Trying to disconnect HK subwoofer w/o success: what am I doing wrong?

[jastevenson]

Hi all,

I am not an audiophile but concur with the general opinion here that the HK sub is awful and needs to be disconnected. People tell me there is a wire going into the sub that can just be detached, but I spent 30 minutes trying to find it and all I have to show for it is bloody knuckles

Here is a pic I found online of the back wall (found on another post). Which of these things do I unplug?

Also, do I need to remove the carpet from the entire back wall like they did in the pic, or is removing just the one button fastener on the passenger side enough?

Thanks!!

 

[Venom700]

Just need to undo the one clip and partial peel it down. I circled what you need to unclip (the clip attaches so I think you need the slide to the right to remove the clip from some trim, and then you can lift it up and unclip it easier).

 

[DSTJ99]

Once you figure it out you can probably unplug or plug it back in a matter of minutes. I tried it with mine unplugged for a few days but ended up plugging back in. I mostly listen to country and usually on Apple Music which seems to be the best balanced source I have tested. I can’t stand DJs and between Sirius DJ chatter and audio compression quality can’t see paying for sirius again.

Seems to me that the sub could benefit from a low pass filter cutting out some of the higher frequency bass that comes across boomy.

My wife’s BMW X7 has an HK system upgrade that is so much better. Surprising that the sound is so different for same brand.


‘21 1500 Ltd, Max Steel / Indigo Frost

 

[Gex2501]

Could someone who has successfully unplugged their HK woofer explain in detail, maybe with pictures, how to get the paneling off enough and which wire to disconnect? I have tried to figure it out myself but I’m afraid I’ll break something.

 

[jastevenson]

I am the OP and I was ultimately successful. No great pics, but have a look at the first two posts. In the second post, there is a yellow circle around a white rectangular thing.

The white thing itself not the thing you disconnect. It is a bracket located directly in front of the plug that the plug slides onto to fix it in place and keep it from rattling around. So the actual plug is behind the white bracket (attached to it) and that is what needs to be disconnected. Sliding it laterally will slip it off the white bracket, and then pull it out of the sub. Once it is pulled out of the sub, you are done. Test the sound and see if you like it. I then wrapped some black electrical tape around the disconnected plug to prevent it from rattling over bumps since it is not attached to the white bracket anymore.

in terms of getting exposure to the sub, you need to pull I think 4 round black grommets off the back wall. The grommets connect the carpet to the rear wall of the cab. This part was scary to me because you have to pull hard, but they will not break. I have a couple of pics below.

after grommets are off, the carpet is still tucked into the trim of the C pillar. They are not anchored down with grommets, so you just need to slide the carpeting out from behind the c pillar trim by pulling it in the direction of the center of the cab. This part was also scary to me since I was worried I would tear something or not be able to put it back, but do not worry.

once grommets are off and you’ve pulled back the carpeting from behind the pillars, you can pull the carpet down toward the floor and you will see the stuff visible in the first picture.

 

[Buz]

You forgot to mention how the HK system sounds 300% better with the sub unplugged.
What an incredible engineering/design//quality control oversight that I can almost guarantee RAM will never, ever admit to or address.

 

[Gex2501]

Thank you for the info [mention]jastevenson [/mention] I will give it a shot. I had started doing what you mentioned but was afraid I was going to break things. Now I know I need to use more force. I will try to post pics of my progress.

You didn’t have to remove the back seats did you? Just pull the release and tilt them forward?

 

[Gex2501]

You forgot to mention how the HK system sounds 300% better with the sub unplugged.
What an incredible engineering/design//quality control oversight that I can almost guarantee RAM will never, ever admit to or address.

The super strong bass/subwoofer was the first thing I noticed when I took my 1500 for a test drive. I like a lot of bass but this makes my skull vibrate and gives my wife a migraine. As others have said, turning down the EQ settings doesn’t help enough, or at all. I hope just disconnecting the sub will do the job. I’m no audiophile but, other than the extreme bass, I feel like the HK system sounds pretty good.

 

[jastevenson]

Thank you for the info [mention]jastevenson [/mention] I will give it a shot. I had started doing what you mentioned but was afraid I was going to break things. Now I know I need to use more force. I will try to post pics of my progress.

You didn’t have to remove the back seats did you? Just pull the release and tilt them forward?

yup, just pull the string to release the seat back, assuming you have a Laramie or higher. It pulls forward far enough to get your arm down to the plug. It is dark there so you may want a flashlight to see better.

 

[jastevenson]

You forgot to mention how the HK system sounds 300% better with the sub unplugged.
What an incredible engineering/design//quality control oversight that I can almost guarantee RAM will never, ever admit to or address.

I saw your positive review of disconnecting the subwoofer before I did mine and it convinced me to do it. So glad I did! Seriously, WTF was Ram thinking? Did no one from Ram listen to the stereo before signing off on that sub?

While I am so glad I disconnected the sub, the cost of the HK upgrade is around 1.5-2k (an estimate, since it is part of a package), and that’s just scandalous for something that is musical poison (before disconnecting the sub, anyway).

 

[Buz]

I hope just disconnecting the sub will do the job.

Trust me. Do it.

 

[Gex2501]

Finally managed to disconnect the sub. Wow what a difference! Bass still sounds great coming from the other speakers. So glad I did this. Thanks for the help!

 

[Buz]

Finally managed to disconnect the sub. Wow what a difference! Bass still sounds great coming from the other speakers. So glad I did this. Thanks for the help!

It's actually a nicely balanced system with the sub disconnected.

 

[badvik]

So glad I found this thread. The subwoofer problem for me is not the bass but it's non-stop quantity. How is a subwoofer supposed to translate all the rhythms and why not make a separate bass volume setting is a mystery for me. It's so much better now with it disconnected

 

[scottmoyer]

What am I missing? Did they change something for '21? I have the HK system and mine sounds really good. I notice that my local radio station, when HD radio kicks in, is crystal clear and the bass is ideal. If I turn on SXM or a non HD station, the volume is much lower and sounds flat with minimal bass. So, I listen to my local radio station all the time when I'm out.

Will I notice any difference if I disconnect the sub? What about the ANC? I replaced the 4 speakers in my son's Mustang and found that the factory speakers were just garbage. Installing the Pioneer speakers made the factory system wake up. Do I need to do that to the HK?

 

[badvik]

What am I missing? Did they change something for '21? I have the HK system and mine sounds really good. I notice that my local radio station, when HD radio kicks in, is crystal clear and the bass is ideal. If I turn on SXM or a non HD station, the volume is much lower and sounds flat with minimal bass. So, I listen to my local radio station all the time when I'm out.

Will I notice any difference if I disconnect the sub? What about the ANC? I replaced the 4 speakers in my son's Mustang and found that the factory speakers were just garbage. Installing the Pioneer speakers made the factory system wake up. Do I need to do that to the HK?

My truck is Feb '21. The sub isn't bad, it's just booming non-stop, every note it shouldn't play.

 

[Buz]

What am I missing? Did they change something for '21? I have the HK system and mine sounds really good. I notice that my local radio station, when HD radio kicks in, is crystal clear and the bass is ideal. If I turn on SXM or a non HD station, the volume is much lower and sounds flat with minimal bass. So, I listen to my local radio station all the time when I'm out.

Will I notice any difference if I disconnect the sub? What about the ANC? I replaced the 4 speakers in my son's Mustang and found that the factory speakers were just garbage. Installing the Pioneer speakers made the factory system wake up. Do I need to do that to the HK?

What is your bass EQ setting usually at?
Have you tried listening to different kinds of music through your phone via bluetooth or usb?
If it sounds good to you then definitely do not unplug your sub.

 

[scottmoyer]

I think I have my bass set at +6 or +7. I need to go check. It sounds good for HD radio only. I haven't listened to anything through my phone, only SXM and broadcast radio. I can try the phone and see what I get.

I also noticed about a 5-6dB difference in volume between the HD station and non-HD broadcast and SXM. So, I just leave it on that one radio station.

 

[Drewster]

My truck is Feb '21. The sub isn't bad, it's just booming non-stop, every note it shouldn't play.

Yup, it booms like crazy on my (MY20) truck.. definitely contemplating this. My EQ currently has the bass turned all the way down

 

[Gex2501]

Definitely do it! I have no regrets disconnecting my sub.

Now if I could have my cake and eat it too it would be cool to put in some kind of switch/remote to control the sub and use it on the rare occasions I want skull rattling bass.


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