2021 Ranger XLT Speakers …

[VTRanger]

I don't hate the factory speakers, much better than Japanese vehicle basic stock speakers, but not the most impressive. Would be nice if there was an easy upgrade.

I had a grand Cherokee rocky mountain edition that came with the Boston Acoustic Sound System, man that was sweet. Also back when we had CD players ?

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[Joeiconic]

Ah kickers sound nice ? thanks. I gotta figure something out. The basic ones are horrible lately. When the bass hits on the 70’s channel it sounds like a nickel and a dime are bouncing around inside the door … ??

Sounds you have a loose speaker, or maybe a loose screw inside the door. Maybe fix that first and then see if you still feel the need to upgrade.

 

[TheRoushRanger046]

I was looking to do same and am considering the stage3 kit also.
There are a couple of threads on these speakers - one loved them and one seemed to hate them.
Busy right now and not high on my priority list though.
Whatever path you go, please post your thoughts!

Will do…! Gonna go check out a local shop tomorrow. Will report what I find and let me know if you hear anything as well … (lol see what I did there .. hear, lol) ???

 

[TheRoushRanger046]

You can get some better quality of sound just by changing the speakers but be aware not all brands are good. Kicker is one I have heard 50/50 on and havent tried myself. One brand I know is good is Alpine. Eventually I will do the swap but I have a few priorities before that will happen. If the speaker swap does a little but not enough it may benefit you to get an amp to help push more power to the speakers.

Agree. I’ve heard alpine as well. Going to local shop tomorrow. Was thinking even B&O or Bose …

 

[TheRoushRanger046]

i did usaci competitions a while back in the sq class and in 501 and down spl class before they rearranged the classes. i learned really fast source signal purity and clean power are where sound quality live. upgrading speakers is great but if you want loud and clean you must have a strong clean signal and clean strong power with lots of headroom. whatever the speakers max input says multiply by two and thats what you need running them. whatever most brands of amps say they put on divide by 2 and that is more realistic. fair warning though, its almost futile lol. these days car audio is much more about what the auto writers call info tainment not sound quality. the signal to noise ratios on most newer units is crap unless you spend a ton. plus the music going in isnt what it used to be either. mp3 mp4 and so on are compressed and chopped which introduces distortion no matter good the rest of the system is. sat radio and fm / am are not any better. CD studio sound quality at one time was clinically clean. it is no more. cost cutting and the shift to touch screen and apps killed that. more file space and so. the futile part, bad in bad out. most music these days is not great audio quality and then reproduced by even the most snobbish systems are not going to make it better. sq systems only reproduce the music source information more precisely.

Wow ? thank you so much for all the detail. I will take into account this when looking around and what I plan on doing. Kind of changes my mind now. But I appreciate it ?

 

[TheRoushRanger046]

Start by rolling some 80 or 100 mil Kilmat sound absorbing material into the cavities and onto the skin of your doors behind the door cards. It makes the base response much better and kills some of the road noise that necessitates higher volume levels in the first place. You can get the material and the roller on Amazon for about half the price of Dynamat.

No shooooot lol. I just googled : YouTube this. Seems super easy and very cheap. Prolly gonna order with prime right now and try this. Still going to shop tomorrow. This might be perfect for how easy and cheap this helps out. Thank you. Thank You ???

 

[TheRoushRanger046]

Sounds you have a loose speaker, or maybe a loose screw inside the door. Maybe fix that first and then see if you still feel the need to upgrade.

Thought the same. Great minds think alike. Lol. All was tight ???that’s what she said.

 

[wetidlerjr]

Maybe my hearing just sucks but I like the stock XLT setup.

I found I could get decent (not great) sound by adjusting the stock speakers (balance, fade, etc.) in my XLT. I'll save my money for upgrades to my home speakers and equipment.

 

[9zero1790]

Wow ? thank you so much for all the detail. I will take into account this when looking around and what I plan on doing. Kind of changes my mind now. But I appreciate it ?

you are very welcome! i got a lil long winded lol.

 

[Langwilliams]

The first spec I check on speakers when looking for a set is sensitivity. The stage 3 kickers are 90 db which isn't bad but you can find 92 an 93 for the same money which will will produce more sound before distorting.

 

[9zero1790]

The first spec I check on speakers when looking for a set is sensitivity. The stage 3 kickers are 90 db which isn't bad but you can find 92 an 93 for the same money which will will produce more sound before distorting.

this is gonna show my geriatric age lol but i remember when kicker was made in oklahoma and a specialty shop brand. couldnt get it at chains or walmart etc. saw the alma gates red kicker bronco once. im sure its made many evolution's in newer stuff now or gone all together. it was pretty sweet. saw her farewell event. last round up or something like that it was called.

 

[TheRoushRanger046]

this is gonna show my geriatric age lol but i remember when kicker was made in oklahoma and a specialty shop brand. couldnt get it at chains or walmart etc. saw the alma gates red kicker bronco once. im sure its made many evolution's in newer stuff now or gone all together. it was pretty sweet. saw her farewell event. last round up or something like that it was called.

Did tv’s have color then too?

???

Just kidding ?

 

[Grumpaw]

Sorry, but this thread just calls for this.....

 

[Langwilliams]

I just had to do a search an saw this: https://plugnplaykits.com/products/...1&_sid=7c1ad0fc3&_ss=r&variant=40866538553534


I'll have to read up on the kicker amp. maybe get an upgraded kit to handle adding a small sub later on if necessary.

 

[9zero1790]

Did tv’s have color then too?

???

Just kidding ?

only the new ones did ! no joke my first tv as a kid was black and white and had knobs that clicked. it worked great when i tossed it too. i tried to give it away but no one would take it. the screen was smaller than my laptop screen and it weighed about 20 - 30 pounds lol. To be fair color tv was around before i was born i just didnt get one of my own until the late 80s.

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