S650 Aftermarket Sound System

[LETHAL]

Lower door speakers are two ways. Those are your missing two speakers.

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[BrianJ77]

Although I couldn't crank up the volume when I looked at a S650 at the local dealer (it was on the showroom floor and I didn't want to be rude) I was able to listen to the 12 speaker sound system at a modest volume. The clarity and depth is there, but I confess I didn't get the volume to a level where the sub in the trunk would start thumping. After reading mixed reviews of the sound system it seems like its ear of the beholder on this audio system. For me, if the factory sound system isn't up to the task I still have the AVE I can open up for the best driving music a Mustang owner can ask for....the Coyote singing its song like a siren at sea as we carve through the canyons and mountains.

The 5 liter Coyote...that's the most important sound system to me.

 

[DevilDog]

For those who are not stereo connoisseurs (I must not be) and who just want a decent stereo, the B&O has been very acceptable by my wife and me. We have a GT convertible, so there is quite a bit of noise going down the interstate at 70mph with the top down, and you can still clearly hear the music and words along with the bass. I don't know how it compares to the base stereo, and I have never had a high end aftermarket stereo, so maybe I don't know what I am missing. But the B&O is serving me well. But like people have said, you just need to go test drive the cars with different stereos to see if there are good enough for you.

The Beach Boys sound good on any stereo to me.

 

[Dudie7]

Gotta watch this thread. I have the base system and I think I am gonna try and upgrade it a bit.

 

[Stangerous]

To say that the new B&O sound system in the 2024 Mustang GT Premium wasn’t very impressive would be an understatement. I was hoping that Ford stepped it up with all of the new electronic enhancements in the S650 but they did not. This system is basic to say the least and does little to excite you. No DSP and a basic 3 level eq for bass, mids, and highs. It would have been nice to have a separate adjustment for the subwoofer but it does not.

The only positive would be clarity. I did not hear any distortion and/or clipping at any volume. Again, the volume level does little to impress but it’s clear.

Metra, Scosche, PAC Audio, none of the manufactures are making wiring harnesses for the S650 yet. I am sure it won’t be long but as of this post they have nothing. Eventually I would like to replace all of the speakers in the S650 but for now I will just add subs and an amp.

For the most part it’s just like any S550 installation. A few of the trim panels are different but similar enough. One big difference, while not affecting the install, was no more battery box. The new battery is out in the open. See picture below:

I tapped into the factory subwoofer wiring for the input into the AudioControl LC2i Pro Line Output Converter. This will provide the desired low frequencies for the subwoofer amp. The factory sub is a dual voice coil sub with what I thought was left and right inputs. After playing around with fading on the screen and testing with a meter, I discovered that both of the voice coils of the factory subwoofer are feed with the same mono input. What does that mean? It means that you only need to tap into one of the pairs and not both. Here are some pictures of the factory subwoofer.

The bass roll off in the factory B&O system starts at volume level 22. You will hear no increase in bass out of the subwoofer after volume level 22. That is where the AccuBASE feature of the AudioControl LC2i Pro Line Output Converter comes into play. It will fill in the subwoofer bass after volume level 22.

I did not reconnect the factory sub. I just bolted it back into the factory spot so that you wouldn’t see the ugly cut outs in the carpet.

I also placed sound deadening material all around the trunk area to avoid any unwanted rattles and improve overall sound quality.

Here is a picture of the install:

I wish I would have taken more pictures during the install but at the time I was not thinking about writing a thread. Overall, the install was pretty easy with only a few issues.

Important take aways:

• You only need to tap into 1 of the leads feeding the factory dual voice coil subwoofer. Tap into the wiring behind the factory plug so that you can actually remove the factory sub box without affecting your connection.
• Run power and ground just like any S550 install.
• Bass roll off is at volume level 22 on the B&O system.
• Despite all the added sound deadening material, the rear deck lid behind the back seat rattled really bad! I had to resort to stuffing the cavity with scrap pieces of felt to stop.
• The deck lid behind the rear seats is a pain to remove with little room to maneuver. You have to first remove the two side panels between the window and deck lid. The deck lid is slotted and 2 prongs from these panels go into the deck lid. The deck lid also has 3 blue retaining pins holding it to the sheet metal. One left, one right, and one center. Easy enough to access from below but tricky to squeeze and push through. You also need to remove and/or loosen the side panels beside the back seats. This will give you access to remove the seat belt strap from the plastic guides built into the rear deck lid. Once you have all this removed, you can finally slide out the rear deck lid (plastic piece). Be careful when removing the deck lid!!! It will want to catch and snag the wires feeding the rear defroster. I almost pulled mine loose from the window. You can actually remove the wires from the terminals on the window first if needed.

Here is a list of the material used in the install:

Skar Audio SKv2-1500.1D Amplifier

2 Rockford Fosgate P3D2-12 Subwoofers

AudioControl LC2i Pro Line Output Converter w/ Remote

Stinger SSCap2M 2 Farad Digital Capacitor

Stinger SPD512 PRO Series Power Distribution T-Block

Stinger 1/0 Gauge Amp Kit (SK4201)

Dynamat sound deadening material

XS Power D4700 Battery

Lol, that’s no subwoofer that’s a waffle cone. I gotta say, I drove the 2023 Lariat for a few weeks It had the B & O extreme 18 speaker system in it and it sounded really nice. If my Mustang sounded half that good there would be no need for an upgrade.

 

[RJV15]

Had my B&O for a few days now, and its impressive for a OEM audio.
Really comes alive at higher volumes. Seems like the subwoofer doesn't do much at lower levels.

 

[Steadyvw]

Had my B&O for a few days now, and its impressive for a OEM audio.
Really comes alive at higher volumes. Seems like the subwoofer doesn't do much at lower levels.

I agree, for OEM, it's pretty good. Sound is so subjective. I'm happy with it.

 

[cosmo73]

For me, the B&O is noticeably better than the base 9 speaker system. That being said, my expectation for the stereo in a Mustang is quite low. If it was an Explorer or such, the stereo may be more important. I’m a windows down, listen to the exhaust 90% of the time kind of guy.

There is so much ancillary noise in a sports car, it is hard to really expect audiophile sound from any equipment. For me, when I really want to zone out to music, it’s in my listening room in the house. KEF R3 Meta’s, NAD Master M10 and SVS SB-13 Ultra.

 

[erocker]

Anyone know what ohms the subwoofer uses?

 

[MustangMan72]

Anyone know what ohms the subwoofer uses?

I didn't put an ohm meter on mine to test because I am not using it. However, a guy in on of the 6G forums tested his and said each voice coil tested 4 ohms.

 

[mpeugeot]

The Mustang B&O system is far and away better than the Bronco B&O system, however, if I wanted to upgrade the audio in a B&O Mustang, I would probably talk to MoBridge about the integrated DSP and Amp they have for Ford applications which require taking the A2B output and amplifying it. On Mustangs without the DSP, I would likely just use a Kicker Key 200.4 and 46HS10 sub-woofer to improve the front sound stage and add base.

 

[mpeugeot]

Just curious, B & O advertised as 12 speakers. I counted and I just can't account for 12 speakers. I only counted 10. Maybe I'm missing something. Anyone know the exact placement of all 12 speakers?

That's because Ford counts a coaxial 2 way speaker as 2 speakers. It's new math.

 

[IPOGT]

I think most buyers are dissapointed with B & O nameplate that Ford is very high on the marketing side (myself included on the similar system on F150 Lightning Lariat ER) , no bass, no highs , no lows, just pure mediocre sound . If it's advertised as Ford Premium or Ford Hi-Fi , things will probably be a bit different . But Ford keeps advertise it as premium B & O (very respectable name among audiophiles).

IMO they shouldve just use the unleashed system (minus some speakers) on the upgraded trim and leave B & O 12 speakers system as standard for all the GT Premium.

Best analogy would be old Maserati keeps advertising their engine as "Ferrari Made or Ferrari inspired" , but anyone who had experiences with real Ferrari engine would understand this is borderline false advertising.

B&O isn’t very respected amongst audiophiles. It’s a mass market name with an its main recognition being it’s Scandinavian design.
Now, if they said McIntosh, Mark Levinson, Krell or possibly JBL it might be different.
I can’t remember anything that B&O ever made where its sound quality was the focus over design.
I never understood why Sony, Kenwood or Pioneer never worked with OEM to build a killer systems.

 

[Stangerous]

B&O isn’t very respected amongst audiophiles. It’s a mass market name with an its main recognition being it’s Scandinavian design.
Now, if they said McIntosh, Mark Levinson, Krell or possibly JBL it might be different.
I can’t remember anything that B&O ever made where its sound quality was the focus over design.
I never understood why Sony, Kenwood or Pioneer never worked with OEM to build a killer systems.

GM has Bose, I have no complaints

 

[NightSurgeX2]

Had my B&O for a few days now, and its impressive for a OEM audio.
Really comes alive at higher volumes. Seems like the subwoofer doesn't do much at lower levels.

How high does it have to be to bring the sub to life?! It's already uncomfortably loud at like 15+ volume and my sub is still barely noticeable. It's definitely a weak sub... Really my only complaint and plan to change.

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