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Ram Premium Sound System - Alpine 9-speaker - question

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Old 12-23-2009, 01:00 AM
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Default Ram Premium Sound System - Alpine 9-speaker - question

I've been struggling to figure out just what the Dodge Engineers had in mind with the Premium Sound System.
I've got the REN (HDD+Sat+UConnect but not NAV), and the 9-speaker Alpine System. It has a "standard" Balance and Fader and 3-way Equalizer. But for the life of me, I cannot get a balanced sound ( get away from everything "bright" and "forward" ) without pushing it all the way into the rear seats. That dash-top windshield mounted center speaker is wired to be 2-3x louder than the l-r dash speakers. AND the front door 6x9in speakers are on a low-pass filter that is like a flat subwoofer !!

The rear door 6x9in speakers are full-range, even though there are also headliner mounted rear 2in tweeter/mid's on the same channels.

But NOT the front doors !! I checked both driver and passenger speakers to confirm it wasn't just a failed cross-over...

Are everyone else's Premium Sound Systems working like this ??
 
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Old 12-23-2009, 02:01 AM
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Yes mine is the same. I would like to have a full range come from the front door speakers. My wife's truck has full range from the doors and it sounds good. I feel full range front door speakers would be a major improvement to the system.
 
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Old 12-23-2009, 11:07 AM
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mine is alao the same it it that way because they designed it with the priority to the dvd and the surround sound first music second.
 
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Old 12-23-2009, 11:35 PM
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I replaced the front speakers with infinity speaker/tweeters. Its clearer and brighter. I cant remember but I think the center speaker was out of phase with the left & right dash speakers. I have them all phased the same now.
 
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Old 12-30-2009, 08:17 PM
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I have the same issue w/ my fronts. Sound like total S*%T.

Question - Will replacing the front door factory speakers w/ aftermarket ones fix the issue, or are they destined to sound like crap no matter what gets installed because of the low-pass filter the OP mentioned?
 

Last edited by budlyte; 12-30-2009 at 08:42 PM.
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Old 12-31-2009, 08:56 AM
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They are going to sound similar no matter what speakers you install because all the crossovers are built into the amp and as far I know there isn't a Kicker amp upgrade for the 506watt system.
 
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Old 12-31-2009, 09:07 AM
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Thanks for the reply. I guess there's no need for me to replace the fronts in that case.

I can't believe the Dodge boys think this is the way to design a sound system. No wonder why I liked the sound of the "premium" radio in my old F-150 better. It only had 4 speakers, but they were full range and the bass was tighter.

Overall I love the new Ram, but this speaker thing sucks big time.
 
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Old 01-13-2010, 03:12 PM
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I agree, the sound is just OK, not much for a premium sound system.

FYI, I made my sub sound better by stuffing the sub enclosure with fiber-fil. I put about .3 cubic feet in it. Added depth and and took away the high resonance. You have to take the seat bolts out to get the sub enclosure out. There is a bolt on the bottom of the box holding the sub in place.
 
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Old 01-13-2010, 03:30 PM
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Originally Posted by seigell
I've been struggling to figure out just what the Dodge Engineers had in mind with the Premium Sound System.
I've got the REN (HDD+Sat+UConnect but not NAV), and the 9-speaker Alpine System. It has a "standard" Balance and Fader and 3-way Equalizer. But for the life of me, I cannot get a balanced sound ( get away from everything "bright" and "forward" ) without pushing it all the way into the rear seats. That dash-top windshield mounted center speaker is wired to be 2-3x louder than the l-r dash speakers. AND the front door 6x9in speakers are on a low-pass filter that is like a flat subwoofer !!

The rear door 6x9in speakers are full-range, even though there are also headliner mounted rear 2in tweeter/mid's on the same channels.

But NOT the front doors !! I checked both driver and passenger speakers to confirm it wasn't just a failed cross-over...

Are everyone else's Premium Sound Systems working like this ??

Sounds correct. The dash speakers are your highs, front door speakers are mids, and passenger speakers are full range to fill sound space. The center speaker is louder than the others for 5.1 dolby surround sound
 
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Old 01-13-2010, 09:14 PM
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....ok I'm a little confused now...see I saw an 09 at a dealership before I deployed to Iraq, wasn't paying too much attention to the audio other than noting the sub box in the passenger seat right behind the driver. Bought my quad cab 2010 laramie with the premium audio and nav, and noticed the speakers in the ceiling...but no sub box. Bass seemed to be lacking, so I looked, and no sub...did they jack me on the premium system and give me the base setup but with nav, or what?
 

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