Help with Sound System Please

[Czarguy99]

I rented a 2020 or 2021 I believe it was a lone star and it had the Alpine stereo system and it had tweeters on the pillars almost like where the doorhandles are and I have searched and searched not being able to find I’ve made a Reddit too.
The sad thing is last year I purchased a 2020 ram Laramie with the HK system because I thought that was the speaker system that was in it and I bought it site unseen and it had the tweeters in the dash and not up on the pillars. I really want the stereo system in the truck that’s on the pillars. I know this is a very specific request and very random, but please can anybody, lead me to which model RAM has the speakers up in the pillar, please

 

[CHeYeNNe71]

Alpine only has the 6X9 in front door and 3- 3.5 dash speakers for front? HK has the 2 speakers in front doors, plus dash speakers

This is HK door.

 

[LaxDfns15]

In the pillar or on the roof? Roof has small speakers that are the Active Noise Cancellation and not actual stereo speakers.

 

[LITTLEREBEL]

Aftermarket car audio is way better.

 

[Czarguy99]

The had 2 tweeters on the pillars that were white I thought the 2020 with HK sure were the correct speaker layout but it’s not in the same location as the truck I rented it was couple years ago I thought it was standard but I didn’t test drive before I bought it it was delivered to my house

Thanks for responses but there seems to be a model out there that is more than likely a 2021 that had them up in the pillars like normally where the doorhandles are

 

[Czarguy99]

anyone have speakers normally where the door handles up top are?

 

[LITTLEREBEL]

anyone have speakers normally where the door handles up top are?

I added some tweeters up there.

 

[Czarguy99]

Yah the ones I saw were factory an above the door in the corners on the pillars

 

[Alter Ego Trip]

Depends on model.

Ram 1500 Alpine has 6x9 in door, with tweeters in dash corners and center of dash. Most people unhook center to improve imaging.
Ram 1500 HK has 6x9 in door, tweeter in upper door panel, and mids in dash (corners and center).

There is no 1500 that I am aware of that has tweeters in sail panel. The Ram 2500 has tweeters in sails on the upper level stereo; maybe that's what you were driving?

I would never mount a tweeter in the upper door panel personally. Some vehicles have placed mids were with good success (BMW/Audi), but it drags the stage too low to have a tweet mounted here. It also pushes tweeter horribly off axis. In a car with a lower seating position it could work, but in a truck it's just not ideal. The Rams respond really well with mids in the dash corners. You get great corner loading and it pulls the front stage up to the glass. The sails are the best place for the tweeters. It keeps a wide soundstage, and allows on axis aiming. The tweet responds well in the dash locations as well, just a bit tougher to tune based on initial reflections.

 

[Czarguy99]

Depends on model.

Ram 1500 Alpine has 6x9 in door, with tweeters in dash corners and center of dash. Most people unhook center to improve imaging.
Ram 1500 HK has 6x9 in door, tweeter in upper door panel, and mids in dash (corners and center).

There is no 1500 that I am aware of that has tweeters in sail panel. The Ram 2500 has tweeters in sails on the upper level stereo; maybe that's what you were driving?

I would never mount a tweeter in the upper door panel personally. Some vehicles have placed mids were with good success (BMW/Audi), but it drags the stage too low to have a tweet mounted here. It also pushes tweeter horribly off axis. In a car with a lower seating position it could work, but in a truck it's just not ideal. The Rams respond really well with mids in the dash corners. You get great corner loading and it pulls the front stage up to the glass. The sails are the best place for the tweeters. It keeps a wide soundstage, and allows on axis aiming. The tweet responds well in the dash locations as well, just a bit tougher to tune based on initial reflections.

Thanks for the detailed response I’ll look up a few 2500. And see if that was the model

 

[Czarguy99]

Well damm there it is I been searching for months trying to find which model had em in that location .. no idea why a rental car place would have a 2500 for rent but it appears so

I liked the sound a ton on that system it Had really good drums hit hard without breaking up cuz of too much bass and the speakers did a really good job of I guess like instrument separation if that makes sense
Thanks again for mention the 2500

 

[rick619]

Just keep in mind it's really not worth paying more for a truck just because of the audio system. I bought my '23 3 months ago and was looking at other '23's that many dealers had good prices on. I ended up having a choice between one that had the 9 speaker Alpine system and the one I bought with the basic 6 speaker, but with the tow package. I used to be more of an audiophile, so knew that if I really wanted a better audio system, aftermarket is always more bang for your buck. So just figured get the 6 speaker system because I wanted the tow package, and pay the money to replace it. For now, I did 6 Infinity speakers and installed them myself, no amp or sub yet. It already sounds incredible (considering no amp or sub yet).

In todays market, you can get a really good aftermarket audio system (everything but the head unit) for around $2500 with 6 or 7 speakers (amp, sub, DSP). Even the HK system with 20+(?) speakers does not even compare to an aftermarket system. OEM sound systems are usually garbage in comparison. And more speakers doesn't mean better. It's just higher quantity to make you think you're getting higher end. You really don't need many speakers in the cab of a truck. 7 is plenty. Or if you go with components front and rear, 9 would be plenty when done correctly.

 

[Alter Ego Trip]

Most vehicles I have purchased in the past, I opted for the base audio system, knowing I was going to upgrade it anyways. I ended up with HK in my Laramie just due to it being part of the package (which I swapped out immediately lol).

 

[rick619]

Most vehicles I have purchased in the past, I opted for the base audio system, knowing I was going to upgrade it anyways. I ended up with HK in my Laramie just due to it being part of the package (which I swapped out immediately lol).

I always roll my eyes when I hear 'premium audio' which usually means a higher quantity of speakers and a crappy small sub, but not really much better sound. The one exception I can think of is my wife has a Ford Expedtion with a B&O premium audio system which actually sounds pretty good for OEM. If I had that in my Ram, I would leave it alone.

Though for the most part, if you look at what they're charging for premium audio, 100% of the time you would end up with exponentially better sound spending half of that on aftermarket equipment, and usually with half as many speakers. You do not need 20 speakers in a car. 9 done correctly is plenty.

 

[Alter Ego Trip]

100%. A 3 way front setup done right sounds killer in these Ram trucks. Rear fill can provide some additional cues for envelopment, if done correctly; but most of the time it just makes a mess of imaging/soundstage. I get running something possibly for back passengers, but I could care less about them.

When you pull out an OEM speaker, you'd be amazed at just how cheap they really are. You don't have to spend thousands to get considerably better sound quality. I'd say $3,000 for all the gear would be more than enough to crush any OEM sound system. The single biggest improvement that will be made frankly, is through use of a DSP. Being able to manipulate phase/delay and FR will do wonders for overall AQ. With companies now offering amp/dsp combos; it's easier than ever to get big sound in a small/affordable footprint.