The owner of this new Ford Bronco contacted the team at Westminster Speed and Sound after reading our post about the way we had upgraded a similar truck. The client’s vehicle had the base-level unbranded audio system, and he was disappointed with how it sounded: It didn’t play loudly enough, wasn’t very clear and didn’t produce enough bass. Fortunately, we’ve invested a lot of time in figuring out the best stereo upgrade solutions for the new Bronco. We were able to design a new sound system that would deliver the performance the client wanted.
Speaker Upgrades Deliver Clarity
The first step in making this Bronco sound good was to remove the 6.5-inch woofers from the kick panels, the small midrange drivers from the dash and the 4-inch speakers from the rear pods. We installed a set of Helix S6B 6.5-inch woofers on custom expanded PVC adapters in the kick panels. For the dash, we created mounting adapters to house a BLAM Live Series LFR50 2-inch midrange and TS20HR tweeter. We installed a set of 4-inch coaxial speakers in the rear pods to wrap the sound around the listening position.
Subwoofer System Adds Impact
Adding a dedicated subwoofer to the cargo area was crucial in making this system sound impressive. The client went with our suggestion of a vehicle-specific enclosure from Stinger Electronics. This subwoofer enclosure bolts to the rear tailgate and includes a 12-inch subwoofer, which is powered by a Helix M One monoblock amplifier. The amp has a remote level control, otherwise known as a bass knob, that our installers mounted for easy access from the driver’s seat.
Helix Amplified DSP Solution
The new speakers are powered by a Helix V Eight DSP eight-channel amplifier mounted on an expanded PVC panel in the right rear corner of the vehicle behind the trim panel. This compact amp can produce up to 75 watts per channel to drive the midbass, midrange, rear-fill speakers and tweeters. Each speaker is connected to a dedicated channel, so our team had complete control over output levels, crossovers, equalization and delay settings. The amp has a set of processed RCA outputs that we used to feed the audio signal to the monoblock.
We used our RTA microphone in the driver’s seat to set the levels and adjust the equalizer in the amplifier so that the system would produce a realistic soundstage across the dash of the Bronco.
Lighting Upgrade
The client also wanted us to upgrade the forward lighting on his Bronco. We installed a Baja Designs Squadron lighting kit in the front bumper. The kit includes three sets of LED cube lights in various patterns to provide long-distance coverage and light up the road in front of the truck. Our team wired the lights into the upfitter switches in the overhead console of the truck.
Baltimore’s Best Ford Bronco Upgrades
After the audio system was tuned and the lights were aimed, it was time to turn this Ford Bronco back over to the owner. He absolutely loved how the stereo sounded and was impressed that most of the upgrades were invisible. The lights worked precisely as he wanted. In all, he was thrilled!
If you’re interested in upgrading your Bronco, drop by Westminster Speed and Sound and talk to a member of our award-winning team. You can also reach us by phone or email if you can’t get to our store during regular business hours.
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