Stereo Newb

[KCJOE]

Looking to upgrade just the speakers in my 2021. I'm looking at the 6.5" Kicker KS for the front and rear doors, as well as their KS tweeters for the dash. Install looks pretty straight forward, but since this type of work is new to me, wanted to ask this group if there will be any issues with this simple replacement?

Thanks
joe

 

[audiophile]

You will need adapters for the doors if going with 6.5" and may need resistors for the dash due to the Kickers being 4 ohm. Kicker is an excellent choice and they make a "factory" upgrade set for the RAMS.

 

[KCJOE]

You will need adapters for the doors if going with 6.5" and may need resistors for the dash due to the Kickers being 4 ohm. Kicker is an excellent choice and they make a "factory" upgrade set for the RAMS.

Via Crutchfield, I was aware of the adapters and planned on those for the doors. Regarding the resistors for the tweeters, can you give me a bit more info on that process?

 

[akrausz]

Regarding the resistors for the tweeters, can you give me a bit more info on that process?

First hit when you Google it:

How To: 4 Ohm Resistor Upgrade For Aftermarket Dash Speakers

Installation of Resistors on 4 ohm Dash Speakers This Modification Applies To Non-Alpine Dash Speakers The Setup I have a 2018 Ram 1500 with the stock 6 speaker stereo system and 8.4 Uconnect. I replaced the stock dash speakers with Polk DB351’s. These are 4 ohm speakers; the stock 3.5”...

www.ramforum.com

Car speakers are typically 4 ohms. Ram messes that up electrically by wiring the dash speakers and front door speakers in parallel, which would typically create a 2-ohm load. Ram attempts to compensate for this by installing 8-ohm speakers in the dash. Also the dash speakers need less power, so it kind of works okay that way.

Also I would read up plenty if you are expecting more bass out of aftermarket door speakers with the low power that you are getting from the factory head unit.

Curious, why not 6x9's for the doors?

Another thing to consider, is sound treatment for the doors. I just finished my 2021. To do it right you have to take the entire door apart, including disconnecting the window, but worth it in my opinion. Dollar for dollar, some say door treatment makes a bigger improvement than the speaker upgrade. Ambient noise from doors, engine, tires, wind, etc. wreaks havoc on the sound. Brand of speaker you run off your factory headunit may not matter much.

The dash speakers were the first component I replaced to tone them down, but one thing I never tried was disconnecting them to see how that sounds. Depending on your preference for bass, you may get all the midrange and treble you need out of the four door coaxials alone. I think the dash is not the greatest spot for a speaker to begin with and doubling down on the headunit front channels doesn't make much sense to me electrically either.

 

[KCJOE]

First hit when you Google it:

How To: 4 Ohm Resistor Upgrade For Aftermarket Dash Speakers

Installation of Resistors on 4 ohm Dash Speakers This Modification Applies To Non-Alpine Dash Speakers The Setup I have a 2018 Ram 1500 with the stock 6 speaker stereo system and 8.4 Uconnect. I replaced the stock dash speakers with Polk DB351’s. These are 4 ohm speakers; the stock 3.5”...

www.ramforum.com

Car speakers are typically 4 ohms. Ram messes that up electrically by wiring the dash speakers and front door speakers in parallel, which would typically create a 2-ohm load. Ram attempts to compensate for this by installing 8-ohm speakers in the dash. Also the dash speakers need less power, so it kind of works okay that way.

Also I would read up plenty if you are expecting more bass out of aftermarket door speakers with the low power that you are getting from the factory head unit.

Curious, why not 6x9's for the doors?

Another thing to consider, is sound treatment for the doors. I just finished my 2021. To do it right you have to take the entire door apart, including disconnecting the window, but worth it in my opinion. Dollar for dollar, some say door treatment makes a bigger improvement than the speaker upgrade. Ambient noise from doors, engine, tires, wind, etc. wreaks havoc on the sound. Brand of speaker you run off your factory headunit may not matter much.

The dash speakers were the first component I replaced to tone them down, but one thing I never tried was disconnecting them to see how that sounds. Depending on your preference for bass, you may get all the midrange and treble you need out of the four door coaxials alone. I think the dash is not the greatest spot for a speaker to begin with and doubling down on the headunit front channels doesn't make much sense to me electrically either.

Thanks for the info......I spoke to the folks at Crutchfield, and they recommended Infinity Reference speakers. I placed my order, and now that you've mentioned disconnecting the dash speakers, I might give that a shot to see how I like the sound....might end up returning the dash speakers. I also found a post about adding a resistor to the dash speakers if needed......looks like I'm going to learn a couple things before this project is done.

 

[akrausz]

Thanks for the info......I spoke to the folks at Crutchfield, and they recommended Infinity Reference speakers. I placed my order...

Cool. Regarding 6.5" for the doors, I personally prefer 6x9's because they have a larger cone area for better bass. And I don't believe adapters are doing you any favors as far as sound quality. That's a situation where less may be more.

Also, you might want to install foam rings like the Road Kill RKFR69. There is a big gap between the speaker and the door panel, and consequently the sound bounces around between the door and door panel. The foam rings create somewhat of a seal which helps alleviate that problem.

 

[Dtrini]

You have probably done this already but I figured I would post this for others considering an upgrade or even for you if you want to kick it to the next level. These guys do amazing work from what I see in their videos and even though I use to do some of this work, they are next level and I would have them do the upgrades on my truck.

We start a stereo upgrade in a 2021 Dodge Ram Installer Diaries 388

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