Spetrie Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 So, to start I picked up my 2011 Journey R/T abou8.4n t a week ago. I opted for the upgraded Alpine 8 speaker sound system, and the touch screen 8.4n head unit... First impressions for the sound system are decent... but lacking... I tried dropping my journey off at a local stereo shop yesterday with the intentions of adding an amp/sub in the rear and upgrading the speakers in the front and rear doors. An hour after leaving it, I received a call and was told to come pick it up as there was nothing that could be done on the journey because the "factory Alpine sound system runs on fiber optics, and there is nothing we can do to it" He went on to explain that changing the speakers on this system would change the impedence and could lead to a slew of problems. Today, not fully trusting what I heard yesterday... I tried playing dumb and dropping it at a shop on the other side of town. Started telling the guy what I wanted, and the first thing I was told was that if it had the touch screen unit they would not touch the car. GREAT! Spent the last hour looking online for info.... nothing.... Even been looking through Mopar.com for the option of doing some factory upgrades with chrysler products.... No parts available for Journey!? Anyone else running into these same issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2011mainmango Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 what do you not like about the alpine system??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windancer Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 what do you not like about the alpine system??? I agree with mainmango, what don't you like? Just Curious that's all. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drb227 Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 I have the Alpine system in my Crew and I agree that it is not as good as I would have hoped. As I mentioned in a previous thread a while back, I had a 2007 Caliber with the MusicGate sound system. That system kicks the Alpine's ass in terms of overall sound quality. Hard to describe but for me, the Alpine system just doesn't have the "punch" that I was used to with the Caliber. Definitely doesn't handle low down bass nearly as well as my Caliber. It is a decent system but I wouldn't go any farther than that to describe it. I honestly expected it to be on par with what I had in the Caliber and it simply is not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindorensis Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 I actually love the Alpine system, maybe because I always turn the bass to -5 or lower and enjoy the vocal more I agreed that Alpine is not a good performer on the low frequency, but it's pretty good on the mid and high frequency.Suite my taste to the sweet spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmrolo Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 I think your stereo shop is misinformed... there's no way the speakers are connected to the deck via fibre. If that was the case, then each speaker would need its own power source, amp, and DAC to process the signal. I don't even think they make speakers like that. In addition, they go on to say that changing the speakers would change the system impedance. Fibre optics don't produce an impedance... but a traditional speaker does (e.g. 4ohm, 6 ohm or 8ohm speakers). Something's wrong with what they have said. What I expect is that 3rd party wiring harnesses might not be available yet to connect 3rd party equipment to the deck, or they just don't know how to disassemble the dash. But the speaker upgrades should be a piece of cake as long as you buy the same impedance as the factory units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrlux Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 I agree with mainmango, what don't you like? Just Curious that's all. Terry I agree with the above. I might be getting "real" old but it is a car radio. If you want premium sound, stay home and listen to your sound system/entertainment center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgeman324 Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 I think your answer from them really does fall down to one or both of two things, they don't really know the system's schematics yet, and/or don't know how to disassemble the dash or body parts. I posted a thread a few days ago about my service department visit asking them about dash trim removal and such, and they looked and looked, and asked peers and service managers, and just don't have the info on how to remove the dash yet, and didn't even know if there is a "hole" behind our 2011 radio units location to put in an aftermarket radio. One guy I talked to believes that the 8.4 or 4.3 unit that is in our dash, is just an lcd touchscreen, only about 2-3 inches deep and there isn't any hole behind it, and the actual radio unit is an all-in-one module tucked way down into the dash and a cable is connected to that lcd screen. So, I think us 2011 owners are SOL for a couple months until more information is put out regarding aftermarket parts (radio's, amps, subs, etc). But hey, if anyone reading this does indeed find a way to get behind the dash trim, please share for all of us. I've kinda tried but didn't wanna tug too hard on things as to break them, I already did enough of that installing my son's headrest DVD player behind my seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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