First time audio upgrade.

Just ordered a Kenwood Excelon DDX8906S
Jl cx2-650x (front and rear doors)
And all the adapters and everything for the head unit to retain factory controls and xm.
Any advice for install or things to watch out for?

 

Keeping the dash speakers?

 

Ordered from where? Crutchfield includes some great directions, others not so much.

Get some plastic panel removal tools and go slow. You’ll like yourself a lot less if you break/gouge a plastic interior panel. Especially on older trucks the plastic can be brittle.

If you don’t know how to solder, learn. I build all of my harnesses with soldered joints, cut wires to length, loom them up afterwards. Clean wiring means years of happy use, hacked wiring is an invitation for a short and a PITA.

Did you get a harness to plug into your factory wiring? DO NOT cut factory wires if a harness exists. If you think you have to cut a factory wire, think about it long and hard.

Use some foam installing the door speakers to the adapter rings I hope you got, and the rings to the doors.

Consider sound deadening. Made a noticeable difference in my install.

 

The jl have tweeters in them so I was planning on just door speakers for now. Should I get new dash speakers as well?

 

Yup ordered from Crutchfield so I have the directions they supply. Looking at them it looks like I need to cut some rca cables (receive all the items today) so have no looked at them in person yet.

soldiering should be no issue for me. I’ll look into grabbing some foam and sound deadening before the install.

thank you for the input!

 

I always order from Crutchfield because they provide detailed directions as well as the harnesses that connect to the factory wiring harnesses. Don't care if they aren't the cheapest for a specific item. They are by far the most complete, and I haven't found anyone that can match their customer service.

I've probably installed a dozen head units over the years, and all but one came from Crutchfield. The other was a rare Nakimichi that matched my 80s BMW. Crutchfield didn't sell those, so I was on my own for that install...lol

 

I'm asking because I believe the Gen3 needs a way to route signal to the door if you remove them from the circuit.

 

Gotcha. Right now the plan was to leave the factory ones in place. See how I like just having the door ones.

 

If you leave the factory ones in place, you will not be just using the door speakers, the factory dash speakers will be working. If you disconnect them, you will lose signal to your new door speakers because that goes through the speaker connector for the dash speakers.

Just making sure you get what I'm saying here. You'll need to make arrangements if you disconnect them (even though you are leaving them in place).

 

I’m following. Guess I’ll see how they sound all together. And if I can tell a difference I’ll replace the dash speakers with something else.
Great information though

 

Got everything almost in. After the install saw that they have adapters to use factory gps/xm antennas that crutchfield didn’t tell me about. Have those on the way to finish up the install.
Got speakers in and they sounds much better, debating changing the dash speakers out and see if I notice another difference.

Only issue right now is my factory USB port is not working (might have not plugged it back in). Will check that when I have the antenna adapters and will also replace the lower switch panel at the same time.

 

did you get the USB adapter? Looks something like this...
https://catalog.pac-audio.com/catalog/radio-replacement/usb-ty1

 

I think so but might not have installed that