car audio newb

[tamcphail89]

Hi all, i'm a complete newbie when it comes to car audio. I have a 2010 QC sport, with the factory alpine system, double din HU, no navigation. It sounds pretty good to me right now, better than any previous vehicle of mine, but I would like to have a little more bass and clarity. I'm not looking to do a complete overhaul, I really like the factory HU and all the speakers, but it does tend to sound kinda flat.

What would be the easiest, most economical route to go to improve the sound clarity and add a little thump? I've seen good reviews on the kicker hideaway, would that work for my application?

Sorry for the long post, i'm just out of my element in car audio.

Any help is appreciated, thanks guys.

 

[Cruizer]

I would recommend starting by replacing the factory speakers and see what you think. First thing I did to my truck was install new Rockford Fosgate 6x9's in all 4 doors. That was a huge upgrade on clarity. I haven't gotten around to the dash speakers yet. I am looking to install an amp to run the 6x9's as they seem a little under powered. I would get new speakers and see what you think first. I didn't want to remove the factory HU as it has uConnect and I like the hard drive space. Really a personal preference how far you want to go with it.

 

[tamcphail89]

Did you replace them yourself or take it somewhere? That sounds like a good first step to me. Yea, i like the uconnect setup too with the hdd and bluetooth. I would like to have navigation, but im sure that's pricey to upgrade.

 

[Cruizer]

Yeah, I installed them. It's not really hard but depending on the speakers you go with you'll probably have to trim the speaker mount on your truck to fit good aftermarkets. There's funky tabs around the stock speakers. I used a Dremel to trim the mount. There's a write up here on the RF forum, link is below.

How to Swap Out Speakers

 

[tamcphail89]

Ok, i'll look into it. I'm not too confident in my audio skills, but i do have a cousin that was a master installer for a long time. Besides the speaker upgrade, what would you recommend that's affordable? Don't they come with an amp?

thanks.

 

[Cruizer]

I'm sure you can find a combo with speakers and amp on something like eBay but generally you just buy them by the pair. Everyone has their favorite speakers IMO. I had some excellent Infinity 6x9 way back in the day but haven't had anything newer from them. I chose Rockford Fosgates based on the fact I knew their subwoofers have always rocked and I was after a little more bass and some clarity. You really get what you pay for though. Go with something nice like Alpine, Kickers, Rockford, etc and you should be happy. Go with something cheaper like a Kenwood, Sony, Pioneer, or some no-name, it could be a crapshoot. I always look for consumer reviews online from a neutral website before I buy anything like that. Just type in the speaker you're looking into with the word "review" after it in Google and you should find something.

 

[tamcphail89]

Ok, i'll look around, i'm pretty ocd so alpine may be what i choose lol.

What about a sub or amp? Is a new amp necessary? Do you have any knowledge of the kicker hideaway setup?

thanks.

 

[Cruizer]

If you're going to run a sub you will need an amp unless it's already powered. For the 6x9's you don't "need" an amp, but it would give them the power they deserve if you buy some good ones. I have never owned a Kicker hideaway, but I have heard people talk highly about them. I haven't had any subwoofers in over 5 years. I will power my 6x9's soon though to give them the power they can handle.

 

[autokraftgt]

The Kicker upgrade is a great choice for a lot of people. It is very convenient in the fact that the ease of installation is wonderful...but with that convenience comes a price. The upgrade is not cheap to most people's standards, but comes in a few different levels and price points. If you are simply looking to "wake up" the factory system, the Kicker upgrade will certainly do that for your truck. There are a few Kicker guys on this forum who will probably chime in with their insight.
Also, the upgrade is specifically designed for the Ram truck so fit and finish is great, the subwoofer adds a tasteful amount of bass.
I've heard them in Rams, Chevy trucks, mustangs, camaros, and chargers....and they sound good.

 

[tamcphail89]

I kinda like the idea/price of replacing the 6x9's and adding the hideaway, im not trying to spend over $500 or so right now.

thanks.

 

[Cruizer]

After seeing the hideaway for $300 now I'm thinking about adding it, lol. Everything is waiting until after my lift right now though.

 

[TheDonVon]

Hi all, i'm a complete newbie when it comes to car audio. I have a 2010 QC sport, with the factory alpine system, double din HU, no navigation. It sounds pretty good to me right now, better than any previous vehicle of mine, but I would like to have a little more bass and clarity. I'm not looking to do a complete overhaul, I really like the factory HU and all the speakers, but it does tend to sound kinda flat.

What would be the easiest, most economical route to go to improve the sound clarity and add a little thump? I've seen good reviews on the kicker hideaway, would that work for my application?

Sorry for the long post, i'm just out of my element in car audio.

Any help is appreciated, thanks guys.

Does your factory alpine already have a sub? What is your current speaker setup? I have a 2013 sport with the alpine and i have 9 total speakers. 4 tweeters, 4 mids, and a sub. IF you are looking for clarity you should replace both your mids AND your tweeters. Your tweeters are essential to sound Clarity! If you have both mids and tweeters, you want to make sure you replace your mids with mids, If your replace them with 2 way or 3 way speakers they are going to drown out your tweeters and your quality will suffer.

 

[Etroze86]

The Kicker Hide away is a pretty easy upgrade. It isn't going to be huge sounding but it will give you that nice clear low end extention that just isn't there with the stock setup. I would suggest what TheDonVon is saying to get the best sound with a limited system. Replace mids with dedicated mids and replace tweeters with dedicated tweeters. Finally throw some sound deadening in and it will keep your doors and back wall from rattling and making your speaker upgrades sound like a resonating mess.