Super Center channel - B&O Unbalanced

[ReverendQ]

Common issue with the B&O systems.......both the regular and the Unleashed. Swap out the rear door 2-way speaker with some aftermarket ones for a vast improvement over the stock ones; just don't get speakers what require high wattage so the stock system can power them accordingly.

In my case, I removed the the rear 2-way speakers and added components to the rear doors. I also bought another set of components to replace the front door speaker and a-pillar tweeter. It made a HUGE difference. I can hear my rear door speakers now and the sound stage is a lot more balanced. The front speakers and center channel are still dominant, but you can hear the rear door speakers without playing with the balance.

@rugedraw , Please suggest some speakers to add that don't require a new Amp but are improvements over the stock B&O (not unleashed) system? Or point me to the thread of opinions

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[rugedraw]

@rugedraw , Please suggest some speakers to add that don't require a new Amp but are improvements over the stock B&O (not unleashed) system? Or point me to the thread of opinions

I used these:

https://www.massiveaudio.com/products/emk6-v2-6-5-inch-125-watts-component-kit-speakers

This is not a direct replacement for the factory system, though. The front doors have 6x9" and these are 6.5", so an adapter will need to be used to fit these in the front doors. The rear doors are 6.5", but they are two-way speakers with the tweeter built in. I bought these with a separate tweeter and had the tweeter mounted on the rear door above the factory speaker grill location.

if you want to do a factory replacement, you would need one-way 6x9 door speakers for the front and a separate tweeter (if you want to replace the tweeter in the a-pillar) and 6.5" two-way speakers for the rear door.

If I had to do it over again, I would get speakers that a) require less wattage than these and b) speakers that are a direct replacement of the factory ones. I think I spent more money than I needed to (as far as the install goes) by getting creative with separate tweeters and adapters, etc.

 

[KYT]

https://www.ford.com/support/how-to...sync/android-auto-frequently-asked-questions/


What are the device requirements?
The device requirements depend on the type of connection being used:

Wireless connection:
Google or Samsung®*** smartphones with Android 10.0
Samsung Galaxy S8®, Galaxy S8+®, and Note 9® (all using Android 9.0)
Other Android™ smartphones with Android 11.0 and 5GHz Wi‑Fi

USB connection: Android phones running Android 6.0 or higher, with an active data plan

¯\(°_o)/¯

@Popplemer despite what Ford says, I tried this morning to for AA to use USB and not wifi; I was unsuccessful. I was using a USB cable that was connected inside the center armrest thing, so I don't know if that makes a difference? maybe only the one by the charging pad is capable for this purpose or not. But using USB from the armrest location, if I turned off wifi on my phone, AA would disconnect and tell me AA was available. If I turned off wifi and removed USB, it was regular bluetooth as you'd expect. If I connect the USB back, my phone would say AA was available again and to check my radio/console, which didn't provide any notification, however, when I went into the Phone List and pushed the AA button for my phone, it cause my phone to start wifi again and AA came back.

This seems like a half-baked asinine implementation to me. If I have to have my phone on USB power because AA will murder my battery, then just use the USB cable and be done with it! What even is the point of wireless AA then?

 

[Popplemer]

@Popplemer despite what Ford says, I tried this morning to for AA to use USB and not wifi; I was unsuccessful. I was using a USB cable that was connected inside the center armrest thing, so I don't know if that makes a difference? maybe only the one by the charging pad is capable for this purpose or not. But using USB from the armrest location, if I turned off wifi on my phone, AA would disconnect and tell me AA was available. If I turned off wifi and removed USB, it was regular bluetooth as you'd expect. If I connect the USB back, my phone would say AA was available again and to check my radio/console, which didn't provide any notification, however, when I went into the Phone List and pushed the AA button for my phone, it cause my phone to start wifi again and AA came back.

This seems like a half-baked asinine implementation to me. If I have to have my phone on USB power because AA will murder my battery, then just use the USB cable and be done with it! What even is the point of wireless AA then?

I believe just the lit up outlets under the climate controls are for AA. I'm not by my truck but I'd start by plugging in there and checking again.

 

[astro_fusion]

Also a big help with sound quality is to use the equalizer in the Spotify app on your phone. There is also a volume output and if you set it to loud, it will help normalize all your radio volumes better. You have to be disconnected from AA to make these changes in Spotify, but they stick when you reconnect.

 

[KYT]

Also a big help with sound quality is to use the equalizer in the Spotify app on your phone. There is also a volume output and if you set it to loud, it will help normalize all your radio volumes better. You have to be disconnected from AA to make these changes in Spotify, but they stick when you reconnect.

I usually leave the Spotify EQ off, or if I have to, on Flat, because the Miata has Bose and it d**ks everything up. I hate Bose... Listening to Bose is like the video game character Rayman. It's just a head, hands, torso and feet, with nothing in-between to hold it together. So in the Miata, if you EQ anything greater than 0, Bose causes it to be over-saturated and just bad. But, I'm willing to give just about anything a try at least once. Whatever EQ curves B&O is using does not sound flat to me, which is what they should have done, IMO. Whatever, they didn't ask my opinion, or things would have been different I can tell ya that ;P

I believe just the lit up outlets under the climate controls are for AA. I'm not by my truck but I'd start by plugging in there and checking again.

I'm near mine, I can go give it a shot right quick. I'll even take a "good" USB-C cord with me so no one can complain about that.

 

[rugedraw]

@KYT It has to be the USB plug in the dash. The one under the armrest is only for charging. I used wired AA only for music streaming and I use Qobuz for lossless audio. Sounds great.

 

[KYT]

I have an Asus Zenfone 9
I used the Asus USB-C/USB-C charging cord in the front bin ports :: AA works via USB with wifi off
I used some other USB-A/USB-C cord in the front bin ports :: AA works via USB with wifi off
I used my regular USB-A/magnetic-C thingy on the same port :: AA works via USB with wifi off

So seems like you'd be correct, using the right port works. And you could USB instead of WiFi.
Including screenshot for evidence of WiFi being disabled.

 

[rugedraw]

Yea, wired is the way to go. It's more bothersome to deal with bluetooth quality issues than it is to just plug the phone in for a sec when you get in the truck.

 

[KYT]

Yea, wired is the way to go. It's more bothersome to deal with bluetooth quality issues than it is to just plug the phone in for a sec when you get in the truck.

Assuming I'm using the correct USB port for the connection, would the head unit prefer USB if available over wifi? is that configurable somewhere if not?

 

[rugedraw]

Assuming I'm using the correct USB port for the connection, would the head unit prefer USB if available over wifi? is that configurable somewhere if not?

I am inclined to say yes. Only because when I am ready to exit my truck, if I unplug the phone, the music cuts off.

 

[Popplemer]

Assuming I'm using the correct USB port for the connection, would the head unit prefer USB if available over wifi? is that configurable somewhere if not?

I had a minute to check the truck. Check out the wireless app projection. See pictures. I think this menu is the one you want to disable to force usb only AA.

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