I'm sure many of you have seen my recent posts asking tons of questions about speakers and subs...and I appreciate all the help and information.
I thought I'd give you all my initial impressions and feelings on the upgrades I've done so far. I installed Kicker CS 3.5" in dash, 6.5" 2 way in the doors, and 6x9 3 way in the rear doors. I was replacing the basic stock speakers (non alpine) in my 2010 Ram Sport and I have to say WOW!!!
The stock speakers were unbelievably cheap crappy junk to put it mildly. I have heard the Alpine systems and they are much much better, however, for the price the dealers charge I'm not sure I'd go that way rather than just doing aftermarket but that's just me.
so...here goes!!!
The biggest difference I noticed right away was the 3.5" 2 way speakers in the dash. To be honest I wasn't even aware I had speakers in the dash prior to this (I thought they were just vents lol) because I'd NEVER heard them before. Well...I put in the Kicker 43CSC354 and holy hell they were in your face and alive! I will say I had to turn the treble and midrange down to about 4 on the stock MyGig deck as they were way too bright...but at this level they sound great, clean, crisp, detailed and the highs are amazing and alive!
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_206CSC354/Kicker-43CSC354.html
Now on to the front doors. I really thought I'd be able to fit 6x9 in the front doors....I mean why not they fit in the back right? Well there is a steel bar in the front door that prohibits a plug and play 6x9 solution. That being said I'm sure with a small shim you could probably fit them. That being said, I went with the 6.5" 2 way Kicker 43CSC654 as suggested by Crutchfield and I am very pleased. Using the provided 6x9 plate adapter it was an easy installation and they sound great!
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_206CSC654/Kicker-43CSC654.html
In the rear doors I replaced the stock 6x9 with Kicker 43CSC6934 and adjusted a bit more of the sound to the rear of the truck take a bit of the load off the 6.5" and round out the sound. Well these speakers give a lot more bass than I would have expected and sound amazing. I do plan to add my 2 subs to the truck...but that will come later/soon.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_206CSC6934/Kicker-43CSC6934.html
In summary I expected better sound but quite honestly I really didnt' expect the level of clarity, life, detail, and truck filling sound experience I'm having now compared to the stock speakers. I am still using the stock MyGig 20gig hdd head unit and it powers these speakers easily. The best part was the included free plug adapters from Crutchfield. This made the installation so easy as I never had to cut a single wire. It was truly plug and play!!!
If you have a base stereo in your truck, you OWE it to yourself to spend the $156.00 USD I did and replace all 6 speakers. You will not believe what you've been missing. I honestly can not say enough good things about the quality of these Kicker speakers, the service I received from Crutchfield, and the satisfaction I now have with a stereo that sounds IMHO better than my buddy's Ram 2500 Limited with the Alpine system in it (minus the bass which is coming very soon) for so much less money!
I guess that's it for now...i'll report back once I get my dual 10" subs installed and running...but I expect to have a perma-grin on my face even more than I do now. Thanks for reading!!!
