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17 speaker Harmon Kardon

bearcat

bearcat

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Does anyone know where exact location of the speakers of the 17 Harmon Kardon system.Ram describes in the brochure that the premium 750 watt/17 speaker Harmon Kardon Audio system features the most speakers in the segment. I count only 12 in my 2020 3500 Longhorn Mega Cab
 
Harmon Kardon® Audio System

At the top end of the audio spectrum, the Harman Kardon® audio system offers an excellent listening experience with 17 premium speakers, a 750-watt surround sound amplifier and active noise cancellation. The upgraded sound system is available on 2019 Ram 2500/3500 Laramie, Laramie Longhorn® and Limited models.

The bolstering 17-speaker sound setup features three 3.5-inch with one-inch coaxial speakers located in the instrument panel, two 1-inch tweeters in the front doors, two 6×9-inch speakers in the front doors, two 6×9-inch speakers in the rear doors, two 3.5-inch with 1-inch coaxial speakers in the headliner and an 8-inch enclosed subwoofer.
 
The bolstering 17-speaker sound setup features three 3.5-inch with one-inch coaxial speakers located in the instrument panel, two 1-inch tweeters in the front doors, two 6×9-inch speakers in the front doors, two 6×9-inch speakers in the rear doors, two 3.5-inch with 1-inch coaxial speakers in the headliner and an 8-inch enclosed subwoofer.

So what it looks like to me is that the difference between the 10 alpines and the 17. hks besides brand name is that on the hks you get a 1" tweeter in each front door. Then you get an extra 1" coax speaker in each of the front 3 and rear headliner 2. Whatever a coax Spkr is. Dun no. 17 is a bit over kill fer this ole timer. I think my alpines sound great. My Subaru had hks and they sounded good but i didn't think they were far superior to anything else out there like bose is. That why i didn't opt for the L2 pkg, didn't need 17 spkrs or heated back seats for dogs for $2200 more than L1. I've got a $25 heated blanket i plug into the inverter plug in the backScreenshot_20200903-222148.png
 
bearcat said:
Does anyone know where exact location of the speakers of the 17 Harmon Kardon system.Ram describes in the brochure that the premium 750 watt/17 speaker Harmon Kardon Audio system features the most speakers in the segment. I count only 12 in my 2020 3500 Longhorn Mega Cab
Click to expand...
If your only counting 12 then your not also counting the 5- 1" coax speakers in front 3 in dash and rear 2 in headliner
 
Not really on topic, but I have to vent...

For some reason, the HK 17 system does a "just okay" job with the XM radio.
When I use Android Auto and play tracks from there, the sound is excellent. They subwoofer finally gets to be used. The whole setup shines.
Not sure what is the problem with the XM implementation on this radio... Poor antenna reception and just okay sound quality...
 
Last edited:
I only listen to talk radio, but it sounds great on mine
 
MikeXM said:
Not really on topic, but I have to vent...

For some reason, the HK 17 system does a "just okay" job with the XM radio.
When I use Android Auto and play tracks from there, the sound is excellent. They subwoofer finally gets to be use. The whole setup shines.
Not sure what is the problem with the XM implementation on this radio... Poor antenna reception and just okay sound quality...
Click to expand...

That's mainly from the audio compression they use to save bandwidth. I noticed that certain Sirius channels sound better than others. What I did was go into the EQ settings, and bump up the bass & treble to the top, and the mids to the bottom. Enhances the outer bandwidths much better, and the mids still sound full enough.
 
geektoad said:
XM sucks on all radios. They compress the **** out of the signal to save bandwidth.
Click to expand...
XM totally blows. Even though it's free for a while, I rarely listen to it because it sounds like garbage. I use HD FM channels or my thumb drive.
 
geektoad said:
XM sucks on all radios. They compress the **** out of the signal to save bandwidth.
Click to expand...
It blows in the RAM. My wife's VW XM sounds just as good as FM HD or Google music. Maybe VW has a way to decompress the music before sending to speakers?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk
 
jbncccb said:
It blows in the RAM. My wife's VW XM sounds just as good as FM HD or Google music. Maybe VW has a way to decompress the music before sending to speakers?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Perhaps but I had XM in my Silverado 1500 a few years ago and it sucked in that vehicle too.
 
MikeXM said:
Not really on topic, but I have to vent...

For some reason, the HK 17 system does a "just okay" job with the XM radio.
When I use Android Auto and play tracks from there, the sound is excellent. They subwoofer finally gets to be used. The whole setup shines.
Not sure what is the problem with the XM implementation on this radio... Poor antenna reception and just okay sound quality...
Click to expand...


I've observed the same thing. XM needs to find a way to improve sound quality or lower their prices. Not worth the $$ IMHO. My wife has a Rubicon with XM and we never renewed the subscription after the free trial expired. Recently, we received a promotion in the mail from them offering service for $5 a month for one year. I'll pay the $5 for one year (that's all it's worth to me) but will cancel once the promotion expires.
 
Hello Everyone.
I just found this post and would like to ask a question.
I have a 2019 Ram 2500 Longhorn Diesel Crew Cab.
The HK 17 speaker system sucks compared to my previous Alpine system I had in my 2015 Ram 1500 Longhorn.

The thing is, I know what the issue is and FCA won't entertain a fix. It's the EQ settings. Each notch up does not boost the tone enough. For example, I have to run the bass setting at max just to make it sound ok. With the EQ at max bass I should be driving the Sub woofer in the back like crazy and rattling the windows. But it's not. Same goes for the mid and treble setting. Keep in mind, this is not loudness or balance I'm talking about. It's tone. Each notch of the EQ in either three of the levels needs to boost at a larger db. I have no idea what it is right now, but it needs to be much more then it is.

So what's happening is that different audio sources and or stations are all broadcast at different qualities. We need adequate adjustment of the 3 band EQ to compensate for this. I can't do that and have to live with poor quality sound.

Is anyone else having this EQ issue?

Thanks
 
cmflyersx2c said:
Hello Everyone.
I just found this post and would like to ask a question.
I have a 2019 Ram 2500 Longhorn Diesel Crew Cab.
The HK 17 speaker system sucks compared to my previous Alpine system I had in my 2015 Ram 1500 Longhorn.

The thing is, I know what the issue is and FCA won't entertain a fix. It's the EQ settings. Each notch up does not boost the tone enough. For example, I have to run the bass setting at max just to make it sound ok. With the EQ at max bass I should be driving the Sub woofer in the back like crazy and rattling the windows. But it's not. Same goes for the mid and treble setting. Keep in mind, this is not loudness or balance I'm talking about. It's tone. Each notch of the EQ in either three of the levels needs to boost at a larger db. I have no idea what it is right now, but it needs to be much more then it is.

So what's happening is that different audio sources and or stations are all broadcast at different qualities. We need adequate adjustment of the 3 band EQ to compensate for this. I can't do that and have to live with poor quality sound.

Is anyone else having this EQ issue?

Thanks
Click to expand...
That makes sense. I just assumed that subwoofer was a weak one. But maybe it is not actually solicited enough.
We should try with a bass only audio file to find out up to where this thing can be driven, like can you actually get it to rattle the cab?
 
MikeXM said:
That makes sense. I just assumed that subwoofer was a weak one. But maybe it is not actually solicited enough.
We should try with a bass only audio file to find out up to where this thing can be driven, like can you actually get it to rattle the cab?
Click to expand...

Hello,

No the subwoofer is actually very good. The problem is either in the tuner or the amp. When you adjust the EQ level in either the bass, mids, or highs, there is not enough increase or decrease in that tone. So if you have a poorly broadcasted station and say the bass is not enough for you, the base EQ doesn't have enough reserve to compensate to make it sound nice...
Same goes for the mids and highs.
I'm sure it's just software, but when will they fix it. My truck is a year old now.
I had a 2015 Ram 1500 Longhorn crew cab before I upgraded. It had the Alpine system in it and it worked fantastic.

Thanks
 
I think I've seen a thread where someone claimed they updated and fixed the sound of their system. Can't remember where.
Maybe an update is available, but we don't know about it?
 
MikeXM said:
I think I've seen a thread where someone claimed they updated and fixed the sound of their system. Can't remember where.
Maybe an update is available, but we don't know about it?
Click to expand...

I went to the dealership nd asked they did an update and now I love the clear crisp sound and the deep beats from the sub my mine is better but my 2018 really hit the lows hard


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
MSundet said:
I went to the dealership nd asked they did an update and now I love the clear crisp sound and the deep beats from the sub my mine is better but my 2018 really hit the lows hard


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
So there's an update available? Surprised it's not done OTA
 
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