[How-To] FORScan Audio Mods

Hpr367

Before running the setup what were your settings on Bass Treble and Midrange. All three to the far left? Lol

I just hit the Reset button—which defaults them to the center if I recall correctly.

Thank you for your help! Greatly appreciated.

adcam

How does it sound when it is disabled?

Ford’s ecoboost engines all sound like garbage. Not sure which is worse.

Last question I promise. Lol. Replaced the dash and rears with Kicker KS Speakers. Replaced Kick Panel with 6 3/4 Ks speakers. Kicker Key 200.1 installed. Stinger tailgate Subwoofer with Kicker Key 500.1 Sub Amp. Wanting to make sure the only Forscan change is the 00 EQ delete.

Hpr367

Last question I promise. Lol. Replaced the dash and rears with Kicker KS Speakers. Replaced Kick Panel with 6 3/4 Ks speakers. Kicker Key 200.1 installed. Stinger tailgate Subwoofer with Kicker Key 500.1 Sub Amp. Wanting to make sure the only Forscan change is the 00 EQ delete.

If you have a 2021/2022... yes... the only thing you need to change is the EQ setting.

For 2023, it depends how you've wired your sub in and if you had the sub delete option or not. 2023MY has the cabling already in the vehicle for a subwoofer, regardless of whether you have one or not. So if you use that cabling to give your sub amplifier (the 500.1, in your case) a signal, you have to use Forscan to actually turn on that line.

RagnarKon

Yeah, I need someone to lend me their B&O Bronco for a few hours to figure it out.

So... if anyone in southern New England with the Lux package is willing to let me poke at their Bronco for a few hours... let me know. 😉

You could play with mine but I’m in VA.

RagnarKon

I've been getting a lot of DMs on how to correctly apply changes in FORScan to change the Bronco's audio system. So... since weather prevented me from doing what I wanted to do (install my subwoofer)... I opted to create a video on how to do it!

If you are interested in this sorta stuff, check out my other how-to guides:

• Factory Speaker Replacement
• Amplifier Installation

Note this video is for the Base sound system for 2021-2023 (and probably later). The B&O system included in the Lux package has a different configuration

TL;DW for those who know FORScan already—

EQ Settings - ACM 727-01-02

• xxYY-xxxx-xxxx
  • 00 = EQ Off
  • 01 = EQ On (High-pass filter on the rear pods)

Speaker Configuration Settings - ACM 727-01-01

• xxYx-xxxx-xxxx - Driver Front Kick Panel/Dash Speakers
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 1 - Tweeter
  • 2 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • 3 - No Speaker (ACM disable)
• xxxY-xxxx-xxxx - Passenger Front Kick Panel/Dash Speakers
  • 3 - Speaker
  • 7 - Tweeter
  • B - Speaker & Tweeter
  • F - No Speaker
• xxxx-Yxxx-xxxx - Passenger Rear Pod Speaker
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 1 - Tweeter
  • 2 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • 3 - No Speaker
• xxxx-xYxx-xxxx - Driver Rear Pod Speaker & Subwoofer
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 2 - Speaker & Sub
  • 4 - Tweeter
  • 6 - Tweeter & Sub
  • 8 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • A - Speaker, Tweeter, & Sub
  • C - No speaker
  • E - Sub only

OK I need to take another look at this. I re-installed my kicker key over the weekend and went back into FORScan. Made the following changes:

Turned EQ off
And in 01-01 went with: xx2B-28xx-xxxx
Keep in mind, the rear is 6.5" wakeboard speakers (2-way Infinity) and now the rear sounds quieter. I've had to fade even further back to get sound from the rear. All in all music sounds better with the amp, but I definitely had more sound from rear speakers before. Have any thoughts on this? Wondering if it has to do with needing to have EQ On (and the high pass filter to the rear).

EvlNvrDys

OK I need to take another look at this. I re-installed my kicker key over the weekend and went back into FORScan. Made the following changes:

Turned EQ off
And in 01-01 went with: xx2B-28xx-xxxx
Keep in mind, the rear is 6.5" wakeboard speakers (2-way Infinity) and now the rear sounds quieter. I've had to fade even further back to get sound from the rear. All in all music sounds better with the amp, but I definitely had more sound from rear speakers before. Have any thoughts on this? Wondering if it has to do with needing to have EQ On (and the high pass filter to the rear).

Try xx2B-00xx-xxxx and report back what you find.

I don't have 6.5" speakers in the back so can't try it myself. I have a hunch that the Speaker/Tweeter setup changes the output assuming a 2Ω load rather than a 4Ω load. 2Ω loads will sound louder, so I wouldn't be surprised if Ford has the gain set lower for the speaker/tweeter setup. BUT, just a hunch... could be wrong.

To answer the question... the factory EQ does slightly lower the front audio volume, probably because the front speakers are directly in front of your face. But, it shouldn't be an issue for you in the end—the Kicker Key 200.4 has gain control, so you should be able to raise the rear pod volume without impacting the front pods.

RagnarKon

Try xx2B-00xx-xxxx and report back what you find.

I don't have 6.5" speakers in the back so can't try it myself. I have a hunch that the Speaker/Tweeter setup changes the output assuming a 2Ω load rather than a 4Ω load. 2Ω loads will sound louder, so I wouldn't be surprised if Ford has the gain set lower for the speaker/tweeter setup. BUT, just a hunch... could be wrong.

To answer the question... the factory EQ does slightly lower the front audio volume, probably because the front speakers are directly in front of your face. But, it should be an issue for you in the end—the Kicker Key 200.4 has gain control, so you should be able to raise the rear pod volume without impacting the front pods.

After the changes I listed above, the front ended up sounding louder and generally better. I actually now have better bass from the kick panel and don't see a need to add in a sub at this time. The rears definitely dropped in volume and I prefer to be surrounded in music rather than just hear it in front of me.

I'll give what you posted a try and let you know what I get from it. Might have to wait a few days as I've been using my brother in laws ODBII with FORScan.

RagnarKon

Try xx2B-00xx-xxxx and report back what you find.

I don't have 6.5" speakers in the back so can't try it myself. I have a hunch that the Speaker/Tweeter setup changes the output assuming a 2Ω load rather than a 4Ω load. 2Ω loads will sound louder, so I wouldn't be surprised if Ford has the gain set lower for the speaker/tweeter setup. BUT, just a hunch... could be wrong.

To answer the question... the factory EQ does slightly lower the front audio volume, probably because the front speakers are directly in front of your face. But, it shouldn't be an issue for you in the end—the Kicker Key 200.4 has gain control, so you should be able to raise the rear pod volume without impacting the front pods.

Guess what? No luck. I made the new changes. Rear speakers are only slightly louder, but still very quiet. My little 4" speakers in the dash blow the rear 6.5" speakers (Infinity) away. I would have thought that the amp would at least make them sound better, but it doesn't.

Really starting to think I need to get the JBL flash to fix this issue. WTF.

EvlNvrDys

Guess what? No luck. I made the new changes. Rear speakers are only slightly louder, but still very quiet. My little 4" speakers in the dash blow the rear 6.5" speakers (Infinity) away. I would have thought that the amp would at least make them sound better, but it doesn't.

Really starting to think I need to get the JBL flash to fix this issue. WTF.

If you haven't already check the gain on the Kicker Key 200.4. There are two gain knobs on it. Make sure your front speakers are set to the lowest value and then you can raise the gain on the rear speakers until they are more balanced with the front.

I had to turn my rear pods a higher simply because the front dash speakers are literally in front of your face and blow everything away. Still not 100% happy with it, but I got more parts coming that should help fix the issue (maybe).

I will check that out later this week. Thanks.

EvlNvrDys

I will check that out later this week. Thanks.

The gain makes a large difference even without the Forscan mod, it will really wake up those back speakers. I did the 6.5 rear pods too, as well as Infinity front dash speakers and the 200.4 amp. The fronts will only take a little gain before they start to clip as indicated by the LED lights on the 200.4 amp. The rears will take a lot more especially with the 6.5s, about up to 1/2 way I found out.
I still plan to do the Forscan mod, but my only laptop is company owned and they frown on me installing outside software so I decided to wait and buy a new personal laptop to do the Forscan mods.

RagnarKon

If you haven't already check the gain on the Kicker Key 200.4. There are two gain knobs on it. Make sure your front speakers are set to the lowest value and then you can raise the gain on the rear speakers until they are more balanced with the front.

I had to turn my rear pods a higher simply because the front dash speakers are literally in front of your face and blow everything away. Still not 100% happy with it, but I got more parts coming that should help fix the issue (maybe).

@RagnarKon & @Nminus1 , you 2 are geniuses, I set the gain on the right (rear speakers), had to fiddle for a little bit to know send too much bass to the rears but that worked out perfectly. Now I have way more sound to the rear.

Brings me to my next question, I have the kicker key up above my glove box. Went out to adjust this after I got home (45 minute drive), that amp was hot as hell. Any suggestions to cool it down?

EvlNvrDys

@RagnarKon & @Nminus1 , you 2 are geniuses, I set the gain on the right (rear speakers), had to fiddle for a little bit to know send too much bass to the rears but that worked out perfectly. Now I have way more sound to the rear.

Brings me to my next question, I have the kicker key up above my glove box. Went out to adjust this after I got home (45 minute drive), that amp was hot as hell. Any suggestions to cool it down?

Stop listening to rap music. LOL. JK
I have mine installed under the steering wheel, behind the brace, it makes it so easy to get to..(literally 30 seconds with cordless tools) I hope that is helping as a heat sink as well as not being so buried deep in the dash with no air flow, but now you have me curious. So next time I come home I will open up the dash and see how warm my 200.4 amp is, and let you guys know. I can send pics or a video but RK did his like mine, I think he showed a video, mine is 180 from his so I can to get to the gain screws from the left/drivers side...

EvlNvrDys

@RagnarKon & @Nminus1 , you 2 are geniuses, I set the gain on the right (rear speakers), had to fiddle for a little bit to know send too much bass to the rears but that worked out perfectly. Now I have way more sound to the rear.

Brings me to my next question, I have the kicker key up above my glove box. Went out to adjust this after I got home (45 minute drive), that amp was hot as hell. Any suggestions to cool it down?

Nminus1

Stop listening to rap music. LOL. JK
I have mine installed under the steering wheel, behind the brace, it makes it so easy to get to..(literally 30 seconds with cordless tools) I hope that is helping as a heat sink as well as not being so buried deep in the dash with no air flow, but now you have me curious. So next time I come home I will open up the dash and see how warm my 200.4 amp is, and let you guys know. I can send pics or a video but RK did his like mine, I think he showed a video, mine is 180 from his so I can to get to the gain screws from the left/drivers side...

Yeah mine is in the same spot @Nminus1 is describing. Video here. I would assume it acts as a fairly decent heat sink, but hard to know for sure how effective it is.

Part of the problem is the front dash speakers and the front kick panel speakers are wired in parallel, which means the Kicker Key 200.4 sees a 2Ω load. The Kicker Key 200.4 is only rated for a 4Ω or higher load, so using the factory wiring we are actually pulling more current from the Kicker Key 200.4 than it was designed to handle.

This will probably never be an issue, particularly if you use a bass blocker on the dash speakers. But it may be a reason why your Kicker is so toasty after a road trip.

I personally was not concerned about it, as I'm not the type of person who listens music loudly—it is rare I have the Bronco turned up beyond the "10" on the volume control. BUT, now that we're about a month away from the start of summer, I want to be able to blast the tunes with the top off. I have a wiring harness sitting on my desk next to me that I've modified so the factory speakers are wired in series rather than parallel. This will allow the amplifier to see an 8Ω load rather than a 2Ω load, which should help it run MUCH cooler. But wiring speakers in series often impacts quality, as one speaker will impact the output of the other speaker. So I'll have to experiment with it a bit.

Won't have time to test it out this weekend, as I'll be at the BONES event. But hopefully by next weekend I'll have some insights to share.

Nminus1

Stop listening to rap music. LOL. JK
I have mine installed under the steering wheel, behind the brace, it makes it so easy to get to..(literally 30 seconds with cordless tools) I hope that is helping as a heat sink as well as not being so buried deep in the dash with no air flow, but now you have me curious. So next time I come home I will open up the dash and see how warm my 200.4 amp is, and let you guys know. I can send pics or a video but RK did his like mine, I think he showed a video, mine is 180 from his so I can to get to the gain screws from the left/drivers side...

Ha ha, that's funny.... not 😂

I definitely crank up the 80's metal though, lots of double bass.

I'll have to try to 3D print a mount for my amp to see if I can get some better airflow around that thing.

And maybe if @RagnarKon feels froggy, he can make new wiring harnesses for the rest of us and we can separate the front speakers from kick panel to try and cool it down.

@RagnarKon - installed 4” Kicker KS front and rear in ‘21 6-speaker system. Added 300hz filter to dash speakers only. Sound amazing! I may return the kick panel KS’s because it sounds pretty good up front as-is.

Figured I wouldn’t put the bass blocker on the rear speakers, and they sound very tiny.

I don’t plan to add a sub or amp.

I was thinking 2 things to improve 4” rear sound:
1. Forscan turn EQ off
2. For scan change rears to speaker/tweeter.

What do you think?

RagnarKon

I've been getting a lot of DMs on how to correctly apply changes in FORScan to change the Bronco's audio system. So... since weather prevented me from doing what I wanted to do (install my subwoofer)... I opted to create a video on how to do it!

If you are interested in this sorta stuff, check out my other how-to guides:

• Factory Speaker Replacement
• Amplifier Installation

Note this video is for the Base sound system for 2021-2023 (and probably later). The B&O system included in the Lux package has a different configuration

TL;DW for those who know FORScan already—

EQ Settings - ACM 727-01-02

• xxYY-xxxx-xxxx
  • 00 = EQ Off
  • 01 = EQ On (High-pass filter on the rear pods)

Speaker Configuration Settings - ACM 727-01-01

• xxYx-xxxx-xxxx - Driver Front Kick Panel/Dash Speakers
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 1 - Tweeter
  • 2 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • 3 - No Speaker (ACM disable)
• xxxY-xxxx-xxxx - Passenger Front Kick Panel/Dash Speakers
  • 3 - Speaker
  • 7 - Tweeter
  • B - Speaker & Tweeter
  • F - No Speaker
• xxxx-Yxxx-xxxx - Passenger Rear Pod Speaker
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 1 - Tweeter
  • 2 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • 3 - No Speaker
• xxxx-xYxx-xxxx - Driver Rear Pod Speaker & Subwoofer
  • 0 - Speaker
  • 2 - Speaker & Sub
  • 4 - Tweeter
  • 6 - Tweeter & Sub
  • 8 - Speaker & Tweeter
  • A - Speaker, Tweeter, & Sub
  • C - No speaker
  • E - Sub only

Just finished the EQ delete using Forscan. Really does make a difference with the Kicker 200.4 Amp. Only problem I had was trying to use the free service download. It would not allow changes to the ACM. I ended up downloading the 1 year subscription for $12. Worked perfectly with the paid subscription. Dealership wanted $195 to do what I did in 5 minutes. Will be installing my Stinger tailgate Sub this week. Thanks again for your help!

New laptop delivered. Will update my results once the rear Forscan EQ mod is done. I highly recommend the 300 ohm bass blockers on the front speakers once you upgrade them, 4" speakers cannot handle much bass. Easy mod just crimp/solder them in on the positive lead for each speaker.