Upgrading the sound system on your Jeep Wrangler TJ

DeltaNu1142 said:
Until this point, my idea was to get my hands on a discontinued Sony XAV-AX100 and get a wireless CarPlay adapter. That would give me what I'm looking for at probably half the cost of the Alpine, but I don't know how even the $100+ adapters fare for reliability.
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I have an older Sony with a knob. Instead of wireless car play I ran a lighting connector to the rear connection on the head unit and up to my phone mount on my dash.

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Best Buy has the Sony AX1000 for $299
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-6...p-ozfAaTd01CFU28dz8aAsFmEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
 
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DeltaNu1142 said:
That's an out-of-the-box idea... I like it. and according to this site, it should work just fine:

I also like that it works with the PowerStack amp... though 50W RMS is below what I was hoping for. And between the head unit, PS amp and BT remote, I'm in the range of $1000 which to me seems excessive.

Until this point, my idea was to get my hands on a discontinued Sony XAV-AX100 and get a wireless CarPlay adapter. That would give me what I'm looking for at probably half the cost of the Alpine, but I don't know how even the $100+ adapters fare for reliability.
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I have the XAV-AX100. While it has a volume knob, it is small doesn't stick out very far so it is not overly functional. It's the one thing I really don't like on that head unit.
 
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John9999 said:
I have the XAV-AX100. While it has a volume knob, it is small doesn't stick out very far so it is not overly functional. It's the one thing I really don't like on that head unit.
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That's really good to know. I wonder if they fixed that in the XAV-AX1000... but I doubt it.

My no-knob fallback is a Pioneer DMH-W2770NEX.
 
skrelnik said:
Not to bad, and hopefully the quality is there. Show some pics when you get it and let us know if can hold four 8" woofers without sinking in the middle. If it works I will surely be getting one.
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It arrived today so faster than I expected, build quality is solid, maybe design has change as I cant see a set of speaker making this flex or bow, I could confidently stand on it without it breaking, not that I weight much, the material is pretty dense and 5mm thick at its thinnest points, the bar does need a bit of a clean though assuming its been in store for some time. think I'm going to leave it in this colour instead of raptor lining it
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Reign Mack said:
It arrived today so faster than I expected, build quality is solid, maybe design has change as I cant see a set of speaker making this flex or bow, I could confidently stand on it without it breaking, not that I weight much, the material is pretty dense and 5mm thick at its thinnest points, the bar does need a bit of a clean though assuming its been in store for some time. think I'm going to leave it in this colour instead of raptor lining it
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Awesome - great review. This is one heck of a deal. Do you intend to put tweeters in there in addition to the 8"? I was thinking about adding lights as I am not a fan of tweeters in that location.

I am surely ordering one next payday.

Thanks for this, and post some pics as you build it up. What speakers are you putting in there along with what amp?
 
skrelnik said:
This is one heck of a deal. Do you intend to put tweeters in there in addition to the 8"? I was thinking about adding lights as I am not a fan of tweeters in that location.
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Great deal indeed. If you could find some 4” LED dome lights they could work well up there. Four seems like overkill… but then so does four 8” speakers all 4”-24” from your head. Maybe just two tweeters in the forward holes, and two lights in the rear ones. These are hideous but look like they’d fit.
 
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Reign Mack said:
i dont understand references to anything you said after headache machine. They are only 140 usd now so want to know if they are any good and what the build quality is like if anybody here purchased one. oem is not an option for me and the vdp soundbars are garbage and cost more than the current sale price these are on.
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The locations are party spots in the US didn’t pay attention to your location as well as I should have.

Yea I saw the price the white one was 1/3 of the normal cost. I would never want that many speakers blasting down on me. I would have bought one if it had two slots.

You can’t run early or late model sound bars, but you can run this? Curious to know what your build is.
 
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skrelnik said:
Awesome - great review. This is one heck of a deal. Do you intend to put tweeters in there in addition to the 8"? I was thinking about adding lights as I am not a fan of tweeters in that location.

I am surely ordering one next payday.

Thanks for this, and post some pics as you build it up. What speakers are you putting in there along with what amp?
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the amps I currently use are
XD800/8v2 8 Ch. Class D Full-Range Amplifier, 800 W
XD300/1v2 Monoblock Class D Subwoofer Amplifier
Will run 2x 8inch mids (coming off channel 5 and 6 on the XD800)
2 x 8inch subs. comming off the XD300 and replace the rear mono block with an XD600 for the bass behind my rear seats.

I hate that all 4 "tweeter" holes were pre-cut; they are 75mm diameter but need a 95mm bezel to cover them fully, two of them will be used to run LED dome lights and the other two will either be capped off with blanking plates (or tweeters to make it look clean) or I will add grilles if the sound bar needs porting for the speakers to breath. There is around 95mm of depth to play with to fit speakers and the volume for the enclosure could be around 2.1* cu feet sealed.


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Reign Mack said:
the amps I currently use are
XD800/8v2 8 Ch. Class D Full-Range Amplifier, 800 W
XD300/1v2 Monoblock Class D Subwoofer Amplifier
Will run 2x 8inch mids (coming off channel 5 and 6 on the XD800)
2 x 8inch subs. comming off the XD300 and replace the rear mono block with an XD600 for the bass behind my rear seats.

I hate that all 4 "tweeter" holes were pre-cut; they are 75mm diameter but need a 95mm bezel to cover them fully, two of them will be used to run LED dome lights and the other two will either be capped off with blanking plates (or tweeters to make it look clean) or I will add grilles if the sound bar needs porting for the speakers to breath. There is around 95mm of depth to play with to fit speakers and the volume for the enclosure could be around 0.8 cu feet sealed.


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This is getting spicy
 
MikeE024 said:
The locations are party spots in the US.

Yea I saw the price the white one was 1/3 of the normal cost. I would never want that many speakers blasting down on me. I would have bought one if it had two slots.

You can’t run early or late model sound bars, but you can run this? Curious to know what your build is.
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I have a black 2002 Sahara 4.0 "There are only 8 black CHRYSLER WRANGLER from 2001 with petrol engines on UK roads." its not that I couldnt run the OEM sound bars I just couldnt source any in this country in good condition at a reasonable price, would need to reupholster them etc. I original sold my oem soundbar years ago after buying the Vertically Driven Products 6-Speaker overhead soundbar, the VDP bar is a real piece of junk, had to strip out every component even the lights to make it decent. thought it was time for change now that this soundbar was on sale at such a low price.
 
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Reign Mack said:
the amps I currently use are
XD800/8v2 8 Ch. Class D Full-Range Amplifier, 800 W
XD300/1v2 Monoblock Class D Subwoofer Amplifier
Will run 2x 8inch mids (coming off channel 5 and 6 on the XD800)
2 x 8inch subs. comming off the XD300 and replace the rear mono block with an XD600 for the bass behind my rear seats.

I hate that all 4 "tweeter" holes were pre-cut; they are 75mm diameter but need a 95mm bezel to cover them fully, two of them will be used to run LED dome lights and the other two will either be capped off with blanking plates (or tweeters to make it look clean) or I will add grilles if the sound bar needs porting for the speakers to breath. There is around 95mm of depth to play with to fit speakers and the volume for the enclosure could be around 0.8 cu feet sealed.


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What are these ”mm” things of which you speak?

🙂

Interesting project, Dude. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out for you.
 
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DeltaNu1142 said:
I've read through a lot of this thread. I guess I'm a car audio enthusiast... I've added head units, speakers, and amps to just about every vehicle I've owned except the F150 I daily now. Modern vehicles have audio systems that are often too integrated to mess with. I can't wait to start building in the LJR.

For head units, my needs aren't exotic, but I'm having trouble finding one that meets three basic criteria:
  • has WIreless CarPlay (so, double-DIN)
  • has physical volume knob
  • fits in the dash--that is, doesn't have a screen that juts out of the dash
There are some Boss Audio offerings I think... but the brand turns me off. The options open up if I maybe go with an older head unit w/o wireless and try a wireless CarPlay adapter... but I have no experience with those at all and don't know how well they work.

Any ideas on head units?

I'm not going too wild with this:
  • 4-channel amp, 60W-75W RMS
  • 5.25" in the dash
  • 6.5" in the roll bar pods
  • maybe SI OPTI-PODS with 6.5" speakers in the rear. I'd drive the sound bar + OPTI-POD speakers with the two rear channels of the amp, either bridged mono for all four or left & right pairs in parallel, depending on the amp
  • powered sub mounted to the underside of the rear seat (not the floor) with quick disconnects for connections so it'll come out with the seat. I don't want a sub taking up floor space if I remove the seat. In its place--if I find the need--I could build a sub box with a sub amp on it to replace the seat and just plug in when the seat is removed. However, I don't see doing that for quite awhile.
I've searched and not found one person with experience with the OPTI-PODS--only this thread with OP asking if anyone has tried them. I agree with the poster in that thread that said 6.5" subs would be a poor substitute for an 8" or 10"; I'd be running full-range speakers in those spots, because why not. They look cool. I think the armrests might get hot in the sun, but they might be worth a try.

EDIT: The OPTI-PODS product page on ExtremeTerrain.com has a single review with some info... not worth linking, really.
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Those pods look cool. You can always carpet them.
 
DeltaNu1142 said:
Maybe just two tweeters in the forward holes, and two lights in the rear ones. These are hideous but look like they’d fit.
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I couldn't get that link to work but I ordered these lights, they are a perfect fit, the round circle in the middle is touch sensitive switch, I have ordered some Dupli-Color HVP113 Medium Beige Vinyl and Fabric spray to change the colour of the sound bar, so wont be doing any prep until those cans arrive.

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Reign Mack said:
I couldn't get that link to work but I ordered these lights, they are a perfect fit, the round circle in the middle is touch sensitive switch, I have ordered some Dupli-Color HVP113 Medium Beige Vinyl and Fabric spray to change the colour of the sound bar, so wont be doing any prep until those cans arrive.

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Are those 95mm lights? Looks like a good fit. Did you say what amp and speakers you are using?
 
Reign Mack said:
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XD800/8v2 and XD300/1v2 amps are being used, not chosen the speakers yet
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Just a recommendation for speakers as I am a big fan. BLAM has a couple good options that would be a good match for your JL XD800.

BLAM R8 EL - plays as low as 45Hz and up to 500Hz. 2 ohm. 150 watt RMS. 200 pounds/each

BLAM Relax - plays as low as 50Hz and up to 3.5KHz. 3 ohm. 100 watt RMS. 200 pounds for a set, including tweeters.

BLAM Live - plays as low as 40Hz and up to 4.7KHz. 2 ohm. 100 watt RMS. 325 pounds for a set, including tweeters.
 
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skrelnik said:
Just a recommendation for speakers as I am a big fan. BLAM has a couple good options…
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I hope they’re giving you a commission! :LOL:

Kidding—I’m very pleased you shared the link to where I can buy them. They were high on my list but I had given up finding an online retailer.

I didn’t ask earlier: do you have experience with fitting their 6.5” in the OEM pods, and are they a decent fit or too large like some others?
 
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skrelnik said:
Just a recommendation for speakers as I am a big fan. BLAM has a couple good options that would be a good match for your JL XD800.

BLAM R8 EL - plays as low as 45Hz and up to 500Hz. 2 ohm. 150 watt RMS. 200 pounds/each

BLAM Relax - plays as low as 50Hz and up to 3.5KHz. 3 ohm. 100 watt RMS. 200 pounds for a set, including tweeters.

BLAM Live - plays as low as 40Hz and up to 4.7KHz. 2 ohm. 100 watt RMS. 325 pounds for a set, including tweeters.
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thanks, the subs I have chosen are Focal P20FSE Flax EVO - 20cm Flat Subwoofer, I was going to use VIBE Black Death PRO4T Pro Audio Horn driver super tweeters but they are too wide to fit.
I will look into the blams for mid and highs
 
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