Stereo system upgrade

Thedogsbollocks said:
Did you do anything up front?
I ask because I installed an JL / Hertz set up. I put some tweeters in the pillars to raise the soundstage and brining to the front and added some components down in the footwell too for same reason. I put sound deadening inside overhead and this made a biff difference too.

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Are;those 8 inch subs? Watts? Brand?
 
Glutton4Truth said:
Ya just some kickers but now thinking about component speakers all around and 10w's built into my seat.... Why did you go that way with your subs? Is it better?
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The two speakers on the rear are actually 2 8.8” Coax with 1.2” tweeter and are infinite baffle model ( JL M880 CCX ) and sound great.I don’t know why pics are so weird. The sub is currently in a sealed box you can just see it. I’m building a new down firing box for it that will be more stealthy.
 
Are you happy with the bass? I didn't really care about the reverb aspect when I was deciding what I wanted. I got what I got for the hard thump of the drums in rock music but with the eq I can have that if I want. Honestly I really want the 10w7's.
 
Thedogsbollocks said:
Did you do anything up front?
I ask because I installed an JL / Hertz set up. I put some tweeters in the pillars to raise the soundstage and brining to the front and added some components down in the footwell too for same reason. I put sound deadening inside overhead and this made a biff difference too.

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I didn't go as far as you in upgrades, largely to 1. keep a stock look/maintain what small trunk space there is, and 2. Budget. I am split on sound deadening under the carpet and in doors because I'm not sure I will get the real benefit as I only drive my Jeep in the summer with the top off. Being in Indiana, I want to keep it rust free, so it stays parked inside all winter. I will probably take the suggestion of poly behind the front speakers and add some to the pods.
 
Mine still looks stock kinda. Besides the snorkel, winch, and gas can oh and high fenders it still looks stock. Now I'm looking for axles. Really am lost about that stuff
 
HoosierRich said:
So a couple friends and I did stereo system upgrades recently (my buddy has the 95 Sahara in the background) I based the equipment on some suggestions on this board, budget, and desire to keep a factory look. I snapped some pics along the way, although not as many as I should have!

Here’s the list of what I installed:
Head Unit - Alpine CDE 172 BT Alpine Head Unit

Amp - Soundstream Picasso Nano amp

Front Speakers - Kicker 5 1/4“ CSC5 Front Speakers

Rear Soundbar Speakers -Kicker 5 1/4” CSC5 Rear soundbar speakers

Sub (retrofit into center console sub) - Kicker CompRT 6.75”Console subwoofer

Amp wire kit - TopstrongGear 8 Guage Amp wire kit

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First thing I tackled was where to put the amp! Some on this board suggested under the steering column, so that’s where I started. I ran into an issue where it looked like there was already a small “box” installed on a bracket in that location. I discovered this was a factory installed satellite radio module. I decided to remove the old module and attempt to use the mounting bracket from it for a nice clean install spot. I did use a cutting board with some spacers to allow the amp to “breathe” on all sides.
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Next I mounted the amp in the factory bracket location under the steering column.


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Next came soldering and heat shrinking all connections for the wiring.

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Ran all the wiring within the dash for the speakers, to the amp, and routed to the head unit. It was at this time I tackled the center console sub. I forgot to take pics during this as well as during routing the wiring up the roll bar and into the soundbar (speaker pods). I removed the center console to run the speaker wire under it and hide the wiring. The sub install required snipping some of the interior baffles of the factory sub box, but I was able to screw into the previous sub mounting hole. I removed the old amp from the center console box and covered the hole with Eastwood sound deadening material. I then reinstalled in reverse order.
After reinstalling the console sub and running all other wires I was able to install the speakers. I used Crutchfield relocation brackets for the front speakers. The rear speakers fit perfectly into the pods.

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I ran the power wire through the firewall in the driver footwell by carefully cutting a slit into the hardtop washer fluid line grommet.

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As you can see in the second pic above, I put sheath around the 8 gauge wire to run through the engine bay. I then mounted the inline fuse with 3m two sided tape to the firewall above the battery. I connected the wire by bolting onto the positive connection in the fuse block.

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Finally I installed and connected the head unit and began the fun of fine tuning the amp!

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Dang dude is that a garage or an indoor stadium? Looks great!
 
Glutton4Truth said:
Are you happy with the bass? I didn't really care about the reverb aspect when I was deciding what I wanted. I got what I got for the hard thump of the drums in rock music but with the eq I can have that if I want. Honestly I really want the 10w7's.
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You’ll love them. I bought the 10w6 V3 D4 and it’s great. I’m like you I want bass without the farting. More realistic than overblown that why I went sealed , the bass stays nice ad tight. I did upgrade the factory sub too with a kicker 8” and crossed over higher to reproduce some nice mid bass too. Yeah , I have to say I really impressed...better than I thought .more luck than judgement to be honest.
 
HoosierRich said:
I didn't go as far as you in upgrades, largely to 1. keep a stock look/maintain what small trunk space there is, and 2. Budget. I am split on sound deadening under the carpet and in doors because I'm not sure I will get the real benefit as I only drive my Jeep in the summer with the top off. Being in Indiana, I want to keep it rust free, so it stays parked inside all winter. I will probably take the suggestion of poly behind the front speakers and add some to the pods.
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honestly , another huge find for me was just what a difference this sound deadening makes. Especially in the overhead enclosures and down in the footwells. It was fiddly but I got a massive surprise once done.
 
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Glutton4Truth said:
So 500 watts in my sound bar and 1000 watts in my box and it's not enough for me...what do you think I should get or do?
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Something to consider is alternator output and underhood wiring size ("the big 3").
The alternator may not be producing enough current to allow the amplifiers operate at their rated output levels. Do your headlights dim when the stereo gets loud?
 
Thedogsbollocks said:
You’ll love them. I bought the 10w6 V3 D4 and it’s great. I’m like you I want bass without the farting. More realistic than overblown that why I went sealed , the bass stays nice ad tight. I did upgrade the factory sub too with a kicker 8” and crossed over higher to reproduce some nice mid bass too. Yeah , I have to say I really impressed...better than I thought .more luck than judgement to be honest.
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Ya that nice mid bass is awesome. I took out my center console and that's why I have 4 8" rf in the sound bar. But 10w6 what's the difference from 10w7's
 
Roadrash74 said:
Ok, its official...I'm jealous. That's a great space. Is there a lift in the future?
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I had the concrete floor poured thick enough for a future lift, but I'm in Indiana and love basketball!! If I installed a lift right now I wouldn't be able to play basketball with my friends and kids in the garage during the winter so it won't happen in the near future.
 
They make lifts that can be unbolted from the floor and moved out of the way. Can change the whole purpose of the room in 15 minutes. 👍
 
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