I have an 06 with the 7 speaker Infinity system and am not totally happy with the sound. Would I see a huge improvement if I replaced only the speakers with some nice aftermarket Infinity Kappas (2 ohm of course) or something similar?

 

yes.......

 

I would amp them first, and if you dont have a new head unit try that. I was thinking the same as you but the shop I went to said these speakers are under powered and the head units are not the best. So I amped and changed the head unit and it made a huge difference. They said try that first and if and when I blow them up then spend the cash on some new speakers.

Plus have you checked the price of speakers OMG you could easily spend a fortune!!!

 

im debating on replacing them with new speakers as well as amping the speakers and getting a decent headunit. the 6 disc isnt bad- but the speakers suck. i do want mp3 capability and stuff.

 

A sub with an internal amp really compliments the infinity system. I've done 2 systems and everyone that hears it thinks a whole aftermarket set up.

 

The Infinities aren't that bad, just have bad accomodations. A 4ch amp will open them up good, but an aftermarket headunit will help you tune it for optimal performance, along with an equalizer. Nowadays you can get by with the built in equalizers. That'll do you some good, and you can keep the stockers till they blow and already have the accomodations for new ones.

 

Can someone line out how the Infinity systems are setup? I understand there's an amp in there somewhere, right? Is the amp feeding all speakers or just the subs, if you can call them that, in the front doors? And did someone say the speakers were 2 ohm?

 

Hey Pauly!

From my experience...

The stock head unit sends out the signal to the amplifier, which is located somewhat behind the glovebox. I think the amplifier does a little more than amplify the signal though...I think it's where the equalization takes place (bass, treble, fade, balance, etc). It also has some sort of built-in crossovers as well.

The result, is that high frequencies get sent to the dash speakers, mids/lows to the front door speakers, and mids/kindof highs get sent to the rear door speakers.

So, if you replace the front door speakers with a fance 3-way 6x9, the built in tweeters are practically usesless, because no high frequency signal is sent to them front the factory amp.

In fact, I think it would be hard to get a quality sound system in place by using the factory amplifier. Either replace the head unit with aftermarket, or use something like a JL Audio Cleansweep to convert the stock head unit signal into a good quality baseline signal to feed an aftermarket amp.

--Eric

 

i've seen quite a few problems with several of the powered subs, and if either the amp or the sub goes bad, you have to replace the whole unit. it's so easy to fit a 10" in the rear seat well, and it will sound so much better, and will cost about the same as a decent powered sub.

 

i recently put in an alpine 9885 head unit and it made a huge difference in sound

 

Very helpful. Thanks for the info, Eric.

My wife wants me to put a Kenwood DNX 7100 in the truck. If I do that, I'll need to bypass the factory amp, right? Will I need new speakers also? I know better speakers are advisable, but will I need them?


Which factory system did you have?

 

the regular one.....not the infinity

 

My truck has the 7 speaker Infinity/NAV system.

I bought the 2 ohm Kappas to replace my door speakers, and the first one I replaced was the front passenger door. I couldn't resist trying it out right then and the results were clearly poor!! The factory system limits bass when you turn up the volume, and as someone else already mentioned, the amp has a crossover function that sends highs only to the dash and rear door speakers. The Kappa actually sounded worse than the factory 6x9.

I also bought an MTX Thunderform self powered sub, and decided to install it temporarily until I get around to replacing the entire system. My first try I used the signal to the rear door speakers to drive the sub - a huge mistake (that's when I found out they cut out the bass from going to the rear door speakers). I extended the wires to the front door speakers and it's a LOT better. In fact, it's nearly adequate! By turning down the bass on the head unit, I can turn the overall volume up much louder without distortion, and the sub takes care of pretty much all the bass. The downside is the system limits very deep bass even to the front door speakers, and limits it more as you turn up the volume.

As of now, my system is still all stock except for the sub, and it will suffice until I get around to replacing the head unit. At that time, I'll install the Kappa's, bypass the factory amp, and drive the Kappa's directly from the new head unit, retaining the sub, and disconnecting the dash speakers entirely. I'll hold off on external amps unless I end up really needing them, but I'm not a "competition" type where sound systems go and with 2 ohm speakers and 25 or so full range watts driving each of them I should be good to go.

 

Yeah, bypass the factory amp. The Kenwood unit you're talking about has a built in 50x4 watt amp, so wiring directly to the speakers is the best bet.

Do you have the 4 speaker or the 7 speaker infinity system?

If you've got the 7 speaker, you'll need to get some crossovers to split the high frequencies out for the dash speakers.

If you're going with a quality head unit like that, you really ought to get some speakers as well. If you can't dig that deep into your "suspension upgrade piggy bank", then just replace the front speakers, as they make the most difference.

--Eric

 

Thanks Eric.

I have the 7-speaker Infinity setup. So a crossover(s) is a must, and new speakers recommended. This is gonna be expensive..... I think I'd rather have control arms and fiberglass fenders!