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Base Alpine 6 speaker sound upgrade

42K views 35 replies 16 participants last post by  spacedace2000 
#1 ·
I recently bought a new widebody Scat Pack and it came with the base 6 speaker alpine system. The bass was ok but the highs were so bad. Overall I was pretty disappointed with the sound system. However, I'm glad I didn't spend $1k for the upgraded Alpine, which would've just added 2 more crappy speakers and a weak sub that I would end up replacing. The $2k option for Harmon Kardon might've sounded better than the base, but it is overpriced in my opinion and not worth spending that much. I can build a killer system for half that amount.

For under $600, I was able to replace the front dash speakers and add a 10" sub. I already had most of the parts from my older cars, the only new items I had to buy were the line out converter and the Infiniti 3032 3.5" speakers. Just these two changes alone made a massive improvement in the sound quality, and I saved a ton of money. I might upgrade the Infinitis in the future for a more high end speaker, but I snagged these for only $50 on Black Friday, so it was a cheap upgrade for me until I can decide on a more high-end speaker to replace it with.

In my opinion, replacing the dash speakers if you have the base system should be the first priority. The stock amp has more than enough juice to power the Infinitis and they sound crystal clear even when cranked, whereas the stock paper cone speakers sounded terrible at high volumes and had a very hollow sound to them, almost like I was listening to them at the end of a hallway.

After that I would replace the rear deck speakers since they are full range. Still haven't decided on which 6.5" I want to go with. I wouldn't bother replacing the 6x9s in the door since they basically just act as subs.

In the video I show how to remove the dash and my overall thoughts. I'll add more to this thread once I replace the rear deck speakers.

 
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#2 ·
After that I would replace the rear deck speakers since they are full range. Still haven't decided on which 6.5" I want to go with. I wouldn't bother replacing the 6x9s in the door since they basically just act as subs.
As an alternative solution to the rear deck upgrade dilemma, here’s what I tried (and very much liked): scuttle the two speakers altogether and bridge their channels to power a single 4 ohm SVC RF 8” midbase mounted in the factory 8” sub hole. Setting its HPF to take over where the sub’s LPF is set allows for a smooth transition and actually improved the overall sound in my setup, as opposed to providing a distraction like the rear deck speakers were doing in their stock setup.
 
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#12 ·
Nuke I’m curious. So you have a sub in trunk. And a mid base on rear deck. How are setting these HPF and LPF ? Do you have the Kenwood Maestro system too?

The stock 6-speaker Alpine amplified system definitely only sends bass frequencies to the door channels and only mids/highs to the dash channels. The rear speaker channels are the only ones that receive a full-range signal with the Alpine 6-speaker amplified system.
Also wanted to add that I think the amp channels have a governor. So the higher you crank it the less it sends to rears. And maybe the fronts. i Installed the Kenwood Maestro system to get around this specifically.
 
#3 ·
The only thing I miss about when I traded my Trailblazer LTZ for the Challenger was the Bose Sound System it had compared to what I got
Just dont want to spend crazy money to update the Audio System and I am not into ground shaking bass just a nice full range sound.
Everytime I look for Better Speakers Pioneer, JBL replacements they are sold out back order or just NA
 
#4 ·
The only thing I miss about when I traded my Trailblazer LTZ for the Challenger was the Bose Sound System it had compared to what I got
Just dont want to spend crazy money to update the Audio System and I am not into ground shaking bass just a nice full range sound.
Everytime I look for Better Speakers Pioneer, JBL replacements they are sold out back order or just NA
Ive got a set of Kenwood Excelon components for the door and dash I’m about to pull out of my 2014 and will need a home once I do (the 2012 is for drag strip only, weight savings, etc). Send me a PM if you’re interested in giving them a good home.
 
#5 ·
I have to disagree a little:

IMHO Having gone the other way, thethe rear deck speakers are fill in, and nothing sounds great there. Your soundstage should be in front of you, as if you were at a concert, nobody is playing behind you.

The 6x9 in the door are the best souning speaker in the car. I would upgrade the 6x9 first, rear deck last.

I did the rear deck first (mistake) and saw very little improvement with Kappa's there Then did kappa 6x9 and reference 3.5 and10" Rockford Fosgate amplified sub and the car lit up. Sounded very good, still using the factory amp. This is a great solution huge improvement and great sound.

I have since upgraded the amp to a Kenwood DSP amp. after quite a bit of tuning on my part it sounds great.

I started with the Alpine system with amp and no subwoofer, I am not sure where that fits into the lineup.

YMMV
 
#6 ·
I have to disagree a little:

IMHO Having gone the other way, thethe rear deck speakers are fill in, and nothing sounds great there. Your soundstage should be in front of you, as if you were at a concert, nobody is playing behind you.

The 6x9 in the door are the best souning speaker in the car. I would upgrade the 6x9 first, rear deck last.

I did the rear deck first (mistake) and saw very little improvement with Kappa's there Then did kappa 6x9 and reference 3.5 and10" Rockford Fosgate amplified sub and the car lit up. Sounded very good, still using the factory amp. This is a great solution huge improvement and great sound.

I have since upgraded the amp to a Kenwood DSP amp. after quite a bit of tuning on my part it sounds great.

I started with the Alpine system with amp and no subwoofer, I am not sure where that fits into the lineup.

YMMV
Interesting that changing the 6x9s made a big difference. I thought only low frequencies were routed to that speaker in the factory configuration. Do your 6x9s also pump out vocals and higher frequencies after you changed them? Right now I can only hear bass from the factory 6x9s.
 
#11 ·
I upgraded all my speakers (Alpine 6 speaker with amp) in my ‘17 RT to much better Kicker speakers and I could tell a difference immediately even with the stock amp.

That upgrade combined with RAAMmat BXT sound deadening material and their Ensolite covering and a LOC for a dual 10” sealed box sub attached to a dedicated amp has made a huge difference in sound quality.
 
#14 ·
Speaking of tuning by ear, or hell even by DSP maybe, I found an app that helped me quite a bit while doing all that - Tone Gen
Communication Device Font Gadget Gesture Portable communications device

I have an iPhone, so I found it in the Apple App Store. I’m not sure if there is an Android version, but so would be surprised if there wasn’t.
 
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#16 ·
sorry I was thinking you were talking about a DSP, just dawned on me you were talking about a factory harness adapter.

I integrated my amps the hard way - by routing the speaker wires out of the head unit into a LOC (LC6i) and then RCAs from that into my amps. I didn’t have a factory amp to bypass, so it didn’t occur to me to get an adapter like the Maestro...until it was too late.

Anyway, all the adjustments I made were on the aftermarket amps I wired in after the LOC.
 
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#17 ·
So, it was a Tone Loc? Funky :D

A Guy
 
#19 ·
Hi all - I have a 2020 RT+ with the base Alpine unit. I'm not needing thumping bass but just like the OP, the high end was definitely lacking for me so picked up some JBLs from Crutchfield and they sound great. Looking at the dash though, there sure looks to be the ability to add a 3rd small speaker in the front center including the cutout in the dash cover, a recession in the dash and even the 2 screw holes for another speaker. I don't see any wiring though although I wonder if it could be spliced into either the left or right factory wire without adverse effect. Has anyone tried such?
 
#20 ·
IMHO adding another 3.5” in the center dash in a non-SGII audio setup won’t improve overall sound quality enough to justify the effort and expense needed to do it.
 
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#21 ·
Agree with Nuke. A center channel speaker needs to be tuned properly to be useful. Center channel speakers are great for making a properly setup and time-alinged car audio system sound good from both the driver and passenger seat - but they need to be implemented properly, which is actually a complex task. Implemented improperly, it will actually be worse than without one at all. You definitely cannot just grab the signal from the left and/or right speakers and call it a day. It would need some advanced DSP tuning to implement correctly as to not destroy the imaging and staging of the system.

I had no idea just how complex car audio really is when done properly. Trust me, it's VERY complex. I've been self-learning how to tune a car audio system with a DSP for about 1.5 years now - and I still consider myself a novice at it. :)
 
#24 ·
I'm in the same boat, wanting to upgrade the factory Alpine system. I'm sitting on this component set from a previous installation: Alpine SPX-17PRO (spx17pro) 6.5" 2-Way Type-X Component Car Audio. For those with experience with the factory system, would an amp upgrade be necessary?
Upgrading to an aftermarket amp to push those components would not technically be required, but you would probably get a better result from installing them if an aftermarket amp was used.

The disparate pieces are meant to be powered by the same channel on each side and designed to have 100w at 4ohm. The factory amp will be pushing the dash and door speakers with separate channels, and their combined output certainly won’t be close to 100w at 4 ohm.

I think installing those components and powering with factory amp will yield a less than impressive overall sound in return. I’m sure they could be made to work quite well with the factory amp, but doing so probably requires more expertise than most people have in this arena.
 
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#26 ·
Thanks to everyone for their insights. I added an amp to power a 12" alpine sub in the trunk, and then swapped all stock speakers with s-series counterparts. The fronts are being drowned by the back speakers, though, and I was wondering if anyone experienced this same issue during their upgrades? The stock configuration did not have this issue, so I am stumped what to do next.
 
#27 ·
Does your car have the base audio package w/o a factory amp or one of the upgraded audio packages (Alpine, HK, SGII, etc) w/ a factory amp?

swapped all stock speakers with s-series counterparts.
which speakers are you talking about here, I looked for Alpine S series that would fit the cabin and only found some 6.5” components, no 6x9s or 3.5s. And installing components in the rear deck seems odd, so I’m wondering if you aren’t talking about a different line/brand of speaker than what I am thinking.
 
#30 ·
I recently bought a new widebody Scat Pack and it came with the base 6 speaker alpine system. The bass was ok but the highs were so bad. Overall I was pretty disappointed with the sound system. However, I'm glad I didn't spend $1k for the upgraded Alpine, which would've just added 2 more crappy speakers and a weak sub that I would end up replacing. The $2k option for Harmon Kardon might've sounded better than the base, but it is overpriced in my opinion and not worth spending that much. I can build a killer system for half that amount.

For under $600, I was able to replace the front dash speakers and add a 10" sub. I already had most of the parts from my older cars, the only new items I had to buy were the line out converter and the Infiniti 3032 3.5" speakers. Just these two changes alone made a massive improvement in the sound quality, and I saved a ton of money. I might upgrade the Infinitis in the future for a more high end speaker, but I snagged these for only $50 on Black Friday, so it was a cheap upgrade for me until I can decide on a more high-end speaker to replace it with.

In my opinion, replacing the dash speakers if you have the base system should be the first priority. The stock amp has more than enough juice to power the Infinitis and they sound crystal clear even when cranked, whereas the stock paper cone speakers sounded terrible at high volumes and had a very hollow sound to them, almost like I was listening to them at the end of a hallway.

After that I would replace the rear deck speakers since they are full range. Still haven't decided on which 6.5" I want to go with. I wouldn't bother replacing the 6x9s in the door since they basically just act as subs.

In the video I show how to remove the dash and my overall thoughts. I'll add more to this thread once I replace the rear deck speakers.

Let me start by saying that I know very little about audio systems. However, I have a 2020 Widebody Charger with the same 6-speaker Alpine system as you, and I'm planning to swap out the stock dash speakers with the 3032's (as you did). I understand that sound volume can drop when switching out 2 with 3 (or 4) ohm speakers, but that this is mostly compensated for with the high sensitivity rating of the Infinity speakers. However, theoretically (I've read) that using higher ohm speakers could result in feeding back a small load of power to the factory amp. I wondering if anyone has damaged the factory amp or head unit over time as a result of this type of speaker upgrade?
 
#32 ·
Let me tell you....
In the mid-70's, I installed an FM converter from Radio Shack in my parents Dodge Crestwood station wagon. I was cutting grass for people back then, so I used my own money. I think it cost me $14. I am the oldest of 4 siblings, but by installing that FM converter, that put me up on another level in their eyes. :D
 
#34 ·
Here are some notes on my 2020 Charger Scat pack WB Infinity 3032cfx speaker upgrade:

Originally, I soldered the included bass blockers (taped to the underside of the Infinity's foam packing) into the wire harnesses, but noticed a popping sound when I started up the car. Once I removed the blockers the popping went away.

The hardest part of the entire project was reinstalling the support brace covers. There's a small plastic knob in the brace cover that's inserted through the center of a mental bracket and into the plastic ribbon that holds the cover in place if the air bag is deployed. It took me about 20-mins to pop the knob through the ribbon.

I recorded the following resistance data from both the 3.5" factory Alpine and Infinity speakers with a Fluke 75 multimeter (with new 9v battery):
Factory speaker= 2.1 ohm
3032cfx speaker = 2.2-2.3 ohm
3032cfx speaker with Wolf wire harness = 2.8 ohm

It appears that the Infinity speaker resistance (at least in my pair) is lower than reported in the product specs, which I was happy to see.
 
#35 ·
I recently bought a new widebody Scat Pack and it came with the base 6 speaker alpine system. The bass was ok but the highs were so bad. Overall I was pretty disappointed with the sound system. However, I'm glad I didn't spend $1k for the upgraded Alpine, which would've just added 2 more crappy speakers and a weak sub that I would end up replacing. The $2k option for Harmon Kardon might've sounded better than the base, but it is overpriced in my opinion and not worth spending that much. I can build a killer system for half that amount.

For under $600, I was able to replace the front dash speakers and add a 10" sub. I already had most of the parts from my older cars, the only new items I had to buy were the line out converter and the Infiniti 3032 3.5" speakers. Just these two changes alone made a massive improvement in the sound quality, and I saved a ton of money. I might upgrade the Infinitis in the future for a more high end speaker, but I snagged these for only $50 on Black Friday, so it was a cheap upgrade for me until I can decide on a more high-end speaker to replace it with.

In my opinion, replacing the dash speakers if you have the base system should be the first priority. The stock amp has more than enough juice to power the Infinitis and they sound crystal clear even when cranked, whereas the stock paper cone speakers sounded terrible at high volumes and had a very hollow sound to them, almost like I was listening to them at the end of a hallway.

After that I would replace the rear deck speakers since they are full range. Still haven't decided on which 6.5" I want to go with. I wouldn't bother replacing the 6x9s in the door since they basically just act as subs.

In the video I show how to remove the dash and my overall thoughts. I'll add more to this thread once I replace the rear deck speakers.

GREAT INFO, exactly what I was looking for. Couple questions.

Were there any problems getting the long front dash cover back on? I saw the clips on the part of the cover that were facing you but did not see now the piece connected on the other side that is closer to the windshield.

I am looking at a powered subwoofer that would contain its own amp. Will I need to purchase a line out converter in this type of install? I would assume no. I am guessing you have a line out converter because your sub is separate from your amp?

When you connected the sub to your rear speakers, did you have to connect to both rear speakers? And how did you determine the polarity of the wires (which wire is positive and which wire is negative) on the stock rear speakers. If you don't mind, can you share what color wire is positive and what color is negative for each rear speaker so I can tap correctly on my install?

Again, great video and information!!
 
#36 ·
Just curious. Is all the wiring already there in the harness and just not used? Let’s say you have the base 6 and wanted to add alpine 9. Are there wires run already in the rear seat armrests and a sub line in the package tray?

same thing for the Harmon…are the connections there and you just need to add the speakers? Same goes for the amp under the steering wheel. Plug and play?
 
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