Not hearing a difference after replacing dashboard speakers

Samari21x said:

2000 TJ
I have replaced the lower dash speakers with Polk 4 x6 and the sound bar with Polk 5.25’s. I’m not hearing much of a difference at all. Is there something I am missing or just don’t know?

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Still running the stock head unit?

I put Kicker 5-1/4" in speaker pods under the dash and in the sound bar. Used lots of poly fill and sealed behind the speakers. Running a Sony deck with 20x4 watts/55 peak output - sounds much better than stock but I think a subwoofer is in my future.

Samari21x said:

It’s a Kenwood. Not sure how old it is.

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You need a 5-channel amp like the Soundstream Nano Picasso 640.D to run the four stock speaker locations and a sub.

You can easily get by with a 4 channel amp and a powered subwoofer.
I recommend you start browsing over at Crutchfield.com

I have a sound ordinance amp and powered sub that work pretty well.

Samari21x said:

2000 TJ
I have replaced the lower dash speakers with Polk 4 x6 and the sound bar with Polk 5.25’s. I’m not hearing much of a difference at all. Is there something I am missing or just don’t know?

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WestCoastDan said:

You can easily get by with a 4 channel amp and a powered subwoofer.
I recommend you start browsing over at Crutchfield.com

I have a sound ordinance amp and powered sub that work pretty well.

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You can do that, but I already did it and this way is better. Why get a 4-channel and a separate self-powered sub, when you can run all 5 speakers on one amp? It’s cleaner install, you can choose your sub, and it sounds better.

Bottom line for @greatgab, I like full sound (highs, mods, lows) in balance.,you definitely need a sub for that. There are many ways it can be done:

1. Add a self powered sub
2. Add a 4-channel amp and a self powered sub
3. Add a 5-channel amp and sub
4. Go hog wild

I’ve done 1, 2, and 3. I like 3 the best. The sound is crystal clear. I have more control, I can turn it to max volume without distortion.

I have a Pioneer in my Jeep, and used to have the same speakers you do. I recently replaced them with some Blaupunkt speakers, 6 1/2" in the speaker bar, 5.25 in the front and it sounds like a new system.

Polk speakers are usually a great choice, I really liked them in my previous TJ.

Tell me this... when you wired in the new speakers did you pay attention to the polarity of the + and - speaker wires when connecting them to the new speakers? If any of the speakers are "out of phase" which happens when the wiring is attached with the wrong polarity they'll sound like crap with reduced bass and sounding like a hole between speakers. And all it takes is one out of phase speaker to hurt the sound quality.

JMT said:

You can do that, but I already did it and this way is better. Why get a 4-channel and a separate self-powered sub, when you can run all 5 speakers on one amp? It’s cleaner install, you can choose your sub, and it sounds better.

Bottom line for @greatgab, I like full sound (highs, mods, lows) in balance.,you definitely need a sub for that. There are many ways it can be done:

1. Add a self powered sub
2. Add a 4-channel amp and a self powered sub
3. Add a 5-channel amp and sub
4. Go hog wild

I’ve done 1, 2, and 3. I like 3 the best. The sound is crystal clear. I have more control, I can turn it to max volume without distortion.

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If you’re OK with giving up valuable space in your TJ for a giant sun box, be my guest, but that’s certainly not ‘way better’ by any calculation that I’ve made.
Besides, if you are trying to achieve ‘high fidelity’ in your car stereo, starting with a Jeep TJ is your first mistake.

WestCoastDan said:

If you’re OK with giving up valuable space in your TJ for a giant sun box, be my guest, but that’s certainly not ‘way better’ by any calculation that I’ve made.
Besides, if you are trying to achieve ‘high fidelity’ in your car stereo, starting with a Jeep TJ is your first mistake.

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Many run 5 channel amps and power the sub in the console with them. Amp mounts under the steering wheel. No extra space needed.

WestCoastDan said:

Besides, if you are trying to achieve ‘high fidelity’ in your car stereo, starting with a Jeep TJ is your first mistake.

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This, 100%.

It's a Jeep... All you're really going to notice is that it is louder, and maybe a little clearer. Maybe you'll notice better sound quality with the Jeep turned off and on a quiet plot of land... but then wouldn't you rather listen to the sounds of nature that the Jeep just took you to?

WestCoastDan said:

If you’re OK with giving up valuable space in your TJ for a giant sun box, be my guest, but that’s certainly not ‘way better’ by any calculation that I’ve made.
Besides, if you are trying to achieve ‘high fidelity’ in your car stereo, starting with a Jeep TJ is your first mistake.

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It doesn’t take up any extra space in my TJ. I do not have a big box filling the trunk area. It’s not in my console either. It’s under the rear seat.

When I had a self powered sub it was mounted on the bottom of the rear seat like this.



Now, with a stand alone sub I built a custom box that fits snug under the rear seat on the floor. It looks like this.


I did not say I was trying to achieve hi-fidelity. That’s a red herring. I said this solution sounds better than a 4 channel amp with a self-powered sub. I actually have both setups right now in two rigs sitting outside (sons white TJ and my red TJ), and mine is undoubtedly better. My other son is putting my exact system in his TJ next week because it is better.

I have a pretty decent sound system in my TJ with not really a lot of money invested.. I have two polk audios in the dash, two midrange speakers in the soundbar and 2 6x9 in boxes in the rear part of the jeep... all the speakers are powered by a soundstream PN4.1000D that I stuck under my rear seat, if you add some new speakers but you are keeping the headunit as powersource you wont listen to any improvement that's for sure...

I know that some people will say that "its a jeep, you wont hear high fidelity stuff" but believe me when I say that you wont need a lot of money to have a decent sound in your rig...

If space is something critical to you, I would suggest you the soundstream stealth series, the 4 channel amp is of the size of a smartphone and will power your speakers with 90 watts RMS and you can fit it behind the dash...

last but not least.... I know you already invested in the speakers.... but if I may suggest..... I would get a bracket for use your 5.25" in the dash, add some 6.5" in the sound bar and just sell your 4x6s... you wont get too much from those 4x6s....

the links for all the stuff I mention to you are here...

soundstream 4 channel small and compact:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9VGQRA/?tag=wranglerorg-20
bracket for the 5.25" speakers in the dash:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009DHE462/?tag=wranglerorg-20

soundstream PN4.1000D amp that may fit under your rear seat (I have that one):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VH40878/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Polk Audio 6.5 speakers: (on ebay they will be cheaper)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EXOTD56/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Artsifrtsi said:

This, 100%.

It's a Jeep... All you're really going to notice is that it is louder, and maybe a little clearer.

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I want louder and clearer. When I'm driving in the city with the top off, I want loud so that I can hear it over the ambient background noise, and clear so that I can sing along while other people in their glass and steel boxes look on in both disbelief and envy.

C.J. Roberts said:

I want louder and clearer. When I'm driving in the city with the top off, I want loud so that I can hear it over the ambient background noise, and clear so that I can sing along while other people in their glass and steel boxes look on in both disbelief and envy.

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time for an amplifier

Speaker pods, an amp, and a powerful headunit. I noticed a big difference when I did the pods and amp. A sub really ties it all together. Crutchfield has a scratch and dent option