read doors.

 

[Chili]

I've heard people complain the B&O center channel is too bright. Seems like an inline high powered resistor should lower the volume of that speaker for minimal investment. Does anyone have any details on the impedance of the B&O speakers? I've also heard they're more difficult to replace but I'm not sure why, built in EQ may effect the final result or if the impedance is really low like the 2 ohm speakers Bose would use that would make it tougher to get volume out of aftermarket speakers. They do make 3 ohm options now though.

 

[Snakebitten]

So now the conversation is suggested aftermarket systems.
You can't compair any of the oem F150 systems to aftermarket. Of course aftermarket will out perform.

But if you have no intention to go to aftermarket and the question is does the unleashed system sound better than the not-unleashed, or does the B&O not unleashed sound better than the base system...... I would say yes to both.

If you have really good source material, like the B&O demo music on the USB stick that your salesman has, you can hear the oem system at its best. Of course most folks wouldn't want to go through the trouble of feeding the system good source material all the time, but it definitely makes a difference.

 

[jeffrt]

I have the base B&O system in my Lariat, and I'm very happy with it. Not sure how it compares to a current base XLT system, but for $600 I don't have to worry about trying to upgrade it at all. Definitely better than my base system in my previous 2010 XLT.

 

[RellIk&5]

I've heard people complain the B&O center channel is too bright. Seems like an inline high powered resistor should lower the volume of that speaker for minimal investment. Does anyone have any details on the impedance of the B&O speakers? I've also heard they're more difficult to replace but I'm not sure why, built in EQ may effect the final result or if the impedance is really low like the 2 ohm speakers Bose would use that would make it tougher to get volume out of aftermarket speakers. They do make 3 ohm options now though.

Center is 4ohm. I replaced mine with this: Dayton Audio PS65LP-4 6-1/2" Ultra Efficient Low Profile Full-Range Driver 4 Ohm (parts-express.com). I bought the 72-5600 harness from Best Buy and snipped the tabs and the harness connector fit perfectly with the connector that was hooked to the OEM speaker.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

So now the conversation is suggested aftermarket systems.
You can't compair any of the oem F150 systems to aftermarket. Of course aftermarket will out perform.

But if you have no intention to go to aftermarket and the question is does the unleashed system sound better than the not-unleashed, or does the B&O not unleashed sound better than the base system...... I would say yes to both.

If you have really good source material, like the B&O demo music on the USB stick that your salesman has, you can hear the oem system at its best. Of course most folks wouldn't want to go through the trouble of feeding the system good source material all the time, but it definitely makes a difference.

Agreed.

I had zero complaints with the B&O system in the Ranger. Even with factory speakers it sounded fantastic. The only thing I did to that ultimately improved the mid-bass in it was adding sound deadening mat to the doors and back wall. That wasn't the intention either as I was trying to knock down some of the road noise and the mid-bass enhancement was an added benefit. It was just a big change in audio quality going from that to the plain system in the XLT F150 that It needed the upgrade. Had I been able to get a XLT or Lariat with the B&O installed I would have and then left it at that.

 

[SteveP150]

In the B&O Unleashed, which I have in my Lariat, the center is too loud for the rest of the system, and there isn't any way in the config to turn just that speaker down. Best option to correct seems to be setting the surround sound point centered slightly behind the front speakers. The resistor idea is an interesting one, not sure, I've never tried adding a resistor to speaker wiring.
Beyond that, I'm pretty happy with it, and I guess I'd call myself borderline audiophile, at least relative to home gear. Could you build a better system from scratch...probably...but it would almost certainly cost more, likely significantly more.

 

[AAWhyte]

Center is 4ohm. I replaced mine with this: Dayton Audio PS65LP-4 6-1/2" Ultra Efficient Low Profile Full-Range Driver 4 Ohm (parts-express.com). I bought the 72-5600 harness from Best Buy and snipped the tabs and the harness connector fit perfectly with the connector that was hooked to the OEM speaker.

What did this get you? Did it lower the brightness of the center speaker? Looking at doing ANYTHING to lower the center speaker output. I did see a post that someone just disconnected the center speaker and he said it sounds great now. I will be doing that this upcoming weekend and if it does sound much better I will leave it disconnected.

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