Kicker KS upgrade not as loud as stock?

Please excuse my ignorance on this, I'm still in mediocre stages with my understanding of car audio and acoustics.

A month or two ago I swapped out the 4 door speakers in my 2017 non-JBL for Kicker KS on all 4. Subaru tweeters have been installed for a while already. During the install, I added sound deadening to all 4 doors. Went with the 80mil noico butyl as well as the 150mil foam over it. Made sure to get lots of coverage inside the door panel itself, as well as the inside frame of the door where it meets the main panel.

I've noticed as I listen more and more that a lot of volume or "fullness" is missing that I felt was much more pronounced with the factory speakers. I would usually listen at about about 65% volume and now I'm having to turn it up to about 90% to get the same level. Bass is also quite lacking, I would almost say a slight downgrade from factory levels as well.

The front speakers are 150w RMS and the rears are 100w RMS. I haven't installed an amp and I understand the factory head unit is very underpowered. I'm looking into the Kicker key, but I'm wondering if there's something else missing here to explain this.

Any input? TIA

 

Kicker speakers have much larger magnets on the back. Speaker sensitivity ratings can also play a factor, but in this case the factory head unit simply doesn't give them enough juice. I think it's around 10-15 watts up front and maybe 6 for the rear doors. Add the kicker key 200.4 or replace the head unit with an aftermarket one and you'll be much happier.

 

The factory speakers, though complete trash, do have very high sensitivity to make the most of the paltry power the factory head unit puts out.

One thing you should check is make sure you didn’t wire up the speakers backwards, 180 degrees out of phase. That would really kill volume and mid bass.

Otherwise, either turn up the volume, change the head unit, or add an amp.

 

What aftermarket head unit do you recommend using?

 

Tough decision there. It really depends on your budget and what features you want, but I'd pick something from Pioneer or Kenwood. Personally, I like the flush mount look of the Pioneer DMH-WC6600NEX found here...
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-pioneer-dmh-wc6600nex-flush-mount-install.668580/

I like this one from Kenwood too...
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DMX907S/Kenwood-Excelon-DMX907S.html?tp=72357

You can put your trucks info into www.crutchfield.com and compare different models.

 

Thanks bro

 

I upgraded to the KS as well. I have the non-JBL unit, added sounded deadening, and don't have them powered to an amp. I'm not experiencing the same issues as you though. They're a definite upgrade in both highs and lows - much more clarity. The bass wasn't impressive at first, but now that I've broken them in, they sound great. I have a hideaway and the 6x9s almost sound just as good bass-wise. I don't have any advice to give you, but thought I'd share my experience since we have a similar setup.

 

^Same as the guy above me. I have a 2017 non-JBL unit, just replaced all four door speakers with kicker KS and did the subaru tweeter upgrade. Awhile back I did the noico sound deadening aswell. I noticed a instant improve in clarity and better mids. Where did you buy your speakers from OP?

 

I bought them from Crutchfield. They were high quality out of the box. Just feels like I have to turn them up almost to full volume for it to sound “full”. Even at 3/4 volume it’s underwhelming.

 

Hmmm, thats interesting. Thats where I bought mine from as well. Its crazy we have almost identical setups yet two different end results.

 

Yeah that’s to be expected with new speakers with a lower sensitivity like the KS

bigger magnet
Thicker voice coil
Much higher quality and beefier cone material and rubber surround

In a barely accurate metaphor,
The speaker got a lot heavier but the radio didn’t get any stronger. Therefore it needs to work harder to pick that weight up as high.

That’s why you’ll see so many people added amplifiers. The ones who didn’t add an amp and we’re still happy with the results had more accurate expectations lol

 

Replace the radio first, the internal amp of the new radio may be all you need. If you add a kicker key amp to your factory radio its very likely you will experience the same problem me and a few others had with “white noise/hissing” from the speakers. The signal from the factory radio is hot garbage at best. Hope this helps.

 

Where can I find more info on this white noise? Never heard of anyone with that issue.

I’d really rather not spend the money on a full head unit replacement AND an amp.

Seems like the amp is a must, since most aftermarket head units don’t provide much more power than factory.

 

I googled it, but it is very present in this vehicle. The aftermarket headunit has a significantly higher output to each speaker so you may not have the need for the amp if you are satisfied.

 

The stock speakers have neo magnets and are way more efficient than the kickers. Most of the “out of the box” rave reviews (never trust a first-use review on the internet) I’ve seen on here mention how much better the “upgrade” speakers look. To reiterate, they like how their speakers look. Think about that haha. They also mention the added weight as being a good thing too, but that’s cause they’re heavier traditional magnets (less efficient), not neodymium. Weight doesn’t equal tone, see below.

All comments on improved clarity or eq are generally subjective honeymoon-phase buzzwords. I’ve spent enough time in the weeds of guitar amp forums to know better.

TLDR:
I’m willing to bet you need to add an amp. Crutchfield doesn’t recommend the kickers as a stock replacement because they know the efficiencies don’t line up, which is what this is all about.