Alpine stereo..what's actually Alpine?

[blackbetty14]

Appreciate the replies thus far but - the question remains. Are any of the speakers actually aftermarket or Alpine? I've googled the numbers on the back of the 6 I've replaced.. all OEM Mopar. Happy with my factory replacements I've funded, but I'm curious what it is that made the "premium" stereo ALPINE.. I'll reach out to RAM but expect no response.

Having had a base express and my 2018 alpine there is a different in speakers. The alpine use bigger magnets snd a better woofer cone (not just paper) they are also a 2ohm speaker and not a 4 ohm (stock base dash speakers are 8 ohm too). Alpine systems also have an amplifier under the dash and not just powered by the radio with a dedicated sub output. Alpine also comes with a 150w 8” sub, 2 ohm 3 dash speakers and tweeters in the headliner. Stock for stock it is a noticeable
Difference with an alpine and non alpine system. The 2 ohm speakers allow more power with less resistance than the base 4 ohm system. Upgrading the front doors is pointless in a stock system as they are mid range only. Back doors are full range so an upgrade is good idea, same for dash.

 

[TotallyHucked]

Can't answer the question but I just picked up a '17 Sport with the Alpine system and all I can say is WOW this is a fantastic sounding stereo to be stock. I've had many NBS Chevy's with the Bose and this blows those out of the water. I don't forsee ever having to upgrade unless I blow a speaker

 

[nlambert182]

Agreed. We have a 13 speaker "Bose" stereo in our 21 Armada Platinum. It sounds like garbage in comparison to the Alpine in my Ram.

 

[Eeyor16]

Appreciate the replies thus far but - the question remains. Are any of the speakers actually aftermarket or Alpine? I've googled the numbers on the back of the 6 I've replaced.. all OEM Mopar. Happy with my factory replacements I've funded, but I'm curious what it is that made the "premium" stereo ALPINE.. I'll reach out to RAM but expect no response.

The system is designed by alpine. Then parts(speakers and such) are farmed out to lowest bidder that meets the specs set out by alpine

 

[Eeyor16]

Can't answer the question but I just picked up a '17 Sport with the Alpine system and all I can say is WOW this is a fantastic sounding stereo to be stock. I've had many NBS Chevy's with the Bose and this blows those out of the water. I don't forsee ever having to upgrade unless I blow a speaker

Wait until you upgrade the speakers

 

[FL-RAM]

The parts will all have OEM Ram part numbers but the system is designed and tuned in part by Alpine. I've been to one of their facilities here in Michigan and seen masked prototype vehicles in there.

There have been countless discussions about this and this seems like the correct answer. The 9 speaker system is "designed" by Alpine, but the parts are all Mopar. How much "designing" did Alpine do? Who knows? Did a group of Alpine sound scientists work diligently with Ram to design a perfect setup? Maybe. Even on the RAM website there is virtually zero information on what exactly Alpine means other than some additional speakers. But the speakers are definitely not made by Alpine. You can find them in the MOPAR catalog as generic replacement speakers.

 

[PaleFlyer]

It could very well be that FCA pays Alpine to build a speaker to meet their specs and brand them as Mopar. I dont know that for sure, but I can say that my 2012 2500 had the stock 6 speaker stereo, while my 2016 and 2018 both came with the Alpine system. I am an audio nut and really have no complaints with how this sounds. There is a night and day difference between the non-Alpine and the Alpine systems (at least in my experience). I think that there has to be some difference. Has anyone compared the part numbers on both speakers?

We had the Bang & Olufsen stereo in our old 19 Expedition and it sounded cheap and flat. The wife's current 21 Armada Platinum has the 13 speaker Bose Premium audio system and it sounds pitiful. My wife complains that she misses the Alpine system that was in her Charger.

Could be as simple as Alpine built the amp, while everything else is normal Mopar. I'm NOT an audio nut, in fact I have a tin ear. (not tinnitus, but I can barely tell the difference between a nice headset/DAC, and freebee headphones on a normal laptop most of the time). But my understanding is, a good amp, and half decent speakers will blow a "normal" amp, and the same speakers, out of the water.

 

[AnthonyRI]

Agreed. We have a 13 speaker "Bose" stereo in our 21 Armada Platinum. It sounds like garbage in comparison to the Alpine in my Ram.

Same - I was surprised to see BOSE in my wife's Nissan as well. Bose isn't what it used to be, and these Bose is different from those Bose.
With that correlation, I'd bet Alpine setup is a similar dynamic.

 

[nlambert182]

The Alpine actually sounds surprisingly good for a factory stereo (in my opinion). We made sure that our old 15 Hard Rock Rubicon, 16 Ram 3500, 19 Charger, and current 18 1500 all have the Alpine stereo. It's on the short list of non-negotiable requirements if we're looking for an FCA product (though I was not aware that HK offered a system now).

When I sold my 16 3500 and went looking for a 1500, I had 2 main criteria: Captains front seats with center console and Alpine stereo. When I stumbled on my 1500 Bighorn, it was a win. Again, people's ears are all different so some may not like it but it's perfect for a stock setup in my eyes and miles ahead in comparison to the B&O, JBL, and Bose systems that came in some of our other vehicles.

 

[DILLIGAF]

It could very well be that FCA pays Alpine to build a speaker to meet their specs and brand them as Mopar.

AKA. build them as cheap as possible so we can maximise profits and screw the buyers.