3.5" dash speakers

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Typetwelve

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They are easy to install, and the connections are dummy proof with a supplied factory harness adapter.

I swapped mine out with the Kicker set Friday and although I'm happy with them, I'm also a bit irritated.

Almost all car audio is 4ohm impedance. Apparently, at least for the dash drivers, factory is 8ohm. This manifests itself as the new speakers getting more juice from the head unit (or amp...I'm not sure how the 5.0 system delivers it's power). They will immediatly out power the rest of the speakers.

I had to manipulate the fade more towards the rear in order to get them to blend properly. I don't push my car audio to the limits but I'm still a bit afraid that drawing that much juice vs stock may land up burning up those channels over time as well.

What I'm hoping is that the amp is a 4ohm and they run the front door drivers and dash in parallel brining in a 4ohm load (2 8ohm in parallel). If this is the case, I'd be coming in at 3.66ohm which is close enough not to burn up a 4ohm nominal amp under normal load.

Either way...time will tell I guess.

*EDIT*
Ok...did some research. Seems the 4 doors speakers are 4ohm. I'm guessing the head unit must be a 6 channel, 4ohm nominal amp. I wonder if Dodge shut up the dash speakers (which tend to have a higher efficiency that larger speakers) by making them 8ohm. You can always under drive an amp (to a point). Running an 8ohm driver on a 4ohm amp is much better than running a 4ohm driver on an amp that wants to see 8ohm.

Either way...unless the factory amp is some odd bird, a 4ohm driver will work...it will just overpower the other 4 (which you will notice immediately once you turn it on).

Like I said, manipulating the fade helps...
 

dmullen

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They are easy to install, and the connections are dummy proof with a supplied factory harness adapter.

I swapped mine out with the Kicker set Friday and although I'm happy with them, I'm also a bit irritated.

Almost all car audio is 4ohm impedance. Apparently, at least for the dash drivers, factory is 8ohm. This manifests itself as the new speakers getting more juice from the head unit (or amp...I'm not sure how the 5.0 system delivers it's power). They will immediatly out power the rest of the speakers.

I had to manipulate the fade more towards the rear in order to get them to blend properly. I don't push my car audio to the limits but I'm still a bit afraid that drawing that much juice vs stock may land up burning up those channels over time as well.

What I'm hoping is that the amp is a 4ohm and they run the front door drivers and dash in parallel brining in a 4ohm load (2 8ohm in parallel). If this is the case, I'd be coming in at 3.66ohm which is close enough not to burn up a 4ohm nominal amp under normal load.

Either way...time will tell I guess.

*EDIT*
Ok...did some research. Seems the 4 doors speakers are 4ohm. I'm guessing the head unit must be a 6 channel, 4ohm nominal amp. I wonder if Dodge shut up the dash speakers (which tend to have a higher efficiency that larger speakers) by making them 8ohm. You can always under drive an amp (to a point). Running an 8ohm driver on a 4ohm amp is much better than running a 4ohm driver on an amp that wants to see 8ohm.

Either way...unless the factory amp is some odd bird, a 4ohm driver will work...it will just overpower the other 4 (which you will notice immediately once you turn it on).

Like I said, manipulating the fade helps...

I haven't had this problem since replacing the factory dash speakers with the Kicker KS35's in my 2014 Express. In fact it added some much needed high end and a lot of clarity to my system. I am considering putting the Mopar Kicker 6x9's with the built -in tweeter in the front doors to gain a little more high end.
 

Ocelot

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I did the Mopar kickers. Made a significant difference in bass. Those along with the KS35 in the dash made a big difference from factory.

Ray
 

man n black

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Reversing polarity on a speaker is not really a big deal either....You would lose some response depending on where it's mounted...Happens all the time

Ch

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
 

Typetwelve

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Reversing polarity on a speaker is not really a big deal either....You would lose some response depending on where it's mounted...Happens all the time

Ch

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

I guess i wouldn't call it a "problem"...it's just they are notably louder due to the resistance difference. They immediately set themselves apart and were drowning everything else out.


Reversing polarity on a speaker is not really a big deal either....You would lose some response depending on where it's mounted...Happens all the time

Ch

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Yeah...it just throws it out of phase and may cause an strange sound if you're listening to a mated pair.
 

Etroze86

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I would put money down that if you went to a high effieceny 8ohm speaker and left the doors stock you would be having the same issue with them being more noticable.
 

Typetwelve

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I would put money down that if you went to a high effieceny 8ohm speaker and left the doors stock you would be having the same issue with them being more noticable.

Yeah...then efficiency comes into play...although many car audio speakers aren't really all that efficient. Those KS35's are 88dB so they have a decent efficiency (some are as low as 83db, others are 91)...some in the 91+ range would be even worse.

I wish one could find the specs on stock car speakers...it would make buying replacements easier...
 

Etroze86

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Nah if you buy close to stock speakers chances are you are buying the same crap auto manufacturers are putting in there to begin with. Plus aren't those kicker speakers a factory upgrade anyways? If you want some real fun with those dash speakers try a active setup with mid base you would be surprised how well they blend with no fading involved what so ever.
 

mocaby73

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Just put the Jl C2 3 1/2 in the dash this morning. Makes a very noticeable difference.
 

dmullen

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Nah if you buy close to stock speakers chances are you are buying the same crap auto manufacturers are putting in there to begin with. Plus aren't those kicker speakers a factory upgrade anyways? If you want some real fun with those dash speakers try a active setup with mid base you would be surprised how well they blend with no fading involved what so ever.

No one will argue that there are TONS of different and much better methods of installation and equipment to put a world class stereo system in our trucks. I think the point of these Kicker upgrade threads is the fact that we can upgrade to the low cost Mopar Kicker speakers (and KS35's which are not Mopar) for next to nothing and get a really noticeable improvement over the stock stereo. If I had the money I would go all out myself having been involved with IASCA back in the day but I need to save the bucks for other toys. The Kicker upgrades are doing a fine job for me in making the stereo a blast to listen to.
 

Ocelot

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When I bought my Mopar Kickers I emailed Kicker. According to them, the Mopar kickers are basically their Kicker KS69 two way speakers with a modified basket and and a Mopar connector instead of two plain tabs.
They also eliminate the covers and wiring hardware.

I just checked my mail, but I no longer have it to quote directly. In my opinion from installing them myself it's like Kicker told me, not cheap paper OEM.

Ray
 

Jmhm17

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Why spend money on the mopar 6x9's?? just get the KS693's to match the ks35's. I may do this. I have read they are a very very good speaker. and I'm sure it is bounds over the factory "upgrade" and cheaper too..
 

Graygoose

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When I bought my Mopar Kickers I emailed Kicker. According to them, the Mopar kickers are basically their Kicker KS69 two way speakers with a modified basket and and a Mopar connector instead of two plain tabs.
They also eliminate the covers and wiring hardware.

I just checked my mail, but I no longer have it to quote directly. In my opinion from installing them myself it's like Kicker told me, not cheap paper OEM.

Ray

Ray, you are exactly correct...they are almost identical to the KS, just designed for OEM plug-n-play.
 

Graygoose

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Why spend money on the mopar 6x9's?? just get the KS693's to match the ks35's. I may do this. I have read they are a very very good speaker. and I'm sure it is bounds over the factory "upgrade" and cheaper too..

Could, but the Mopar are shallower, easier to install.
 

Graygoose

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If I had the money I would go all out myself having been involved with IASCA back in the day but I need to save the bucks for other toys. The Kicker upgrades are doing a fine job for me in making the stereo a blast to listen to.
we may have been to many of the same events, I was heavily involved in IASCA from late 80's til it faded away. :)
 

Etroze86

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No one will argue that there are TONS of different and much better methods of installation and equipment to put a world class stereo system in our trucks. I think the point of these Kicker upgrade threads is the fact that we can upgrade to the low cost Mopar Kicker speakers (and KS35's which are not Mopar) for next to nothing and get a really noticeable improvement over the stock stereo. If I had the money I would go all out myself having been involved with IASCA back in the day but I need to save the bucks for other toys. The Kicker upgrades are doing a fine job for me in making the stereo a blast to listen to.

Oh I am not knocking the kicker upgrades at all sorry if it came off like that. I actually like kicker products they have been a solid brand for quite some time and readily avalible for enthusists. What I was meaning about about the specs on oem speakers is if you are going to try and match them you will be buying junk to replace junk, not at all meaning the kickers are junk lol.
 

Typetwelve

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Nah if you buy close to stock speakers chances are you are buying the same crap auto manufacturers are putting in there to begin with. Plus aren't those kicker speakers a factory upgrade anyways? If you want some real fun with those dash speakers try a active setup with mid base you would be surprised how well they blend with no fading involved what so ever.


Truth be told...I'm getting a high freq level distortion out of my L dash speaker and this is what prompted me to replace the OEM...sadly, the new Kicker has only made it even more noticeable. By "high freq" I'm talking 12-14KHz+...the "SSS" sound of a person's voice or the trail of a symbol is horribly annoying at the moment.

Now that my fronts are even more pronounced, it's even worse.

I'm trying to decide if my head unit is screwed...and how I would prove this to Dodge. I should just hook a freq generator, put my RTA on it and measure the distortion produced at high freq. Something is off...

I'm an electrical engineer and system designer...heck, I even teach classes for our electrical apprenticeship. I've done pro audio for years and used to be into car audio big time before dropping it for home/pro level audio years ago. I'll get to the bottom of this eventually...I don't demand a perfect system by any means but something is screwed up on mine...
 

dmullen

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Oh I am not knocking the kicker upgrades at all sorry if it came off like that. I actually like kicker products they have been a solid brand for quite some time and readily avalible for enthusists. What I was meaning about about the specs on oem speakers is if you are going to try and match them you will be buying junk to replace junk, not at all meaning the kickers are junk lol.

It's good man, I knew what ya meant. :waytogo:
 

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