High-quality Dodge Ram Audio System for Mechanicsville Client

A client from Mechanicsville, Virginia, brought his 2011 Dodge Ram to Extreme Audio to have a remote car starter and HID headlight upgrade installed. While the client was in the store, he told us about how great he thought the audio system in his BMW sounded and that he wanted the same thing in his Ram.

A few months passed, and the client returned to see us. He was ready to upgrade the system in his daily driver work truck. We proposed a simple system, yet elegant, solution comprised of premium components that would meet his needs. Once the client approved our system design and agreed to the product selection, we scheduled a time to start this Dodge Ram audio system upgrade.

Alpine Head Unit Upgrade

We removed the factory radio and replaced it with an Alpine INE-W960HDMI 6.1-inch receiver. The Alpine unit features Bluetooth, USB for music from a memory stick or iPhone, built-in navigation, and a SiriusXM SXV300 receiver. We used a Metra dash kit to allow the Alpine to fill the opening left by the factory radio. Alpine includes three months of free SiriusXM service. We also installed a Rydeen Mini-Cam on the rear of the truck to provide a clear view of everything behind the vehicle.

Arc Audio Amplifier and Speakers

We chose the Arc Audio amplifier for its compact chassis and outstanding power.

The crossovers for the front doors were neatly wired and secured to the door.

To ensure a life of service, we use plastic for all our speaker adapters.

Securely mounted in the front doors, the Arc Audio woofer sounded great!

The Arc Audio Black tweeter is their premier high frequency driver.

The 3d printed tweet pods were just what this truck needed!

The rear doors got plastic adapters, sound proofing, foam rings and new speakers.

We chose an Arc Audio XDi1100.5 five-channel amplifier to power the system. This compact and efficient amplifier can produce up to 150 watts per channel to the front speakers and 500 watts to a subwoofer. We mounted the amplifier under the driver’s seat on a PVC panel and ran Stinger 4,000-series 4 AWG power wire to the battery and three pairs of 4,000-series RCA interconnects to the Alpine radio.

The front pair of channels power an Arc Audio Black 6.2 component set. The Black 6.2 set includes a 6.5-inch woofer and 1.14-inch soft dome tweeter. Each driver comes with a dedicated passive crossover network. We created a PVC adapter plate for the woofer and mounted it to the door with a layer of HushMat and a Fast Rings 6×9-inch foam baffle.

One of our installation technicians created the amazing tweeter pods you see here with his 3D printer. He used his design software to make a 3D model of the factory sail panel, incorporating several photos from different angles. He created a mounting surface for the Black 1.0 tweeter and flowed the mount into the factory panel. Once he completed the design, he set the printer to work. The printer finished by the next morning. We finished the pods by sanding them and then applying primer and paint.

For rear fill, we installed a set of Arc Audio ARC 602 6.5-inch coaxial speakers in the rear door. We created PVC plastic mounting adapters for the rear speakers, and treated the doors with more HushMat. Just as with the woofer in the front door, we used Fast Rings 6×9 foam baffles to help seal the speaker against the door trim panel.

JL Audio Subwoofer Solution

This picture illustrates the “stealth” in Stealthbox. Almost no space is taken up.

An incredible amount of accurate bass now inhabits this truck, thanks to the JL Audio subwoofer.

JL Audio has a series of vehicle-specific subwoofer enclosures called Stealthboxes. We installed an SB-D-QDRAM/10W3v3 enclosure under the right-rear passenger seat. The fiberglass JL Audio enclosure fits perfectly into the vehicle. Mounted in the enclosure is a single 10W3v3 subwoofer.

System Tuning

The Alpine source unit has some basic tuning features. Applying a signal delay to the closest speakers and attenuating their level created a natural and realistic soundstage across the front of the vehicle. Much as you would sit at a concert, with the stage out in front of you, we designed this audio system to do the same thing.

Dodge Ram Audio Excitement

Once complete, the client returned to audition his new system. He was impressed with not only the realism of the soundstage, but also how natural and detailed the system sounds. When the client wants to crank the volume, the system can play good and loud! This system certainly exceeds the performance of the factory Harman-Kardon system his BMW. If you are in the market for an audio system that will transform your daily commute into a studio-like sound experience, we invite you to visit one of our two Extreme Audio Locations. We have stores in Mechanicsville and Midlothian, Virginia. You also can contact us by e-mail by clicking HERE.