Should I solder the stereo head unit wires?

gdwindowpane

gdwindowpane

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I'm upgrading the sound system in my '99 TJ. I purchased the head unit and speaker from Crutchfield so I have the connectors I should need. I'm just waiting for the cold spell to break and I'll get after it. My question, is there any reason not to go ahead and solder the wires from the head unit to the Jeep connectors before I remove the old radio?

Thanks for any advice.

Chris
 
Kenwood KMM-BT328U Digital Media Receiver, Polk DB522 and 462's for the speakers.

Going to see how this sounds and decide later if I want to add an amp/sub or what.

Another question, I've read mixed reviews about putting polyfil behind the speakers and in the sound bar. Does this really help the sound?
 
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I just replaced the front speakers with 462's this past weekend. I have DB525s in the rear. I also have the sub between the seats (Kicker 6.75 with a 200.1 amp.) I opted for the Sony MEXM100BT because it had 40 watts RMS per channel so I could avoid another amplifier.

I have the polyfil in my speakers. I think it helps with the sound. To me on the fronts, it makes them sound less like they are in a tin box. (I have foam baffles behind my front speakers.)
 
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GaTechTJ said:
I just replaced the front speakers with 462's this past weekend. I have DB525s in the rear. I also have the sub between the seats (Kicker 6.75 with a 200.1 amp.) I opted for the Sony MEXM100BT because it had 40 watts RMS per channel so I could avoid another amplifier.

I have the polyfil in my speakers. I think it helps with the sound. To me on the fronts, it makes them sound less like they are in a tin box. (I have foam baffles behind my front speakers.)
Click to expand...

+1

Polyfill is great and works well in the speaker pods. I also have foam baffles and they do help. The price is right as well.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_696B0...ch-Speaker-Baffles-Slim-line-2-1-2-depth.html
gdwindowpane said:
Kenwood KMM-BT328U Digital Media Receiver, Polk DB522 and 462's for the speakers.

Going to see how this sounds and decide later if I want to add an amp/sub or what.

Another question, I've read mixed reviews about putting polyfil behind the speakers and in the sound bar. Does this really help the sound?
Click to expand...

Adding an amplifier makes a world of a difference, but also costs money and time. Use some polyfill and foam baffles, and, something to consider, another member used these inline tweeters and had good results.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HWJTIBE/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Decent 5 channel amp

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_530PN5640D/Soundstream-Picasso-Nano-PN5-640D.html
 
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If you purchased a plug adapter with the head unit then no reason to cut any of the vehicle side harness, if you did not I would recommend one.

I solder and heat shrink all connections.
 
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Well tonight I reinforced the old adage that you get what you pay for. The $8.99 soldering iron I bought at AutoZone is crap. My previous gun is MIA so I picked this one up. Waste of time and money. 2 wires connected and I'm out. Lol. Tractor Supply tomorrow.
 
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Haven't ever soldered that stuff, just got the right wiring harness and hooked it up to the head unit with those twist on wire nuts. Never had a problem.

Polyfill helps tame resonance, cleans up the sound basically. Don't pack as much as you can cram in there, it should fill the area loosely.
 
A good quality barrel connector is better than solder if crimped properly. Also it's easier to do. Solder tends to crack when put through vibrations unlike barrel connectors. With some properly sized heat shrink I like the non-insulated barrel connectors like these from McMaster. They're 3M brand and have worked very well for me in the past.
 
I think the only reason not to solder is if you are only trying out your connections or stereo before you intend to keep it for good, the other options are to buy the harness adapter to just plug & play or use crimped terminals... and your solder equipment/skills :geek:
 
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Irving said:
I think the only reason not to solder is if you are only trying out your connections or stereo before you intend to keep it for good, the other options are to buy the harness adapter to just plug & play or use crimped terminals... and your solder equipment/skills :geek:
Click to expand...

This is a heated debate, like which pentrating oil is the best to help remove rust bolts.

If one knows how to properly crimp then that would be the preferred method. If you have no crimping skills, either practice or solder.
 
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I just used butt splices and put heat shrink around them (them being the harness for the head unit to adapt to the OEM Jeep). Solder would work just fine too, but a crimper + lighter was faster and easier for me at the time I did mine.
 
GaTechTJ said:
I just replaced the front speakers with 462's this past weekend. I have DB525s in the rear. I also have the sub between the seats (Kicker 6.75 with a 200.1 amp.) I opted for the Sony MEXM100BT because it had 40 watts RMS per channel so I could avoid another amplifier.

I have the polyfil in my speakers. I think it helps with the sound. To me on the fronts, it makes them sound less like they are in a tin box. (I have foam baffles behind my front speakers.)
Click to expand...

How did you contain the polyfil in the front? It looks like you could fit an entire pillow up in there. I was worried it would travel around in the dash and start a fire if not contained somehow. I do have the foam inserts.
 
moab said:
How did you contain the polyfil in the front? It looks like you could fit an entire pillow up in there. I was worried it would travel around in the dash and start a fire if not contained somehow. I do have the foam inserts.
Click to expand...

You could buy some boom mat instead, that area is tough and the boom mat is a great cheap value play up there. They also have those mod pods but are very expensive for little game, a poor value in my opinion.

Look this up for the correct size.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_696B0...ch-Speaker-Baffles-Slim-line-2-1-2-depth.html
 
skrelnik said:
This is a heated debate, like which pentrating oil is the best to help remove rust bolts.

If one knows how to properly crimp then that would be the preferred method. If you have no crimping skills, either practice or solder.
Click to expand...
The learning curve for proper crimping is about like this _- and done. Takes about 5 seconds to learn. The learning curve for a proper solder joint is about like this / and without someone spending some time to understand what to do, how to do it, and what to look for, the likelihood of a sound solder connection is not great.
 
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Crutchfield sent me these when I put the double din in the Jeep. Figured I’d test them out instead of crimping. I have not had a single one come loose and I have been able to take them apart to make changes.

x669PP502-F.jpg


https://www.crutchfield.com/p_669PP502/Posi-Products-Car-Speaker-Connectors.html

1FF1E300-DB88-42E4-ABC1-0224762C8CC9.jpeg
 
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mrblaine said:
The learning curve for proper crimping is about like this _- and done. Takes about 5 seconds to learn. The learning curve for a proper solder joint is about like this / and without someone spending some time to understand what to do, how to do it, and what to look for, the likelihood of a sound solder connection is not great.
Click to expand...

Why I differ from you is I look our for the worst case scenario. The worst case scenario for a bad solder is a bad connection. The worst case scenario for crimping a wire is not just a bad speaker wire connection, but having a loose power and/or ground wires. If a power wire is not properly crimped, and comes loose, and your amplifier is under your steering column...imagine being on the highway with a live power wire dangling in the footwell.

So I say crimp if you know how to, or solder, but practice practice practice, as practice makes perfect.
 
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skrelnik said:
Why I differ from you is I look our for the worst case scenario. The worst case scenario for a bad solder is a bad connection. The worst case scenario for crimping a wire is not just a bad speaker wire connection, and loose power and ground wires. If a power wire is not properly crimped, and comes loose, and your amplifier is under your steering column...imagine being on the highway with a live power wire dangling in the footwell.

So I say crimp if you know how to, or solder, but practice practice practice, as practice makes perfect.
Click to expand...

You know what the problem is with trying to teach folks how to do the right thing? Shit like your reply.
 
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