I think my 2020 XLT speakers sound surprisingly good even without the BO system, guess I'm getting old :)

I like the idea of the upgrade, I have added an amp and 10 inch sub. I have not done the door speakers because it seems like removing the door panel is a pain. How bad was it?

Its really not bad at all, if you search back in the thread for some of my posts I think I linked a super helpful You Tube video that I used to learn how to do it.
The first door panel was a little slow because I was being super careful, but the 2nd one flew.
A set of plastic interior tools is invaluable (cheap at Harbor freight) also in my post.

Thank you Jimmy Pet!!

OK guys, so I finally got to the speaker upgrade project couple weeks ago, with very disappointing results. I bought 6 pairs of 6x9 front door speakers, and I spent hours listening to them all, swapping them back and forth with OEM ones. Anyways, the improvement - if I could call it that - was maybe 5-10%. Maybe. So I returned them all. It confirms what Tricon and others said - upgrading speakers alone is not going to be an improvement. I really had high hopes but it's not going to work.

Like I said before, the stock non-Sony 7 speaker system in my 2019 STX sounds surprisingly good, the biggest weakness being lack of bass. After re-reading this and other stereo upgrade threads, I decided on 2-prong approach to fix that: 1. add powered sub to the system (Kicker, Cerwin Vega, or Sound Ordnance), and 2. buy Kicker key amp and for11-ck harness.

For those that went with both - Kicker key (or some other amp) and powered sub - which one made bigger difference to the stock non-Sony system? And if you had to do it all over again, would you still go with both upgrades? I would prefer to do it in stages, and start with the one that makes bigger impact, and then decide if it's good enough and just stop there. I will buy both if I have to, although I am not sure I can return the harness if Kicker key does not end up being the magical box many claim it is.

Thank you very much for your honest feedback!

I would use a separate amp/processor along with a 2 way separate 6x9 speaker such as the Morels I linked to above. You want a soft dome tweeter to reduce the sibilant highs. The extra power will really bring out the peformance. Also, a very important part of upgrading is to improve the acoustics of the door i.e. sound deadening. You'll want to add some Dynamat or equivalent material to the inner skins of the doors. Some high density foam rings around the perimeter of the speaker will also help to seal the speaker against the door insert card. This is an art and science so there's a lot to it. Just swapping out a speaker for another one in of itself usually only results in marginal improvements.

Curious if the swap was LOUDER then the stock speakers. Not quality but just the louder volume.

I went for just the Kicker Key. Easy install and IMO definitely most bang for the buck. Here's a thread I started about it. (Like you, prior to the Kicker Key, I had tried several pairs of speakers and returned them all.)

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-with-dsp.html

No, not really. I have fairly sensitive hearing, so I listen to radio at volumes other people here would consider low. Usually around 6-8. If I really want to crank it up, I might go to 10-12. Few times I went to 15 and it was really, really loud!

So at that listening volume, stock speakers sound really good to me, just little "flat" and no base. All aftermarket speakers I tried added some clarity (hence 5-10% marginal improvement), but no base whatsoever. That was the disappointment, I expected better for some reason.

As far as actual volume goes, I had to play some swaps at slightly higher numerical volume level. So if stocks were playing at 10, swaps would play at 11-13 to keep the same actual sound level. Or at stock 6, you would turn swaps to 7 or 8 for the same sound level. Makes sense?

Thanks for chiming in, h20camper. Is the install really that easy –truly 100% plug and play? I read in some other threads about harness wires being mislabeled.

While at Best Buy returning speakers, I took a look at Key to see what’s in the box. Seems like bigger harness would just connect color wire for wire on for11-ck, with 3 wires not connected – blue, power, and ground. Would that be correct? If so that should be easy. But the smaller Key harness had RCA connectors – where do you plug those? Or did you cut them off, then connected wires to the other end of for11-ck harness? If so, how did you match wires?

I would really, really appreciate more detail on installing Kicker key with for11-ck harness. I googled and didn’t find step-by-step write up anywhere. If I missed it, feel free to send me the link. Thanks again!!!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...035600bee2.jpg
Stereo power switchable at upfitter 1.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...13458f623a.jpg
Don't be shy with the Dynamat. Gotta kill all the vibrations from the metal.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...fdc13e1359.jpg
Put sound deadening material inside the door, against the outer skin. You will think you're driving a quiet Mercedes after this.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...4caa1c73f2.jpg
Processor/power tucked in under passenger side rear seat
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...ce9e648e34.jpg
Good sound quality resides here in active crossovers, gain control, and clean power. Even at 50-years old, I never lost the appreciation for exceptional sound quality and it's something I am not willing to compromise on. Most audio is made overseas now which makes it easy to afford. But USA-made Audio Control out of WA is top-notch for managing everything.
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The non-Sony system is junk. It needs new speakers and some amplification. The doors need sound-deadening material, especially the inside of the outer door itself. You can peel back the plastic from the inside and sheet the entire panel. It makes the truck super quiet when the stereo is off. Focal component speakers reside in all four doors with tweeters in the A-pillars.

I have an older 4-channel MB Quart powering everything - channel 1 and 2 are bridged to a Rockford Fosgate 10 and channels 3 and 4 are powering the 4 door speakers/tweeters. The signal from the stock deck passes through an Audio Control LCQ-1, then into an Audio Control 2XS crossover, then into a 4 channel MB Quart amp. I have the entire system hooked up to the upfitter 1 switch so I can disable the stereo if needed. It looks more complicated than it really is....

You wont' have great sound quality without all the puzzle pieces - speakers, power, and some processing. My entire system was under $1k and it's super stealth. It has amazing vocal presence, exceptional mid-bass, and lots of low end that I can adjust through the Audio Control processors. I can take the stock volume level to 30 with no audible distortion. I have the gains adjusted just right so I can go mild to wild with the stock head unit.

The entire makeover can be done in one weekend and I'm not a pro-installer. I'm just a product of the 80's and I've wired many high-powered systems over the years. Just go for it. If you're unsure, just have a beer first then dive in. :)

camxracer,

thanks so much for such detailed response! I understand exactly what you are saying, and agree that you need all the puzzle pieces to put great sounding system together. However, it's not what I am looking for right now, and I do get that the final product will not be 100% great like yours. I might get there over time, but for now I was just looking for step-by-step partial pieces with the best bang for the buck. I thought speakers might be that good first step, but it's obvious that isn't the case.

Several users reported "amazing" sound by just adding an amp with DSP, and/or adding powered sub. So I was just looking for opinions as to which one of the 2 offers better bang for the buck. I am now thinking that maybe I can buy and try both - key amp and sub - and decide for myself. It's likely that either one will be "good enough" to make me happy. If an amp makes a big difference, at that point I might try a pair of aftermarket speakers again, just to hear the difference. Adding soundproofing to the doors would be the last step, if necessary. Again, I understand my approach will not create perfect sound, but I am not shooting for that. I follow 80-20% rule, and I would be perfectly happy doing 20% work for 80% improvement. The last 20% is really not important to me.

There is also another issue in play. I don't have garage big enough to fit my CCLB truck in, so I have to do everything outside. Plus, this beast is my DD, so I cannot take days to take everything apart and just play with it when convenient. And finally, I am not as handy as you or many on this board are. I can do a lot of stuff, but electrical is not it. Last week I installed heated seating pads and am very happy and proud with results, but that was after watching several videos until I understood exactly what needs to be done (especially with wiring and fuses). Not knowing exactly how to connect ckfor-11 harness, and not knowing exactly how to install power cable for the sub makes me hesitant to start the project. Yes, I could pay Best Buy or Car Toys to install it, but I am apprehensive about anyone (including the dealer) to touch my truck, so that's out of the question. In the end, I always figure it out and solve the problem, but it takes a lot of time and back and forth, so I'd like to avoid that if I can.

Thanks again for your response, really appreciate it! And BTW, love those upfitter switch labels! The only one (or 2) I was missing were "wife mute" and "passenger eject". Seen it in another post and it made me laugh out loud.

Mine is a daily driver too. Almost 60k miles in two years. This truck has been alot of fun. I have done several systems with just a powered sub. You can dial up the high frequencies on your stock system to keep up with a powered sub for the time being. You will enjoy your system alot better with just that upgrade. Eventually you'll want more power to feed mids and highs.

You do have to wire the FOR11-CK to the Kicker's harness (yes, cut the RCAs off). Here's pictures of mine spliced.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...a29c4f889f.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...c3542f04c4.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...f9061f0e17.jpg

Thank you guys, really appreciate it! I think I will give both a try, see which one makes a difference, and go from there. I think I am clear on about 95% of install, but have remaining specific questions:

1. Harness wiring - is it all color for color on both ends? Some users reported incorrect labeling, just wanted to know ahead of time.
2. Can I use that blue remote wire out of the harness to send input into powered sub, instead of tapping rear speakers?
3. Is there an easier way to wire the sub than run the cable through firewall to the battery? Someone on this forum tapped into cable on power inverter under the back seat. Is that the red wire, and is it advisable? Any picture possibly?

Sorry for the stupid questions. I really appreciate all the help. I will report back on my progress so other forum members can learn from my experience.