B&O 10" sub replacement guide

[Evolvd]

Electrical polarity and acoustical polarity do matter but only so much as how they system sounds. The subwoofer position could require you to flip the phase to match the bass frequencies in the cabin but you won’t know this unless you have a really good ear for tuning or an RTA.
So yes, polarity does indeed matter.

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[murick]

To get the final verdict on the polarity discussion I did today the test with 9V battery as suggested by @gpierce

There is however a much, much easier way to work out polarity on a woofer. Get a 9 volt battery and connect to the speakers terminals. When you see it kick out (vs in) you now know which side is + and -

Trying the original sub, I can confirm that the sub kicks-out when the positive voltage is connected to the poles to which the "positive" wires (as identified in the original post) are connected. In other words, the wires identified as positive are indeed connected to the positive poles on the sub.

Then I tried the Pioneer sub the same way, basically only to confirm that the red terminals correspond to the positive voltage (i.e. when positive voltage was connected to the red terminal, the sub kicked out as well).

Which was kind of surprising because from the videos I shot (and published) here, I had a feeling that the sub was kicking in on a bass note. I understand that this still can be the case, if Ford decided to flip the polarity on the source.

The conclusion however was that the wiring of the original sub and of Pioneer sub were the same. Whatever Ford does with the signal is a different topic.

 

[Evolvd]

To get the final verdict on the polarity discussion I did today the test with 9V battery as suggested by @gpierce

Trying the original sub, I can confirm that the sub kicks-out when the positive voltage is connected to the poles to which the "positive" wires (as identified in the original post) are connected. In other words, the wires identified as positive are indeed connected to the positive poles on the sub.

Then I tried the Pioneer sub the same way, basically only to confirm that the red terminal correspond to the positive voltage (i.e. when positive voltage was connected to the red terminal, the sub kicked out as well).

Which was kind of surprising because from the videos I shot (and published) here, I had a feeling that the sub was kicking in on a bass note. I understand that this still can be the case, if Ford decided to flip the polarity on the source.

The conclusion however was that the wiring of the original sub and of Pioneer sub were the same. Whatever Ford does with the signal is a different topic.

The only way to really know is to RTA it.

 

[HadoDemi]

Just an observation to throw out there.
I believe ford has made a change to ether the sub or equalizer in the B&O sub. I had a 20 gt and did the pioneer swap because the bass was overwhelming and sloppy. Made a massive difference.
I just picked up my 22 gt500 and the sub is so toned down I had to go back and make sure it was working. Very underwhelming.
Tempted to do the swap but maybe I need a sub with a higher sensitivity than the pioneer? I want that tight controlled bass but if it’s toned down the low sensitivity pioneer may no longer be the right choice.

 

[gpierce]

Just an observation to throw out there.
I believe ford has made a change to ether the sub or equalizer in the B&O sub. I had a 20 gt and did the pioneer swap because the bass was overwhelming and sloppy. Made a massive difference.
I just picked up my 22 gt500 and the sub is so toned down I had to go back and make sure it was working. Very underwhelming.
Tempted to do the swap but maybe I need a sub with a higher sensitivity than the pioneer? I want that tight controlled bass but if it’s toned down the low sensitivity pioneer may no longer be the right choice.

Put a mono amp on it with a volume control when you swap. Won’t regret it.

 

[StigyAus]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. I went with the Pioneer.
@RasJeremy ‘s video was great for showing how the pins work. I agree with one of the other posters though, the 9 & 3 are hardest. The rest are so easy when you use a pry tool to push the pin in while pulling the frame. Got the trim ring off with no damage, and only broke the first pin I tried at the 3’oclock position, but it glued back on.
I got the backs of the wire connectors to release, but just couldn’t get the fronts, and they definitely wouldn’t just pull out. At the end of a long day, ‘deconstructing’ them with a dremel was quite satisfying Glad I went that way though as yes those wires are short and keeping their full length was basically required.
Continued on the next day with modifying the sub to fit the enclosure. I removed the minimum possible metal for maximum screw purchase. Took a fair bit of time but I’m happy with the result.
Sound is great as promised. Punchy controlled base. Can’t complain for a factory amp and box.

 

[ARAMP1]

I'm going to preface everything by explicitly stating that I am by no means an audiophile. Years around jet engines and open/racecar exhaust have killed my hearing. That being said, I love music, and after my house and my job, my commuter car is the next place where I spend most of my time. So, after reading through the thread, I decided to upgrade my ride.

Well, here it is...the last time I'll see the stock sub in my ride.

I managed to pop the ring off without breaking any tabs.

Here's the sub I decided to go with... the Kicker 48CWRT104. It's a 4 ohm dual voice coil but it does not fit without some modifications.

I started by grinding down the tab on the enclosure that is at the 12 o'clock position. Then added some acoustic foam around the edge.

I traced the shape of the stock sub in high density polyethylene (HDPE) which is basically just a 3/8" sheet of black plastic. I countersunk the screw holes for the stock screws to screw into the enclosure in the stock location. (The non countersunk holes are the holes to mount the sub.)

I filled the enclosure with fluff and attached the leads.

I cut out the ring in 1/2" HDPE to fill the gap in the enclosure and here's the end result with the sub mounted.

The bass is so much tighter now. The music is fuller. Before I had the bass eq very low but now I can turn it up and it won't distort.

 

[TrackMeisterWannabe]

I'm going to preface everything by explicitly stating that I am by no means an audiophile. Years around jet engines and open/racecar exhaust have killed my hearing. That being said, I love music, and after my house and my job, my commuter car is the next place where I spend most of my time. So, after reading through the thread, I decided to upgrade my ride.

Well, here it is...the last time I'll see the stock sub in my ride.

I managed to pop the ring off without breaking any tabs.

Here's the sub I decided to go with... the Kicker 48CWRT104. It's a 4 ohm dual voice coil but it does not fit without some modifications.

I started by grinding down the tab on the enclosure that is at the 12 o'clock position. Then added some acoustic foam around the edge.

I traced the shape of the stock sub in high density polyethylene (HDPE) which is basically just a 3/8" sheet of black plastic. I countersunk the screw holes for the stock screws to screw into the enclosure in the stock location. (The non countersunk holes are the holes to mount the sub.)

I filled the enclosure with fluff and attached the leads.

I cut out the ring in 1/2" HDPE to fill the gap in the enclosure and here's the end result with the sub mounted.

The bass is so much tighter now. The music is fuller. Before I had the bass eq very low but now I can turn it up and it won't distort.

Nicely done!

 

[m3incorp]

Very nice. I enjoy seeing projects where someone thinks creatively.

I'm going to preface everything by explicitly stating that I am by no means an audiophile. Years around jet engines and open/racecar exhaust have killed my hearing. That being said, I love music, and after my house and my job, my commuter car is the next place where I spend most of my time. So, after reading through the thread, I decided to upgrade my ride.

Well, here it is...the last time I'll see the stock sub in my ride.

 

[Benjamin Hundred]

Hey guys,

I have a 2018 Ecoboost Premium that I upgraded with the Shaker Pro Amp to get the sub/bass output and added the shaker sub as I had the wiring harness already from the factory.
I’m now trying to add the B&O 10” sub to increase output and sub upgrade options while keeping a sub enclosure that fits clean in a convertible (sloped trunk).

My issue is this, I found the sub, but the connector that goes from the wiring harness to the sub has changed on the B&O and I absolutely cannot find the new connector. Does anyone know what the part number is so I can order one and connect the sub?

 

[S10blaze92]

I'm going to preface everything by explicitly stating that I am by no means an audiophile. Years around jet engines and open/racecar exhaust have killed my hearing. That being said, I love music, and after my house and my job, my commuter car is the next place where I spend most of my time. So, after reading through the thread, I decided to upgrade my ride.

Well, here it is...the last time I'll see the stock sub in my ride.

I managed to pop the ring off without breaking any tabs.

Here's the sub I decided to go with... the Kicker 48CWRT104. It's a 4 ohm dual voice coil but it does not fit without some modifications.

I started by grinding down the tab on the enclosure that is at the 12 o'clock position. Then added some acoustic foam around the edge.

I traced the shape of the stock sub in high density polyethylene (HDPE) which is basically just a 3/8" sheet of black plastic. I countersunk the screw holes for the stock screws to screw into the enclosure in the stock location. (The non countersunk holes are the holes to mount the sub.)

I filled the enclosure with fluff and attached the leads.

I cut out the ring in 1/2" HDPE to fill the gap in the enclosure and here's the end result with the sub mounted.

The bass is so much tighter now. The music is fuller. Before I had the bass eq very low but now I can turn it up and it won't distort.

Hey ARAMP1.... I like your install on the kicker. This is the first time I've every posted here. Where did you get the plug in play wiring harness for the factory sub plugs? I just can't bring myself to cut the wires on a brand new car yet. Thanks

 

[ARAMP1]

Where did you get the plug in play wiring harness for the factory sub plugs? I just can't bring myself to cut the wires on a brand new car yet. Thanks

They're just standard audio connectors. I picked mine up on amazon.

I wouldn't have minded cutting mine, but with the larger magnet and the connections on each side, I would have had to splice more wire length in anyway. This just made sense. Plus, if I sell the car, I can swap the old one back in pretty easily if I wanted.

 

[ah64aviator]

Did the Pioneer upgrade today and glad I came across this thread and how-to. For such little expense, it sounds way better, much cleaner. Thank you @Gregs24 for the write-up, you made it easy to do. Thank you @ARAMP1 for the tip on the speaker connectors, I liked not cutting factory wires. Forgive me, but whoever it was buried in this thread that came up with a heat gun and heating up the ring, that was awesome because I got it off and didn't break any of the connectors. I love this community!

 

[Gregs24]

Did the Pioneer upgrade today and glad I came across this thread and how-to. For such little expense, it sounds way better, much cleaner. Thank you @Gregs24 for the write-up, you made it easy to do. Thank you @ARAMP1 for the tip on the speaker connectors, I liked not cutting factory wires. Forgive me, but whoever it was buried in this thread that came up with a heat gun and heating up the ring, that was awesome because I got it off and didn't break any of the connectors. I love this community!

If I had known how popular this was going to be I should have taken out shares in Pioneer!

 

[RobZ71LM7]

I installed the Pioneer subwoofer a little over a week ago and it went perfectly. Thanks to all that posted.

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