Does stereo head unit make a difference in audio output?

My personal opinion is that there will NEVER be a benefit, quality-wise, to using Bluetooth over aux cables. Good quality auxiliary cables do nothing to the signal. No losses, no compression, no change to the frequency response, no added distortion. Bluetooth does all of that to the signal. If you can't hear the difference, that's simply either from your ears or the listening environment.

And for those who believe aux cables degrade over time, I dunno where that malarkey came from but they don't degrade over time. Milk degrades over time but not good quality copper aux cables. Some may not want aux cables if they show but I've yet to see an automotive audio system where the aux cables between the head unit and aux amp couldn't be easily and completely hidden.

Sound-wise, it's my opinion that when two name-brand head units set up the same with the same output power and tone control settings, no one here will be able to hear the difference. There's not a human alive who can discern differences in distortion between, say, an Alpine, Sony, or Pioneer head unit so long as you're driving the speakers with levels appropriate to their output. And with most head units having between 18 and 22 RMS watts per channel, I dare say if you picked out three with 18 RMS watts available and set them up to provide the same flat frequency responses (i.e. tone controls set to their "flat" non-boosted or non-cut), that no one here would be able to discern the difference between the head units.

Having done audio systems for large venue settings where amps easily generate four digits of RMS watts, the key to good sound once we had enough power was the speakers. We'd rather have superb speakers with a lower quality amp than a superb amp and lower quality speakers. The sound difference between so-so and superb speakers is dramatic and very noticeable. With amps that produced the same RMS wattages, the differences are usually not discernable. There are other reasons to buy good amps but it's not like you could hear the difference at the same wattage levels when the amps could produce the same power levels before noticeably clipping or distorting the signal. Even the worlds best quality amp will distort and sound crappy when you push it beyond its capability.

I actually built my own high power stereo amplifiers many years ago, both solid state and vacuum tube. Wired them from scratch. Built acoustic suspension speakers as well. Built test equipment including oscilloscopes, signal generators, used distortion analyzers, etc. So I have a pretty fair background in all of this. :)
 
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I'm not looking for some sort of crazy good sound system. I know that the TJ isn't the vehicle for that to begin with. I'm simply looking for something that's a little better than stock, with some nice speakers. It sounds like I'm going to need an aftermarket head unit in any case, so I'll probably just go with that Kenwood one and a set of nice Polk speakers. Are there any better bolt-in options for the factory subwoofer that don't require any modifications?
 
First thing to do for better sound in a car is upgrade the speakers. I say that, because the speakers in most cars (esp the TJ) are absolute garbage. They (the OEM's) use "wizzer" cones for high frequencies...which is the cheapest way to do it. Second, upgrade the head unit. I suggest this order, because an upgraded head unit will over drive the factory speakers, and they may sound worse than they did before!

A sub will definitely help in making any car audio installation sound better. Small speakers are not very good at reproducing bass at low levels. Bass is such a long wave that it takes a LOT of displacement to make it loud enough to hear.
 
I am not going to say much because I am not a stereo guru, but I want to point out some features I like on my HU that I already have.

Like most of you I don't have any cd's and haven't in a long time. I don't even have any burners to make anything so CD's I wouldn't care about on my head unit plus they take too much room with not enough benefit anyway.

My headunit is just a simple JVC and it does bluetooth or aux cable. You don't usually have to choose you can do both. I mostly bluetooth because fo the same reason as others have said it is another cable you are tripping over especially if you have a charge cable also. But I like the option for if I am tailgating and the jeep is not running better sound quality may be an issue, so I do like having the choice, but what I like even more is I have a USB plug directly on the front. This is awesome because I can get a 128G usb with all of the music I own if I wanted. The bummer is it cant' really do playlists, but if you have many usb's which I may add come in may sized including tiny, you could make playlists out of your USB's meaning put only the mp3's you want on each one. So if you are a kinks fan like me you can have a USB with all of your favorite Kinks songs, and another one with all of your favorite Clapton songs. I think you get the picture. You can go back and forth through your songs with the USB, but I like the usb because it is small, and it plays immediately and you can quickly move through songs.

There is a time and a place for all of those, and I used them all so I suggest making sure you have aux, bluetooth, and usb. My radio in my Ram does not have USB, but it does have SD and SD is kind of a pain in the ass compared to usb in my opinion, but it is a smaller slot in the radio.
 
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I'm not looking for some sort of crazy good sound system. I know that the TJ isn't the vehicle for that to begin with. I'm simply looking for something that's a little better than stock, with some nice speakers. It sounds like I'm going to need an aftermarket head unit in any case, so I'll probably just go with that Kenwood one and a set of nice Polk speakers. Are there any better bolt-in options for the factory subwoofer that don't require any modifications?
Are you asking here if there are any subwoofers that just bolt into the factor console and are better than the factory?
 
Isn't the factory amp that powers the factory sub a bit anemic like the factory HU's are? Isn't it also wired kind of weird, dual voice coil and the like?
 
Are you asking here if there are any subwoofers that just bolt into the factor console and are better than the factory?

Yes, that’s what I’m asking.

Isn't the factory amp that powers the factory sub a bit anemic like the factory HU's are? Isn't it also wired kind of weird, dual voice coil and the like?

Is it? Ugh, maybe I should be looking to replace that factory amp?
 
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The factory subwoofer has two 2 Ohm voice coils that are wired externally in parallel to produce an effective impedance of 1 ohm. Some amps are designed for extra-low impedances like that, so it's not "wired weird". Dual voice coil speakers are not uncommon, and there are suitable better quality dual voice coil replacements available on sites like eBay. My TJ's subwoofer produces enough bass for me, it may not produce enough bass for a teenager or someone who wants more thump power that can be heard across the parking lot.:)
 
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Before you get too carried away(cause we have a tendency to help our fellow jeepers spends their monies), I'd do what @Ranger_b0b suggested and replace the factory speakers with some quality units and then see if it's good enough to your ears.
X2. Replacing them with better speakers like Polk's DB series can make a dramatic improvement in sound without any other changes to the system.
 
The factory subwoofer has two 2 Ohm voice coils that are wired externally in parallel to produce an effective impedance of 1 ohm. Some amps are designed for extra-low impedances like that, so it's not "wired weird". Dual voice coil speakers are not uncommon, and there are suitable better quality dual voice coil replacements available on sites like eBay. My TJ's subwoofer produces enough bass for me, it may not produce enough bass for a teenager or someone who wants more thump power that can be heard across the parking lot.:)

Simmer down Ole Timer! The days of wanting my sound system to be heard from 3 blocks away are long gone. I just like good, crisp, clean bass so I can hear David Gilmore's guitar riffs better. All kidding aside, I said wired weird because its different from conventional sub setups that I'm familiar with, so yeah, weird to me. Is the dual voice coil/1ohm setup more efficient at striking quality bass? Did Jeep do that to help with the shortcomings of limited enclosure space and a small size subwoofer?
 
Okay, I'll order new speakers and a new head unit first. The head units are so cheap that it's no big deal! I'm going to go with a set of Polk speakers all the way around, since I've had good luck with them in the past!
 
(Edit)NOTE: pictures are from google. Not my Jeep.

Wonder if the RB1 would have better specs than the other factory headunits. I will compare them agaisnt each other later when I have more time.
Unless someone else does it.

The RB1 looks so good and was in fact a factory option for the TJ and it came in the Viper too.

Going the RB1 route thought for me would equate to an upgraded radio head unit but still maintaining the factory specs for the dash which is impossible to beat IMO everything else looks cheap.
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Wonder if the RB1 would have better specs than the other factory headunits. I will compare them agaisnt each other later when I have more time.
Unless someone else does it.

The RB1 looks so good and was in fact a factory option for the TJ and it came in the Viper too.

Going the RB1 route thought for me would equate to an upgraded radio head unit but still maintaining the factory specs for the dash which is impossible to beat IMO everything else looks cheap.
View attachment 32044 View attachment 32045

On what TJ was that ever a factory option? Really?
 
On what TJ was that ever a factory option? Really?
Had to be 03+ because im fairly certain is does not bolt into the 97-02.
But the question about which TJ had it as an option has got me looking around the internet. I could have sworn I had seen it mentioned as a factory option in a TJ in a magazine. But im looking with no fast results.
 
Had to be 03+ because im fairly certain is does not bolt into the 97-02.
But the question about which TJ had it as an option has got me looking around the internet. I could have sworn I had seen it mentioned as a factory option in a TJ in a magazine. But im looking with no fast results.

I see it as an option in the Grand Cherokees, but never the TJ. Either way, they want $1500+ for that antiquated piece of technology! Sheesh
 
Simmer down Ole Timer! The days of wanting my sound system to be heard from 3 blocks away are long gone. I just like good, crisp, clean bass so I can hear David Gilmore's guitar riffs better. All kidding aside, I said wired weird because its different from conventional sub setups that I'm familiar with, so yeah, weird to me. Is the dual voice coil/1ohm setup more efficient at striking quality bass? Did Jeep do that to help with the shortcomings of limited enclosure space and a small size subwoofer?


I'm sure the ultra low resistance wiring scheme saved money by allowing more output per volt. Smaller wires, smaller amp, same sound. One thing I dislike about factory head units is that they nearly all trim bass output as the volume increases...to protect their crappy factory speakers and fool the consumers into thinking the radio is battery than it really is. Even the "upgrade" Sony 700 watt System in my ford is junk...passable junk, but still junk