Alpine sounds better in JK than JL

[Sierra Nevada]

Over rated and vastly disappointing. Wit.f h windows up, tones are very harsh due to the lack sound absorbing fabric materials on the inside (almost very thing is either windows or hard plastic).

Sounds best with windows down and volume high.

With windows up, set equalizer to lowest negative value then bump up 1 or 2 clicks (treble, mid range, bass)... suite to taste. This forces volume levels to be close to max which minimizes the harsh tones.

Sponsored

 

[efitzger]

Interesting re: the CD player in aux jack sounding better as aux jack is only two channels I believe (like headphones).
It’s all seat of the pants but I was really impressed the first time I cranked my dream theater in the JKU vs a little disappointed when I first wound the volume dial clockwise in the JLU.

 

[Bearman95]

Interesting re: the CD player in aux jack sounding better as aux jack is only two channels I believe (like headphones).
It’s all seat of the pants but I was really impressed the first time I cranked my dream theater in the JKU vs a little disappointed when I first wound the volume dial clockwise in the JLU.

With the CD player playing it does not have the occasional speaker distortion as it does when I play the same music on my iPod! My iPod is actually an iPhone 6s which I use only to play music. But the jeep shows it being an iPod playing through 8.4 uconnect.

 

[smithrd65]

The JL is great.
Sounds like the thread starter just wants people to get on his thread.
Or a person who likes COMPLAINING

 

[Hold24]

The JL is great.
Sounds like the thread starter just wants people to get on his thread.
Or a person who likes COMPLAINING

No there’s a difference in quality Jk sounds much better. hits harder and more crisp...
I love my JLU Rubi it’s so much better than my JKUR except for the sound system !

 

[smithrd65]

Ok, LMAO

 

[Hold24]

Ok, LMAO

I’ve had 2 Jlur’s and 5 Jkur’s but your the expert.... LMAO

 

[smithrd65]

I’ve had 2 Jlur’s and 5 Jkur’s but your the expert.... LMAO

You WIN your getting attention.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

you’re

 

[crazychile]

I have a JK and a JLU. Ordered both with the base audio option. (not Alpine). The stock radio in the JL sounds better. Maybe the radio itself is not as much of a POS as the JKs. I intentionally bought the JK with a stock cheapo system because I knew it was going to get ripped out and replaced with aftermarket stuff. I still spent less than an Alpine system and it sounds better, but I had a lot of sweat equity in it. Not everyone cares to do that. The JLU is my wifes and she doesnt care what it sounds like as long as the radio works.

The JK has larger speakers in it. The JL has a better head unit in it. So there's trade offs either way.

 

[JoeBelt]

Coming from a 17 JKU with Alpine and now with a 18 JLU with Alpine - the subwoofer of the 17 JKU was significantly more powerful. So much that I kept the equalizer for bass centered and it was still plenty. It seemed tight and punchy.

The 18 JLU on the other hand sounds best to me with the equalizer for bass set +3, and I've actually opened the tailgate and put my head in the rear to see if the Sub was active, figuring maybe it was a new vehicle and could be defective. Turning the bass up higher than +3 doesn't seem to do anything for the sub and makes the bass for all speakers sound muddy. It doesn't seem nearly as punchy or powerful. I don't know if being side mounted (JL) vs floor mounted (JK) makes a difference.

I'm not exactly an audiophile or expecting the stereo to be a ghetto blaster, but to me there seems to be a very noticeable difference in sound between the two vehicles - in the JKUs favor. I'm beginning to wonder if FCA just licensed the Alpine name for the JL vs having Alpine engineer the system.

 

[KeithM]

Did the jk have active sound cancellation? Can it be turned off in the jl?

 

[Harleybuc]

I agree with the original poster... I traded my 17 JKUR for a 20 JLUR just last week, both with the Alpine system. I had not driven two blocks from the dealer before I pulled over to check to see if I in fact had a sub in the back, or perhaps it wasn't working. It turns out it was working but wow talk about under performing.
So I figured maybe the setting are out of whack, you know new vehicle and all, so I spent the next day trying every combination of setting I could think of to make it sound better. I really didn't get anywhere. To me it sounds very harsh, I get plenty of volume, but even though it does not distort at moderate volumes the harshness is actually unpleasant.

so I went back to the dealer and jumped in my old Jeep and played the Doobie Brothers, Long train running. It sounded as good as it always had, same track from the same source in the JL, not so much.
The lead in guitar riff in the beginning of that song is very clear and natural sounding in the JK while the JL is hollow and again harsh. Come to think of it, the riff was coming mostly from the left speakers in the JL, and the right in the JK???? I have no idea on that.

Its not that the JL is terrible, it's just not up to the JK Alpine. The JL Alpine sound more like a base system instead of the high dollar premium option.

I also noticed the JL speakers with the exception of the Sub do not say ALPINE on them while they did on the JK. Is it possible that Jeep cheaped out and installed lesser speakers?

 

[Bgolden87]

I agree with the original poster... I traded my 17 JKUR for a 20 JLUR just last week, both with the Alpine system. I had not driven two blocks from the dealer before I pulled over to check to see if I in fact had a sub in the back, or perhaps it wasn't working. It turns out it was working but wow talk about under performing.
So I figured maybe the setting are out of whack, you know new vehicle and all, so I spent the next day trying every combination of setting I could think of to make it sound better. I really didn't get anywhere. To me it sounds very harsh, I get plenty of volume, but even though it does not distort at moderate volumes the harshness is actually unpleasant.

so I went back to the dealer and jumped in my old Jeep and played the Doobie Brothers, Long train running. It sounded as good as it always had, same track from the same source in the JL, not so much.
The lead in guitar riff in the beginning of that song is very clear and natural sounding in the JK while the JL is hollow and again harsh. Come to think of it, the riff was coming mostly from the left speakers in the JL, and the right in the JK???? I have no idea on that.

Its not that the JL is terrible, it's just not up to the JK Alpine. The JL Alpine sound more like a base system instead of the high dollar premium option.

I also noticed the JL speakers with the exception of the Sub do not say ALPINE on them while they did on the JK. Is it possible that Jeep cheaped out and installed lesser speakers?

I was thinking the same thing!! And yeah, the JK alpine system was wayyyy better

 

[coupedncal]

Anyone here care to comment how the base UConnect is compared to the Alpine upgrade? Is the Alpine worth the upgrade cost? Asking another way, if the Alpine is a 10, where would you rate the base UConnect?

Sponsored