2021 Ram HK stereo Issue

[BigBlueBeast]

Hello All, (moved this from the accessories section)
I just bought a 2021 Ram Rebel with the Harmin Kardon stereo system last month. Before I begin, a little back-story. The truck was listed as new/used as it was the general managers truck and he traded it in 6 months after purchasing it for a TRX. The truck had 4400 miles on it.

So upon driving it off the lot I was excited to test out the HK stereo system. I quickly discovered that it severely lacked any bass. Additionally I have to turn the volume knob up to about 15-17 before It starts to actually get loud. At first I dismissed this thinking it was just some adjustments to play with. After tweaking the eq, playing with the surround sound, etc. I still have the same problems.

Fast forward to yesterday, while vacuuming the truck, I found that the previous owner, the GM must of had an aftermarket box installed under the back seat as I found aftermarket speaker wire coiled up and stuffed under the seat the other end of the wire disappearing somewhere behind the rear seats.

I will say I am not a professional installer but have installed multiple stereos, amps, and speakers in multiple vehicles I have owned so my first thought is that he may have disconnected the rear subwoofer.

This brings me to my first question, How do you access it behind the seat? I have read other post stating that there is a pull string in the middle of the seat that allows the rear to swing forward but for the life of me I cannot get my arm behind it to even search for it. Is there some sort of rear seat adjustment I am missing? I can fold the rear bottom seats up that is about it. So what is the trick to getting to that thing.

Second, would the disconnected subwoofer cause the overall system to be weak? I have read in forums where people turn their stereo up to 10 and that is a good listening range. Unless I have gone def in my old age, I can hear it but easily have a conversation over it. Also everyone complains about the "booming bass" LOL I can assure you all that I do NOT have any booming bass what so ever.

I have made an appointment Wednesday to take it to the stealership to have them diagnose it but they want to keep it for 2 days as they are backed up.
I would like to do my own diagnosing before hand -- here is all the info below and things I tried:

-Currently, I have my EQ as follows B8-M4-H6 surround sound and speed volume are off.
-Also, my sources are my thumb-drive which has 256-320K quality music on it and Sirius XM
-I listen to mainly rock and metal
-at 10-12 on my volume it is audible but sounds like background music, at 17 it starts to get loud and clearer
-when playing with the fade function I noticed that at the same volume level the rear speakers are not as loud as the front

How do I access the rear sub behind the passenger back seat?
Is there anything else to try or anybody have any ideas.

Thanks, Sorry about the book

 

[LaxDfns15]

On a Rebel you can't pull the seat backs down. Need to take the seats out to access the rear panel.

If they had an aftermarket sub installed it's very likely they disconnected the HK sub as well as messed with the ANC connections to reduce feedback.

 

[BigBlueBeast]

Well damn that sucks.
I wonder if it worth me doing that before taking it to the dealership. I wasn't aware the noise canceling stuff was back there. Would that cause the attenuated sound issue that I am experiencing also?

 

[Sascwatch]

Yep, without removing the passenger side rear seat you won’t be able to access the factory subwoofer. I forget what size sockets you need but I know one is a 10mm for the weird reverse torx bolts.

I would also check under the drivers seat for anything that doesn’t look factory as this is where some of the aftermarket equipment will be installed. Some is behind the touch screen which I’d leave up to the dealer to remove if you find a bunch of rca’s and stuff stashed behind the rear seats.

If the factory speakers were replaced by a higher ohm rated speaker which were driven by an amp they wone be very loud when powered by the factory amp. I’d start with the sub and go from there, with a good flashlight you can peak through the speaker grilles and see if the speakers are factory or not.

 

[BigBlueBeast]

Yep, without removing the passenger side rear seat you won’t be able to access the factory subwoofer. I forget what size sockets you need but I know one is a 10mm for the weird reverse torx bolts.

I would also check under the drivers seat for anything that doesn’t look factory as this is where some of the aftermarket equipment will be installed. Some is behind the touch screen which I’d leave up to the dealer to remove if you find a bunch of rca’s and stuff stashed behind the rear seats.

If the factory speakers were replaced by a higher ohm rated speaker which were driven by an amp they wone be very loud when powered by the factory amp. I’d start with the sub and go from there, with a good flashlight you can peak through the speaker grilles and see if the speakers are factory or not.

OK Thanks I will check it out when I get off work, it is driving me nuts. Under the driver seat is there anything in particular that I am looking for? I would tackle removing the back seat but probably wont have time before the appointment. I may try to get in contact with that GM just to see wtf he did as he introduced himself to me when I bought the truck.

 

[Sascwatch]

If you see any rca cables or boxes that rca cables would hook up to you’ll know something has been installed that isn’t factory. There are a few other harnesses that pass through the speaker level signals but those shouldn’t interfere with factory operation.

Im not to familiar with the ANC bypass or where it would hook up as my truck with the ecodiesel doesn’t have ANC.

 

[BigBlueBeast]

OK so I ended up calling the General Manager of the dealership who owned the truck Prior. He stated that the HK system in his truck didn't have a sub. This is wrong as I have the 19 speaker one he thought that I had a 8 speaker HK system. I think he wasn't sure himself. He did say that the only thing hooked up to the stock HK was a line converter and amp and a sub box. He has removed all these things. At this point I am fairly confident that the sub is disconnected but do not understand why the volume is so low at 10. He tried to tell me that he thought that the speaker leads were touching on the disconnected speaker wires. I didn't think this would fix anything but just to humor him I cut the bare wires back on all four wires. Problem still exist and naturally there still isnt any bass. I am thinking other than the bass being lost there may be another problem with the system but am not sure at this point. I may just let the dealership look at it

 

[Sascwatch]

There’s a subwoofer with all of the systems except for the base 6 speaker. Alpine and HK both have subs behind the rear passenger seat.

 

[Mister 4x4]

I have the exact same complaints with the HK 19 speaker system, and listen to the same (mostly) music genres. My plan is to install a line converter and add-on powered sub [with gain control switch] so I can adjust bass as needed. It sucks when Linkin Park shakes your fillings, but the very next tune has Styx sounding like they're in a coffee can. I was missing the aftermarket JVC head unit w/Infinitys and MTX Thunderform (2x10" Terminator subs) in my 2012 Lone Star about 30 minutes after driving off the lot.

FWIW - I usually run mine between 20 & 30 on volume (depending on recording level) with the B/M/T set around +8/-3/+2. A mere 3-band EQ on that system is an insult.

 

[LaxDfns15]

You guys listening at 25+ have to have hearing damage...

Using plugged in Android Auto to play Spotify volume level 20 is 80 decibel average in my truck with it turned off sitting in the driveway. Max of 84. That's at or above standing next to a running garbage disposal.

Volume level 10 was 63 decibels with a max of 70. Not loud, but you have to speak somewhat loudly to have a conversation over it. Basically the same as if you were sitting in a restaurant.

 

[BigBlueBeast]

You guys listening at 25+ have to have hearing damage...

Using plugged in Android Auto to play Spotify volume level 20 is 80 decibel average in my truck with it turned off sitting in the driveway. Max of 84. That's at or above standing next to a running garbage disposal.

Volume level 10 was 63 decibels with a max of 70. Not loud, but you have to speak somewhat loudly to have a conversation over it. Basically the same as if you were sitting in a restaurant.

Man I can assure you that mine at 10 is no where near 63 db. I would be happy as a clam if it were lol

 

[BigBlueBeast]

There’s a subwoofer with all of the systems except for the base 6 speaker. Alpine and HK both have subs behind the rear passenger seat.

Yea I feel as either the guy was lying to get me off the phone or he honestly didn't know what he had.

 

[BigBlueBeast]

So I have decided to let the dealership run with it. I just don't have the time at the moment to do it. I am almost certain that the sub signal has been removed from the system. Another thing I noticed is that when messing with the fade, the rear speaker volume is substantially lower than the front. IDK if this is by design but it seems off to me. Does anyone know if there Is a rear factory amplifier in the system? As that would make sense if the shop he took it to bypassed the amp and sub to run his amp and subs. Then again he used a line converter also so perhaps not. If I do not get anywhere with the dealership I may decide to replace all the speakers and run my own amps. I use to do my own stereo's back in the day when it was easier LOL now with all the CAN BUS stuff and factory integrations in modern cars it intimidates me a bit.

 

[Sascwatch]

There is only one amplifier which is located under the drivers seat with dedicated outputs to each speaker.

 

[BigBlueBeast]

There is only one amplifier which is located under the drivers seat with dedicated outputs to each speaker.

Thanks for the Info

 

[BigBlueBeast]

So after trying to find a rental car with no luck. I am going to attempt to remove the back seat this weekend and figure out what he did myself. It should be as easy as following the unused speaker wires back and redoing the connection to the sub. While I am at it I will probably throw in some polyfill to cushion around the sub. From what I was reading this seems to sharpen up the bass tone. hopefully this will at the minimum fix my lack of bass problem. IDK about the volume problem I will probably have to address that with the dealership at a later date. Ill post what I find for those interested. I am pretty mechanically inclined so I am assuming taking the rear seat out isn't too difficult. However, if anyone has tips for me feel free to share

 

[LaxDfns15]

From everything you've said I'm assuming that the previous owner unplugged parts of the ANC to reduce feedback from the aftermarket subs. This can cause all kinds of issues related to OEM settings. From what I've read if you install subs the ANC can cause them to hum constantly. He wouldn't have noticed the speaker issues if all he was getting from the back seat was bass.

I'd make the dealer put it back to factory wiring, and then just use a decibel meter on your phone to see if you get numbers close to mine. My EQ settings are around max/+5/+3, and the phone was sitting on the center console with the mic facing the rear of the truck when I took those readings.

 

[BigBlueBeast]

From everything you've said I'm assuming that the previous owner unplugged parts of the ANC to reduce feedback from the aftermarket subs. This can cause all kinds of issues related to OEM settings. From what I've read if you install subs the ANC can cause them to hum constantly. He wouldn't have noticed the speaker issues if all he was getting from the back seat was bass.

I'd make the dealer put it back to factory wiring, and then just use a decibel meter on your phone to see if you get numbers close to mine. My EQ settings are around max/+5/+3, and the phone was sitting on the center console with the mic facing the rear of the truck when I took those readings.

Good to know Thank you. Do you know where the ANC is located? I am going to remove the rear seat this weekend. I am assuming that I will be able to "reverse engineer" what the installer did. I also got in contact with the place that put the sub in. Unfortunately their wiring installer will not be in until Friday. My plan is to speak with him and hopefully he gives me some insight on what he bypassed. I have rescheduled my dealership appointment until 2 December. Hopefully between now and then I can get in there and see if I can avoid going all together.

 

[BigBlueBeast]

I am sure I already know the answer to this but is there any solution to adjust the amplifier gain other than a stereo update. I am assuming their isn't

 

[Mister 4x4]

You guys listening at 25+ have to have hearing damage...

Using plugged in Android Auto to play Spotify volume level 20 is 80 decibel average in my truck with it turned off sitting in the driveway. Max of 84. That's at or above standing next to a running garbage disposal.

Volume level 10 was 63 decibels with a max of 70. Not loud, but you have to speak somewhat loudly to have a conversation over it. Basically the same as if you were sitting in a restaurant.

I think you missed the part where I mentioned "(depending on recording level)." My hearing is just fine.

I don't use streaming services - why pay for a music service that plays tunes I already have? I listen primarily to MP3s from a USB thumb drive. Believe it or not, even factory produced CDs have different recording levels. The fact that the stereo can't equalize sound level output, let alone having just a simple B/M/T EQ, is still disappointing and actually a step down from the stereo systems I'm my other cars and ones I've had in the past. I'm kind of disappointed that Harmon Kardon is so proud of this 'premium' factory sound system package - I've always thought they were quality. While it doesn't completely suck (there are a LOT worse factory systems out there), it could be SO much better.