Adding an Aftermarket Amp(s)

[OffroadTreks]

I'm so confused by all of this. I just want a subwoofer. Wish I didn't compromise on the stereo.

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[JLsport2019]

Wow, this is quite a thread. I read through a lot, but not all.

I have a 2018+ 2-door with the 7" non-Alpine head unit. I was thinking Alpine PDX-9V, FiX-86, sub-knob, upgraded 4"s and dash tweeters. Not sure where to put the Alpine. Will it fit under the front seat? Any sub-suggestions?

Nothing will fit under the seat on a 2-door.
All the aftermarket Subs', Amps are strictly for the 4-door JL!!!!

The Amps for 2-door JL's should be placed in trunk hidden compartment in floor.
That's what they did on mine

 

[JLsport2019]

...if I had to do it all over again and saved $2k, (after reading every radio thread on the 2019 JL 2-door (7" non-alpine unit).
Buy once and buy quality once.

I would buy high end front speakers
(Components- 5.1/4" on knee area and tweeters on dash) $300-$800.

Rear Sound bar speakers is optional to you..Stock speakers are fill in.

JL Audio Fix-86 to equalize EQ.
JL Audio VXi-DSP 4-6 channel amp),
Bass Tune Adj knob., and

Subwoofer (s) 10" of your choice.

 

[ErAcEr]

Here is my half ass thrown together video of installing wires for amp non premium audio. Any questions ill do my best to answer.

 

[JeeJeep]

Cool! Thanks very much - will stick to the Fix86 since it’s been tried and tested, I don’t like surprises..

My installer is really good so he’s booked a month in advance.. but oh well, it’s well worth the wait

Hi all,

So I’ve finally gotten my system installed over the weekend and while I’m pretty happy with it, I’m a bit bummed by the lack of loudness.

More specifically; I have a DRC 205 knob connected to the fix 86 and no knob on the VXi amp. When I have the fix 86 volume all the way up I can only go to about 15-16 on the stock head unit before I start hearing distortion. If I put the head unit volume to 3/4 as recommended, and adjust volume via FiX 86 then the distortion comes in even lower volumes.

As a result the system is no as loud as it could be - does anybody have any suggestions?

Also I initially wanted to have two knobs; one for the FiX 86 and one for the Amp. However when both were plugged in the sound quality was awful. Upon disconnecting the amp knob, the sound became much clearer so we decided to keep only with the fix 86 knob.

I bought a Bluetooth communicator for vxi to be able to switch presets instead of using the knob.
If I understand correctly, these two are two ways to do the same thing, correct?

PS: I have the 7 inch Uconnect with integrated(?) amp. Could the head unit be the source of the problem since this setup was successfully implemented with the 8.xx inch head unit?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Wow, this is quite a thread. I read through a lot, but not all.

I have a 2018+ 2-door with the 7" non-Alpine head unit. I was thinking Alpine PDX-9V, FiX-86, sub-knob, upgraded 4"s and dash tweeters. Not sure where to put the Alpine. Will it fit under the front seat? Any sub-suggestions?

Alan, you can put the amp under the front seat, though I'd recommend a mount of some type that gets your amp off of the floor (just in case your Jeep interior gets wet) and far enough forward that it doesn't interfere with your rear-seat passenger's feet.

As for subs, that's a really broad topic. It really boils down to what you looking to get out of your sub. If you just want a little extra bass, the JL Audio self-contained (amp/sub) units tend to be pretty good entry-level subs. If you want more, it really depends on your budget. As I recommend to everyone... think about what you really, really want now, so that you don't buy something basic only to end up wanting more later.

If you'll expand on what you're looking to accomplish with your sub, I'll be happy to expand. Cheers!

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Hi all,

So I’ve finally gotten my system installed over the weekend and while I’m pretty happy with it, I’m a bit bummed by the lack of loudness.

More specifically; I have a DRC 205 knob connected to the fix 86 and no knob on the VXi amp. When I have the fix 86 volume all the way up I can only go to about 15-16 on the stock head unit before I start hearing distortion. If I put the head unit volume to 3/4 as recommended, and adjust volume via FiX 86 then the distortion comes in even lower volumes.

As a result the system is no as loud as it could be - does anybody have any suggestions?

Also I initially wanted to have two knobs; one for the FiX 86 and one for the Amp. However when both were plugged in the sound quality was awful. Upon disconnecting the amp knob, the sound became much clearer so we decided to keep only with the fix 86 knob.

I bought a Bluetooth communicator for vxi to be able to switch presets instead of using the knob.
If I understand correctly, these two are two ways to do the same thing, correct?

PS: I have the 7 inch Uconnect with integrated(?) amp. Could the head unit be the source of the problem since this setup was successfully implemented with the 8.xx inch head unit?

Thanks in advance!

Sounds like the calibration process of the FIX86 may have been applied with the stereo volume too high, or simply need to be re-calibrated.

As you probably already know, the prescribed calibration technique involves unplugging the RCA's from the FIX86 to your amp, resetting the FIX86, turning your stereo volume up to about 70-75%, preparing the test tone and then putting the FIX86 into calibration mode. Oh, and definitely make sure your stereo's balance and fader are both set at center, and that the stereo's "EQ" is flat.

From there, you'd start the test tone and wait for "all greens" on your Fix86 (with no Red light indications during calibration - which implies clipping is occurring). Finally, reconnect your RCA's. If using a volume setting of 70-75% isn't working, try calibrating using a lower volume setting on the radio. Also, make sure your FIX86 firmware has been updated! I installed one that just wouldn't calibrate properly, only to find out it was an older model and needed new firmware.

While I am running a DRC to both the JL FIX86 and my VXi, I use the VXi's knob for bass volume and changing VXi presets. I leave my Fix86's knob at 95%. Also, I would recommend leaving the FIX86's EQ flat, using the VXi's powerful EQ settings to tune.

Other things to check include the various cross-over settings. They, if incorrect, can substantially degrade sound quality. If you're running speaker separates and using the cross-over that came with them, then you may want to send a full signal to them, rather than a crossed-over signal.

As for the Bluetooth communicator, yes, it's really for ease of use with presets and tuning. It's OK, and works best with a tablet (rather than a phone).

It's kinda' hard to troubleshoot from afar, but I hope the above provides a few things to check. Let me know what you find and good luck!

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

I'm so confused by all of this. I just want a subwoofer. Wish I didn't compromise on the stereo.

If all you want to do is add a sub, that's the easiest of everything described above. Here's the specific section that applies:

Sub-woofer only install: If you are simply adding a sub-woofer and plan to keep the stock speakers intact, you can skip the resistor process described, though you'll want to tap into the rear speaker wires housed in the B-pillar behind the passenger seat at the floor level. The wires are easy to find after removing the plastic cover at the base of the pillar. The soundbar speaker wires are the only twisted pair wires down there, and they match the colors in the chart provided. Note, unless your amp has a line output converter built in (doubtful), you will need to add a line output converter. The AudioControl LC2i, or comparable device, works fine for a sub-only upgrade.​

I'm happy to clarify anything else that may help.

 

[ErAcEr]

two 10"s with 1100 watt amp

 

[JeeJeep]

Sounds like the calibration process of the FIX86 may have been applied with the stereo volume too high, or simply need to be re-calibrated.

As you probably already know, the prescribed calibration technique involves unplugging the RCA's from the FIX86 to your amp, resetting the FIX86, turning your stereo volume up to about 70-75%, preparing the test tone and then putting the FIX86 into calibration mode. Oh, and definitely make sure your stereo's balance and fader are both set at center, and that the stereo's "EQ" is flat.

From there, you'd start the test tone and wait for "all greens" on your Fix86 (with no Red light indications during calibration - which implies clipping is occurring). Finally, reconnect your RCA's. If using a volume setting of 70-75% isn't working, try calibrating using a lower volume setting on the radio. Also, make sure your FIX86 firmware has been updated! I installed one that just wouldn't calibrate properly, only to find out it was an older model and needed new firmware.

While I am running a DRC to both the JL FIX86 and my VXi, I use the VXi's knob for bass volume and changing VXi presets. I leave my Fix86's knob at 95%. Also, I would recommend leaving the FIX86's EQ flat, using the VXi's powerful EQ settings to tune.

Other things to check include the various cross-over settings. They, if incorrect, can substantially degrade sound quality. If you're running speaker separates and using the cross-over that came with them, then you may want to send a full signal to them, rather than a crossed-over signal.

As for the Bluetooth communicator, yes, it's really for ease of use with presets and tuning. It's OK, and works best with a tablet (rather than a phone).

It's kinda' hard to troubleshoot from afar, but I hope the above provides a few things to check. Let me know what you find and good luck!

Thanks very much for tips!

It turned out to be a calibration issue as you described, since there is no CD player we initially downloaded the track to a phone and played it via AUX. My installer re-calibrated it, this time playing the track from a USB plugged into the media hub. That allowed him to calibrate at a volume of 22 (instead of 12!). So it is significantly louder now - I've gone up to a volume of 24 on the head unit (with Fix knob on 100% volume) with no obvious distortion.

The tech I spoke to at JL audio recommended connecting the JBL Bass Pro SL8 subs to the pre-outs of the Vxi amp instead of to the FiX and using a single DRC at the amp level to control everything from there. Do you see any drawbacks to having one DRC vs 2? I'd prefer to go with one, just to avoid having too knobby of a Jeep..

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Thanks very much for tips!

It turned out to be a calibration issue as you described, since there is no CD player we initially downloaded the track to a phone and played it via AUX. My installer re-calibrated it, this time playing the track from a USB plugged into the media hub. That allowed him to calibrate at a volume of 22 (instead of 12!). So it is significantly louder now - I've gone up to a volume of 24 on the head unit (with Fix knob on 100% volume) with no obvious distortion.

The tech I spoke to at JL audio recommended connecting the JBL Bass Pro SL8 subs to the pre-outs of the Vxi amp instead of to the FiX and using a single DRC at the amp level to control everything from there. Do you see any drawbacks to having one DRC vs 2? I'd prefer to go with one, just to avoid having too knobby of a Jeep..

No drawbacks to doing that. I'm running my sub's amp through the VXi and using the DRC. The DRC has two knobs, one for the VXi's signal, and the other for the Sub amp's signal. Works like a champ.

Worth noting, I do have a second DRC attached directly to the FIX86, and it's set at 95% volume. The reason for this... After turning the Jeep on/off over time, the FIX86 seems to like to adjust itself to allow a slight buzz when it's volume is set at 100%. The second DRC, when set at 95% alleviates that buzz, which prevents me from having to re-calibrate it often.

It's great to hear the calibration helped to get your volume back! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[JeeJeep]

No drawbacks to doing that. I'm running my sub's amp through the VXi and using the DRC. The DRC has two knobs, one for the VXi's signal, and the other for the Sub amp's signal. Works like a champ.

Worth noting, I do have a second DRC attached directly to the FIX86, and it's set at 95% volume. The reason for this... After turning the Jeep on/off over time, the FIX86 seems to like to adjust itself to allow a slight buzz when it's volume is set at 100%. The second DRC, when set at 95% alleviates that buzz, which prevents me from having to re-calibrate it often.

It's great to hear the calibration helped to get your volume back! Thanks for sharing!!

Interesting! Thanks for the tip! These things really do have a mind of their own.. I’m going to have to think about that for a bit; would hate to have to recalibrate too often.

Right now I’m able to get to around volume 23-24 with no obvious clipping/distortion, and it’s LOUD! The Focals really do render each and every sound with such precision.

Still haven’t adjusted any settings (EQ etc) on the amp aside from crossovers. I would like play around with the delay settings to try create a better sound stage. The JL tech recommended doubling the calculated delay for the sound bar speakers and just using the values given by the system based on measurements provided for the knee panel speakers.

For the EQ, I wanted to use the pink noise technique, though I wonder whether it’s a waste of time without a decent RTA (will be using iPhone app). Any thoughts on this? Also if you have any other tips for tuning the system, please do let me know.

Thanks again!

 

[debandi]

This information is SO helpful. I have a 2019 2 door Rubicon with factory 8.4 screen and premium Alpine system and hardtop. Thanks to all of you for the information. I've been an audiophile since high-school. Looking forward to building a new system over the next few months and keeping the factory radio. She just needs some power / signal processessing and better speakers.

 

[Wa-stinggray]

Sorry for a redundant question but want to make sure I’m reading it right. I’m keeping the 5.0” PoS for now... but I want to add a 5 channel amp for sub and power stock speakers and some upgraded hertz 3.5”’s in the dash. I ordered a fix 86 already. Car stereo chic blog made a good point that the fix 86 will probably be easy to sell again when a good head unit comes out.

Since it’s not amplified now, I won’t need the resistors?

I’m thinking it goes.
Headunit connected with T harness -AX-DSP-CH5. Then the fix 86 goes into that. 5 channel amp plugs to the fix 86 and out to the sub. 4 channel from The amp connects back to the t harness then to feed the speakers?

Is that it beyond booking up the amp of course to power?

Going to watch the lite brite video again since it’s pretty much the same thing. But she only listed out the JL products used.

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Not redundant at all, as I don't think the 5-inch system has been discussed much. While I don't know for sure, I do believe that if it's using UConnect, it's still checking for the stock speaker impedance and will likely need the resistors to "trick" the radio into sending a signal. The 5-inch does have an amp, it's just built into the radio (like the 7-inch system). Only the 8.4 utilizes an external amp.

Your thinking is very close. You probably wouldn't want to tie your amps back to the other side of the harness. I'd strongly recommend running your own speaker wires from the amp to the new speakers. The stock wires are very thin and they split (kick panel/dash tweeter), and depending on how much power your pushing through your amp, you won't want to limit the signal you're sending to the speakers. If your speakers are separates (highly recommended) then you'll likely want to use the provided crossover, which isn't possible using the stock wires behind the radio. Hope that makes sense!

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