Base 6 speaker system 6x9 UPGRADE !

[Bossdog421]

I saw the speakers came in and decided I wasnt waiting until my birthday. Super nice day in the 60s (still a fair amount of snow needs to melt though...) so I put them in.

Just FYI, crutchfield says they don't fit in the front doors and i think i know why. Everything went fine on the driver side but on the passenger side... before putting everything back together I tested the window. Heard a slight clicking sound, after a few passes it went away. Turned on the radio and that side wasnt working. Took everything apart and saw one of the prongs bent and the wire disconnected. Flipped the speaker so the prongs were on the opposite side and everything went fine. If i had to guess they are slightly deeper than recommended.

Aside from that issue everything else is great.

The speakers sound way better than stock. Very clean, significantly louder (i wouldn't mind it even louder though). While the lows are ok, I definitely want a sub.

For the price i am extremely happy. Can't wait for the commute tomorrow.

Amp and sub are in my future.

 

[mophead]

Actually you can mess up a pac.... we are talking about people saying that had issues apparently so they have proven to some they can mess it up . It’s lack of reading the directions and noting the special warnings and of course clicking away at stuff with the GUI.... not matching up the harness color for color etc... also most don’t even check to see if that speakers are in phase to begin with...

Not to mention dip switches aren't for dipghits. LOL

 

[GNRam1500]

Just picked up a 2019 big horn and the poor sound from the 6-speaker is killing me coming from a Bose system in my last truck. Anyone have experience with this setup:

Kicker for Dodge Ram Crew Cab 2012 & up Speaker Bundle- 2 Pairs of CS 6x9 Speakers, & a Pair of CS 3.5" Speakers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016E6OV4Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_Y8XXMYABWG64P0Q7P1H7

How are the speakers working out? Hows the sound output?

 

[Sascwatch]

For those that swapped their door speakers was the wiring polarity correct with the metra adapters?

 

[MarkB67]

Found this thread last night, went to Best Buy today in the AM and picked up 2 pairs of the Pioneer TS-G690 6x9’s along with the harness adapter (Metra 72-6514). You guys were right, they are an exact fit, and the sound is considerably better than the factory base speakers! Thanks to the OP!

Best bang for the buck no doubt! I think a lot of people think that if don’t spend 2k on your system you are wasting your time— not the case at all! This setup rocks !!!

 

[Kondo]

How are the speakers working out? Hows the sound output?

I didn’t end up going with them so unfortunately can’t speak to how they are. More digging on the topic has me headed towards ANC bypass, amp, and new speakers but likely not for a few months.

 

[Spunky9198]

I have a question about the Metra adapters. Does anyone know if there is a difference in the 75-6514 vs the 75-6515? Other then what looks to be the polarity of the adapter.

 

[John89]

I have a question about the Metra adapters. Does anyone know if there is a difference in the 75-6514 vs the 75-6515? Other then what looks to be the polarity of the adapter.

Im not sure, I used the 75-6514 and they fit/work perfect! Simple plug and play.

 

[LoudHogRider]

For those that swapped their door speakers was the wiring polarity correct with the metra adapters?

Yes. The adapters snapped into the factory wiring harness and the "positive" and "negative" ends of the Metra 2-wire loom have a large & a small clip end, which correspond to the proper polarity on the speakers. You literally cannot mess them up. FWIW, I purchased the 72-6514 and they were a perfect match for my 2019 Lone Star package.

 

[LoudHogRider]

Put these pioneers in today. Right off the bat noticeable difference. I dont feel the pack the same low end punch the stockers had, but overall they're louder and don't distort at high volumes. I also put on an ANC bypass.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

I did my install today as well, and had previously done the ANC bypass. I went for a drive "around the block", plugged in my iPhone via CarPlay, found a good rock song(Metallica's "Wherever I May Roam") and twisted the dial.

It just seemed super "washed out" and tinny sounding. Not al all what I was expecting based on @MarkB67's "these things rock" accolades. So I pulled back into the driveway, shut off the truck and unplugged the ANC bypass loom, snapped the factory connections back into place, sparked up the truck and went for another ride around the block. Same song, different result:

FWIW, the Pioneer TS-G690's were on sale at Best Buy, and they carried the Metra 72-6514 wiring harness that fit my 2019 perfectly. $103.35 including sales tax delivered in two days, and about an hour to install the four (4) speakers.

Final take: the sound at higher volumes is much improved over the factory speakers, but it's still strangled when you twist the knob. I suspect an amp would help BIGLY in this regard, as would front speakers. But for a snort over $100 bill and an hour of my time, the difference was worth it.

 

[Sascwatch]

Yes. The adapters snapped into the factory wiring harness and the "positive" and "negative" ends of the Metra 2-wire loom have a large & a small clip end, which correspond to the proper polarity on the speakers. You literally cannot mess them up. FWIW, I purchased the 72-6514 and they were a perfect match for my 2019 Lone Star package.

From the pics I found online the metra 72-6514 and 72-6515 are pinned differently where they connect to the factory harness, I would assume the polarity is backwards with the 72-6514 because the 72-6515 is correct for my 2020 truck as the infinity speakers installed move out when the bass notes hit. Anyone with the 72-6514 harness might want to check their speakers for proper outwards movement.

 

[John89]

I did my install today as well, and had previously done the ANC bypass. I went for a drive "around the block", plugged in my iPhone via CarPlay, found a good rock song(Metallica's "Wherever I May Roam") and twisted the dial.

It just seemed super "washed out" and tinny sounding. Not al all what I was expecting based on @MarkB67's "these things rock" accolades. So I pulled back into the driveway, shut off the truck and unplugged the ANC bypass loom, snapped the factory connections back into place, sparked up the truck and went for another ride around the block. Same song, different result:

FWIW, the Pioneer TS-G690's were on sale at Best Buy, and they carried the Metra 72-6514 wiring harness that fit my 2019 perfectly. $103.35 including sales tax delivered in two days, and about an hour to install the four (4) speakers.

Final take: the sound at higher volumes is much improved over the factory speakers, but it's still strangled when you twist the knob. I suspect an amp would help BIGLY in this regard, as would front speakers. But for a snort over $100 bill and an hour of my time, the difference was worth it.

This was my exact experience! For the investment(time/money) I think it is worth it.

 

[LoudHogRider]

From the pics I found online the metra 72-6514 and 72-6515 are pinned differently where they connect to the factory harness, I would assume the polarity is backwards with the 72-6514 because the 72-6515 is correct for my 2020 truck as the infinity speakers installed move out when the bass notes hit. Anyone with the 72-6514 harness might want to check their speakers for proper outwards movement.

The polarity would be "backwards" at the snap-in factory harness coupling if that were true. I looked online at Crutchfield, and both the 6514 and 6515 have the larger connector on the white wire (+) and the smaller connector on the black wire (-). I'm not sure why they'd change polarity between ad 2019 and 2020 model years, but anything's possible.

Here is a pic of the back of the Pioneer speaker box showing the preferred polarity:




Yea, it's blurry AF but clear enough to see that the white wire (+) has the larger connector to the speaker and the smaller connector belongs to the black wire (-).

And here's another blurry photo of the back of the Metra 72-6515 packaging that essentially shows the same thing:



I looked on the speakers themselves for any markings that indicated either a positive or negative side and didn't see any. That's when my naturally blonde brain realized that the connectors themselves were different sizes. It's rare for me to have an epiphany like that during daylight hours or before all of the tools are put away, so I was actually kind of pleased I spotted it all.

With all of that said, I didn't really examine the color of the speaker wires pre-factory harness to see if it aligns with the color coding provided by Crutchfield. I actually had that document on hand as that's where I ordered my ANC bypass harness from the previous week. It served as a handy installation guide.

 

[John89]

The polarity would be "backwards" at the snap-in factory harness coupling if that were true. I looked online at Crutchfield, and both the 6514 and 6515 have the larger connector on the white wire (+) and the smaller connector on the black wire (-). I'm not sure why they'd change polarity between ad 2019 and 2020 model years, but anything's possible.

Here is a pic of the back of the Pioneer speaker box showing the preferred polarity:


View attachment 86817

Yea, it's blurry AF but clear enough to see that the white wire (+) has the larger connector to the speaker and the smaller connector belongs to the black wire (-).

And here's another blurry photo of the back of the Metra 72-6515 packaging that essentially shows the same thing:

View attachment 86818

I looked on the speakers themselves for any markings that indicated either a positive or negative side and didn't see any. That's when my naturally blonde brain realized that the connectors themselves were different sizes. It's rare for me to have an epiphany like that during daylight hours or before all of the tools are put away, so I was actually kind of pleased I spotted it all.

With all of that said, I didn't really examine the color of the speaker wires pre-factory harness to see if it aligns with the color coding provided by Crutchfield. I actually had that document on hand as that's where I ordered my ANC bypass harness from the previous week. It served as a handy installation guide.

Lol hopefully you’re right! I threw away my packaging for the 6514 harness and Im being too lazy right now to take off my door panels to confirm. I feel like I did check polarity but now I have the doubt in my head...

 

[Sascwatch]

It’s the other end of the harness that would be backwards, the end that connects to the factory wiring. On the 72-6515 adapters the white matches up with the positive wire listed on the wiring diagram.

If you play a bass heavy song you should be able to shine a flashlight through the speaker grille and check if your speaker is moving out (towards the grille) as it should. If the speaker is moving in towards the magnet the pins on the adapter will need to be swapped around.

 

[LoudHogRider]

It’s the other end of the harness that would be backwards, the end that connects to the factory wiring. On the 72-6515 adapters the white matches up with the positive wire listed on the wiring diagram.

If you play a bass heavy song you should be able to shine a flashlight through the speaker grille and check if your speaker is moving out (towards the grille) as it should. If the speaker is moving in towards the magnet the pins on the adapter will need to be swapped around.

I'll give that a try in the next few days to see if I've been hoodwinked with the 72-6514's and their (alleged) reverse polarity. If so, I'm torn between splicing wires and ordering a new set of 72-6515 adapters. What to do, what to do, what to do, do, do ...

 

[LoudHogRider]

Lol hopefully you’re right! I threw away my packaging for the 6514 harness and Im being too lazy right now to take off my door panels to confirm. I feel like I did check polarity but now I have the doubt in my head...

We snapped our harnesses and connected them to the speakers correctly. I think what others are pointing out is that the wiring harnesses we used were wired bass-ackwards for our vehicles. Dagnabbit!

 

[Sascwatch]

I'll give that a try in the next few days to see if I've been hoodwinked with the 72-6514's and their (alleged) reverse polarity. If so, I'm torn between splicing wires and ordering a new set of 72-6515 adapters. What to do, what to do, what to do, do, do ...

You can easily swap the pins on the side that connects to the factory harness if they are reversed.

 

[brian42]

You can easily swap the pins on the side that connects to the factory harness if they are reversed.

I had that problem with the Metra harnesses I got for my dash speakers. They were lined up out of phase (+ to - and - to +).

Here's how I swapped the pins in the connector to fix the issue (post #72):

For those with 6 speaker base stereo who have upgraded-What speaker did you use?

Do you feel the JL are somewhere between the infinity and Faital?

5thgenrams.com

 

[Sascwatch]

I had that problem with the Metra harnesses I got for my dash speakers. They were lined up out of phase (+ to - and - to +).

Here's how I swapped the pins in the connector to fix the issue (post #72):

For those with 6 speaker base stereo who have upgraded-What speaker did you use?

Do you feel the JL are somewhere between the infinity and Faital?

5thgenrams.com

Seems pretty easy, here is a pic of the 72-6515 harness I used in my 2020. The white wire has the larger positive end crimped to it and is on the right side of the connector when looking at it from the back.

The metra harnesses for my dash speakers were wired correctly. 72-7902