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Did some research on the Beats system and it has 11 speakers total, even though it is commonly referred to as a 10 speaker system, so it is definitely different than the 10 speaker system i thought it was. Here is the break down:
522 watt 12 channel amplifier
Three 3.5 inch speakers located in the instrument panel
Two 3.5 inch speakers in the rear doors
Two 6 x 9 inch front door woofers for bass
Two 6 x 9 inch speakers and a center mounted 8 inch speaker in the rears shelf for full range audio
one 8 inch Beats Audio trunk mounted dual voice coil sub-woofer with sealed enclosure for bass
The amp has the same number of channels as the 10 speaker Alpine system but is only 16 watts stronger, so I'm wondering if the sub has it's own amp?
Very interesting. The Beats sub has 1 wiring pigtail as opposed to the 2 plugs in the trunk area. Thanks for the info! As far as I know the sub doesn't have its own amp. The Beats amp is 12 channel so that should be sufficient. Now I'm back to the issue of wiring the sub to the system, which I'm sure is easy for an audio expert but not me. I'll also have to see if the 8-inch trunk speaker will plug up to these two pigtails I found that you pointed out.
If I can figure out how to get the dash speaker panel off I will check for pre-wiring. If its there I will order 1 speaker from the Beats system and see if it works.
I wonder if it would just be easier to do the 10-speaker Alpine system and go that route? I've never tested it out so I'm not sure what kind of quality it has.
BTW, I'm ordering the speakers tomorrow. I have a good feeling they will hook up to where mine do with no issues and will worry about the rear door speakers later. The amp will most likely be able to replace my stock amp but no guarantees. It's just something I will have to see about once I get it in the future. I cannot for the life of me find a part number or anything for that 8" speaker in the rear deck. I do not see it as a separate part on any part catalog.
I'll keep posting updates but I really appreciate the help Phil. Do you recall the procedure for removing the dash speaker panel?
Will definitely keep posting. Thanks very much for the video reference. I also just ordered rear door panels with the speaker grilles so I can install the rear speakers sometime. My dad is going to order the speakers tomorrow, as he gets a 25% parts discount from Chrysler, and I will have to wait until Christmas for the sub and amp.
The only issues I foresee are wiring. If the Beats amp does not plug directly into my factory harness, I will have to splice the connections. I just hope that the car's computer doesn't somehow block the new amp from working. Also I will have to figure out how and where to wire the sub.
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Got bored and took off the dash cover. Turns out the hole for the middle speaker is there, but no wiring. So getting it wired in may be difficult. I might leave the dash as is..
I'm gonna start with "upgrading" my factory parts and go from there. Meaning I'll replace all 6 current speakers and the amp and see if that works well, then if so, add the other speakers and the sub.
Installed the Beats amp today - WOW what a difference! I was worried I wouldn't be able to use it with my factory speakers, but then I remembered that I do have "premium" speakers that, when equipped with the 10-speaker upgrade, use a 506-watt amp versus my 6-speaker 276-watt setup. So they're made to handle over 500 watts.
The Beats amp plugged in directly with no issues and made a significant improvement to the output of my existing speakers. Next I'll swap out the 6 speakers and see how much of a difference that makes. After that I'll install the sub (somehow) and then the additional speakers (2 rear doors, 1 rear deck and 1 dash) and I'll have the whole setup.
Just as an update I purchased (1) 3.5" "Beats" speaker to test out on my car. Here's what I found out:
The rear doors have mounts for the 3.5" speakers, but do not have any wiring ready to go. So it is not a plug-and-play matter and will require advanced wiring. I may skip out on those.
The speaker itself fits in the dash panel area, and to my surprise, I found out that my current speakers are the same exact ones as the Beats speakers. So if your 300/300C has the Alpine sound system, it is using the exact same speakers as the Beats system. The part numbers all match! I am going to cancel my order on the remaining ones.
Also, from speaking with my parts guy today, we discovered that the 3rd speaker in the rear deck (the middle one), where the pre-wiring was found (which was said to be a subwoofer in the 10-speaker Alpine system or a normal speaker in the Beats system) is actually a subwoofer either way and both speaker systems use the same exact part number. So once again it is not a Beats-exclusive part. You get the same exact setup either way.
What does this mean?: Our current Alpine systems use the same exact speakers/subwoofers as the Beats system. The only differences are the amp (by only 16 watts if you have the 10-speaker), extra set of speakers (if you have the 6-speaker), and the trunk subwoofer. So I will be installing only the rear deck subwoofer for the time being as my car is currently pre-wired for it. Later I will worry about the Beats trunk sub.
Bottom line: If you have the Alpine 10-speaker setup, then you really also have the Beats setup, minus the sub in the trunk. What a joke of a marketing method. I would consider it a scam, even. They are the same exact speakers and parts with the addition of a cool-looking sub.
Last edited by zach2011; 01-02-2013 at 09:25 PM.
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