[B5ScatPack]

My wife has a '15 R/T Durango Blacktop with the standard audio system and it sounds amazing...so needless to say I was expecting the $1k BEATS Audio option to be as good as hers with just much deeper bass because of the sub, but while I absolutely LOVE everything about the '15 Scat Pack charger, the sound system stands out as a complete RIP OFF. Beats should be embarrassed on how bad this sounds and feel we have all been duped by marketing and paying for a silly logo to be slapped on crappy hardware.

The speakers sound like crap and break up when you use bluetooth or usb connect...when you have satellite radio, it sounds even worse, like someone is holding them under water.

The biggest problem I observe is that there is hardly ANY SOUND coming from the door speakers in the front, like I have it on full volume and when I put my ear up to them, all I basically hear is very low muted midrange, nothing else, no highs whatsoever, which is so bizarre.

The Speakers on the dash seem to be doing ALL the work and they simply cannot handle and mid/low range and they start to crack with any real volume.

I wasn't expecting a high end system, but this is complete JUNK.

I know similar complaints have been made on the HK system as well. What gives? Is it all just junk all around? Are there any simple fixes? Should we collectively file complaints with the dealer?http://www.chargerforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=175602&thumb=1

 

[Gladiator]

Title was unclear. Way to bury the lead.

 

[rob-2]

You might have a bad amp.

Unfortunately I have no been impressed with either beats or HK upgrades. Wish I upgraded myself.

 

[a14umbra]

First mistake: expecting anything with the Beats name to sound particularly good.

That said, it shouldn't be nearly as bad as you describe. I'd get that in to be checked.

 

[B5ScatPack]

I will get the oil changes at 500 miles and have them look at amp then. But I really think that due to the widespread issues with the audio system in the '15 charger, there are a lot of issues here. I really don't want them tearing my car about to try and make it sound better, will just live with it I guess.

 

[gotzaRT]

Where is your bass and treble set? If it's too high, you'll get distortion if the volume is up too much. Also too, what BT device are you using to play music? I ask because there might be settings on the phone/player that might need adjusting.

As for satellite, nothing you can do about that, it's the s**t bitrate that Sirius uses to compress all those channels. You'll notice too, that the 20 on 20 and pop crap sounds better than more obscure channels like deep tracks because they beam their more popular channels at higher bitrates. Don't get me started on talk channels or sports channels...

 

[RScottyL]

I am pretty impressed with the beats system in my 2014 Charger R/T!

It does have a very good frequency range including great bass!

Sounds like the 15's are having audio issues as there are reports the HK systems are affected as well on certain vehicles!

 

[drsvelte]

I am pretty impressed with the beats system in my 2014 Charger R/T!

It does have a very good frequency range including great bass!

Sounds like the 15's are having audio issues as there are reports the HK systems are affected as well on certain vehicles!

The Beats in my 2013 sounds very good!

 

[rob-2]

It might also depend on the person. I've had Luxury stock systems that sound better. My wife thinks it's ok, but I think her Acura sounds far better.

A mix of my friends like the HK system I have and others thought it was stock.

 

[iamstubb]

Get it checked out. If you are pushing settings it will sound bad, but it shouldn't be that bad. Beats gets a lot of complaints because it seems you can do much better with aftermarket stuff for the same price. Best thing to do is to go to a dealer and listen to another one on the lot and figure it out that way. If that sounds bad to, then time to do some upgrading.

I did have a good listen to a DUB edition sound system the other day in a charger (2008 or 9 I think) and it sounded pretty good for a stock system, but not great. My aftermarket beat it in clarity and lack of distortion at high volume, and my sub could keep up when his just got muddy. Made me glad I invested the time and convinced me that I could make a pretty good system without breaking the bank. So keep that in mind as well.

 

[Clockwork]

My Beats system has been nothing to write home about, but pretty decent. The source can be a factor. Satellite always sounds awful for the reasons previously stated. CD > SD card MP3 = classic iPod via USB > iPhone via Bluetooth. I recently tried listening to music through Amazon Prime Music and it sounded absolutely awful even though I had downloaded the tracks to my phone. Distortion so bad I thought my speakers had blown, until I switched back to the regular music app and everything sounded fine. I'm now doing a Spotify trial and it sounds much better. I sometimes worry that I'm hearing some distortion from the center speaker but I haven't been able to confirm it and haven't heard it for a while (outside of the Amazon app). I think it may be from bad recordings since I often heard it on podcasts.


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[BLUEDEVIL77]

My 2013 sounds great. As long as I stay off satellite, it has no sound at all, the rest is really good. I use Amazon Prime music app the most and occasionally think I hear a little distortion but mostly it has the best sound through Bluetooth either downloaded or streamed as well as my personal music through iPod mode. Haven't tried a SD card or USB drive yet. I'm using an iPhone 6, wonder if that makes any difference.... What kind of a player are you using? I read Cnet rated the 2013 Beats system in the Charger #1 for the year, wouldn't figure they'd get worse in future years. Sorry to hear you're having trouble.

 

[Playhard]

You need to have the dealer look at it. It should sound better then you are describing.

I have the Alpine in my 2011 and it sounds pretty good. I did however need to take care of the notorious subwoofer vibration in the rear deck. I usually stream music from Spotify or listen to music from my SD card. Both sound clean and clear for the most part. I have the bass and treble 3/4 and midrange middle or 0. Volume set between 15 and 25 most of the time.

 

[Black-N-Tan]

2014 R/T with the beats. Sounds amazing.

 

[Dab King]

beats headphones are a fashion accessory. Never heard their car audio but I'm sure they are crap as well. Like you said you are paying for the name

 

[jachael]

I guess I'm lucky. My 2015 R&T has no issues with sound. I've streamed from my Android over bluetooth, played Pandora over UConnect, and used my SD card with no trouble. Speakers sound great, bass is good. Sounds every bit as good as my last two custom systems, less the bass, I always ran two 12's. I'm betting you have a faulty amp or bad connections. Being a Scat Pack with all the orders it may have been rushed and overlooked.

 

[a14umbra]

If you're satisfied with audio steamed over Bluetooth, Beats probably will make you happy. If, like me, you think bluetooth technology is not appropriate for streaming music, you'll probably think Beats is inferior.

 

[Gladiator]

If you're satisfied with audio steamed over Bluetooth, Beats probably will make you happy. If, like me, you think bluetooth technology is not appropriate for streaming music, you'll probably think Beats is inferior.

Yeah streamed audio in car is pretty bad in general. It's ok to have pandora or spotify open on the desktop at work but in the car your absolute best bet is still a CD. I have too much music I skip through for that so live with iTunes but for an audiophile that is still a step down in quality. I walk the line between knowing that something sounds degraded and simply being able to live with it for the sake of convenience.

 

[iamstubb]

Yeah streamed audio in car is pretty bad in general. It's ok to have pandora or spotify open on the desktop at work but in the car your absolute best bet is still a CD. I have too much music I skip through for that so live with iTunes but for an audiophile that is still a step down in quality. I walk the line between knowing that something sounds degraded and simply being able to live with it for the sake of convenience.

I even get mad listening to streaming on the desktop! For me in the car, Sirius is the worst, sounds like a tin can. Then BT streaming. CD, Aux input, SD Card and USB (with 256 or better bit rate on SD or USB) can be distinguished with recordings that are well made. My system distinguishes quality in recording/compression. Most of my stuff is high bit rate DRM-free MP3 purchased or made from CD's I own or digitized from vinyl. But I "hear" that a classic older ipod or something else with a Wolfson DAC chip can sound pretty good. My phone sounds relatively good with a 256 mp3 via auxillary. Bluetooth, not so much. Nothing is perfect, but if your system can distinguish source and recording quality then it is pretty good.

 

[Relentless]

Someone on another forum took apart their 2015 Beats to replace some of the 2-Ohm speakers and claims it's the same speakers as the Alpine. The only difference was the rear deck sub woofer and the trunk sub woofer, plus the amp of course which has the Beats software integrated in it. Others have reported success replacing some of the speakers with Mopar Kicker upgrades.