Upgrading the sound system on your Jeep Wrangler TJ

[R3ID05TJ]

Is there a harness that can hook my factory amplified subwoofer up to this aftermarket kenwood cd player?

I finally found the mounting depth on Crutchfields website.

7-speaker system​

• Mounting depth: 2.789 inches
• Magnet diameter: 4.178 inches
• Mounting height: 0.712 inches

 

[Darsmith]

If I remember correctly (someone correct me if I'm wrong), the factory harness sends all 4 speaker signals down to the console subwoofer where their signals are summed, low pass filtered and amplified by the subwoofer amp and on to the subwoofer speaker itself. Most newer head units have a separate signal send for the subwoofer that can be adjusted for crossover frequency and gain. I used this signal to drive a separate subwoofer amplifier and ditched the factory amp. Huge difference in audio quality.

 

[R3ID05TJ]

Did some measurin in the speaker pods to see how deep a mid range or midbass speaker could go.

Been window shopping the Pioneer TS-M650PRO with a mounting depth of 3 1/8th" and the DSB18 PRO-X6.4BM with a mounting depth of 2.72". :Thumb up:

 

[skrelnik]

Did some measurin in the speaker pods to see how deep a mid range or midbass speaker could go.

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Been window shopping the Pioneer TS-M650PRO with a mounting depth of 3 1/8th" and the DSB18 PRO-X6.4BM with a mounting depth of 2.72". :Thumb up:

With that Pioneer TS-M650, the mounting screw holes are 2mm further apart than the Helix speakers I referenced in a previous post. The Pioneer is just bigger so fitment could be tough to seat well. This is from the Pioneer manual.

 

[R3ID05TJ]

With that Pioneer TS-M650, the mounting screw holes are 2mm further apart than the Helix speakers I referenced in a previous post. The Pioneer is just bigger so fitment could be tough to seat well. This is from the Pioneer manual.

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Good catch on that. Thanks.

 

[Thedogsbollocks]

Is there a harness that can hook my factory amplified subwoofer up to this aftermarket kenwood cd player?

I finally found the mounting depth on Crutchfields website.

7-speaker system​

• Mounting depth: 2.789 inches
• Magnet diameter: 4.178 inches
• Mounting height: 0.712 inches

Hooking up the factory sub should be a case of just connecting the subs wire to the head unit to the corresponding wires from your Kenwood I believe at the rear of the head unit.

 

[R3ID05TJ]

Hooking up the factory sub should be a case of just connecting the subs wire to the head unit to the corresponding wires from your Kenwood I believe at the rear of the head unit.

Im gonna pull the console this week to see if the harness is even attached. Otherwise I might need a line output converter, not sure. That will give me a chance to do some measurin to see what will fit in there if I remove the amp and do some custom stuff to the console to get more room (remove storage bin etc..) Ill check the subwoofer amp fuse as well. I do think the subwoofer isn't even screwed down tho as I can move it by pushing it through the grill.

 

[Thedogsbollocks]

Im gonna pull the console this week to see if the harness is even attached. Otherwise I might need a line output converter, not sure. That will give me a chance to do some measurin to see what will fit in there if I remove the amp and do some custom stuff to the console to get more room (remove storage bin etc..) Ill check the subwoofer amp fuse as well. I do think the subwoofer isn't even screwed down tho as I can move it by pushing it through the grill.

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You won’t need an loc as the factory amp does not use. Just take the wires from the rear of the sub plug and join them to the wires leading from your sub amp and your done. F the sub is loose it will be useless. While your at it a great if not one of the very best upgrades you can do is to apply dynamat or similar to the sub enclosure. This makes a huge improvement.

 

[Gasman]

An front underseat sub is an okay route, the issues I see are that if you ever get water in the vehicle, and also fitment. Think of how frequently you put the seat back and if that wiring and box could impact anything.

I would personally consider getting a larger a self powered sub and placing it under the rear seat, with a quick disconnect. You could fit a better sounding sub there (probably a 10" with ease, possibly a 12") and with a quick disconnect could remove easily if you need to remove the rear seat. Under the rear seat is a zipper so you can kind of stuff the sub inside there.

If you go this route, I would recommend a five channel amplifier. You can fine one for a similar price as a 4 channel, and marginally more expensive than a mono amplifier. Relative value for a five channel is there.

Look at the Cerwin Vega B55 bomber as an option. It's $270 and will fit inside your dash, under the steering column. A mono or 4 channel amp is about half the price, so an extra $135 gets you 4 amped channels...

https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item-94247-Cerwin-Vega-B55.html
Now, if you want to go the center console route, that Kicker CompRT is a perfect fit, and the model is dependent on the amplifier's ohm rating (model number ending 671 vs 672). This is an easy install, and I do think you can cut a speaker grill opening in your current center console. Check out the image of the actual center console with grill. Notice there is a square cutout, and three screw holes that connect to the insert. You could do something like this, assuming you have the right tools and can do it.

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Just wanted to update this thread for anyone else looking for a similar 5 channel amp that mounts under the steering column. The Cerwin Vega bomber 55 was a huge disappointment. Maybe I got a bad unit but it created a loud pop every time I switched inputs, radio stations, or volumed down to mute. At first I thought it may have been my install or bad ground but after a few go arounds with all of the trouble shooting I figured out that it was the amp itself. I changed it out to the Clarion XC2510 and all is good now. The clarion, while a few $$ more, is a marine grade unit so it's watertight, solid construction and fits perfectly mounted to under the steering wheel. It was much easier to wire and mount and while it's not as powerful to the front and rear speakers, at 50w, it's enough for me.

 

[skrelnik]

Just wanted to update this thread for anyone else looking for a similar 5 channel amp that mounts under the steering column. The Cerwin Vega bomber 55 was a huge disappointment. Maybe I got a bad unit but it created a loud pop every time I switched inputs, radio stations, or volumed down to mute. At first I thought it may have been my install or bad ground but after a few go arounds with all of the trouble shooting I figured out that it was the amp itself. I changed it out to the Clarion XC2510 and all is good now. The clarion, while a few $$ more, is a marine grade unit so it's watertight, solid construction and fits perfectly mounted to under the steering wheel. It was much easier to wire and mount and while it's not as powerful to the front and rear speakers, at 50w, it's enough for me.

That's too bad to hear, but glad you reported it. Do you recall if you had all the settings wired correctly, including the 3 or 5 channel mode? Was the subwoofer wired properly as there are two pos and neg, so with a DVC subwoofer it needs to be done correctly. Just curious if you recall?

I also had a clarion XC, but the 1410, it was a solid little amplifier, but as you said the price keeps climbing on you.

 

[Gasman]

That's too bad to hear, but glad you reported it. Do you recall if you had all the settings wired correctly, including the 3 or 5 channel mode? Was the subwoofer wired properly as there are two pos and neg, so with a DVC subwoofer it needs to be done correctly. Just curious if you recall?

I also had a clarion XC, but the 1410, it was a solid little amplifier, but as you said the price keeps climbing on you.

Yeah, everything was wired correctly and set correctly. I even brought it to a buddy’s shop and everything checked out. It was when we swapped it out with another amp he had on the shelf that we found the problem was with the amp itself and not the install or the head unit.

I think I just got a dud.

 

[SubLime]

You won’t need an loc as the factory amp does not use. Just take the wires from the rear of the sub plug and join them to the wires leading from your sub amp and your done. F the sub is loose it will be useless. While your at it a great if not one of the very best upgrades you can do is to apply dynamat or similar to the sub enclosure. This makes a huge improvement.

Are you talking about putting dynamat inside the factory console where the stock sub is located?

 

[skrelnik]

Yeah, everything was wired correctly and set correctly. I even brought it to a buddy’s shop and everything checked out. It was when we swapped it out with another amp he had on the shelf that we found the problem was with the amp itself and not the install or the head unit.

I think I just got a dud.

Ouch, that sucks. Did you get a refund for it? Where did you purchase from?

 

[R3ID05TJ]

Pulled the non working sub out. Probably gonna either find a SSV Works sub enclosure or I know a guy at work that can 3d print something like this fairly easy. I'll see if he's up to the challenge.

 

[Thedogsbollocks]

Are you talking about putting dynamat inside the factory console where the stock sub is located?

Yes.

 

[Gasman]

Pulled the non working sub out. Probably gonna either find a SSV Works sub enclosure or I know a guy at work that can 3d print something like this fairly easy. I'll see if he's up to the challenge.

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You can reuse your existing with some modifications. Remove the old sub and amp and throw them in the trash. They're junk. Use a Dremel, tin snips, or whatever you have to cut out the existing plastic tabs inside the enclosure. This will make room for a new sub. You will need to heat gun and press out the one corner just a little bit to achieve a proper fit. Remove the back triangular metal piece as well and wrap the enclosure in sound deading mat. Re-install the triangular metal once the whole thing is wrapped. (I don't know if this is a necessary step or if it does any good but worth a shot while it's out of the console. I figured it couldn't hurt and would act as a seal for any of the factory holes or gaps). Drill a hole in the lower front for the speaker wire and install a new sub. From there you can wire to a small mono amp that you can mount under the dash or in my case I wired to a 5 channel. There are a few good posts about how to mount the amp under dash.

sound deadening mat from Amazon:
Noico 80 mil 10 sqft car Sound deadening mat, Butyl Automotive Sound Deadener, Audio Noise Insulation and dampening
mono amp:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20646CX41T/Kicker-46CXA400-1T.htmlor 5 channel:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_020XC2510/Clarion-XC2510.htmlSubwoofer:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_206CWRT672/Kicker-CompRT-43CWRT672.html

 

[R3ID05TJ]

You can reuse your existing with some modifications. Remove the old sub and amp and throw them in the trash. They're junk. Use a Dremel, tin snips, or whatever you have to cut out the existing plastic tabs inside the enclosure. This will make room for a new sub. You will need to heat gun and press out the one corner just a little bit to achieve a proper fit. Remove the back triangular metal piece as well and wrap the enclosure in sound deading mat. Re-install the triangular metal once the whole thing is wrapped. (I don't know if this is a necessary step or if it does any good but worth a shot while it's out of the console. I figured it couldn't hurt and would act as a seal for any of the factory holes or gaps). Drill a hole in the lower front for the speaker wire and install a new sub. From there you can wire to a small mono amp that you can mount under the dash or in my case I wired to a 5 channel. There are a few good posts about how to mount the amp under dash.
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sound deadening mat from Amazon:
Noico 80 mil 10 sqft car Sound deadening mat, Butyl Automotive Sound Deadener, Audio Noise Insulation and dampening
mono amp:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20646CX41T/Kicker-46CXA400-1T.htmlor 5 channel:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_020XC2510/Clarion-XC2510.htmlSubwoofer:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_206CWRT672/Kicker-CompRT-43CWRT672.html

That's awesome. I plan on doing exactly that.

 

[AFF]

Perfect, so with the dual 4 ohm you want to wire in parallel (pull 2 ohms) with one of those recommended amps, the Soundstream or Cerwin Vega B55 Bomber. This is a picture of how it should be wired to an amplifier channel, whether or not it is a 1 channel amplifier or a 5 channel amplifier.

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Coming back to this. Do I need to do anything different with the way I have my sub wired? I have terminals on both sides of the sub just like this:

you might be able to see both sets of terminals a little better on this second picture.

Do I need to run a wire from the unused positive terminal on one side of the sub to the other unused positive on the other side and do the same with the negatives?

 

[R3ID05TJ]

Does that fit? Was looking at Skar subs too

 

[AFF]

Does that fit?

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that...

Yes, with modifications. I had to break out the ribs and also melt the plastic cover for the amp (I’m still using the factory amp for the time being). You can see that in the picture at the tip of the pen. Obviously, if you use a different amp you won’t have to melt that piece.