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Accidental audio improvement with dash speakers and Alpine system

RSK

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I’ve come to the painfully expensive conclusion an aftermarket amp with PAC audio AP4-CH41 interface & APH-CH03 wiring adapter is the way to go. I plan to keep the 8.4 head unit and add the PAC setup & amp later in the year. Then upgrade the soundbar. Yep, ‘bout another $1200 might just do it. :rock:

Here is a decent video (not mine) that gives a good explanation of several ways to upgrade the different speakers. I’ve already done a good bit of this, but it might help others that have not yet.

 

StockRubi

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Okay I had read something about putting 4ohm into a 2ohm system which led me to remove my jl c2-350x from overhead soundbar(being that they are 4ohm and the premium alpine is 2ohm). They seemed to be a great improvement but when I would drive with top off or in sunrider when ever I would turn it up i would get a crack sound on any song with thump! So I found kicker 2ohm 4” marine km4 speakers and swapped them Whoa. They changed the sound in the cabin immensely!!! Even when you go into settings to adjust front to back they keep their loudness where as with the jls they would loose sound when adjusted to back. I am a happy camper. Now thinking of replacing knee speakers with same. I had gotten the kickers at crutchfield and they said they supposedly dont fit. I used wood screws and went right into the soundbar plastic. I trimmed some rubber weatherstrip to seal them under the closure. I originally had the metra harnesses for the JL’s so I reused them on the kickers but had to trim the connectors from the kickers(neg/pos) and they went in nicely with the oem covers fitting.
really great improvement thought I would share because I originally swapped out to the JLs because of reading someone else who posted.
My understanding is the full range speakers are 4 ohm in the alpine factory system
 

Zandcwhite

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My understanding is the full range speakers are 4 ohm in the alpine factory system
Your understanding is incorrect, the amp is 12 channels x 46 watts @ 2 ohms. Putting 4 ohm speakers in will drop the output to ~23 watts per channel but will tax the amplifier less (unlike someone previously posted, higher resistance reduces the load on an amp).
 

Rico1111

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Are the km4’s installed in place of the factory woofer and the factory 3.5’s reinstalled? Have you tried running the the jl 3.5’s with the km4’s in the sound bar?
I have quadratech super tweeters in that spot and the 4” km4s are in the spot next to them. The 3.5s like i said were great when first put in but they were 4ohm and I think that is the problem! I just ordered a second set of km4s for the knee panels. Seriously they fill the cabin way more than the jls
 

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Hello Everyone. I am new here and am also a little unhappy with the quality of the Alpine upgrade. For the price tag, it should be audiophile quality and blow the doors off….

I have been trying a few setups just replacing the full range in the dash and sound bar. I have done some sound engineeringing in the past and was a mobile installer in college. I have been out of the loop for years… so here is what I have found so far

1. I replaced all 4 with Kenwood KFC-X3C
these were very bright in the top… too bright. My wife and I had ear fatigue in minutes.


2. JBL club 322 - the sound was overproduced at best and muddy. Not a lot of clarity and little midrange.

3. I tried the Infinity reference 3023 - these were a little better, but the midrange was very hard to hear over the tweeter. These were bright and clear, but seemed to loose any musicality below about 800htz

4.SKAR audio tx35 - these sounded a little more balanced and I didn’t have ear fatigue like the others.The mids are ok(not great). I think the overall sound is on par with the factory alpine, just a little more clear.

I am thinking of auditioning JL C2-350x next. Has anyone put these in all 4 spots? What are your impressions?
Stop messing with tiny speakers and either use the SSV kit with 6.5's or the MB Quart adapters with 6x9's in the SB. Add that to a decent dash replacement and your golden.
 

Zandcwhite

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Zandcwhite

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JBL gx series are 2.3 ohms, has anybody tried them in their JL? Seems like a budget friendly option to replace the 3.5’s in the dash and sound bar. Maybe throw in the kicker 2 ohm marine 4” while I’m at it. Should be about as good as you can do on a sub $300 budget?
 

jeepingib

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JBL gx series are 2.3 ohms, has anybody tried them in their JL? Seems like a budget friendly option to replace the 3.5’s in the dash and sound bar. Maybe throw in the kicker 2 ohm marine 4” while I’m at it. Should be about as good as you can do on a sub $300 budget?
Been running these for almost 2 years now. Been recommending them, but nobody will listen. Too much brand bias I guess.
 

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StockRubi

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Jeep Wrangler JL Accidental audio improvement with dash speakers and Alpine system F7F5F3FB-6819-41FE-95AD-149F1E14EEC3
Officially settling the debate on impedance for the Alpine upgraded front full range and sound bar full range speakers.

the corner dash and sound bar 3.5’s are considered 4ohm


Jeep Wrangler JL Accidental audio improvement with dash speakers and Alpine system 64CF2C8F-601D-4A23-8372-98CB7072F320

Jeep Wrangler JL Accidental audio improvement with dash speakers and Alpine system 64CF2C8F-601D-4A23-8372-98CB7072F320


85E958B4-BD1F-4D5E-8EC7-D8990B81D44B.jpeg
 

StockRubi

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Also wanted to share additional specs on these. They don’t look bad in paper. The magnet is small, however is neodymium vs ferrite…. So the strength of the magnet is greater
Jeep Wrangler JL Accidental audio improvement with dash speakers and Alpine system B56AB3BB-A8EC-4B54-9139-0B882E04E589
 

Zandcwhite

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Jeep Wrangler JL Accidental audio improvement with dash speakers and Alpine system B56AB3BB-A8EC-4B54-9139-0B882E04E589
Officially settling the debate on impedance for the Alpine upgraded front full range and sound bar full range speakers.

the corner dash and sound bar 3.5’s are considered 4ohm


Jeep Wrangler JL Accidental audio improvement with dash speakers and Alpine system B56AB3BB-A8EC-4B54-9139-0B882E04E589

Jeep Wrangler JL Accidental audio improvement with dash speakers and Alpine system B56AB3BB-A8EC-4B54-9139-0B882E04E589


Jeep Wrangler JL Accidental audio improvement with dash speakers and Alpine system B56AB3BB-A8EC-4B54-9139-0B882E04E589
Nice work. That being said, if the amp truly is 12 channels, odds are they are all 2 ohm stable and you’d gain more output running 2 to 3 ohm speakers in those locations.
 

StockRubi

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Nice work. That being said, if the amp truly is 12 channels, odds are they are all 2 ohm stable and you’d gain more output running 2 to 3 ohm speakers in those locations.
this is true. I haven’t tested the 4” mids. But will later today. My guess is the mids are on a different channel at 2ohm to boost the volume in the midrange. Without testing the amp, it will be tough to say. I will say that the alpine are 86 db at 2v. The JL are 86db at 2.83v. You may loose a negligible amount of volume, however not noticeable. I will install Wednesday and share how they sound. The factory tuning from the stock may be better than the front stage on the JL’s based on balance.

what I noticed with the other after market speakers was ear fatigue as the frequencies left while driving were sharp. The alpines seem to balance this a bit. Without a full system replacement and new amps, the Alpines maybe best
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