2020 RAM Laramie 4WD Audio System Build w/ 12" Display and JL Audio Stealthbox

[Sonnie]

I posted this thread in our audio forum and will copy it here, being it is related to my RAM truck.

I keep saying that one day I am going to grow out of my car audio hobby obsession. Perhaps that will be the day you guys will be talking about me in the past tense, as I just can't shake it.

With my previous 2019 RAM Laramie 2WD there were a couple of instances where I really needed a 4WD, and the fact I kept having buyer's remorse for not getting one when I got the 2019, I finally broke down and traded in the 2019 for a 2020. I shopped around as I normally do, and the only dealer that would really step up to help me out was about 5-6 hours away, and the unit they had in stock has the new 12" display that RAM came out with in 2019. This one also happens to have the Harman Kardon system vs the Alpine system. But since I was not going to be doing anything with the factory system in the 2020...

... I figured the HK system with the larger display might be okay.

I had went all out in the 2019, although I thought the Alpine system was reasonably good for a factory system. I ended up with a really nice Hybrid Audio Technologies system with a custom built MTI Acoustics sub box, and used the miniDSP to tune the system. It turned out extremely nice... 2019 RAM 1500 Laramie Crew Cab System Build Project

So I met the dealer delivery guy about half way from my home and the dealership to swap trucks and sign the paperwork. Jumped in the new 2020 and immediately started fiddling with all the various settings while sitting in the Walmart parking lot, looking upon a massively huge black cloud headed my way. After getting everything setup, I proceeded on home. As I got going, I started messing with the audio controls to try to get it sounding somewhat listenable, but no matter what I did, the SiriusXM sounded horrible. I thought surely this system can't be that bad. The bass was extremely boomy... unbearably so... to the point of having to turn the bass down to -9... the lowest setting. See my boomy bass thread here: Harman Kardon Boomy Bass

After getting home, I decided to grab my USB drive and give it a try... okay... much better than SiriusXM, but still boomy bass. After investigating in the forum here (and other places), I learned that the boomy bass was an issue. I also read about a lot of unhappy owners with the HK system. However, there were a few that really liked the system... a mixed bag of likes/dislikes. I kept reading and investigating, spoke with RAMCare, and while some were able to get their boominess fixed, I am on the latest software update and nothing else can be done for my system, as odd as that may be.

This got me thinking about maybe just putting the MTI box in the truck (since I have it already), swapping out the 5-channel amp for a single channel sub amp etc. However, I didn't want to have to run the PAC and setup the miniDSP again, and I didn't want to sacrifice the use of my rear floor storage bins, and the new rubber mats I got for the rear, as the MTI box would not fit like I wanted it to. So I started looking around and found out JL Audio makes a Stealhbox for the truck that fits very nicely and does not interfere with the storage nor the mats... it's a perfect fit. And they have an amp that has a built-in DSP using their TuN software that looks really cool and interesting. I also learned that my truck has the single voice coil sub that is NOT used in the ANC, unlike my triple voice coil sub in the 2019. So this makes it very easy to feed the JL Audio LoC-22 with the factor sub speaker leads. Problem solved for the subwoofer issue.

The question now would be how good is the rest of the Harman Kardon system. I began my normal procedure of dampening the outer door skin, the rear of the truck, quieting down as much of the noise as I could, not that the RAM trucks are not already one of the quietest rides on the market, if not the quietest. I even stuffed the sub with polyfil and dampened the enclosure. After doing all this... wow... what a completely different sounding system. I was able to turn the bass from -9 to +7 and really crank up the volume with the USB music. The mid-bass is astoundingly good. I don't want to confuse anyone... it is not as good as the HAT system with the minDSP, but it's good enough I can live with it and not have to go thru the a full overhaul (remember this statement). After removing the factory subwoofer, I learned that it really wasn't helping much on the bass end of things. The system sounds about as good with or without it... and it's still a tad on the boomy side when the sub is connected, although not nearly as bad as it was. I've actually been really enjoying listening to the system without the factory sub, and continue to be amazed at just how good the HK system sounds. Hopefully the Stealthbox will give it that extra punch in the lowest octaves once I get it installed.

New additions will be as follows...

JL Audio Stealthbox

JL Audio VX1000/1i Amp

JL Audio LoC-22 Integration Mudule

JL Audio DRC-205 Control Knob

Here's what I've done thus far...

I did not take pics of the doors... it looks pretty much the same as what I did in my previous install (and about like any other pics you see of dampening material on doors). I did go a step farther and remove the inner door panel so that I could get more dampening on the outer skin. I also used a thicker foam between the door panel and door. In the back, I build a box to go over the vents and used open cell foam for filtering the dust that seems to creep in so easily thru those vents, and the open cell is in front of closed cell to help trap some of the air noise. I'm not hearing a peep out of the back now... it is eerily quiet in this truck now.

Here you can see the rear vent boxes I fabricated, and some of the dampening material... and the 1/2" thick closed cell foam that I lined the back wall and the back of the rear wall panel with. I believe this helps the overall system sound by eliminating exterior noise, by dampening panels that can create noise from being vibrated, and by padding various items in the truck from vibrating due to bass. The green foam is the open cell filter, similar to what you would use on an air filter for a lawn mower, etc. The black foam is closed cell foam used in acoustic treatment.

I covered the opening where the factory subwoofer was located... added extra closed cell foam in that area behind the panel as well. Basically just trying to prevent any noise from coming thru that opening.

I have already installed the DRC-205 control knob... and this required using my Dremel tool to cut out some plastic behind the panel, as this knob box requires a 1 inch square area behind the panel. I tried to find a suitable location and looked all over the place... this just seems to be the right spot since there was a blank panel space there just begging for something to go there.

At this point, I am now waiting on the Stealthbox, VXi amp and LoC-22. When I get those in hand and installed, I'll post more pics and give my thoughts on the sound.

UPDATE: 7/15/2020

So remember that statement I made early on, "it's good enough I can live with it and not have to go thru the a full overhaul". This is something you should NEVER say! If it were TRUE, I would not have ordered another JL amp (6-channel) and another miniDSP C-DSP 8x12 DL (after selling the other one I had just a week or so ago). The problem (other than I just can't shake the bug) is the front stage. I can't get it up high enough with the door speakers playing frequencies that are pulling it down, and the imaging is just not sufficient with the center speaker being used. It's moving around on me too much. It's really difficult to have a JBL MS-8 processor for several years (I think I still have two of them in my shop) ... then a miniDSP, which is even better than the MS-8, and try to be satisfied with less. I'm already half way there with the Stealthbox installed, so why not take the next step and go all the way with it.

 

[jaydeebee24]

Apologies for asking such a small question from a post with a lot of cool info: with the HK sub being single voice coil, does that theoretically mean that if I use the existing signal wires going to the HK sub for a powered sub (Rockford Fosgate P300-10T) for signal only that I shouldn't have to mess with the ANC? Not looking to do anything complicated, and I already have an ANC delete harness if I need it.

 

[Sonnie]

No apologies necessary.

That is correct. The subwoofer in the HK system is not used in the ANC like it is in the Alpine system (or in a system where the sub has 6 wires being fed to it - triple voice coil). I'm not really sure if the HK system is what determines what sub you get, or if it may have to do with e-Torque. I know there are 4 different scenarios for ANC, and mine is the one I like since it does not use the sub.

I have been driving around with my factory sub removed and it makes zero difference in the noise, unlike when I had my Alpine sub disconnected to eliminate ANC issues... I have quite a bit of exhaust noise that the sub was eliminating in that system.

 

[Sonnie]

I posted this in another thread, but to keep my build thread in tact, I'll post it here as well. After reading dozens of posts about how much the Infinity Reference 3032 speakers improved the dash speakers, I decided to grab some to see. I also have some Faital Pro speakers coming as well to try them out.

So I'm not really getting the improvement with the Infinity speakers that I was expecting based on all the positive feedback. I installed one in the front left, compared it to the factory front right, quickly moving the balance back and forth. Clearly I lose the majority of the highs going with the Infinity. The factory speakers are not quite as deep, and they are a bit too bright. The Infinity speakers are well rounded in the mid-bass, although the dash are probably crossed over at 350Hz or higher, but I can still tell when moving the balance back and forth, they have slightly more mid-bass than the factory speaker, yet they roll off quite a bit on the highs. I actually thought maybe one of the tweeters was not working initially. I went ahead and install the right side, then again moved the balance back and forth, and I could tell the factory center was considerably louder with more highs as I move thru it. Then I finally replaced the center. I had to bump the EQ level up on the high from 0 to +7 and the mid from 0 to +3 to get some top end back up front. Now I think the upper doors may be too much and I'll probably have to replace those as well. These factory speakers must be seriously sensitive. The Infinity speakers are 91dB 3 ohm... the factory measure 4 ohm and are at least 6dB louder, so they have to be in the 96-97dB sensitivity range (totally guessing to make a point).

I am very curious to hear the Faital Pro speakers and see if perhaps they might have a little more volume to them than the Infinity speakers. This almost makes me want to put the factory speakers back in, although when I turn all the bass down and fade all the way to the front, comparing the factory to the Infinity, at a volume level of 30, the factory began to distort... while the Infinity never distorted, which is likely because it is not as loud either. If you want the highs tamed, this is no doubt the way to do it.

I don't know... not sold that the Infinity speakers are an upgrade in my truck... maybe a lateral move with some give and take. What I do know is the factory doors have some serious bass/mid-bass that can play amazingly loud and clean.

The Faitals should be here tomorrow and I'll do another comparison this weekend.

 

[Seadweller23]

I posted this thread in our audio forum and will copy it here, being it is related to my RAM truck.

I keep saying that one day I am going to grow out of my car audio hobby obsession. Perhaps that will be the day you guys will be talking about me in the past tense, as I just can't shake it.

With my previous 2019 RAM Laramie 2WD there were a couple of instances where I really needed a 4WD, and the fact I kept having buyer's remorse for not getting one when I got the 2019, I finally broke down and traded in the 2019 for a 2020. I shopped around as I normally do, and the only dealer that would really step up to help me out was about 5-6 hours away, and the unit they had in stock has the new 12" display that RAM came out with in 2019. This one also happens to have the Harman Kardon system vs the Alpine system. But since I was not going to be doing anything with the factory system in the 2020...

... I figured the HK system with the larger display might be okay.

I had went all out in the 2019, although I thought the Alpine system was reasonably good for a factory system. I ended up with a really nice Hybrid Audio Technologies system with a custom built MTI Acoustics sub box, and used the miniDSP to tune the system. It turned out extremely nice... 2019 RAM 1500 Laramie Crew Cab System Build Project

So I met the dealer delivery guy about half way from my home and the dealership to swap trucks and sign the paperwork. Jumped in the new 2020 and immediately started fiddling with all the various settings while sitting in the Walmart parking lot, looking upon a massively huge black cloud headed my way. After getting everything setup, I proceeded on home. As I got going, I started messing with the audio controls to try to get it sounding somewhat listenable, but no matter what I did, the SiriusXM sounded horrible. I thought surely this system can't be that bad. The bass was extremely boomy... unbearably so... to the point of having to turn the bass down to -9... the lowest setting. See my boomy bass thread here: Harman Kardon Boomy Bass

After getting home, I decided to grab my USB drive and give it a try... okay... much better than SiriusXM, but still boomy bass. After investigating in the forum here (and other places), I learned that the boomy bass was an issue. I also read about a lot of unhappy owners with the HK system. However, there were a few that really liked the system... a mixed bag of likes/dislikes. I kept reading and investigating, spoke with RAMCare, and while some were able to get their boominess fixed, I am on the latest software update and nothing else can be done for my system, as odd as that may be.

This got me thinking about maybe just putting the MTI box in the truck (since I have it already), swapping out the 5-channel amp for a single channel sub amp etc. However, I didn't want to have to run the PAC and setup the miniDSP again, and I didn't want to sacrifice the use of my rear floor storage bins, and the new rubber mats I got for the rear, as the MTI box would not fit like I wanted it to. So I started looking around and found out JL Audio makes a Stealhbox for the truck that fits very nicely and does not interfere with the storage nor the mats... it's a perfect fit. And they have an amp that has a built-in DSP using their TuN software that looks really cool and interesting. I also learned that my truck has the single voice coil sub that is NOT used in the ANC, unlike my triple voice coil sub in the 2019. So this makes it very easy to feed the JL Audio LoC-22 with the factor sub speaker leads. Problem solved for the subwoofer issue.

The question now would be how good is the rest of the Harman Kardon system. I began my normal procedure of dampening the outer door skin, the rear of the truck, quieting down as much of the noise as I could, not that the RAM trucks are not already one of the quietest rides on the market, if not the quietest. I even stuffed the sub with polyfil and dampened the enclosure. After doing all this... wow... what a completely different sounding system. I was able to turn the bass from -9 to +7 and really crank up the volume with the USB music. The mid-bass is astoundingly good. I don't want to confuse anyone... it is not as good as the HAT system with the minDSP, but it's good enough I can live with it and not have to go thru the a full overhaul. After removing the factory subwoofer, I learned that it really wasn't helping much on the bass end of things. The system sounds about as good with or without it... and it's still a tad on the boomy side when the sub is connected, although not nearly as bad as it was. I've actually been really enjoying listening to the system without the factory sub, and continue to be amazed at just how good the HK system sounds. Hopefully the Stealthbox will give it that extra punch in the lowest octaves once I get it installed.

New additions will be as follows...

JL Audio Stealthbox

JL Audio VX1000/1i Amp

JL Audio LoC-22 Integration Mudule

JL Audio DRC-205 Control Knob

Here's what I've done thus far...

I did not take pics of the doors... it looks pretty much the same as what I did in my previous install (and about like any other pics you see of dampening material on doors). I did go a step farther and remove the inner door panel so that I could get more dampening on the outer skin. I also used a thicker foam between the door panel and door. In the back, I build a box to go over the vents and used open cell foam for filtering the dust that seems to creep in so easily thru those vents, and the open cell is in front of closed cell to help trap some of the air noise. I'm not hearing a peep out of the back now... it is eerily quiet in this truck now.

Here you can see the rear vent boxes I fabricated, and some of the dampening material... and the 1/2" thick closed cell foam that I lined the back wall and the back of the rear wall panel with. I believe this helps the overall system sound by eliminating exterior noise, by dampening panels that can create noise from being vibrated, and by padding various items in the truck from vibrating due to bass. The green foam is the open cell filter, similar to what you would use on an air filter for a lawn mower, etc. The black foam is closed cell foam used in acoustic treatment.

I covered the opening where the factory subwoofer was located... added extra closed cell foam in that area behind the panel as well. Basically just trying to prevent any noise from coming thru that opening.

I have already installed the DRC-205 control knob... and this required using my Dremel tool to cut out some plastic behind the panel, as this knob box requires a 1 inch square area behind the panel. I tried to find a suitable location and looked all over the place... this just seems to be the right spot since there was a blank panel space there just begging for something to go there.

At this point, I am now waiting on the Stealthbox, VXi amp and LoC-22. When I get those in hand and installed, I'll post more pics and give my thoughts on the sound.

JL is awesome!

 

[Sonnie]

I'll be installing the Faital Pro speakers shortly to see how they compare.

I did test the factory dash speakers, and they are wired in-phase.

 

[Sonnie]

Well I was wrong... the factory speakers are not 6dB louder than the Infinity speakers... just to get that out of the way. But they are between 3-4dB louder.

Did some testing today.... measured each of the speakers listed below with each one mounted in the left front dash. The SPL meter tip was 1 inch above center of speaker (although moving it around a 1/2" or so did not change the level). I recorded a 1kHz tone from REW... and also Pink Periodic Noise full range (FR) 20Hz-20kHz. I also measured the resistance of each speaker.

Factory Speaker
4.1 ohm
1kHz = 85dB
FR = 84dB

Infinity Reference 3032
2.6 ohm
1kHz = 81dB
FR = 81dB

FaitalPRO 3FE22
3.9 ohm
1kHz = 85dB
FR = 84dB

I already had all three Infinity speakers in the dash and they have been very disappointing to say the least. They are clean, but the highs are rolled off, and/or they don't have very good off-axis response, despite bouncing off the windshield. I installed one of the FaitalPRO speakers in the left side and left the Infinity on the right. I played several songs with the bass EQ slider down at -9 and faded fully front, then quickly moved the balance slider from left to right and back to left, so that I could compare the two speakers. The FaitalPRO speaker was no doubt better sounding to me, and the highs were back. The Infinity sounded muffled (and I tried more than one... as I had one pair from Crutchfield and one pair from eBay). I then decided to try the factory speaker again... and it was still a wee bit brighter than the FaitalPRO, but it was very close in the highs, although not as harsh as the factory speaker. I could tell I was not losing any volume with the FaitalPRO like I was with the Infinity. The real difference came when I cranked up the volume to 30-32 and moved the balance control back and forth. The factory speaker sounded very distorted on several songs, while the FaitalPRO was very clean (as was the Infinity). Clearly the factory speaker is inferior when it comes to power handling and high-volume sound. Surprisingly on some songs, it held its own, but you could tell when it was not liking a particular song. So the Infinity and FaitalPRO are clean, but the FaitalPRO has more volume, and it matches up better with the remainder of the factory system better in my opinion, although I still want to replace the upper door speakers... and rear headliner speakers with the FaitalPRO.

I need no further testing and or convincing that the FaitalPRO are the clear winner for me. I installed all three across the dash and now this system is literally amazing, even without a subwoofer. I can now crank the bass EQ back up to around +4 with the mid at +2 and the high at +5. The front stage is seriously good. Again, not competition sound quality grade, but still very very good for a factory amp powered system. I have ordered 4 more of the FaitalPRO speakers to install in the top of the door and the rear headliner. The only drawback to the FaitalPRO is I had to dremel off one of the four tabs and create my own holes with screws in the mounting area, which was not a big deal, but they are not just a drop in using the same screw holes.

Keep in mind, this is all my subjective opinion as far as what I like in my truck. I am not judging anyone else that has these Infinity speakers... they may be exactly what you want and/or may sound different in your truck. I am in NO WAY suggesting you have inferior speakers in your truck. If they are working for you, they may work for many others as well. My point being... try whatever you want to try and keep it if you like it. If you haven't been happy, you might consider other speakers.... and the FaitalPRO may not be what you like. I just happen to love how they sound in my truck.

 

[PorBoy]

Thank you for taking the time out and posting your review. I personally run all JL across my dash and have been personally extremely happy. It’s not anywhere near what any of my SQ cars were, but that was to be expected. I thought about several other speakers, but the JL were simple drop in and cleared it no mods so that was a win for me..

 

[Ellisstrong]

Well I was wrong... the factory speakers are not 6dB louder than the Infinity speakers... just to get that out of the way. But they are between 3-4dB louder.

Did some testing today.... measured each of the speakers listed below with each one mounted in the left front dash. The SPL meter tip was 1 inch above center of speaker (although moving it around a 1/2" or so did not change the level). I recorded a 1kHz tone from REW... and also Pink Periodic Noise full range (FR) 20Hz-20kHz. I also measured the resistance of each speaker.

Factory Speaker
4.1 ohm
1kHz = 85dB
FR = 84dB

Infinity Reference 3032
2.6 ohm
1kHz = 81dB
FR = 81dB

FaitalPRO 3FE22
3.9 ohm
1kHz = 85dB
FR = 84dB

I already had all three Infinity speakers in the dash and they have been very disappointing to say the least. They are clean, but the highs are rolled off, and/or they don't have very good off-axis response, despite bouncing off the windshield. I installed one of the FaitalPRO speakers in the left side and left the Infinity on the right. I played several songs with the bass EQ slider down at -9 and faded fully front, then quickly moved the balance slider from left to right and back to left, so that I could compare the two speakers. The FaitalPRO speaker was no doubt better sounding to me, and the highs were back. The Infinity sounded muffled (and I tried more than one... as I had one pair from Crutchfield and one pair from eBay). I then decided to try the factory speaker again... and it was still a wee bit brighter than the FaitalPRO, but it was very close in the highs, although not as harsh as the factory speaker. I could tell I was not losing any volume with the FaitalPRO like I was with the Infinity. The real difference came when I cranked up the volume to 30-32 and moved the balance control back and forth. The factory speaker sounded very distorted on several songs, while the FaitalPRO was very clean (as was the Infinity). Clearly the factory speaker is inferior when it comes to power handling and high-volume sound. Surprisingly on some songs, it held its own, but you could tell when it was not liking a particular song. So the Infinity and FaitalPRO are clean, but the FaitalPRO has more volume, and it matches up better with the remainder of the factory system better in my opinion, although I still want to replace the upper door speakers... and rear headliner speakers with the FaitalPRO.

I need no further testing and or convincing that the FaitalPRO are the clear winner for me. I installed all three across the dash and now this system is literally amazing, even without a subwoofer. I can now crank the bass EQ back up to around +4 with the mid at +2 and the high at +5. The front stage is seriously good. Again, not competition sound quality grade, but still very very good for a factory amp powered system. I have ordered 4 more of the FaitalPRO speakers to install in the top of the door and the rear headliner. The only drawback to the FaitalPRO is I had to dremel off one of the four tabs and create my own holes with screws in the mounting area, which was not a big deal, but they are not just a drop in using the same screw holes.

Keep in mind, this is all my subjective opinion as far as what I like in my truck. I am not judging anyone else that has these Infinity speakers... they may be exactly what you want and/or may sound different in your truck. I am in NO WAY suggesting you have inferior speakers in your truck. If they are working for you, they may work for many others as well. My point being... try whatever you want to try and keep it if you like it. If you haven't been happy, you might consider other speakers.... and the FaitalPRO may not be what you like. I just happen to love how they sound in my truck.

I’m considering at least replacing my upper front doors with the faital speakers since I haven’t replaced those yet

 

[patriot_tech]

Wait until they have some break in time. They smooth out and sound better. Add the CDT 6x9's and you got a rockin' system.

 

[Sonnie]

I've been heavily debating the CDT's... but don't want to mess with my ANC or cause any issues with it. I guess I could try them and see. The factory 6x9's are the best I've heard in a factory system.

 

[Sonnie]

I assume you are using the 4 ohm version of the CDT CL-69S.

 

[392DCGC]

Apologies for asking such a small question from a post with a lot of cool info: with the HK sub being single voice coil, does that theoretically mean that if I use the existing signal wires going to the HK sub for a powered sub (Rockford Fosgate P300-10T) for signal only that I shouldn't have to mess with the ANC? Not looking to do anything complicated, and I already have an ANC delete harness if I need it.

No apologies necessary.

That is correct. The subwoofer in the HK system is not used in the ANC like it is in the Alpine system (or in a system where the sub has 6 wires being fed to it - triple voice coil). I'm not really sure if the HK system is what determines what sub you get, or if it may have to do with e-Torque. I know there are 4 different scenarios for ANC, and mine is the one I like since it does not use the sub.

I have been driving around with my factory sub removed and it makes zero difference in the noise, unlike when I had my Alpine sub disconnected to eliminate ANC issues... I have quite a bit of exhaust noise that the sub was eliminating in that system.

In my experience, the HK subwoofer (in my 2019 truck) did receive ANC signals from the factory amplifier. I hooked up a powered Rockford Fosgate subwoofer using the speaker-level input from the factory wiring, and had a horrible droning noise come through the sub in sync with engine RPM. Had to use the PAC to run a clean signal to the sub.

Sonnie, your input here really has me intrigued! I find the output from the factory 6x9s to be pretty weak. Had to push my bass up to +5 to get anything decent from them (to my ears). I have the Infinity 3032s and so far have enjoyed them, but only run my highs at +1 and mids at +4 - this was what my FR measurements had indicated me to do... although I was merely using HouseCurve on my iPhone 12 Pro to get the measurements, not anything fancy, so could be a bit off. The Infinity speakers are definitely less loud than factory, so at least my ears are in-tune with you on that one. You have me wanting to try the FaitalPRO speakers though. Any chance you have a picture of the mounting modifications you did? I think when you try to put them in the front doors you'll find it to be tricky. The inner plastic door panel is molded around the small HK speaker - you'll have to do some serious modification/cutting to the inner door panel around the FaitalPRO, or raise the speaker away from the panel to get it to fit. Really curious to see your install on that too if you manage it!

 

[Sonnie]

I am not sure if the HK system in my eTorque may be different than the non-eTorque, but there are several here that have used the sub signal into the high-level speakers inputs on a sub amp with no ANC issues. And I do not hear any noise with the sub removed from my truck. I have never EVER been in a truck this quiet. My 2019 was not this quiet, nor was my 2017. There is just no way the sub in my truck can be contributing to the ANC.

I love the mid-bass with the factory 6x9's. They were just "okay" before I treated the doors, but now they are very very good. I'm pretty picky... done a LOT of systems over the years (way too many), and this is the first time I've ever been satisfied with the factory door speakers. However, I'm going to give the CDT CL-69S a try and compare them like I did the dash speakers. If they improve on the mid-bass and not interfere with the ANC, I'll swap them out.

All of my testing is performed with specific music I use for evaluations, and it is recorded onto a USB thumb drive.

 

[Ellisstrong]

I am not sure if the HK system in my eTorque may be different than the non-eTorque, but there are several here that have used the sub signal into the high-level speakers inputs on a sub amp with no ANC issues. And I do not hear any noise with the sub removed from my truck. I have never EVER been in a truck this quiet. My 2019 was not this quiet, nor was my 2017. There is just no way the sub in my truck can be contributing to the ANC.

I love the mid-bass with the factory 6x9's. They were just "okay" before I treated the doors, but now they are very very good. I'm pretty picky... done a LOT of systems over the years (way too many), and this is the first time I've ever been satisfied with the factory door speakers. However, I'm going to give the CDT CL-69S a try and compare them like I did the dash speakers. If they improve on the mid-bass and not interfere with the ANC, I'll swap them out.

All of my testing is performed with specific music I use for evaluations, and it is recorded onto a USB thumb drive.

I have unhooked my factory sub and changed all of my 6x9’s and have no issues with ANC. I have etorque as well

 

[Sonnie]

I have unhooked my factory sub and changed all of my 6x9’s and have no issues with ANC. I have etorque as well

Awesome... I am hoping for the same. I love how quiet these truck are, and I was not able to fully use the ANC in my 2019, which I regretted from day one after installing the system in that truck. But I spent way too much on the system to take it out in favor of the ANC and quietness. Fortunately it was only an issue when the wife was in the vehicle, as she doesn't like it loud, UNLESS she is in her Lexus, then she shakes the windows with her system... lol.

 

[392DCGC]

I am not sure if the HK system in my eTorque may be different than the non-eTorque, but there are several here that have used the sub signal into the high-level speakers inputs on a sub amp with no ANC issues. And I do not hear any noise with the sub removed from my truck. I have never EVER been in a truck this quiet. My 2019 was not this quiet, nor was my 2017. There is just no way the sub in my truck can be contributing to the ANC.

All of my trucks have had eTorque. The ANC issue I had was on a late 2018 build, and I know there have been updates to ANC since then, but I just assumed it was never going to work well with aftermarket speakers.

@Sonnie, did you find instructions for removing the back seat, or just have at it? I want to install some butyl rubber behind the subwoofer box and Poly-Fil it, and I’m not sure if I could squeeze the sub box out when the seat is folded forward or if it needs removed entirely. Do you recall how much Poly-Fil you used?

 

[Sonnie]

There is a small loop (maybe 4-5" in length) behind the top of each seat that needs to be pulled to release the seat back from the back wall. I have reclining back seats, so I can slide the bottom out and I am able to reach my hand behind it to find the loop and pull on it... the right rear passenger seat (which is on my left when I'm facing the back seat - the 60 seat) needs to be pulled to the left (towards the passenger side door) to unhook the latch, don't try pulling straight down. I believe the other seat (the 40 seat) can be pull straight down and you can reach it by folding down the center arm rest.

Once you get the back down... if you have reclining seats, you may be able to get to the bolts that hold the subwoofer in place. There are two bolts at the top and two in the floor, then your connector. You'll need to remove the back panel cover to get to everything. Personally I would remove the seats. You can use a cordless impact wrench with an extension to remove the seat bolts behind the seat, and then you need a star bit to remove the front bolt (and you have to recline the seats back to see those star bolts). By removing the seats you'll be able to remove the side panels and also dampen some of the back floor area. I would remove the seat belt winder that is in each side back corner and treat all of that are in there, plus add some closed cell foam in there. You may also want to consider building a filtered cover for the two back vents. All of this makes this truck quiet as a mouse... it's plain silly how quiet it is.

 

[Sonnie]

As for polyfil, I stuffed as much as I could get into the box, which wasn't a lot, but I pushed and poked until no more would go in there.... and I also dampened the box pretty well on the outside. Of course the subwoofer is stacked up on a shelf in my shop, not being used... lol... but it did make it sound a LOT better than factory. I had the bass EQ set to -9 initially, and when I got finished, I was able to turn it up to +5 to +7 without the boominess I was getting before.

 

[Sonnie]

I decided to do a little bit of measuring this morning to see what the response looks like in the 2020 with the factory speakers (less the factory sub) and the FaitalPRO's installed in the dash. I used Pink Periodic Noise recorded from 20Hz to 20kHz in REW.

Keep in mind this is withOUT the factory sub (it is on a shelf in my shop).

The first measurement (green) is with all EQ bands set to 0 (flat in the audio settings) with the mic centered at the driver's head area... and the second (purple) is a nearfield measurement of the FaitalPRO. The bass is this truck without a sub is really good, and now I can see why. The response is remarkably good for a factory system. Typically it is preferred to have the curve resemble what you see with the green response line, with the bass being heavy (10-15dB) and dropping off gradually all the way out to 20kHz. If that hump wasn't there in that 1kHz area, it would be borderline excellent... with maybe a slight boost in the 250-800 range. Obviously it would be nice to fix a few areas, but for a factory response, this is very acceptable. The dash speakers appear to be crossed over (high-passed) at 300Hz, which is perfect. What we see in the lower bass region is from the door speakers, since I am not able to turn those off. If they were disconnected, we'd see the response of the FaitalPRO's keep dropping off below 200Hz instead of flattening out as it does.



FWIW... I did not remove the speaker grill on the nearfield measurement of the FaitalPRO's. I probably should have so that I could get closer to the speaker and make sure I was centered. I will do this at a later time so that it will be somewhat more accurate.


Then I wanted to see what was happening with the EQ band adjustments... so I measured each band at +7 to see the frequency range affected. It appears they are using a fairly wide bandwidth (low Q factor) centered around 60Hz, 1kHz and 10kHz.



If I have time, and don't sell the Infinity dash speakers, I may hook one of those back up and measure it to compare the response to the FaitalPRO and then I can see the difference I was hearing during my direct comparison.