Audio Upgrade

[Witch]

Time to upgrade the speakers in the Ram, I paid the extra to get the Alpine 8.4 9 speaker upgrade with factory sub. I not much of an audiophile or anything like that, but it does not take one to hear the inadequacies of the crappy factory speakers they use. Honestly you would think they would do better.

I am hoping to just upgrade the speakers with out an amp upgrade and see how it goes, Adding an amp would be my last upgrade if I have to go that route.

After a lot of research and reading I decided to go with the Infinity Reference speakers as it seems they are right in the middle of the pack and seem to represent a good balance between affordability and sound quality.

Last week I added the Pioneer 8" shallow sub. While I did not hear a night and day difference it does seem to hit a tad harder, but the main difference is it sounds a little tighter than the factory sub. Hoping as it breaks in I will see more of a difference , but for $ 71.99 on Newegg it is hard to complain

My second step was this morning I installed the 3.5" version of their reference line, As for installation the right and left were a breeze and took all of 20 minutes to install. As for the center channel, well that went quite differently.
they screws are 7mm hex heads and wouldn't you know it my set of box ends only goes down to 8mm

So I had to goes the 7mm socket and water pump pliers method. After a lot of searing I finally got the center speaker in

FYI the sensor plug is a pain in the a$$ but you can get easy enough. You also have to make sure the wires and connectors are tucked in as they do fit tight, but if you make sure everything's out of the way they fit in like a glove

OMG, what a difference !!! listening to the Pussycat Dolls (Don't Cha) I never heard the finger symbols that are used through out the song ? All I can say is they add another complete layer of sound to the stock audio system

Watching videos and reading on hear I am sure everyone is aware of the depth limitations of the front speaker wells. The DS Kickers seem to be a popular choice and the are 3.25" deep and members have made them work.

I will be rolling with the the REF-9622IX 6x9 2 way speakers

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_108R9622IX/Infinity-Reference-REF-9622IX.html?tp=105

These are 3.0625" deep so they will have 3/16" of additional clearance, so we will see. Being the tweeters are recessed in these speakers I will use nylon washers to get the magnet off the steel post if needed as I have about about .25" to the speaker cover to give

Hoping to have these by the end of the week, got a great deal on them from Amazon that another member hear found, Thank You

$ 80.00 plus 7 bucks for the factory plug adapters , you can see how much Crutchfield wants for them in the link

here they are on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EXBUDOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Witch]

Got both sets of Infinity REF-9622IX 6x9 2 way speakers delivered yesterday
Had some time tonight to get the rear speakers installed. First door took about an hour and 10 minutes and I lost one of the metal clips off the plastic upright and it fell into the door ....
Now wondering if I will have a rattle forever as I could not retrieve it, easy enough to grab one form the dealer, just hoping it does not rattle.

After the first door was done the second door took 12 minutes & I did not lose the metal clip....

Experience is everything

Playing the same demo song that I used on the fronts (Don't Cha)
Wow, what a difference it seem to expand the sound stage on the high and low end, as well as not coming across as muddy, thye definition is night and day from the stock units.

here is a pic of both units, easy to see how much of a difference there is



Not sure how much difference it makes you can turn the tweeters to point in specific positions so regardless of install being horizontal or vertical you can point the tweeter towards the ear level, Not sure if it makes a difference, but pretty cool none the less. You can really see the difference in this pic



If nothing pops up I hope to install the fronts tomorrow and see how the depth of these work out

Here is one of the speaker installed



Did a complete listen start to end and if I gain as much low end as I did in the rear I think I may be happy with the system with out a amp and larger sub solution

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNSxNsr4wmA

 

[metalmancpa]

You'll probably want a sub. Your discerning ears will notice the early roll moreso with better speakers. Yes you get a bigger soundstage, and yes a lot of the mud dries up. But that will accentuate the lack of low end., I'm not talking thumping, but just enough to feel and notice it. Even after I installed the Kicker plug and play sub yesterday, I still feel it rolls off early yet my system now is far superior to just upgrading the speakers IMO. I have a jumble - Infinity in the dash, Boston Acoustics in the front doors, and JL Audio in the rear doors.

 

[adubree86]

I was looking at the same speaker but I don't have the alpine system. Wondering if just a speaker upgrade will do much of if I need to wire in an inline amp.

 

[Witch]

I think they would be a good upgrade path as they are really efficient.You would not lose any volume like you possibly could with some other solutions. They are specifically designed according to Infinity to complement factory head units and also shine when pushed by an amp. If anything these are louder and do not deteriorate when pushed.
Once I get the fronts in and eliminate the factories altogether I should have a better all around perspective.

 

[SETEX 6.4]

I think they would be a good upgrade path as they are really efficient.You would not lose any volume like you possibly could with some other solutions. They are specifically designed according to Infinity to complement factory head units and also shine when pushed by an amp. If anything these are louder and do not deteriorate when pushed.
Once I get the fronts in and eliminate the factories altogether I should have a better all around perspective.

What are you doing for the roof speakers?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[Witch]

Really happy with the reference sound thus far
No reason to jump ship if I decide to go with them and probably will just so everything is matching

OCD is a ***** . . . .

https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-REF-275tx-Reference-Edge-Driven-Tweeters/dp/B01E8OYLH6

 

[adubree86]

So I think I have things figured out thanks to your help. Gonna cost me more than I was hoping for but I think it'll be better than the kicker CS series I was originally planning.

Dash - Infinity Reference REF-3022cfx
Front Doors - Infinity Reference REF-9620cx. I'll mount the tweeters in the sail panels. The nice thing about these is they have adjustable tweeter cups so no custom fiberglass work.
Rear - Infinity Reference REF-9622ix
Sub - JBL BassPro SL

Nice thing is all this can be done without an amp, pac harness or any real rewiring.

Crutchfield wants $542.00 for all this. After shopping around on amazon I get it all for $487.00. Not sure if the $55 saved is worth it given the great customer support and install advice I can get from crutchfield.

For reference the kicker CS series with the JBL sub would run me $410.00 because of the buy one get one 50% off. So a difference of $132.00.

Would you say going with the Infinity set would be better than the Kickers? I really want clarity in my speakers and have the JBL pick up the lows.

 

[Witch]

Sounds awesome, you will be glad you added the sub

Got the fronts in tonight , the bar behind the front speakers is problematic to sat the least, I could have easily just screwed these in, but was not comfortable with the magnet resting against the steel bar as I did not want to risk having a vibration. I can say removing the door panels has become easy once you get the procedure down.



In this picture you can see the depth difference, turns out the little bit makes all the difference



I bought some 1/8" and 1/4" nylon spacers the other day just in case, good thing I did. The 1/4" worked perfect. and do not touch the door panels at all and easily clears the metal bar behind the speaker.



Like I said once you have the door panels down the install is super easy. I did not get a picture but I used some high quality silicone sealant around the entire speaker to fill the gap the spacers created between the back of the backer and the receiver bucket on the door.

The front door speakers really handle a lot of the bass and are noticeably much cleaner and tighter. However while very close I do not think they go quite as low as the factory units. Sound quality is not even close though. The front door speakers also handle a lot of volume hence they are the first t distort when putting the volume to them. The reference are not quite as loud, but do not fall off as fast and can take more volume than the stock units.
in the end I can turn them up so they are louder that the factory units. With that being said the clarity again is not even in the same league.

Is this a great upgrade ?
Yes I would recommend this upgrade path to anyone that is trying to upgrade their factory speakers with a great sounding affordable speaker.
Is this the end all ?
I most certainly is not, While the system is very tight and really captures the high and mid ranges the system still lacks bottom end. For all you guys who really want to feel the wave this system will leave you wanting.
Please misunderstand, It is night and day better than the factory speakers.

Guess I was just hoping for more out of the Pioneer is all

Now contemplating an amp and powered sub
Can't wait to see what you think of the JBL , looks like a clean set up if it has the umpf

The kicker and JL solutions look good as well

time for some research

 

[Witch]

Added some Poly Fill I got at AC Moore to the factory bass box. It did make a little impact so the system is getting closer to being satisfactory. Thinking I am going to need a little more, looking at adding an amp to push the the Pioneer sub in the factory box. Would have liked to get a better sub, but there simply is no good solutions available that will not impede or eliminate my fold down floor. being that is a must have option for me I have eliminated all the after market solutions.

I have been looking at the LC2i as a line converter to help with roll off from the factory head unit & boost bass signal if needed. I am not up on all this stuff, just after reading and some research it seems to do a better job than the Best Buy 20 dollar solution ?

Anyone have any experience with this line converter ? good bad or indifferent ?
Still looking for an amp that would be a good match for the sub ?
Any input on a suitable unit is appreciated

Here is the line converter and the sub I already have

https://www.amazon.com/AudioControl-Channel-Converter-AccuBASS-Subwoofer/dp/B00IIL0LW0

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-TS-S...784311&sr=1-1&keywords=8"+pioneer+shallow+sub

Thanks

 

[SETEX 6.4]

I put poly fill in my box when I installed the pioneer. Didn't really know how much to put so I just started packing it in loosely. Not sure if I put enough, to much or not enough. I have a mega cab so my box is quite a bit different from yours.
I will be following along with your amp idea. I'm like you. I don't want to sacrifice storage versatility with a box sticking up into the cargo area.
Just need to squeeze a little more out of the factory box and upgraded pioneer.

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[Witch]

Talking to a buddy of mine last night, he has a friend who does car audio for a living. He said he would call and see if he will take a listen. I will be cool to see what someone in the industry thinks .....

 

[Witch]

Well that was an experience, real nice guy.
I ended up taking the sub out and leaving it with him as he wanted to try out several amps. I went back tonight to see what he cam up with. Being a friend of a friend he was not in this for the money or a job. He recommended upping the size of the sub, but really talked good about the 8" Pioneers performance, I would say he came across surprised. Here are the items he recommended for to me. Not being an expert I have decided to follow blindly ...... lol

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BF6HX8U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

He added this amp comes with a bass volume knob and wire

He said this is optional as the Rockford has a line converter built in, but could give me a little more adjustment , for for 70 bucks I am jumping on it

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IIL0LW0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

He said to get a 8 gauge wiring kit
Just grabbed a cheap 8 gauge amp wiring kit, hopefully it is half decent

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RNNY9S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


He did have hooked up in his shop, but actually recommended I buy them off Amazon for the best price. He also added it will be completely different sound when in the truck as opposed to his showroom.
I can tell you, the sub is hitting a lot harder with this amp than what the factory amp was hitting

Anyway we will see what happens

 

[SETEX 6.4]

Sweet. Can't wait to hear what you think when you get it hooked up.

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[Spanka]

If you decide to go bigger on the subs on the cheap you can buy a Qbomb ported box for 130 in 10" and get yourself a couple of sundown E series subs for 90 each. A 1000w Fosgate p1000 on offer up or craigslistfor 150 but make sure you can hear it play first and you will be blown away.. If you cant find a fosgate p1000 you can buy a hifonics brutus brx2016 for 150 and that will do the trick. Of course you will need a line out converter LC2I 90 bucks.

If you're into real loud bass get the Fox acoustics box in 10" 230 shipped and a couple of sundown SA 10s 180 each or you can go with the Alpine type Rs and a 2000w Sundown amp for 400 and you get a killer system.

But the speaker stuff you have done is very nice and I bet it sounds amazing over the Alpine "upgrade"...

 

[TomT]

If you decide to go bigger on the subs on the cheap you can buy a Qbomb ported box for 130 in 10" and get yourself a couple of sundown E series subs for 90 each. A 1000w Fosgate p1000 on offer up or craigslistfor 150 but make sure you can hear it play first and you will be blown away.. If you cant find a fosgate p1000 you can buy a hifonics brutus brx2016 for 150 and that will do the trick. Of course you will need a line out converter LC2I 90 bucks.

If you're into real loud bass get the Fox acoustics box in 10" 230 shipped and a couple of sundown SA 10s 180 each or you can go with the Alpine type Rs and a 2000w Sundown amp for 400 and you get a killer system.

But the speaker stuff you have done is very nice and I bet it sounds amazing over the Alpine "upgrade"...

Some questionable choices in your recommendations. Especially seeing that the OP has the Alpine system.

 

[Spanka]

its cheap and it works for someone that is not into the perfect bass like we are . Or I can reword it.. ITS 10000000 times better than the stock sub setup and for only 500 bucks?? worth it.. now to get it dialed in, and play perfectly, I'm still learning as I have done everything outside of replacing the factory head unit.. I also have not purchased a super expensive DSP because I don't feel it would work anyway based on the fact that you tie them in after the factory amp.. seems like a complete waste of money. But an LC2I will play 31Hz to 65Hz perfectly!

 

[sumgruuvz]

If you decide to go bigger on the subs on the cheap you can buy a Qbomb ported box for 130 in 10" and get yourself a couple of sundown E series subs for 90 each. A 1000w Fosgate p1000 on offer up or craigslistfor 150 but make sure you can hear it play first and you will be blown away.. If you cant find a fosgate p1000 you can buy a hifonics brutus brx2016 for 150 and that will do the trick. Of course you will need a line out converter LC2I 90 bucks.

If you're into real loud bass get the Fox acoustics box in 10" 230 shipped and a couple of sundown SA 10s 180 each or you can go with the Alpine type Rs and a 2000w Sundown amp for 400 and you get a killer system.

But the speaker stuff you have done is very nice and I bet it sounds amazing over the Alpine "upgrade"...

I don't think he's into SPL. That's overkill for what he's wanting.

 

[Spanka]

I agree, but this is exactly how I started.. then I got the bug! Just laying out some budget friendly ideas should he want more in the future

 

[sumgruuvz]

I agree, but this is exactly how I started.. then I got the bug! Just laying out some budget friendly ideas should he want more in the future

I read what you have in your truck, and I'd love to have that , but yeah, for what he wants, overkill