[Cyborgz]

Hi guys,

Recently, I bought a 2006 SRT8 with the Kicker Woofer in the trunk. Before I owned a 2006 CRD with the Boston 8 speaker setup and it was kinda fair for me. So I thought my new ride with the sub in the back would sounded much better! But it didnt....

As soon as I turned the volume up, the sound was bad. Hi pitched and I could not hear much bass. The sub is working but its not coming through. The system could not be adjusted to improved this (stock NAV radio)

So I went to the dealer here to do a full diagnostic. Everything was ok with the car, so that was good offcourse, but they did find that channel 3 from the audio wasn't working. Now that must be the reason that the sound doesnt sounds very good.

But what now? I want to upgrade the rear amp and sub soon - and probably do a reardeck and front dash speaker upgrade aswell, along with another aftermarket headunit - but i want to keep the stock amp - the one under the steeringwheel -.

Were can this error be? Is it the amp or the REC head unit? Can this be a broken cable somewere? I do not know were to start. I can buy a new kicker amp for about 150 euro's but im not sure if thats the problem.

Do you guys ever heard of this problem or do you have any advice on how to check this?
Hoping for some usefull tips!

Cheers!

Cy

 

[MADDOG]

You'll have to start at the amp, pull it and test all channels. If those test out, then it's time to start pulling speakers and checking those.

Frankly, I'd look at augmenting the system with an aftermarket amp. The stock one, which is not a very good amp to begin with, will remain in place to provide a digital signal out to the second unit. From there, a LOC is used to send a signal to the speakers.

And while we are on the topic of speakers, if yours are still stock and one has failed, time for some new speakers as well. Once you pull one, even the dash units, you'll see why I recommend replacing them.

Good luck!

 

[Cyborgz]

Yes, I know MD. I followed most of Cool_V_300 and your topics and I know it will improve alot to change the speakers. I will do that.

About leaving the stock amp in place and adding another: Well, thats a different story. I shouldnt even know were to begin to be honest.

You are saying to leave the stock amp - I believe I have the 77kickerab18 or something like that - in place and use that to feed another aftermarket amp. As there are 2 plugs in the amp now - one input from the REC and the other one is going to the speakers i guess - I should be feeding those into another amp as i think that you mean, but i dont know any color code or how to do that. There are no topics on theis forum with colorcodes or a step by step manual unfortunatly...

So I think I will keep the kicker amp and just change the headunit and the speakers. The only thing that I will do - Which I believe that I can do :0 - , is unplug the sub amp plug that is located under the reardeck and redirect that signal to my aftermarket sub amp and sub.

I will get back to you on that But for now, I have to fix the stock system first. I went to the dealer again and they run a test on all of the channels and again channel 3 wasn't working. This is the speaker that is located in de driverside door. That one just dont work. I put my ear on the speaker and heard absolutly nothing.

However, I'm still surprised that this spreaker fault only, results in such bad music quality..Even the sub sounds bad...Is this all because of this channel 3 error?

Well, the dealer said that I should remove the inside of the door first, to check if the speaker is well connected and doesnt make a bad connection. So this is what I will do first. After that, I will change the kicker amp. Hopefully, the prob will be solved then...

But i will keep you posted as I will need your help again in a later stadium with the sub amp

Thanx guys and best regards from Holland

 

[Cool_V_300C]

The speaker in channel 3 is responsible for some of your bass. That's why you don't get the full sound.

Though we haven't established the exact cut-off point, you can use this as a guideline:

Front Dash: 150 Hz and above
Front Door: 150 Hz and below
Rear Deck: 150 Hz and above (debated because 6 speaker systems aren't filtered)
middle deck sub feed: 90 Hz and below

You could miss quite a bit of bass if you door speakers don't play.

Now with the 77kick amp that you have, there *could* be an additional feature that could hurt your sound. That is the surround option. I believe you toggle this using the steering wheel volume ++/-- or something like that to switch between the mode.

Bottom line, I wouldn't trust the current amp to give you a good signal for aftermarket until you can identify if it's the speaker or the amp that's the problem.

Instead, I'd recommend the C2A-CHY from PAC. That will let you add aftermarket amps.

But first figure out if you have a bad amp or a bad speaker.

 

[Cyborgz]

That explains the bad sound, Cool_V, thanx for your reply!
I will update this thread as soon as I checked the spreakerwire in the door panel. However, its kinda bad weather over here now so I have to wait a couple of days.

Will post back as soon as I know more. If someone has a 77KICKER18 amp that he or she wants to sell, please send me a PM!

Thanx all!

 

[Cyborgz]

I'm going mad over all these amps
Not quite sure whats in my car right now but can someone tell me the difference between the 77kick18ab and the 77kick30ab? It says that the 30ab is for 2008 models and up but i also read that it can also be fitted into a 2006.

Is that right? Can i buy a 30ab for my 2006 srt? And then again, on ebay i also see the 77kick30ac! Whats up with that? Instead of ab its ac.....

Confusing.....

 

[Cool_V_300C]

If I had to venture a guess on it, I believe the 77kick30ab was introduced around the time the high speed can-bus arrived on the scene. Though our cars didn't have the high-speed can-bus, other chrysler vehicles did. I suspect the 77kick30ab was created for compatibility for both systems. Now the 77kick30ac is just a later revision which replaced the 77kick30ab.

So if I'm not mistaken, all 3 *should* work for you.

 

[MADDOG]

Specs are the same for all three and Cool V 300C is quite correct on the low speed buss model 77KICK18 & the high speed buss model 77KICK30.

I don't believe, however, the 77KICK30 will work with your 2006 as it is a low speed buss model. We know you can't plug in a high speed buss MyGig head unit into a low speed buss equipped car.

Try the 77KICK18 amp if you want but I was pretty disappointed in the results, even with upgraded speakers.

 

[Cool_V_300C]

It's still not clear. I believe the LX platform model years 2010 and below are all low use the speed CAN-BUS, yet the kicker systems started using the 77kick30ab in 2008. I've seen kicker application guides that mention '05-'07 using the 77kick18ab and '08-'09 using the 77kick30ab.

Since we know for sure the 77kick18ab works on the '06 model, I'd suggest going with that model. The 77kick30ab or ac won't give you more performance over it as they have the same specs.

 

[Cyborgz]

Hmmm ok, thats dissapointing...I can purchase a 77kick30 amp from a forum members for a good price but as you guys dont know it for sure, then its probably better to let it go....

I will look for a 77kick18 then...

Yes MD, i would love to get another amp but the installation is just to difficult for me. I do not understand how and were to tap the lines as im not very good with it. If i should go with a aftermarket amp, i need an LC8, the amp itself and what more?
Maybe if there was a good schematic or a step to step manual for dummies, i would take the challenge but for now its just a no go for me. Or maybe you guys can help me out on a step to step basis? That would be great!

As for speakers and subamp, i already bought the following:
2x 6x9 infinity reference 9623i - for my doors ( are these any good for my rear deck aswell? I can buy 2 more for a good price.
2x 4 inch reference 4012i tweeters ( hopefully, i can fit them in...)
12 inch kenwood sub with box
R series Radion 180.2 sub amp for in the trunk 540 watts
Add a fuse thingy for the remote cable of the sub amp
Dietz hi power adapter ( between subamp and sub)

So i only need 2 rear deck speakers and if the 4 inch tweeters wont fit, a 3.5 set aswell and then im good to go! But again, first i need to figure out that 3rd channel error...

Loooots of questions guys, i know

Cheers,

Cy

 

[Cool_V_300C]

Your speaker choices look good, but I'd caution against the 4 inchers as you'll be hard pressed to get them in. The 3.5 inch speakers will drop right in and won't call for any modification.

And you can use the same 6x9 speaker for the rear deck.

 

[Cool_V_300C]

Hmmm ok, thats dissapointing...I can purchase a 77kick30 amp from a forum members for a good price but as you guys dont know it for sure, then its probably better to let it go....

I will look for a 77kick18 then...

Yes MD, i would love to get another amp but the installation is just to difficult for me. I do not understand how and were to tap the lines as im not very good with it. If i should go with a aftermarket amp, i need an LC8, the amp itself and what more?
Maybe if there was a good schematic or a step to step manual for dummies, i would take the challenge but for now its just a no go for me. Or maybe you guys can help me out on a step to step basis? That would be great!

As for speakers and subamp, i already bought the following:
2x 6x9 infinity reference 9623i - for my doors ( are these any good for my rear deck aswell? I can buy 2 more for a good price.
2x 4 inch reference 4012i tweeters ( hopefully, i can fit them in...)
12 inch kenwood sub with box
R series Radion 180.2 sub amp for in the trunk 540 watts
Add a fuse thingy for the remote cable of the sub amp
Dietz hi power adapter ( between subamp and sub)

So i only need 2 rear deck speakers and if the 4 inch tweeters wont fit, a 3.5 set aswell and then im good to go! But again, first i need to figure out that 3rd channel error...

Loooots of questions guys, i know

Cheers,

Cy

One alternative to getting the LC8 would be to get a pac audio C2A-CHY. This will plug into the harness behind the radio and give you 2 sets of RCA connections that you can use to send audio to new aftermarket amps. It even has a remote turn on lead.

You'd just need a set of RCA cables to run from the C2A to your amps. No cutting involved on that end.

Then you connect speaker wire to your amps and run them to your speaker locations.

 

[Cyborgz]

Thanx for the reply!
After doing some research, i noticed that when i would go with the pac C2A-CHY, the factory amp has to be installed too. So no matter what i do, i still need that 77kick18 amp...

Just trying to clear things up and making a step by step plan with the help from you:

Ifi should go with the pac C2A-CHY, what is the best location for the amp? Do you install the amp in the trunk and rewire all new cables to the speakers from there? Or is the best place for the new amp somewere up front? How did you guys did this?

Can you advice me on what kinda amp is best to use, how many channels and output for my speaker setup? Which channel goes to which speakers? Rear deck, front doors, dash tweeters and sub ( i think a 4 channel amp will be sufficient? Or is that 8 channel? Lol

Is it still possible to send a signal from the new amp to my radion 180.2 sub amp? Or is that amp not needed anymore?

Should i remove the big outgoing plug from the stock 77kick18 amp that is going to the speakers, or should i just unplug the speakerwires from the speakers itself and leave the big plug in place? As maybe this big plug also do other things then sending a signal to the speakers only.

And most important: will the system accept all this mods without giving errors or warning chimes? As i really hate that!!

More answers leads to more questions
Thanx amigo's!

 

[Cool_V_300C]

Thanx for the reply!
After doing some research, i noticed that when i would go with the pac C2A-CHY, the factory amp has to be installed too. So no matter what i do, i still need that 77kick18 amp...

Just trying to clear things up and making a step by step plan with the help from you:

Ifi should go with the pac C2A-CHY, what is the best location for the amp? Do you install the amp in the trunk and rewire all new cables to the speakers from there? Or is the best place for the new amp somewere up front? How did you guys did this?

Can you advice me on what kinda amp is best to use, how many channels and output for my speaker setup? Which channel goes to which speakers? Rear deck, front doors, dash tweeters and sub ( i think a 4 channel amp will be sufficient? Or is that 8 channel? Lol

Is it still possible to send a signal from the new amp to my radion 180.2 sub amp? Or is that amp not needed anymore?

Should i remove the big outgoing plug from the stock 77kick18 amp that is going to the speakers, or should i just unplug the speakerwires from the speakers itself and leave the big plug in place? As maybe this big plug also do other things then sending a signal to the speakers only.

And most important: will the system accept all this mods without giving errors or warning chimes? As i really hate that!!

More answers leads to more questions
Thanx amigo's!

Best place to put the aftermarket amp is in the trunk. How you do it depends on your taste and abilities though. Some people use the spare tire well and put a board there to mount the amps. Some people put them on the back of the rear seats. I mounted a simple board covered in carpet on the back of the seat and put the amps on the board.

The C2A is designed to work with systems that have the amp in place. However, you don't need to worry about the output of the amp. Basically you would leave the input plug (the smaller plug closest to the engine firewall) connected.

Since the battery is in the trunk, it's easier to run power cables to the new amp from there.
You can run the turn-on lead from the C2A, along with RCA cables to the location of your new amp.

Then you can run your own speaker wire from the new amp to the speaker locations. You can disconnect the stock connection for the speakers you plan to drive with your new amp.

It can be tough getting the new wire through the molex connector in the door, but many have done it. There are some threads here the describe the process. I was a bit lazy and decided to identify the wire going to the dash and the door and I instead connected the wires from my new amp to the wires going into the door and dash. Before cutting the wire, I labeled it and capped it off properly so I could easily go back to stock.

What amp you should use depends on budget, but figure on at least a 4 channel amp for the mains in the car, and a 2 channel bridgeable model or a mono amp for a subwoofer.

Some brands I have worked with successfully:

Kenwood, JBL, Alpine, Rockford Fosgate, Phoenix Gold, MTX, JL Audio, and on the very cheap USA Acoustics.

So what would a typical setup look like:

Since you have the stock amp still in place, you could keep the dash speakers running on the stock amp, then use an aftermarket 4 channel amp to run the doors and rear deck. Then use another amp for a subwoofer.

One additional caution: we have not discussed whether you have Uconnect or NAV voice.
If so, the stock amp should be left connected at least to the dash speakers.

Many options to consider, so let's see what happens when you get the channel problem resolved.

What I did:

1. scrapped all speakers
2. Bought a pair of Polk Audio separates for the front and a pair of 6x9's for the rear
3. Got a 4 channel amp and a mono amp for bass
4. mounted the tweeter in the dash where the 3.5in speakers go, I used a spacer for this. You can use backstrap and that would let you put some angle on the tweeter.
5. Mounted the woofer in the door, again using a spacer to fill out the 6x9 opening.
6. Mounted the crossovers upfront on each side in the upper kick panel (drivers side next to the stock amp though)
7. Mounted the amps on a board against the back of the rear seat
8. Ran speaker wire from the amps to the crossovers up front and to the new 6x9s in back, which also came with a crossover.
9. Connected the tweeter output of the crossover to the dash speaker wires. Connected the woofer output of the crossover to the door speaker wires.
10. Fired everything up and tuned it.
11. I used a JL audio 12 inch sub enclosure that had a pair of 12s. Some people go with a single sub and you really only need enough to fill out the audio spectrum.

With the stock radio, I had a high wide sound stage where you could identify the location of all the instruments, clear dynamics, and a good up front bass image. I could also hit above 130dB with a peak of 134dB when I was not concerned about sound quality. The output level wasn't really something I was looking for, but I definitely wanted good sound quality.

Sorry for the ramble, but I wanted to give you some ideas.

 

[Cyborgz]

Now that is some great info Cool_V! Thank you very much for that!

I need to buy alot of new stuff now, so i will report back when i have everything.

btw, you were right, the 4 inch tweeters do not fit...

thanx again mate!!

 

[Cyborgz]

Forgot to ask:

If i go with an aftermarket 4 channel amp for the door and reardeck speakers, were do I tap the sub signal? As I keep the dash speakers connected from the stock 77kick18ab amp, do I also keep the stock sub wires that go from the stock 77kick18ab amp?

So just remove the sub amp that is mounted under de reardeck and just go from there or do I have to tap the signal from the 4 channel aftermarket amp that goes to the rear speakers?

 

[Cool_V_300C]

What I did was got a 4 channel amp that had pre-outs. Then I fed the front and rear signal to that amp, the pre-out was non-fading and I connected that to the sub amp. That way you don't have to tap for the sub amp.

The other way would be to tap the signal from the stock sub amp for your new sub. But that would mean leaving the small amp in the rear deck installed. It's probably better to remove the amp and the plate it is mounted on. The opening will let the bass from your new sub flow into the car better.

fortunately, there are many 4 channel amps that have pre-outs available. That's the option I would choose if I were adding a sub amp and subwoofer.

That's how I ended up finally in my cool V.

I had front/rear rca cables to my mtx ta5604, then from the ta5604 I ran rca cables to my sub amp, which was a ta5601.

Some qualifications for amps to use:

4 channel models should have a built in cross-over and at least 1 pair of pre-outs.
2 channel or mono amps should have a built in cross-over and a remote level control.

Or something I didn't think about is if you find a 5 or 6 channel amp. There are some 5 channel amps available that would allow you to take the 2 sets of RCA inputs and feed 4 channels to your mains and 1 channel to your sub from the same set of signals. The only down side is the price can go up for models with higher power on the sub channel.

Again, a lot of options to choose from.

Hope it helps.

 

[Cyborgz]

Back again Cool_V!

Just bought another Radion Amp, the 60.4MX 4 channel series. This one will be used for the reardeck, the door speakers and for a signal to the Radion 180.2 amp, that will feed the subwoofer.

Now I will not buy a new 77kick18ab amp as i will use the Radion 4 channel amp voor the speakers. However, I will keep the 77kick18ab amp for the front dash speakers and the Navigation voice.

The channel 3 is not functioning but thats not the dash speakers channels, so that will save me some money right? ( Im planning to leave both plugs in the 77kick18ab amp and just disconnect the reardeck speakers, the doorspeakers and the sub at the speakers itself. Just plug or tape them and leave them, so I can go back to stock idf i wanted too)

I have the standard 2 din REC unit with Nav btw.

1. I have to use an RCA adapter and this must be the PAC C2A-CHY right? If i buy this one, can i still use my 77kick18ab amp for the nav and dash speakers or do I need more additional adapters? Please advice.

2. Is this the way to go? Am I on the right track? (sorry for the bad pic. It's shot with a potato and there is lots of sunshine here now ;0 )

3. Can I put both the remote lines - from both amps - on 1 fuse adapter? So basicly split the fuse adapter to both amps? Or do i need 2 find 2 separate fuses for both amps? Which fuse is the best for the remote wires? I read alot about fuse 18 but then I also read alot about fuse 34..

Big thanx in advance!

 

[Cool_V_300C]

Looks as if you have everything planned now. Looking at the amps you have, you are in good shape.

Regarding the C2A-CHY. That would be the perfect LOC for this application. It will also help you out with the remote turn-on as the C2A provides this so you don't have to tap the fuse in the back, unless you really want to. You can connect either the fuse lead (I prefer fuse 35) to both amps, or, use the turn-on lead from the C2A and connect that to both amps. Probably better to use the C2A's turn-on so you don't have any timing issues. I found my amps turned on before the radio when using the fuse tap, so I switched to the C2A lead to fix that.

And yes, you can still use the 77kick18ab to run the dash speakers with the C2A connected. It is designed for that purpose.

 

[Cyborgz]

Great!! Good to know that Im on the right track here.

I didnt know about the remote on the PAC unit, so that will come in handy for sure! About the PAC and the RCA cables: What is the best way to transport them to the trunk? Through the middle or just left or right side?

What is your thought on that Cool_V?