My Adventures in Upgrading the Subwoofer and Center Speaker

[Frank 60th Anniv. Mustang]

I'm staying with the stock amp. I don't want to upgrade the amp and end up with problems. I just don't know this B&O system well enough to modify it and not screw something up.

My theory is the lower wattage sub will be more sensitive to the power that's there. I spent over an hour trying to find out the actual sub wattage allocation, and while there's no solid number, it's estimated 100-200W is allocated to the sub and no more.

Though in theory they say a speaker can't be too high a wattage rating for the amp, it feels like dropping a pebble in a pond trying to push 100 amps into a 1300W sub.

As of now the Pioneer sub is clearer than OEM, but no thump at all. I figure for $50 it's worth a shot to try a lower wattage sub and see if it makes better use of the limited stock amp power.

The new sub is ordered and I'll find out the hard way if my theory is right and will post results, good or bad...here next week.

Stay tuned....lol.

I ordered the DD SW10A-D4.
Subwoofer Comparison on Factory Amp

• • DD Audio SW10A-D4:
    • Sensitivity: ~86 dB (1W/1M) – Highly efficient, meaning it converts low factory wattage into much higher volume without straining.
    • Performance: Delivers punchy, hard-hitting bass that easily outperforms the thin stock paper speaker on stock power.
  • Pioneer (e.g., TS-A250D4 / TS-D10D4):
    • Sensitivity: ~74–76 dB (1W/1M) – Very low efficiency.
    • Performance: While it provides a tighter, crisper sound than the stock cone, it requires significantly more power to come alive. Running it purely off the weak factory B&O amp can leave it feeling quiet or underpowered unless paired with an external mono amp.

Factory B&O Subwoofer Wattage

• • Power Output: Ford and B&O market the total system at 1,000 watts, but the dedicated sub channel from the factory amplifier supplies only an estimated 100 watts RMS max.
  • Impedance: The factory enclosure houses a dual voice coil setup wired at 4 ohms per coil (or a low-ohm load handled by the factory DSP), which is why dual 4-ohm (D4) aftermarket replacements like the DD or Pioneer match the wiring layout mechanically.
  Hope this helps everyone. I haven't installed it yet, but for $135 total on Amazon with wire harness and polyfil, not sure if I can go wrong.

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[Starship Enterprise]

Some great info! It all goes along with my theory. The sub I am about to put in is only 200W RMS and also 86 db sensitivity. It's sitting here waiting to go, but waiting for my bad back to feel better enough to do it. It's the Hifonics HFX10D4

I got the Pioneer at first based on so many recommendations here, but feel pumping 100W into a 1300W sub is way too much of a mismatch.

 

[Junkyard Dog]

I ordered the DD SW10A-D4.

So this says 600W.

The post after yours says only 100W go to the rear subwoofer.

Is this an issue? Is it worthwhile paying attention to these numbers or no, and why or why not?

(sorry, not a stereo guy, I have not installed aftermarket stuff since the 1980s)

 

[System]

Wattage listed on a sub is the max it can safely handle. There are generally 2 numbers. RMS and max. RMS is how much a sub can continually handle in regular use. Max is what it can handle for a brief burst. That said, these numbers aren't what you would be looking for when considering a lower powered amp like the stock amp in the Mustang. The important number there is sensitivity. The higher the sensitivity number, the louder a sub driver will play with less power.

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