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I have the Sony system in the Platinum. Not the best stock audio I've heard, but certainly not the worst! (I am a bit of an audiophile so there is the disclaimer).
What irks me about the Sony system are the bloated lows and low-mids that muddy up the rest of the sound. I've found that setting the bass a few ticks below center and boosting the treble a few clicks helps alot, and makes it sound pretty decent and "fun" (V-shaped sound signature).
Here is the biggest issue however: Sirius Satellite Radio. If you are only listening to music on Sirius, then you would definitely be predisposed to thinking the system sounds like ****. If you think it sounds GOOD with Sirius, then you are sorely missing out on what good audio should be.
I came from an 06 Duramax with the premium Escalade factory audio with XM and it blew Sirius out of the water. Sirius has their bit-rate SO LOW that music sounds worse than all but the mostly highly compressed music, giving it an 'underwater sound' with zero resolution and weird sibilant highs that make me cringe. Talk radio stations are the worst, as they are broadcast at ridiculously low bit-rates. How XM delivered me near CD quality music for over a decade and Sirius (which is the same company) sounds so terrible now is beyond me, which is why I am not renewing after my trial. The other 2 vehicles that I have owned with Sirius vs XM have the same problem (VW Toureg and Honda Odyssey).
I just wanted to throw that out there because Sirius is the WORST part of the system and it will sound TERRIBLE no matter how much money you spend on the amp or speakers. Any upgrades you do short of replacing the head unit and switching to XM (if you can even do that) is the only way satellite radio will sound good (assuming XM keeps their bit-rates up and I wasn't just lucky hanging on to a legacy system).
Now bluetooth, HD FM, CD etc is a different story, and will definitely benefit from upgrades. I am really interested in how this system the OP is putting together works out. I am sorry to hijack and rant, but don't want to see anyone who mostly listens to Sirius waste a bunch of money.
Sirius and XM merged years ago. You can't get one or the other, it's all the same.
While I agree with you that satellite sucks for clarity and depth, I disagree that XM was any better than Sirius. They both had about 4MHz of bandwidth to their sats and they both used modified versions of the AAC codec. That 4MHz had to carry all of their channels. So not a lot of bandwidth, probably ends up being equivalent to a 96kb bitrate mp3... Which is crap any way you dice it.
You might've had a better receiver, or better reception to certain satellites that XM used to use. It's a variable bitrate based on reception, so that's probably why you see a difference.
BV.
You get it back yet?????
We're in suspense... 😎
I have a business trip to Denver this week. Dropping off the truck on Monday afternoon on the way to the airport and should be picking it up on Thursday morning. I will post an update as soon as I get it. I have high hopes that this will be a hassle free upgrade for those of us that want a better sound system.
One last thought... What about the center dash speaker? Are you planning to no longer use it? I would assume you would want channels 1-4 for F/R D/P and use 5&6 bridged for the sub. Is the installer going a different route?
One last thought... What about the center dash speaker? Are you planning to no longer use it? I would assume you would want channels 1-4 for F/R D/P and use 5&6 bridged for the sub. Is the installer going a different route?
The plan is to ditch the center channel and set it up exactly as you said.
Can you share what your all-in $$ was with install?
Also - I agree on the Sirius comment. Streaming services are better than satellite....I think Spotify is the cleanest streaming source (from my ears anyways)
We had to make a few changes after dropping my truck off since the 8" box did not come in on time. They ended up making a custom box and fitting a JL Audio 10W1v3-4 10" behind the seat. The amp is extremely easy to use and get setup, I still have some tweaking to do with the DSP setting, but I am blown away by how good this system sounds without the final tuning finished.
I think you should be happy the 8" sub didn't show up. To get a good punch you need a 10" miniumum, which you obviously got. I haven't even got my truck yet but am already dreading the sound system based on what I've heard from people. Question, I thought there were 8 or even 10 speakers in these trucks (Crew Cabs). But your only using the four door speakers. Was there a particular reason for this vs. trying to use all the speakers? Will that Maestro/DPS thing work with more than 4 speaker? Do you mind if we ask how much that setup cost?
I think you should be happy the 8" sub didn't show up. To get a good punch you need a 10" minimum, which you obviously got. I haven't even got my truck yet but am already dreading the sound system based on what I've heard from people. Question, I thought there were 8 or even 10 speakers in these trucks (Crew Cabs). But you're only using the four door speakers. Was there a particular reason for this vs. trying to use all the speakers? Will that Maestro/DPS thing work with more than 4 speakers? Do you mind if we ask how much that setup cost?
The only speaker that wasn't used was the center speaker in the dash. The other seven were replaced (two tweeters, two front mids, two rears, and a sub). You are looking at around $1800 for parts plus labor. I think it was worth every penny.
Glad you're happy!!!
My question: does everything stock work? Nav, bells, chimes etc???
I don't want to lose any stock functionality.
Did you remove the Sony amp entirely?
Was there any new wiring other than power for amp and new speaker wire? I understand the amp and Mastro should be plug and play. Right?
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