harman kardon is nothing than a bag of trash

[dandar]

I wonder if it's crossed wires to the amp or different sources for speakers and subs at the factory but there is a huge variance in HK sound on these trucks. Mine is extremely bass heavy. I have my bass set at -5 and at loud volumes it still overpowers the highs.

 

[Idahoktm]

Love my HK system. It sounds so much better than the Bose system in my wife's car.

 

[grimreefer]

Perfectly happy with the HK here as well.

 

[Buz]

I wonder if it's crossed wires to the amp or different sources for speakers and subs at the factory but there is a huge variance in HK sound on these trucks. Mine is extremely bass heavy. I have my bass set at -5 and at loud volumes it still overpowers the highs.

Disconnect your sub and you'll think you got a new stereo. I did it and it's night and day. The hour of work to do it pays in dividends.

 

[alexharrel]

The HK system in the Ram 1500 is probably one of the top 3 consumer systems in production, rivaling Tesla and AKG. You are nuts to say “trash.”

 

[Isaiahjw]

My cousin has a 19 Laramie/Longhorn with HK and I have the Alpine in my 20 Limited. I think the Alpine sounds a lot better.. Not enough “oomf” behind the HK despite its crystal clear sound but maybe there are limitations to the base in some? Even he has said my music sounds so much better

 

[mikeru82]

I've had both the Alpine and the HK systems. And for what I listen to the HK is a lot better sounding than the Alpine. No comparison. It does really matter what your music source is though.

 

[Idahoktm]

I've had both the Alpine and the HK systems. And for what I listen to the HK is a lot better sounding than the Alpine. No comparison. It does really matter what your music source is though.

Yep. I listen to Hair Nation and Classic Rewind and the HK System sounds great.

 

[sessman]

I think it sounds awesome.

 

[Sascwatch]

AM, FM and SiriusXM aren’t nearly high enough quality to get the full potential out of the Alpnie or HK systems. A high quality source like Apple Music, Spotify, etc. Are the way to go.

I think my HK system sounds amazing and could actually use much much more base on certain tracks, all of my passengers think it sounds amazing aswell. This is with the bass set at +5 and sound deadening installed in all four doors and on the rear of the cab.

Sound quality is going to vary between stations aswell, my local FM rock station sounds like crap and is all bass so maybe that’s where people are having issues?

 

[Idahoktm]

AM, FM and SiriusXM aren’t nearly high enough quality to get the full potential out of the Alpnie or HK systems. A high quality source like Apple Music, Spotify, etc. Are the way to go.

I think my HK system sounds amazing and could actually use much much more base on certain tracks, all of my passengers think it sounds amazing aswell. This is with the bass set at +5 and sound deadening installed in all four doors and on the rear of the cab.

Sound quality is going to vary between stations aswell, my local FM rock station sounds like crap and is all bass so maybe that’s where people are having issues?

I've never had SiriusXM until I bought my Ram. The sound quality is so much better than my local FM stations, I quit listening to them.

The bass is a big part of why I like the HK system so much. I can feel the music.

 

[Sascwatch]

I've never had SiriusXM until I bought my Ram. The sound quality is so much better than my local FM stations, I quit listening to them.

The bass is a big part of why I like the HK system so much. I can feel the music.

If you have a smart phone hook it up to your truck with Spotify or Apple Music and it’ll sound even better. SiriusXM is a step up from even HD radio but it’s nothing compared to the bitrate of some music streaming services.

Using a USB cable rather than Bluetooth will sound the best.

 

[Idahoktm]

If you have a smart phone hook it up to your truck with Spotify or Apple Music and it’ll sound even better. SiriusXM is a step up from even HD radio but it’s nothing compared to the bitrate of some music streaming services.

Using a USB cable rather than Bluetooth will sound the best.

I just tried Spotify, Samsung Music, and SiriusXM from my phone via USB. Spotify and Samsung Music sound the same and both are a little better in the high and mid frequency range but not a big improvement over SiriusXM.

 

[Redfour5]

Its really that bad?

Not the first person to say something like that. A few prefer the alpine 9 speaker system who have had both. Heck, I was OK with the base 6 speaker in my 2015, but must admit the Alpine system is much better.

 

[cw_mi]

Coming from a person that used to have an aftermarket system installed in every vehicle, my HK system in my '19 has to be the best sounding OEM system I've ever heard. Now, that said, I've always drove trucks, so I can't compare how a high end sedan would be compared to this. Now , I do see quite a bit of difference in audio depending on the source. Radio stations suck, some satellite stations suck, I generally listen to .mp3's from a flash drive and they do sound much better.

 

[RJS]

If you have a smart phone hook it up to your truck with Spotify or Apple Music and it’ll sound even better. SiriusXM is a step up from even HD radio but it’s nothing compared to the bitrate of some music streaming services.

Using a USB cable rather than Bluetooth will sound the best.

Very true. In fact, the smartphone can also make a big difference. My go-to streaming source is Amazon Music HD and my HK system sounded great with an earlier LG thinq7 phone. it was replaced with a Samsung S21 5g and I went back to using the LG as the sound was better. Just replaced the S21 with a Samsung Flip3 and it's the best sounding wired setup I've had using AA in my 19 Laramie with the HK system.

 

[RQLTIGER]

Disconnect your sub and you'll think you got a new stereo. I did it and it's night and day. The hour of work to do it pays in dividends.

Where can I get instructions on how to disconnect the Sub? I have a 2021 Limited and the Bass is disappointing IMO. I listen to a wide variety of music, and for treble leaning songs the HK is amazing, but Bass sounds boomy. Would replace whatever I need to to get a balanced sounding system. Don’t want to take my entire under back seat storage up though. I had a 2014 Longhorn with the Alpine system and I thought it sounded better than the HK honestly. Any suggestions?

 

[RQLTIGER]

unplug the sub and reduce the bass to the lowest setting
slightly better

How to unplug the sub? Directions?

 

[Sascwatch]

How to unplug the sub? Directions?

You will have to remove the rear passenger seat and move the rear panel to access the sub and it’s wiring. You may even want to remove both rear seats to make it easier.

 

[Dookie]

Love my HK system. It sounds so much better than the Bose system in my wives car.

Multi wives? I have trouble with just the one.