Checking to see what, if any upgrades people have done to their 2020 B&O sound system? I've read a few posts about speaker replacements...was that sufficient to improve sound quality and volume? My stock 2015 Sony system seemed to be much better all around, bass, volume and clarity. Looking for ideas if anyone has some. Let me know if you have done any of this yourself, or would you suggest that a reputable installer do the work. Not looking for anything crazy, just an upgrade to the overall quality...leaving the stock head unit in place. Perhaps just replacing the factory speakers? Thoughts?
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Audio Upgrades Anyone?
- Thread starter Vrybusy
- Start date
joshthedoc
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So I went down the rabbit hole on this one. I think the B&O is ok, but I wanted more clarity in the sound, I wanted it to be 'tighter' if that makes sense. I also didn't want to pull everything apart and add new electronics. There are several companies that do a plug and play option for the 250's.
One company that caught my eye was Focal, which is a French company that does high end audio. They now do high end plug and play vehicle specific speakers for our trucks. check the below link.
www.focal-inside.com
The IS Ford 690 are replacements for the A-pillar tweeters and the 6x9's in the front door. The IC Ford 165 are rear door replacements. I was told by an audio installer that the center dash channel is not worth the money for replacement as it has minimal audio, and it deals with the vehicle chimes and the like. The above link also briefly talks about passive subwoofers. I have to research this further to see if it will fit behind the rear seat as a plug and play.
The next audio upgrade would be installing sound deadening into the doors. This is a relatively cheap upgrade. The 'baffle' effect of the deadening will help to increase the sound quality even of the stock speakers. Why not do this if you're going to have the door panels off anyway. Crutchfield sells precut F/R door panels for $250. Check the link..
www.crutchfield.com
So where do I find this stuff?? I am so happy you asked that question.
1. Crutchfield
2. https://mtiacoustics.com/# These guys are out of Texas and they seem to be the guys in the know.
Good luck to all with this. Please chime in if you have any other ideas/insight.
One company that caught my eye was Focal, which is a French company that does high end audio. They now do high end plug and play vehicle specific speakers for our trucks. check the below link.
Ford F-250 | 2018 - 2020 | Focal Inside
Focal Inside offers Focal Plug & Play audio kits compatible with your Ford F-250 that will brighten up your journeys and days.
www.focal-inside.com
The IS Ford 690 are replacements for the A-pillar tweeters and the 6x9's in the front door. The IC Ford 165 are rear door replacements. I was told by an audio installer that the center dash channel is not worth the money for replacement as it has minimal audio, and it deals with the vehicle chimes and the like. The above link also briefly talks about passive subwoofers. I have to research this further to see if it will fit behind the rear seat as a plug and play.
The next audio upgrade would be installing sound deadening into the doors. This is a relatively cheap upgrade. The 'baffle' effect of the deadening will help to increase the sound quality even of the stock speakers. Why not do this if you're going to have the door panels off anyway. Crutchfield sells precut F/R door panels for $250. Check the link..
SoundSkins SSK-F2504DR
4-door sound-deadening package for 2017-2020 Ford SuperDuty Crew Cab trucks
www.crutchfield.com
So where do I find this stuff?? I am so happy you asked that question.
1. Crutchfield
2. https://mtiacoustics.com/# These guys are out of Texas and they seem to be the guys in the know.
Good luck to all with this. Please chime in if you have any other ideas/insight.
Thanks for the info. MTI in Texas seems to have a pretty good handle on a variety of packages. I'm stopping at a local install shop next week to see what they have to offer as well. They have done several and are aware of the B&O shortcomings as well as what is needed for the newer Superduty's.....so I'm told. We'll see. Thanks again!
joshthedoc
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Keep us in the loop!Thanks for the info. MTI in Texas seems to have a pretty good handle on a variety of packages. I'm stopping at a local install shop next week to see what they have to offer as well. They have done several and are aware of the B&O shortcomings as well as what is needed for the newer Superduty's.....so I'm told. We'll see. Thanks again!
Jtv107
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The MTI package looks good and has a fair price. Thanks for sharing.
Vigilance247
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Ford has a great system out of the box no need to go overboard.
Maybe just upgrade the door speakers and add a little more bass in the back.
You know just the basic upgrades like this
Maybe just upgrade the door speakers and add a little more bass in the back.
You know just the basic upgrades like this
strogg
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Nice tips on the audio upgrades. And thanks to the OP for bringing this up. I'm pretty disappointed by the B&O system as well, although I kinda expected it as B&O never impressed me from the getgo with any of their other offerings. The truck audio is bad enough I want an upgrade, but not bad enough for me to spend much money on it.
Focal is a pretty good company, and is considered one of the leading manufacturers for car audio. I don't think it's worth the money for the upgrade, though. Demoing it at a local audio shop left me unimpressed for the price. If it was half that, then I'd consider it.
I'll check out MTI at some point as well. Their stage 1 solution looks pretty enticing. I doubt I'd go higher. I am definitely an audio snob by nature, but good quality car audio is oddly low on my list of priorities.
In the meantime, I'll look at adding some sound deadening in the truck. It probably won't improve the audio all that much, but it will definitely reduce the outside noise coming in. To be fair, though, the truck has some pretty impressive sound deadening as it is, along with nearly no road noise coming in. Adding to the deadening should hopefully make it Rolls Royce level of quiet. That's my hope.
Focal is a pretty good company, and is considered one of the leading manufacturers for car audio. I don't think it's worth the money for the upgrade, though. Demoing it at a local audio shop left me unimpressed for the price. If it was half that, then I'd consider it.
I'll check out MTI at some point as well. Their stage 1 solution looks pretty enticing. I doubt I'd go higher. I am definitely an audio snob by nature, but good quality car audio is oddly low on my list of priorities.
In the meantime, I'll look at adding some sound deadening in the truck. It probably won't improve the audio all that much, but it will definitely reduce the outside noise coming in. To be fair, though, the truck has some pretty impressive sound deadening as it is, along with nearly no road noise coming in. Adding to the deadening should hopefully make it Rolls Royce level of quiet. That's my hope.
MilltownRover
Tremor Buff
Haven't done anything with the F250 yet, but I did use noico 80mil everywhere on the old 2500. Made a huge difference on the old beater just to get a clearer sound at lower volumes. Hard to reach areas (interior of door) I did with multiple coats of spray bed liner.
Deus
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In my teens I used to market or resell high end car audio speakers and damping products so I'm a bit opinionated. I promised my wife I wouldn't tear apart the Tremor like I did every other vehicle I've owned to tune up the audio (excepting the Ariel since the stereo/ac/heater are all directly connected to the right pedal.)
Definitely spend some time and money tuning up the front doors with damping mat, mass loaded vinyl, and foam mats. It really is incredible how effective that treatment is in tightening up the mid bass and overall sound. You cannot replicate the benefits from properly damped and sealed doors by spending more on amps or speakers. I will also say that you also cannot replicate the benefit of kick panel speakers or A pillar mid+tweets 3-way components but that is far more of a commitment.
The frustrating thing with the 'premium' B&O system is that it seems to require $250-$400 in parts to get a clean signal if you plan on adding amps. You end up paying more for a system that is more expensive to upgrade and is still on the low end.
The system I'm planning for my truck so far involves CDT or Morel front components, damped front doors, nothing done to the rear speakers (probably faded out unless the kids are watching something), and an MTI or similar box for a RE Audio SL12 sub with a 4x100 amp running the fronts + sub and a converter box to grab clean signal. Hoping to keep everything behind the rear seat and not eat into the under seat storage.
Definitely spend some time and money tuning up the front doors with damping mat, mass loaded vinyl, and foam mats. It really is incredible how effective that treatment is in tightening up the mid bass and overall sound. You cannot replicate the benefits from properly damped and sealed doors by spending more on amps or speakers. I will also say that you also cannot replicate the benefit of kick panel speakers or A pillar mid+tweets 3-way components but that is far more of a commitment.
The frustrating thing with the 'premium' B&O system is that it seems to require $250-$400 in parts to get a clean signal if you plan on adding amps. You end up paying more for a system that is more expensive to upgrade and is still on the low end.
The system I'm planning for my truck so far involves CDT or Morel front components, damped front doors, nothing done to the rear speakers (probably faded out unless the kids are watching something), and an MTI or similar box for a RE Audio SL12 sub with a 4x100 amp running the fronts + sub and a converter box to grab clean signal. Hoping to keep everything behind the rear seat and not eat into the under seat storage.
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