Harmon Kardon sounds terrible!

[Jonnyboy]

Hey! I recently got a 2019 3500 Laramie with the 17 speaker system. I had a 2019 1500 previously and the system sounded fantastic. I noticed a few days after purchase that the new truck sounds TERRIBLE. I adjusted the sound settings and still nothin. The bass is only there when it hits hard if that makes any sense. Could the Amp be bad?

 

[Don-T]

There is something different from truck to truck in some cases, I think. My last 3500 (2019) and my current 3500 (2021) both have the HK system. The last truck had less bass reproduction, but the overall sound quality was much better than the new truck. I did change the dash speakers in my 2021 for better highs as my hearing is not what it used to be. I would like to change the headliner speakers as well but I have not yet had any luck getting the grills to come off. I don't want to break anything.

You are comparing a 1500 to a 3500 so there is no telling how different they are. I had a 2020 1500 but it had the Alpine system. I do prefer the HK system.

 

[Jonnyboy]

Hey man thanks for replying! My driver and passenger door speakers aren't working at all and the sound is just bad. If there's a baseline In a song, it's just gone and bass only comes in when it hits super hard. No background bass at all. Do you think it could be the Amp? im taking it to the dealer in a week or two but wanted to see if anyone had any clues before hand. It definitely doesn't sound like a top of the line system to me. Thanks!

 

[Don-T]

I would to take it to the dealer. It sounds like there is a problem if you have speakers that are not working at all. It may be the amp but I would think it more likely there is a loose connector someplace causing the trouble.

 

[Jonnyboy]

I would to take it to the dealer. It sounds like there is a problem if you have speakers that are not working at all. It may be the amp but I would think it more likely there is a loose connector someplace causing the trouble.

I am. I spoke to the service manager at my local dealer and he said hes had a few trucks with similar issues. Hoping it's an easy fix as I listen to music everytime I'm In the truck. Thanks Don! have a good one

 

[Firebird]

My buddy has the HK, and my 10 speaker Alpine sounds better to me

 

[Jonnyboy]

My buddy has the HK, and my 10 speaker Alpine sounds better to me

I agree with you completely. Hopefully the dealer can figure it out for me.. been pretty bummed lol. dont even wanna listen to music

 

[Firebird]

I agree with you completely. Hopefully the dealer can figure it out for me.. been pretty bummed lol. dont even wanna listen to music

That's a bummer too, it should be an amazing system. To me, the HK has too much mid range and tweet, and not enough depth. My service writer was shocked at how good my Alpine sounded, he thought I had added aftermarket speakers

 

[Jonnyboy]

That's a bummer too, it should be an amazing system. To me, the HK has too much mid range and tweet, and not enough depth. My service writer was shocked at how good my Alpine sounded, he thought I had added aftermarket speakers

My last truck was a 19 1500 with the HK and it sounded great. This one is just super flat If that makes sense.. say there's a bass guitar in the background of a song, it's not there and the singers voice is louder than all hell. Very annoying

 

[Crusty old shellback]

The HK in my 21 PW sounds awesome.
Had a Lexicon system in my Genesis Sedan and this system sounds just as good.
I built the system in my wifes 04 Chevy, so I dont expect it to match that one, even though the HK has more speakers. But the Chevy has Focal speakers and a 5 channel, 500W amp. Only 7 speakers in it.

 

[Bearman95]

My HK sounds great in my 2500 longhorn! I’ve had four different alpine systems and this has those systems beat hands-down!

 

[Linked4door]

I was really impressed with the HK in my 2019 limited before I sold it. Sounded as good, if not better as the aftermarket setups in my prior trucks.

 

[Chaddison]

I will say for the HK system it depends greatly on source. SXM is terrible, Bluetooth is tolerable but wired in or HD radio sounds amazing. Try other sources to see if quality changes.

 

[anderson0172]

Hmm, I've had 3 trucks with the Alpine system and while they all sounded decent none sounded great. My '21 has the HK now and to me it's by far the best sounding system in any of the Rams I've had.

 

[UglyViking]

I enjoy the HK system but feel like I can never quite nail the settings. Sometimes too much bass, sometimes too little, highs can be piercing or non-existent, etc. The bass in the system doesn't seem to do much, start to wonder if mine is dead because it's got no punch.

 

[carlrx7]

I will say for the HK system it depends greatly on source. SXM is terrible, Bluetooth is tolerable but wired in or HD radio sounds amazing. Try other sources to see if quality changes.

This right here.

 

[Drumminguy81]

coming from a car audio install background, I have always customized the stereo systems in my vehicles, though as i get older i find that i want to mess with them less and less. my 2008 ram had the factory infinity system that I completely removed and replaced with a nice aftermarket alpine/infinity system, my parents had a 2012 with the factory alpine system and I was really unimpressed with how it sounded as well. I just got my 2020 with the HK system and I have to say I am really impressed with the sound quality for a factory installed system. The subwoofer hits nicely and the speakers sound great for my preference. I will say there are tons a factors that play in to how a stereo sounds in a vehicle, #1 being your personal preference. I have a mega cab which im sure sounds very different than a CC. The source will also have a huge impact. am/fm is pretty much always terrible, Bluetooth can be better but there are a lot of settings in your phone/app that can effect the sound quality, for example my phone has an EQ for audio playback that includes bluetooth output. The app I use to stream also has EQ settings that can be adjusted.

 

[lovegolf44]

I will say for the HK system it depends greatly on source. SXM is terrible, Bluetooth is tolerable but wired in or HD radio sounds amazing. Try other sources to see if quality changes.

HD radio and thumb drive (MP4) sounds pretty darn good.

 

[edpete97]

What was the culprit here? I bought a 2019 about 6 weeks ago. Everything sounded fantastic. Now I'm having the same issues noted in the OP. Random bassy' sound and everything sounds like old FM radio, every source.

 

[JHeat2500]

Satellite radio sounds terrible due to bandwidth issues. They compress the hell out of the music before transmitting the broadcast. Bluetooth is okay, but not capable of transferring music at even CD level quality, so the best option is to use a CD (pre 2020 truck IIRC) or whatever digital player you like (thumb drive, apple product, etc...) directly connected to the USB port.

As far as the system itself, my HK system was okay, but nothing great. The ANC kills the low end response from the factory subwoofer, and the factory speakers are cheaply built coaxials with built in passive crossovers in the dash and headliner and separate midbass (6x9)/tweeter components in the door.

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