First off, I wanted to say hi, this is my first post. I just picked up an 04 ram hemi quad cab last week. When I test drove the truck, I was doing about 30mph with the windows up and the stock stereo seemed fine so I didnt opt for the infinity sound. After taking delivery, I realized that the stock stereo is pretty bad. Distorts a lot and even with the bass all the way down and the treble all the way up, it still doesnt get too loud when the windows are open and you are driving at higher speeds.

I did a search on this forum and found that I could get a stealth box for under my back seat with one 10". My question is, if I used bass blockers on all the interior speakers, will it sound nice to go along with the 10". Im really not looking for too much bass, just something that will sound decent. If I dont go with the 10", I wanted to replace the interior speakers, but I dont know if the head unit will be strong enough or decent enough. Basically my question is, do I have to replace the whole head unit to get decent sound, or just replace the speakers and maybe add a sub.

Thanks
Andy

 

I am a big fan of keeping the stock head unit for the stealth factor. Thieves look in and see a stock stereo in the dash, they go on to better things.
For a quick boost in the low end you can add a "high to low level converter" to the back of your existing head unit. You can pick one up at any respecable car audio store. This will give you a set of rca jacks that you can use to hook up a small amp to run the single sub you mentioned. Of course you will also need to run a 12v fused line from the battery and another remote line from your fuse box to turn the amp on and off with the ignition or the head unit.
If your worried about the base hurting your other speakers be sure to purchase an amp with a built in crossover. This will allow you to taylor the sound at the sub while leaving you free to adjust your lows and highs at the head unit for the other speakers.
I have done this same setup in a number of vehicles and had great results on a tight budget.
Good Luck

 

The stock speakers are crap! I kept the factory CD and only replaced the interior speakers and it made a big difference. As long as you use quality speakers your stock unit will be fine. I also recommend using the high to low level converter that ce2flaco mentioned and a sub under the seat.

 

Sounds good, I think im gonna start looking for some new interior speakers first. If thats not enough, ill move up to a sub. Only thing I was worried about is the fact that in stock form, the highest volume level is extremely low and very distorted. As you guys are saying though, I guess thats the speakers fault, not the head unit. If you guys have any other suggestions, let me know.

Thanks
Andy

 

Any recommendations on new speakers?

 

You could start at Crutchfield. They usually list speakers for various applications.

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-pRurh9veqXY/

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the link. Does anybody know if I just go with replacing the 4 inside speakers, will I need to run a small amp to them, or will the factory head unit be enough. Reason I ask is because I just found out that the stock infinity system comes with a small amp.

Thanks in advance
Andy

 

Did you have to remove the door panels to get to the speakers?

How hard was it to do?

 

sorry guys, i have been replying a lot today, (i am bored at work), but i can definately help with this one. --when your speakers break up, it is generally not from the speakers running out of capacity, it is from the amp running low on power. it takes POWER, not speakers, to run high volume. you have a couple choices when dealing with this stuff. you can buy a sub box with a small amp. this can all be hooked up to your stock system (by a professional). by running a sub with an amp, it will let you turn down the bas on you stock head unit and run the 4 stock speakers with less bass. bass is what draws the most power. by doing this, the bass will sound good from the sub and the factory speakers will sound like you have replaced them! personally, i replaced the whole system in my '97. i did a small box with 2 -8" subs. i also changed the head unit and factory speakers. there is a 4 channel amp running the speakers and a 2 channel that is bridged to run the subs. i spent a little over a grand and everything is top-quality alpine. the keuy is to try to find stuff that is brand-new, but last years model. also, if i havent lost you by now, go to a specialty shop and talk to a guy that sells the stuff for a living. dont take my word for it and dont buy some crap off ebay and hope to do it yourself. i dont care if you build motors for a living or if you are an electrician. go to a shop and spend a little extra. usually you can haggle with the install prices and if you buy your equipment from them they will give you a break. go talk to an expert and make sure you are getting what you want. if i am not mistaken, the new dodges have some crazy head unit that is really built into the dash. take it to an expert and let them know you would really like to keep the fractory head unit. you could start with a amped sub for the back and then you can always go back to the shop later and add replacemtne speakers and amps. good luck and feel free to email me with any questions.