I just got a 2017 dd r/t with the beats stereo. I had a Jeep Wrangler with the alpine setup and it was much better than this beats setup. I think it feeds too much bass to the front doors and they distort before everything else. Also the sub seems pathetic. The sub in the wrangler with alpine setup was awesome. I don't want to throw a ton of money at it and I don't want a big sub box in the back. What is the best option to increase bass without taking up a ton of room. I like a stock look. Thanks
disappointed with beats stereo....what is a good fix?
jmeyers278
1 - 20 of 67 Posts
Joined
·
191 Posts
I just got a 2017 dd r/t with the beats stereo. I had a Jeep Wrangler with the alpine setup and it was much better than this beats setup. I think it feeds too much bass to the front doors and they distort before everything else. Also the sub seems pathetic. The sub in the wrangler with alpine setup was awesome. I don't want to throw a ton of money at it and I don't want a big sub box in the back. What is the best option to increase bass without taking up a ton of room. I like a stock look. Thanks
I was actually surprised at how good the beats system sounds...but it needs good quality audio files. Music from XM sounds horrible as do low bit rate mp3 files. Higher quality mp3 files make a huge difference (once the eq settings are adjusted a bit).
For more bass you can stuff the sub with polyfill, pretty sure there was a thead here about it at some point.
For more bass you can stuff the sub with polyfill, pretty sure there was a thead here about it at some point.
Joined
·
14 Posts
I agree with the poster above, i mostly use lossless files from my iphone and I also am surprised by the results. Also, it appears that the speakers need break in time, the system is sounding better everyday.
Joined
·
191 Posts
I use iTunes files from my phone just as I did in the wrangler. You cant even get the sub over the over driven door speakers. It is not good.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Joined
·
30 Posts
I have a 2014 Ram with the Alpine system. It's not going to win any big audio awards, but it's miles better than beats. Beats is terrible. It's worse than terrible. I find I turn off the music after awhile, because it sounds so bad. There's much information here about fixing it. You can start with fill. I haven't done it yet so can't comment on the results, but there are many here who have. After that it starts costing money.
Beats is the most disappointing factory "premium" audio system I have ever had. Using good quality sources is important, but my Alpine sounds better with good quality sources too. Alpine sells audio equipment. Bets sells 'lifestyle'. Which one do you think will be better? It is sad to me that Dodge continues with this beats stupidity. Don't listen to people that say the system is good. Trust your ears.
Joined
·
191 Posts
Lol this is what I was thinking. The only premium factory stereo I had that was worse was the jbl in my tundra. That system drove even more power to the front door speakers
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I think the main problem is how they program the EQ, it can sound great on some songs and really weak on others. I did sound deadening in the doors and polyfil in the sub box, better but not perfect. Hopefully some day they can reflash it to make the levels more even, throwing better speakers at it won't help unless you add a processor and amps.
Joined
·
30 Posts
I don't have enough info to comment on why it sucks, but I doubt a different EQ would fix the problems. However, it would be nice if there was the ability to EQ it on screen - maybe a 7 band EQ or something similar. I'm showing my age here, but I remember EQ's, with real physical sliders or dials. Implementing this in software should be trivial. Maybe the options confuse too many people...
Looking at this:
http://www.dodgedurango.net/forums/...401-beats-dre-speaker-system-distortion-resonance-frequency-response-plots.html
I suspect that it would require much more than a few bands of EQ! Whoever sat in the vehicle listening to it, and said, yes, this is good enough to sell as a premium system, should be fired.
Beats is better then the last few GM "blose" systems I've had.
I went off the deep end (to some) to fix it, but maybe you can take some of my solutions and just tone them down some. In addition to the build log (which I keep a link of in my signature to help), I also have some threads in the audio section with EQ and distortion graphs, so you can see what my calibrated mic was able to hear, like our ears hear (with averages where it counts, to account for a pair of ears and multiple seating positions.) From them you'll probably pick up that at first listen or so, it is tolerable but the more you dig into it, the more you realize it is fundamentally flawed in too many ways to be salvageable. Yes, you can just replace speakers or add amps, but there's issues that will be amplified (literally in ways) when you do this.
The hardest part of my fix is the MS-8 processor, which is discontinued. It is the ONLY processor (except the H800 Alpine) that properly handles center channel action. And that's a big deal, because with a proper center channel, the whole front Durango stage is very anchored/stable, and sounds fantastic.
Speaker-wise, you can definitely drop down some notches and still be happy. I went high-end (as high-end as 6x9's allow, specifically) but there's room to cut and get creative. Not ideal to do that but possible. Perhaps running an Alpine R 6x9 coaxial and then maybe the SPX PRO (replica) tweeters like I put in the pillars, with a processor and amp channels to control it would be a good compromise. Amps can be very small these days, so the fact we need a bunch of channels (at least in my build's case) is handled with many small amps that can hide away. You should be able to fit a single flat 10 in the trunk area by replacing the factory subwoofer area completely. It is possible to hide everything completely as well, but expect some fab time and energy there. But to this moment, I've got:
4 amps, 2 Sundown 10's, and my MS-8 processor all in that trunk area, and except for my processor which is mounted in the cubby hole area on the left rear, all the rest is fully under the factory floor panel so it is invisible. Full function of my trunk area is available, and it works. I wish I had a fast-and-easy cure for folks wishing to better the bass response in these trucks, but truthfully aside from polishing the turd that is the factory sub enclosure and/or sub, you just have to get crafty in the trunk area, and not be afraid to pull some panels to make it happen. I tried to document my process as much as I could in my build, to be of use. It was helpful to me along the way to keep track of it all, so it works out for me too.
The hardest part of my fix is the MS-8 processor, which is discontinued. It is the ONLY processor (except the H800 Alpine) that properly handles center channel action. And that's a big deal, because with a proper center channel, the whole front Durango stage is very anchored/stable, and sounds fantastic.
Speaker-wise, you can definitely drop down some notches and still be happy. I went high-end (as high-end as 6x9's allow, specifically) but there's room to cut and get creative. Not ideal to do that but possible. Perhaps running an Alpine R 6x9 coaxial and then maybe the SPX PRO (replica) tweeters like I put in the pillars, with a processor and amp channels to control it would be a good compromise. Amps can be very small these days, so the fact we need a bunch of channels (at least in my build's case) is handled with many small amps that can hide away. You should be able to fit a single flat 10 in the trunk area by replacing the factory subwoofer area completely. It is possible to hide everything completely as well, but expect some fab time and energy there. But to this moment, I've got:
4 amps, 2 Sundown 10's, and my MS-8 processor all in that trunk area, and except for my processor which is mounted in the cubby hole area on the left rear, all the rest is fully under the factory floor panel so it is invisible. Full function of my trunk area is available, and it works. I wish I had a fast-and-easy cure for folks wishing to better the bass response in these trucks, but truthfully aside from polishing the turd that is the factory sub enclosure and/or sub, you just have to get crafty in the trunk area, and not be afraid to pull some panels to make it happen. I tried to document my process as much as I could in my build, to be of use. It was helpful to me along the way to keep track of it all, so it works out for me too.
Joined
·
191 Posts
This is what I was afraid of. I will dive into this after the new year. Thanks for the in depth documentation. That will help a lot
Joined
·
191 Posts
had a Bose system in our 15 Porsche Cayenne and it was awesome....the one in my old Cadillac was pretty good too. This beats one is pretty terrible for a premium system. The stereo In my wife's 2016 jgc overland is way better
Joined
·
14 Posts
i know im in the minority here, but i gotta say im impressed by the beats system. ive noticed an improvement in the sound quality after a month or so, the bass is now very prominent. i do have to say that I do listen to a lot of underground metal / hardcore music that isn't high fidelity - haha. when i bust out some jazz, im impressed with the sound stage and clarity although im sure the alpine system sounds better.
I'm surprised by the hating on the Beats system. I'm not saying it's sensational, but it's certainly no piece of crap like the Bose in my wife's Enclave. Not claiming to be an audiophile but am a musician with a pretty decent ear. And this system is definitely above average for a factory system. But this discussion makes me wonder if there are inconsistencies from build to build. I can't imagine someone hearing mine and thinking it's horrible.
Joined
·
30 Posts
I can imagine someone hearing mine and thinking it's OK. But it's a premium system. OK isn't good enough. If someone hears mine, and thinks it's better than OK, I will know they have no idea how to evaluate it.
Keep in mind beats sells fashion accessories, not audio equipment. I'm not hating on beats. I'm hating on Dodge, for not giving me the option at least of upgrading to a decent system of any brand name. If my 2014 Ram can have a reasonably good premium system, why not my 2016 Durango? I don't want a fashion/lifestyle name on my system. I want good quality of any name.
Joined
·
263 Posts
At first, I thought that the Beats system was about comparable to the Bose system in my former rider, a 2009 Chevy Tahoe. But after 8 weeks of break in and some adjustments to the tone/equalizer controls, I have to say that the it actually sounds better than the Bose. I am told that the "Beats" name is just licensed by Dodge and actually manufactured by another audio company.
Joined
·
492 Posts
I usually don't get the premium audio groups in my vehicles because they don't sound better than the stock systems by enough to justify the cost. I actually think the stock sound system in the Durango is pretty good.
I stay away from stuff with the beats name though, everyone in college had the expensive headphones so I figured they must be pretty good until I tried my girlfriend's. They sounded like mud, very little treble and absolutely no midrange clarity; so that's what I associate Beats with.
Whether a sound system sounds good is largely subjective, IMHO most custom setups people have have way too much bass and sound retarded when the body panels of their car start to vibrate. It depends on the kind of music you're into too though.
I stay away from stuff with the beats name though, everyone in college had the expensive headphones so I figured they must be pretty good until I tried my girlfriend's. They sounded like mud, very little treble and absolutely no midrange clarity; so that's what I associate Beats with.
Whether a sound system sounds good is largely subjective, IMHO most custom setups people have have way too much bass and sound retarded when the body panels of their car start to vibrate. It depends on the kind of music you're into too though.
1 - 20 of 67 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
