yes, remote amp power-on is a single conductor blue wire. I would use fuse 3 or fuse 6 in the BCM fuse panel found in the passenger floorboard.
Sponsored
Sponsored
ForScan Flat EQ before key200.4?
- Thread starter TonyMontana214
- Start date
- Watchers 14
Today's listening sessions told me there's probably more EQ to flatten, than the one easy setting I found last night in Forscan. That one definitely gave me back the low end bass, but I don't think it's flat. At least, my ears are telling me it isn't. The EQ settings on my DSP that I'm running after the change are strangely similar to what I was running prior to selecting "flat EQ" in Forscan, so I think more tweaking in the as built section is needed. I'll try and check that out tonight or tomorrow...
I did some more poking around in Forscan, and have come to the conclusion that the first change I made is really all that is needed. I went into 727-01-02 and made the change that is listed in some other ford model forums to flatten the EQ, but I could tell little difference in the actual response curve. The sound level seemed slightly lower, but the frequency response was virtually unchanged from what I could hear. The response from my calibrated mic was within the margin for error of the first change I made too. I see no reason to change anything more than the first change I mentioned in reply #12 at this point. Now, if someone finds something else in Forscan, I'm all ears!
We've tested this many times on the F150s and there really isn't any audible difference between a flatten eq and stock. The Key amp does a wonderful job at tuning and Kicker didn't expect anyone to have Forscan prior to purchasing their amps. They built it to tune a stock system. I hope this info helps. I have a ton of Key amps in stock if anyone is interested. I also build plug and play harnesses so you don't have to hack any factory wiring.
- First Name
- Edgar
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2023
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Austin, Tx
- Vehicle(s)
- 23 Maverick Hybrid
- Engine
- 2.5L Hybrid
- Thread starter
- #20
I am planning to install a hs10 kicker. Would you recommened that i rerun the key's autotune after installing it?
More specifically, rerun the auto tune after setting the gains or after?
Sponsored
you won't need to reset the gain.
the only real interaction between your front stage on the Key 200.4 and your HS10 will be the crossover frequencies. assuming you have good replacement (not stock) door speakers, you probably want the key 200.4 high pass set at 80hz for max midbass performance in the doors.
then, you probably want to try to set the HS10 low pass to 80hz to start but you might need to play some sweep tones and experiment, then see what you think listening to music.
if for some reason your key 200.4 isn't set for 80hz high pass you should set it there and redo the auto-setup, yes.
The Kicker key amps will not tune with any subwoofer connected as indicated on their instructions. I've tried to in the past and have gotten failures with tuning it this way. Also, if running the amp in bi amp configuration you'll need to disconnect the rear speakers for tuning purposes.
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2021
- Threads
- 9
- Messages
- 207
- Reaction score
- 189
- Location
- Jalisco, Mexico
- Vehicle(s)
- 2022 Maverick 2.0 AWD
- Engine
- 2.0L EcoBoost
In my opinion, after doing A/B testing of the normal and flat EQ, on the flat EQ I did notice significantly lower bass from my subwoofer, as if the default eq had a bass boost applied, though I run my bass level on the headunit at 0 and turned up the gain on the sub so as to limit the bass at the door speakers as I forgot to get inline bass blockers lol. I also noticed vocals weren't as clear in my opinion. In my very uninformed opininion, it seems to me the flat eq in forscan really does give you a flat signal from the head unit, but the default eq might be tubed to be flat after taking into account the real accoustics of the cabin, hence why my untrained ears like it better. With a car's interior being hardly an ideal listening space with lots of potential for unexpected resonances, it would make sense to me.
The bass cut-off sucks though lol, but the again all compact sealed enclosures I've tested with external equipment like the kicker PS8 and PS10 drop their response steeply at about 40-45 hz and are barely audible at 32. DIY solutions that take over the storage under the rear seat would benefit.
The bass cut-off sucks though lol, but the again all compact sealed enclosures I've tested with external equipment like the kicker PS8 and PS10 drop their response steeply at about 40-45 hz and are barely audible at 32. DIY solutions that take over the storage under the rear seat would benefit.
this is a good point that I failed to explicitly make.
the crossover on the key 200.4 is a dipswitch or jumper, I can't recall as I'm not starting at it right now, and the crossover on the HS10 is a knob.
in broad strokes he should start with them set the same. if the crossover slopes are the same and the spl of the speakers are the same, then this will be close, but in reality he might have to adjust the crossover on the HS10 a little bit up or down to give a smooth transition in the midbass region.
easiest way to disconnect the HS10 after it's installed, if you want to run the key 200.4 setup again, is to just unplug either the line-in or the fuse.
regarding the comparisons to F150 flat EQ, there aren't any F150s with Ford Connected Audio like the base (non-B&O) Maverick system so it might not really be a valid comparison.
My F150 came with the 8" screen non amplified system. It looks exactly the same from what I had seen recently. I could be incorrect as I've yet to test and install any system yet on this platform personally. I believe I've made a few harnesses for members here on this forum already without any complaints or issues. I'll have to dig around to see if I can find those links. I'm new here so I haven't had the opportunity to review many of the older posts yet.
Sponsored
My whole reason for going down this rabbit hole was due to the bass response. In that specific area, flattening the factory EQ is a must for me. I listen to a lot of different music with content below 40hz, and the factory EQ'd setting cuts that right out. I had to max out my DSP's bottom bands(20/25/31hz) to get any real response and it was still weak. After flattening the EQ, I now have SOLID response at those frequencies.
I can only see down to 20hz with my spectrum analyzer/mic combo, but my sub plays that 20hz note without too much sweat now. Granted, that low end cutoff won't matter if your sub can't reproduce it anyway or if you don't listen to any music where you'd notice it. For me, it made a ton of difference for my sub setup. I noticed the missing low end immediately when I first installed my sub, so I'm much happier now.
The differences in my mid/high bands on the DSP aren't that major, and the flat EQ didn't really improve things all that much there. Like I said previously, the Kicker Key products will certainly do the trick for your average listener. They are really awesome products that take the intimidation(and cost in most cases) out of having a DSP setup in your car and really simplify a lot of things. I've recommended them to a few people. They aren't for me, because I want all the control,lol.
I can only see down to 20hz with my spectrum analyzer/mic combo, but my sub plays that 20hz note without too much sweat now. Granted, that low end cutoff won't matter if your sub can't reproduce it anyway or if you don't listen to any music where you'd notice it. For me, it made a ton of difference for my sub setup. I noticed the missing low end immediately when I first installed my sub, so I'm much happier now.
The differences in my mid/high bands on the DSP aren't that major, and the flat EQ didn't really improve things all that much there. Like I said previously, the Kicker Key products will certainly do the trick for your average listener. They are really awesome products that take the intimidation(and cost in most cases) out of having a DSP setup in your car and really simplify a lot of things. I've recommended them to a few people. They aren't for me, because I want all the control,lol.
- First Name
- Edgar
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2023
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Austin, Tx
- Vehicle(s)
- 23 Maverick Hybrid
- Engine
- 2.5L Hybrid
- Thread starter
- #27
I think this has been an incredibly helpful forum
Rallyshark which DSP did you use? I've heard many have had success using the $165 Dayton 408 DSPs. I want to try a miniDSP one day.
I've heard a lot of people like the Dayton, but some had some noise issues. Still, for the money, its hard to argue if it works. People seem to love the miniDSP, especially the ones using diraclive. They say that diraclive is a game changer. I used to have the much maligned Rockford DSR1, and it did work, but I got tired of the glitchy nature of it. Now I'm using an Audio Dynamics Dsp46AT. I don't really need more than that for my setup, and it has all the control I need. It just works, and no weirdness, so I'm happy with it. The auto tune is hit or miss though. I always end just starting from scratch with a calibrated mic to get it in the ballpark, then do the rest of my tweaking by ear to suit the sound I like.
I'm running that AD DSP because it seemed to be the best bang for the buck that would do what I wanted it to do. I don't really have any allegiance or like/dislike of their stuff though. If I wasn't worried about spending money, I'd probably be running a Helix or something like it. I kind of built my setup to be as simple as I could, while getting sound I'd be happy with, and without pulling a ton of amps off the battery since I have a hybrid. The Audison 5 channel is super efficient(only has 50A fuse). Now, if I didn't have the hybrid and had enough room to run two efficient 8's or 10's in a proper enclosure, I'd be real temped to switch over to one the Alpine Omptim8 dps/amps!
Guys, I'm no audiophile, and I'm not modding my stock speaker system. That said, I DID use Forscan easy mode to simply change to the "Flat EQ" setting and IMO, it's a significant improvement in the overall sound from the system.
Again, as someone who isn't hung up on my vehicle's audio quality but does enjoy listening to music while driving, I was quite pleased to get what I thought was a pretty good bump in sound quality for the low, low price of pressing a few buttons.
Again, as someone who isn't hung up on my vehicle's audio quality but does enjoy listening to music while driving, I was quite pleased to get what I thought was a pretty good bump in sound quality for the low, low price of pressing a few buttons.
Sponsored
