Alpine 8.4AN dash speaker and OEM subwoofer upgrade- '15 2500 CC

[BillR]

I have a '15 2500 CC with the 8.4AN Alpine premium sound system. Since I have been in the audio industry for over 35+ years, i know what to listen for and I felt the dash speakers were muddy sounding and the bass was tubby and not very tight sounding. Thus, I did lots and lots of research trying to find a smooth balance of sound. I also wanted to keep the dash speakers at the same efficiency as the OEM speakers so they would balance out with the remaining OEM speakers. So here is what I upgraded to:

Dash speakers: I installed Infinity Reference X REF-3002cfx. They were a direct drop in / plug and play install using Metra 71-039C adaptors. They are much more detailed sounding and have more "sparkle" than the OEM speakers. Makes for a nice image.

Subwoofer: It was tough to find an 8" dual 2 ohm subwoofer with a shallow enough mounting depth for the factory under rear seat enclosure. The Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 fits perfect - even the holes line up. Make sure you use the gasket that comes with the woofer. Also, PROPERLY plug the hole in the bottom of the enclosure where the screw that went into the back of the factory woofer. (You'll see what I mean when you take it apart) It is 100% plug and play using a Metra 72-6514 adapter.
Definitely a cleaner tighter, more accurate bass. It "may" be a tad louder but it is much less muddy and you really 'feel' it when it hits.

The system sounds pretty good with these upgrades. I am pleased with it. Hope this info helps some of you.
__________________

 

[Danimal77]

Nice, where you order the upgrades from? You replace all 3 dash speakers?

 

[woojyee]

Doesn't seem logical to pay extra for the Alpine system only to have to turn around and buy gear to make it sound better. How much does the dealer charge for the premium Alpine system?

 

[silvergoat]

good info, did you happen to look up door speaker replacements too?

 

[BillR]

good info, did you happen to look up door speaker replacements too?

No, I don't think it is necessary as I am pleased with the sound quality now.

I sourced the woofers and 3.5" from Amazon and the Metra adaptors from Crutchfield.

I did replace all 3 dash speakers. Everything was plug n play - no wires were cut, no holes drilled. Super simple install.

 

[Danimal77]

The dash speakers are sold in pairs or 3? I hate the thought of ordering 2 pairs, knowing you will have 1 extra.

 

[The Crow 1994]

The dash speakers are sold in pairs or 3? I hate the thought of ordering 2 pairs, knowing you will have 1 extra.

I know at Crutchfield you have to order two pairs, if you are looking to replace the 3 stock in dash speakers.

 

[Tach_tech]

Interesting. I've been playing with the idea of upgrading the sub but didn't want to go the custom enclosure route. Was it a fairly noticeable difference between the factory sub and the pioneer?

 

[BillR]

Anyone do the upgrade yet?
As the woofer gets broken in, I am even happier with with. So much better, tighter and harder hitting bass than with the stock Chinese woofer!
Not sure if the '15 trucks have different amps or anything, but I am very pleased with the set up I have now. Bass is better, more controlled - Not louder.
I did drop the EQ down a few clicks as well.

 

[Tach_tech]

Anyone do the upgrade yet?
As the woofer gets broken in, I am even happier with with. So much better, tighter and harder hitting bass than with the stock Chinese woofer!
Not sure if the '15 trucks have different amps or anything, but I am very pleased with the set up I have now. Bass is better, more controlled - Not louder.
I did drop the EQ down a few clicks as well.

I'm likely going to be doing this upgrade. Is there any 6x9s that you would recommend to compliment the pioneer sub and infinity dash speakers?

 

[Etroze86]

Anyone do the upgrade yet?
As the woofer gets broken in, I am even happier with with. So much better, tighter and harder hitting bass than with the stock Chinese woofer!
Not sure if the '15 trucks have different amps or anything, but I am very pleased with the set up I have now. Bass is better, more controlled - Not louder.
I did drop the EQ down a few clicks as well.

Glad to hear you are liking the sub upgrade but I gotta say your pioneer sub is made in China. There really isn't anything wrong with products made there. Just some companies pay more for quality control than others like pioneer and JL audio.

 

[Ramaniac]

I have a '15 2500 CC with the 8.4AN Alpine premium sound system. Since I have been in the audio industry for over 35+ years, i know what to listen for and I felt the dash speakers were muddy sounding and the bass was tubby and not very tight sounding. Thus, I did lots and lots of research trying to find a smooth balance of sound. I also wanted to keep the dash speakers at the same efficiency as the OEM speakers so they would balance out with the remaining OEM speakers. So here is what I upgraded to:

Dash speakers: I installed Infinity Reference X REF-3002cfx. They were a direct drop in / plug and play install using Metra 71-039C adaptors. They are much more detailed sounding and have more "sparkle" than the OEM speakers. Makes for a nice image.

Subwoofer: It was tough to find an 8" dual 2 ohm subwoofer with a shallow enough mounting depth for the factory under rear seat enclosure. The Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 fits perfect - even the holes line up. Make sure you use the gasket that comes with the woofer. Also, PROPERLY plug the hole in the bottom of the enclosure where the screw that went into the back of the factory woofer. (You'll see what I mean when you take it apart) It is 100% plug and play using a Metra 72-6514 adapter.
Definitely a cleaner tighter, more accurate bass. It "may" be a tad louder but it is much less muddy and you really 'feel' it when it hits.

The system sounds pretty good with these upgrades. I am pleased with it. Hope this info helps some of you.
__________________

Hey Bill,

I just registered to tell you that I agree with your assertation of the audio system and I have purchased the parts you suggested. They all fnally just showed up. Once I get them installed I will let you know what I think of them. If someone else needs an extra front speaker (Infinity)I have one for sale. PM me.

 

[SixPoints_Kev]

I'm making some similar upgrades to my 15. What is the best way to remove the dash speaker? Does the dash need to be pulled apart to do this? Also, if anyone who has done this upgrade has an extra Infiniti speaker they'd like to sell, pm me..

 

[Ramaniac]

Hey Bill,

I just registered to tell you that I agree with your assertation of the audio system and I have purchased the parts you suggested. They all fnally just showed up. Once I get them installed I will let you know what I think of them. If someone else needs an extra front speaker (Infinity)I have one for sale. PM me.

Speaker has been sold. Thanks Dan !!

 

[SixPoints_Kev]

Bill, I just finished installing the speakers/sub yesterday, and I must say the dash speakers sound much, much better! The sound is a lot sharper and more crisp. On the other hand, the sub upgrade was a lot less noticeable. Every now and then I hear the sub hit a little harder but overall it's hard to notice much of a change. I am definitely happy with the upgrades, was just expecting a little more from the sub... I'll give it some time to break in and see if I notice more of a difference later.

I do have an extra Infinity speaker for sale. PM me if interested.

 

[clays laramie]

Alpine system was only 395$ upgrade in Canada to add.
You will have to add an aftermarket amp, sub, enclosure to get any real bass... dont think the stock enclosure could take much more, without blowing itself apart..

 

[jadocs]

Great post. Tagged for future reference.

 

[Informal]

You've been in the audio industry for 35+ years... And still bought the 8.4AN Alpine premium sound system eh?





Keep in mind, this is coming from a guy who walked away from the perfect truck because it had the Alpine system in it (that and they couldn't get to my price) Then...... Found the exact same truck 30 miles down the road without Alpine, and totally fooked himself out of 3.92 gears..

But hey, I got the base model 8.4an I wanted!
And the 3.21's aren't THAT bad with 35's

 

[noupf]

I have a '15 2500 CC with the 8.4AN Alpine premium sound system. Since I have been in the audio industry for over 35+ years, i know what to listen for and I felt the dash speakers were muddy sounding and the bass was tubby and not very tight sounding. Thus, I did lots and lots of research trying to find a smooth balance of sound. I also wanted to keep the dash speakers at the same efficiency as the OEM speakers so they would balance out with the remaining OEM speakers. So here is what I upgraded to:

Dash speakers: I installed Infinity Reference X REF-3002cfx. They were a direct drop in / plug and play install using Metra 71-039C adaptors. They are much more detailed sounding and have more "sparkle" than the OEM speakers. Makes for a nice image.

Subwoofer: It was tough to find an 8" dual 2 ohm subwoofer with a shallow enough mounting depth for the factory under rear seat enclosure. The Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 fits perfect - even the holes line up. Make sure you use the gasket that comes with the woofer. Also, PROPERLY plug the hole in the bottom of the enclosure where the screw that went into the back of the factory woofer. (You'll see what I mean when you take it apart) It is 100% plug and play using a Metra 72-6514 adapter.
Definitely a cleaner tighter, more accurate bass. It "may" be a tad louder but it is much less muddy and you really 'feel' it when it hits.

The system sounds pretty good with these upgrades. I am pleased with it. Hope this info helps some of you.
__________________

do you know by chance what the maximum depth is for a replacement sub? I see the TS-SW2002D2 has a top mount depth of 2 11/16"......is there much room to go deeper in the oem enclosure?

I did find two other shallow mount subs that have the same mounting depth as the pioneer...

Kicker 40CWRT82 CompRT shallow-mount 8" subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils.. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2064CWRT82/Kicker-40CWRT82.html?tp=111

Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8
Punch Stage 3 shallow 8" subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils http://www.crutchfield.com/p_575P3SD28/Rockford-Fosgate-P3SD2-8.html?tp=111

i dont know audio specs that well, so i'm hoping that your expertise in the industry can comment on which one of these subs would give more of a thumping sort of bass? I'm sure that replacing with either the pioneer, RF or the kicker will produce cleaner more accurate bass either way....but i would like to grab one that could give the most thump.

 

[BillR]

do you know by chance what the maximum depth is for a replacement sub? I see the TS-SW2002D2 has a top mount depth of 2 11/16"......is there much room to go deeper in the oem enclosure?

I did find two other shallow mount subs that have the same mounting depth as the pioneer...

Kicker 40CWRT82 CompRT shallow-mount 8" subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils.. Kicker 40CWRT82 CompRT shallow-mount 8" subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils at Crutchfield.com

Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8
Punch Stage 3 shallow 8" subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8 Punch Stage 3 shallow 8" subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils at Crutchfield.com

i dont know audio specs that well, so i'm hoping that your expertise in the industry can comment on which one of these subs would give more of a thumping sort of bass? I'm sure that replacing with either the pioneer, RF or the kicker will produce cleaner more accurate bass either way....but i would like to grab one that could give the most thump.

You want the highest sensitivity level you can find - otherwise the output (volume level) will be diminished. The Pioneer is the best I have been able to find.