Harman Kardon System

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68PowerWagon

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Has anyone compared the 17 speaker Harmon Kardon to the 9 speaker Alpine? I really like the Alpine in mine currently. Could stand to be a little bit louder, but I think it sounds pretty good for no more than they charge for it. They are putting the Harmon Kardon in with some pretty pricey level groups. Just haven't listened to it so I don't know if it is really worth all that money.
 

Firebird

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To my ear, I prefer the Alpine. My buddy has the HK, and there is too much high and midrange for me, hurts my ears.
 
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68PowerWagon

68PowerWagon

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If my old ears and hearing aids could tell the difference between the two, it would be a miracle! Go cheep, it's a pickup truck, for Christ Sake!

I was an audio engineer for over 10 years so I really like clarity. I am just wondering if the HK is worth the 4k level B group they have it in. I am having my doubts.
 
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68PowerWagon

68PowerWagon

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To my ear, I prefer the Alpine. My buddy has the HK, and there is too much high and midrange for me, hurts my ears.
Yeah that was what I am wondering too. I see tiny little grills everywhere when you look at the interior. They probably just added a crap ton of tweeters to get to the 17 number. That doesn't make for quality sound. But maybe your buddy just didn't have the Eq set up right either? Like I said in another post, I am having my doubts it's worth the extra 4k it costs inside the level B Group.
 

aces2splash

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It sounds very clear in my 2021 Power wagon. To my ears it has a bit too much bass with the sub woofer, however all can be tuned from the touchscreen.
 

avantiguy

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Wander down to a local dealer, take one for a drive and see how you like it. I know trucks are in short supply but there has to be one with the HK set up in it somewhere closeby. Take your music with you on a form you will want to use when you own a new truck.

As an aside, I really like the HK in my 19 Laramie.
 

Timsdually

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It sounds very clear in my 2021 Power wagon. To my ears it has a bit too much bass with the sub woofer, however all can be tuned from the touchscreen.
Agree and I like "bass" in my music. But the HK can sometimes overpower especially when it is just talking. I listen to Satellite almost exclusively so I don't know if it has something to do with how they process the signal. It is easily regulated with the equalizer.
My Alpine on my old truck seemed like it lacked bass.

Overall, I like the HK.
 

CanRebel

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I have HK setup in my Ram.
Sounds fine to me. Since never had Ram with AP, couldn't tell you difference.
As person above said, you should really try to listen to it yourself.
Everyone has difference view on what sounds good or bad.

We all hear different, then you have type of music you listen too, how it was recorded..
I have crazy friend who was bragged he spent $5k to 'upgrade' his Ford Truck
Then plays music that was compress, stripped, low quality.
 

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I had the Alpine in my 1500 and now have the HK in my 2500 and honestly I do not see a difference in the two, both sound good.
 
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68PowerWagon

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I have HK setup in my Ram.
Sounds fine to me. Since never had Ram with AP, couldn't tell you difference.
As person above said, you should really try to listen to it yourself.
Everyone has difference view on what sounds good or bad.

We all hear different, then you have type of music you listen too, how it was recorded..
I have crazy friend who was bragged he spent $5k to 'upgrade' his Ford Truck
Then plays music that was compress, stripped, low quality.

Yeah I was about to test drive a 1 ton dually that had one, but the dealer sold it before I could get over there. I will have to track down a different one. I mostly listen to satellite but about 30% of the time I listen to downloaded music on a sd card. As far as genre, the audio engineer in me has me all over the place. Mostly hard rock, but also listen country, jazz, & classical. I really like my Alpine. The only complaint I would have is it could get a little louder for me. But most likley if it did, it would start to distort. I really need to drive a truck with it in there before I drop an extra 4k.
 

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Definitely everyone has their own unique perspective. I was going to buy a truck with an Alpine system that I thought sounded good but not great. Then I drove a truck with the HK and had to have it. You definitely need to tweak the settings based on the input (XM, Stream, FM etc..) and/or genre of music but i find that with any stereo.
 
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68PowerWagon

68PowerWagon

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Definitely everyone has their own unique perspective. I was going to buy a truck with an Alpine system that I thought sounded good but not great. Then I drove a truck with the HK and had to have it. You definitely need to tweak the settings based on the input (XM, Stream, FM etc..) and/or genre of music but i find that with any stereo.
Great! That is the kind of feedback I was looking for. I am definitely going to test drive one but thank you for that input!
 

OC455

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I like the HK system in mine. It does have some sharp highs, but adjusting the EQ helps out with that.
 

olyelr

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I was an audio engineer for over 10 years so I really like clarity. I am just wondering if the HK is worth the 4k level B group they have it in. I am having my doubts.
Well, $4k not only includes the stereo upgrade but most likely several other things as well…but I guess if the only thing you would be wanting with the package is the better stereo, you might be better off just upgrading the alpine setup…might end up being cheaper and better quality. But im no stereo guru.
 
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68PowerWagon

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Well, $4k not only includes the stereo upgrade but most likely several other things as well…but I guess if the only thing you would be wanting with the package is the better stereo, you might be better off just upgrading the alpine setup…might end up being cheaper and better quality. But im no stereo guru.
Yeah the extra 4k gets you the HK, Navigation, heated 2nd row seats. So basically the radio is what I would be paying the extra for. I am thinking it would have to be REALLY kick butt for me to pay that much extra. That's as much as my first car! o_O
 

olyelr

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Yeah the extra 4k gets you the HK, Navigation, heated 2nd row seats. So basically the radio is what I would be paying the extra for. I am thinking it would have to be REALLY kick butt for me to pay that much extra. That's as much as my first car! o_O
Haaaaaa. Yea i understand. In the late ‘90s when i was 18 i bought a CLEAN ‘77 CJ5 for $4500 bucks as a second play type vehicle. Times have changed!
 

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Yeah the extra 4k gets you the HK, Navigation, heated 2nd row seats. So basically the radio is what I would be paying the extra for. I am thinking it would have to be REALLY kick butt for me to pay that much extra. That's as much as my first car! o_O
Not sure if it's case now. But at one point in time, for 2021, you could buy just radio upgrade, and not all other stuff. It was cheaper.
 

Ken W

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Is it really a $4k option? Don’t recall paying that much. Don’t forget to subtract the cost of the Level 1 package and net the two out. Want to say the incremental cost is around $2k.
 

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I havent heard the Harmon yet, wifes new Jeep has the 9 speaker Alpine in it and its nice. I think the Beats system in my R/T Durango blew the alpine away. Still its a nice system. My rams stock stuff sounds good too.
 

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