2014 Ram 1500 standard audio system ( uconnect 5.0 )... upgrade!

[henryhemi]

I hear ya man. I wanted to splurge for all jl speakers to match the sub and amp. I went with the kickers bc they we're less expensive and had great reviews. Once I get all this audio stuff figured out ill prob upgrade

 

[FlatLandRam]

Would you notice a difference in swapping all your interior speakers out for kickers compared to stock with stock amplification?

 

[woojyee]

Would you notice a difference in swapping all your interior speakers out for kickers compared to stock with stock amplification?

Absolutely! The base factory speakers are plain junk (I can't speak for the Alpine premium systems) so the kickers are a good upgrade! Just be sure to check the ohms on the dash speakers. Mine were 8-ohm and replacing them with 4-ohm speakers made the dash overbearing or bright. I am not sure if the Morpar kicker upgrade has 8 or 4-ohm dash speakers. I am assuming it is balanced one way or another.

 

[woojyee]

I hear ya man. I wanted to splurge for all jl speakers to match the sub and amp. I went with the kickers bc they we're less expensive and had great reviews. Once I get all this audio stuff figured out ill prob upgrade

I bought my truck in December and I immediately wanted to upgrade the Audio system. I installed a system in my 02 Silverado, all Rockford Fosgate, 3 AMPs, electronic x-over, punch 6.5" Component sets except the Sub which was a JL Audio 10w3v1-D2 and the HU, a Kenwood Excelon x869. Believe it or not, everything still works today including the motorized face of the HU which I bought in 1998 lol. The only issue I had with the install in the last 13-years was the foam surround of the JL sub deteriorated in 2011. I replaced it with a Kicker but later discovered I could have had the foam surround replaced for 20 bucks but I have since misplaced the sub

Anyway, back to the RAM! My audio upgrade evolved really quickly. Bought kicker replacements immediately and was gonna add a Kicker Soundstage system but decided I could do better for the money that thing was gonna cost. Bought some RF Prime 6.5" Component sets and was gonna add a Fosgate sub and amp but decided against it went with the JL Audio Amp. Decided I didn't like the Fosgate speakers (another forum user picked apart my audio build) and went with some JLA c2-600 sets my buddy had laying around then ultimately added the cleansweep dsp and upgraded to JLA c3-600 component sets and moved the Tweeters in the Sails. All this happened within 3-months of buying the truck... all I can say is, thank god for crutchfield's 60-day return policy

The only 2 things I am thinking about is adding an EQ of some sort and trying to angle tweeters more toward me somehow. JLA didn't make the tweeters moveable in their mounting cups for some reason which is disappointing particularly since those sets are $400+ a piece.

 

[henryhemi]

I installed the kickers in the dash and the doors and they sound awesome. I wasn't really expecting to be as impressed with the upgrade as I am. The dash speakers are clear and crisp, they really snap. The doors sound more clear as well, especially the bass at higher volumes. What was muddled and distorted before is now clean thumping goodness.
I stealth box was delivered and the fit and finish of this product is impeccable. I am still waiting on the amp and wiring kit to arrive. So far the verdict is... money well spent!

 

[henryhemi]

Would you notice a difference in swapping all your interior speakers out for kickers compared to stock with stock amplification?

I can honestly say absolutely, without a doubt. These kickers blow the stockers out of the water. I'm not even sure if I really need a sub now that the bass from the kicker 6x9s is so great. When I took my girl for a ride she thought the amp and sub was already hooked up and running till I told her I was still waiting on it to be delivered.

 

[CMil527]

I installed the kickers in the dash and the doors and they sound awesome. I wasn't really expecting to be as impressed with the upgrade as I am. The dash speakers are clear and crisp, they really snap. The doors sound more clear as well, especially the bass at higher volumes. What was muddled and distorted before is now clean thumping goodness.
I stealth box was delivered and the fit and finish of this product is impeccable. I am still waiting on the amp and wiring kit to arrive. So far the verdict is... money well spent!

Easy swap? Plug right in?

 

[woojyee]

I can honestly say absolutely, without a doubt. These kickers blow the stockers out of the water. I'm not even sure if I really need a sub now that the bass from the kicker 6x9s is so great. When I took my girl for a ride she thought the amp and sub was already hooked up and running till I told her I was still waiting on it to be delivered.

Show your girl this and see if she will let you expand your audio budget.. I played that very song for my girl as she was sitting in the seat above the sub and she said she could see how it could happen but I didn't have enough power to finish the job...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfFVXSq7n_s

Easy swap? Plug right in?

They are for the most part plug and play particularly if you purchased from crutchfield, they provide the adapter plugs and mounting brackets that make installation a breeze.

 

[henryhemi]

Easy swap? Plug right in?

Pretty much. The rears disn't line up exactly. I have to drill two screws into the plastic on each side. Otherwise yes. the adapters that crutchfield provide work great and make the job easy.

 

[henryhemi]

Im installing the amp right now.. almost done!!

 

[henryhemi]

Btw being color blind really makes wiring a pita.

 

[henryhemi]

Having issues with the lci2 powering up. I wired the high level inputs to the amp and it sounded modest at best. Going to work on the lci2 tonight

 

[WhiteMamba]

I installed the kickers in the dash and the doors and they sound awesome. I wasn't really expecting to be as impressed with the upgrade as I am. The dash speakers are clear and crisp, they really snap. The doors sound more clear as well, especially the bass at higher volumes. What was muddled and distorted before is now clean thumping goodness.
I stealth box was delivered and the fit and finish of this product is impeccable. I am still waiting on the amp and wiring kit to arrive. So far the verdict is... money well spent!

How are the Kickers doing after having them for awhile? I'm looking at doing the CS's or KS's in the doors and dash while I save up for a full Focal System in the Crew Cab. Also what 4-Channel are you using for the Kickers?

 

[CMil527]

Show your girl this and see if she will let you expand your audio budget.. I played that very song for my girl as she was sitting in the seat above the sub and she said she could see how it could happen but I didn't have enough power to finish the job...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfFVXSq7n_s



They are for the most part plug and play particularly if you purchased from crutchfield, they provide the adapter plugs and mounting brackets that make installation a breeze.

Pretty much. The rears disn't line up exactly. I have to drill two screws into the plastic on each side. Otherwise yes. the adapters that crutchfield provide work great and make the job easy.

thanks guys!

 

[henryhemi]

How are the Kickers doing after having them for awhile? I'm looking at doing the CS's or KS's in the doors and dash while I save up for a full Focal System in the Crew Cab. Also what 4-Channel are you using for the Kickers?

the kickers were sounding great. the right dash blew a couple days ago. really upsetting... i need to contract crutchfield. hoping they warranty it for me. i didnt even crank it up above 30 and i have the 600hz bass blockers installed. I do not have a 4channel amp at this time. im running the dash and door speakers off of the uconnect 5.0.

I am now trying to get the lc2i and amp tuned for the sub. its proving to be tedious. One other issue i've noticed is when the doors lock or unlock i get bass feed back through the sub. I spliced into the right rear at the base of the b-post. Im assuming there is interference from the bundle of wires where I spliced. Will splicing somewhere else fix this?

Can anyone advise on setting the accubass and bass threshold on the lc2i? Does the Uconnect 5.0 have bass roll off or not? I have been fooling with it for a couple days trying different settings. I will have time tomorrow to spend on it and hope to get it tuned in proper so i can bolt everything down.

 

[henryhemi]

Update:

I just called Crutchfield after a quick chat with their online help service. I immediately got a real person on the line. They are shipping a new set of 3.5"s, with a return label for the old set to send back. No questions asked. Awesome service!!

Lc2i/amp/sub wiring problems have been solved and I will be buttoning up everything today/tomorrow. I apparently spliced into a wire for the door lock instead of the speaker. Perfect explanation for why my sub sounded like doodoo and why the sub hit a few times when the doors were locked/unlocked lol! Like I said, being color vision impaired makes wiring projects... interesting. The sub sounds AMAZING now. I am still farting around with the lc2i setting and the amp gain/frequency filter. I think I have it sounding about perfect. The gain on the amp is at about 25% right now and its loud enough for me. This JL 500w amp is amazingly compact for how much power it seems to produce. I could have saved a few bucks and went with a JL 250w amp instead of the JL 500w. It is overkill on powering the v3W3 10". I am justifying in my head by thinking the 500w will last longer(run cooler etc.) running at 25-50%, than the 250w running at 100%. I also have enough power if I decide to upgrade to two 10"s, but that is HIGHLY unlikely.
The Stealthbox was an expensive purchase compared to the alternatives but I feel that the cost is justified by the quality and performance of the product.
*I have not yet listened first hand to any of the pre-fab mdf boxes to compare it to yet but I doubt they sound this good!

 

[WhiteMamba]

I just installed the same setup as you minus the sub. I can definitely say that it is much cleaner and crisp than the stock 6 speaker setup. The dash speakers are very bright and I had to turn the Treble down to -2 to make them even out at a bit. Overall I'm happy with the product for the price. I need a sub soon because I feel like the stock speakers had a more bass sound than the Kicked 6x9s in the back but the bass is much cleaner now than before although not as boomy. I bet they sound much better when amped which I'll hook up with 2 10"s under the backseat since I don't use the underwear storage because it's just a little small for what I need to put under the seats away from eyes to see. Great post!

 

[WhiteMamba]

I just installed the same setup as you minus the sub. I can definitely say that it is much cleaner and crisp than the stock 6 speaker setup. The dash speakers are very bright and I had to turn the Treble down to -2 to make them even out at a bit. Overall I'm happy with the product for the price. I need a sub soon because I feel like the stock speakers had a more bass sound than the Kicked 6x9s in the back but the bass is much cleaner now than before although not as boomy. I bet they sound much better when amped which I'll hook up with 2 10"s under the backseat since I don't use the underwear storage because it's just a little small for what I need to put under the seats away from eyes to see. Great post!

*Kicker 6x9
*Underseat Storage
(iPhone likes to make me sound dumb)

 

[BigBlackBeauty]

resisters behind your speaker tap.. have to do it for each channel.. put a 47 Ohm - 3 Watt resister in series of each channel so that the head unit thinks the OEM speakers are still in the harness

 

[BigBlackBeauty]

you need resisters in series in your OEM harness after where you tapped in your speaker wires ..