H/K audio upgrade - VAST Improvment

[patriot_tech]

I just got done doing some upgrades to my audio system and figured I'd throw the info out there in case there was interest.

To start, I have a 2020 Limited with H/K. I can't believe they would put a system in that level of truck that sounded that bad. The subwoofer is a piece of garbage - and the tuning of it is no better. The engineers should be ashamed of themselves. A testament to marketing - 19 speakers my rear. The rest of the system is ok at best.

The items I installed are:
Pac AP4-CH41
7 Ea. Faital Pro 3FE22 - 3" wide band driver
4 CDT Audio CL69S - 6x9 Midbass
2 JL 13TW5 subs
JL 1200/1 amp
MTI Sub box - The first stage one box built by them - mine is the actual box on their website.

I am currently using the factory amp to run the mids / highs. The factory sub was unplugged. I took alot of time to reasearch speakers and found the Faital Pro's to be a great match for the factory amp. They are very efficient and 4 ohm. I had to cut one of the tabs off and adjust the screw holes to make them fit right, but not alot of work. They sound great!

I added the subs and amp next. I probably would not have done anything this big, but since I already had the equipment it worked out perfect. Needless to say - I have plenty of bass. Box is VERY well made and worth the money. I somehow managed to get 0 ga into the cab and hidden under carpet to under the back seat.

The last thing I added were the CDT 6x9's. These made a HUGE difference in the sound. Tons of midbass. Music has impact now that it never did before. They dropped right in without issue.

Overall, I am very happy with the stereo now. It sounds REALLY good. By using the factory amp, I have kept all of the functionality of the original system and improved the sound immensely. The efficiency of the Faital's actually make the system louder. At some point I will probably do a DSP and upgrade further, but for now the stereo is perfect.

 

[RichInMN]

I've been doing car audio for a long time. Your choices made here were spot on top to bottom.

Car companies charging thousands for premium sound systems have always used speakers that cost them a dollar or two, sometimes less - it's a farce!

 

[Timeless]

@patriot_tech What was the cost of these upgrades in total?

 

[SpeedyV]

I just got done doing some upgrades to my audio system and figured I'd throw the info out there in case there was interest.

To start, I have a 2020 Limited with H/K. I can't believe they would put a system in that level of truck that sounded that bad. The subwoofer is a piece of garbage - and the tuning of it is no better. The engineers should be ashamed of themselves. A testament to marketing - 19 speakers my rear. The rest of the system is ok at best.

The items I installed are:
Pac AP4-CH41
7 Ea. Faital Pro 3FE22 - 3" wide band driver
4 CDT Audio CL69S - 6x9 Midbass
2 JL 13TW5 subs
JL 1200/1 amp
MTI Sub box - The first stage one box built by them - mine is the actual box on their website.

I am currently using the factory amp to run the mids / highs. The factory sub was unplugged. I took alot of time to reasearch speakers and found the Faital Pro's to be a great match for the factory amp. They are very efficient and 4 ohm. I had to cut one of the tabs off and adjust the screw holes to make them fit right, but not alot of work. They sound great!

I added the subs and amp next. I probably would not have done anything this big, but since I already had the equipment it worked out perfect. Needless to say - I have plenty of bass. Box is VERY well made and worth the money. I somehow managed to get 0 ga into the cab and hidden under carpet to under the back seat.

The last thing I added were the CDT 6x9's. These made a HUGE difference in the sound. Tons of midbass. Music has impact now that it never did before. They dropped right in without issue.

Overall, I am very happy with the stereo now. It sounds REALLY good. By using the factory amp, I have kept all of the functionality of the original system and improved the sound immensely. The efficiency of the Faital's actually make the system louder. At some point I will probably do a DSP and upgrade further, but for now the stereo is perfect.

Bang for the buck...would you start with the 6x9s if you wanted to do “one thing” that made a big difference?

 

[djjr50]

I read in one forum on this board that lining the factory sub with a polyfill or something like that helped with the bass. Would you also recommend as an inexpensive mod?

 

[patriot_tech]

The faitals were $33.00 each shipped free from parts express. The CDT's were $96 a pair iirc on their website. So about $475.00 in the mids / highs. I also got the respective plugs and soldered them on the speakers. The box was $460 shipped and I had the subs and amp already. The only other costs were the PAC unit and the 0 ga amp wiring. (Although I future proofed wire size if I ever add amps instead of the factory one.

 

[patriot_tech]

Bang for the buck...would you start with the 6x9s if you wanted to do “one thing” that made a big difference?

The 6x9's were the last thing I did and the difference was literally night and day. I'd do the 4 6x9's and see what you think, then expand from there. You will be happy either way I think.

 

[patriot_tech]

I read in one forum on this board that lining the factory sub with a polyfill or something like that helped with the bass. Would you also recommend as an inexpensive mod?

Polyfill helps by making the speaker act as though it is in a bigger enclosure. I think the HK sub is worthless, but I did not try the polyfill. Try it and let us know your thoughts.

 

[Ellisstrong]

The faitals were $33.00 each shipped free from parts express. The CDT's were $96 a pair iirc on their website. So about $475.00 in the mids / highs. I also got the respective plugs and soldered them on the speakers. The box was $460 shipped and I had the subs and amp already. The only other costs were the PAC unit and the 0 ga amp wiring. (Although I future proofed wire size if I ever add amps instead of the factory one.

Now you make me want to change all of my infinity’s to the speakers you recommend... I am actually fine with mine currently but you make me think this could be much better! Lol

 

[Sonnie]

Thanks for the write-up on this. Those Faital Pro speakers look interesting. I bet they are smooth.

Did you disconnect your ANC ... or are you still running it with the aftermarket CDT speakers?

I was able to treat my doors and get awesome midbass from the factory speakers... very impressed. They actually have more midbass than the last two trucks I did with after market 6x9's. They may not be as accurate, but they still sound very good. The treatment made a significant difference in being able to turn them up and bump the bass EQ up to +7... and the volume easily hits 30-32 on USB recorded music without distortion. I'd be lucky to get to 25 with SiriusXM and it being so compressed.

I also dampened the factory subwoofer enclosure and stuffed it with polyfill. I got rid of the boominess, but I can't tell much difference with or without the factory sub. It adds very little in the sub frequencies. It's there, but obviously a couple of 10's or 12's will do so much more.

 

[Ellisstrong]

The faitals were $33.00 each shipped free from parts express. The CDT's were $96 a pair iirc on their website. So about $475.00 in the mids / highs. I also got the respective plugs and soldered them on the speakers. The box was $460 shipped and I had the subs and amp already. The only other costs were the PAC unit and the 0 ga amp wiring. (Although I future proofed wire size if I ever add amps instead of the factory one.

You were able to put these speakers in the upper doors as well?

 

[Sonnie]

Another question for you too... are you Faital Pro's the 8 ohm versions?

 

[patriot_tech]

You were able to put these speakers in the upper doors as well?

Yes - I did have to cut out a portion of the plastic panel behind the speaker. There is an indentation where the factory speaker magnet fits. I cut out that circle with an oscillating tool and the faital's drop in. They are just a little deeper than the factory speaker, but still have the neo magnet.

 

[patriot_tech]

Another question for you too... are you Faital Pro's the 8 ohm versions?

No they are the 4 ohm version.

 

[patriot_tech]

Thanks for the write-up on this. Those Faital Pro speakers look interesting. I bet they are smooth.

Did you disconnect your ANC ... or are you still running it with the aftermarket CDT speakers?

I was able to treat my doors and get awesome midbass from the factory speakers... very impressed. They actually have more midbass than the last two trucks I did with after market 6x9's. They may not be as accurate, but they still sound very good. The treatment made a significant difference in being able to turn them up and bump the bass EQ up to +7... and the volume easily hits 30-32 on USB recorded music without distortion. I'd be lucky to get to 25 with SiriusXM and it being so compressed.

I also dampened the factory subwoofer enclosure and stuffed it with polyfill. I got rid of the boominess, but I can't tell much difference with or without the factory sub. It adds very little in the sub frequencies. It's there, but obviously a couple of 10's or 12's will do so much more.

ANC has been disconnected via the harness that a vendor sells - can't remember name right now. I really did not notice much difference at all with and without ANC.

 

[Sonnie]

I have the harness myself, if it's the same one that is used in the 2019 with the ANC module under the driver's seat that basically eliminates the interior mics. The main thing I notices in the 2019 was the exhaust noise when the adapter was used. I may try it on this one, as I have a feeling the ANC in the eTorque model does not do as much as it does in the regular model. My exhaust is not nearly pronounced as it was in my previous truck... something is different about it.

I ordered the Faital Pro speakers to give them a try. I also have the Infinity Reference to try out. I tested the factory speaker last night to make sure I was getting the right speaker and it measured 4.1 ohm, so I ordered the 4 ohm version.

Looking forward to hearing these... they have my interest peaked.

 

[Sonnie]

Yes - I did have to cut out a portion of the plastic panel behind the speaker. There is an indentation where the factory speaker magnet fits. I cut out that circle with an oscillating tool and the faital's drop in. They are just a little deeper than the factory speaker, but still have the neo magnet.

I can barely... I mean barely hear the speakers in the upper door. I have to put my ear up close to them to hear them. I've been trying to figure out their purpose. Now you are going to make me end up trying the Faital's there as well... you are sure causing me to spend money. lol

 

[Ellisstrong]

I can barely... I mean barely hear the speakers in the upper door. I have to put my ear up close to them to hear them. I've been trying to figure out their purpose. Now you are going to make me end up trying the Faital's there as well... you are sure causing me to spend money. lol

Those are the only ones I haven’t replaced so I need to know your results if they get louder lol

 

[Sonnie]

The thing is I'm not sure I really want them to get louder. It seems like they might confuse the front sound stage.

I almost think those speakers are there for nothing more than ambiance and/or for use with the ANC. Or maybe if surround sound is turned on. I haven't paid that much attention to whether they get louder with the surround setting.

 

[Sonnie]

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.