![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/raine_audioguide_part9_banner.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
PART 9: Partial\u2026 Means You\u2019re Not Done<\/span> Per the dictionary.com<\/strong> website, the definition of the word \u201cpartial\u201d is \u201cbeing such in\u00a0part\u00a0only; not total or general;\u00a0incomplete<\/em>\u201d with the last word being the focus of this part of the Audio Guide \u2013 that is, the pitfalls of doing an incomplete audio system upgrade. This is particularly true (and unfortunately common) for our Nissan Frontiers because of the many little quirks our trucks have when it comes to how Nissan configured the various OEM audio systems that were installed in our trucks when we bought them fresh off the lot.<\/p>\n Over the years I\u2019ve come across many people who have easily done true, complete<\/em> upgrades \u2013 and many more who have come up with all kinds of reasons, explanations, or declarations as to why their partial upgrade is all they are willing to do. Now don\u2019t get me wrong \u2013 when I use the term \u201ccomplete audio system upgrade\u201d I don\u2019t mean that every audio system must have 10 million gigawatts of power, high-end DSP and signal processing, multiple speakers, and subwoofers powered by multiple amplifiers, a high-amperage alternator upgrade, and dual batteries. What I mean here is to upgrade or add what I feel are necessary items that as a whole, not only improve the overall sound quality but also remove as many \u201cbottlenecks\u201d or limitations of the Nissan Frontier\u2019s OEM system as possible.<\/p>\n Specifically, for us Frontier owners there are many major deficiencies that the OEM audio system has \u2013 such as a serious lack of frequency response, inferior speakers, a lack of low-end bass (especially for those without the OEM Rockford Fosgate subwoofer), and quirky OEM wiring. All of these issues can be resolved, but only if one is willing to truly resolve them as a whole.<\/p>\n So, with that said. let\u2019s look at 5 common partial audio system upgrades (particular to the Nissan Frontier) that many have done (or were\/are thinking of doing), and why they are actually not enough when it comes to upgrading your audio system\u2019s ability to produce quality sound.<\/p>\n What you did: <\/strong><\/span> What you gained (Yay!)<\/strong><\/span> Why it\u2019s not enough (Boo!)<\/strong><\/span> Fun fact:<\/span> What\u2019s next?<\/span> What you did: <\/strong><\/span> What you gained (Yay!)<\/strong><\/span> Why it\u2019s not enough (Boo!)<\/strong><\/span> Fun fact:<\/span> What\u2019s next?<\/span> What you did: <\/strong><\/span> What you gained (Yay!)<\/strong><\/span> Why it\u2019s not enough (Boo!)<\/strong><\/span> Fun fact:<\/span> What\u2019s next?<\/span> What you did: <\/strong><\/span> What you gained (Yay!)<\/strong><\/span> Why it\u2019s not enough (Boo!)<\/strong><\/span> Fun fact:<\/span> What\u2019s next? What you did: <\/strong><\/span> What you gained (Yay!)<\/strong><\/span> Why it\u2019s not enough (Boo!)<\/strong><\/span> For Rockford Fosgate-equipped Frontiers:<\/em><\/strong> the OEM amplifier has separate channels for the dash and door speakers up front. You can swap in aftermarket components and they will play sound \u2013 but the OEM amplifier will be sending a full-range signal to the dash location. Your nice, new aftermarket tweeters are not designed to play a full-range signal, so if you feed it a full-range signal you can damage them permanently (or totally blow them out in an instant!).<\/p>\n Fun fact:<\/span> What\u2019s next? For Standard\/Premium (non-Rockford Fosgate) Frontiers<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em> at minimum, you\u2019ll have to run a pair of speaker wires to the dash location, bypassing the OEM wiring. This is all you have to do to isolate the aftermarket tweeter in order to connect it to the matching passive crossover, see below:<\/p>\n For Rockford Fosgate-equipped Frontiers<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em> you will need to add some sort of inline filter to your new tweeter in the dash if you want to use the OEM wiring. However, if you want to use the aftermarket passive 2-way crossover, you will need to connect the INPUT of the passive crossover to the OEM Rockford Fosgate\u2019s DOOR OUTPUT wires, see below:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s Be Real, Bro<\/strong><\/span> Once again, as mentioned at the beginning of this part of the Audio Guide – a \u201ccomplete\u201d audio system upgrade does not automatically mean you have to take out a small loan. In fact, if you take it down to the bare minimum, with no frills, and no fancy tech features that extend beyond simply playing music, one could really do a complete upgrade to their Nissan Frontier for less than $250!<\/p>\n The basic upgrade example above gives you a double-DIN touchscreen head unit with Bluetooth streaming, backup camera input, USB port, and built-in 4-channel amplifier); a 6.5\u201d passive component speaker system to fit into the Frontier\u2019s dash and front doors; and a pair of 6.5\u201d coaxial speakers for the rear doors. No \u2013 you don\u2019t get extra features such as built-in navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, responsive capacitive touchscreen, OBD-II integration, or digital signal processing.<\/p>\n What you do get though with the basic upgrade above is a \u201ccomplete\u201d upgrade package that eliminates all of the restrictions that the OEM Nissan head unit and the OEM Nissan speakers had. The music will not only be louder, but it will sound clearer, and richer, with a wider range of frequencies and a clarity that you would have never known about because you thought the OEM Nissan system sounded \u201cgood enough\u201d. Of course, the example above is just one of many ways you can do a true, complete upgrade to your audio system. So, if you\u2019ve done some partial upgrades already, take into consideration the above and hopefully you decide to finish the job and complete that audio upgrade after all.<\/p>\n In Part 10<\/strong> of this series (and the last installment!), we\u2019ll complete the guide (yes, it will finally be done!) with ten in-depth pieces of knowledge\/advice\/recommendations regarding the audio upgrade journey. HINT: <\/strong>Be prepared to read a little more.<\/p>\n Links to All Parts of the Audio Guide<\/span><\/strong> PART 9: Partial\u2026 Means You\u2019re Not Done a.k.a. 60% of the time, It Sounds Awesome…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3212,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[87,562,90,101,789,787,780,785,45,109,783,563,782,781,717,573,784,325,565,788,786],"class_list":["post-3200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audioupgradeguide","tag-alpine","tag-audio-upgrade-guide","tag-bass","tag-component-speakers","tag-crossover","tag-front-channel","tag-head-unit","tag-infinity","tag-jl-audio","tag-kenwood","tag-morel","tag-oem-audio","tag-oem-wiring","tag-partial-upgrade","tag-pioneer","tag-rockford-fosgate","tag-sony","tag-sound-quality","tag-sound-system","tag-subwoofer","tag-wiring-diagram"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3200"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3400,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3200\/revisions\/3400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong>a.k.a. 60% of the time, It Sounds Awesome Every Time<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/raine_audioguide_partial_002.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nYou only replaced the OEM factory speakers with aftermarket speakers<\/p>\n
\nWhether you go with a set of decent $50 aftermarket coaxial speakers or a premium $500 set of matched component speakers, they will all be capable<\/em> of creating clearer, louder, higher quality sound covering almost the entire range of frequencies the human hear can hear. However \u2013 note that I only said capabl<\/em>e because\u2026<\/p>\n
\n\u2026speakers are only part of an audio system (that\u2019s why it\u2019s called a system<\/strong>). The speakers will only reproduce the audio signal\/information that it is fed \u2013 and if you just upgrade speakers only, where is this signal\/information coming from? The OEM head unit. So, if the OEM head unit is putting out a bad-sounding signal, guess what? Your aftermarket speakers will reproduce that bad-sounding signal.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>A common mistake here is that people only upgrading speakers will maybe hear a minor improvement, or no improvement at all, then think that the money they spent to upgrade the speakers wasn\u2019t worth it \u2013 when the reality is that the aftermarket speakers are just fine, it is the signal from the inferior OEM head unit that is making them sound bad.<\/p>\n
\nUpgrade the head unit. <\/strong>It all starts with the source. A decent aftermarket head unit will produce a non-restricted, more complete audio signal. This in turn means that your shiny new aftermarket speakers will play a much better, fuller, richer sound.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/raine_audioguide_partial_003.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nYou wanted some boom, so you installed some subs and an amp (or a powered subwoofer).<\/p>\n
\nWell, you added more bass. Now you can feel the seat shake when you play those jams.<\/p>\n
\nChances are you went big with the bass (as in an 8\u201d woofer or larger, right?) So, in one upgrade you just added a ton of bass, compared to what you had before. But soon you\u2019ll realize that the bass is too overpowering compared to the rest of the sound.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The OEM system already has reduced high and mid frequencies the more you turn the volume up. When you add low-end bass to it, those same high frequencies just get further reduced, and the middle frequencies end up sounding muddy.<\/p>\n
\nUpgrade your main speakers. <\/strong>To try to regain some frequency balance back to the sound, you\u2019ll need to swap out your stock speakers for some decent aftermarket speakers that can produce more on the mid and high end.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/raine_audioguide_partial_004-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nYou swapped out the OEM Nissan head unit with an aftermarket head unit but kept the rest of the audio system stock.<\/p>\n
\nGreat! You started the right way, from the beginning of the sound path \u2013 the source. Generally, that means you have unrestricted frequency output, a more modern interface, up-to-date features (like CarPlay, Android Auto, etc.), and \u2013 as is with most aftermarket head units \u2013 a decent, built-in 4-channel amplifier to power your speakers.<\/p>\n
\nUpgrading just the source is the first step. If you\u2019ve read the rest of the Audio Guide so far, you know that at least the path from here will always improve your sound quality.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Even the built-in amplifier on a $99 basic aftermarket head unit will overpower your OEM Nissan speakers. Typical outputs on an aftermarket amplifier start at around 20 watts per channel. Guess what? The stock Nissan speakers have a power rating of only 2 watts! That doesn\u2019t mean you bought the wrong head unit \u2013 that just shows you how bad the OEM Nissan speakers really are.<\/p>\n
\nUpgrade your main speakers. <\/strong>You took care of the source, now it\u2019s time to swap out the stock crappy speakers for decent aftermarket speakers to take full advantage of your head unit\u2019s audio output capability (in terms of frequency reproduction).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/raine_audioguide_partial_005.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nFor some odd reason you really, really want to keep the OEM head unit, so you decided to spend money on adding more power (external amplifier) and better aftermarket speakers.<\/p>\n
\nSimple: more power equals louder sound.<\/p>\n
\nBecause you kept the OEM Nissan head unit, it is still giving you a crappy audio signal. By adding an aftermarket amplifier and speakers, all you did was amplify that same, crappy audio signal.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Louder volume does not mean improved quality. Especially with the Frontier.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/span>Upgrade your head unit. <\/strong>Even newer cars and trucks have large double-DIN screens, so the \u201clooks OEM\u2019 excuse doesn\u2019t fly anymore. Neither does insisting on using antiquated USB flash drives to store all the music you downloaded on Napster in the early 2000s through your AOL Internet connection. Finish the job and swap in a better, aftermarket head unit already, because you\u2019re just 1 step away from actually listening to good sound.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/raine_audioguide_partial_006.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nYou decided to upgrade the front dash and door speakers to a matched passive component system, with the tweeters up top and the midrange drivers in the door.<\/p>\n
\nYou equipped your front stage (which is the important part) with decent, aftermarket separates. Instead of trying to reproduce a wide range of frequencies, each driver has a specific range it is meant to produce, which is the basis for more defined audio output.<\/p>\n
\nFor Standard\/Premium (non-Rockford Fosgate) Frontiers<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em> the OEM dash and front speakers are wired in parallel, so they share the same channel of output. To take full advantage of your shiny new passive component system, you\u2019ll need to use the crossover included with the aftermarket speakers. The crossover splits the audio frequencies at the correct spot in the frequency spectrum so that your tweeter gets only the high frequencies it\u2019s meant to produce, and the midrange drivers get the midrange frequencies.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Some budget aftermarket component systems have tweeters with an inline filter instead of a separate passive crossover. For these types of component speakers, you can get away with using the OEM wiring up front for both systems (RF or non-RF).<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/span>Rewire to increase sound fidelity.<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/raine_audioguide_partial_008.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/raine_audioguide_partial_009.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nIf you\u2019ve read every part of this guide so far and you still haven\u2019t realized the basic truth of the matter, this is the last time it will be said: Nissan Frontier owners, at minimum, should plan to replace both<\/em> the Factory head unit and main speakers. It\u2019s similar to an oil change: one wouldn\u2019t drain the old dirty oil, fill the engine with fresh, clean synthetic oil\u2026and then not replace the oil filter. To do the complete job you need to do the complete steps.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/raine_audioguide_partial_007.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n
\nIntro: <\/strong>Your OEM Stereo Sucks.<\/a><\/span>
\nPart 1: <\/strong>It All Starts With the Source.<\/a><\/span>
\nPart 2:\u00a0<\/strong>Speak(er) the Right Way.<\/a><\/span>
\nPart 3:<\/strong> You Don’t Drive From the Back Seat.<\/a><\/span>
\nPart 4: <\/strong>Dogs Underwater<\/a><\/span>
\nPart 5: <\/strong>Less is More<\/a><\/span>
\nPart 6: <\/strong>More is Less?<\/a><\/span>
\nPart 7: <\/strong>Separation Anxiety<\/a><\/span>
\nPart 8: <\/strong>Time Travel… While Standing Still<\/a><\/span>
\n<\/strong>Part 9:<\/strong>Partial Means… You’re Not Done (this post)
\nPart 10 Finale: <\/strong>At the End… Here’s 10 (Things to Know)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"