Dodge Ram pickup trucks are very popular. They have come a long way over the years. Like Ford and Chevy, they have consistently made improvements on nearly every aspect of the vehicle. Every aspect except for the Dodge Ram stereo system. We recently had a client from Westminster, MD, that had already added bass to his 2008 Dodge Ram but still wasn’t happy with the overall output of the stereo and was in need of our expertise.
Existing System Was Lacking
This client’s Dodge Ram stereo system had bass, but his opinion was spot on: The speakers could not keep up with the subwoofers. This was not surprising. He was building this stereo on a budget and had already planned on amplifying the speakers. One step at a time! The speakers SOUNDED good, but they were being overpowered by the bass. We had previously sold him German Maestro Concept Series coax speakers for the front and rear locations, which he installed himself. The speakers made an enormous improvement in sound quality over the paper factory speakers, but this client loves to jam and he was running out of power with only the factory radio. It was time for more power… We had also added an interface device to connect the client’s subwoofer amplifier to the factory radio. He did not want to upgrade the radio since it already did everything he wanted it to do. Knowing how we needed to prioritize the client’s budget, we went right to work.
Arc Audio KS Mini Series To The Rescue
We used two new amplifiers in this Dodge Ram stereo; we replaced the subwoofer amplifier and added a 4 channel amp as well. The amplifiers we chose were the KS500 and KS125 built by Arc Audio. These “KS Mini” series amplifiers are impressive. The amplifiers are only 11.625” long and 5.125” wide! This allows us to install these amps in hidden locations while sacrificing little (if any) storage space. The subwoofer enclosure in this Dodge Ram takes up the entire space under the back seat from one side to the other so we needed to use small amps that we could hide, but we did not want to sacrifice output for size. The KS Mini was the answer. We were able to install BOTH amplifiers under the driver’s seat. The KS125 provided plenty of power to the German Maestro speakers, allowing them to reach their full potential. The speakers jammed now! They had plenty of output and we knew the client would be thrilled. The KS500 gave him even more bass than he had before. In addition, it provided a cleaner and tighter bass than the Jensen amp that was in the previous install. The bass notes were more crisp, and the subs sounded more musical and blended with the speakers very nicely now that everything was powered properly.
Bass Knob Adds Convenience And Quality
For easy bass adjustment, we installed a bass knob for the KS500 in a convenient location, making it very easy to adjust the subwoofer level. This is important for someone who plays burnt CD’s. Many tracks of music that are downloaded or transferred from other devices have different recording volumes and variable bass levels. It seems like such a small thing, but having fast and easy subwoofer control is very useful and effective when switching from track to track. Having the factory radio in the dash, you would not want to simply turn the “bass” on the radio up and down because that would affect the bass in the door speakers as well.
Reputation is Everything
While we were installing the stereo in this Dodge Ram, we also found many aftermarket wires that were bare and/or disconnected throughout the vehicle. With a reputation like ours, we did not want to let the vehicle leave with potential issues even though it was unrelated to our stereo system. Upon the client’s approval, we removed any extra wiring and cleaned up under the dash. This wiring was from pieces of electronics that he had in the truck but had already removed since his last visit. Our attention to detail is part of our reputation. There are many facilities out there that may not have cared enough about the client to offer this service. We wanted everything to be perfect. The WSS team isn’t willing to put our name on a job and leave anything that could potentially cause problems or even a fire! After the wiring was cleaned up we were ready to present the finished product to its owner.
Making Work More Enjoyable!
The owner of this Dodge Ram was ecstatic with the result. The stereo was now evenly balanced along all octaves of his music. The speakers sounded phenomenal, the subwoofers pounded away, and in the end he couldn’t have been happier. Dodge Ram stereo systems are not very complex in comparison to the Ford Sync system for instance, so it’s very affordable to make upgrades and truly enjoy driving the truck. Many Dodge Rams are used as work trucks. If you’re going to be in the truck for many hours of the week, why not make it more fun? Driving from job site to job site while blaring Thunderstruck by AC/DC and taking my mind off the worries of the world would sure improve MY day… How about yours? At your convenience, send us an email, give us a call, or stop by our facility and let us design a stereo for your Dodge Ram that will knock your socks off!