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Challenger 2016 easy full sound system upgrade?

48K views 25 replies 13 participants last post by  A Guy 
#1 ·
Hello there,

I just bought a brand-new Challenger SXT Plus 2016 with the stock Alpine 6 speakers and omg I already hate it; my previous car was a Hondayi Sonata 2011 and it had a way, way better sound and I have no idea what's the specs of that sound system on it, but I assure you it wasn't from a fancy company or any brand; it was the cheapest Sonata available at the branch.

Now, I'm not THAT audiophile, I just want a better sound. What are my options? Please not that I'm not the put stuff and thingies at the trunk of the car like amps and whatever the other tools are. I don't need something very loud and explosive or very high tech.

Can I just find something that can replace all the 6 speakers with another 6 speakers that actually were made to be fit inside the Challenger 2016?

I have no clue how to do myself and I doubt doing it myself. Whatever you guys recommend, I'm gonna order it online and throw at the nearest well-known technician to do it for me.

Just an easy upgrade and my budget range is 500$-700$ with the current specs that the car already has, but with better replacements of those 6 speakers.

It will be thankful if you you guys shared a link for every speaker so I don't order the wrong ones.

Thanks!
 
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#2 ·
I believe there are several threads here related to this issue and or related upgrades.
You are FAR from alone on this one, and the factory optional upgrades to the system in general don't do much for the $$ either.
Sorry I don't have anything specific to help you here, but search around may result in a general direction others have taken.
Hemi4us
 
#8 ·
Thanks, but the thing is, most of the threads I have found mentioned complex things and no specific speakers and I can't order these blindly.

Some of them had to trim stuff inside the car to fit speakers and... Etc.

I'm looking for something that's designed for the Challenger perhaps.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I know this is a stupid question but did you try playing with the bass and treble adjustments in the equalizer? When I first test drove a Plus model I thought the sound was decent for a stock system with the bass and treble turned up. But I know everyone's ear is different. Also if you are listening to satellite radio it is highly compressed.


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#5 ·
Also if you are listening to satellite radio it is highly compressed.
Cannot stress this enough: Garbage in, Garbage out. I hate satellite radio with a passion, and will not pay for a subscription to radio that sounds worse than my local FM.

Get some good MP3's (320kbps) and try again. I've got the HK system, and I can tell right away if the MP3 is a lower bitrate, it sounds terrible.
 
#6 ·
If you really want to improve the sound, replacing the door speakers and powering them with an amplifier is the way to go.

A multi-channel amp (2 channel for fronts only, 4 channel if you want to do rear speakers, or 5 channel if you want to add a sub) with 100-150 watts per channel with even fairly low speakers will blow the doors off the stock setup. You can install a system that will make you very happy for under a thousand bucks...even less if you don't care to have a sub.
 
#7 ·
Start by just replacing the speakers. The vehicle already has a decent amplifier built-in. 6x9"s in the doors, 6.5" in the rear deck, and 3.5"s in the dash. Good speakers will reduce the need for extra EQ.

There's plenty of good threads about this on here already, and a very detailed write-up on doing the installs. Read up, and you'll get all the info you need.


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#9 ·
The threads here are complex, but and I don't get it.

Anyways, yeah, you get exactly what I need; nothing fancy just a slight improvent to what the car already has.

So I can buy any speakers I want as long as they have the sizes you mentioned and they will fit into the car easily and without trimming and stuff?

I will be THANKFUL if you can share with me a decent build with 500$ and their links.
 
#11 ·
Im working on a drop in replacement system for the 6 speaker system that will be plug and play with current system. the problem with adding most of aftermarket speakers to the oem system without upgrading the amp is your only powering the system with half the available power. Thats because the oem speakers are 2-ohm loads. To get the full power from the oem amplifier the speakers have to be 2ohm. The speakers im putting together are all going to be 2ohm load which is good for the oem system. Also even better down the road if I decide to upgrade the amplifier to aftermarket. Now im going to be able to double the power since the speakers are 2ohm load.

- 2" DVC midrange/ tweeter dash speaker 2-ohm with bracket and plug connector to mount in dash
- 6x9 mid bass woofer front doors 2-ohm wih bracket and plug and play connector
- 6.5" Coaxial full range speakers rear deck 2 ohm with bracket and connector
 
#12 ·
If you upgrade your alpine speakers with higher end alpine speakers there will be a big improvement. It shouldn't cost more than a few hundred and will get you a good bang for the buck. Then if you feel you need more power the new speakers will be able to handle an amp upgrade.
 
#13 ·
I'd be very interested in knowing how it sounds when you are done. I almost ordered an SXT Plus with the stock system to save some money but when I did a back to back comparison with it and Sound Group 2 I went with SG2 because there was a slight improvement in sound - more base and the highs sounded slightly better. Sound Group 2 sounds better than the sound system I had on my previous car. It does lack some in highs but with the treble at max it sounds pretty good to me. The system sounds balanced. I've noticed that some satellite channels play less compressed music than other satellite channels. Also some of the FM HD Radio stations have a good sound. I also discovered that you can use the surroundsound mode on the HD radio stations with Sound Group 2 but surround sound doesn't work on standard FM.


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#14 ·
So I developed a crackle from one of the side rear speakers. Took it into the dealer and was told there was a flash coming up for my car for the amplifier and also for the Harmon Kardon addressing poor sound quality. They flashed and now most of the sound comes from the front speakers (adjusting to the rear only they are quite noticably muffled and low volume. The system used to sound full and felt as if I was in the "middle" of all of the sounds. Now there is a tinny sound quality coming "into my face" from the dash. The car goes back again next week for the cooling system bulletin. Any feedback / similar experiences with this Harmon Kardon system would be appreciated.
 
#15 · (Edited)
To possibly answer your question more directly, I changed out my 6 speakers out with JL Audio C2's all around. This is in my '13 RT with the base 130N head unit, but the speaker sizes are still the same. Absolute night and day with practically no power driving them.

http://www.jlaudio.com/car-audio-speakers-c2-coaxial-systems

Recently added an Audison S4 amp to properly drive them. Beautiful sound.
 
#16 ·
To possibly answer your question more directly, I changed out my 6 speakers out with JL Audio C2's all around. This is in my '13 RT with the base 130N head unit, but the speaker sizes are still the same. Absolute night and day with practically no power driving them.

Car Audio - Speakers - C2 - Coaxial Systems

Recently added an Audison S4 amp to properly drive them. Beautiful sound.
What made you choose Audison S4 amp over other brands to push your speakers?
 
#19 ·
I replaced the 3.5's in the dash with Polk Audio and added MTX tweeters to my A pillars. The sound is much better, next is too upgrade the door and rear deck speakers. The only thing that may be Alpine is the badge on the door, OEM sounded awful. Like mentioned earlier, swapping out the speaker should do wonders.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I replaced dash with 3.5 Polk Audio 4ohm and installed Kicker tweeters in the A pillars. I ran the dash and tweeters in series to not drop below 2 ohms. Drastic improvement in sound quality. Next, upgrade door and rear deck speakers. Any aftermarket speaker upgrade should provide you with an upgrade in sound. I think the only thing Alpine is the badge on the door, lol.
 
#23 ·
Installed the 6x9 midbass in the doors and the 2" midrange in the dash. Wow much better overall sound quality and performance. This is just drop in using oem system. Sound is really nice now. Would perform even better with aftermarket
amp powering them. but a great upgrade alone over the factory setup.



made a pair of 2" speaker adapters to fit the new midrange/tweeter speakers.





 
#24 ·
So, been watching this thread. I only have 2 small complaints about my car. The fan/AC doesn't blow very hard, even at full (7). And the volume on my Alpine, 6 speaker system is not very loud, even at full volume (38). 276-Watt Amplifier? Really?

So the question is...will changing speakers only increase the total volume? I see drop in speaker choices at Crutchfield for instance. Worth it, or will only an amp help? I don't want to mess with the electronics as I have a Lifetime warranty, and one reason I got it is electronics can be expensive to fix. The volume is not a deal breaker, I just would like more volume. A Guy
 
#25 ·
As long as you get 2 ohm speakers for the doors you will get better volume and SQ with quality speakers. Check out the speakers I just did in the challenger. volume and sound quailty was much better. Yes an amplifier powering the speakers would sound best if its in your budget. What is your budget?
 
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