I think so. I have the Alpine system in my car and it's good enough for me.

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I have the stock Alpine unit. It's fine. That's coming from someone with a fairly high end home audio system. I didn't think the upgraded stereo sounded particularly good. The Beats system appeared to have boomier and more muddy bass if that kind of thing appeals to you.

Best,

 

How far does the volume slider go on the Alpine? WHen connecting to bluetooth is it decent compared to aux cable? Does the Alpine include an EQ options for Rock and in terms of bass is it good enough to feel but not rattle the entire car like a Big Subwoofer may. What do you feel is loud enough when you use the setting from like 1-30 or whatever the charger uses.Thanks Ritz.

 

I have the basic Alpine system and it gets the job done just fine for me!! Besides, with my car now muffler-deleted, I sometimes prefer listening to my car's pipes than the music.

 

I've gone from a beats system (R/T), to an alpine (Super Bee), and back to a beats with the Daytona. There is a definite improvement on sound quality with the beats. I am no audiophile and I don't know any audiophile-y terms to describe the sound lol, but to me the beats is more clear and with better definition than the alpine. You don't have to crank it up as much with the beats to get the sound level you want to enjoy the music (I play music for myself though, not the neighborhood or the street).

Is beats a must have? Is the alpine crap? No to both, it's just a little nicer to have the beats, so if it's within your budget, I say definitely do the upgrade. If it would be pushing it, you definitely don't need it. Get all the factory options you want now before you get the car, there are plenty of people who regret not getting something when buying their car and go through the pain of retro-fitting stuff at greater expense when they could have gotten it from the get-go.
Good luck!

 

I have the Alpine in my Bee as well, and I have no complaints. I really only listen to The Highway, Fox News on Sirius, and my YouTube account videos on Bluetooth.

 

So ... the 2017 SP that I have that says "powered by Alpine" or whatever is the Alpine system, right?

 

Yes that would be the 6 speaker alpine system. How do you like it? Or do wish you have gotten he Beats instead?

 

Ive had both the Alpine and now the beats in my SP. The Alpine I had in the 2011 however was the upgraded version. It had a I think like 507 watts and a subwoofer in the rear deck. I actually liked the sound a bit better from that system then the Beats I have now. The 6 speaker Alpine system isn't bad but to me the Beats is a little better. Is it worth the cost. Up to you and your budget. I never planned on changing my system out so I went with Beats. It's fine and has decent bass with the right bitrate from your streaming sources or high quality SD recordings. Beats also receives radio in HD. Not sure if the base Alpine does but that makes a difference as well.

best thing to do. Get in and listen to both with the same variety of music and sources. That should help for sure.

 

I can tell the difference between the regular and HD radio. It actually reminds me of the old Alpine in my 2011. That system had a Surround Sound option. I always had it on. It just sounded a bit cleaner to my old ears. :grin2:

Your right in that the HD radio does come with the Nav Pk. Forgot about that.

I pretty much just stream now or Listen to Sirius which sucks for quality but I hate commercials. I don't really listen to FM anymore. :beerchug:

 

Who actually does listen to FM anymore? I only listen to our sports talk radio station--and that's it. :beerchug:

 

I've really been enjoying SiriusXM.

Though once the trial is up I will probably just go back to Google Play. (Which is now available on CarPlay!)

 

I'm torn because I don't have CarPlay or GooglePlay or whatever so my options are to somehow find enough MP3 music to keep me happy or breakdown and pay for Sirius/XM.

*edit*
Satellite Radio actually helped make our 3,500 roadtrip even more relaxing by not having to search for radio stations in the boonies or desert. LOL Plus, 70's on 7, 80's on 8, Hair Nation, and Y2Kountry (Country for the wife) are really all we listen to anyway so it was easy to just leave one of those on all the time.

 

It's all over the place.

Check it out, 303. There are also some other (I think) cool channels including 2 nice rock stations in there.

 

I went to a local Dodge Dealer and listened to both the Alpine and and Beats. Although the beats gets louder, and has more bass for sure, its no way worth the extra $1000 compared to the Alpine in my opinion. Since I am into more metal and rock the Alpine is plenty good since I dont need that extra bass and I will be saving a bunch of money. However, I did enjoy the Beats and if I happen to find a dealer lot car for a great deal that includes the beats audio in my price range along with the other options I want, it would be an added bonus.

But since most likely I will be ordering my car, I will not be adding Beats and save myself money especially since I will be needing to add the red brake caliper option now that 2018 models charge for it.

 

The BEATS in our 2013 Charger has been a HUGE disappointment. The 502 watt Infinity system in our 2008 Grand Caravan was SUPERIOR to the BEATS system.

 

I have to totally disagree but I guess that's how it goes lol.

I have 2013 with BEATS and I think it is terrific. It sounds better than my Subaru Legacy (before this car) and better than whatever is in my parents loaded Infinity G Sedan. It's clear, crisp, can be loud if needed. No complains whatsoever.

I don't listen to radio, XM, bluetooth or any of that. I have a 32 gig SD card and I ONLY listen to that. I mostly listen to metal, hard rock, and occasionally blues and the BEATS was worth it to me. I can't comment on the lower system but to say it is a disappointment would not be true at all in my case. None of my friends or family have a better sounding system in their cars from what I have experienced

 

You guys don't know what bad sound quality is until you've listened to a Pursuit's speakers. It's muffled and flat.

I had the Alpine 6 speaker setup in my previous Charger, and even then wasn't happy. I replaced the factory speakers with Infinity Reference speakers (based on a fellow member's advice) and the difference was night and day, all for about $250.

I did the same with my Pursuit and again, totally worth it.

 

I have said it before, but Harman Kardon (HK) builds the "Beats" branded system.
The people from Beats MIGHT have adjusted DSP/EQ curves to obtain their "signature" sound.
But, that's about it. That "Beats" system is very similar to other HK systems that are in many other cars on the market.
Just my .02.
Personally, I think all these HK systems are a bit weak in highs/trebles and a bit too heavy on mid-bass/bass.
But, IMO, it's good enough; especially because nobody pays anywhere near the $995 MSRP Dodge is asking.

 

So if I have the BEATS audio system does that mean I have the 552 watt Amp?

 

There are 10 speakers in the cabin + 1 sub in the trunk with a dual voice coil (DVC).
Each speaker receives a dedicated signal specifically processed by the DSP.
So, each speaker requires its own dedicated amp channel; the sub in the trunk uses up 2 channels to feed its dual voice coil. So, that's a total of 12 channels.

EDIT: here's a Uconnect link with mention of the 12-channel amp: http://www.driveuconnect.com/features/detail/audio/

 

Some speaker systems in previous cars I had six speakers as well but it had to be less than 150 watts and was not a branded speaker system at all. Basically stock from the OEM manufacturer you get in a base model car. Like I said, I am not a huge audiophile but I don't want to have to turn the volume all the way up just to enjoy the music. At one point the volume was so loud at least for the stereo system anyway that I blew out a stock door speaker. I am hoping with the Alpine I wont have to crank it up all the way just to get quality sound. I mean close to 300 watts going to six speakers should be good enough.

I know the beats have 500 watts going to ten speakers but the sub woofer alone takes alot of those watts. Its a good system don't get me wrong, just not worth the $1000 price tag compared to the standard Alpine system. If the beats was like a $200-$400 upgrade for sure I would go with it.

 

Some speaker systems in previous cars I had six speakers as well but it had to be less than 150 watts and was not a branded speaker system at all. Basically stock from the OEM manufacturer you get in a base model car. Like I said. am not a huge audiophile but I don't want to have to turn the volume all the way up just to enjoy the music. At one point the volume was so loud at least for the stereo system anyway that I blew out a stock door speaker. I am hoping with the Alpine I wont have to crank it up all the way just to get quality sound. I mean close to 300 watts going to six speakers should be good enough.

I know the beats have 500 watts going to ten speakers but the sub woofer alone takes alot of those watts. Its a good system don't get me wrong, just not wot the $1000 price tag compared to the standard Alpine system. If the beats was like a $200-$400 upgrade for sure I would go with it.

Its arguable if it even sounds better. Beats, is all hat and no cattle. People are paying for the brand, but the quality of their gear is marginal. I wouldn't worry about it.

Best,

 

Update: Guess I will be going with the Beats again unless I cannot get a good deal at all to keep the price down. Why you may ask? Well after hearing from another forum that 2018 models have a software update that makes the Beats an entire different animal I decided to drive to a local NJ dealer and give the 2018 Beats a try. Holy Crap what a difference, like an entirely different system compared to 2017. The Alpine sounds like a cheap system you would find in a base charger compared to the updated beats. Its amazing what a software update does to the Beats system, being way better than in 2017s.

 

Do they not offer the Harmon and Kardon speakers in the SP?

 

Harmon Kardon Speakers are not offered on the Scat pack. Only SRT and Daytona models. Even If I wanted I could not justify spending $2000 on that option.

The Base 6 speaker Alpine and 10 Speaker Beats are offered in Scats only.

 

Most factory audio systems are cost contained. They are stuck with the factory head unit, lowest bidder electronics, cheap cabling, paper speakers, interior design constraints.

I spent much of my high school years making money installing stereo systems...some which won contests. If you're not looking to blow your windshield out or fry your alternator, you can get surprisingly good sound with a set of separates up front and a decent 10" sub. Total wattage really shouldn't need to exceed 50 watts RMS (not peak) to the fronts and may be 150 to the sub. It would be plenty loud and the sound quality would be amazing, especially if you use a digital signal processor that does time alignment to give you a nice stereo image. I never fooled much with rear speakers as that moves your sound stage. You want the "stage" in front of you. The only time I did rear speakers is if I needed mid-bass drivers and I'd only let them have from 120hz-250hz. Cross the sub at 85hz and use a 12db slope between the sub and the mid bass drivers.

To get a system from the aftermarket, installed, that will blow away anything factory you're probably looking at spending $3000 for a nice system. Of course, if you want ghetto blaster bass and so much volume that you can be heard a mile away, that's going to cost a lot more. I've seen $10,000+ dollar stereos in cars, and have installed a couple.

I gave up on car audio years ago as the law of diminishing return is just too huge. Factory audio systems aren't as awful as they used to be. To get a system that eclipses the factory system, you need to spend some decent money, and then it's a big rabbit hole. You continue to want more, and more...until you've dumped in a stupid amount of money. They you sell the car and have to remove the system, or sell it with the car.

 

I usually take a pass on the overpriced audio system upgrades unless it coincides with a screen size upgrade or other goodies. You're better off going aftermarket if the OEM system doesn't spin your beanie.

 

Getting an aftermarket system is a little more complicated in a car with a UConnect screen...

 

Alpine works just fine for me. With my phone connected I usually only need the car volume no louder than 10. It usually stays between 7 and 8. Think it tops out around 30 or so, so nowhere near maxing these out. Came from a camaro with Bose and still don’t have an issue with the Alpine

 

Can't you just swap out the speakers on the alpine system to possably get better sound.
I had a bose system on my last car (acura) and it seemed to sound better that the alpine.

 

It's not necessary. The Alpine system is just fine the way it is.

 

Does anyone have any EQ slider setting recommendations for good all around sound in the 9 speaker alpine system?

 

A “good” EQ setting is completely subjective. What one person thinks sounds good, another might think it’s terrible. It’s only 3 eq sliders for bass, mid-range and treble. Play a song in a genre of music you listen to the most and just adjust the 3 sliders until you reach a sound you find the most pleasing. If it’s that important to you (like me since I’m an audiophile) you can buy a plug and play digital sound processor by Rockford Fosgate. It’s a few hundred dollars when it’s all said and done with parts but you’ll have basically unlimited sound editing. For most people they won’t go down that route unless they replace the entire audio system with aftermarket speakers and additional amplifies because it can get very very technical. But like I said just play around with what you have and settle for something you like