Stereo sucks ducks!☹️

[Jms81661]

I'm less than impressed with the stereo in my XLT. The amount of bass is good but the highs are none existent.
I got the treble all the way up but the only way to get the highs is to back off the bass. And at Vol 30, it's just weak as hell.
I got the position almost fully to front drivers side cuz any adjustments to even it out makes the pass side over power the whole sound. I seriously thought the drivers side were blown.
It's really bad how far I have to have it to the front and over towards drivers side to get any satisfaction. Worst stereo I've ever had.
Any simple suggestions to maybe upgrade the tweeters or put some more power behind the whole thing? Must be kinda easy, I'm not very good at
stereos, speakers are easy, but amps and stuff are confusing to me.

Sponsored

 

[Jake]

There is a setting in the menus to change the "occupany mode". It is located in Settings -> Sound -> Occupancy Mode (at the bottom).
I believe it changes from stereo to surround and for me it made an appreciable difference in the sound quality. Now that it's been set to driver for a long time if you turn it back to the default it sounds terrible. I also played with the little equalizer in the settings for awhile until I got it to where im satisfied.

 

[Jms81661]

There is a setting in the menus to change the "occupany mode". It is located in Settings -> Sound -> Occupancy Mode (at the bottom).
I believe it changes from stereo to surround and for me it made an appreciable difference in the sound quality. Now that it's been set to driver for a long time if you turn it back to the default it sounds terrible. I also played with the little equalizer in the settings for awhile until I got it to where im satisfied.

I'll try that. Think I did already, but not positive. Just seems weak when I got it up to 30 vol and it's not really that loud.

 

[armoredpig]

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/kicker-key-vs-alpine-power-pack.11886/

I'm very happy with the results of either of these add on amps--even more so with just a new front set of speakers. Try a power pack and see?

 

[Robisten8]

You'd be surprised how much adding bass to the existing stereo will enhance the tunes. I added a sub and it sounds pretty damn good in somewhat snobby musical requirements. I didn't even touch the XLT factory speakers.

 

[t4thfavor]

I have found that listening to the stereo on 30+ when I was young has seriously degraded the perceived sound quality of even the best reference speakers now that I'm somewhat older.

 

[spartan0078]

And at Vol 30,

Dear god, man! I had mine at 20 today for first time to listen to a song and the loudness was unbearable! 15 is the highest I ever go.

Good luck on the upgrade though.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

I have never understood the desire to have concert hall sound in a car or truck, especially a truck - not sure why, but maybe trucks are different . Even back in the day when my friends were clamouring over each other to get the latest Craig Power Play system (if it didn’t fit, they’d rip apart their dash to make it fit), I had the crappiest Canadian Tire special in my Roadrunner and I loved it. Later on, when I could afford any system I might want, I just didn’t see the point. Sure, no one wants that single speaker on the dash all cars had in the 60s and 70s, but Boston’s “More Than a Feeling” sounds great cranked all the way to eleven on any system, any day, any time...especially with the windows down.

 

[FoD]

Rockers gotta rock!!

 

[FoD]

Put kicker door speakers in; eliminate sound enhancement with Forscan; turn off auto adjust for road speed via menu; set sound for full car/passengers; adjust sound sliders to taste; use existing Ford tweeters; voila...Concert Hall Rock!!! Kicker speakers give all the bass you need, all the way up to 30!! (or over 9000 on another scale ).

 

[the5Gmartian]

Sorry that I can't directly relate, but I have the B&O system in my truck and I think the Stereo setting sounds much better than Surround. I have played with the EQ settings in the truck and I can say that the biggest factor without a doubt is the device or software supplying the music. What I mean is, Apple music sounds significantly better than Spotify and Amazon Music HD sounds even more amazing. Maybe worth a try for you before investing a bunch of money in speakers. Just my $.02. It made a huge difference for me.

 

[Zaph]

I'm less than impressed with the stereo in my XLT. The amount of bass is good but the highs are none existent.
I got the treble all the way up but the only way to get the highs is to back off the bass. And at Vol 30, it's just weak as hell.

It seems like something is wrong. The factory system gets loud enough to damage your hearing if listened to at high levels for an extended period. And for most people, turning the treble up all the way results in such a piercing treble heavy sound that it would elicit pain.

What do other people think of the sound in your truck?

Perhaps both your front tweeters are blown? Can you hear a difference if you put your hand over them?

 

[Trigganometry]

You want a sub? I got an 18” that will make your chest thump. Gonna need a 2400 w amp to drive it though. Might need new windows too! ?

 

[Chris M]

Dear god, man! I had mine at 20 today for first time to listen to a song and the loudness was unbearable! 15 is the highest I ever go.

Good luck on the upgrade though.

Pretty sure I've not gone past 15 on my XLT. I'm pretty happy with my stock set up.
Can't for the life of me imagine what 30 might sound like!

 

[spartan0078]

Pretty sure I've not gone past 15 on my XLT. I'm pretty happy with my stock set up.
Can't for the life of me imagine what 30 might sound like!

I consider myself slightly deaf too, side affect running locomotives with non-existent cab insulation for a living. ?

Sponsored