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Is the Harman Kardon Option Worth the Money

7438 Views 120 Replies 70 Participants Last post by GlockandRoll, 5 mo ago

gnnut

Discussion Starter · 6 mo ago

I ordered a 2023 Challenger on 11/16/22 and did not order the HK option. Is the Harman Kardon a must-have or is the stock audio system adequate? TIA

81 - 100 of 121 Posts

rosco11

· #81 · 6 mo ago

Blickie said:
The regular 6-speaker is more than adequate. Never have or never would go HK. You'll be more than happy with your choice.

It does sound better than the stock system. However, if you replace the spakers on the stock system and toss the paper cone junk they put in at the factory, the stock system will sound much better than the HK. As well, the HK is much more difficult to upgrade. You pretty much have to bypass the whole stereo system, run it through a sound processor, then to n amp and then to the speakers.

If you are never going to upgrade either one, should have gotten the HK. It does sond better. My advise, change the speakers and put in a stealth box in the trunk and call it a day.

Mattm400

· #82 · 6 mo ago

I paid for supercharger whine, not a stereo.......

Reactions: 3

2ndgen

· #83 · 6 mo ago

The stereo just has to be louder than the passenger screaming next to you.

Reactions: 2

Unholy707

· #84 · 6 mo ago

TomZ said:
I had the HK in my 300 SRT (standard for the year) and though it sounded decent, the subs in the rear package shelf rattled terribly and to the point of keeping the bass low. I was concerned that the HK in my 2018 Challenger was going to be same deal. I couldn’t have been more surprised! This system sounded incredible compared to the 300’s. Was kind of sad to see Dodge upcharging for it on the 2019 and newer (premium car/premium price should come with premium sound).

My vote would be to have it… at least in the Challenger.

They up charge for it now in the hellcat?? Was standard in 2015

TomZ

· #85 · 6 mo ago

Unholy707 said:
They up charge for it now in the hellcat?? Was standard in 2015

Yep - everything seemed to be an upcharge starting with 2019. Standard sound, cloth seats, etc. Kind of like they applied the SRT Core schema to the car with the ability to option it to what you wanted. MSRP jumped after all the options that you got standard on the 2018 were added.

Unholy707

· #86 · 6 mo ago

Mattm400 said:
I paid for supercharger whine, not a stereo.......

But you have the HK system

WVHEMIS

· #87 · 6 mo ago

We love ours, for a factory system it is pretty good. It sounds better IMO opinion than Bose in my buddy's Camero.

basdakur

· #88 · 6 mo ago

My Charger will hold a pair of slicks for the dragstrip with the stock stereo. Ya can't do that with the HK.

smith5879

· #89 · 6 mo ago

rosco11 said:
It does sound better than the stock system. However, if you replace the spakers on the stock system and toss the paper cone junk they put in at the factory, the stock system will sound much better than the HK. As well, the HK is much more difficult to upgrade. You pretty much have to bypass the whole stereo system, run it through a sound processor, then to n amp and then to the speakers.

If you are never going to upgrade either one, should have gotten the HK. It does sond better. My advise, change the speakers and put in a stealth box in the trunk and call it a day.

If someone feels the need to go beyond what their HK offers it's no more difficult to replace the speakers in the HK system than it is in the standard system. Plus you have the benefit of the 825 watt amp driving them, rather than the 276 watt amp that comes standard in the Hellcat. If someone wants to implement their own system from scratch, well then yeah it's pretty dumb to opt for the HK system if you're going to gut the whole thing anyway.

GOING TO HELL 19

· #90 · 6 mo ago

TomZ said:
Yep - everything seemed to be an upcharge starting with 2019. Standard sound, cloth seats, etc. Kind of like they applied the SRT Core schema to the car with the ability to option it to what you wanted. MSRP jumped after all the options that you got standard on the 2018 were added.

It's called a Dodge fund raiser. When the RE was introduced they went nuts after they had us hooked with something different and new.

Scatrat1

· #91 · 6 mo ago

For what its worth...I have the HK in 2019 Ram and the Alpine in the 2021 HC. I like them both. The HC really does not sound any worse than the Ram to me but the I have to turn the bass up a bit more on the Alpine where I don't on the HK. I just Ordered a 23 Ram and chose the HK again because it comes with the package I ordered on the Truck rather I needed it or not.

ezlife45

· #92 · 6 mo ago

Is the HK the best car stereo I've had? No. Is it a solid system? Yes. And the wife drives a S Class MB. Hell, even the JBL in my four runner is decent. I'm a little old to build my own, and with all the functionality of the screen I'm not sure I'd get that in any aftermarket system.

S8ER01Z

· #93 · 6 mo ago

Mattm400 said:
I paid for supercharger whine, not a stereo.......

If you were a Durango Hellcat owner that quote would be perfect (since Uconnect 5 is shit and the radio doesn’t work 😂)

2ndgen

· #94 · 6 mo ago

smith5879 said:
If someone feels the need to go beyond what their HK offers it's no more difficult to replace the speakers in the HK system than it is in the standard system. Plus you have the benefit of the 825 watt amp driving them, rather than the 276 watt amp that comes standard in the Hellcat. If someone wants to implement their own system from scratch, well then yeah it's pretty dumb to opt for the HK system if you're going to gut the whole thing anyway.

The HK is not an 825W system. At best, it's 825 /peak/ watts, but according to the fuse it will max in the low 300W range.
Any one serious about it enough to change out the speakers is also going to want to upgrade the amp and the power delivery to it.
The one benefit is that it will already be wired to all the speaker locations.

Reactions: 1

smith5879

· #95 · 6 mo ago (Edited)

2ndgen said:
The HK is not an 825W system. At best, it's 825 /peak/ watts, but according to the fuse it will max in the low 300W range.
Any one serious about it enough to change out the speakers is also going to want to upgrade the amp and the power delivery to it.
The one benefit is that it will already be wired to all the speaker locations.

I know it’s peak, but those are the numbers I have available. Even still, the 276 watts peak base Alpine system’s RMS value would be even sadder still by comparison. Most accounts I’ve seen say the base Alpine system isn’t good at all. If you want better audio that means either HK or aftermarket, but I imagine a lot of folks here don’t want someone tearing apart their interior to run wiring and install an aftermarket audio system. Someone could DIY it but that requires some know-how and a time commitment. Not to mention a lot of aftermarket speakers may require permanent modifications to mounting locations and trim pieces, which may make some folks here recoil. Aftermarket speakers tend to have far bigger magnets than OEM equipment. And indeed some folks may want to upgrade the HK amp, but that’s more involved than swapping out a few speakers. And if you swap in something like Infinity Reference speakers that have a 3 ohm resistance, the factory amp will still get more than loud enough for all but the attention seekers that need to rattle everyone’s windows three streets over with their subs.

No argument that if you’re the type to require really high-end audio, then aftermarket will be the best way there and you shouldn’t waste $2k on a system you plan on tearing out anyway. If you just want something pretty good, then the HK system will likely get you there. If in the end you find want just a little more than what the HK offers, replacing speakers is a relatively easy step to take.

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Reactions: 1

Diavolo

· #96 · 6 mo ago

I have a 2016 HC with the HK stereo. I think the HK is an embarrassing poor quality stereo for the HC. From day one I was disappointed with it. I only listen to it around 10 or 12 (mostly for country music) so I can still hear the supercharger and exhaust. I tried louder with all kinds of different music, but it wasn't worth it.
I've decided to change it to JL audio and real Alpine components. The only thing holding me back has been getting my head around the adapter I'll need to interface with the original touch screen. That bugs me. I wish I could tear the whole thing out. My 2 cents...

Reactions: 1

2ndgen

· #97 · 6 mo ago

HK, JBL, and Infinity are all part of the very same Harmon Group which is in turn owned by Samsung.
Not sure how quality differs between their own brands.

smith5879

· #98 · 6 mo ago

2ndgen said:
HK, JBL, and Infinity are all part of the very same Harmon Group which is in turn owned by Samsung.
Not sure how quality differs between their own brands.

The Infinity Reference speakers would at face value appear to be higher quality than the HK speakers. Look at the magnet in particular.

Infinity Reference REF-9633ix Reference Series 6"x9" 3-way car speakers at Crutchfield
Dodge Challenger Speaker. Front. 6x9. Left, left door, right - 05091042AE | Libertyville IL (mymoparpart.com)

Hellcat Houston

· #99 · 6 mo ago

Blickie said:
The regular 6-speaker is more than adequate. Never have or never would go HK. You'll be more than happy with your choice.

have fun , ordered my charger HC may of this year and got it Oct - 3 months old today . I heard they may not be able to make all the chargers because they need to push the E out the door.

TRCM

· #100 · 6 mo ago

Hi5hellcat456 said:
Take that extra money and put it on another option like the 3.92 rear end

WTF ? there is no 3.92 rear unless you are talking trucks, and the only gear choices are 2.62 or 3.09.

81 - 100 of 121 Posts