I just got myself a 1999 Jeep TJ and I am looking for the best way to upgrade my speakers. I really care about music in my everyday life and I want to upgrade past my stock 22-year-old speakers. I also care about keeping the stock radio with the cassette player. What are the things I should do and are there any recommendations for good speakers at around $80-$100 a pair price? Is an amp necessary? I really don’t understand much about audio and I would love some help. I heard that some people buy four of the same and get brackets for the dash corner speakers. Is that a good setup? I appreciate for all the help and I am loving the Jeep!
Go to Crutchfield.com and put in your Jeep info. It will give you the best speaker choices for a stock stereo. They include all brackets needed and are plug and play, with no wire splicing needed.
p.s. You can run 5.25" in the dash and 6.5" overhead.
Thank you so much! Are there any good models and brands that you would recommend?
It's real hard to beat the Polk DB series, especially that they're not all that expensive. That's what I installed into my last TJ (when I could still hear well enough to enjoy them) and they did sound great. Plus they have a high Sensitivity rating, something like 91 dB or so.
Photocycler
Member
The kicker speakers are a good value. Solid speaker for the price. Make sure you get the pods for the front speakers. Some people also upsize the rear soundbar speakers to 6.5 which requires a slight modification. Also you can get a small amp that fits behind the dash, I went kicker but alpine also makes a nice one.
That depends on if it's the sound bar or speaker pods that came along in 2003. With 2002 and older 6.5" speakers drop right in with no modifications needed.
Like Jerry suggested, the Polk DB series is a good speaker and a good value for lower power head units, like your stock cassette player. Amplifying the speakers would increase the performance, but it's a bit more tricky to amplify a stock HU.
Photocycler
Member
Not really, you just screw them into the wood/pressboard that surrounds the speaker opening in the sound bar. No need to pre-drill the holes as the screws included with speakers are self-tapping wood screws.
So I am thinking I will get 6.5" for the soundbar and 5.25" for the dash. Will 5.25" just fit in the dash or do I need brackets? WIll that alone make a huge difference in sound quality? Thanks for all the help guys!
I believe you need the brackets. I fit mine in without cutting the metal dash supports.
Agree on the Polks also. I have 5.25 in front and 6.5 in the back all amplified. Sounds great with the top down.
I went though this a few months ago with my ‘05 LJ. With as much time as I spent researching, I still didn’t feel confident in choosing or installing an amplifier so I only replaced the speakers.
Though you can fit 5.25” speakers in the dash, your ‘99 has a support bracket that needs to be cut. You’ll also want pods or the speakers will not project the sound forward, and the pods are not cheap at $80 a pair.
I went with Polk DB 522 5.25” for the dash. They sound about the same as the stock speakers but we’re useless without pods.
For the sound bar, I went with Kicker 46CSC54 5.25” and filled the sound bar with poly fill. These speakers sound amazing. Very clean, full sound.
For the sub, I went with Kicker 43CWRT672 6.75”. This sub fits the stock console if you trim the fins inside. Instead of just thumping like the cheaper subs, you can actually hear the tone of the kick drum.
Though you can fit 5.25” speakers in the dash, your ‘99 has a support bracket that needs to be cut. You’ll also want pods or the speakers will not project the sound forward, and the pods are not cheap at $80 a pair.
I went with Polk DB 522 5.25” for the dash. They sound about the same as the stock speakers but we’re useless without pods.
For the sound bar, I went with Kicker 46CSC54 5.25” and filled the sound bar with poly fill. These speakers sound amazing. Very clean, full sound.
For the sub, I went with Kicker 43CWRT672 6.75”. This sub fits the stock console if you trim the fins inside. Instead of just thumping like the cheaper subs, you can actually hear the tone of the kick drum.
You'll need a sheet metal 4x6 to 5.25" speaker adapter like this one... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009DHE462/?tag=wranglerorg-20
Jerry - Will the Polk 6.5's go into the '04 pods? I currently have a set of Polk DB522 5.25's up there now - is it worth swapping over to the 6.5?
Elyse8743
TJ Enthusiast
^I just ordered DB522s for my tj from Crutchfield. they're out of stock right now, but if you buy through them they'll usually include the bracket for free.
At least they did with mine.
At least they did with mine.
Just as an FYI - here is the adapter I used in the front. Came from Crutchfield when I bought the speakers.
The problem with Crutchfield is they are currently low on inventory. I've been watching for something to come back into stock for months.
So far as I have read, yes. They may need a slight bit of work, more than is needed for the 2002 and older which is zero, but an easy job if there's any truth to 2003 and newer speaker pods needing anything additional.
Dash pods make these speakers sound so much better.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T1AB28Y/?tag=wranglerorg-20