Audio upgrade help

[Ramtuf]

I have a 2022 regular cab Express 4th generation with the 8 inch screen. I am working with a local audio shop. They have proposed Alpine type R 6x9 components alp-r-s68c.2 for the front doors/dash and smaller type R for behind the front seats. There are factory speakers back there now. They will be installing an alpine 5 channel alp-s-a55v amp and a small 8 inch jl sub box cp108lg-w3v behind the front seats. I am not looking for a ton of bass or to win any awards, just looking to improve what’s there considerably without breaking the bank. They will be wrapping the front doors in Ballistic sound deadening material. They will be using a Ram pac-ap4-ch41 interface. I am good with everything they have proposed and the price seems good too $2100 installed. I was thinking of passing on the rear speakers to save some money. I feel because it’s a regular cab I may be fine with the factory speaker back there. I would appreciate any suggestions regarding the rear speakers. Also is the Ballistic mat a decent product? Is it similar to dyno Mat? Where is the best place to mount the amp and is it necessary to screw it down to the floor. Does the sub need to be screwed down? I have the rear tray behind the seats and want to place the sub inside that tray behind the passenger seat. I appreciate any comments or suggestions you might have regarding the proposed audio upgrade. This will be my first time upgrading any of my vehicles audio. Thanks

 

[audiophile]

Me personally, I would do the rear speakers and not the sound deadening wrap (i suspect this is where the bulk of the labor is coming from). If you are not competing, you probably won't see the benefit. The Amp does need to be secured. I believe there are some spots on the cab wall that are double layered and the Amp can be mounted there. The system sounds like it should perform well.

 

[Ramtuf]

Thank you for the reply. I appreciate it.

 

[faross]

Hi iv been looking around a bit and was hoping I could get some knowledgeable insight .
I have a 22 1500 classic tradesman 5.7 l . I bought atoto head unit the a7 what I need to know is what extra parts would I need to install this i.e bezel replacement ant adapter steering wheel controls . Iv spent the better part of 3 days looking at this and am very confused any help would be great .

 

[akrausz]

Ramtuf, how did it come out?

 

[MoToad]

Hi iv been looking around a bit and was hoping I could get some knowledgeable insight .
I have a 22 1500 classic tradesman 5.7 l . I bought atoto head unit the a7 what I need to know is what extra parts would I need to install this i.e bezel replacement ant adapter steering wheel controls . Iv spent the better part of 3 days looking at this and am very confused any help would be great .

I too have a 2022 1500 classic only a month old now and, altho I am making do with the little 5" touch screen, using the backup camera on it is a bit annoying. I am playing my music directly from a thumb drive and use my phone for nav maps. But in the past 10 years or so I have put in several Atotos in different vehicles and have always liked them. With an upper level model running only at around $500 they can't be beat. Looked into the 8.4 Uconnect and theres just no way I am forking out thousands for that. Crutchfield models seem to be overpriced IMO too. I may go for another Atoto but will need answers to a few questions like do the four channels work with six speakers and plug and play for steering wheel controls and OEM backup camera. Found this guy on Youtube who put one in his Ram and I believe he mentioned some things that didnt work with his setup. He does show the hardware with closeups so you can grab part numbers for mounting brackets and harnesses and such.

New Stereo From ATOTO Watch YouTube And More In Your Car/Truck

In this video we install a new stereo/head unit in my RAM 2500 4x4.link to stereo https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HPZP1NV/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF...

www.youtube.com

 

[Atcer2018]

Steering wheel controls are usually resistance inputs. Aftermarket head units can’t account for every vehicle manufacturer so to retain steering wheel controls there are a number of companies that make relatively inexpensive units that accomplish head unit to specific vehicle communication. PAC audio and iData are two that come to mind. The more advanced question is whether you’ll need the head unit to interface with the vehicle CANBUS for functions like climate settings, trailer brakes, cameras and accessories. For that integration iDatalink Maestro is a popular unit. I’ve never installed or used one but it looks like it can integrate all factory functions into most aftermarket head units.

 

[faross]

Ok I have got the a7 installed and really like it factory back works great and the one I got from Amazon cam with a cam so I'm going to install that this weekend in the front the pac harness that was linked here for me worked perfect no modifications needed only problem is no xm radio tho I don't listen to it anyway and it sounds great with all speakers working fine the a7 we had a built in amp with ports to add another if you like .

 

[faross]

That pac harness came with a cambus mine needed to be set to 7 .

 

[faross]

PAC RP4-CH21 RadioPRO4 Interface for Select Dodge Vehicles (2013-2018) with CAN Bus All-in-One Radio Replacement and Steering Wheel Interface, Pre-Loaded with Amplifier Retention, Seat Controls https://a.co/d/22J6tQD
That is the one I got and the atoto f7 had the rest then metra had a bezel worked great I think it was a 2017 or so easy to find if you look