Sweet Baby Jesus the HK sound system blows goats!

[DavidKFla]

Well after completing the first step of my stereo upgrade I can officially say that my subjective observations of the HK system sucking are officially objective; the rear deck speakers are HOT garbage...

Note it is NOT a 6.5/6.75 or whatever they call it speaker; it's barely 3-inches...
View attachment 91354

View attachment 91329
Weight is NOT everything when it comes to speakers, but the Polk DB 652s are used to replace the stockers weight nearly triple the stockers, which aren't even 11-ounces!
View attachment 91330
View attachment 91331
Top view comparison:
View attachment 91332
Polk with mounting bracket:
View attachment 91333
I have a set of component Infinity Reference 6x9s for the doors but I think I'm gonna just wire them using the supplied crossover for lower frequencies only and use their model 3032/3.5-inch speakers in the dash corners; I just installed a set of them in my daughter's Jeep Wrangler Willys and they're AMAZING.

I didn't expect the rear deck speaker upgrade to make much of a difference, but I'm surprised at how much better it sounds with just swapping them out for these Polks. These speakers just fill in for the doors and dash corners, which do the heavy lifting in this system.

I'm also gonna upgrade the center channel speaker with a 3.5-inch Infinity Kappa just for shits and giggles, which will only be $100 since I'll only need one of the speakers (I'll sell off the other to whoever is interested...)

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_108PERF300/Infinity-Kappa-Perfect-300m.html?tp=105

I'm confident going forward with my plans (which just changed today, but the 3032s are short money anyway...) that it will absolutely (1) meet my needs and (2) stomp the guts out of the stock system, for roughly $500 (with some good deals from Crutchfield) and my time.

Come do mine next. The stereo sucks in our Challenger.

 

[Ronin]

Come do mine next. The stereo sucks in our Challenger.

I’ll post all the purchase and install links that I used in case anyone else wants to give it a shot. The Crutchfield instructions are extremely comprehensive but sometimes are more involved than they need to be, and nothing beats a good step by step video from BoobToob to help out…

 

[DavidKFla]

I’ll post all the purchase and install links that I used in case anyone else wants to give it a shot. The Crutchfield instructions are extremely comprehensive but sometimes are more involved than they need to be, and nothing beats a good step by step video from BoobToob to help out…

Ours has the base sound system. Any hope for it?

 

[Diboblo]

Ours has the base sound system. Any hope for it?

Base HK, or Base Alpine?

My 15 Charger has the base Alpine. All I did was drop in and upgrade a Challenger dual sub box and love it.

At times, I wish it was louder, but playing music and going to concerts, so oem will never be enough.

Sent from my SM-G666 using Tapatalk

 

[DavidKFla]

Base HK, or Base Alpine?

My 15 Charger has the base Alpine. All I did was drop in and upgrade a Challenger dual sub box and love it.

At times, I wish it was louder, but playing music and going to concerts, so oem will never be enough.

Sent from my SM-G666 using Tapatalk

Challenger is Alpine. I think that all 3 are Alpine. Ram sounds fantastic to me.

 

[Ronin]

Ours has the base sound system. Any hope for it?

Of course there is! Go to Crutchfield and select outfit my car and it’ll ask you a few questions about your car/system and then pick if you want to either upgrade your speakers or stock replacement and whether or not you’re adding an amplifier and that’ll get you started!

 

[DavidKFla]

Of course there is! Go to Crutchfield and select outfit my car and it’ll ask you a few questions about your car/system and then pick if you want to either upgrade your speakers or stock replacement and whether or not you’re adding an amplifier and that’ll get you started!

Thanks. With the increased impedance the system will be lower in volume.

I have to crank it up now to hear it. Double what the other cars need for the same volume level. What would happen with these new ones?

I'm wondering if the system in it is mismatched or something?

 

[Ronin]

Thanks. With the increased impedance the system will be lower in volume.

I have to crank it up now to hear it. Double what the other cars need for the same volume level. What would happen with these new ones?

I'm wondering if the system in it is mismatched or something?

Just like @Diboblo previously stated, that's correct. However that's only part of the equation as (dB) sensitivity is also a critical consideration, and aftermarket speakers are unquestionably going to be more efficient in that respect. Speakers are always the first step in improving the sound of the factory system, which is good because it's also the least expensive! My previous posts/pictures proved that the HK speakers are hot garbage, regardless of the fact that Dodge charges $2K for the "privilege" of having it...and HK wants NOTHING to do with their OEM-specific systems; no wonder!

As someone with fairly significantly damaged hearing (occupational hazard...) and who absolutely loves music (and has an almost schizophrenic-like range of taste!) I'm exceptionally difficult to please as far as stereo performance is concerned, which is why I'm methodically approaching it in the manner I am. One set of speakers at a time; doors are next, and then dash and center, and I'll see how it performs at that point. I'm not as concerned at what number the volume is at on the (factory) head unit; rather the quality of the sound at the volume I want.

Like making more horsepower there's other considerations (drivetrain, suspension, brakes, etc.) and it's best to have a systematic approach. All of these speakers I'm buying have both excellent efficiency and the ability to handle higher power/wattage; so if I do decide that they're underpowered I can add an amp, but with that being said I'd need to flatten the signal as it's artificially boosted to make the factory garbage sound "good"; lipstick on a pig. That cost would be higher comparable to the overall cost of all of the speakers (that I'm planning on replacing at least; not ALL of them) where a signal processor and amplifier would run around $600-ish and obviously be a more involved installation. If I end up doing that I'll likely go this route:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_541AP...Aftermarket-Amplifier-Interface.html?tp=76871

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13698361/JL-Audio-JD400-4.html#details-tab

This is why I initially ordered my Hellcat with the base model stereo, so I could do things my way with my money. I'll never win any dB drag contests but it'll be more than what I need for what I want...

 

[DavidKFla]

Just like @Diboblo previously stated, that's correct. However that's only part of the equation as (dB) sensitivity is also a critical consideration, and aftermarket speakers are unquestionably going to be more efficient in that respect. Speakers are always the first step in improving the sound of the factory system, which is good because it's also the least expensive! My previous posts/pictures proved that the HK speakers are hot garbage, regardless of the fact that Dodge charges $2K for the "privilege" of having it...and HK wants NOTHING to do with their OEM-specific systems; no wonder!

As someone with fairly significantly damaged hearing (occupational hazard...) and who absolutely loves music (and has an almost schizophrenic-like range of taste!) I'm exceptionally difficult to please as far as stereo performance is concerned, which is why I'm methodically approaching it in the manner I am. One set of speakers at a time; doors are next, and then dash and center, and I'll see how it performs at that point. I'm not as concerned at what number the volume is at on the (factory) head unit; rather the quality of the sound at the volume I want.

Like making more horsepower there's other considerations (drivetrain, suspension, brakes, etc.) and it's best to have a systematic approach. All of these speakers I'm buying have both excellent efficiency and the ability to handle higher power/wattage; so if I do decide that they're underpowered I can add an amp, but with that being said I'd need to flatten the signal as it's artificially boosted to make the factory garbage sound "good"; lipstick on a pig. That cost would be higher comparable to the overall cost of all of the speakers (that I'm planning on replacing at least; not ALL of them) where a signal processor and amplifier would run around $600-ish and obviously be a more involved installation. If I end up doing that I'll likely go this route:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_541AP...Aftermarket-Amplifier-Interface.html?tp=76871

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13698361/JL-Audio-JD400-4.html#details-tab

This is why I initially ordered my Hellcat with the base model stereo, so I could do things my way with my money. I'll never win any dB drag contests but it'll be more than what I need for what I want...

I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Maybe we should use it more so the wife will complain about it more.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Our Hellcats have sound systems??

 

[Smitty]

Our Hellcats have sound systems??

Of course. The more you push the gas pedal the louder it gets. Music to my ears. 👍😂

 

[Ronin]

Door speakers DONE. These Infinity Reference REF 9630cx were installed in the (modified) factory speaker bracket using the Infinity provided screws (don't try to reuse the stock ones, the integrated washer is too big and won't fit) with a Metra wiring harness (free with the Crutchfield order) and without the (1) component tweeters and (2) crossover wired/mounted/used.

Is that a waste of money? "Mayhaps" as my younger daughter says but as @Diboblo previously noted (and I very much appreciate his expertise and input in this and other threads!) there's only low(-er) frequencies being sent to the door speakers from the factory headunit, so using the crossover is unnecessary. As far as not using the tweeters go, the Infinity Reference REF-3032cfx are going into the dash location where the tweeters were going to be installed and the 3032s have a wider frequency response than tweeters alone will provide, particularly as far as the mid-range is concerned.

I found the mounting bracket of the factory door speaker to be interesting; it's as if it was purposely designed to NOT fit an aftermarket speaker and required a simple modification to allow it to fit the much larger magnet of the Infinity speaker.

AGAIN the scales don't lie; there's a 12-ounce difference between the two and it's likely almost all magnet. Strike 2 with the HK system; this speaker is as big a piece of shite as the rear deck speakers...

Stock door speaker weight approximately 28-ounces:

Infinity speaker weight approximately 40-ounces:

Factory door speaker mounting bracket, top and bottom view:

Factory bracket modified to accommodate the larger magnet of the Infinity speaker:
Installation note; in addition to making sure to use the mounting screws that Infinity provided and NOT reuse the ones the mount the factory speaker to the mounting bracket I did have to "encourage" the bracket holes to line up with those of the speaker and installed the screws in an opposing manner while pulling on the bracket to get them to line up. It was easy enough, just wanted to note it did not drop straight in and line up...

The big question of course is how do they sound of course! I made two mistakes when first test firing them; my phone was on Bluetooth instead of CarPlay and I forgot to flatten the EQ. Once those were rectified it was immediately noticeable as a near night and day difference. The muddiness of the low end disappeared and it now snaps which in turn also makes the vocals/high(-er) end that much more clear...and that's without installing the dash corners or center dash speakers.

With that being said I'm still on the bubble about signal processing/amplifying the system...I really need to see how these next two speaker installs (dash corners then center channel) go before deciding on that. Would the effect be more "dramatic" if I did everything at once over a couple of days in the garage? Well yeah, duh?! But I'm doing this methodically for a reason and so far what I thought would happen based on my subjective observations of the stock system has been more or less objectively proven (and improved)...

 

[jroyk]

Very informative and I have little doubt the sound will be a big upgrade because the HK system in Challengers is pretty bad. However, neodymium magnets can be puny yet more powerful than massive ferrite magnets. (I don’t know if the HK drivers are neodymium.)

 

[vortecd]

I have no issue with my hk in the charger. I wouldnt spend any money on it. The alpine system in the challenger is weak though

 

[Ronin]

Very informative and I have little doubt the sound will be a big upgrade because the HK system in Challengers is pretty bad. However, neodymium magnets can be puny yet more powerful than massive ferrite magnets. (I don’t know if the HK drivers are neodymium.)

Excellent point! But if you recall when I tried to shake down HK for any information on their system they clammed up and said that Dodge would only be able to do so; IF they even felt like it, so for detailed specs I was at a dead end.

With this system Dodge was clearly focused on charging as much money as possible for as little quality as possible and they clearly achieved that particular "goal" . Counting separate components as individual speakers, ridiculous signal processing (lipstick on a pig...), etc. Obviously Dodge isn't the only manufacturer that does this but previous systems in the LX/LY platform did actually perform (Kicker, Alpine, Boston Acoustics, Beats...) and while they weren't necessarily a bargain at least they performed arguably better...

 

[Diboblo]

Excellent point! But if you recall when I tried to shake down HK for any information on their system they clammed up and said that Dodge would only be able to do so; IF they even felt like it, so for detailed specs I was at a dead end.

With this system Dodge was clearly focused on charging as much money as possible for as little quality as possible and they clearly achieved that particular "goal" . Counting separate components as individual speakers, ridiculous signal processing (lipstick on a pig...), etc. Obviously Dodge isn't the only manufacturer that does this but previous systems in the LX/LY platform did actually perform (Kicker, Alpine, Boston Acoustics, Beats...) and while they weren't necessarily a bargain at least they performed arguably better...

True.

I've even sourced an OEM Kicker speaker system, for my Charger. It was amazing, in my '06.

Nice work, brother.

Sent from my SM-G666 using Tapatalk

 

[Ronin]

Step 3/dash corner speakers DONE. The findings/results here were similar in keeping with the previous rear deck and door speaker installs...

The HK stock speakers are similarly constructed as the others I've removed; made in Mexico (or China)/hot garbage. Weight of the Infinity replacements was nearly double that of the stockers; they're flimsy and pathetic and comparing the two side by side is how I'm sure PaVaSteeler feels in the locker room there's NO comparison.

Stock dash corner speaker:

Top-side comparison with Infinity 3032s:

Bottom comparison:

Weight of stock speaker (6.6 ounces):

Weight of Infinity (sorry for the blurry image, I didn't realize it until afterwards. 11.7 ounces):

Install was pretty straight forward and they're readily accessible in a few minutes. Crutchfield recommended a right-angle Phillips-head screwdriver to remove them, a 1/4-inch socket is a better/easier choice...

I did a side by side listening comparison of the speakers after installing one side as I've done with the previous installs, and it's readily apparent that the factory system is "optimized" to try and make the 2-ohm stock speakers sound good. At lower levels there's more volume/loudness but as soon as it's increased, past 18 and on up to 24 and higher, it's a day and night difference between the two.

The midrange/vocals with these speakers are crystal clear. Even with the factory biased boosting/equalizing they balance even the heaviest low-end frequencies. I did find myself having to play DJ with the EQ but that's likely attributable to the extremely varied style of music I was using to test it with...

That only leaves the center channel replacement as my last speaker related upgrade. While it will also additionally fill in the front/vocal soundstage I would tend to doubt it will be dramatically noticeable. Noticeable, but nothing compared to the replacing the dash corners.

I'm still really on the bubble about upgrading beyond the speakers; my beef with the stock system at this point is more sound processing/EQ-related as opposed to actual power/amplification. There's only so much you can do with the factory/3-band EQ and if it sticks in my craw enough I'll go down that road but for now the quality of the sound has been dramatically improved and met my expectations...

 

[Diboblo]

Step 3/dash corner speakers DONE. The findings/results here were similar in keeping with the previous rear deck and door speaker installs...

The HK stock speakers are similarly constructed as the others I've removed; made in Mexico (or China)/hot garbage. Weight of the Infinity replacements was nearly double that of the stockers; they're flimsy and pathetic and comparing the two side by side is how I'm sure PaVaSteeler feels in the locker room there's NO comparison.

Stock dash corner speaker:
View attachment 92632
Top-side comparison with Infinity 3032s:
View attachment 92633
Bottom comparison:
View attachment 92634
Weight of stock speaker (6.6 ounces):
View attachment 92635
Weight of Infinity (sorry for the blurry image, I didn't realize it until afterwards. 11.7 ounces):
View attachment 92636
Install was pretty straight forward and they're readily accessible in a few minutes. Crutchfield recommended a right-angle Phillips-head screwdriver to remove them, a 1/4-inch socket is a better/easier choice...

I did a side by side listening comparison of the speakers after installing one side as I've done with the previous installs, and it's readily apparent that the factory system is "optimized" to try and make the 2-ohm stock speakers sound good. At lower levels there's more volume/loudness but as soon as it's increased, past 18 and on up to 24 and higher, it's a day and night difference between the two.

The midrange/vocals with these speakers are crystal clear. Even with the factory biased boosting/equalizing they balance even the heaviest low-end frequencies. I did find myself having to play DJ with the EQ but that's likely attributable to the extremely varied style of music I was using to test it with...

That only leaves the center channel replacement as my last speaker related upgrade. While it will also additionally fill in the front/vocal soundstage I would tend to doubt it will be dramatically noticeable. Noticeable, but nothing compared to the replacing the dash corners.

I'm still really on the bubble about upgrading beyond the speakers; my beef with the stock system at this point is more sound processing/EQ-related as opposed to actual power/amplification. There's only so much you can do with the factory/3-band EQ and if it sticks in my craw enough I'll go down that road but for now the quality of the sound has been dramatically improved and met my expectations...

Nice work, brother!

Sent from my SM-G666 using Tapatalk

 

[Av8ing1]

Step 3/dash corner speakers DONE. The findings/results here were similar in keeping with the previous rear deck and door speaker installs...

The HK stock speakers are similarly constructed as the others I've removed; made in Mexico (or China)/hot garbage. Weight of the Infinity replacements was nearly double that of the stockers; they're flimsy and pathetic and comparing the two side by side is how I'm sure PaVaSteeler feels in the locker room there's NO comparison.

Stock dash corner speaker:
View attachment 92632
Top-side comparison with Infinity 3032s:
View attachment 92633
Bottom comparison:
View attachment 92634
Weight of stock speaker (6.6 ounces):
View attachment 92635
Weight of Infinity (sorry for the blurry image, I didn't realize it until afterwards. 11.7 ounces):
View attachment 92636
Install was pretty straight forward and they're readily accessible in a few minutes. Crutchfield recommended a right-angle Phillips-head screwdriver to remove them, a 1/4-inch socket is a better/easier choice...

I did a side by side listening comparison of the speakers after installing one side as I've done with the previous installs, and it's readily apparent that the factory system is "optimized" to try and make the 2-ohm stock speakers sound good. At lower levels there's more volume/loudness but as soon as it's increased, past 18 and on up to 24 and higher, it's a day and night difference between the two.

The midrange/vocals with these speakers are crystal clear. Even with the factory biased boosting/equalizing they balance even the heaviest low-end frequencies. I did find myself having to play DJ with the EQ but that's likely attributable to the extremely varied style of music I was using to test it with...

That only leaves the center channel replacement as my last speaker related upgrade. While it will also additionally fill in the front/vocal soundstage I would tend to doubt it will be dramatically noticeable. Noticeable, but nothing compared to the replacing the dash corners.

I'm still really on the bubble about upgrading beyond the speakers; my beef with the stock system at this point is more sound processing/EQ-related as opposed to actual power/amplification. There's only so much you can do with the factory/3-band EQ and if it sticks in my craw enough I'll go down that road but for now the quality of the sound has been dramatically improved and met my expectations...

This has been really interesting. I hate my HK system so much, but the car is no longer daily driven so its many glaring audio system faults aren't so big of a deal anymore. Aside from the muddy, loose, dirty, sounds so bad I want to stab my ear holes, my next major complaints is lack of volume. How has your speaker changes effected the potential loudness of the system? I doubt I'll spend any more money fixing the sound issues, but I am curious.

 

[Ronin]

This has been really interesting. I hate my HK system so much, but the car is no longer daily driven so its many glaring audio system faults aren't so big of a deal anymore. Aside from the muddy, loose, dirty, sounds so bad I want to stab my ear holes, my next major complaints is lack of volume. How has your speaker changes effected the potential loudness of the system? I doubt I'll spend any more money fixing the sound issues, but I am curious.

You're experiencing the EXACT issues I had with the system, and these 3-pairs of speakers have gone light years towards rectifying the issue, the only other consideration at this point is do I want MORE volume/loudness...

Previously to get the volume I wanted I was in the high 20s/low 30s and at that level the sloppy bass/low end was only exceeded in crapiness by the shrill highs and non-existent midrange. As @Diboblo noted; the lower (2) ohm speakers will be louder at a fixed volume level as opposed to 3 or 4 ohm speakers but that's where the "advantage" of the stock HK system comes to a screeching halt. The response, (dB) efficiency and power handling of the speakers I've added clearly exceed those of the stock speakers and now the system can be listened at a (very!) high level and is glass-rod crisp and the vocals punch through the lows clearly as they should. It's worth noting that at this point I've found the performance of the dual-subs to be acceptable now that my midrange and high-end/vocals are clearly discernible, although I'm admittedly not the bass-head I was back in the day and I'm sure much could be done to improve it if you're so inclined.

As is common in today's modern systems is the manufacturers rely on artificially tweaked signal processing to make garbage sound systems, especially speakers, passable, at AVERAGE listening levels. So sitting in the car at the dealership or out on a test drive it might sound decent, especially when you're likely more interested (particularly in the case of these cars) in the vehicle's actual performance/handling/braking and not necessarily the sound system. So when you replace those speakers with quality aftermarket ones, the cheesy signal processing is that much more apparent, and there's only so much you can do with the factory/3-band EQ...