^^ Thanks for the info, but you didn't address my question. I've been asking around and it appears there's an issue with a mis-connected ground. I'm going to confirm that with Crutchfield and that should be the end of it.

 

grounds on the older chrysler/dodge/jeeps are done one of two ways. There is either a braided strap that is completely unshielded, or there is a black wire with a locking end piece that connects to the back of the factory radio.

-If it's the braided ground strap, strip back about an inch to inch and a half of your ground wire (from the aftermarket head unit). Poke a hole in the ground strap and thread your ground wire through it. Next, wrap the ground wire around the strap tightly, then solder. Wrap in electrical tape and place a zip just in front of and just after the connection for stress relief.

-If you're dealing with the solid black wire, cut off the end and use a butt connecter, or find yourself a male spade connecter and plug it into the factory connecter.

 

^^ OK, I did the above except I cut both the black/green wire from the truck harness as well as the connector from the Crutchfield supplied harness and soldered them together. I'm guessing that the "factory amp" is causing the issue with the crappy sound and that the new speakers should resolve that issue?

 

eh, hard to say without hearing it for myself, but I'd say it's more than likley the speakers that are giving you your problem. Most Infinity amps don't sound too bad with a aftermarket head and speakers. I actually just did a 2000 Durango yesterday for 4 new speakers and a new deck that sounded pretty good once it was done. They most likley sound bad because you took a factory deck that puts out maybe 10-12 watts rms and replaced it with an aftermarket that's putting out almost double that, then amplified even more through the factory amplifier, so it's a much hotter signal than what the factory paper-cone woofers are designed for.

 

Hence the reason why I really have to crank the volume to get any sound?

Seriously, sorry for the "basic" questions, but as I kid (1980's) I never fooled around with stereo systems, amps, and all that. If you go back to Page 2 of this thread you'll see that I bought a Clarion CZ209 CD Receiver and Kicker 07DS600 6-1/2"/6-3/4" 2-way Car Speakers for the door panels.

 

ok, gottcha I was under the impression that you were still using the factory head unit for some reason. If you're having issues with volume at this point you have one of two options. You can bypass the amplifier and get your audio directly from the head unit, or you can replace the amp with an aftermarket 4 channel amplifier. Replacing the amp gets you more power and sound clarity than a factory amp, while running straight from the head unit is more cost effective. Up to you which route you want to take.

 

OK, thanks for the information.

 

On my 2000 RAM there is indeed separate amps for each speaker in the Infinity Premium system. You can see them in the Dodge wiring diagrams. It is a crescent shaped unit that mounts to the magnet. I just replaced my head unit with a Sony MEX-BT3700U and I now have a problem I think is related to these amps. With the new head unit the speakers sound pretty crappy at anything above half volume. I believe that the stock radio is outputting a line level signal since amplification is handled by the speakers. Replacing the head unit with one like mine that has onboard high power and using a Metra or Scosche wiring harness to connect means the radio is now putting a high level signal into those Infinity speaker amps. I think this causes overdriving and distortion because it sounds like crap. My speakers are Series S Alpine units that can handle high power, but putting a high level signal into those amps is not right. The only solution I can think of is to run new speaker wire direct from the speakers to the head unit and eliminate the Infinity amps completely. What a pain!

 

OK, this should put the speculation to rest. Below is a pic of the actual Infinity amps taken out of my 2000 RAM 2500.

These mount to the magnet via threaded holes. These amps provide power to both speakers on each side. That means that when you eliminate them you have to splice the wires in order to feed a signal back to the rear speakers. I had to do a lot of figuring out because the wiring harness that feeds the amps uses color coding that does not match the wiring diagram. It was quite a challenge, but I finished it about 10pm last night. The sound with these amps being overdriven by the onboard amp of my new head unit was terrible at anything above 1/4 to 1/2 volume. With these eliminated and using just the head unit's amp, the sound is much more pleasing and I can go past 1/2 volume without it sounding harsh. Turns out the previous owner had replaced all the speakers with Alpine Series S components, so I am one happy camper right now. The Sony head unit has built-in Bluetooth and it connected to my LG Incite without error. Calls sound clear and my callers say the onboard mic sounds as good as the phone mic. There is a bit of an issue with wind noise on the freeway with the windows open, but it is still better to be talking hands free than fiddling with a phone while driving. Not having to wear an earpiece in the car is also a major plus. I added the HD radio unit and it works great. Many more stations than just FM and the digital ones are clearer and better sounding. I used the PAC steering wheel adapter and it allowed me to retain all my steering wheel control functions. About the only negative I can see is that my new sound system makes me want to drive more and with a V10 that's just not a good thing.

 

Well, after being busy with school and other projects, I called Crutchfield today and inquired as to why I wasn't getting anything out of the head unit, even with the volume at maximum. It turns out that there is a lead (solid blue wire) on the adapter for the power antenna which is to be spliced with a blue wire with a white tracer, on the other adapter that goes to the unit. This provides power to the internal amplifier. Maybe I glossed over that in the instructions -- I don't know.

After dismantling the dash, I stripped the wires to test and *BINGO*, I have volume! Everything is now buttoned up and I'm waiting to get some rear speakers and new securing studs for the door panel. Once I have those, I will install the new speakers in my truck.

Thanks to all of you who provided feedback.