Who likes the Stock 6 Speaker Stereo

[Patsy1099]

Maybe I’m just getting old and remember back when stock stereos really did suck and you always needed custom replacements but I think my stock stereo on my Rebel sounds pretty darn good [insert audiophile flaming]. Seriously though, I would have no problem ripping this thing out and putting in whatever but I just don’t need it. I’ve adjusted the simple eq with this system and there’s tons of bass and I rarely get it up past a volume of 17. I love music and listen to a wide range of stuff and while not an audiophile, think this is pretty solid. I can’t imagine 19 speakers. Not even sure where they put them. They must separate out all the components (tweeters, mids, etc) and call each one a speaker, which is fine, but still. Anyway, I’m not suggesting these other upgraded systems don’t sound deeper and richer and more awesome, I’m just saying I think this stock stereo does it for me.

 

[EJanx07]

I have the 6 speaker system in mine as well. The fronts sound great, but the rear door speakers suck. Replacing those next week, with Kicker 6x9’s

 

[Patsy1099]

Haven’t been in the back yet
Silly question. Can you hear the difference up front when you change out the rears?

 

[EJanx07]

Haven’t been in the back yet
Silly question. Can you hear the difference up front when you change out the rears?

Yes. Just by cranking up the volume, use the equalizer to fade all the sound, to only the rear speakers. you will hear the difference in both clarity, bass and loudness. Ram focused on the front of the cab for sound quality only (same with my previous 4th gen Ram). Upgrading the rear speakers , will definitely make a big difference for all around sound.

 

[Cosmok]

The rear speakers are different than the fronts?

 

[SacRebel]

I just replaced the dash speakers with JBL Club 3020 speakers and they sound great with the stock door speakers. Really livens up the sound. Simple 15-minute install for around $40.

 

[Bleda2002]

I ended up replacing all 6 speakers with JBLs and the rear door made the biggest difference imo. It always felt like all the sound was coming from the front, once I swapped the rears it really helped make the sound more enveloping.

 

[Patsy1099]

@Bleda2002 & @SacRebel
-did you guys both use the jbl club 3020’s?
-On all 6 speakers?
-Simple plug and play swap or any tips/tricks?

@EJanx07
Do you prefer the kickers over the jbls?

Maybe I try upgrading because I’m bored

 

[SacRebel]

@Bleda2002 & @SacRebel
-did you guys both use the jbl club 3020’s?
-On all 6 speakers?
-Simple plug and play swap or any tips/tricks?

I did just the dash, which is the Club 3020. I haven’t done the doors yet as I’m undecided on swapping the door speakers with a combination of component and coax speakers. I’d like to keep one pair of speakers as component to maintain some bass in the system. I just don’t know if I’d put them in the front or rear doors. Plus, I’d like to see the ANC interference issue better identified and resolved before doing it. So far, just replacing the dash speakers made a big improvement.

 

[Bleda2002]

I used the jbl gx302 in the dash, and then the jbl gx963 in all 4 doors. The JBLs are 2.3 ohms vs 2 for the stock and I didn't want to lose volume so it was worth it to me.

I did have to ”modify” the JBLs for the doors by using a half inch bit on each hole to line up with the mounting holes on the doors but this was really not a big deal.

I also had to check the polarity of all the speakers and re-pin one of the connectors for the driver side door that was backwards.

Lastly I had to deactivate the ANC when I switched the front doors. The other 4 switched with out a problem, and even the passenger door, but when I did the driver's front door it went wonky. I think the increased sensitivity of the speakers causes issues with the ANC mics and caused a feedback loop. On the plus side, I can actually hear the hemi with ANC unplugged and the road noise is minimally louder.

 

[Patsy1099]

Thanks for that info guys. The ANC thing combined with the polarity issue makes me more hesitant to experiment. I guess if I was more familiar with how to check for and deal with those issues, I would take a chance. Maybe I’ll read up a bit more so I understand.

 

[Bleda2002]

The polarity is super easy, use speaker pop (iPhone) or polarity checker (Android).

To use the polarity checker,
1)Connect it via Bluetooth and use the media setting to play the tone it makes through the speakers.
2) Then put the mic of the phone next to the speaker and turn the volume up on the stereo enough that the phone picks it up, but doesn't clip and the app goes grey between "pops".
3)Finally check to see if it's red or green between pops and note that speakers "color"
4) Repeat for each speaker, takes a total of 5 minutes.

Red or green is fine, you just need all the speakers to be red or all the speakers to be green. When installing the new speakers, before you screw one in, repeat the test and make sure it matches the rest of them so that the new ones are all red or all green.

For the ANC there are 8 wires you can pop out of a connector under the driver's seat. It's fiddly, but not difficult and makes it easy. There is a post on here that shows you the wires to pop, let me see if I can find it.
https://5thgenrams.com/community/threads/fix-cabin-noise-booming-rattle.3086/

 

[Patsy1099]

Bleda thank you very much!

 

[Patsy1099]

@Bleda2002 i guess you didn’t mess with adding amps/sub? That’s taking things up a whole another level I guess. I’m guessing there aren’t amp/subs to swap in the 6 speaker setup.

 

[EJanx07]

@Bleda2002 & @SacRebel
-did you guys both use the jbl club 3020’s?
-On all 6 speakers?
-Simple plug and play swap or any tips/tricks?

@EJanx07
Do you prefer the kickers over the jbls?

Maybe I try upgrading because I’m bored

In all honesty, I don’t know how the jbl’s sound. I used to be big into custom stereo’s years ago, and JBL’s were never in the mix with competitions, like Kicker, mb quart, focal, hertz, jl audio etc... I just stick with what I know sounds good from personal experience.. But I do see a lot of folks on here using JBL’s, so they must sound good! I’d like to hear them!

 

[Bleda2002]

@Bleda2002 i guess you didn’t mess with adding amps/sub? That’s taking things up a whole another level I guess. I’m guessing there aren’t amp/subs to swap in the 6 speaker setup.

No, I left the factory amp under the seat alone and haven't added a sub. I was thinking of getting one of the shallow powered subs put in eventually. Honestly though, just swapping all the speakers and turning off the ANC has made it really nice. It's lacking a bit of bass for sure, but its clear and plenty loud

 

[slimchance]

both our Laramies have Alpine 9 Amplified Speakers w/Subwoofer

 

[Rich]

I used the jbl gx302 in the dash, and then the jbl gx963 in all 4 doors. The JBLs are 2.3 ohms vs 2 for the stock and I didn't want to lose volume so it was worth it to me.

I did have to ”modify” the JBLs for the doors by using a half inch bit on each hole to line up with the mounting holes on the doors but this was really not a big deal.

I also had to check the polarity of all the speakers and re-pin one of the connectors for the driver side door that was backwards.

Lastly I had to deactivate the ANC when I switched the front doors. The other 4 switched with out a problem, and even the passenger door, but when I did the driver's front door it went wonky. I think the increased sensitivity of the speakers causes issues with the ANC mics and caused a feedback loop. On the plus side, I can actually hear the hemi with ANC unplugged and the road noise is minimally louder.

Maybe instead of 'fixing' the polarity issue you found, it would have been better to duplicate the factory speaker polarity? This may keep the ANC system working?

Knowing how ANC systems function, changing the polarity of any speaker could totally mess them up.

Of course, it could be the sensitivity and output of the speakers also, but I'm wondering if you changing the polarity from that of the original OEM factory speakers was the main issue?

 

[Brobee]

I've been racking my brain, following this thread and the other one around this topic. I know it wasn't a true audiofile system, but I sure do miss the Bose system that was in my 2016 Colorado and would like to do as much of a 'bang for your buck' upgrade to the stock_6 system as possible.

Based on everyone's knowledge so far, would it be a complete no-no to replace the dash and front door speakers with 4-ohm speakers and do a 2.3 ohm for the back doors? I thought I read in here that the dash and front doors are somehow 'linked'??

 

[Patsy1099]

Maybe instead of 'fixing' the polarity issue you found, it would have been better to duplicate the factory speaker polarity? This may keep the ANC system working?

Knowing how ANC systems function, changing the polarity of any speaker could totally mess them up.

Of course, it could be the sensitivity and output of the speakers also, but I'm wondering if you changing the polarity from that of the original OEM factory speakers was the main issue?

Hmmm that’s interesting, at least for someone who knows nothing about the subject like me. I wonder if someone in the know can comment on that.