@skrelnik and et al, I just finished reading this thread from start to finish. Yeah that was most of the day but I am sick on the couch anyway so time well spent. I have a couple questions if you don't mind. Context: I have a new to me 2001 TJ that is for the most part stock but not for long. This Jeep had a subwoofer console but when I took it out for cleaning, the rear console (2 piece) fell apart into several pieces so now I have a short console but I still have the sub wiring harness tucked away. A PO swapped out the headunit with one of these cheapo Dual BT decks https://www.dualav.com/product/car/headunits/xrm47bt/. It's not bad at low speed, but I can't hear squat going down the road at 70 with the hard top on much less off. I have a Kenwood KAC-M1824BT amp https://www.crutchfield.com/S-mRFgV...7736&clickId=3981512957&&pjClickID=3981512957 bnib on the shelf and would like to use it if feasible. I think my plan is to grab the 5.25 and 6.5 Kickers from Crutchfield along with the Boommat cups for the front and of course all the wireing harness stuff.
With this gear, Kicker C or D series speakers?
You have repeated a few times that going with a component speakers up front was one of the better things you did and at one point you linked to this set. https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item-72200-NVX-VSP525KIT.html but that was some time ago. They are only marginally more expensive than the 5.25 Kickers, aside from having to hunt down the tweeter pods to mount them are these going to deliver significantly better performance than the coaxial front Kickers? I am by no stretch of the imagination an audiophile, if you ask my wife "deaf" is the term she uses regularly. Too many years in a Navy engine room destroying a lot of my upper frequency hearing. But I do enjoy singing along with the songs on the radio and my wife would prefer the radio be loud enough not to hear me.
I know at some point if I ever want to add a powered subwoofer, I'll have to update the HU at the same time because this one does not have line out ports for a subwoofer but I thought I would just try the main speakers for now and see how that goes.
Appreciate any input you're willing to give.
Thanks.
Relocating the tweeters to the a-pillar (or dash by a-pillar) makes a great improvement, but that location is not for everyone. If you have your top off and are offroading, overlanding or at the mall, these pods could get stolen. Could it annoy you to have pods on the dash, possibly? If none of that matters to you, I recommend the Kickers since they come with ideal tweeter pods, cost effective and a great value for what you get. Personally, I have custom pods, but they do add to the cost of the overall build and that's why I always revert back to these Kicker speakers that come with pods - easy DIY for a Jeeper, and not too bad on the wallet.
With an amplifier you want the C Series, but the Kickers I recommended that have the tweeters/pods, are the KS series, which is a level up from the C series. I would stick to the KS or C series for the overhead pods, or you can try another brand. Those NVX speakers are solid, but again, I would solely grab the Kickers based on the ease of install/tweeter placement.
The self-powered sub is a good idea in your situation unless you want to buy another amplifier and rear center console to fit a new 6.5" woofer.