This is why your dash speakers suck

I know absolutely zilch about audio. I mean I have a degree in video and film. But not much knowledge on car speakers etc. How much do the overpriced plastic enclosures fix this problem? How about stuffing the area with poly? Too much heat and electrical around it?

My aftermarket Kenwood does not sound all that bad. But road noise gets in the way for sure. I'm waiting until after I install sound deadener and heat shield on the entire tub. Before I make any changes to my audio system. It seems if your running a soft top. You've got to address the tub as much as possible. Before making any conclusions about your audio system. That road noise on the bare metal tub (except for carpet) would drowned out anything. In my humble (completely uneducated) opinion. lol.

I also find noise from the soft top itself popping against bars in the wind to be a huge problem too. I think I will wrap my soft top frame in key places with some form of foam rubber. To lesson that. And tighten it up as much as possible. The main frame bar atop my head in the Jeep makes a snapping sound at highway speeds that would drive any sane man crazy. Seems like issues like these need to be dealt with first.

So mine doesn't seem to be an audio quality problem. As much as an ambient sound problem. I'll fix those issues first. Before I start evaluating my set up. Plus it's a Jeep and I don't care for a greater than $200 system in a vehicle that can be gotten into with a pocket knife. My Kenwood is loud enough to hear. But the ambient cacophony is mind dumbing at times. But only at highway speeds.

While on the subject. What's with all the modern head units propensity for tiny buttons and tiny writing that you can't see or touch easily in a bouncy Jeep?! Drives me crazy. I have to take my sunglasses off and stare directly at the stereo to even change radio stations. Otherwise you can't see them. While steadying my hand to place my finger directly on the tiny button that I may need to push. I miss alot about analog controls.
 
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89grand said:
I uploaded the video I took a few years ago. It's not hi-res or anything but it clearly shows a difference. You'll need something other than a phone to tell the difference, but any even mildly ok computer speaker should make the difference clear.

The first half of the video is the stock passenger side, the second half, the sealed up drivers side. All other speakers are turned off, just one 5.25" dash speaker at a time with the high pass crossover set at 80hz @ 24db. You guys can play this, and decide if it does nothing, or is worth the very small effort. I just picked something and played it at the time, but it's good enough to tell.

I'm not trying to argue with anybody, I'm trying to give you guys an easy fix that flat out works.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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I can definitely hear a difference. still have the stock speakers in mine. addition to-do list.
 
If it sounds bad parked, I think it'll sound bad driving regardless of sound deadening or adding in pods.

I've been playing around with several setups to find one that I enjoy and I'm coming to the conclusion that less money doesn't necessarily mean that the value is any greater. I'm also not convinced that it's better to spend money on sound deadening beyond carpet than better equipment.

Amps don't help the low end speakers such as Polks at all. They only help carry the muttled mids into higher volume levels.

I also haven't drawn a definitive conclusion on how much good the pods do. They do help the cheap speakers but I need to do more testing with the middle to high quality end to see if they're actually beneficial.
 
toximus said:
Amps don't help the low end speakers such as Polks at all. They only help carry the muttled mids into higher volume levels.
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Since when did Polk speakers become "low end"? For Jeeps, that's the first comment I've ever seen calling Polks low-end. Comments I continually see about Polks in Jeeps confirm that others feel the same way about them I do. I installed four of them into my previous TJ and was surprised how good they sounded to me. But then I don't expect concert hall quality in my TJ.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Since when did Polk speakers become "low end"? For Jeeps, that's the first comment I've ever seen calling Polks low-end. Comments I continually see about Polks in Jeeps confirm that others feel the same way about them I do. I installed four of them into my previous TJ and was surprised how good they sounded to me. But then I don't expect concert hall quality in my TJ.
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I do realize my brashness of unpopularly held opinion. I have only started digging into car audio recently. However quality sound is something that I have enjoyed for many years. I can be the guy who compliments the mastering of a recording or that the lossless has better mouth sounds. Equally, I enjoy music discovery which rarely involves a high enough bitrate to get these details.

It probably does have to do with expectations, what music we listen to, and hearing ability. I spent a while tuning and I can't get the Polk DB522 speakers to be anything aside from disappointing. If I close my eyes listening to a song after arriving at a destination I don't feel like staying in the Jeep for "one more song", cheering when the bass drops at a stop light, and I can't visualize the layout of an orchestra. All genre of music feels emotionless and merely represents the passing of time. The mids are disgusting and lack separation between instruments such as electric guitars. I'd rate the sound quality as 5/10. Heavy metal shows this limitation well. I absolutely agree that they are better than stock, but if we're already talking about something that's worth isn't monetarily tangible, how do we value "better than stock"?

I think they've been low end ever since people started placing them in pods, poly filling, and trying to place tweeters alongside them. From what I've found, those things are seeming bandages to an incurable inadequacy. Projecting volume isn't something that I found to really be a problem, it's WHAT they're projecting. And all of this goes even for low bitrate streamed music. So I ask, what are we trying to change with these efforts?

My audio system is not for audio books, or because I can't stand myself, it's for an experience. The Polks don't provide an experience for me; I'd rather pull them and be left to my own silence.
 
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I don't think the quality of the speakers matters THAT much. Any coaxial by a reputable brand should be "good enough". I mean we are talking about a noisy vehicle with less than ideal speaker locations in the first place.

The only thing I've tried to do, is maximize the sound quality that I can get out it. This thread was for that specific purpose. Sealing off the front mounts made a huge difference, but it's pretty simple and cheap to do.

I'm not going to be using a Minidsp, carefully measured speaker distances to set the time alignment, and using my measurement microphone and Room Eq Wizard to eq the system, like I've done in my daily driver Magnum. I mean, I know how to, and have gone to that level with my car, but I'm not going to bother in the Jeep.

The only things I'm really trying to achieve in the Jeep are non offensive frequency response (this thread helps address that), enough volume to hear it, even on the highway, and decent bass response. I've achieved this to a reasonable degree already. I do plan on changing my subwoofer setup, and trying something uncommon for the front speakers, that will be really cool and fairly affordable if it works as intended, and if so, will be a noticeable improvement.
 
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I can appreciate a decent sounding audio system, and a little effort to improve the efficiency is worth it for those that want to take the time to improve it. I found that fine tuning the EQ settings has helped a lot in getting the sound to my ears. I think the Polks sound pretty good for a $65 pair of speakers. They are lacking in low end mids and bass, but I wasn't expecting much from a 5.25" coaxial. That is the sub's job.
 
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89grand said:
I don't think the quality of the speakers matters THAT much. Any coaxial by a reputable brand should be "good enough". I mean we are talking about a noisy vehicle with less than ideal speaker locations in the first place.

The only thing I've tried to do, is maximize the sound quality that I can get out it. This thread was for that specific purpose. Sealing off the front mounts made a huge difference, but it's pretty simple and cheap to do.

I'm not going to be using a Minidsp, carefully measured speaker distances to set the time alignment, and using my measurement microphone and Room Eq Wizard to eq the system, like I've done in my daily driver Magnum. I mean, I know how to, and have gone to that level with my car, but I'm not going to bother in the Jeep.

The only things I'm really trying to achieve in the Jeep are non offensive frequency response (this thread helps address that), enough volume to hear it, even on the highway, and decent bass response. I've achieved this to a reasonable degree already. I do plan on changing my subwoofer setup, and trying something uncommon for the front speakers, that will be really cool and fairly affordable if it works as intended, and if so, will be a noticeable improvement.
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What do you have in mind for the sub? I was actually thinking of replicating the tube you built. Are you going to stay in the footwell? Because I think that is genius, and I am going to try your front speaker hack. That was a pretty noticeable difference, side to side.
 
bobthetj03 said:
That is the sub's job.
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Are you running a filter to remove the entire mid range that they can't replicate? In my experience if you don't, they will yuck up the clean audio.

I'd argue that it more of the woofers job than the subs.

Edit I hope I'm not coming off as too argumentative. I'm trying to solve a problem, not complain. I think we're all in the same boat and I'm curious about what ends up being the answer.
 
twistedlv said:
What do you have in mind for the sub? I was actually thinking of replicating the tube you built. Are you going to stay in the footwell? Because I think that is genius, and I am going to try your front speaker hack. That was a pretty noticeable difference, side to side.
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I'm going to try a thin "under seat" 10" powered sub mounted to the tailgate. I'm not going to do anything permanent with it unless it actually is improvement. If not, I'll keep what I have. The tube setup works pretty well, and really doesn't interfere with passenger foot space. The main reason I want to try a powered sub, is I'm using a 4 channel amp now, with the front channels running the dash speakers, and the rear channels bridged running the sub. I have an idea for improving the front speakers, but it will require all 4 channels of my amp.

I could get another amp, a mono one to run the sub, and I'll do that if I don't like the powered sub.

My soft top is down 90% of the time, so the top just flops over between rear seat and the tail gate, so the sub really shouldn't take up any usable room, the top will just sort of lay on top of it or over it. The top could end up muffling it too though. I'll have the check that.

Yeah, sealing up the dash speaker mounting surfaces shocked me with how much it improved the sound. I expected it to, to some degree, but it did more than I thought it, which is why I recorded it back when I did it.
 
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bobthetj03 said:
I can appreciate a decent sounding audio system, and a little effort to improve the efficiency is worth it for those that want to take the time to improve it. I found that fine tuning the EQ settings has helped a lot in getting the sound to my ears. I think the Polks sound pretty good for a $65 pair of speakers. They are lacking in low end mids and bass, but I wasn't expecting much from a 5.25" coaxial. That is the sub's job.
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If you seal up all those holes, you'll have much better midbass out of the 5.25's and they will blend a lot better and seamlessly with your sub.
 
I have to pull the dash to replace the AC evaporator and heater core next month, so maybe I'll see what I can do while I'm in there. Right now I have the frequency filter on the sub set at 120hz. and down, and the dash/pod speakers set at 100hz. and up.
 
I can't seem to find it again, but I do remember seeing front speaker mounts that angled the speaker up a bit. Just wondering if anyone has used them, and if they helped with hearing sound from the front.

I would think those, plus other methods mentioned here, could drastically improve overall sound delivery and quality.
 
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I haven’t even looked at mine yet, but I will be closing up the enclosure. It’s common sense. Listen to a speaker sitting open, then in an enclosure. Big difference. Sorry you tried to help and got smashed. The whole reason I joined this page was because everyone is usually supportive of any info that improves what we have. Cheap quick fix for those of us who want the best we can afford. Thanks for sharing.
 
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I just replaced my speakers with the Polk 6.25 in the pods and 5 .25 in the dash. While they sound way better than the originals it still needs a sud. I saw a Bluetooth speaker at Sams club that sounded awesome. It was the duel speaker set up. I wondering if that would have been the way to go since I use Spotify for all my tunes.
 
Chapman4266 said:
I haven’t even looked at mine yet, but I will be closing up the enclosure. It’s common sense. Listen to a speaker sitting open, then in an enclosure. Big difference. Sorry you tried to help and got smashed. The whole reason I joined this page was because everyone is usually supportive of any info that improves what we have. Cheap quick fix for those of us who want the best we can afford. Thanks for sharing.
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The good news is, those that can understand why or chose to believe me that it absolutely makes a difference, can certainly choose to do it, and if my post helps a few, it's worth it. I'm not sure why I was disagreed with so heavily. It's not like I was touting some sort of voodoo, there is a very simple and clear reason why this works.
 
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When i bought the 2 and a half jeeps to Frankenstein together, one of the 3 jeeps had bluetooth capable stereo... i instailled it and it works great with the two factory speakers, but only when the jeep is off lol... otherwise they suck ass! My wife and i bought a new 94 yj obviously many years ago when we were young and the most important thing a kid could own (at the time) besides a car, was a stereo... we went out to a local "beats shop" just outside FT hood. We bought the most amazing, expensive modern stuff at the time, and celebrated by cruising up and down every "strip" in the area ( i now laugh at the younger us, but with fondness). The thing i F-in hated, hated, hated, was the lack of security, from both the "stereo stealers" and the elements. This is my modern day solution...

Screenshot_20190501-200149.png
 
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