2019 B&O another stupid owner

[S550HPP]

Try high res inputs like flac, wav and 320 streaming via usb before spend a dime.

Most systems sound like crap using Sirius or Bluetooth stream, or mp3 etc.

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[Ratpack]

I have to say that I firmly believe the head unit is the weakest link. I have the Shaker Pro in my Vert with the 8" sub. It was okay until I upgraded the head unit to a Linkswell Tesla style. With that change a lone, the bass is much improved and I rarely go over 6-7 on the volume. The mirrors all shake and the sound is night and day different. However, it isn't enough. I am starting the upgrade as well with speaker replacement, more and larger subs and Audio Control DSP and amps.

 

[r-model]

Did you allow time to break in the speakers?

 

[drdfblackm]

Did you allow time to break in the speakers?

Well the car is a 2019....I'm pretty sure they are as broken in as they are going to get.

 

[Evolvd]

I have to say that I firmly believe the head unit is the weakest link. I have the Shaker Pro in my Vert with the 8" sub. It was okay until I upgraded the head unit to a Linkswell Tesla style. With that change a lone, the bass is much improved and I rarely go over 6-7 on the volume. The mirrors all shake and the sound is night and day different. However, it isn't enough. I am starting the upgrade as well with speaker replacement, more and larger subs and Audio Control DSP and amps.

The head unit is not the problem, the audio processor and amp are. The Amp Pro AP4-FD21 bypasses all that junk and allows you to run a more efficient and better sounding aftermarket amp. The stock head unit has a very low noise floor (I measured mine with JL Max). Zero need to replace it unless you’re looking for more features or bigger screens. If that’s the case then check out the Kenwood Excelon direct replacement screens. They just released this year.

 

[Evolvd]

2019 GT Premium PP2 B&O system.

I wouldn't go so far to say I'm an audiophile but I am just going to say this is the most anemic "high end" factory system I have every experienced. I commute 100 miles a day and I want some good sound out of my system.....I thought finding the B&O would be a good system and I wouldn't have to mess around with upgrading the system....well I didn't buy this car because of the B&O but I am needless to say underwhelmed.

Yes I have already upgraded the factory sub. I can't even hear the damn subwoofer....I honestly opened the trunk to see if it was even playing.

So....yes I understand the actual source is crap, so I am just going to bite the bullit and start with upgrading the head unit.....but I want it to look and function as stock.

Damn aftermarket head units are changed nearly every 6 months. I tend to favor Kenwood and Alpine.

What are you guys using for a good factory head unit replacement (yes I will purchase all of the integration modules to keep everything as factory useful as possible). Eventually I will go down the rabbithole of upgrading speakers and building a box for the trun,. For now I feel upgrading the headunit will make things sound a bit louder and better.

Now if I am completely wrong please speak up. I am new to B&O system but I have been reading and yes I have turned off the center channel and yes I am using plugged in Google Pixel 9 for android audio and I have everything turned up on the phone....so I have went down that road.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

See my reply above to another member. Keep the stock head unit and get the AP4-FD21. Run a good quality aftermarket amp and speakers. Night and day difference.

 

[drdfblackm]

See my reply above to another member. Keep the stock head unit and get the AP4-FD21. Run a good quality aftermarket amp and speakers. Night and day difference.

And this is the way I am going. Building a system as we speak.

 

[GR1MxREAPER]

Keep the stock head unit. None will work as good as oem. Don’t over complicate everything.. I changed just the speakers and it made a 1000% increase in quality. Personally the stock amp has enough power to get enough out of good aftermarket speakers. If you want actual bass you will need an amp for the rear sub. Just buy new door, pillar and rear speakers of whatever brand you like the most and it will blow your mind how much better it sounds with the stock head unit and stock B&O amp. It was enough of a change for me to be happy now. Plus I didn’t have to spend thousands on a million feet of wires and all these other boxes and contraptions all over the car lol… It makes the car an absolute mess under the seats and dash etc.. try the simple fix first and just get speakers before you spend all the time and money to do the full upgrade.

 

[Ratpack]

The head unit is not the problem, the audio processor and amp are. The Amp Pro AP4-FD21 bypasses all that junk and allows you to run a more efficient and better sounding aftermarket amp. The stock head unit has a very low noise floor (I measured mine with JL Max). Zero need to replace it unless you’re looking for more features or bigger screens. If that’s the case then check out the Kenwood Excelon direct replacement screens. They just released this year.

I agree the head unit is not all of the problem, but it did make a night and day difference in my car with no other changes. But it wasn't the reason to upgrade, I wanted to have android auto since my car did not have navigation from the factory and since the new unit has the outputs for the amps, it should make it easier to connect and completely bypass the factory amp. New speakers, amps and subs are all in the works now. Just need some free time and cooler weather to start the install.

 

[Evolvd]

Keep the stock head unit. None will work as good as oem. Don’t over complicate everything.. I changed just the speakers and it made a 1000% increase in quality. Personally the stock amp has enough power to get enough out of good aftermarket speakers. If you want actual bass you will need an amp for the rear sub. Just buy new door, pillar and rear speakers of whatever brand you like the most and it will blow your mind how much better it sounds with the stock head unit and stock B&O amp. It was enough of a change for me to be happy now. Plus I didn’t have to spend thousands on a million feet of wires and all these other boxes and contraptions all over the car lol… It makes the car an absolute mess under the seats and dash etc.. try the simple fix first and just get speakers before you spend all the time and money to do the full upgrade.

LOL a little hyperbolic there?

 

[GR1MxREAPER]

LOL a little hyperbolic there?

? How. I have the same year car and same trash B&O audio lol.. just saying what I went through with mine last year. I almost spent thousands on all this unnecessary shit when that’s all it needed was some new speakers I installed myself and it’s great now. To each their own though..

 

[drdfblackm]

? How. I have the same year car and same trash B&O audio lol.. just saying what I went through with mine last year. I almost spent thousands on all this unnecessary shit when that’s all it needed was some new speakers I installed myself and it’s great now. To each their own though..

I certainly do not doubt that it sounds better. I guess part of my problem is that I can completely turn up the volume all the way and its really not that loud. I use my phone....Pixel 9, plugged into the front usb going through Android audio. As advice using another source might provide a different sound...but the fact of the matter is that my phone is my music source. I have the volume all the way up and the "absolute volume" is disabled in the phone. I know it is plenty loud enough from the system I have built in my 95 Cobra. I cannot turn it up more than 3/4.

Everything I have read is that the primary problem is the aggressive factory equalization (EQ) and digital signal processing (DSP) applied by the B&O amplifier, which leads to rolled-off bass, compressed dynamics, and an overall bad sound. So I suppose that's why people are confused about how changing the speakers made everything better. I believe for sure that the sound might be better but I highly doubt that just changing the speakers made it louder or have more bass.

Me....I'm still just trying to learn...but from everything I have read up to now....speaker change alone will not fix my inherent problem with the B&O system.

 

[drdfblackm]

I don't know how much you guys use AI but I think it is a great resource tool. Just sharing information here....yes I know it is long.


You've hit on a crucial point about modern car audio and how it interfaces with our digital lives. Your observation that "using a different input won't help me" in the context of your specific usage (Pixel 9 via USB for Android Auto, streaming Sirius/Spotify) is absolutely correct in your current setup.

Let's break down why that advice, while good in theory for a different scenario, doesn't address your primary issue with the 2019 Mustang GT B&O system, and what you're already doing correctly with your source:



Why "High Res Inputs" Don't Solve Your B&O Problem (in your current context):


The advice to "try high res inputs like FLAC, WAV, and 320 streaming via USB" is generally aimed at diagnosing if the quality of the audio file itself is the bottleneck. In a system without heavy, restrictive processing, providing a higher fidelity audio file (e.g., lossless FLAC vs. low-bitrate MP3) can certainly reveal more detail and dynamic range.

However, for your 2019 Mustang B&O system, and specifically when using Android Auto/USB, the problem isn't the file format; it's the severe digital processing happening after the signal leaves your phone but before it reaches the speakers.

Here's why:

1. Digital-to-Digital Handshake (Android Auto/USB): When you plug your Pixel 9 into the USB port and use Android Auto, the audio is transferred digitally to the Sync 3 head unit. This is generally a good thing, as it avoids extra analog-to-digital conversions on the phone's side. Your phone essentially acts as a digital source.
2. Sync 3 to B&O Amp (The Bottleneck): The Sync 3 head unit then sends this digital audio signal (likely via Ford's A2B network) to the factory B&O amplifier. This B&O amplifier is the culprit. It has internal DSP that is factory-tuned to aggressively apply:
   • Heavy Equalization (EQ): Rolling off bass and certain frequencies to "protect" the cheap factory speakers and prevent distortion, even at moderate volumes.
   • Dynamic Compression/Limiting: Crushing the dynamic range of the music, making loud parts quieter and quiet parts louder, resulting in a flat, lifeless sound. This is also a form of speaker protection.
   • Fixed Crossovers: Sending only specific frequency ranges to specific speakers, which you cannot override or fine-tune.
   • Volume-Dependent EQ: The EQ changes with volume, often reducing bass and impact as you turn it up, leading to the "not loud, does not have good bass and is very unimpressive" experience you described.

Even if you play a perfect, studio-quality FLAC file from your phone, the B&O amplifier will still apply all of its restrictive processing, effectively "ruining" that high-quality signal before it even gets to the speakers. It's like pouring fine wine into a filter that removes all the flavor.



What You're Doing Correctly with Your Source:

• Pixel 9 via USB/Android Auto: This is generally the best digital input method for getting audio from your phone to Sync 3. Bluetooth, while convenient, can sometimes introduce its own compression, so USB is preferred.
• Volume Turned All the Way Up on Phone: This is the correct practice. You want to send the fullest possible digital signal from your phone to the head unit without the phone's own volume control (which is a digital attenuator) limiting it prematurely.
• Disabling Absolute Volume: This is also crucial! Absolute volume is a Bluetooth feature that makes your phone's volume control "absolute" over the car's volume. Disabling it ensures the phone sends a fixed, maximum-level digital output to the car, and then you use the car's volume knob to control the loudness. This avoids double volume control which can introduce issues.

Why a Different Input Won't Help (in this specific case):

• Aux Input: If your Mustang even has one (many newer cars omit them), it would be an analog input, immediately converting your phone's digital signal to analog, which can introduce noise and signal degradation before it even reaches the Sync 3 unit.
• Bluetooth Audio: While convenient, Bluetooth inherently involves compression (even with higher-quality codecs like aptX, which Sync 3 might not fully support or utilize effectively). It's generally a step down from a direct USB digital connection for fidelity.
• Playing Files from a USB Stick: Even if you load FLAC files onto a USB stick and plug it directly into the Sync 3 port, the audio path after Sync 3 to the B&O amplifier remains the same, meaning the B&O amp will still apply its detrimental processing.

The Solution Remains the Same: PAC AmpPRO AP4-FD21 and Aftermarket DSP


Your problem is not the source quality from your phone; it's the factory amplification and processing. The only way to truly "fix" this is to:

1. Bypass/Correct the B&O Amp's Processing: This is where your PAC AmpPRO AP4-FD21 comes in. It intercepts the clean, unprocessed digital audio signal from the Sync 3 head unit before it gets to the B&O amp.
2. Introduce Aftermarket DSP: The clean signal from the PAC unit then goes into a high-quality aftermarket DSP (like the ones we discussed: Helix, Audison, AudioControl, etc.). This DSP is where you will do all the critical tuning:
   • Setting proper crossovers for your new speakers.
   • Applying precise equalization to flatten the car's acoustics and match your preferences.
   • Implementing time alignment to bring the soundstage to the driver's seat.
   • Restoring the dynamics and bass that the factory B&O amp removes.
3. Use Aftermarket Amplifiers: The processed signal from your new DSP then goes to your powerful Hertz HDP amplifiers to properly drive your new aftermarket speakers and subwoofer(s).

So, while the "high res inputs" advice is well-meaning for generic systems, it doesn't apply to the unique, digitally-integrated, and highly restrictive nature of your 2019 Mustang's B&O system. You've correctly identified the root of your problem, and your chosen upgrade path (PAC, DSP, Amps, Speakers) is the definitive solution.

 

[GR1MxREAPER]

I certainly do not doubt that it sounds better. I guess part of my problem is that I can completely turn up the volume all the way and its really not that loud. I use my phone....Pixel 9, plugged into the front usb going through Android audio. As advice using another source might provide a different sound...but the fact of the matter is that my phone is my music source. I have the volume all the way up and the "absolute volume" is disabled in the phone. I know it is plenty loud enough from the system I have built in my 95 Cobra. I cannot turn it up more than 3/4.

Everything I have read is that the primary problem is the aggressive factory equalization (EQ) and digital signal processing (DSP) applied by the B&O amplifier, which leads to rolled-off bass, compressed dynamics, and an overall bad sound. So I suppose that's why people are confused about how changing the speakers made everything better. I believe for sure that the sound might be better but I highly doubt that just changing the speakers made it louder or have more bass.

Me....I'm still just trying to learn...but from everything I have read up to now....speaker change alone will not fix my inherent problem with the B&O system.

if you have forscan you can use it and disable the factory EQ. That made mine louder and helps a little until you get new speakers or decide what you wanna do. They have a factory eq limit to protect your speakers so you don’t blow them out I’m guessing. So it definitely makes them louder. Lots of YouTube videos on how to do it

 

[drdfblackm]

if you have forscan you can use it and disable the factory EQ. That made mine louder and helps a little until you get new speakers or decide what you wanna do. They have a factory eq limit to protect your speakers so you don’t blow them out I’m guessing. So it definitely makes them louder. Lots of YouTube videos on how to do it

Yep....I have been reading up on that.....I don't have Forscan.....yet!

FYI everytime I read Forscan my brain reads another word.....hahahahaha.....yes I have a 12 year old brain.

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