Adding an Aftermarket Amp(s)

[Fa1321tx]

Hi. I have a JLU Rubicon 2020 without the sound system. I found the used sound system of a Rubicon online. Here is the photo. To install this on my Rubicon do I need something additional to make it work? What I need ? Thanks friends ..

Yeah man the premium sound system is amplified which you do not have. Also the subwoofer fits into a specfic kick panel you do not have either. Just being honest and helpful if you did not realize everything you needed to make that set up work you may want to hire a professional installer. I am no master installer but have tackled several installs and the Jeep by far is a pain to upgrade. This is becoming more and more common in all vehicles as they are routing more CAN bus features to the factory radio. To be honest I got bit by the Jeep bug and rushed my purchase if I had a redo I would of gotten the upgaded system and saved myself hours of work.

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[Sting_NC_USA]

Hey guys I am going with the RF DSR1 using the dCH3 t-harness on a non amplified JL Jeep. I already installed Morel components in the dash and adding the Morel coaxles in the roll bar with the SSV adapters. I want to add a 5 ch amp under the seat. I really do not want to drop the $$$ JL audio wants for their sweet looking amp rack. Are there other options available?

Other than making one, regretfully, no. It really is nice, if that helps!

 

[sandor.g]

Hey guys!
Update on the speaker adapter for 4” speakers in the sound bar (for those who don’t want to cut and install the SSV works adapter): tomorrow we’ll print the first assembly. So far it looks promising

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Hey guys!
Update on the speaker adapter for 4” speakers in the sound bar (for those who don’t want to cut and install the SSV works adapter): tomorrow we’ll print the first assembly. So far it looks promising

Nicely done!

 

[jdhunt0]

Hey guys!
Update on the speaker adapter for 4” speakers in the sound bar (for those who don’t want to cut and install the SSV works adapter): tomorrow we’ll print the first assembly. So far it looks promising

What will this let you fit in the sound bar? I assume it uses the factory grill?

 

[sandor.g]

Nicely done!

Thanks we’ll see how it sits. We did two pre-prints, those were trash but this looks better.

 

[sandor.g]

What will this let you fit in the sound bar? I assume it uses the factory grill?

this would allow you to replace the factory 4” with an aftermarket 4”. The factory has 3 tabs, aftermarket ones have 4. I didn’t want to cut my soundbar or just shove in the aftermarket one with some makeshift extra holes.
There are plenty adapters for the 3” one out there, but I could not find any 4” ones other than one for the dayton 4” speaker and even that was kinda sitting bad.

 

[Goosed]

Finally finished with the install, sounds insane...

Front Speakers - JL Audio C2’s 6.5” components in the Metra pods

Rear Speakers - JL Audio C2’s 6.5” Components With the SSVWorks adapters

These running off of a Polk DA660 amp (125w RMS X 4 at 4 ohm). 14 gauge wire vs. the stock speaker wire.

JL Audio 10w7 with HO box ran by a JL 1000/1 at 3 OHM (750 watts RMS)

Stock 7” Radio with V2 PAC Audio Setup.

So in total this install took me about 20 hours total. For anyone that installed in JK’s, the JL is a whole different ball game. They definitely built the JL a lot better and it shows just from getting the sound bar off or dash taken apart to install the new speakers.

Here is what I wish I would have known before I started:

1. Take the front doors off the Jeep

2. T Tops off (will help get some more light in the cabin to see what you’re doing.

3. If you have a manual transmission you can’t access getting the power wire through the firewall on the driver side plug. So you have to go through a rubber grommet that also is feeding about 150 other wires. My best advice is to remove the passenger seat so you can more easily twist your body to get under the dash to very gently cut or caress the boot. Was given advice from Sting that the best place to cut this boot (circular in shape basically) is 8 O’clock on the inside of the Jeep and 4 o’clock on the engine side of the Jeep.

4. There are two ways to access this grommit on the passenger side. One is to remove the battery and fuse box, then remove the tray holding them. For reference to anyone doing this, it is recommended that you watch the Genesis Off-road dual battery install video on YouTube. That being said, there was a design change in the battery and power systems since the 2018 came out, and there is a power wire that used to run across the battery tray and was bolted to the passenger side fender. That wire now is ran down the fender into the engine bay somewhere, so you can no longer unbolt it. At least for my 2020 it was different. So this did not work for this scenario. So the second way is to remove the inner fender. You will need to drill through your pins connecting the outer fender to the inner, so order at least 8 new ones from your dealer or quadratec. You’ll also need a plastic rivet tool to install the new ones just as an FYI $25 on Amazon. Once you remove this and turn your wheel all the way to the driver side the access to the boot is easy.

5. Taking the sound bar out of a JK- 5 minutes. Taking the sound bar out of a JL - 30-40 minutes. Ensure you remove the elbow trim pieces from the surround, then the panel with the overhead light. 5-7 screws hold it on.

6. When you install the Metra pods in the dash, follow Metra’s directions to a T. They are very good. When done installing the new pods, follow the directions in reverse to a T for getting the dash back together. Make sure you cinch up those passenger ABS bolts tight. If you don’t have a panel removal tool set, get one. $15-20 on Amazon.

7. Crossover mounting - Don’t buy speakers with huge crossovers. You’ll have to install those crossovers inside the sound bar, and this sound bar is tiny compared to the JK. Not a lot of room in there after you install a 6.5. For dash speakers, the crossovers should be able to fit above the pod on the passenger side and to the right of the pod on the driver side.

8. Dynamat/Sound deaden the sound bar and pods, then poly fill. This will really help get a little extra mid range out of the speakers.

9. Place your AmPro in an area it can be accessed for resetting, troubleshooting, and firmware updates. Mine is installed above the glove box to the left. Easy to get to just in case.

Probably forgetting a lot and to be honest I was a little upset no one before me took pics and did a detailed write up on installing step by step - but now that I am done it’s understandable why. This is a much more involved install than Jeeps before it. I took almost no pics and pieced together a lot of individual troubleshooting during the process.

and no post install pics since it all looks stock, there is really nothing to see.

 

[Fa1321tx]

Probably forgetting a lot and to be honest I was a little upset no one before me took pics and did a detailed write up on installing step by step - but now that I am done it’s understandable why. This is a much more involved install than Jeeps before it. I took almost no pics and pieced together a lot of individual troubleshooting during the process and no post install pics since it all looks stock, there is really nothing to see.

I agree the Jeep install is heavily involved from a mechanical standpoint. But to point out one good thing they at least have a simple process to set you factory radio to low level outputs by re-programing the oem radio to amplifier mode. This was a nightmare in Fords you needed software and spreadsheets and way more research. The funny thing is I had no issues with my stock car stereos til 2015 then they all seemed to have gotten really bad. My 2015 F150 Lariat was loaded but had the worse sounding system ever. Now the same is true with my 2019 jeep it has a 7" screen with car play but the crappiest speakers possibly ever made on a vehicle designed to drive with no top or doors. Seems like we deserve better for the price.

I have not read every post here by why are so many people using LOC devices for their install?

Couldn't you just switch the factory radio to amplified mode and solder on RCA's to get a nice clean low voltage signal from the OEM radio?

I know they are two different vehicles but same concept / theory. The Fords have an optional Sony upgrade. So the OEM Radio was set to amplified mode if you had the Sony package. The same OEM radio was used for the base system they just switched the mode if you had the Sony package. So if you had a base system you could switch it to amplified mode add a T-harness solder on RCA's to split the speaker wire outputs and you had a clean low voltage signal. Seems like the Jeep could be done the same way. High level inputs will distort if the OEM radio volume is turned up high so you are amplifying distortion.

These instructions came with my DSR1 install so they are likely doing the same thing in the Jeep.
Re-program the OEM radio to “amplified mode”. • Turn ignition ON. • Within 5 seconds, cycle the parking brake ON-OFF-ON (the horn will honk one time to confirm you are in programming mode). • Within 10 seconds, set the turn signal LEFT to add the ampliflier (the horn will honk one time to confirm that you chose an option).
Note: If you need to return the radio to its factory non-amplified mode, do this programming procedure and select the RIGHT turn signal instead.
• Wait. The radio should reboot twice, and horn will honk: 2 times : Amplified mode 3 times : Non-Amplified mode 5 times : Failed to program

 

[lotaguts]

I just added the LCI7 along with a subs 2 12" kickers, in the future I will be adding another amp to drive the rest of the speakers (swap out of course) , Audiocontrol sells plug and pay resistors as well so no soldering needed, just plug and go, a nice option as well for those who want to go that route. I like the Accubass feature in the LCI it simply awesome. Plus if I wanted to I can run one signal to power all RCA's (pretty cool). Thanks for all the info on this thread priceless information.

 

[Goosed]

I agree the Jeep install is heavily involved from a mechanical standpoint. But to point out one good thing they at least have a simple process to set you factory radio to low level outputs by re-programing the oem radio to amplifier mode. This was a nightmare in Fords you needed software and spreadsheets and way more research. The funny thing is I had no issues with my stock car stereos til 2015 then they all seemed to have gotten really bad. My 2015 F150 Lariat was loaded but had the worse sounding system ever. Now the same is true with my 2019 jeep it has a 7" screen with car play but the crappiest speakers possibly ever made on a vehicle designed to drive with no top or doors. Seems like we deserve better for the price.

I have not read every post here by why are so many people using LOC devices for their install?

Couldn't you just switch the factory radio to amplified mode and solder on RCA's to get a nice clean low voltage signal from the OEM radio?

I know they are two different vehicles but same concept / theory. The Fords have an optional Sony upgrade. So the OEM Radio was set to amplified mode if you had the Sony package. The same OEM radio was used for the base system they just switched the mode if you had the Sony package. So if you had a base system you could switch it to amplified mode add a T-harness solder on RCA's to split the speaker wire outputs and you had a clean low voltage signal. Seems like the Jeep could be done the same way. High level inputs will distort if the OEM radio volume is turned up high so you are amplifying distortion.

These instructions came with my DSR1 install so they are likely doing the same thing in the Jeep.
Re-program the OEM radio to “amplified mode”. • Turn ignition ON. • Within 5 seconds, cycle the parking brake ON-OFF-ON (the horn will honk one time to confirm you are in programming mode). • Within 10 seconds, set the turn signal LEFT to add the ampliflier (the horn will honk one time to confirm that you chose an option).
Note: If you need to return the radio to its factory non-amplified mode, do this programming procedure and select the RIGHT turn signal instead.
• Wait. The radio should reboot twice, and horn will honk: 2 times : Amplified mode 3 times : Non-Amplified mode 5 times : Failed to program

To be honest I cannot answer this one. Once the R2 AmpPro came out I lost sight of doing anything else. It was a pricy module but made install easier and clean.

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

I have not read every post here by why are so many people using LOC devices for their install?

Most are using an LOC with built-in DSP functionality, unless they are simply adding a sub and amp, where a mid-grade LOC is fine.

The configuration you're installing is relatively new to the market, and functions similarly to the PAC interface, though the RF gear looks to have more in the way of DSP features than the PAC, such as deeper equalization (31 bands). It matches well with the JL Fix86.

The original and only option in the beginning was the resistor approach and adding a DSP to condition the pre-EQ'd uConnect signals.

All are viable options.

Just curious, where did you find the reprogramming procedure shared in blue above? Is that specific to uConnect, or is it for something else and hoping it applies to uConnect?

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Fa1321tx]

To be honest I cannot answer this one. Once the R2 AmpPro came out I lost sight of doing anything else. It was a pricy module but made install easier and clean.

I agree plug in play is nice that is why I went with the DSR1. I wish that option was available for the F150 when I set it up. There seems to be so many innovations it can be overwhelming. I guess the point was why use a LOC if you can get a clean signal from the OEM radio. Sometimes ease of use takes priority over the technical side of things. They continue to make upgrading your audio so difficult these days the masses are forced to shell out big sums of money to get a decent set up.

If someone can figure out the amplified mode thing it could save time and money. Someone could easily and cheaply produce a t-harness that splits to the output to RCA's and kept the speaker wires to tie your aftermarket amp. The only trouble I could foresee is you might amplify or lose your door chimes . Other than that your options would be wide open.

 

[Fa1321tx]

Just curious, where did you find the reprogramming procedure shared in blue above? Is that specific to uConnect, or is it for something else and hoping it applies to uConnect?

Thanks for sharing!

Its in the instructions for installing the DSR1 I attached the pdf see step 5. I bet you if you purchased the premium system your OEM radio is switched to this mode by the factory. So the low level output is already built in the radio you just need to activate it. If you have a low level signal you would not need a LOC device you could just go straight into the device of your choice with RCA'S.

I want to point out this is my theory but has not been tested.

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Its in the instructions for installing the DSR1 I attached the pdf see step 5. I bet you if you purchased the premium system your OEM radio is switched to this mode by the factory. So the low level output is already built in the radio you just need to activate it. If you have a low level signal you would not need a LOC device you could just go straight into the device of your choice with RCA'S.

I want to point out this is my theory but has not been tested.

Definitely worth testing. The key factor, if this toggles the high/low signal on all radio models, will be whether or not uConnect still conducts the signal sensing test after the re-program occurs. We'll have to get one of the up-and-coming DIY installers to give it a shot.

Just edited this post to add that I think the re-programming feature is part of the DSR1 functionality, and not of the Jeep's stock capability. Is that correct? For grins, I tried the procedure on my JLUR, and it doesn't do anything.

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