HK sound system not sounding good.

[jmdwifi]

I thought it would be at least as good as my alpine in my 16 JK 2 door. Is it normal for this to sound so underwhelming? Does replacing speakers help? It just does not sound like a 17 speaker 900 watt system to me. I like the big screen an all but am wondering if anyone has done anything to make it sound better.

 

[johanh13]

Don't know what your Alpine system sounds like, but my HK 17 speaker system is among the better systems I've ever encountered. It is so loud it will hurt my ears (if you crank it too far), with very little distortion, and the bass is quite good as well. It is a well balanced system in my opinion...

 

[jmdwifi]

Don't know what your Alpine system sounds like, but my HK 17 speaker system is among the better systems I've ever encountered. It is so loud it will hurt my ears (if you crank it too far), with very little distortion, and the bass is quite good as well. It is a well balanced system in my opinion...

I bought the JK used and the original stereo was having issues. I replaced it with an alpine with CarPlay. I kept the amp and speakers because it sounds awesome with out changing. The original system sounded better than this one still. I wanted opinions because maybe mine isn't working right. Or it may the active noise cancelling. I don't know.

 

[Fantastipotamus]

Probably not the noise canceling. When that isn't working correctly, you will know it - it is legitimately deafening, and you can't turn it down (opening a window shuts ANC off though).

How are your devices connected? What are you playing (hq audio files on your device, streaming from spotify, etc)? And what are your settings from the audio menu; surround on/off, eq settings, placement f/r for fading, that sort of stuff?

Would also be helpful if you elaborate a bit on what you don't like about the sound. Not loud enough? Tinny? Bass-y? Muddy? That sort of thing.

 

[jmdwifi]

Probably not the noise canceling. When that isn't working correctly, you will know it - it is legitimately deafening, and you can't turn it down (opening a window shuts ANC off though).

How are your devices connected? What are you playing (hq audio files on your device, streaming from spotify, etc)? And what are your settings from the audio menu; surround on/off, eq settings, placement f/r for fading, that sort of stuff?

Would also be helpful if you elaborate a bit on what you don't like about the sound. Not loud enough? Tinny? Bass-y? Muddy? That sort of thing.

You are right, sorry about that. I have my phone connected with a cable and the songs are on there. The files are rendered straight from the masters of the studio we recorded in. I turned the bass and mids up one notch or two. I’ve played around with the equalizer a little. It’s just not punchy at all. The style music I listen to is death and thrash metal. Our band is thrash metal. It’s not horrible, just blah. Not very loud and I thought with all these speakers and the sticker saying 900 watts, it doesn’t seem like it. I was really hoping it was active noise control something and it would “ turn this setting off and it is way better”. If not, it’s cool. Like I said, not horrible. I don’t know if I am a big fan of this huge screen either. I think I like buttons better for climate control stuff.

 

[rasmo22HD]

I thought it would be at least as good as my alpine in my 16 JK 2 door. Is it normal for this to sound so underwhelming? Does replacing speakers help? It just does not sound like a 17 speaker 900 watt system to me. I like the big screen an all but am wondering if anyone has done anything to make it sound better.

I agree, I get aggravated that I can't adjust the gain on the sub... I also seem to lose volume through Android Auto

 

[rasmo22HD]

I agree, I get aggravated that I can't adjust the gain on the sub... I also seem to lose volume through Android Auto

Any ideas? I shouldn't have to put an aftermarket system in but I need way more volume. I took it to a custom stereo shop and they don't even know if it can be modified. Can't mess with it today anyway, Truck is back in the shop for the 4th time due to no starting power... maddening

 

[unclelala]

I play FM AM but my MP3 player sounds great. Bass is punchy , the highs are crisp and clear and mine is loud. I had a Alpine in my 2017 1500 and it was OK but mediocre.
The HK isn't audiophile but for a upgraded OEM its pretty damn good. I use to make custom systems that were very good but lots of money and for what it cost me in my Limited its decent sound at a pretty good price for an old pecker like me.

 

[Fantastipotamus]

You are right, sorry about that. I have my phone connected with a cable and the songs are on there. The files are rendered straight from the masters of the studio we recorded in. I turned the bass and mids up one notch or two. I’ve played around with the equalizer a little. It’s just not punchy at all. The style music I listen to is death and thrash metal. Our band is thrash metal. It’s not horrible, just blah. Not very loud and I thought with all these speakers and the sticker saying 900 watts, it doesn’t seem like it. I was really hoping it was active noise control something and it would “ turn this setting off and it is way better”. If not, it’s cool. Like I said, not horrible. I don’t know if I am a big fan of this huge screen either. I think I like buttons better for climate control stuff.

Sounds like input quality not an issue at least. It is likely that, especially if you're a professional musician, the stereo just isn't up to the task. I could see the rapid fire bass you're accustomed to might not be adequately reproduced through these systems.

In my old 2019 1500, you could replace the dash speakers (which were smaller) without affecting ANC, but replacing the sub or any of the larger door speakers would cause it to go haywire. But even replacing the dash tweeters won't help with punchier bass. You'll probably end up having to install an ANC bypass cable and get some upgraded speaker or something. My 2024 is the first I've had w/ the HK, and it sounds decent to me, so i can't offer much in terms of specifics.. best of luck!

 

[jmdwifi]

Sounds like input quality not an issue at least. It is likely that, especially if you're a professional musician, the stereo just isn't up to the task. I could see the rapid fire bass you're accustomed to might not be adequately reproduced through these systems.

In my old 2019 1500, you could replace the dash speakers (which were smaller) without affecting ANC, but replacing the sub or any of the larger door speakers would cause it to go haywire. But even replacing the dash tweeters won't help with punchier bass. You'll probably end up having to install an ANC bypass cable and get some upgraded speaker or something. My 2024 is the first I've had w/ the HK, and it sounds decent to me, so i can't offer much in terms of specifics.. best of luck!

I am trying to keep my Jeep 2dr and if I want to listen to music, I drive that. The Ram is fine for podcasts and such

 

[Johnny B]

Maybe because you’re running the music from your phone through a cable? I run Spotify connected via Bluetooth and it sounds great.

 

[Ramsomair]

The HK in my MegaCab is one of the best sounding systems I've ever had. My work truck has the Alpine and it doesnt hold a candle to the HK.

 

[Keith Williams]

I agree i'm not impressed with my HK either although I will say it sounds much better streaming music from my phone. My door speakers are muffled with barely and voice coming out of them, is that normal?

 

[jsalbre]

I agree i'm not impressed with my HK either although I will say it sounds much better streaming music from my phone. My door speakers are muffled with barely and voice coming out of them, is that normal?

Definitely not. Check your audio settings.

 

[Razzman]

I had the Alpine in my 2017, just ok. The HK in my 2500 is way better, I pretty much play SiriusXM exclusively and it always sound awesome. I've never experienced and distortion, muffling, nothing. I would say it's a source issue but you could always do a reset to see if that helps.

 

[Razzman]

I don’t know if I am a big fan of this huge screen either. I think I like buttons better for climate control stuff.

I didn't either at first, you'll get used to it and it becomes second nature.

 

[jmdwifi]

The JK Alpine system was better than this one stock. My head unit broke, so II replaced it with an Alpine with CarPlay. 500 series or something. I did not do anything with speakers or amp and it sounds better than this. Like I said earlier, it's not horrible, just not what I would expect from the name and speaker number, etc.