Thoughts on 2023 Harman Kardon system?

norge · Sep 27, 2023

Vice-White said:
The owners of the HK system in your Durango, how do you feel the volume control is to get the levels you want? For example, my wifes HK system at 25 is equal to my Alpine system @ 18 or so. I feel the Alpine system gets louder quicker and much more linear compared to the HK. My wife feels the HK sounds great and edges her Jeep over the Durango in the tone department.

I agree on the volume settings of the HK vs my old 2011 Alpine. The spread of volume setting on my old Durango were about 5-8 volume settings "lower" than what I have it on the HK. I've contributed that to the fact that I have to have the fade set back to get any kind of base out of the system to make it sound good. I do think the sound quality in better out of the HK system, and that high/low tones scale better with volume on the HK. My old Alpine I would typically have loud due to highway driving mostly, and when I'd turn it down I could hear base well, but not the voices/etc. The HK seems to work much better in that regard in my opinion.

frictioncircle · Sep 28, 2023

I'm musical and the HK in my 21 is noticeably better to my ears than the beats was in my 18..If I want to experience a premium audio whilst on the road we take the Lexus....

stoopalini · Sep 28, 2023

frictioncircle said:
I'm musical and the HK in my 21 is noticeably better to my ears than the beats was in my 18..If I want to experience a premium audio whilst on the road we take the Lexus....

Interesting … When you listen in the ‘21, where is the system imaging for you? Is it directly in front of rhe driver’s head, or the rear center of the trailing edge of the hood, or center of the dash, below center line, etc?

The beats system in our old ‘16 R/T imaged dead center of the dash at the base of the windshield. This ‘23 doesn’t image at alll though. Which is what is making me think there’s a phase issue.

S8ER01Z · Sep 28, 2023

Vice-White said:
The owners of the HK system in your Durango, how do you feel the volume control is to get the levels you want? For example, my wifes HK system at 25 is equal to my Alpine system @ 18 or so. I feel the Alpine system gets louder quicker and much more linear compared to the HK. My wife feels the HK sounds great and edges her Jeep over the Durango in the tone department.

You have to have the volume far too loud for any bass to really kick in. I had alpine in my 2018 challenger and it was really disappointing so this is better than that was but still a rather weak system for the money.

Vice-White · Sep 28, 2023

My favorite song tests for car audio is Rush or Steely Dan. Those two bands have perfect audio engineering/mastering and they sound phenominal on the Alpine.
Maybe Dodge used songs from those bands to design the systems. LOL

JC Hemi · Sep 28, 2023

I think Vice-white hit it right… what type of music is key (rock, opera, classical, rap, etc.). Also how loud you plan on playing it too, as distortion increases with volume.

I am not an “audiophile” but do enjoy my tunes (child of the 80’s lol). I cannot speak for the HK system which I would assume like the Mackintosh is excellent but the stock Alpine in my DD is OK for me.

In reality, I have never heard a OEM sound system really blow me away like an high-end aftermarket set up.

My old 05’ DD had factory infinity sound system which worked well and I eventually replaced the head unit with a Kenwood and matching speakers. It sounded better but nothing out of this world, it really needed an amp and cross-over to take it to the next level.

FYI My Audi has stock B&O and Mustang GT has factory shaker with aftermarket speakers (infinity kappa), but nothing comparable to a well matched (highs, mids and lows) aftermarket sound system.

If anyone has a simple audio upgrade please post as I would be interested.

powerfreak · Sep 28, 2023

JC Hemi said:
If anyone has a simple audio upgrade please post as I would be interested.

Depending on what you consider "simple", if you want improve the sub performance, you can stuff it with polyfil. If you want to improve the overall sound (including the bass), replace the speakers...makes a HUGE difference, not a huge cost and if you have some basic mechanic skills (like, you're not afraid to pull off a door panel) and basic tools, you can do it yourself. I did this to my HK system (which I wasn't happy with), but I assume with the alpine system, the results would be similar.

JC Hemi · Sep 28, 2023

I can rebuild engines… but limited with complex electronics.

I can swap out speakers (ala Crutchfield kits) but anything more than that I take it or reputable stereo shop.

Man has to know his limitations. Lol

Vice-White · Sep 28, 2023

JC Hemi said:
I can rebuild engines… but limited with complex electronics.

I can swap out speakers (ala Crutchfield kits) but anything more than that I take it or reputable stereo shop.

Man has to know his limitations. Lol

Crutchfield is everyone's friend

powerfreak · Sep 28, 2023

JC Hemi said:
I can rebuild engines… but limited with complex electronics.

I can swap out speakers (ala Crutchfield kits) but anything more than that I take it or reputable stereo shop.

Man has to know his limitations. Lol

I bought everything from Crutchfield...they had plug-n-play harnesses for everything except the tweeters, so it was pretty easy. The hardest part was getting the door panels off, but luckily there's some good "how-to's" kickin around here.

powerfreak · Sep 28, 2023

Vice-White said:
Crutchfield is everyone's friend

I was a little disappointed in them, when I ordered, their speaker-fit-database was really inaccurate for the DD. But, at least their customer service is always great and I was lucky enough to catch some good sales on Kicker speakers.

stoopalini · Sep 28, 2023

Crutchfield is great for entry level stuff and for their fitment guide (when it's accurate), but I tend to go to other sources when buying car audio stuff. You can typically find higher quality choices for the same pricing elsewhere.

DIY Mobile Audio is a great resource for researching and finding good product recommendations.

54889 · Sep 28, 2023

Vice-White said:
FWIW, you will find the standard Alpine system better then the HK system. My wife has the HK 19 speaker system in her 21 JGC and it is not satisfying to the ears compared to my Durango's Alpine. The 3 band tone stack is ridiculously lacking for asystem like yours or mine for that matter. Lots of people improved the quality by swapping out the OEM speakers with high quality aftremarket speakers. Other people went further with amps and such. I simply would love Dodge to update Uconnect to include a 7 band graphic eq as that would make the stock system soud much better with the added fine tuning of frequencies.

I agree. I test drove one with the Alpine and it sounded better than the one I ended up buying, which has Harmon Kardon.

DDC · Sep 29, 2023

@stoopalini I'm late noticing this thread on the HK. I have a thread you may want to check on on the EQ settings for the HK. for me, using these EQ settings makes my HK sound like it should. I agree these settings are out of the norm of you have any car stereo experience, but I suggest you try them.

Harman Kardon correct EQ settings (Alpine also) - try these

for anyone that has the upgraded HK stereo (I think 2018 and up) I suggest you use these EQ settings as a start and tune to your personal preference. these settings should also be a good start for the Alpine system. I'll post the picture and my thoughts below. I will say that once I set my EQ...

www.dodgedurango.net

norge · Sep 29, 2023

DDC, that highlights how individual the sound settings may be, I could not survive without hose settings, lol. I feel we all agree that the HK system does not sound right at the factory settings. Here's my settings, and the fade setting was the biggest change to "correct" the sound of the HK system, and the EQ settings I feel would be more of the personal settings... and I fully expect others will completely disagree on the sound settings for their preferences, as well as the music they choose to listen to, which has a big impact on the settings desired.

stoopalini · Sep 29, 2023

Thanks guys, we’ll certainly play with it some … but no amount of changing EQ or fade/balance will correct for imaging, and that’s one of my big gripes right now.

To correct imaging, you have to either EQ just one side, adjust phase of one side, or sometimes time delay of one side can also be used (although a bandaid).

My point is the user accessible controls in the head unit are great for personal preference, but can’t be used to correct a tuning or configuration issue.

That said, using whatever options are available to make it as good as you can is about the only thing you can do.

DDC · Sep 29, 2023

stoopalini said:
Thanks guys, we’ll certainly play with it some … but no amount of changing EQ or fade/balance will correct for imaging, and that’s one of my big gripes right now.

To correct imaging, you have to either EQ just one side, adjust phase of one side, or sometimes time delay of one side can also be used (although a bandaid).

My point is the user accessible controls in the head unit are great for personal preference, but can’t be used to correct a tuning or configuration issue.

That said, using whatever options are available to make it as good as you can is about the only thing you can do.

@stoopalini I hear you. I used to run sound for our church for years. that teaches you a lot but also ruins you in some ways because you pick out things others don't even notice.

I'm telling you from personal experience, set your Mid to at least +5 and listen for a little bit. it seemed like my HK finally came alive and sounded like it should with that setting. you may decide to change it back or to tweak from there.

but I'm telling you, try the +5 Mids.

DDC · Sep 29, 2023

norge said:
DDC, that highlights how individual the sound settings may be, I could not survive without hose settings, lol. I feel we all agree that the HK system does not sound right at the factory settings. Here's my settings, and the fade setting was the biggest change to "correct" the sound of the HK system, and the EQ settings I feel would be more of the personal settings... and I fully expect others will completely disagree on the sound settings for their preferences, as well as the music they choose to listen to, which has a big impact on the settings desired.
View attachment 128920
View attachment 128921

@norge I totally agree that sound is very user dependent. we all have different tastes and preferences. and we all have an opinion about what sounds best.

but with the HK in our Durangos I make an exception to that statement. don't knock the +5 Mid until you've tried it. for some reason it makes the HK come alive and sound like it really should.

just sayin'.

stoopalini · Sep 29, 2023

Sure DDC, I’ll give it a try. I think the reason the +5 is making it come alive is related to what I observed and mentioned in my 1st post … the mid range and mid bass seems non existent. Pushing the “mid” EQ slider up is pushing those frequencies, so I can definitely see how it would help to compensate for whatever is off.

I’m suppose to get the car back today from the shop and will take some measurements with REW this weekend. If I notice obvious issues, I’ll then contact Harman Kardon with my findings and see what they say.

I’ve been serving on various church worship teams for about 20 years now., so I know what you mean. It does teach you a lot 😊. I’m mainly a guitarist, but have needed to run FOHon many occasions, as well as setup and pinkout large venues.

That, and my home theater hobby, as well as the GTO stereo is why I have the calibration equipment and knowledge on how to use it. All of that experience definitely helps 😊

DDC · Sep 29, 2023

stoopalini said:
Sure DDC, I’ll give it a try. I think the reason the +5 is making it come alive is related to what I observed and mentioned in my 1st post … the mid range and mid bass seems non existent. Pushing the “mid” EQ slider up is pushing those frequencies, so I can definitely see how it would help to compensate for whatever is off.

I’m suppose to get the car back today from the shop and will take some measurements with REW this weekend. If I notice obvious issues, I’ll then contact Harman Kardon with my findings and see what they say.

I’ve been serving on various church worship teams for about 20 years now., so I know what you mean. It does teach you a lot 😊. I’m mainly a guitarist, but have needed to run FOHon many occasions, as well as setup and pinkout large venues.

That, and my home theater hobby, as well as the GTO stereo is why I have the calibration equipment and knowledge on how to use it. All of that experience definitely helps 😊

@stoopalini that's awesome. I used to love running sound at the church. we built the building and had a fairly large sanctuary that was also two stories tall. except the design put the sound booth up on the 2nd floor in the back. on paper that made most sense but we learned really fast we had to go down to the floor and walk the room after we had the sound where we 'thought' it should be.

then I changed churches and my new church of now 12+ years has all digital sound board equipment. I tried, I really did. I just couldn't get into using the all digital board. I could understand it no problem but it just wasn't the same for me.

Thoughts on 2023 Harman Kardon system?

norge

frictioncircle

stoopalini

S8ER01Z

Vice-White

JC Hemi

powerfreak

JC Hemi

Vice-White

powerfreak

powerfreak

stoopalini

54889

DDC

Harman Kardon correct EQ settings (Alpine also) - try these

norge

stoopalini

DDC

DDC

stoopalini

DDC

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