Anyone attempted aftermarket amp/subwoofers in mega cab with HK audio system?

[strongNutz]

Has anyone upgraded/added aftermarket amp(s) and subwoofer in their 2500/3500 with either the Alpine or HK audio systems? Looking for options to connect an aftermarket amp or two.
Also, anyone know where is the factory amp located? On the 1500s its under the front seat, but not on the 2500/3500s.

 

[My6rams]

Following also

 

[mlink]

I was shocked that my '19 Limited (built 9/6/19) actually had a subwoofer (under the rear passenger seat). Produces sounds so thin and tinney even after the limited adjustments. And you have to turn turn turn the volume to get the sound up. Ha Ha - don't they advertise that this system has like 800 watts??
Anyone have the HK system meeting their expectations?

 

[time2kyl]

Nope. Thinking about taking it out for more storage.

 

[Medic]

Ive been into car audio since high school, always installed high performance systems in my vehicles.

When i got the Power Wagon, I was blown away with how good the stock system is. People get in my truck and they always look around to see if Installed an aftermarket system.
The system is more than enough stock. Its shake the windows loud.

 

[time2kyl]

What are you using for sources? As others have experienced on here XM is very lacking on the low end for me.

 

[Ruffone]

I don’t see it under either of my seats so I am thinking it is probably on the rear wall of the cab behind the rear seats, just a guess though.

 

[BigOlMega]

Since the new HD's have the same cab as the 2018, the amp should be under driver's dash. A quick check on my 19 Limited appears to confirm this, however, I have not double checked. I used the Rockford DSR1 in my 16, but I cannot find the compatibility with the 19 HK systems in the HD trucks. Idatalink has not yet responded to me. Their guides appear to list Amplified and "with Active Noise Cancellation" as two different options. I believe mine has both.

 

[Burn'n Oil]

Anyone have the HK system meeting their expectations?

Only when I plug one of my 30+ year old CDs into the system. The sub will then blow the right rear seat into the upright position. All the other mediums (FM/SIRIUSXM etc) sound like crap. Ok fine if ya dig compressed tunes.

 

[jdubc72]

Has anyone swapped amps, or added after market speakers/subs? I would love to hear about the experience before I start ripping into my dash.

 

[FunkELo]

Has anyone swapped amps, or added after market speakers/subs? I would love to hear about the experience before I start ripping into my dash.

I did in my '14, took it all out when I traded it in and will be installing in the new truck. Pretty easy stuff as long as you take your time. Youtube videos and audio forums helped me out a ton.

 

[Kmx99]

I came from a Alpine in my 2018 Mega that really rocked. The stereo sounded hands down better than the same alpine in my 2010 Mega. It’s SQ was okay, but has enough low end to keep my happy (Came from a stereo competition background in my early years)

Now, Going into my 2020 with HK......... really disappointed. SQ was way better than the 2018 Alpine, but totally lacked on the bottom. I met with our local shop that did comps when I was doing them also, we came up with a simple discreet plan. 3- Kicker Solo Baric L7T 8” subs and a Grindworks Z1000.1D amp. Replaced the whole back storage area and kept it flush. They added some type of signal processer (can’t remember what exactly, will report back) in it to correct the tones, and to add a corrected output to the subs. The Mids and Highs are even better now than before, with a much better bottom end.

The sounds processor, it seams to be hit and miss on the low end depending on type of music (using Pandora mostly) Rock type music is lacking, rap, hip hop seams to be tuned in much better, but the little 8’s can’t quite get much below 30hz or so. Im going to be tweeking this over the next few weeks. I’m only 5 days post install now. I’ll keep up with what progress I make on this. These are the install photos.

 

[BigOlMega]

That looks fantastic! I have not touched mine yet, as every time I take my truck to the dealer, they tell me they cannot troubleshoot until I remove the aftermarket equipment and I have been bummed about that and the fact that the only way to get a lift kit on the truck is to spend 6k+ on a Carli kit.

 

[bfs673]

I posted this in another thread, but perhaps relevant here:

Just thought I'd chime in here for my first impressions, coming from a '14 with the Alpine system.

While I'm not an audiophile, I am an audio enthusiast with decent experience in home theater. I'm familiar with and have set up room correction calibrations, acoustic treatments to manage room modes, manage secondary reflection points, etc. I know what good sound is. There's much more for me to learn, but as I grow older, my hearing doesn't keep up with what I'd "like" to hear.

I've never expected audiophile quality from a vehicle sound system. Even the Bowers & Wilkins system in the Volvo's (one of my favorites) suffer from some issues, mainly the environment; it's not a proper audio environment.

The '14 with the Alpine system was fairly good. Without going into a full review, I found it decent all around, regardless of input (SD card, USB, BT, etc.). Satellite radio… forget it.

I've only had my truck for a week, and minimal seat time. So take the following with a grain of salt:

My '21 with the HK was a disappointment to begin with.
I've learned the source matters greatly on this unit, more so than I've experienced with other systems. Bluetooth streaming of Spotify (My streaming app of choice) was relatively flat with a narrowed sound stage. Worse than my '14 for sure.
With the same settings, Android Auto resulted in a dramatic improvement! Finally, I could hear what this system is capable of doing. Wider sound stage, good SW performance, vocals are very clean.
I find the transition of mid to low frequencies between the speakers and SW to be too dramatic. When you hear sound coming from the SW, you know it's coming from the SW. It should be "invisible" to the ear. The low pass filter should have a range, not a sharp cut-off. Additionally, some of the high frequency sounds can be a bit too bright/harsh.

I will spend some time with my SPL meter and frequency sweeps to find the best settings for the EQ (though there's not much adjustment to play with).
This might clean up the mid to low freq transition and subdue the high frequency a bit.

XM has never sounded good to me; Ever. This system is no exception. I've had folks argue this point, I then listen to their system and find it to sound compressed (think low bit-rate MP3). Some channels are better than others, obviously a bandwidth priority.

I'm definitely satisfied with the system.

 

[mlink]

I find that any system with a 3-band equalizer (like a '80s boom-box) to be laughable when it comes in a system as loudly touted as the HK in my Limited. Was shocked to see it.
Not sure how much time to invest...

 

[FunkELo]

How you connect to your HU matters significantly. Bluetooth will never be great unless it supports one of the hifi codecs. It's also affected by the settings on your player (any EQ's, volume, etc). Your connection to Android Auto was probably hard wired and therefore digital, literally the best way to connect and will typically always provide the best result. SXM's compression just sucks, it'll never be great sounding.

 

[TXLaramie]

I came from a Alpine in my 2018 Mega that really rocked. The stereo sounded hands down better than the same alpine in my 2010 Mega. It’s SQ was okay, but has enough low end to keep my happy (Came from a stereo competition background in my early years)

Now, Going into my 2020 with HK......... really disappointed. SQ was way better than the 2018 Alpine, but totally lacked on the bottom. I met with our local shop that did comps when I was doing them also, we came up with a simple discreet plan. 3- Kicker Solo Baric L7T 8” subs and a Grindworks Z1000.1D amp. Replaced the whole back storage area and kept it flush. They added some type of signal processer (can’t remember what exactly, will report back) in it to correct the tones, and to add a corrected output to the subs. The Mids and Highs are even better now than before, with a much better bottom end.

The sounds processor, it seams to be hit and miss on the low end depending on type of music (using Pandora mostly) Rock type music is lacking, rap, hip hop seams to be tuned in much better, but the little 8’s can’t quite get much below 30hz or so. Im going to be tweeking this over the next few weeks. I’m only 5 days post install now. I’ll keep up with what progress I make on this. These are the install photos.

So this is an old thread, but wanted to ask how you are liking your setup now 7 months later? I would like to add a sub or subs to my 2021 2500 Laramie MegaCab. This setup looks like it could be just about perfect...if I can find someone to duplicate that box.

Did your megacab have all the plastic on the passenger side that makes the "storage" absolutely useless? If so, I assume there is noting under there based on how your box sits.

I listen mostly to rock music, but do listen to country, rap and what not as well.

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated as I don't want to lose the storage space behind the seat just to put some subs in. The other option I would see is to remove the pointless storage on the passenger side and then put a couple 10s over there to get a little more range out of them than the 8".

Thanks for your help and I apologize ahead of time for my lack of correct terminology...we used to put subs, etc into all our vehicles, but haven't had anything in my last 3. Still wishing our audio guy hadn't gone out of business years ago...haven't found a good shop in the area that does honest work since then.

 

[gimmie11s]

I came from a Alpine in my 2018 Mega that really rocked. The stereo sounded hands down better than the same alpine in my 2010 Mega. It’s SQ was okay, but has enough low end to keep my happy (Came from a stereo competition background in my early years)

Now, Going into my 2020 with HK......... really disappointed. SQ was way better than the 2018 Alpine, but totally lacked on the bottom. I met with our local shop that did comps when I was doing them also, we came up with a simple discreet plan. 3- Kicker Solo Baric L7T 8” subs and a Grindworks Z1000.1D amp. Replaced the whole back storage area and kept it flush. They added some type of signal processer (can’t remember what exactly, will report back) in it to correct the tones, and to add a corrected output to the subs. The Mids and Highs are even better now than before, with a much better bottom end.

The sounds processor, it seams to be hit and miss on the low end depending on type of music (using Pandora mostly) Rock type music is lacking, rap, hip hop seams to be tuned in much better, but the little 8’s can’t quite get much below 30hz or so. Im going to be tweeking this over the next few weeks. I’m only 5 days post install now. I’ll keep up with what progress I make on this. These are the install photos.

NICE!

 

[BigOlMega]

If you just want subwoofers, the input to the factory woofers can be utilized to run a high level to low level converter to go to an aftermarket amp. To change the whole system, the best solution I have found is the DSR1 from Rockford Fosgate. It is a Maestro piece, so idatalink makes harnesses that interface the factory wiring and you use an app to change settings in the DSR1. There are a few pre-fab boxes to be had on Ebay if you are not crazy about building them.