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Accidental audio improvement with dash speakers and Alpine system

Jhoussock

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If I have the 7” display with the cheaper stock speakers can I still convert them or does this work only for the 8.4 with alpines?
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StrikeZ

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If I have the 7” display with the cheaper stock speakers can I still convert them or does this work only for the 8.4 with alpines?
Just go to Crutchfield and the site will let you know what fits your vehicle.
 

alphalife9

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These for the 3.5” dash, but not out yet. Still watching, but think they will be a big help directing the sound toward the driver.
https://tlcautotruck.com/jeep-wrangler-jl-dash-speaker-pods/

These 6.5” for the soundbar. I pre-ordered the adapter and think they ship next month.
https://www.ssvworks.com/product/Jeep-Wrangler-JL-and+JT-overhead-soundbar-6.5in-speaker-adapter

These 6.5” for the knee speakers, but they have to be ordered though a metra dealer and can’t be ordered directly through metra.
http://metraonline.com/part/JP-1014

Haven’t decided if I want to tackle the knee speakers and disassemble the dash to get in there.
Thanks for posting these! I can only imagine what using all of these would sound like...

...what about upgrading the factory sub in the factory enclosure? A shallow mount sub probably fits in there.
 

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Thanks for posting these! I can only imagine what using all of these would sound like...

...what about upgrading the factory sub in the factory enclosure? A shallow mount sub probably fits in there.
A work in progress, but haven’t made it to the sub yet. Maybe others have done this swap?
 

StrikeZ

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Update: Because the Alpines are low quality IMO and look about like they sound, cheap.

See pictures below comparing the magnets.
1) Alpine
2) Infinity
3) JLAudio

No wonder the Alpine’s sound so bad & muddy, there isn’t much there.
Just a note on this. The magnet size is irrelevant in this swap. The Alpines are quality dome tweeters (high fidelity/ narrow range), the magnet to drive is about what you see on any quality tweeter/mid-range speaker, it doesn’t have to be large, large is less precise. The JBL / Infinity are two-way speakers have a broad range/lower fidelity and need a larger magnet to drive them. Generally it would be a sin to replace a tweeter with a two-way speaker. However, I think most of the fidelity of the tweeters is lost it the Jeep space and ambience.
 

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I’ve used Infinity speakers in my Airstream to replace the crappy stock speakers and I generally like their sound signature, but I’ve always liked the sound of the silk dome Morel tweeters for mids and highs.

Anyone used 3.5” Morels? Would they be compatible with the the Alpine amp or would you need to solder a capacitor?
 
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alphalife9

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I’ve used Infinity speakers in my Airstream to replace the crappy stock speakers and I generally like their sound signature, but I’ve always liked the sound of the silk dome Morel tweeters for miss and highs.

Anyone used 3.5” Morels? Would they be compatible with the the Alpine amp or would you need to solder a capacitor?
Curious as well. Anyone know if the factory speakers are 2 or 4 ohm or some other odd number?
 

Hudson

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Did this install today. Pretty simple, not much tweaking to fit the Infinity brackets, and wires were in correct polarity.

Definitely hearing a difference: it is a tad brighter than the Alpine, vocals are fuller and instruments more detailed, and I didn’t use poly fill in the front. My experience with Infinity is that they need 30 hours or so to break in and they lose much of the aggressiveness, so I’m withholding final judgement but so far - I like. Certainly not expecting Morel-quality at these prices ($58 per pair plus the Metra adapters).

I’m an audio snob (my current tube based system is below) so my expectations for stock car audio are much lower. By example, one of my Headphones in my home system below retails for about 15x the cost of two pairs of the Infinitys. I used to spend $$$ on car hifi but stock radios have gotten better and I mostly listen to talk radio and Tidal tunes on my commute, so I can’t see the value of doing a high end hifi system in the Jeep, which is cramped and noisy to begin with.

126E4A4F-5333-43E6-BAD6-1E3F9D9C8DBD.jpeg


F746487F-DA8A-4CF2-A968-76A4A95E7BBF.jpeg


6A760D94-C4CF-4103-AEF4-7BDE99E12C5B.jpeg
 
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Rubicon20

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^ I just did this mod as well.
To be honest I’m not liking them. Way too bright, I thought the stocks sounded better despite looking “cheap”.
Between the loud cabin on the highway and having to raise the volume to overcome that, my ears are begging for mercy.
I’m going to give them more time, but I’d really love to see more options.
Perhaps if I faded more towards the rears might sound better, I’ll have to experiment.
 

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This is exactly how I felt when I replaced the front tweets with the kicker prop ins that many on here use, too bright, and I have the stock stereo. Gonna leave the stock speakers in place, add a 5ch amp to them and a 10" down firing sub in the rear, hope that does the trick
 

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I would encourage folks to give the Infinity speakers 30 hours of play time before any final decision on whether to keep. Here is my initial impression- on well recorded sources, and higher resolution sources, they sound better than stock. I used Tidal, which streams uncompressed CD quality - sounded great. On FM, which is highly compressed these days, sound is mixed - there is a digital glare or glassy sound I don’t like, though HD radio is better.

My experience in general is that these need time to settle in, and Infinity generally needs more time (as does Focal and Metal dome tweeters too). Silk dome tweeters are more forgiving initially but they also sound a bit flat until they settle in.
 

Fire Burns

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Can't wait to read everyone's SECOND impressions once the Infinitys break in. If the improvement is noticeably better than the stock Alpines AFTER the break in, then they are probably well worth the minimal cost. I definitely prefer a warmer sound.
 

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So I’ve lived with the Infinity a week or so, and have about 14 hours of listening (50 min commute each way). So far, so good. They lost a bit of bite on the top end, meaning they sound a tad more mellow than when they were new, which is a good thing. Detail is fantastic for the price, as I am hearing all kinds of nuances in music instruments that were blurred over in the Alpines. I took my Freedom Panels off and you really notice the sound is improved compared to the Alpines which washed out the highs when the panels were off.

Negatives? Mainly HD Radio, which is highly compressed and has a glassy or etched digital sound. With Tidal streaming uncompressed, the sound is wonderful, and same with an IPod playing uncompressed tunes, but the HD radio has some glare on poor recordings as does XM which sound poor no matter what the speaker. I don’t fault the speaker, but rather the source.

I’d happily do the upgrade again, but if I were doing an amp and upgraded separates, Morel would be my choice as the silk dome tweeter is more laid back, even though it requires more power.
 
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RSK

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I’d happily do the upgrade again, but if I were doing an amp and upgraded separates, Morel would be my choice as the silk dome tweeter is more laid back, even though it requires more power.
My top dash Infinity 3.5” and soundbar JL Audio 3.5” speakers installed for a little over a month now and still like them or at least much improved over the stock premium speakers IMO. Certainly can hear more clearly with the stock premium partially swapped out. I’m planning to order the Morel 4” (still deciding on the Tempo $250 or Maximo $150) to complete the soundbar swap in a couple weeks. I’ll update after the swap of the 4”. Then decide if I want to tackle the rear sub and dash knees or if it’s good enough with the 6 speaker swap vs all 9. I visited a high end audio shop and the sales guy let me listen to Morel, Focal and Alpine switching back and forth. The Morel and Focal both sounded good, probably just listener preference. He said for a Jeep I should get the Morel’s for when the top or doors are off. He added the Morel’s will be better in his expert opinion and customers never complain after they buy them.
 
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StrikeZ

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After a month, I am pleased with the 4 speaker Infinity swap out. It is brighter, but clarity is far better. I even notice the clarity of listening to talk radio like Howard Stern. Also the noise cancellation is better with Freedom Panels off. I’m not interested in going any further. Too much ambiance competition, to get fidelity. I have the Hot Head liners and the Sound Assassin strips in my hard top and they drastically decreased some of the external noise. But with 35 inch off road tires and other mods, I still get some tire noise.
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