The Durango
As everyone knows, the "Upgrade" (which cost us $1000) to a premium "Harman-Kardon" (same people who make JBL, Infinity, and AKG - and I'm fairly sure is a brand from Samsung right now) isn't really an upgrade and by all accounts has virtually everyone disappointed. I am a huge audio enthusiast, and always have been. My first car I had I outfitted with a Sony based system. My second car had Memphis Audio throughout (I totaled it 3 days after my rebuild was complete, yes it still stings). My third car was redone with a mixture of brands, including Power Acoustik, JBL, and Alpine. And my most recent car was 100% Rockford Fosgate (and it was one of the most precise setups I've ever owned). The Durango is my first car I’ve actually ran with the stock system, because I truly wanted to not be a snob, but that time is over.
The Goal
My whole goal with this project is to replace all of the speakers in the Durango with HK, provide some insight so you can make choices, and give everyone a "A-Z" guide on the system. I'm NOT looking to cut any new speaker holes. I'm NOT looking to add a separate bass enclosure. I'm NOT looking to replace the factory head unit. I'm NOT looking to replace the amp. Speakers only. For obvious reasons, I don't want to replace the head unit. It has ton's of great features. It is also not the source of our problems. I'm not really wanting to replace the amp because it actually puts out a fair amount of power (except to the sub) and it is nicely enclosed. I have 2 kids who can't keep their hands off of anything. I know they'll end up doing something to destroy it if it was out in the open. And I'd like to make this guide so "everyone" can do it, and I'm trying to improve the system for less than it cost.
TL-DR: I want the "every-man" upgrade for the system. The goal is a BETTER (objectively) audio system, for less than the cost of the HK upgrade, without replacing anything that will cause loss of any functionality or something that will require any "major" rewiring.
My Background
I traded in my last car for my 2021 Dodge Durango R/T last year right as I saw car dealers struggling, and I got this off the lot just below sticker price. So I felt really good. During my test drive the salesman said "This upgraded audio system is sick". And I heard nothing special. But after riding around with it for a few months now, I've realized it makes me sick, literally. The best way I know how to describe it, is to say that it is extremely fatiguing to listen to. I have to strain my ears to hear the highs, mids, and lows. Literally across the board it feels like anything going on (a cymbal crash, a drum beat, or even a nice guitar strum) is just impossible to hear. The only thing that stands out, is vocals. And they sound muddy and capped. After about 30 minutes, I either want to turn it to talk radio or just turn it off. It is so bad I would rather hear the roar of tires and the road than to listen to the stereo system.
My first major in college was Audio Engineering (switched to Computer Science and Engineering), and I like to fancy myself as a expert in the field of audio. And I've finally hit my limit with this Harman-Kardon system. I'm going to be replacing as much as possible, and I will be documenting my journey. I will be attempting to replace everything in stock enclosures and will attempt to use the stock amp to power everything. I'd like to not build a box to house anything, or have loose amps hanging around. One of the benefits of the Durango (or any SUV) is the cargo space, and the passenger count. I don't want to be cutting up my $50k car, and I'd like to make sure I don't loose any of the features it offers just so it can sound better. And I think I can do that with just speaker replacements.
The Issue With The Harman-Kardon System
But, first lets talk about what is wrong with this system. The first thing is they tried to do too much, with too little. It is a common practice in the electronics world to try to "check mark" as many boxes as possible. So, they have DST processing, a 7 channel surround sound setup, 19 speakers (because more is better right?), and it is all in a "green" environment friendly package. And engineers have 3 "cost" or "constraints" to work in. Financial, power envelope, and physical space.
This actually is where the problems start. This system has a 30 amp power limit. Meaning, over 14.4 volts (times) 30 amps - the maximum possible output of the amp is 432 watts. Now you usually put your "peek" setting at 2x that because you can draw about twice that in very short burst (less than 1 second). Which is 864 watts. Just a hair over their reported 825 watts, which they probably put in place to be a conservative estimate. And, this has to be spread out across 12 channels and 19 different speakers (it’s actually 14 speakers, more on that later) too many speakers, too little power to spread out. So, first thing is they had this power requirement.
NOTE: This was a engineering decision because one of the things you look for is "surface area of speaker * potential signal-to-noise of speaker = Volume of air needing to be populated with sound" formula. So more speakers, means more surface area, which means more air being moved, for such a big cabin in the Durango. So while I would have probably settled for a 10 speaker system if I was designing it, they choose 19. I would rather fewer speakers than can do more than more speakers that can do less. (For those of you wondering, it is ~1.76 feet/square of speaker surface area -to- 106 feet/cube of air volume in the cabin - my old Chrysler 200 had a 1.36% coverage, the Durango has 1.66%.)
Second, they have space constraints. And they wanted to be sure to include all of the storage space they could (like the lift gate in the back, the door storage areas, and so on) so the speakers have to be only so big, so deep, and can only protrude so much when they extend. Which they actually don't do too bad with this. The only thing I think is poor is the sub-woofer location. It is terrible, but I would try my best to hide it too if that is what I shipped.
Then they have a cost limitation. The choice to go "green" wasn't about the environment. It was about money. The woofer material (based on what I've found thus far) is a treated "cardboard" like material. Very soft, and extremely porous to air. Which gives the speakers their "muddy" and "soft" sound. This doesn’t include the fact that the magnets are small and weak, and the coils look like they were done with low grade (probably 22-gauge) copper. Regardless, this brings me to my next point.
Anything that is analog (screens, speakers, smells. etc.) anything that uses our physical senses - good building materials always wins. There is no black magic that can replace how leather (real leather) actually feels. There is nothing that can replace more pixels on a TV screen to make a image look better. And, just like those two obvious things there is nothing that can replace good materials in a speaker to make a system SOUND better. Which is NOT a primary concern of the engineers. This has to be a concern of project management, which is more and more concerned with checking boxes, which you can see above how checking boxes is all this system does. A egineers concern is ALMOST ALWAYS "just get it to work, within these limitations (space, cost, time, energy, etc)".
Correcting the Record
I’ve seen a lot of people on this forum (and along other places on the internet) complain about this system. But, I’ve seen a lot of bad information. So I want to dispel a LOT of bad information:
1. The amplifier doesn’t turn on if it’s not the right audio source. This is just WRONG. Speakers can not work without being powered. This is the job of the amplifier. If it isn’t on, speakers aren’t on. What this actually comes from a input ‘Signal-to-Noise’ ratio. More than likely what happened is the “Natural inputs” (like a 3.5mm jack or USB devices) are all native, and depend on your device. They control this. But the Satellite radio, Bluetooth, and FM require a “adapter” (even though it might be internal to the device) – or as we like to call it, a controller – might be higher/lower quality. This is something that can be changed with software SOMETIMES by simply changing the gain setting or by just “boosting” the signal. But, it is usually advised against. Specifically with the Sirius radio questions floating around, I'm sure it is a contract with Sirius where they have to use a specific controller, they have to have a specific type of volume leveling, or a audio compressor. So the amp is on, it is always on, it is always working at full power, and what changes is the volume level at the input (your volume knob) and the signal-to-noise ratio of the input source (along with the quality of the 'sub-device' that is sending that signal). So a signal source might sound louder/softer or better/worse just because the input mechanism is poor.
2020 Durango and its disappointing 19 Harmon/Kardon speakers
2. The EQ setting doesn’t make it sound better. It might help you not have to strain to hear certain sounds, and maybe you’re exploring what you really like in a sound profile, but it almost always causes blaring (or something some might call horning) when the speaker extends to it’s maximum distance, and then stays there “fluttering” because the power and amplitude want to carry it further. Yes, it makes the highs, mids, and lows louder at low volumes. But high volumes show just poor sound quality. Plus the songs start to not even sound the same anymore. I just don't accept that EQ's improve sound in any meaningful capacity, outside of the two examples of filling in areas of your range that are under/over represented OR when you just have a ear for a specific sound.
Harman Kardon correct EQ settings (Alpine also) - try these
3. The Alpine (standard) system is not inherently better. But it is certainly less disappointing. If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten the standard Alpine system, and then just spent that $995 replacing it with higher quality items to make it better. I think overall, people who think they need a better system, expect something noticeably better. I listen to this, and I feel like it is not really better, just different. (After this was all over, my opinion on this changed quite a bit, see following) What I've actually found is the amplifier is the same one that is included with the Alpine system. The difference is the number of speakers and the impedance they use. I still see it as a "side-grade" for more money. I think the Harman-Kardon system has more potential and probably is better, but not $995 better.
Harman Kardon upgrade: Worth it?
Outlining the Harman-Kardon System
So lets talk about what it is. It is a 19 speaker system, but it is actually only 14 individual speakers. Dodge plays this fun game where 5 of their speakers are 2 way speakers (a woofer, with a tweeter built in) and they consider them 2 speakers, but they’re actually 1 speaker housing, and anyone in the industry would call them 1 speaker. So lets start by calling this a 14 speaker system. And based off of the electrical amperage supplied to the system, lets call this a 432 watt amplifier, not a 825 watt system. And by all accounts this is pretty awesome. This is about 30 watts per speaker. Except, this amplifier has only 12 channels. There are 2 speakers that share a channel with another. So this brings us to 36 watts per channel exactly. Now, we know that this isn’t evenly distributed. So, I grabbed my trusty multi-meter and dove deep. Here is a table to break down everything I know about the speakers (and everything that matters:
So lets clarify a few of these numbers. First the placement. You have one 3.5 inch 2-way speaker in your front dash directly in the middle close to where it meets the windshield (if you call Dodge, they’ll tell you that you have 3, this isn’t true). There are 3 speakers in your front doors, one 6x9 woofer, one 3.5 component 2-way mid-range, and one 1 inch tweeter. There are 2 speakers in your rear doors, a single 6.5 inch woofer, and a 1 inch tweeter. Then there are 2 3.5 inch component 2-way mid-range speakers in your rear tailgates D-Frame. And finally one 8 inch sub-woofer in the bottom right next to your spare tire jack. Also, the speakers that are sharing the same channel, seem to be the front door tweeter and the front door 3.5 inch mid-range. This is a great pairing because they seem to have the same power profiles. A nice even split.
My power ratings come from my multi-meter playing a actual song and a “Sweep” test and taking the highest of each number. (I played Crazy by Newsboys and Kicker’s 20-20k sweep test). I did NOT play the tracks at max volume. I played them at 28 – which is the maximum volume level that I’ve found that doesn’t produce noticeable distortion/uncomfortable to listen to. So you might be able to squeeze more power out of it, but honestly, I doubt it and certainly not in normal use. Also, I'm not sure I got a nice power rating on the subwoofer or the 6x9s (the leads were hard to get to while it was moving, because they do not sit still). But, the total measured power was about 150 watts below my 432 estimate. So, I think we're right in line with what to have expected and these are NOT super peek powers, just actual powers of what is experience in normal (although heavy) usage.
NOTE: I did adjust my power ratings a little bit after I put it all together. The 6x9's actually showed slightly higher power output (around 30 watts each, but after seeing the 6.5 and everything else, it is fairly clear that it is a 25 watt channel and I just hit it perfectly to pull a extra little bit out of it. Also the sub was virtually IMPOSSIBLE to get a great reading on. I think it might actually be 50 watts per channel so 100 total instead of 80. But, at no point could I get the leads I used to hook into it easily. I also only tested the 3.5's in the D frame and tweeter in the front door. It is possible that other implementations of this have more/less power.
I also want to point out that while all of these speakers seem to be 4 ohms, they are NOT wired to 4 ohms at the amplifier. It seems like (based on what I'm coming to learn, even after doing this project) the amplifier is 12 channels, but only 11 are in use. And (on top of that) some channels are operating at 2 ohms and some are operating at 4 ohms. Here is what I know:
1. The center dash speaker has it's own channel
2. The rear D-Frame speakers have their own channel
3. The subwoofer has 2 dedicated channels.
4. The 6.5" rear door speaker and the 1" rear door tweeter share the same channel and are wired in parallel at a 2 ohm load.
5. The 6"x9" front door speakers have their own dedicated channel.
6. The 3.5" front door speaker and 1" front door tweeter share the same channel and are wired in parallel at a 2 ohm load.
All of this said - I had originally made a statement that I thought the switch to a 4 ohm load would beneift the system overall. But, now knowing what I know, it doesn't make a difference as you'll probably be replacing these with 4 ohm speakers anyways.
There also seems to be a crossover built into the system, while I was testing I could clearly see that certain speakers start/stop producing any noise (almost) suddenly. I can not guarantee a crossover, but I am almost certain it is at least a -3db crossover when not in range. Now the testing I did was not super accurate but was scientific. I used a well known frequency video on youtube that spans 20Hz-20,000kHz. I got down on my hands and knees with a oil/gas funnel and held it up to each speaker in my drivers door, drivers rear door, and the subwoofer from directly under the passenger 3rd row seat and put my ear on the other end. I listened for the point in which I could clearly hear this speaker take over, and clearly hear that it is no longer the primary speaker. The actual range probably reaches slightly lower/higher but I don't really care about "oh man it does actually move at xyz frequency" I care about the sound it actually produces. This is actually super great because it will prevent it from distorting in ranges that it doesn't belong. So there is that.
Shopping List
So the next question we need to answer is what should we do to improve this? First I'm going to recommend getting in touch with Crutchfield, as they're always my go-to for car audio stuff. If you buy a speaker, they will include a wiring harness, a paper guide with pictures, and everything like that. So it is a great deal. Not to include, they just don't stock bad speakers. I'm buying from Crutchfield (and working with them to update their specifications for the HK system right now).
Here are the REQUIRED items to even consider this project:
1. A working understanding of pop-rivets.
2. A metric ton of patience
3. A attention to detail
4. A Torx T-20 screwdriver
5. A Torx T-25 screwdriver
6. A 10mm socket wrench/screwdriver
7. A 7mm socket wrench/screwdriver (Small FYI, I had a socket that I thought would work - it didn't. This needs to be a long neck that is a slim fit.)
8. A plastic Pry Tool
Here are some things that are not required, but will increase your quality of life greatly:
1. Metra Speaker Wiring Adapter - 72-6515 (x2 - 2 in each package 4 total)
2. Metra Speaker Wiring Adapter - 72-7902 (x5 - 2 in each package 10 total)
3. Some Polyester Fiber Stuffing
If you don't have these, you'll need a bag of crimps, some extra wire (at least 14 gauge), some female plugs, and a wire splicer/crimper
Now, I'm coming from a all Rockford Fosgate system in my Chrysler 200. It was complete with 4 Rockford Fosgate P1692 "Punch" 6x9 2 way speakers (with a 75kHz crossover on them), all powered from a Pioneer stereo. And a Rockford Fosgate 15" Power T2 hooked up to a Rockford Fosgate Prime R1200-1D. I was very pleased with this and really never had a thought to chang any of the components.
As said before though, I'm not wanting to put a 3 cubic foot box in the back with a amp hanging on. I'm actually highly adverse to that at this point in time. So here we go with the replacement's I've purchased:
1. Kicker 46CSS694 Component Speaker System
2. Kicker 46CSS654 Component Speaker System
3. Kicker 46CSC354 2-way Car Speakers (x3)
4. Kicker Comp RT 48CWRT104 Shallow-Mount Subwoofer
First we will be throwing the crossover's out, as I feel like the stock system does very well at directing all the right frequencies in all of the right places.
In addition, I wanted to make sure the sound profile is consistent from all speakers, so I got all of them in all of the same series.
I've also always been impressed by Kicker and their speakers. These come with a Polyester Foam surround, which is a nice mixture from a cloth surround and a foam surround which are awesome for quick response times. They also have poly woofer, which is a nice middle ground (not metal, but still great) at the cost.
Also, they don't have crazy power ratings. It certainly isn't a "400 watt RMS" speaker, they're 100 and 150 watt RMS max ratings. So we don't have to worry about under-powering these too much as they'll fit really well.
Lastly, they both fit the budget AND fit the holes in the doors/housings. So it is a great overall fit.
Total price (not including tools) $686.78 (as of 3/30/2022 from Crutchfield) so about $300 LESS than what we paid Dodge.
SECOND RECOMMENDATION
If you have a ton of money, and want to throw more money at this than myself - look at the JBL Stadium series for your doors and the JBL Club series for your 3.5 inch speakers. The great part about these is they operate at 3 ohms which will draw some more power from that amp, and they are legitimately built better than even the kickers (at almost 3x the price).
KEY:
Red - Pop Rivets
Blue - Phillips Screw
Green - Torx T20 Screw
Purple - Torx T25 Screw
Yellow - 10 mm bolt
Brown - 7 mm bolt
White - Note
Replacing Dash Speaker
<COMING SOON, WITH PICTURES>
Replacing Front Door Speakers
Please see my post on "How To Replace Front Door Speakers on Dodge Durango with Harman-Kardon System"
Replacing Rear Door Speakers
Please see my post on "How To Replace Rear Door Speakers on Dodge Durango with Harman-Kardon System"
Replacing D-Frame Speakers
Please see my post on "How To Replace Rear D-Frame Speakers on Dodge Durango with Harman-Kardon System"
Replacing Subwoofer
Please see my post on "How to Replace Subwoofer in a Dodge Durango with Harman-Kardon System"
Overall Thoughts of Replacement
So here is the great and final decision. After working with this, and reading other post, I have a LOT of opinions that have changed. First, I think the Harman-Karmon “upgrade” should be brought up as a class action lawsuit and charged as fraud. It is far from a upgrade, and might just be a “repackaging” sold to us at a mark-up. The woofers are made out of a perforated, treated, cardboard. Nothing premium about that. The magnets are no bigger than Power-aid/Gatorade cap (and aren’t very dense).
NOTE: I see a lot of people suggesting that the neodymium magnets are stronger, and will look smaller. Except 1) the speakers I'm replacing them with are using the same neodymium style magnets and 2) they're not 4 times stronger magnets, they're about 30% stronger by mass, which takes into account density. Lastly, the first version of this article doesn't mention the magnets, although a important part of a speaker build, these are easily overcame by better voice coils, solid cone materials, better surround materials. So I don't hold magnets near and dear to my heart when criticizing speaker materials.
And while the amp supports 2 ohm loads, it is using a mixture of 2 and 4 ohm loads when it doesn’t need to. Not including it doesn’t even come close to reaching it’s maximum capability. 30 amp, over 14.4 volts should net us about 430 watts of power at 1 ohm. It actually produces about half that at a 2-4ohm mixture. But some how, it is a “830 watt system”? So if it spikes at 1 ohm (which we have no indication that it works at) it MIGHT touch that for a micro second? I think it is just a over-rated amp from the 70's, when you would see a 10,000 watt amp that would actually produce 120 watts.
Just overall, it is a BAD idea/system. If this was the “standard” setup, I would probably be okay with that. But when you pay a premium for a “speaker upgrade” and you just get more speakers and (probably) less power, then it is a HARD sale. The reason why (I think) most people have looked at the Alpine system and felt like it sounded just as good is because it has 2 ohm speakers (by what I’ve read) and they get more power and will hit a little harder on the lows, and scream a little higher on the highs. So, all in all, it is probably a wash.
The upgrade to the Kicker system outlined above really does make a difference. It is CLEARLY a better system. The mids are louder, and you can actually hear when noises switch. (There is a song from Skillet where the lead guitarist has a change in her rift, and you can actually hear her fingers across the strings now, before the change in that sound just wasn’t audible). While the bass certainly hits harder, but it really isn’t louder. The mids are more clear and louder, but they still are overwhelming the highs and lows a bit. And the highs are clear and crisp for vocals, but not things like high hats and the smack of a snare. If this is what the system started with, I would actually kind-of feel good about it. Might not have looked to upgrade.
Honestly the lack of bass kick, not volume, is what bothers me the most. With a dedicated subwoofer you need to feel like that kick drum is actually being kicked. And you just don’t get that. I think 90% of it is the position of the subwoofer (if it would have been top facing or ported to the front under the seat, it would be better) which just sucks. It is pointed to the floor with 2 ways to escape. A narrow passage through the bottom of the seat and around the side of a sound damping material, which is just going to hamper a lot of the hit it could have.
I wished the high-hats would strike a bit more, but without powering the tweeters better – I’m just not sure that will happen. I think I’m mostly satisfied enough, but I’m going to be building a custom subwoofer box to replace the “storage area” in the back to have two top facing subs (probably these 2 Kickers because I want to spend the least money I can) which powered adequately should be more than enough to do what I want to do. But, I think everyone should upgrade this system. It should just be a requirement before it leaves the lot.
One saving grace, I've never had a factory provided amp that actually pushes 25 watts (legitimatly) to a speaker. Most of the time I see 7-10 watts per speaker (with a total of 4 channels) The stereo itself usually has a 10/15 amp fuse (so max total consumption is 150-200 watts) at 1 ohm (they're almost always 4 ohms) so about 50 watts, and the Radio/CD players need some power themselves. So, like I said you're left with 10 watts tops per speaker. And it doesn't do as much sound alterations as some of these other "Premium" systems do. So what power you get is more than average and it is good enough where you can replace the weak parts. Kind of like the current day Tennessee Titan's football team. Ryan Tannehill isn't a top level QB (amp) but he is surrounded by great cast (speakers) in a good enough scheme (post processing), but he is certainly good enough for them to make AFC playoff games and win in those. But, no one is expecting him to win a Superbowl anytime soon. The issue is out of the box, the supporting cast is pretty terrible.
TL
R Version: Before I started working on this project I gave the total system a 3/10. It was pretty bad. After the changes, I see this as a 6/10 system. It is not a high end system now, but it is certainly more passable. And I think the average person would call it noticeably “better”. But, also my view of the system now that I’ve torn it apart has dropped to a 1/10. Like I said, it might be a 3 if it was the standard system, but it really does feel like Dodge made a decision to mix but not change a few things up and say “premium” really nicely and take our money and that doesn’t sit well with me.
As everyone knows, the "Upgrade" (which cost us $1000) to a premium "Harman-Kardon" (same people who make JBL, Infinity, and AKG - and I'm fairly sure is a brand from Samsung right now) isn't really an upgrade and by all accounts has virtually everyone disappointed. I am a huge audio enthusiast, and always have been. My first car I had I outfitted with a Sony based system. My second car had Memphis Audio throughout (I totaled it 3 days after my rebuild was complete, yes it still stings). My third car was redone with a mixture of brands, including Power Acoustik, JBL, and Alpine. And my most recent car was 100% Rockford Fosgate (and it was one of the most precise setups I've ever owned). The Durango is my first car I’ve actually ran with the stock system, because I truly wanted to not be a snob, but that time is over.
The Goal
My whole goal with this project is to replace all of the speakers in the Durango with HK, provide some insight so you can make choices, and give everyone a "A-Z" guide on the system. I'm NOT looking to cut any new speaker holes. I'm NOT looking to add a separate bass enclosure. I'm NOT looking to replace the factory head unit. I'm NOT looking to replace the amp. Speakers only. For obvious reasons, I don't want to replace the head unit. It has ton's of great features. It is also not the source of our problems. I'm not really wanting to replace the amp because it actually puts out a fair amount of power (except to the sub) and it is nicely enclosed. I have 2 kids who can't keep their hands off of anything. I know they'll end up doing something to destroy it if it was out in the open. And I'd like to make this guide so "everyone" can do it, and I'm trying to improve the system for less than it cost.
TL-DR: I want the "every-man" upgrade for the system. The goal is a BETTER (objectively) audio system, for less than the cost of the HK upgrade, without replacing anything that will cause loss of any functionality or something that will require any "major" rewiring.
My Background
I traded in my last car for my 2021 Dodge Durango R/T last year right as I saw car dealers struggling, and I got this off the lot just below sticker price. So I felt really good. During my test drive the salesman said "This upgraded audio system is sick". And I heard nothing special. But after riding around with it for a few months now, I've realized it makes me sick, literally. The best way I know how to describe it, is to say that it is extremely fatiguing to listen to. I have to strain my ears to hear the highs, mids, and lows. Literally across the board it feels like anything going on (a cymbal crash, a drum beat, or even a nice guitar strum) is just impossible to hear. The only thing that stands out, is vocals. And they sound muddy and capped. After about 30 minutes, I either want to turn it to talk radio or just turn it off. It is so bad I would rather hear the roar of tires and the road than to listen to the stereo system.
My first major in college was Audio Engineering (switched to Computer Science and Engineering), and I like to fancy myself as a expert in the field of audio. And I've finally hit my limit with this Harman-Kardon system. I'm going to be replacing as much as possible, and I will be documenting my journey. I will be attempting to replace everything in stock enclosures and will attempt to use the stock amp to power everything. I'd like to not build a box to house anything, or have loose amps hanging around. One of the benefits of the Durango (or any SUV) is the cargo space, and the passenger count. I don't want to be cutting up my $50k car, and I'd like to make sure I don't loose any of the features it offers just so it can sound better. And I think I can do that with just speaker replacements.
The Issue With The Harman-Kardon System
But, first lets talk about what is wrong with this system. The first thing is they tried to do too much, with too little. It is a common practice in the electronics world to try to "check mark" as many boxes as possible. So, they have DST processing, a 7 channel surround sound setup, 19 speakers (because more is better right?), and it is all in a "green" environment friendly package. And engineers have 3 "cost" or "constraints" to work in. Financial, power envelope, and physical space.
This actually is where the problems start. This system has a 30 amp power limit. Meaning, over 14.4 volts (times) 30 amps - the maximum possible output of the amp is 432 watts. Now you usually put your "peek" setting at 2x that because you can draw about twice that in very short burst (less than 1 second). Which is 864 watts. Just a hair over their reported 825 watts, which they probably put in place to be a conservative estimate. And, this has to be spread out across 12 channels and 19 different speakers (it’s actually 14 speakers, more on that later) too many speakers, too little power to spread out. So, first thing is they had this power requirement.
NOTE: This was a engineering decision because one of the things you look for is "surface area of speaker * potential signal-to-noise of speaker = Volume of air needing to be populated with sound" formula. So more speakers, means more surface area, which means more air being moved, for such a big cabin in the Durango. So while I would have probably settled for a 10 speaker system if I was designing it, they choose 19. I would rather fewer speakers than can do more than more speakers that can do less. (For those of you wondering, it is ~1.76 feet/square of speaker surface area -to- 106 feet/cube of air volume in the cabin - my old Chrysler 200 had a 1.36% coverage, the Durango has 1.66%.)
Second, they have space constraints. And they wanted to be sure to include all of the storage space they could (like the lift gate in the back, the door storage areas, and so on) so the speakers have to be only so big, so deep, and can only protrude so much when they extend. Which they actually don't do too bad with this. The only thing I think is poor is the sub-woofer location. It is terrible, but I would try my best to hide it too if that is what I shipped.
Then they have a cost limitation. The choice to go "green" wasn't about the environment. It was about money. The woofer material (based on what I've found thus far) is a treated "cardboard" like material. Very soft, and extremely porous to air. Which gives the speakers their "muddy" and "soft" sound. This doesn’t include the fact that the magnets are small and weak, and the coils look like they were done with low grade (probably 22-gauge) copper. Regardless, this brings me to my next point.
Anything that is analog (screens, speakers, smells. etc.) anything that uses our physical senses - good building materials always wins. There is no black magic that can replace how leather (real leather) actually feels. There is nothing that can replace more pixels on a TV screen to make a image look better. And, just like those two obvious things there is nothing that can replace good materials in a speaker to make a system SOUND better. Which is NOT a primary concern of the engineers. This has to be a concern of project management, which is more and more concerned with checking boxes, which you can see above how checking boxes is all this system does. A egineers concern is ALMOST ALWAYS "just get it to work, within these limitations (space, cost, time, energy, etc)".
Correcting the Record
I’ve seen a lot of people on this forum (and along other places on the internet) complain about this system. But, I’ve seen a lot of bad information. So I want to dispel a LOT of bad information:
1. The amplifier doesn’t turn on if it’s not the right audio source. This is just WRONG. Speakers can not work without being powered. This is the job of the amplifier. If it isn’t on, speakers aren’t on. What this actually comes from a input ‘Signal-to-Noise’ ratio. More than likely what happened is the “Natural inputs” (like a 3.5mm jack or USB devices) are all native, and depend on your device. They control this. But the Satellite radio, Bluetooth, and FM require a “adapter” (even though it might be internal to the device) – or as we like to call it, a controller – might be higher/lower quality. This is something that can be changed with software SOMETIMES by simply changing the gain setting or by just “boosting” the signal. But, it is usually advised against. Specifically with the Sirius radio questions floating around, I'm sure it is a contract with Sirius where they have to use a specific controller, they have to have a specific type of volume leveling, or a audio compressor. So the amp is on, it is always on, it is always working at full power, and what changes is the volume level at the input (your volume knob) and the signal-to-noise ratio of the input source (along with the quality of the 'sub-device' that is sending that signal). So a signal source might sound louder/softer or better/worse just because the input mechanism is poor.
2020 Durango and its disappointing 19 Harmon/Kardon speakers
2. The EQ setting doesn’t make it sound better. It might help you not have to strain to hear certain sounds, and maybe you’re exploring what you really like in a sound profile, but it almost always causes blaring (or something some might call horning) when the speaker extends to it’s maximum distance, and then stays there “fluttering” because the power and amplitude want to carry it further. Yes, it makes the highs, mids, and lows louder at low volumes. But high volumes show just poor sound quality. Plus the songs start to not even sound the same anymore. I just don't accept that EQ's improve sound in any meaningful capacity, outside of the two examples of filling in areas of your range that are under/over represented OR when you just have a ear for a specific sound.
Harman Kardon correct EQ settings (Alpine also) - try these
3. The Alpine (standard) system is not inherently better. But it is certainly less disappointing. If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten the standard Alpine system, and then just spent that $995 replacing it with higher quality items to make it better. I think overall, people who think they need a better system, expect something noticeably better. I listen to this, and I feel like it is not really better, just different. (After this was all over, my opinion on this changed quite a bit, see following) What I've actually found is the amplifier is the same one that is included with the Alpine system. The difference is the number of speakers and the impedance they use. I still see it as a "side-grade" for more money. I think the Harman-Kardon system has more potential and probably is better, but not $995 better.
Harman Kardon upgrade: Worth it?
Outlining the Harman-Kardon System
So lets talk about what it is. It is a 19 speaker system, but it is actually only 14 individual speakers. Dodge plays this fun game where 5 of their speakers are 2 way speakers (a woofer, with a tweeter built in) and they consider them 2 speakers, but they’re actually 1 speaker housing, and anyone in the industry would call them 1 speaker. So lets start by calling this a 14 speaker system. And based off of the electrical amperage supplied to the system, lets call this a 432 watt amplifier, not a 825 watt system. And by all accounts this is pretty awesome. This is about 30 watts per speaker. Except, this amplifier has only 12 channels. There are 2 speakers that share a channel with another. So this brings us to 36 watts per channel exactly. Now, we know that this isn’t evenly distributed. So, I grabbed my trusty multi-meter and dove deep. Here is a table to break down everything I know about the speakers (and everything that matters:
| Placement | Number | Size | Design | Resistance | Channel | Power (Speaker) | Power (Collective) | Frequency Range |
| Dash Mid-Range | 1 | 3.5 in | 2-way | 4 ohms | Center Dash | 12.5 | 12.5 | 300Hz-900Hz |
| Front Door Tweeter | 2 | 1 in | 1-way | 4 ohms | Left Front Door 2 Right Front Door 2 | 12.5 | 25 | 850Hz-12000Hz |
| Front Door Mid-Range | 2 | 3.5 in | 2-way | 4 ohms | Left Front Door 2 Right Front Door 2 | 12.5 | 25 | 300Hz-900Hz |
| Front Door Woofer | 2 | 6x9 in | 1-way | 4 ohms | Left Front Door 1 Right Front Door 1 | 25 | 50 | 45Hz-1200Hz |
| Rear Door Woofer | 2 | 6.5 in | 1-way | 4 ohms | Left Rear Door Right Rear Door | 12.5 | 25 | 80Hz-1800Hz |
| Rear Door Tweeter | 2 | 1 in | 1-way | 4 ohms | Left Rear Door Right Rear Door | 12.5 | 25 | 850Hz-12000Hz |
| D-Frame Mid-Range | 2 | 3.5 in | 2-way | 4 ohms | D-frame 1 D-frame 2 | 12.5 | 25 | 300Hz-900Hz |
| Subwoofer | 1 | 10 in | 1-way | 4 ohms | Subwoofer 1 Subwoofer 2 | 80 | 80 | 20Hz-90Hz |
| Totals | 14 | 267.5 |
So lets clarify a few of these numbers. First the placement. You have one 3.5 inch 2-way speaker in your front dash directly in the middle close to where it meets the windshield (if you call Dodge, they’ll tell you that you have 3, this isn’t true). There are 3 speakers in your front doors, one 6x9 woofer, one 3.5 component 2-way mid-range, and one 1 inch tweeter. There are 2 speakers in your rear doors, a single 6.5 inch woofer, and a 1 inch tweeter. Then there are 2 3.5 inch component 2-way mid-range speakers in your rear tailgates D-Frame. And finally one 8 inch sub-woofer in the bottom right next to your spare tire jack. Also, the speakers that are sharing the same channel, seem to be the front door tweeter and the front door 3.5 inch mid-range. This is a great pairing because they seem to have the same power profiles. A nice even split.
My power ratings come from my multi-meter playing a actual song and a “Sweep” test and taking the highest of each number. (I played Crazy by Newsboys and Kicker’s 20-20k sweep test). I did NOT play the tracks at max volume. I played them at 28 – which is the maximum volume level that I’ve found that doesn’t produce noticeable distortion/uncomfortable to listen to. So you might be able to squeeze more power out of it, but honestly, I doubt it and certainly not in normal use. Also, I'm not sure I got a nice power rating on the subwoofer or the 6x9s (the leads were hard to get to while it was moving, because they do not sit still). But, the total measured power was about 150 watts below my 432 estimate. So, I think we're right in line with what to have expected and these are NOT super peek powers, just actual powers of what is experience in normal (although heavy) usage.
NOTE: I did adjust my power ratings a little bit after I put it all together. The 6x9's actually showed slightly higher power output (around 30 watts each, but after seeing the 6.5 and everything else, it is fairly clear that it is a 25 watt channel and I just hit it perfectly to pull a extra little bit out of it. Also the sub was virtually IMPOSSIBLE to get a great reading on. I think it might actually be 50 watts per channel so 100 total instead of 80. But, at no point could I get the leads I used to hook into it easily. I also only tested the 3.5's in the D frame and tweeter in the front door. It is possible that other implementations of this have more/less power.
I also want to point out that while all of these speakers seem to be 4 ohms, they are NOT wired to 4 ohms at the amplifier. It seems like (based on what I'm coming to learn, even after doing this project) the amplifier is 12 channels, but only 11 are in use. And (on top of that) some channels are operating at 2 ohms and some are operating at 4 ohms. Here is what I know:
1. The center dash speaker has it's own channel
2. The rear D-Frame speakers have their own channel
3. The subwoofer has 2 dedicated channels.
4. The 6.5" rear door speaker and the 1" rear door tweeter share the same channel and are wired in parallel at a 2 ohm load.
5. The 6"x9" front door speakers have their own dedicated channel.
6. The 3.5" front door speaker and 1" front door tweeter share the same channel and are wired in parallel at a 2 ohm load.
All of this said - I had originally made a statement that I thought the switch to a 4 ohm load would beneift the system overall. But, now knowing what I know, it doesn't make a difference as you'll probably be replacing these with 4 ohm speakers anyways.
There also seems to be a crossover built into the system, while I was testing I could clearly see that certain speakers start/stop producing any noise (almost) suddenly. I can not guarantee a crossover, but I am almost certain it is at least a -3db crossover when not in range. Now the testing I did was not super accurate but was scientific. I used a well known frequency video on youtube that spans 20Hz-20,000kHz. I got down on my hands and knees with a oil/gas funnel and held it up to each speaker in my drivers door, drivers rear door, and the subwoofer from directly under the passenger 3rd row seat and put my ear on the other end. I listened for the point in which I could clearly hear this speaker take over, and clearly hear that it is no longer the primary speaker. The actual range probably reaches slightly lower/higher but I don't really care about "oh man it does actually move at xyz frequency" I care about the sound it actually produces. This is actually super great because it will prevent it from distorting in ranges that it doesn't belong. So there is that.
Shopping List
So the next question we need to answer is what should we do to improve this? First I'm going to recommend getting in touch with Crutchfield, as they're always my go-to for car audio stuff. If you buy a speaker, they will include a wiring harness, a paper guide with pictures, and everything like that. So it is a great deal. Not to include, they just don't stock bad speakers. I'm buying from Crutchfield (and working with them to update their specifications for the HK system right now).
Here are the REQUIRED items to even consider this project:
1. A working understanding of pop-rivets.
2. A metric ton of patience
3. A attention to detail
4. A Torx T-20 screwdriver
5. A Torx T-25 screwdriver
6. A 10mm socket wrench/screwdriver
7. A 7mm socket wrench/screwdriver (Small FYI, I had a socket that I thought would work - it didn't. This needs to be a long neck that is a slim fit.)
8. A plastic Pry Tool
Here are some things that are not required, but will increase your quality of life greatly:
1. Metra Speaker Wiring Adapter - 72-6515 (x2 - 2 in each package 4 total)
2. Metra Speaker Wiring Adapter - 72-7902 (x5 - 2 in each package 10 total)
3. Some Polyester Fiber Stuffing
If you don't have these, you'll need a bag of crimps, some extra wire (at least 14 gauge), some female plugs, and a wire splicer/crimper
Now, I'm coming from a all Rockford Fosgate system in my Chrysler 200. It was complete with 4 Rockford Fosgate P1692 "Punch" 6x9 2 way speakers (with a 75kHz crossover on them), all powered from a Pioneer stereo. And a Rockford Fosgate 15" Power T2 hooked up to a Rockford Fosgate Prime R1200-1D. I was very pleased with this and really never had a thought to chang any of the components.
As said before though, I'm not wanting to put a 3 cubic foot box in the back with a amp hanging on. I'm actually highly adverse to that at this point in time. So here we go with the replacement's I've purchased:
1. Kicker 46CSS694 Component Speaker System
2. Kicker 46CSS654 Component Speaker System
3. Kicker 46CSC354 2-way Car Speakers (x3)
4. Kicker Comp RT 48CWRT104 Shallow-Mount Subwoofer
First we will be throwing the crossover's out, as I feel like the stock system does very well at directing all the right frequencies in all of the right places.
In addition, I wanted to make sure the sound profile is consistent from all speakers, so I got all of them in all of the same series.
I've also always been impressed by Kicker and their speakers. These come with a Polyester Foam surround, which is a nice mixture from a cloth surround and a foam surround which are awesome for quick response times. They also have poly woofer, which is a nice middle ground (not metal, but still great) at the cost.
Also, they don't have crazy power ratings. It certainly isn't a "400 watt RMS" speaker, they're 100 and 150 watt RMS max ratings. So we don't have to worry about under-powering these too much as they'll fit really well.
Lastly, they both fit the budget AND fit the holes in the doors/housings. So it is a great overall fit.
Total price (not including tools) $686.78 (as of 3/30/2022 from Crutchfield) so about $300 LESS than what we paid Dodge.
SECOND RECOMMENDATION
If you have a ton of money, and want to throw more money at this than myself - look at the JBL Stadium series for your doors and the JBL Club series for your 3.5 inch speakers. The great part about these is they operate at 3 ohms which will draw some more power from that amp, and they are legitimately built better than even the kickers (at almost 3x the price).
KEY:
Red - Pop Rivets
Blue - Phillips Screw
Green - Torx T20 Screw
Purple - Torx T25 Screw
Yellow - 10 mm bolt
Brown - 7 mm bolt
White - Note
Replacing Dash Speaker
<COMING SOON, WITH PICTURES>
Replacing Front Door Speakers
Please see my post on "How To Replace Front Door Speakers on Dodge Durango with Harman-Kardon System"
Replacing Rear Door Speakers
Please see my post on "How To Replace Rear Door Speakers on Dodge Durango with Harman-Kardon System"
Replacing D-Frame Speakers
Please see my post on "How To Replace Rear D-Frame Speakers on Dodge Durango with Harman-Kardon System"
Replacing Subwoofer
Please see my post on "How to Replace Subwoofer in a Dodge Durango with Harman-Kardon System"
Overall Thoughts of Replacement
So here is the great and final decision. After working with this, and reading other post, I have a LOT of opinions that have changed. First, I think the Harman-Karmon “upgrade” should be brought up as a class action lawsuit and charged as fraud. It is far from a upgrade, and might just be a “repackaging” sold to us at a mark-up. The woofers are made out of a perforated, treated, cardboard. Nothing premium about that. The magnets are no bigger than Power-aid/Gatorade cap (and aren’t very dense).
NOTE: I see a lot of people suggesting that the neodymium magnets are stronger, and will look smaller. Except 1) the speakers I'm replacing them with are using the same neodymium style magnets and 2) they're not 4 times stronger magnets, they're about 30% stronger by mass, which takes into account density. Lastly, the first version of this article doesn't mention the magnets, although a important part of a speaker build, these are easily overcame by better voice coils, solid cone materials, better surround materials. So I don't hold magnets near and dear to my heart when criticizing speaker materials.
And while the amp supports 2 ohm loads, it is using a mixture of 2 and 4 ohm loads when it doesn’t need to. Not including it doesn’t even come close to reaching it’s maximum capability. 30 amp, over 14.4 volts should net us about 430 watts of power at 1 ohm. It actually produces about half that at a 2-4ohm mixture. But some how, it is a “830 watt system”? So if it spikes at 1 ohm (which we have no indication that it works at) it MIGHT touch that for a micro second? I think it is just a over-rated amp from the 70's, when you would see a 10,000 watt amp that would actually produce 120 watts.
Just overall, it is a BAD idea/system. If this was the “standard” setup, I would probably be okay with that. But when you pay a premium for a “speaker upgrade” and you just get more speakers and (probably) less power, then it is a HARD sale. The reason why (I think) most people have looked at the Alpine system and felt like it sounded just as good is because it has 2 ohm speakers (by what I’ve read) and they get more power and will hit a little harder on the lows, and scream a little higher on the highs. So, all in all, it is probably a wash.
The upgrade to the Kicker system outlined above really does make a difference. It is CLEARLY a better system. The mids are louder, and you can actually hear when noises switch. (There is a song from Skillet where the lead guitarist has a change in her rift, and you can actually hear her fingers across the strings now, before the change in that sound just wasn’t audible). While the bass certainly hits harder, but it really isn’t louder. The mids are more clear and louder, but they still are overwhelming the highs and lows a bit. And the highs are clear and crisp for vocals, but not things like high hats and the smack of a snare. If this is what the system started with, I would actually kind-of feel good about it. Might not have looked to upgrade.
Honestly the lack of bass kick, not volume, is what bothers me the most. With a dedicated subwoofer you need to feel like that kick drum is actually being kicked. And you just don’t get that. I think 90% of it is the position of the subwoofer (if it would have been top facing or ported to the front under the seat, it would be better) which just sucks. It is pointed to the floor with 2 ways to escape. A narrow passage through the bottom of the seat and around the side of a sound damping material, which is just going to hamper a lot of the hit it could have.
I wished the high-hats would strike a bit more, but without powering the tweeters better – I’m just not sure that will happen. I think I’m mostly satisfied enough, but I’m going to be building a custom subwoofer box to replace the “storage area” in the back to have two top facing subs (probably these 2 Kickers because I want to spend the least money I can) which powered adequately should be more than enough to do what I want to do. But, I think everyone should upgrade this system. It should just be a requirement before it leaves the lot.
One saving grace, I've never had a factory provided amp that actually pushes 25 watts (legitimatly) to a speaker. Most of the time I see 7-10 watts per speaker (with a total of 4 channels) The stereo itself usually has a 10/15 amp fuse (so max total consumption is 150-200 watts) at 1 ohm (they're almost always 4 ohms) so about 50 watts, and the Radio/CD players need some power themselves. So, like I said you're left with 10 watts tops per speaker. And it doesn't do as much sound alterations as some of these other "Premium" systems do. So what power you get is more than average and it is good enough where you can replace the weak parts. Kind of like the current day Tennessee Titan's football team. Ryan Tannehill isn't a top level QB (amp) but he is surrounded by great cast (speakers) in a good enough scheme (post processing), but he is certainly good enough for them to make AFC playoff games and win in those. But, no one is expecting him to win a Superbowl anytime soon. The issue is out of the box, the supporting cast is pretty terrible.
TL
R Version: Before I started working on this project I gave the total system a 3/10. It was pretty bad. After the changes, I see this as a 6/10 system. It is not a high end system now, but it is certainly more passable. And I think the average person would call it noticeably “better”. But, also my view of the system now that I’ve torn it apart has dropped to a 1/10. Like I said, it might be a 3 if it was the standard system, but it really does feel like Dodge made a decision to mix but not change a few things up and say “premium” really nicely and take our money and that doesn’t sit well with me.
