Audio Upgrade Options + What am I going to lose?

[KWG88ss]

Hey All,

2018, Crew Cab, no Alpine setup. Put in Kicker's on the dash and polks all around. Sounds solid but I can tell the source is killing the speakers ability to really shine.

So. IF I remove my 8.4 unit I know I can obviously upgrade but... What am I going too lose functionality wise? I have the dimming rear view mirror, tow package but standard 8.4 with no nav and front and rear parking sensors.

Would it make sense to swap out to the Alpine Upgraded head unit? I thought I saw somewhere that it's a 7band EQ built in as opposed to the 3.

Anyone that has gone down this path I would love to hear your experiences.

Thanks

 

[TomT]

If all you did was change the speakers, you might benefit from adding an amplifier instead. I would recommend something with six or eight channels and maybe some built-in processing.

Whatever you do, DO NOT try to upgrade to the factory Alpine system. It will be a huge headache and the end result will not sound that great.

 

[Graygoose]

Agree with Tom, I have a 2018 non-Alpine, doing system this week. But a simple VSS 10" sub and a Kicker KEY1804 DSP smart amp on front stage.


But if I replaced all like you, Id do a 6 or 8 channel amp.

 

[KWG88ss]

If all you did was change the speakers, you might benefit from adding an amplifier instead. I would recommend something with six or eight channels and maybe some built-in processing.

Whatever you do, DO NOT try to upgrade to the factory Alpine system. It will be a huge headache and the end result will not sound that great.

It's funny you mentioned that because this is what I was looking at doing:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_500PXE0850/Alpine-PXE-0850S.html

 

[Graygoose]

Just another to add, and its 50x8, so twice the power for about $20 more.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-mPsB8b9beoy/p_206KXMA808/Kicker-44KXMA800-8.html

 

[TomT]

It's funny you mentioned that because this is what I was looking at doing:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_500PXE0850/Alpine-PXE-0850S.html

That’s a cool amp. The only possible issue I see is that it’s only 25w per channel. This JL looks pretty amazing although it’s twice the price.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13698633/JL-Audio-VX800-8i.html

 

[KWG88ss]

That’s a cool amp. The only possible issue I see is that it’s only 25w per channel. This JL looks pretty amazing although it’s twice the price.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13698633/JL-Audio-VX800-8i.html

Yeah the 25x7 is what had me a bit concerned. Might starve the 6x9's a little although still better than whatever they are getting now.

 

[Spud2388]

Hey All,

2018, Crew Cab, no Alpine setup. Put in Kicker's on the dash and polks all around. Sounds solid but I can tell the source is killing the speakers ability to really shine.

So. IF I remove my 8.4 unit I know I can obviously upgrade but... What am I going too lose functionality wise? I have the dimming rear view mirror, tow package but standard 8.4 with no nav and front and rear parking sensors.

Would it make sense to swap out to the Alpine Upgraded head unit? I thought I saw somewhere that it's a 7band EQ built in as opposed to the 3.

Anyone that has gone down this path I would love to hear your experiences.

Thanks

Definitely add an amp for those speakers. I’m not going to get into what brand (Alpine and JL are both solid but I think you overpay a little for the big brands, just my opinion) but I would definitely get a 4 channel for the fronts and maybe leave the rears off the HU power, or a 5 channel to allow for a subwoofer down the road. And not having the Alpine system allows you to tap into the rear speakers to get a pull signal, so a simple loc will work for you.

You can also get an AmpPro from PAC that prevents any type of wire cutting if that is a concern for you.

 

[FF1899]

The only problem I am running into is that the quality coming from the 8.4 is so terrible after that update that even with full speaker replacements added amps and 12s that all sounded great now sound terrible. I would wait for an update to see how the quality is or go aftermarket replacement. Just my 2 cents

 

[Spud2388]

The only problem I am running into is that the quality coming from the 8.4 is so terrible after that update that even with full speaker replacements added amps and 12s that all sounded great now sound terrible. I would wait for an update to see how the quality is or go aftermarket replacement. Just my 2 cents

I’ve heard about the update overloading the bass on everything correct? Is this something that could be eq’d out with an aftermarket eq?

 

[FF1899]

I’ve heard about the update overloading the bass on everything correct? Is this something that could be eq’d out with an aftermarket eq?

It did do that but made the overall audio muddy and distorted. That just became amplified on mine

 

[TomT]

It did do that but made the overall audio muddy and distorted. That just became amplified on mine

You can probably undo some of the damage by using a DSP with a powerful EQ section. That said, it still most likely won’t make it sound as good as before the update ruined it. An aftermarket radio will definitely sound better but will cost a lot.

 

[Spud2388]

Agree if it’s that bad. New HU or hold out for an update. One plus side with a new HU is you can skip the AmpPro aspect as most will have rca outputs ready to go. Will need the maestro unit though to keep everything “factory” so to speak. Could ditch the dsp depending on what you are wanting to do and what HU you get. Some come with some pretty decent processing (crossovers, time alignment, eq, etc).

 

[FF1899]

One hard thing is I dont want to loose the factory reverse camera. Also does it support all of the options as original such as rain sense and auto dimming highs and mirrors all that kind of stuff

 

[Spud2388]

WIth the maestro harness, I am fairly certain you will retain the factory camera. It has a yellow video rca on the harness for that reason.
I did not have a factory cam on my old truck so I didn’t use this plug on the harness, but added an aftermarket and damn new wires.

Here is a for sale pic of what I had. (Again, already sold these, just a visual reference)

Maestro unit

New usb chip for center console

Antenna adaptor and XM adaptor (I think)

And everything. Dash kit, etc.

You can actually see the yellow rca in the lower harness sticking out.

The auto headlight and everything will not be effected. My Express didn’t have a lot of these features but I do know that whatever you adjust on the stock radio will be retained when the new is installed. Not sure if the adjustability will be there but it will not delete the options if that makes sense.