[sswails]

Nothing big, did that and have the t-shirt. Anyway, I decided to upgrade the fronts with Image Dynamics XS69's that I had lying around. Don't need the passives so ditched those. Of course, the sound was immediately noticeable with muddy sound gone. Up front bass more accurate and articulate then before. I have the Fader more to the front. Not a big fan of music coming from behind me. I want it out front and WIDE. I did put a couple layers of Dynamat behind the speakers and Covered the 6x9 shell with Dynamat as well.

So then, I took out the factory subwoofer. Decided to go ahead and reuse box, not spending "Stupid" money for the Stealthbox.....way overpriced. Anyway, sealed the box using bedliner spray with about 5 coats. CAN YOU SAY HEAVY. I then covered that with acoustic spray. Bought the JL 8W3v3 4 ohm. Due to the depth, I had to make MDF ring to raise the woofer up. I sealed the back hole with some MDF and liquid nails before sprayed...same with rubber grommet for the wiring harness. I did spray the quarter panel with acoustic spray and layered some dynamat behind the Sub enclosure. Good way to test the seal is pushing the woofer in....should return fairly slow.

The sound was immediately noticed, with really deep lows playing "The Joint" on Sirius. Went ahead and through in some Dire Straits and Dark side of the Moon. Very very happy. It images better then factory but not quite centered. Drums roll across the dash....left to right or right to left...wider than I expected which is great.

All in all, I may have $200 wrapped in it with the Sub and misc stuff....

 

[RageOfFury]

Awesome!

ics:

 

[sswails]

i know.....I know. I was so into it today that I forgot. I figured out how to take the sub enclosure out without ripping all interior out. I just basically pulled it back once I got the rear scuff plate and spare wheel out. The enclosure fastening nuts were not tight...not loose rattling, but not tight. I couldn't believe how much that damn enclosure weighed when I was done with the liner spray. My neighbors probably thought I was nuts spraying in the driveway....lol. I ended up using the old subwoofer screws to hold the MDF in place. I also went ahead and used weatherstrip foam between the MDF ring and the enclosure. Covered it with liner to seal it.

 

[sswails]

I seen somewhere on here that the enclosure is 5" deep. Not even close. I measured a few times when drying. I didn't write it down but it was 4 inches up high and 3 something down on the low side. Wish I would have written that down.....for everyone.

 

[leks66]

Pics man come on!

 

[Jrunr]

So you are doing all 0f this and still using only the factory amp?

 

[sswails]

Yep, factory amp in this application is just fine.

 

[sswails]

I have a pair of ScanSpeak Illuminator Tweeters lying around as well. I may throw those in, which can be done now without taking the door off.......those are some of the best tweeters I've heard.

 

[Jrunr]

Did you just go "plug and play" and excluded the ID cross overs to use the jeep factory ones? Does anyone know what the x-over is for our front door speakers and/or how much power they are actually getting?

 

[sswails]

Yep, all factory.

 

[Andoskyy]

A lot of people here forget that we are dealing with an amplified system...if you have the alpine of course.

The 9 speakers aren't being powered by a head unit...its a real amp sending real power to speakers. It may not be as much as an aftermarket amp...but it's there.

High quality, EFFICIENT, speakers aren't cheap....that's why Alpine/Jeep put those speakers in there. They sound decent for what they are....a mass produced speaker going into millions of jeeps.

If you replace them with a quality, highly efficient (Read: sensitivity) speaker, they're going to use the power sent to them by ANY amp much better, and produce a cleaner, more powerful sound. These 6x9's referenced here are ~$500 and have a 93db sensitivity rating. They're excellent speakers.

As for the subwoofer...I have no doubt making the enclosure stiffer will help. The best subwoofer cabinets weigh upwards of 150 pounds...yes, the magnet on the speaker is large and heavy, but it's the internal bracing and thickness of the walls that really make them heavy. Same theory applies to the subwoofer driver itself....its more efficient than the stock one combined with a stiffer cabinet...it's going to move more air.

 

[sswails]

I've built more systems than I care to admit. Car Audio Speakers are generally overpriced for what uou get. DIY'ers will out perform and at a fraction of the cost. If you want speakers that will out perform all day long then check out Parts-Express or Madisound. When I built SQ oriented systems I would use brands as ScanSpeak, Fountek, Dayton, CSS, TangBand.. etc...etc. Heck the best midrange/Tweeter Ive heard as many others have as well is Fountek FR88's. Retail $35 each. ZaphAudio is a good place to check driver ratings.

 

[sswails]

I've been tempted to due another since the Jeep is imaging so well.

 

[Jrunr]

A lot of people here forget that we are dealing with an amplified system...if you have the alpine of course.

The 9 speakers aren't being powered by a head unit...its a real amp sending real power to speakers. It may not be as much as an aftermarket amp...but it's there.

High quality, EFFICIENT, speakers aren't cheap....that's why Alpine/Jeep put those speakers in there. They sound decent for what they are....a mass produced speaker going into millions of jeeps.

If you replace them with a quality, highly efficient (Read: sensitivity) speaker, they're going to use the power sent to them by ANY amp much better, and produce a cleaner, more powerful sound. These 6x9's referenced here are ~$500 and have a 93db sensitivity rating. They're excellent speakers.

As for the subwoofer...I have no doubt making the enclosure stiffer will help. The best subwoofer cabinets weigh upwards of 150 pounds...yes, the magnet on the speaker is large and heavy, but it's the internal bracing and thickness of the walls that really make them heavy. Same theory applies to the subwoofer driver itself....its more efficient than the stock one combined with a stiffer cabinet...it's going to move more air.

My question is: How much power are these speakers actually getting? What is the RMS wattage to the front door speakers? The woofer? The tweeter? Does anyone know what they are crossed over at? Are they configured bandpass or is the woofer just high passed? I woud love to know this information!

 

[sswails]

I think we would all like to know that. If someone is looking to boom..boom down the street then the factory is not a good option. However, if someone is looking for a decent SQ setup that requires very little work.....it can be done with a little effort.

 

[subbie09]

If your looking for sound quality then replace it. For around 3G which is what I spent I got a kenwood Excelon 890hd headunit, focal components, focal coaxials, and a stealth box, and alpine PDX v9 amp. It's well worth it and outs to stock system to shame.

 

[Jrunr]

I have a 2014. I'm not changing out the electronics. Lol

 

[Andoskyy]

If your looking for sound quality then replace it. For around 3G which is what I spent I got a kenwood Excelon 890hd headunit, focal components, focal coaxials, and a stealth box, and alpine PDX v9 amp. It's well worth it and outs to stock system to shame.

Of course it puts the stock system to shame. An SRT is faster than the Hemi too.

For sound quality at the decibels you're looking for, then yes, you have to spend 3k or more, but you CAN get better sound with better, more sensitive speakers.

Many of us have already experienced it with simply replacing the dash speaker. Clearer, better sound, 15 minutes of labor for around $40.

 

[sswails]

You can have a system that will blow your mind for less then half that cost just going DIY. Don't let yourself be fooled by car audio hype. Not that they don't make good products just that better can be had for allot less.

 

[kkreit01]

The front 6x9s in the Jeep don't receive a full-range signal, do they? In the Rams, there is no full-range signal in front. This make it even more painful to upgrade.