Base Sound System Upgrade/Build

[HalfCab]

Looks great! Do you happen to have a picture of the subwoofer remote level mounting?
Thanks!

Here you go.

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[SCTWNB]

Here you go.

Thanks! That was my idea of some sort. Better than in the center console

 

[HalfCab]

Surprised to see that this thread is still active...Just in case it's of any use, here is an update since my original post:

Original installation:
Kicker Key200.4 (installed in dash on factory knee brace/support). Retained wiring in factory configuration (kick panel speakers and dash speakers on front channels, rear pods on rear channels).

Sub Amp: Kicker Key500.1 (installed under driver seat), also purchased the subwoofer remote level control Kicker 46CX (installed in recess below climate controls).

Subwoofer/enclosure: Kicker 10" downfiring, shallow mount 48CVTDF102

I have since upgraded all speakers. Amplifier installations and subwoofer was by far the most impactful improvement.

New speakers:
Kicker KSC650 (6.5" in kick panels)
Kicker KSC40 (4" in dash and rear pods), with 300Hz bass blocker on dash speakers only.

Observations:
Front speaker replacement provided great improvement in general sound quality, not as impactful as amplifier(s) and subwoofer installation, but worthwhile. I tested use of boom mat speaker baffles on dash speakers and found them to worsen the sound considerably. A bit of egg crate foam below the speakers resulted in much better result.

Rear speaker (4"pods) replacement was of questionable value. Definitely better sound quality with the Kickers, but not exceptionally notable. If you fade all the way to the rear and compare before and after, you will note better sound clarity and certainly higher volume capability, but in normally balanced/faded situation, I didn't notice much of an improvement.

I did not flash or modify forscan (I haven't seen any definitive evidence that either method really unlocks the rear frequencies) - I really see no utility in messing with a flash/forscan unless you are replacing rear pods with something other than a 4" speaker. I think we need to accept that the factory pods are just going to be high frequency tweeters, not much to be gained in frequency response for a 4" even if we could unlock them.

Cheers

 

[Squatchn']

Surprised to see that this thread is still active...Just in case it's of any use, here is an update since my original post:

Original installation:
Kicker Key200.4 (installed in dash on factory knee brace/support). Retained wiring in factory configuration (kick panel speakers and dash speakers on front channels, rear pods on rear channels).

Sub Amp: Kicker Key500.1 (installed under driver seat), also purchased the subwoofer remote level control Kicker 46CX (installed in recess below climate controls).

Subwoofer/enclosure: Kicker 10" downfiring, shallow mount 48CVTDF102

I have since upgraded all speakers. Amplifier installations and subwoofer was by far the most impactful improvement.

New speakers:
Kicker KSC650 (6.5" in kick panels)
Kicker KSC40 (4" in dash and rear pods), with 300Hz bass blocker on dash speakers only.

Observations:
Front speaker replacement provided great improvement in general sound quality, not as impactful as amplifier(s) and subwoofer installation, but worthwhile. I tested use of boom mat speaker baffles on dash speakers and found them to worsen the sound considerably. A bit of egg crate foam below the speakers resulted in much better result.

Rear speaker (4"pods) replacement was of questionable value. Definitely better sound quality with the Kickers, but not exceptionally notable. If you fade all the way to the rear and compare before and after, you will note better sound clarity and certainly higher volume capability, but in normally balanced/faded situation, I didn't notice much of an improvement.

I did not flash or modify forscan (I haven't seen any definitive evidence that either method really unlocks the rear frequencies) - I really see no utility in messing with a flash/forscan unless you are replacing rear pods with something other than a 4" speaker. I think we need to accept that the factory pods are just going to be high frequency tweeters, not much to be gained in frequency response for a 4" even if we could unlock them.

Cheers

Nice setup, I bet it sounds fantastic. For what it's worth, I've read that the boom matts need to have a vent hole cut into the side of them, otherwise the area behind the speaker is sealed air tight and this fights the movement of the speaker cone, resulting in poor sound. It sounds like the egg crate solution accomplished what you needed it to, but I'm going to install "vented" boom matts and see how it sounds.

 

[22BlackDiamondGreen]

@buzpro is definitely right, don't rush into it! I'm 8 hours into my project so far and have only the first amp and front 4 speakers done!

Took my time planing out wire runs, carefully removing trim panels, good luck finding a replacement right now if you break off the clips. Thankfully everything came apart fairly easily with an interior trim removal tool.

Had to make two adapter rings for the kick panel speakers because of where the mounting locations are for the factory ones. Easy enough to trace the old hole pattern onto some HDPE and cut out with a jigsaw. Used some foam rings to isolate the kick panels too as it's open to the fender behind. Not enough room for the full foam backer though.

Really easy to access the dash speakers, can basically see all the way to the floorboards with them taken out so no problem wiring. Added some "boom mat" speaker baffles behind them to direct the sound upwards and made a nice difference!

Knew from the beginning I wanted to use the Kicker Key 200.4 for the fronts as it's super compact and efficient. Really easy to set up and mounted perfectly on the crash bar under the steering column. Still get full range of motion on the column too!

Meant to take more pictures of the install process but you get in the zone and just get stuff done!

Will update again with the rear speaker and sub setup!

Great mounting location -- have you had any heat issues?

 

[MBPhotos]

Just got this combo installed the other day and man what a difference! I had already swapped all the 4” speakers with Kenwoods and the 6.5” with the Morrell Maximo off crutchfield. Whole system sounds fantastic now IMO.

 

[philjmatt]

Great mounting location -- have you had any heat issues?

Ran all summer with no issues! Doesn't get too crazy hot in Indiana, but didn't have any problems.

 

[Ma_Deuce]

Just got this combo installed the other day and man what a difference! I had already swapped all the 4” speakers with Kenwoods and the 6.5” with the Morrell Maximo off crutchfield. Whole system sounds fantastic now IMO.

Do you have any rattle with the top and sides for the rear locking system? That’s my concern with adding a sub inside there.

 

[MBPhotos]

Do you have any rattle with the top and sides for the rear locking system? That’s my concern with adding a sub inside there.

Not near as much as I expected. Haven’t done ANY sound dampening or anything yet either. Casual listening, I haven’t heard any. Turning it up, on certain heavy bass parts of a song I heard a little bit, but not terrible. I’ve only had this in a couple days so I’ll let it ride for a bit before really getting in there and trying to diagnose where exactly the rattle is coming from.

 

[Bronc OH]

Surprised to see that this thread is still active...Just in case it's of any use, here is an update since my original post:

Original installation:
Kicker Key200.4 (installed in dash on factory knee brace/support). Retained wiring in factory configuration (kick panel speakers and dash speakers on front channels, rear pods on rear channels).

Sub Amp: Kicker Key500.1 (installed under driver seat), also purchased the subwoofer remote level control Kicker 46CX (installed in recess below climate controls).

Subwoofer/enclosure: Kicker 10" downfiring, shallow mount 48CVTDF102

I have since upgraded all speakers. Amplifier installations and subwoofer was by far the most impactful improvement.

New speakers:
Kicker KSC650 (6.5" in kick panels)
Kicker KSC40 (4" in dash and rear pods), with 300Hz bass blocker on dash speakers only.

Observations:
Front speaker replacement provided great improvement in general sound quality, not as impactful as amplifier(s) and subwoofer installation, but worthwhile. I tested use of boom mat speaker baffles on dash speakers and found them to worsen the sound considerably. A bit of egg crate foam below the speakers resulted in much better result.

Rear speaker (4"pods) replacement was of questionable value. Definitely better sound quality with the Kickers, but not exceptionally notable. If you fade all the way to the rear and compare before and after, you will note better sound clarity and certainly higher volume capability, but in normally balanced/faded situation, I didn't notice much of an improvement.

I did not flash or modify forscan (I haven't seen any definitive evidence that either method really unlocks the rear frequencies) - I really see no utility in messing with a flash/forscan unless you are replacing rear pods with something other than a 4" speaker. I think we need to accept that the factory pods are just going to be high frequency tweeters, not much to be gained in frequency response for a 4" even if we could unlock them.

Cheers

I went with the same amp, speakers in the dash + rear pods and went with 6.75" KS in the kick panels. I'm pretty sure the rear speakers are still locked out, simply based on the amount of movement from front vs. rear on the same song. the fronts + kick panels really respond to the lower frequencies, the rears do not. I put a powered sub in back and will probably be good enough until I start dabbling in Forscan. Seems like a waste to have decent speakers crippled.

Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[KeithK]

Surprised to see that this thread is still active...Just in case it's of any use, here is an update since my original post:

Original installation:
Kicker Key200.4 (installed in dash on factory knee brace/support). Retained wiring in factory configuration (kick panel speakers and dash speakers on front channels, rear pods on rear channels).

Sub Amp: Kicker Key500.1 (installed under driver seat), also purchased the subwoofer remote level control Kicker 46CX (installed in recess below climate controls).

Subwoofer/enclosure: Kicker 10" downfiring, shallow mount 48CVTDF102

I have since upgraded all speakers. Amplifier installations and subwoofer was by far the most impactful improvement.

New speakers:
Kicker KSC650 (6.5" in kick panels)
Kicker KSC40 (4" in dash and rear pods), with 300Hz bass blocker on dash speakers only.

Observations:
Front speaker replacement provided great improvement in general sound quality, not as impactful as amplifier(s) and subwoofer installation, but worthwhile. I tested use of boom mat speaker baffles on dash speakers and found them to worsen the sound considerably. A bit of egg crate foam below the speakers resulted in much better result.

Rear speaker (4"pods) replacement was of questionable value. Definitely better sound quality with the Kickers, but not exceptionally notable. If you fade all the way to the rear and compare before and after, you will note better sound clarity and certainly higher volume capability, but in normally balanced/faded situation, I didn't notice much of an improvement.

I did not flash or modify forscan (I haven't seen any definitive evidence that either method really unlocks the rear frequencies) - I really see no utility in messing with a flash/forscan unless you are replacing rear pods with something other than a 4" speaker. I think we need to accept that the factory pods are just going to be high frequency tweeters, not much to be gained in frequency response for a 4" even if we could unlock them.

Cheers

Where did you put the subwoofer? Any pics?

 

[zuke]

On my 21 with the base sound system, I went a mostly different direction then everyone else, Did some playing around with stuff I had laying around to see what worked for locations and forscan settings until I found something that worked without having to tap into the front at all.

The only change I made in Forscan was to ACM 727-01-02, (ACM 727-01-01 Didn't seem to help anything)

Changed 'xxx* xxxx xxxx' to a 0 from a 1, Confirmed this works by playing 40, 60, and 200hz test tones.

Replaced the four 4" speakers with Rockford Fosgate R14X2. Huge improvement in Clarity, these are still in the dash locations.

Tried a set of Rockford Fosgate R1675X2 in the Kick Panels, They sounded worse than the stock ones, so I stuck with stock there.

Now with full range in the back, It seemed pretty obvious to me there just isn't enough speaker in the back and the 4" were not gonna cut it.

Had a Sony Xplod 10" in a box, a Dual Amp, And a Couple Kenwood Coaxial 6x9"s in Metra Boxes that weren't currently being used, so I tapped into the rear channels and tied all that in. It was a revelation in sound, But I was still experimenting at this point, The Dual amp is crap, and would distort the mids and highs at higher volumes, The Sony box was too Big, and there was no practical way to mount the Metra boxes for good stereo imaging to the front.

Yesterday I put in my final solution;

R.F. R14X2 4" in dash (Saw no need to do more than this in the front) $69, Crutchfield
Kenwood KAC-314 (Nice, Small Class D 4 channel amp that fits in the left side quarter panel pocket) $199, Best Buy
Rockville RWB65B Wakeboard Speakers (A Buddy has a set of these in his Wheeling YJ, And they sound great there, I'm surprised I don't see more people here going with Wakeboard Speakers) $125, direct from Rockville Audio
Pyle PT8B (Inexpensive 8" sub That's not huge) $58, Amazon

I Used the brackets from the original speakers pods to put a 1" Structural steel tube across behind the rear roll bar crossover, And then mounted the Rockvilles to that.

I hooked the Rockvilles to Amplifier A in the Kenwood, and bridged the Pyle on Amplifier B.

Tuned the Pyle's bass/sub gain (Called Input Sensitivity on Kenwoods) with a 40HZ tone at 25 on the head unit

Tuned the Rockville's gain by ear with Boston, "More Than a Feeling" at 20 on the head unit

I'm really satisfied with how this setup worked out I can run the system up to beyond where it's comfortable to listen too with no distortion, and I have awesome clarity with no distortion, Bass response will shake the truck.

This has moved the sound stage to around the middle of the truck, If I find I don't like that, I may add a 2 Channel amp in the front to move the sound stage forward.

 

[BroncOhh]

First post here, but I’ll share what I’ve done so far.
I have a ‘21 2-door base. I have replaced all 6 speakers at this point. I went with Infinity Reference speakers for all 4 of the 4” speakers. They seemed to be the best option running off of the stock head unit. Low RMS operating power, good Hz range, decent OHM rating as well. I used those in the two dash locations as well as the rear pods. For the kick panels I went with a pair of Rockford Fosgate P1650’s. They are a great 2 way speaker. They don’t produce a ton of bass, but the tweeter they have brings a clear sound quality at higher volume settings. With this setup, and minimal equalizer play from the factory head unit, the mids and highs seem to be decent. The one thing I will absolutely suggest is using boom mats with all of your speakers. Because the stock speaker spaces are just plastic or sheet metal you gain so much sound quality in adding those boom mats. They take some trimming to fit, but they make a world of difference in sound quality.
The only thing left may be to add a small subwoofer. I don’t want to tear the dash apart so I’ll probably go with a line out converter, and a powered sub.

 

[SlvrSurfRidr]

Thanks for the share @BroncOhh - good powered sub option (as close to plug and play as you might find) would be a JBL BassPro Nano. Slide it under the driver seat and tune as needed
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-C9Lbx...rwG8_u4QnN8Luap6HqL1CyD5uvXkSByBoCnHQQAvD_BwE

 

[airstreamin]

I have replaced all 4" and 6.5 with JBL speakers. I am still hearing the rear speakers require the head unit flash, to open up full range on the rear. It does appear limited. Did you have the flash performed on the rear speakers, or do they appear to provide full-range after your setup?

The rear speakers are still limited. That said , their purpose is for rear fill. Most of the sound is from the front stage as it should be.

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