5th Gen Stock Stereo Upgrade Options?

[smankins]

This is probably a dumb question but what the hell... I ordered some Kicker 6x9 3-way speakers. I'm guessing I should disconnect the factory tweeters and just leave them mounted in the door to keep from having an opening?

If you have the Alpine 9 speaker system the door speakers are getting only lower frequency signals from the amp (at least that is my understanding). I would recommend just changing the dash speakers first and just connect them as they are when you remove them (polarity) and see what you think. You would probably need to tweak your equalizer settings somewhat to get the sound you like. I have not changed my door speakers so I can't tell you what improvement, if any, that would make.
However, it sounds like maybe you have the HK system with more than 9 speakers since I have the Alpine 9 speaker system and there is no separate tweeter in the door. The center grill on the dash would have the word Alpine on there if it is the 9 speaker system.

 

[Hdh67]

The loc was really easy to install and works perfectly fine. I wanted to use the sub only pac unit but was out of stock everywhere .... so this was the option I chose

like I said in the post the box preforms really well. When you fold the seat down it becomes very ridged snd does not
Move. And sounds really great .

I don’t know about the reclining seats sorry

if you have the storage u see the back seats then I doubt it will work.

The harness allowed me to splice in the the harness itself and not the truck wiring.

Thanks. I got my box last week, just waiting for time to remove the amp from my Gen 4 and reinstall in this truck. It looks like I might not need a LOC at all. It looks like my Amp has the feature built in, so I could just use the wires from the factory sub. If it doesn't work, I didn't waste any time running any wires, so I have nothing to lose.

 

[PeteyK49]

The outputs from the head unit on the Base 6 / inputs to the ANC are amplified and as such will work for your sub high-level signal, with the caveat that without resistance across those wires some folks have experienced the head unit muting itself - not an issue if you are tapping, only if you are disconnecting completely from factory speakers. I attached a wiring diagram for your reference.

*The bypass you used may have different colors; it would make sense to tap the bypass wiring instead of cutting the factory harness. I'd use Rear right & Rear left channels for your sub.

Thank you!

 

[D.Sull]

Added my kicker 6x9s last night to the front and rear doors. I noticed the front 6x9s don't put out any highs, at all. It sounds like it's all mid and low end bass. These are 3 way 6x9s so that just must be the signal they're receiving. I checked the factory 6x9 and it's the same situation. Anyone that's way more audio savvy care to explain that to me? Are the dash speakers for all the highs in the front of the truck and the front door speakers just for bass?? The back doors seem to be full spectrum. Thanks.

 

[brian42]

The front door speaker gets the same signal from the head unit as the dash speaker:



This diagram doesn't go into all the tiny details but:

1. I do know that the dash speakers have a high-pass filter (aka bassblocker) on the speaker itself. I wonder if the front door speakers have a low-pass filter on them?

2. This diagram (for the base 6 speaker audio) shows that the ANC is only on the front door speakers. That might be a factor (?).

 

[All_Black_Lone_Star]

Added my kicker 6x9s last night to the front and rear doors. I noticed the front 6x9s don't put out any highs, at all. It sounds like it's all mid and low end bass. These are 3 way 6x9s so that just must be the signal they're receiving. I checked the factory 6x9 and it's the same situation. Anyone that's way more audio savvy care to explain that to me? Are the dash speakers for all the highs in the front of the truck and the front door speakers just for bass?? The back doors seem to be full spectrum. Thanks.

Judging by the fact you have a limited I would say you have a premium sound system either alpine or hk. On those systems the amplifier has crossover points to block other certain frequencies from speakers. The door speakers are set for mid bass only.

 

[D.Sull]

Judging by the fact you have a limited I would say you have a premium sound system either alpine or hk. On those systems the amplifier has crossover points to block other certain frequencies from speakers. The door speakers are set for mid bass only.

Gotcha. So sounds like it's working as intended. Seems like a waste on the 3 way 6x9s. I ordered an ANC bypass harness but 1) doesn't sound like that's the problem and 2) I think the amp and ANC is an integrated unit in the alpine system. I ordered it before I realized that. I guess there's not an easy way to fix this without bypassing the factory amp and wiring up my own amp to the aftermarket speakers? Thanks for the help.

 

[All_Black_Lone_Star]

Gotcha. So sounds like it's working as intended. Seems like a waste on the 3 way 6x9s. I ordered an ANC bypass harness but 1) doesn't sound like that's the problem and 2) I think the amp and ANC is an integrated unit in the alpine system. I ordered it before I realized that. I guess there's not an easy way to fix this without bypassing the factory amp and wiring up my own amp to the aftermarket speakers? Thanks for the help.

You are correct the ANC is within be amp and the only way around it is to bypass the amp. With the premium sound system you will need an AMP Pro to simplify the process.

 

[D.Sull]

You are correct the ANC is within be amp and the only way around it is to bypass the amp. With the premium sound system you will need an AMP Pro to simplify the process.

That's the route I'll take then. I've got my AmpPRO ordered. I guess I'll plan for the amp to drive the door and dash speakers in the future. For now, I have two Kicker CompRTs and a Rockford amp. I just have to build the box. I noticed you have two 10s. What kind of enclosure did you go with?

 

[All_Black_Lone_Star]

Qpower bed lined sealed box for two 10s cheapest thing I could find until I have time to build a ported enclosure.

 

[EddieLee79]

I've followed this thread for quite a while so thanks everyone for their input. Like most of you, I thought the KH system in my Limited was pretty horrible. My previous vehicle was a 2009 Altima with a Bose system that sounded way better (and I am not a Blose person...LOL). I actually unplugged the 10" sub from the system and it sounded light years better. I then upgraded my dash and front/back speakers to Infinity which also made a huge difference. I am still quite impressed how low those Infinity back door speakers can go. Since the low end was missing, I added a 10" JL Powerwedge+ under the rear seat and used the PacAmp Pro to feed it a clean signal without the terrible EQ/DSP system effects. Added the subwoofer remote control dial under the steering wheel column which is a requirement in my opinion to be able to control that varied sub levels of music. Overall, I am very please with how my system sounds now, basically how it should have sounded for the amount of money the HK system cost. And the JL is so compact it rests up against the edge of my backseat carpet so it does not move and does not cause any clearance issues.

 

[R6six6]

Qpower bed lined sealed box for two 10s cheapest thing I could find until I have time to build a ported enclosure.

Do you have a picture of it installed? i prefer a 10" sealed.

 

[User_63152]

Do you have a picture of it installed? i prefer a 10" sealed.

How much bass do you want? And, how much room do you want to give up? Those are the two important questions.

 

[PeteyK49]

I've followed this thread for quite a while so thanks everyone for their input. Like most of you, I thought the KH system in my Limited was pretty horrible. My previous vehicle was a 2009 Altima with a Bose system that sounded way better (and I am not a Blose person...LOL). I actually unplugged the 10" sub from the system and it sounded light years better. I then upgraded my dash and front/back speakers to Infinity which also made a huge difference. I am still quite impressed how low those Infinity back door speakers can go. Since the low end was missing, I added a 10" JL Powerwedge+ under the rear seat and used the PacAmp Pro to feed it a clean signal without the terrible EQ/DSP system effects. Added the subwoofer remote control dial under the steering wheel column which is a requirement in my opinion to be able to control that varied sub levels of music. Overall, I am very please with how my system sounds now, basically how it should have sounded for the amount of money the HK system cost. And the JL is so compact it rests up against the edge of my backseat carpet so it does not move and does not cause any clearance issues.

Do you have a picture of the power wedge installed under the seat? Does it stick out past the seat?

 

[EddieLee79]

It’s pretty well hidden. I also put the ANC bypass cable in today and it removed the drone noise around 1,400 RPM that was not loud but really annoying. I guess it was due to replacing the stock HK speakers with the Infinities.

 

[PeteyK49]

It’s pretty well hidden. I also put the ANC bypass cable in today and it removed the drone noise around 1,400 RPM that was not loud but really annoying. I guess it was due to replacing the stock HK speakers with the Infinities. View attachment 99054

Nice! I was worried about the size and got a cheapo amazon sub that I have sitting at the same angle. Now that I know I can fit the jl in the same spot, I’m gunna upgrade!

 

[All_Black_Lone_Star]

Do you have a picture of it installed? i prefer a 10" sealed.

Sorry for the late reply but here is the picture it is hard to access the floor cubby’s with it in place. Also I had to add some elevated speaker grills to keep the subs from hitting the mat and floor.

 

[D.Sull]

Has anybody used the Fox Acoustic rear seat lifts in the 5th gen with the reclining seats? I think the guy sent me the ones for the 4th gen................. Anyone have pictures they can share since there aren't any on his website?
Thanks.

 

[derichio02]

Sooo much info in this thread

I want to confirm my setup. I have a 2021 Laramie with the 12" Screen and Alpine 9 Speaker system with Sub and ANC. I ordered the JL Stealthbox and plan to run a JL 600w amp. Planning on Infinity Ref 3032cfx 3-ohm for the Dash running off the factory amp.

Looks like I will need the AmpPro AP4-CH41 but I see on Crutchfield that this does not work with ANC systems?? Do I still need a bypass? I have the bypass from LLJ Customs but unsure if it will work with my Alpine System with Sub. I also read some folks using APH-CH03.

Lastly I looked at the AmpPro Sub mentioned earlier in the thread but according to crutchfield this does not work for the 2021, just the 2019-20. Did something change in 2021?

Any help/confirmation is appreciated

 

[MinionHauler]

Sooo much info in this thread

I want to confirm my setup. I have a 2021 Laramie with the 12" Screen and Alpine 9 Speaker system with Sub and ANC. I ordered the JL Stealthbox and plan to run a JL 600w amp. Planning on Infinity Ref 3032cfx 3-ohm for the Dash running off the factory amp.

Looks like I will need the AmpPro AP4-CH41 but I see on Crutchfield that this does not work with ANC systems?? Do I still need a bypass? I have the bypass from LLJ Customs but unsure if it will work with my Alpine System with Sub. I also read some folks using APH-CH03.

Lastly I looked at the AmpPro Sub mentioned earlier in the thread but according to crutchfield this does not work for the 2021, just the 2019-20. Did something change in 2021?

Any help/confirmation is appreciated

I'm waiting on a response from a PAC rep. Essentially the radios haven't changed their plug style so it's just a matter of firmware compatibility. It works perfectly on my 2020 Alpine 12" so let me see what they say. I'm doing a friend's 2021 as well so this will be helpful to know.