B/O upgrade over stock audio worth it?

[Icbmredrat]

Hi all.

Just wondering if the $900 (CDN) upgrade for the B/O speakers is worth it over the stock from the 302A XLT?

Currently I use the sound system every time I drive.

Thank you kindly

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[EOhana13]

Id say its definitely worth it to upgrade. The B and O system is a huge upgrade over stock. Now I wouldn't personally spend the extra to get unleased audio but I definitely think you should pull the trigger on the system.

 

[Knickell]

I did a write up on the Bang & Olufsen Unleashed system over here ?:

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/thr...shed-sound-system-review-2021-f-150-????.791/

There, I also have videos of the audio menus and a brief sound demo of the Bang & Olufsen Unleashed system in action.

 

[solarity]

Car audio seldom lives up to the name plate. From what I read it is better than the Sony that used to be in the truck. I only considered it for HD Radio. I listen to NPR on AM a lot. At sundown to sunrise they drop their wattage so I get a lot of interference. It is worst in the winter, due to the short days. They semicast to a HD station, so yes talk radio is the big reason I am interested in it ><.

 

[docprego]

There's some confusion here. The OP asked about XLT 302a, only option #1 below is available in that trim. I too am curious what improvement it offers over the standard audio system in a 302a XLT.

The following is quoted directly from Ford's site:

1. B&O Sound System by Bang & Olufsen with HD Radio™
Standard on King Ranch® Standard and Platinum Standard.
Available on XLT High and LARIAT Standard.
Included on LARIAT Mid and High.

Enjoy outstanding entertainment with the power and clarity of the available B&O Sound System by Bang & Olufsen, designed to create a customized audio experience by incorporating specifically tailored speaker placement, tuning and calibration. Among its features: an integrated microphone monitoring background noise to ensure outstanding playback, up to 640 watts of amplified power, and 8 premium speakers.

2. B&O Sound System Unleashed by Bang & Olufsen with HD Radio™
Standard on Limited.

The next step in your audio experience. B&O Sound System Unleashed utilizes 18 powerful speakers for visceral soundscape in your F-150. 1080 watts of power through 18 speakers, including headliner speakers and front headrest speakers, envelop you in sound, even from above. And they look just as sweet as they sound with Laser-etched aluminum speaker grilles.

BANG & OLUFSEN© 2020 and B&0© 2020. BANG & OLUFSEN™ and B&O are registered trademarks of Bang & Olufsen Group. Licensed by Harman Becker Automotive Systems Manufacturing Kft. All rights reserved.

Available on LARIAT High,.
Included on King Ranch® High, Platinum High.

 

[mblatz]

There's some confusion here. The OP asked about XLT 302a, only option #1 below is available in that trim. I too am curious what improvement it offers over the standard audio system in a 302a XLT.

Given the small number of speakers in the base (non-B&O) audio (4 or 5), I can only imagine the "first level" B&O upgrade is totally a worthwhile improvement. If nothing else, to get tweeters and a sub. I know a lot of the discussion has been on the higher end "second level" Unleashed package, but my order is a 302a with "first level" B&O and I will happily post a review once I've heard it.

 

[xXChartmanXx]

Hi all.

Just wondering if the $900 (CDN) upgrade for the B/O speakers is worth it over the stock from the 302A XLT?

Currently I use the sound system every time I drive.

Thank you kindly

Just an opinion, but if you took that $900 and put it into aftermarket speakers and an amp you would blow away the sound you will get from the standard B&O system. The unleashed is a different animal since its designed around surround sound.

 

[Icbmredrat]

Just an opinion, but if you took that $900 and put it into aftermarket speakers and an amp you would blow away the sound you will get from the standard B&O system. The unleashed is a different animal since its designed around surround sound.

Ideally I would like to avoid that because I don’t want to give the dealer / manufacturer any excuse to void warranty claims, atleast in the 3 year window.

However saying that, I am certain that $900 goes a long way in getting quality sounding components on the aftermarket route.

Apparently, my order date was end of November and as of yesterday, it hasn’t been scheduled to build yet so I could still add the package but may delay the delivery.

 

[Icbmredrat]

Given the small number of speakers in the base (non-B&O) audio (4 or 5), I can only imagine the "first level" B&O upgrade is totally a worthwhile improvement. If nothing else, to get tweeters and a sub. I know a lot of the discussion has been on the higher end "second level" Unleashed package, but my order is a 302a with "first level" B&O and I will happily post a review once I've heard it.

Please report once you are able. Thank you kindly.

 

[Icbmredrat]

I went ahead and jumped on the standard B/O upgrade after hearing it on a base Lariat. Without touching anything except volume, the sound is very decent and “rich?”.

 

[Jbrantner]

I find it worth the money over the base system. Doesn’t have the punch like my ram alpine system had, but it’s way better than the base and worth the upgrade. I haven’t experienced the unleashed, but I assume it should be on par with the ram 19 speaker Harmon kardon system

 

[Eoseabee133]

I have the B&O in my supercab and I gotta say it's a huge improvement over the stock radio and it's worth every penny.

 

[freddyttt]

Just an opinion, but if you took that $900 and put it into aftermarket speakers and an amp you would blow away the sound you will get from the standard B&O system. The unleashed is a different animal since its designed around surround sound.

900.00 won't even get you close to the way this upgraded system sounds, IMHO. Now I'm not saying the upgraded B&O is awesome, I'm just saying 900 won't buy you much.

 

[xXChartmanXx]

900.00 won't even get you close to the way this upgraded system sounds, IMHO. Now I'm not saying the upgraded B&O is awesome, I'm just saying 900 won't buy you much.

I put $750 into my Explorer and it sounds amazing. Far better than any normal premium OEM sound system. I bought some Fosgate components for the front door, some Fosgate Coaxials for the back doors, a 10" low profile Pioneer sub box, and a nice 5 Channel Fosgate amp with an LC2 interface from AudioControl to interface with the Sync system and restore the bass to the signal. And then I installed some Killmat in the doors to kill road noise and enhance mid bass and it made a huge difference. Got it all for $750. Of course I did the install myself which saved some money but its do-able.

 

[LHoffmanjr22]

It is significantly better than the stock system. I had a '21 Powerboost with the stock system, but that one had a check engine light that Ford engineers and the dealership couldn't figure out how to fix. The dealership took that one back and the replacement has the B&O 8 speaker system, and it's night and day different. Everything sounds more crisp, especially at higher volumes and the low end bass is much stronger. I haven't heard the Unleashed, but the 8 speaker system is worth every penny over the stock system.

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