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Adding an Aftermarket Amp(s)

Sooner7274

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Hi Sting & all,
I've followed this thread and still stuck. It feels like a simple thing I'm overlooking

I have a 2019 JLU 7" screen and non factory amplified. Purchased the AP4-CH41R.2 bundle from Amazon. It came with APH-CH01 harness and TOSLINK (although I'm not using that part).

I have hooked this up to the radio and ran 3 sets of RCAs to amp (kicker kxa800.5). Silly question but where does the amplified signal tie back to the speakers? Do I run new line to each one of them or is there a harness in B pillar or elsewhere? New kicker speakers run to all stock locations.

My APH-CH01 has me suspicious and second guessing. Kit came with 2 black 16-pin harnesses along with a white 22-pin harness. PAC website says CH01 is not compatible with JLs but I read others have gotten it to work or the harness isn't needed at all.

Thanks in advance for the help.
Need help will travel....
Tony
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Sting_NC_USA

Sting_NC_USA

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Hi Sting & all,
I've followed this thread and still stuck. It feels like a simple thing I'm overlooking

I have a 2019 JLU 7" screen and non factory amplified. Purchased the AP4-CH41R.2 bundle from Amazon. It came with APH-CH01 harness and TOSLINK (although I'm not using that part).

I have hooked this up to the radio and ran 3 sets of RCAs to amp (kicker kxa800.5). Silly question but where does the amplified signal tie back to the speakers? Do I run new line to each one of them or is there a harness in B pillar or elsewhere? New kicker speakers run to all stock locations.

My APH-CH01 has me suspicious and second guessing. Kit came with 2 black 16-pin harnesses along with a white 22-pin harness. PAC website says CH01 is not compatible with JLs but I read others have gotten it to work or the harness isn't needed at all.

Thanks in advance for the help.
Need help will travel....
Tony
Most will simply run new wire, primarily because the stock wiring is so thin, and it divides in certain sections.

If you did want to use stock wiring, you'd run the outputs of your amp to the dongle that PAC provides. It's the small wire cluster that comes separate in the package.

With amplified power, especially when running separates/components, do yourself a favor and run good quality wire.

Good luck with your install!
 

Sooner7274

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Most will simply run new wire, primarily because the stock wiring is so thin, and it divides in certain sections.

If you did want to use stock wiring, you'd run the outputs of your amp to the dongle that PAC provides. It's the small wire cluster that comes separate in the package.

With amplified power, especially when running separates/components, do yourself a favor and run good quality wire.

Good luck with your install!
Many thanks for the advice! I'll give it a whirl today
 

willhayward

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Many thanks for the advice! I'll give it a whirl today
Be sure to use ferrules, heat shrink, etc. Try to mitigate any potential issues you could have in the future. I just finished my audio install last weekend on my 2021 JLU. Ran all new wiring, replaced dash, knee, soundbar, and sub. Dual amps - JL VX800/8i for the speakers (I plan on adding 2 more speakers to the rear pillars in the cargo area) and a Alpine mono 600w for the sub. The sound is absolutely amazing. Stuck with JL throughout minus the infinity reference in the dash. Still some fine-tuning needed in the amp app (frickin' awesome - can control every aspect of the amp/dsp within the amplifier app on a PC and can make some changes with cellphone app). Take your time. I stuffed my soundbar full of poly-fil and my sub enclosure full of poly-fil after I lined the inside with sound dampening mat.

Good luck on your install!
 

Sooner7274

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Be sure to use ferrules, heat shrink, etc. Try to mitigate any potential issues you could have in the future. I just finished my audio install last weekend on my 2021 JLU. Ran all new wiring, replaced dash, knee, soundbar, and sub. Dual amps - JL VX800/8i for the speakers (I plan on adding 2 more speakers to the rear pillars in the cargo area) and a Alpine mono 600w for the sub. The sound is absolutely amazing. Stuck with JL throughout minus the infinity reference in the dash. Still some fine-tuning needed in the amp app (frickin' awesome - can control every aspect of the amp/dsp within the amplifier app on a PC and can make some changes with cellphone app). Take your time. I stuffed my soundbar full of poly-fil and my sub enclosure full of poly-fil after I lined the inside with sound dampening mat.

Good luck on your install!
Thanks Will. My install mimics yours closely. I just stuck with Kicker, just because I'm a Okie Homer. Thanks for the advice!
 

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Hi Sting & all,
I've followed this thread and still stuck. It feels like a simple thing I'm overlooking

I have a 2019 JLU 7" screen and non factory amplified. Purchased the AP4-CH41R.2 bundle from Amazon. It came with APH-CH01 harness and TOSLINK (although I'm not using that part).

I have hooked this up to the radio and ran 3 sets of RCAs to amp (kicker kxa800.5). Silly question but where does the amplified signal tie back to the speakers? Do I run new line to each one of them or is there a harness in B pillar or elsewhere? New kicker speakers run to all stock locations.

My APH-CH01 has me suspicious and second guessing. Kit came with 2 black 16-pin harnesses along with a white 22-pin harness. PAC website says CH01 is not compatible with JLs but I read others have gotten it to work or the harness isn't needed at all.

Thanks in advance for the help.
Need help will travel....
Tony
I just used the harness that attached off the Amppro and ran those to my amp while keep my stock wiring in place. I just got speaker wire and cut them to about 20ft lengths and attached them to the harness to run to the amp in the back. The whole carpet lifts up pretty easy to keep everything stealth. Just be sure to label the wires so you know what is what. It was the easiest complete sound system I ever installed. 4 channels always intimidated me but monos are easy. Had the whole thing wired up and ready to go in a few hours. Also make sure to switch the setting on the back of the box or the Amppro won’t work.
 

Lynweber

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EDITED to add I did indeed read through all pages! Adding some additional info/questions! Thank you for your help!

I’m on page 44 for this amazing thread. Update read all 75 pages! Whew lots of helpful information.

I have a problem and PAC can’t seem to figure out what’s going on. Wondering if the unit itself is bad or if we did something wrong during install.

2019 JLU Sahara with alpine system. Installed PAC amp pro-ch41 r2. My dips are all off.

I didn't see one person with the brand of speakers/amps I have so not sure that will be relevant. Also, I apologize if i get the terms incorrect as I am not savvy in this area as many of you so I feel quite uneducated. :)

I upgraded, tweeters (not connected to aftermarket amp, connected the yellow crossover? to the tweeter positive out to the positive), knee speakers (connected to amp, instead of plug and play, we left the vehicle plug as is and cut the plug off each speaker and ran +- to the amp itself, was this okay to do?), upgraded soundbar (it's on its own amp just due to the number of speakers/tweeters we have, 4 channel), and installed 8" two towers speakers in the back on a mounting bar (shared amp with the knee panels, 4 channel). I have two amps currently one for the sound bar and the other for my towers and knee speakers. All that works fine unless it could work better which would be awesome.

PAC unit hooked directly to radio unit and then to harness in vehicle connected the speaker plug on harness to each as we have an amplifer I think (i'm doubting this at the moment after reading this thread but I do have the 7 speaker alpine system). Initially, we only had the soundbar and towers on the AmpPro, then over the weekend we tried to add the sub and additional amp to the channel 5/6 output.

I kept the aftermarket tweeters and alpine sub wired as factory.

Present Problem: I went to install another amp, monoblock, and 10" sub and plugged the rcas into the Amp Pro and nothing happens. After several tests and run through it still doesn't work. Tested the rcas they are good. If I plug them into the fronts on the amp pro the sub hits, obviously not ideal but it was a test to see if the rcas worked. amp, speaker, etc. Why won’t the sub play with it plugged into the sub outputs. I have the bass knob plugged in and it is turned on.

Additional info, we have a secondary battery we ran to the back cubby, we used 0 gauge wire to run wire from main to secondary. Install a fuse and distribution block and ran 3 lines out to each of the amps. Also, wanted to put the sub amp in the cubby as well, have kilmat installed in there and it seems to get too hot even though it isn't even working, so I guess I need to find another spot? Does anyone else have their amp in the cubby? Other options? Install, aftermarket driver side sub enclosure that fits over wheel well, i actualy have another sub and passenger side enclosure but haven't yet tackled that since i need to order parts to replace the panel where the alpine sub is.
 
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TorturedMargot

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Hello everyone! I just purchased my first Jeep, and I am loving it so far. I got a 2021 Jeep Wrangler JL Sport S, 2 door! I am very pleased with my new vehicle. Now, I am a big audiophile, and have already purchased $800 worth of Alpine speakers and have an existing woofer I want to install. I have read many of the pages of this thread (amazing thread by the way!) and I am just looking for confirmation on something. Will the PAC AmpPRO AP4-CH41 work on my 2021 Wrangler? Crutchfield and their website shows only up to 2019. And if I use the PAC, do I still need to splice in resistors? I have the 7" screen with the base sound system. Going to be adding 2 amps, changing all 8 speakers, and one subwoofer. Thank you for your time!
 

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Hello everyone! I just purchased my first Jeep, and I am loving it so far. I got a 2021 Jeep Wrangler JL Sport S, 2 door! I am very pleased with my new vehicle. Now, I am a big audiophile, and have already purchased $800 worth of Alpine speakers and have an existing woofer I want to install. I have read many of the pages of this thread (amazing thread by the way!) and I am just looking for confirmation on something. Will the PAC AmpPRO AP4-CH41 work on my 2021 Wrangler? Crutchfield and their website shows only up to 2019. And if I use the PAC, do I still need to splice in resistors? I have the 7" screen with the base sound system. Going to be adding 2 amps, changing all 8 speakers, and one subwoofer. Thank you for your time!
Used the PAC on a 2020 JLUR so I think it would work but might be better to check with them. This is with a 7" base system. I didn't need to add any resistors.
 

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Sting_NC_USA

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Hello everyone! I just purchased my first Jeep, and I am loving it so far. I got a 2021 Jeep Wrangler JL Sport S, 2 door! I am very pleased with my new vehicle. Now, I am a big audiophile, and have already purchased $800 worth of Alpine speakers and have an existing woofer I want to install. I have read many of the pages of this thread (amazing thread by the way!) and I am just looking for confirmation on something. Will the PAC AmpPRO AP4-CH41 work on my 2021 Wrangler? Crutchfield and their website shows only up to 2019. And if I use the PAC, do I still need to splice in resistors? I have the 7" screen with the base sound system. Going to be adding 2 amps, changing all 8 speakers, and one subwoofer. Thank you for your time!
As far as we can tell by the folks who have installed upgrades on their newer vehicles, it does appear the PAC works on the full range of JL's. Make sure you get the second revision (R.2) of the PAC, as it has the dip switch settings and updates needed. And, if you do use the PAC, you won't need the resistors. Good luck with your install!
 

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As far as we can tell by the folks who have installed upgrades on their newer vehicles, it does appear the PAC works on the full range of JL's. Make sure you get the second revision (R.2) of the PAC, as it has the dip switch settings and updates needed. And, if you do use the PAC, you won't need the resistors. Good luck with your install!
Roger that, I appreciate the information.

I am bleeding myself dry on acquisition of parts for this install :whew:

Alpine R-A60F 4ch Amp - $499.95
Alpine R-S65.2 4ohm 6.5" speakers (pair) - $249.95
Alpine R-S69.2 4ohm 6x9 speakers (pair) - $249.95
Alpine S-S10TW tweeters (pair) - $89.95
PAC AmpPRO AP4-CH41 (R.2) - $279.99
Metra JP-1014 Jeep Speaker Pods (pair) - $59.99
MB Quart JE1-169SB soundbar adapters (pair) - $59.99
KnuKoncept 4AWG OFC wiring / terminals / RCAs - $75~$125

I still need to buy another pair of tweeters, hopefully Crutchfield will get the Type R tweeters that I like back in stock soon.

Fortunately I already have a Rockford Fosgate P3D4-12 woofer paired with a Rockford Fosgate R1200-1D mono amp, along with an AudioControl LC2i. It's gonna delete almost all the available room in the back of my 2 door JL, but at least it'll boom. My last vehicle (2018 Challenger) I only added the subwoofer to an already decent Alpine sound system, so it was less costly, and I have the parts.

So my new questions are this:

With the PAC, will I still need to use the LC2i? And also with the PAC, do I need that "JL Fix86" I have seen referenced in here many times? I am hoping not. I appreciate the wealth of all your information. Despite the cost, I am very excited. Nothing in this world is more important to me than hi-fidelity audio. Last year I spent a small fortune on a 7.1 surround sound setup, featuring Klipsch, Infiniti, and Yahama, so it's only right that this year I have a new audio project. Thank you again!!
 
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Roger that, I appreciate the information.

I am bleeding myself dry on acquisition of parts for this install :whew:

Alpine R-A60F 4ch Amp - $499.95
Alpine R-S65.2 4ohm 6.5" speakers (pair) - $249.95
Alpine R-S69.2 4ohm 6x9 speakers (pair) - $249.95
Alpine S-S10TW tweeters (pair) - $89.95
PAC AmpPRO AP4-CH41 (R.2) - $279.99
Metra JP-1014 Jeep Speaker Pods (pair) - $59.99
MB Quart JE1-169SB soundbar adapters (pair) - $59.99
KnuKoncept 4AWG OFC wiring / terminals / RCAs - $75~$125

I still need to buy another pair of tweeters, hopefully Crutchfield will get the Type R tweeters that I like back in stock soon.

Fortunately I already have a Rockford Fosgate P3D4-12 woofer paired with a Rockford Fosgate R1200-1D mono amp, along with an AudioControl LC2i. It's gonna delete almost all the available room in the back of my 2 door JL, but at least it'll boom. My last vehicle (2018 Challenger) I only added the subwoofer to an already decent Alpine sound system, so it was less costly, and I have the parts.

So my new questions are this:

With the PAC, will I still need to use the LC2i? And also with the PAC, do I need that "JL Fix86" I have seen referenced in here many times? I am hoping not. I appreciate the wealth of all your information. Despite the cost, I am very excited. Nothing in this world is more important to me than hi-fidelity audio. Last year I spent a small fortune on a 7.1 surround sound setup, featuring Klipsch, Infiniti, and Yahama, so it's only right that this year I have a new audio project. Thank you again!!
Fortunately, no LC2i or JL Fix86 needed.

That said, with a setup like yours, and a desire for quality, a true DSP would do wonders for your tuning. Something like JL Audio's TWK, or Audio Control's DSP line would be life-changing for you.

My VXi amp has the TWK DSP built in, and the sound control is phenomenal.
 

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Fortunately, no LC2i or JL Fix86 needed.

That said, with a setup like yours, and a desire for quality, a true DSP would do wonders for your tuning. Something like JL Audio's TWK, or Audio Control's DSP line would be life-changing for you.

My VXi amp has the TWK DSP built in, and the sound control is phenomenal.
Awesome Sting, thank you so much for the input. I will definitely look into those DSPs.

One final question I forgot to ask : what length RCA cable do I need to reach underneath the back seat from the back of the UConnect? I prefer to run as short of wires as possible, but this is not always easily achieved with RCAs. Most are 17 feet. I found some 8 feet RCAs, but I am unsure. Just wondering if you had any recommendations or thoughts. Thank you again!
 

willhayward

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Awesome Sting, thank you so much for the input. I will definitely look into those DSPs.

One final question I forgot to ask : what length RCA cable do I need to reach underneath the back seat from the back of the UConnect? I prefer to run as short of wires as possible, but this is not always easily achieved with RCAs. Most are 17 feet. I found some 8 feet RCAs, but I am unsure. Just wondering if you had any recommendations or thoughts. Thank you again!

I ended up getting the JL Audio VX800/8i (internal DSP) - great 800w, 8 channel amp to run dash, knee, and soundbar with 2 channels left to add 2 additional speakers to the rear roll bar above the tub. I used the PAC AmpPRO AP4-CH41 (R.2) then fed the JL amp along with the subwoofer amp.... lots of fun - best part - I take my top and doors off and I don't lose quality - money well spent.
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