Who likes the Stock 6 Speaker Stereo

[Bleda2002]

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?

That was actually what I did first was duplicate the factory setup. That caused an ANC roar from 800-1600 rpm where the ANC fed back on itself playing a louder version of the engine.

I then tried making the polarity all match, that just shifted the roar to be from 800-3200 rpm.

So since I was damned if I did, and damned if I didn't, I matched the polarities which gave me much better sound, and just unplugged the ANC which also gave me better sound.

As for the ”right" metra adapter, I did indeed use the ones that would match "factory" polarities first. But after I did the above tests I just swapped the 2 pins on the metra to try the reverse polarities.

Lastly, it's 8 ohms for the 2 in the dash, and 2 ohms for each of the doors.

 

[Rich]

That was actually what I did first was duplicate the factory setup. That caused an ANC roar from 800-1600 rpm where the ANC fed back on itself playing a louder version of the engine.

I then tried making the polarity all match, that just shifted the roar to be from 800-3200 rpm.

So since I was damned if I did, and damned if I didn't, I matched the polarities which gave me much better sound, and just unplugged the ANC which also gave me better sound.

As for the ”right" metra adapter, I did indeed use the ones that would match "factory" polarities first. But after I did the above tests I just swapped the 2 pins on the metra to try the reverse polarities.

Lastly, it's 8 ohms for the 2 in the dash, and 2 ohms for each of the doors.

Thanks for the detailed report!

It's strange that some have reported no ANC issues when replacing the stock speakers and then some like you end up having to disable the ANC.

Here is the report of an upgrade that had no ANC issues, plus he added a powered sub:
https://5thgenrams.com/community/threads/5th-gen-stock-stereo-upgrade-options.926/page-22#post-94433

So I wonder why he was successful but you had to disable the ANC?

Unless your method of checking the polarity has reverse results somehow? I think he used the battery method which should be the most reliable.

 

[Bleda2002]

Thanks for the detailed report!

It's strange that some have reported no ANC issues when replacing the stock speakers and then some like you end up having to disable the ANC.

Here is the report of an upgrade that had no ANC issues, plus he added a powered sub:
https://5thgenrams.com/community/threads/5th-gen-stock-stereo-upgrade-options.926/page-22#post-94433

So I wonder why he was successful but you had to disable the ANC?

Unless your method of checking the polarity has reverse results somehow? I think he used the battery method which should be the most reliable.

The apps are pretty bullet proof as they've been around for many years at this point.

The only thing I didn't do was reverse all speakers to see if doing the inverse of factory would help. All of mine except the driver's door were ”red", I didn't try to swap it so that the driver's door was red and the rest were green. Honestly, after deactivating the ANC, I'm really glad I did as the ANC just seemed to cancel out the engine more than the road noise and it also impacted the speaker sound clarity a good bit too.

 

[Rich]

I prefer at this point to keep the ANC, I like how the truck is quiet like a quality SUV vs loud like and old work truck.

 

[Bleda2002]

I prefer at this point to keep the ANC, I like how the truck is quiet like a quality SUV vs loud like and old work truck.

I think you might be over exaggerating how much the ANC does lol. 98% of the quiet is the actual truck construction and materials. The ANC just helps cancel a bit of the engine noise, which unless you are constantly at 3-5k rpms is pretty minimal already.

If you want to see how it's like with out it, you can pull the connector out of the amp under the driver's seat. It cuts out the radio too, but the noise level really doesn't change much at all.

 

[Chill72]

both our Laramies have Alpine 9 Amplified Speakers w/Subwoofer

Good for you, I guess.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Rich]

I think you might be over exaggerating how much the ANC does lol. 98% of the quiet is the actual truck construction and materials. The ANC just helps cancel a bit of the engine noise, which unless you are constantly at 3-5k rpms is pretty minimal already.

If you want to see how it's like with out it, you can pull the connector out of the amp under the driver's seat. It cuts out the radio too, but the noise level really doesn't change much at all.

I may try it when it gets warm enough here to do things in the driveway.

 

[Birdphoto19]

I love it. My Chevy was on its last leg and I only had one speaker for my radio for two years. Hearing balanced music throughout the cab is wonderful.

 

[EJanx07]

Does anyone know what is under the center grille, on the dash? I have the 6 speaker system in my Big Horn? Folks with the alpine system, posted pics with an Alpine Badge on it, making me think they have a speaker in there.... just curious if I can install an additional speaker in there

 

[Rich]

Does anyone know what is under the center grille, on the dash? I have the 6 speaker system in my Big Horn? Folks with the alpine system, posted pics with an Alpine Badge on it, making me think they have a speaker in there.... just curious if I can install an additional speaker in there

I think it's empty, but if you were to add a speaker, what would you drive it with as the 6 speaker system doesn't provide any type of 'center' or combined (L+R) output.

 

[EJanx07]

I think it's empty, but if you were to add a speaker, what would you drive it with as the 6 speaker system doesn't provide any type of 'center' or combined (L+R) output.

Good point. Does the alpine system provide a “center” option? I’ve never seen that option before, and think a center dash speaker would would be spliced/run/driven with the rest of the fronts

 

[Granite5thgen]

I really love the stock 6 speakers. I dont even go past 20 on the volume and the quality I think is very good. Solid bass and pretty clear as well.

 

[SacRebel]

I really love the stock 6 speakers. I dont even go past 20 on the volume and the quality I think is very good. Solid bass and pretty clear as well.

Replace your dash speakers and you’ll REALLY love it.

 

[Rich]

I really love the stock 6 speakers. I dont even go past 20 on the volume and the quality I think is very good. Solid bass and pretty clear as well.

It's a bit muddy sounding to me.

 

[Rich]

Good point. Does the alpine system provide a “center” option? I’ve never seen that option before, and think a center dash speaker would would be spliced/run/driven with the rest of the fronts

I don't know about the Alpine, but the HK appears to have a center speaker from what I have been reading here.

 

[Patsy1099]

Ok so I got bored. Lol. I purchased the following from Crutchfield:

Infinity Ref-3032cfx 3.5” for the dash
Infinity Ref-9632ix 6x9” for the four doors

Metra adapters included from Crutchfield. 71-050 for the doors and 72-7902 for the dash.

Also purchased 2 packs of Stinger Roadkill Fast Rings for sound deadening on the door speakers.

So today I installed just the 3.5’s in the dash. Simple pop out/in but if you’ve been reading other threads you’ll notice that there are some wiring issues with the 19 rams. Several speakers are wired out of phase. Even the ones wired in phase don’t always line up with the polarity of the metra wiring harness. Between those two issues, when installing speakers you need to first determine the polarity of the existing stock speakers. There are a couple ways. I used a multimeter. After that you can either install the new speakers exactly like the stock ones were installed (keeping each speaker in phase or out of phase to match each stock speaker you replace) OR you can install them all in phase, which is what I did. I believe as long as you follow one of those two methods, you won’t have ANC issues (the humming and drone noise when you drive between certain rpms). I could be wrong, maybe I’ll have ANC issues anyway. We shall see. If I do, I’ll disconnect the ANC.

When I installed the 3.5’s, the driver’s side dash speaker was in phase and the metra adapter matched. It was simply plug/play. The passenger side was out of phase and the metra reversed so I had to swap the metra wires in order to install the new speaker in phase. I did not swap the metra by pulling the pins like others did, I couldn’t get them out easily. Instead since I was already going to solder in line bass blockers (they come with the infinity 3.5’s) so I don’t blow these little guys with too much bass (and since they are 3ohm), I figured I would just reverse the tails in the metra adapters and solder them in reverse. Easy.

It’s amazing how much louder and crisper these little speakers are. Not sure if it’s the jump in quality, lower ohms, wiring them correctly, or a combo of all. But the mids and highs are loud, almost too bright. I’m guessing and hoping that once I get the 6x9’s in the four doors, things will balance out and I can also adjust the EQ a bit. So far pretty incredible.

I haven’t driven it so I don’t know about the ANC. Figured if that was going to show itself it was more likely to happen in the 6x9’s. I’ll post back after I get the doors in and let you know how it sounds to swap all 6 stock speakers with Infinity Reference, without changing the amp or adding a sub, and whether the ANC is an issue.

I’ll address whether or not I want to add an amp and sub after I finish this and see how it sounds. Either way I will probaly wait to do that until there is a solid plug and play solution with this stock amp. Not sure if Maestro or someone else has it 100% yet.

 

[Csiezega]

Ok so I got bored. Lol. I purchased the following from Crutchfield:

Infinity Ref-3032cfx 3.5” for the dash
Infinity Ref-9632ix 6x9” for the four doors

Metra adapters included from Crutchfield. 71-050 for the doors and 72-7902 for the dash.

Also purchased 2 packs of Stinger Roadkill Fast Rings for sound deadening on the door speakers.

So today I installed just the 3.5’s in the dash. Simple pop out/in but if you’ve been reading other threads you’ll notice that there are some wiring issues with the 19 rams. Several speakers are wired out of phase. Even the ones wired in phase don’t always line up with the polarity of the metra wiring harness. Between those two issues, when installing speakers you need to first determine the polarity of the existing stock speakers. There are a couple ways. I used a multimeter. After that you can either install the new speakers exactly like the stock ones were installed (keeping each speaker in phase or out of phase to match each stock speaker you replace) OR you can install them all in phase, which is what I did. I believe as long as you follow one of those two methods, you won’t have ANC issues (the humming and drone noise when you drive between certain rpms). I could be wrong, maybe I’ll have ANC issues anyway. We shall see. If I do, I’ll disconnect the ANC.

When I installed the 3.5’s, the driver’s side dash speaker was in phase and the metra adapter matched. It was simply plug/play. The passenger side was out of phase and the metra reversed so I had to swap the metra wires in order to install the new speaker in phase. I did not swap the metra by pulling the pins like others did, I couldn’t get them out easily. Instead since I was already going to solder in line bass blockers (they come with the infinity 3.5’s) so I don’t blow these little guys with too much bass (and since they are 3ohm), I figured I would just reverse the tails in the metra adapters and solder them in reverse. Easy.

It’s amazing how much louder and crisper these little speakers are. Not sure if it’s the jump in quality, lower ohms, wiring them correctly, or a combo of all. But the mids and highs are loud, almost too bright. I’m guessing and hoping that once I get the 6x9’s in the four doors, things will balance out and I can also adjust the EQ a bit. So far pretty incredible.

I haven’t driven it so I don’t know about the ANC. Figured if that was going to show itself it was more likely to happen in the 6x9’s. I’ll post back after I get the doors in and let you know how it sounds to swap all 6 stock speakers with Infinity Reference, without changing the amp or adding a sub, and whether the ANC is an issue.

I’ll address whether or not I want to add an amp and sub after I finish this and see how it sounds. Either way I will probaly wait to do that until there is a solid plug and play solution with this stock amp. Not sure if Maestro or someone else has it 100% yet.

I just did the same but just replace the front 3.5 with the Infinity Reference. The sound is like you said almost to "bright". Has me wondering if I should replace the door speakers as well. It feels like the front speakers are drowning out the rest of the system as much as I play with the equalizer. It does feel like I hear a lot more of the mids and highs which is nice too....

 

[Patsy1099]

I just did the same but just replace the front 3.5 with the Infinity Reference. The sound is like you said almost to "bright". Has me wondering if I should replace the door speakers as well. It feels like the front speakers are drowning out the rest of the system as much as I play with the equalizer. It does feel like I hear a lot more of the mids and highs which is nice too....

Yeah I just got the front doors done. I don’t think you can do the dash with the infinity ref only. Too bright. Even after the front doors, it took a couple of days for the 6x9’s to break in,and playing with the eq before it started to sound right. Now it sounds great. Have the eq at +7 bass +4 mid and treble I’m still playing with. Somewhere between -1 and +2. I think it will getting even better when I slap the addl infinity ref 6x9 in the rear. Should get some more bass out of them since they are on their own channel and not in parallel like the front/dash combo. I’ll let you know. Maybe I’ll get it done tomorrow.

Side note: those doors are a royal PITA. Now that I know how to to do it the rear should go faster but everything was a pain. Even getting the trim panels that cover the bolts off PITA. Then removing the door panel was a bear. Start in lower panel, get a trim tool in there and then slowly pull (really really hard) with your hands. Slowly work your way around door (I broke a clip or two moving too quickly). Then detaching the wiring harness, kind of a pain, feel your way around and release clip). After that I didn’t detach the door latch. Didn’t want to be bothered with another PITA so I just slid door to the side and propped it up on some crates. When you install speaker be sure to zip tie wires close to front otherwise window will rub when all the way down. I have to go back and fix my drivers side because I can hear it rubbing (passenger side is fine). Lastly, when putting the door back together I found it very helpful to have crates or something to prop it up and think starting with the top first is best. Pay attention that the door lock knob (?) is correctly seated. Honestly is was more difficult and annoying then I thought it would be but once you do a door or two you get it. If you have a break bar or pry tool so you can get leverage, it would probably help a ton get the first couple of clips to pop (just wrap it in a towel or something to protect your door) and get the opening started using a platic trim tool (then wedge pry bar in). YMMV

 

[Patsy1099]

Latest update. Been busy so this project kept getting put off. So per my posts above, dash speakers and front doors went in, polarity in phase, everything sounded great. Did the rear drivers door yesterday, wires were out of phase AND I had to swap the metra harness around to put the new speaker in phase. Buttoned everything back up, MAJOR drone. Wow is that annoying. I couldn’t see opening the door back up and rewiring the metra harness (back) only to put the door back “out of phase”. This whole wiring debacle is so wacky. Plus I’m not sure if I might add an amp or sub down the road so given that as a possibility, I decided to disconnect the ANC. Big thanks to the great peeps and documentation on this site which made it very straightforward. Once I did that, no more drone. Everything sounds great. Now I am going to go get this last speaker in, passenger rear.

I’m also going to be adding a 14” magnaflow muffler and thought that would just complicate any ANC issues I was having...although I guess if the ANC was working correctly it would have helped keep the in cabin drone out. I guess I can always reconnect if there is a solution for the ANC in the future.

 

[Patsy1099]

Got that last speaker in. Everything back together. No drone. Sounds great without the ANC. Will sit with this for a while and decide if more is needed. Haha