Kicker Powerstage review

jstev4610 · July 10, 2015

I have a 2015 z71 crew cab with power adjustable pedals, stock system 8" lcd. Got the powerstage setup hoping it would be a fix all on the factory radio. Since I had the odd problem with the sound shorting out when wiping the dash, I wanted to keep the audio changes hassle free if I ran into a warranty issue. My music listening spans everything from classical to hair metal to country to dubstep.

My questions:

Would the amp fit behind the power pedal?

Would the factory speakers sound good with the signal processing and amp?

Would the base be boomy enough for a 250w amp and 10" sub?

Would the install be as easy as it sound?

The good:

Install was super simple, minus running the power from the engine bay to the driver footwell. The wire had to make a hard corner just after passing through the firewall, and running the crimped ends through took the majority of the install time and lots of complaining. The amp bolted in perfectly. =

The base is perfect, range is good and is more than I need actually.

The bad:

The sub harness could have used a bit more length, it's at tension with the wires ran at the back of the cab behind the seat mounts.

I ended up cutting the sub power harness connectors running from the sub to the drivers front and connecting them with a crimp connector. I don't know why they put a harness connection here, only one of the connector pins was being used.

The sound seems to have been moved way forward with a lot of emphasis on the dash 2.5" midranges. I had the treble all the way up and it made it tolerable, but was still missing details in the music. The factory speakers are still super unclear. I ended up putting Hertx energy 6.5's in the doors front and back and it made a huge difference. Mids are decent, cymbals really come through, much more complete sound.

So, the single powerstage wasn't the single fix all I was hoping for, but as a warranty keeping upgrade I am more than happy. Replacing stock speakers is a must though.