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8.4 Alpine premium audio really audiophile quality?

G-StarRock

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Have the 8.4 premium Alpine audio. Leaves a lot of room for improvements. Research shows the 9 channel Alpine amp does not allow any low pass filter or crossover adjustment options. I would start with the weakest link and replace with an Alpine PDX or JL amp - with a dedicated sub channel. Replace the sub with a JL. But I don’t want to start drilling in my new JL yet. Besides also not ready to invest in $2000 plus audio upgrade.

What I have learnt is the stock AUX playback is better than CarPlay or Bluetooth. With AUX (analog) playback you can control the gain lowering the iPhone digital volume - not ideal in the audiophile world. With aux playback the bass is faster and not boomy. Outside that your only adjustment option is the equalizer and fader. Any other quick fix recommendations?

What Is your equalizer and fader setting set to?

AUX: Bass +7 /Mid +5/ Treble 0
CarPlay: Bass +4/Mid -3/Treble -4
Fader: two notches towards the rear setting
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RealMenDIY

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Not really fair to expect an audiophile quality sound system in a vehicle that is designed to not have a roof or doors. It isn't worth audio engineers time to design a system in a vehicle that has so many variables. I do appreciated hi-fi audio but I am fine with the premium audio system as-is. It's decent, has ok low freq response, is loud enough to jam out on the highway with no roof, it can get rained on, etc. Audio settings are generally personal preference, you will get 10 different answers from 10 different people. Set it how you like it.

The Mark Levinson system in a Lexus GX is much more hi-fi but they were able to design it around a far more controlled environment (roof and doors stay on, no real aftermarket accessories, cabin is insulated from road noise, etc, etc). It makes the JL premium system sound like a HAM radio; it is an experience.
 

Thx1158

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Have the 8.4 premium Alpine audio. Leaves a lot of room for improvements. Research shows the 9 channel Alpine amp does not allow any low pass filter or crossover adjustment options. I would start with the weakest link and replace with an Alpine PDX or JL amp - with a dedicated sub channel. Replace the sub with a JL. But I don’t want to start drilling in my new JL yet. Besides also not ready to invest in $2000 plus audio upgrade.

What I have learnt is the stock AUX playback is better than CarPlay or Bluetooth. With AUX (analog) playback you can control the gain lowering the iPhone digital volume - not ideal in the audiophile world. With aux playback the bass is faster and not boomy. Outside that your only adjustment option is the equalizer and fader. Any other quick fix recommendations?

What Is your equalizer and fader setting set to?

AUX: Bass +7 /Mid +5/ Treble 0
CarPlay: Bass +4/Mid -3/Treble -4
Fader: two notches towards the rear setting

Go to crutchfield, buy the infinity dash speaker upgrade , polyfill and some dynamat. Take 10 min to polyfill and swap the dash speakers. dynomat and polyfill the roll bar and sub woofer and be done. Otherwise spend thousands chasing sound in a topless off road vehicle.

I love great sound in my vehicles...but the Wrangler isn't the venue for audiophile sound. As another poster commented about the Lexus Mark Levinson system, and I will echo those comment about the Meridian system in our Land rover, Engineers will design a kick ass audiophile system IF the environment will support it. For what it is....Alpine did a fine job under a difficult set of constraints.

ts your jeep... make it any way you like...just realize that audiophile and Wrangler are mutually exclusive without a MAJOR outlay of cash in my opinion.
 

oceanblue2019

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Have the 8.4 premium Alpine audio. Leaves a lot of room for improvements. Research shows the 9 channel Alpine amp does not allow any low pass filter or crossover adjustment options. I would start with the weakest link and replace with an Alpine PDX or JL amp - with a dedicated sub channel. Replace the sub with a JL. But I don’t want to start drilling in my new JL yet. Besides also not ready to invest in $2000 plus audio upgrade.

What I have learnt is the stock AUX playback is better than CarPlay or Bluetooth. With AUX (analog) playback you can control the gain lowering the iPhone digital volume - not ideal in the audiophile world. With aux playback the bass is faster and not boomy. Outside that your only adjustment option is the equalizer and fader. Any other quick fix recommendations?

What Is your equalizer and fader setting set to?

AUX: Bass +7 /Mid +5/ Treble 0
CarPlay: Bass +4/Mid -3/Treble -4
Fader: two notches towards the rear setting
I have a Jeep with a system in it.... Audio Control DSP/AMP, Focal speakers (3 way up front, 2 way in the roll bar, and a replacement sub), TOSlink to the head unit adapter box. I have about $1200 into it as already had the amp from a prior vehicle. It sounds pretty good - much better with hardtop and doors on. The 1200W of real power into the speakers help tremendously.

I also have access to several Jeep's we've put new dash speakers into, as well as a couple with knee speakers and sound-bar updates.

With the exception of the dash 3.5 speakers and the sound-bar 3.5's, which do very well to get some highs in a vehicle premium sound system that doesn't come with tweeters, all the other options are a complete waste without a proper amplifier to drive them.

Trying to make it work off the factory amp and it's internal frequency cutovers is pointless - you have impedance challenges and just not enough power. We'd have been better off with a 5 channel amp with 4 full range channels into some passive crossovers versus the dsp/amp/crossover Alpine thing.

As for which 3.5's? The best with the factory Alpine amp are the Kenwood as they are closest to factory impedance at 2.6 ohm, very sensitive so don't need a lot of power, and shallow depth so not stuffed in like the JL 3.5's. With an aftermarket amp the choices are much different.

Also use an app like Speaker Pop to ensure polarity is correct! Do not trust wiring color codes from factory as many cases of this being incorrect. Use Speaker Pop pre-replacement to measure all speakers, then install the replacements and ensure set to match the pre-settings. If not swap wires. Typically the dash are backwards on Rubicons with the Metra adapters, and the knee and sound-bar are ok. But check!! It takes 5 minutes and can make or break the improvements you get.

Hope this helps.
 

CMF150

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I got the Alpine system in my Wife's 2021. I go back and forth on if it was worth it, but at the end of the day, you just gotta realize that it's hard environment, acoustically speaking. I'm thinking about getting a 2 door and just upgrading the sound myself. I'm thinking I can get the same results for less money atleast.
 

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jhackathorne

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Maybe it is just me, but I feel it was worth it for sure. Anyone with a stock factory radio on a prior model will likely agree. My old JKU was worthless for sound with doors off/top off. I literally did not even have the radio on. It looks like your bass and miss are way high. So I would be surprised if you can hear the highs of anything!

I keep mine at...
Bass - 0 to +2
Mid - 0 to +2
Treble - +2 to +5
 

TaZ_65

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It's absolutely not audiophile quality, but it's meaningfully better than the base system. I change the EQ depending on music category. I've played with audio in prior vehicles, but I'm not going to touch this one. It's good enough for me and for the style of vehicle that it is! I'll save the audio dollars for the basement.
 
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G-StarRock

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Thanks for the replies.
@oceanblue2019 - thanks for the detailed note. I have an alpine PDX-V9 which I took off my TJ. Also have a pair of 5-1/4 Morel Maximo Coax speakers along with a JL Audio CS110LG-TW3 sub. Not sure if I can use those to build a better system. Any recommendations?
 

AusJeepNoob

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I've had competition grade audiofile systems. Now I just want more bass. EQ settings

Bass +9
Mid -6
Treble -9

I'm hoping that the replacement sub I have (Digital Designs SL710) powered by a PowerUS PW1600 will improve things enough without having to give up cargo space. Otherwise I'll be throwing a high excursion 12 into a custom ported box to make sure that hole is filled. I've still got some old Kicker R6 midbass and Polk Audio MM3000 tweeters with the Polk crossovers at home so I might throw those in the front if the sub throws the balance off too much.
 

Kyanche

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Yeah, the 3-band EQ sucks, and the alpine speakers don't have actual tweeters so the highs are ok but not great. I have no complaints about it overall.

But I have been tempted to replace the speakers in the top of the dash with the good ole' kicker 77kick25s I had in my JK, lol. Apparently they fit! And yes, they have coax tweeters that people seem to really hate.. but I liked the laughably bright sound of them. Like, the JL sounds great! Just a tiny bit muddy.

Heck I'd probably be happy enough if I kept everything as-is and added some tweeters for that extra little sparkle.
 

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Dave928

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nothing in a metal box is audiophile quality.
 

RedundanT

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nothing in a metal box is audiophile quality.
Have to agree. Every time I do a survey from Jeep on the Wrangler my biggest complaint is on the audio. I'm in the process of changing out the speakers now, but even that I can already see is NOT going to make me happy. I've changed the upper dash "tweeters, what a joke" to the Kickers and can honestly say it was a waste of money. I installed the MB Quart 6x9 adapters in the rollbar last week but had to wait on another wiring adaptor to hook the 6x9's to the small "tweeter" connector. MB Quart(and Crutchfield) supply the large adaptor. I think in the end I will have to start over with a "real" amplifier to get any sound worth listening to out of this metal box.
 
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Zanner1718

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This is a daily struggle for me. I have the Alpine stereo in the Rubi, but the bass quality between XM and Android Auto/CarPlay is so different. I sit there and listen to music via AA with the equalizer up constantly trying to adjust it. I feel like the bass is super muddy and not hard and crisp like it is a bit more on XM. I've turned every other equalizer off on my phone (phone settings and Amazon Music) and I still get frustrated. I feel like when I first had it, the bass was super punchy and hard. Now it's just muddy and hurts my ears. I've had to bring it all back to zero/flat on some songs because the bass is just so awful. I have the sound mostly in the rear as well. Not much on the dash speakers. I'm not knowledgeable on speaker settings, just want some crisp bass.
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