My audio build...

[FDE-4X]

@Pb82 Ronin Thanks for the write up of your audio journey. I recently picked up a 2023 AT4X and can agree the audio is subpar. I don't want to go all out because I switch vehicles fairly regularly. With that in mind, is it reasonable to start with the Dayton 8" woofers in the front doors (with adapters) and 6.5" Focals in the backdoors, all running off the factory Bose amp, plus a JL stealthbox and dedicated amp for that? If so, did you choose Focals to be a little brighter to offset the bass in the backseat, or what is the thinking on that specific model?

 

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[Buckeye23AT4]

Well, if I wasn't full retard before...I am now. I bought new gear and I'm making a change. The new system configuration is as follows:
1) Helix DSP Pro MK2 with "Director"
2) Audiofrog GB25s in OEM dash location
3) Audiofrog GB10s (tweeters) in aluminum tweeter pods
4) Dayton RS225-4 8" woofers (front doors)
5) Focal KX2 6.5" woofers (rear doors)
6) JL XD 800/8 (amplifier)
7) Kicker CXA1200.1 (for the subs)
8) JL Audio 13TW5 shallow 13.5" subwoofers (x2 in a SubThump box under the rear seat)
9) Cascade audio VB2 (doors, headliner, and rear wall) and VB3 on the floor. Also using KnuKoncepts Kollossus and SDS CLD tiles and pieces where needed.

Why am I switching? I'm going from an active 2 way, to an active 3 way. Switching to a 1200W RMS mono amp for the subs. They need more powa! That's a lot of work just doing amp swapping...but really excited for the GB25s. Those little fuggers are AMAZING just on their own. The GB10s will be on axis high in the A-pillars. And those TW5s...man what can I say about those things? They will surprise you how well they perform. They rival competition subs with output in a small and compact package. It is EASILY my favorite subwoofer...even over my 10W7. There's nothing a pair of TW5s can't do exceptionally well. For anyone considering subs, look no further.

Total invested into system to date? Well, some of this gear was bought used, made with our own equipment (3D printer), or 2nd hand discounted but still new, or just new, and the list above comes in at $6301 (including, amp rack, wiring, adapters, incidentals, etc.). Mind you I did the entire install and tuning, so no money was spent there. I didn't include the money spent on the first round of parts. Once I sell some of the extra stuff I got laying around the expense begins to drop. When I saw that number, I was a bit surprised...I thought it would be much higher. If I would've had to pay full retail, it probably would be closer to $8-$8500.

new to the forum. i attached a file that has some cart options i selected from crutchfield. wasnt looking to add amps and go crazy. but a simple plug and play upgrade with a little powered sub adder.

thoughts on what you think of the attached. also interested in the audio frog dash GB25 you put in. did those plug and play in existing location? according to crutchfield, the speakers that are confirmed to fit we didnt have many options other than the cheap kicker.

back in the day i had all sorts of fancy setups with diamond audio, image dynamic horns, xtant amps, IDQs etc. its a work truck so dont want to go crazy, but do enjoy good quality.

 

[Pb82 Ronin]

@Pb82 Ronin Thanks for the write up of your audio journey. I recently picked up a 2023 AT4X and can agree the audio is subpar. I don't want to go all out because I switch vehicles fairly regularly. With that in mind, is it reasonable to start with the Dayton 8" woofers in the front doors (with adapters) and 6.5" Focals in the backdoors, all running off the factory Bose amp, plus a JL stealthbox and dedicated amp for that? If so, did you choose Focals to be a little brighter to offset the bass in the backseat, or what is the thinking on that specific model?

TBH, I don't even run the rear speakers unless I have passengers back there. I recommend swapping the twiddlers for GB25's if you can afford them. The Daytons are a truly fantastic driver...especially for the budget conscious. There are better out there though. As you probably can see from my charts, swapping drivers doesn't do anything but play slightly cleaner and louder...but you will not notice an increase in bass. It's not until you add a good subwoofer and amp will that be realized. I went with the Focals because I had them laying around. In hindsight, I use them so infrequently that I probably should've just run some 6.5" Dayton's because they're also quite good and cost about 15x less than the Focals.

 

[Pb82 Ronin]

new to the forum. i attached a file that has some cart options i selected from crutchfield. wasnt looking to add amps and go crazy. but a simple plug and play upgrade with a little powered sub adder.

thoughts on what you think of the attached. also interested in the audio frog dash GB25 you put in. did those plug and play in existing location? according to crutchfield, the speakers that are confirmed to fit we didnt have many options other than the cheap kicker.

back in the day i had all sorts of fancy setups with diamond audio, image dynamic horns, xtant amps, IDQs etc. its a work truck so dont want to go crazy, but do enjoy good quality.

The GB25's aren't what I'd consider "plug n play" but they are not hard to install, fit easily in the OEM location (with adapters), and sound awesome. Any powered sub is better than the factory trash in the console.

 

[FDE-4X]

TBH, I don't even run the rear speakers unless I have passengers back there. I recommend swapping the twiddlers for GB25's if you can afford them. The Daytons are a truly fantastic driver...especially for the budget conscious. There are better out there though. As you probably can see from my charts, swapping drivers doesn't do anything but play slightly cleaner and louder...but you will not notice an increase in bass. It's not until you add a good subwoofer and amp will that be realized. I went with the Focals because I had them laying around. In hindsight, I use them so infrequently that I probably should've just run some 6.5" Dayton's because they're also quite good and cost about 15x less than the Focals.

What would be your recommendation for tweeters and woofers leveraging the existing bose amp (think it's 2 ohm rather than 4 ohm)?

 

[SoundsGoodStereo]

What would be your recommendation for tweeters and woofers leveraging the existing bose amp (think it's 2 ohm rather than 4 ohm)?

What year is your truck?

 

[FDE-4X]

What year is your truck?

2023

ETA: I bought your adapters today

 

[SoundsGoodStereo]

2023

ETA: I bought your adapters today

Awesome!! Appreciate it. So on the Refreshed trucks, the factory crossover point is more forgiving than the pre-refreshed Bose trucks. So if you have the Refreshed, you really need a mid-range that can play high enough to add life to the top end. Needs to be able to play 3.5K+ minimum

Two items we are exploring in our truck at the moment:
- Focal K2 M Mid-Range
- Gladen Audio GA38SG

Known options are the Kicker KSC2704 will drop right in.

 

[Pb82 Ronin]

What would be your recommendation for tweeters and woofers leveraging the existing bose amp (think it's 2 ohm rather than 4 ohm)?

If you take a look back at post #25, you can see the difference in just the speaker swap. From what I recall, the factory amp is 8 ohm on the high end which is why the 4 ohm drivers I put in were very loud. The Tang Band's I put in were good...especially if you're not planning on running a tweeter. And I have to give a nod to the GB25's I have in there now. Those will play to 20K without issue, but they're pricey. For woofers, my cheap recommendation is the Dayton 8" driver. If you don't like having money, the new Stereo Integrity TM8 woofer is an absolute crusher. You can run the high-pass all the way down to 30 Hz. We installed a set in my buddies 2500 and they are pretty dramatic. I personally wouldn't bother with those unless I was going to amplify them.

 

[house_ape]

If you take a look back at post #25, you can see the difference in just the speaker swap. From what I recall, the factory amp is 8 ohm on the high end which is why the 4 ohm drivers I put in were very loud. The Tang Band's I put in were good...especially if you're not planning on running a tweeter. And I have to give a nod to the GB25's I have in there now. Those will play to 20K without issue, but they're pricey. For woofers, my cheap recommendation is the Dayton 8" driver. If you don't like having money, the new Stereo Integrity TM8 woofer is an absolute crusher. You can run the high-pass all the way down to 30 Hz. We installed a set in my buddies 2500 and they are pretty dramatic. I personally wouldn't bother with those unless I was going to amplify them.

I don't use the axxess either. I just mention it as something available. My friend does in his Sierra 2500 though...and it does work quite nicely. I'm happy to answer any questions you all may have about it.

I also don't sum anything. I agree with you all there. There is full signal in the Bose, you just have to be able to isolate and correct (tune it) via a DSP. I use Helix, and it works just fine. I also appreciate the harness SGS sells; it just turns out that it's not really needed if you plan on running a full DSP build.

I appreciate the feedback! I have settled on a set of Focal 8 Inch component speakers, mounting the tweeter in the dash speaker locations. I have the loopback harness being created and the company mentioned that a DSP input voltage would need to be able to handle the 32v input that the bose amp would provide. I checked your DSP and it looked like the high level input can handle up to 20v. Was this an issue you had to work around?

 

[Pb82 Ronin]

I appreciate the feedback! I have settled on a set of Focal 8 Inch component speakers, mounting the tweeter in the dash speaker locations. I have the loopback harness being created and the company mentioned that a DSP input voltage would need to be able to handle the 32v input that the bose amp would provide. I checked your DSP and it looked like the high level input can handle up to 20v. Was this an issue you had to work around?

No it hasn't been an issue because my DSP is installed on the output side of the Bose amp. It was the only way I could think of to eliminate Bose's shenanigans (other than removing it entirely) from the audio picture.

 

[house_ape]

No it hasn't been an issue because my DSP is installed on the output side of the Bose amp. It was the only way I could think of to eliminate Bose's shenanigans (other than removing it entirely) from the audio picture.

Thanks for the response. I think my question was worded incorrectly, but I believe you answered it anyway. My DSP will be on the output side as well and was understanding that the output voltage was 32v from the Bose amp. If you haven't had issues, then I think I will be good.

 

[nabatron]

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[poopster]

This build is WAY over my pay grade! I could not figure this out in a million years. Do you think Forrest would come to NY and do my truck? But I don't think I could afford it anyway. Great build and writeup.

 

[NevrEnuffGMC]

Sorry I am late to this but kudos to making the perfect system. In using your DSP connected to all 6 speakers…. How did you get the blinker/door chimes to not be loud even with amplying those dash speakers? Also, did you use your DSP to “open” a full signal to the front door speakers? I noticed that they don’t seem to play the higher frequencies.
Thanks for everything posted in this thead!