Adding an Aftermarket Amp(s)

[AusJeepNoob]

I've been on the fence about the MB Quart system all week...

Anyone speculate why no subwoofer is included for the JL (underseat is available for JT)? For the top end package everything is included, except a subwoofer. Is it possible the 6.5" knee and 6x9 soundbar speakers together provide enough low end to compete with / exceed the OEM Alpine upgrade? Also noticed paper cones; I am not a car audio pro, but is that common today? I realize no one has installed one of these yet, so there's no real world experience.

I didn't go for the OEM Alpine upgrade with the idea I could do something myself for lower cost. I'd been leaning toward the PSS-23WRA (a little pricey for what it is) or something like it using the KTP-445U and my own components. Just trying to get a clearer/slightly-louder/fuller sound with an OEM-like install.

Underseat won't work in the Wrangler unless you're prepared to lose the ability to fold your seats. Gladiator doesn't have that problem. The MB Quart 10" subs need 0.65cuft internal enclosure volume and the factory Alpine enclosure is only 0.55cuft so that won't work either. Their 8" only needs 0.5cuft so that could work but I'd imagine not many would want to downsize. If they do an enclosure for the JL it will have to be either something like the JL Audio Stealthbox or take up the space that the cargo tray takes.

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[Krondor]

Before I tore out the guts of my Jeep, I just replaced the dash speakers to hear the difference.

I like the added details that a real tweet adds to the music.

Nice balance with the new MBQuart.

Now for the rest. The amps will need a bit of modification to fit the provided base. The holes are a bit off. Also, get yourself some M4-70 screws as the base takes them and I didn’t want to use the self tapping metal screws provided.

When mounted on one side, the holes are only "just" off. So Dremel time. Luckily, I have to use it to modify the soundbar anyway.

 

[AmarilloJLU]

Before I tore out the guts of my Jeep, I just replaced the dash speakers to hear the difference.

I like the added details that a real tweet adds to the music.

Nice balance with the new MBQuart.

Now for the rest. The amps will need a bit of modification to fit the provided base. The holes are a bit off. Also, get yourself some M4-70 screws as the base takes them and I didn’t want to use the self tapping metal screws provided.

When mounted on one side, the holes are only "just" off. So Dremel time. Luckily, I have to use it to modify the soundbar anyway.

Thanks for the update, excited to see your feelings on the MB Quart sound vs what your upgraded Alpine system sounded like.
Does the amp rack mount under the drive or passenger seat?

 

[Daffydnbugs]

Before I tore out the guts of my Jeep, I just replaced the dash speakers to hear the difference.

I like the added details that a real tweet adds to the music.

Nice balance with the new MBQuart.

Now for the rest. The amps will need a bit of modification to fit the provided base. The holes are a bit off. Also, get yourself some M4-70 screws as the base takes them and I didn’t want to use the self tapping metal screws provided.

When mounted on one side, the holes are only "just" off. So Dremel time. Luckily, I have to use it to modify the soundbar anyway.

Curious to see the 6x9's go in.

 

[Krondor]

Thanks for the update, excited to see your feelings on the MB Quart sound vs what your upgraded Alpine system sounded like.
Does the amp rack mount under the drive or passenger seat?

Just to get a feel, I installed just the dash speakers and plugged the battery in for a little listen. Great upgrade in details and not overly bright, which I was worried about. I am really impressed.

Mother's day and work has me a bit behind, but I'll be pulling the interior apart and getting the rest installed this week. The amp rack goes under the passenger from the instructions.

I'll know more after I get further along.

 

[Krondor]

Curious to see the 6x9's go in.

Cutting my soundbar up will be the last step. I plan to pull it completely out so I can tidy things up as well. Some better foam padding between it and the sport bar along with dampening whatever else I can.

 

[AmarilloJLU]

Cutting my soundbar up will be the last step. I plan to pull it completely out so I can tidy things up as well. Some better foam padding between it and the sport bar along with dampening whatever else I can.

Any more progress on the install? My speakers just arrived today and I will hopefully be installing them this weekend.

 

[Krondor]

Any more progress on the install? My speakers just arrived today and I will hopefully be installing them this weekend.

Slow go over the week as I've been busy at work and excuses excuses.

Hopefully I will get time to finish today. The front speakers are in, amp wires were run, and I'm now figuring out how the hell to stuff the added wire harness behind the radio.

Had to pull my passenger front fender off to make sure the power wire was routed away from the cat, and that was a PITA. New clips on order.

 

[AmarilloJLU]

Slow go over the week as I've been busy at work and excuses excuses.

Hopefully I will get time to finish today. The front speakers are in, amp wires were run, and I'm now figuring out how the hell to stuff the added wire harness behind the radio.

Had to pull my passenger front fender off to make sure the power wire was routed away from the cat, and that was a PITA. New clips on order.

In this YouTube video about installing a PAC amp unit into a 2020 Wrangler they hang the rca plug-in portion down to the left under the dash panels under the steering wheel. I have not opened my box yet so I am not sure how long those wires are. The rest of the video is useless in helping with any other part of the install but that gives you a suggestion on where they ran it. Quick question abou t the amp power wires, why didn’t you run them through the grommet on the right side?I ran my wiring through there when I installed the AUX switches and it was a pain but they went right through with a wire coat hanger. That fender removal does look like a pain.

 

[Krondor]

So finally got amps and front speakers tied up.

Now I fit the 6x9’s in this sound bar. Got to put some rubber where the sound bar touches the sport bar to keep it from vibrating while I’m at it.

 

[SG19JLUR]

I'm still not ready to install mine for another week or so, but I've done a bunch of research on adding a subwoofer to this kit so I figured I would share my findings.

I ordered the MBQJ-STG6A-1 kit which was originally $1599 but I got the 40% jeepbeach2021 discount so I paid $959 shipped. This kit includes front and rear speakers, as well as two amps (one for the front and one for the rear). Currently the only subwoofer options from MB Quart are for the JT Gladiator, nothing for the JL Wrangler (at least not yet). But I did some digging on the Gladiator subwoofer kit, and it includes the NA2-400.1 Mono Amplifier. And because MB Quart ships the same MBQJ-STG6A-1 kit regardless of whether you have a JL or JT, the amp bracket is big enough to fit all 3 amplifiers and includes Power and RCA cables for all 3 amplifiers. For these reasons, and because the amp is only $99 on Amazon, it made sense to me to purchase the NA2-400.1 Mono Amplifier for my subwoofer.

I did a lot of debating on the subwoofer. I wanted something small that would take up very little trunk space, but the JL Stealthbox didn't have the output I was looking for. Instead I decided on the JL Audio HO112RG-W3v3 single 12" in a ported wedge box. This box is almost the entire width of the cargo area but it fits up against the back of the seat and should only take up 8" of depth. It got great reviews on Crutchfield and it cost me $529.

The final piece of the puzzle, which is probably optional for most people but mandatory for me, is a Digital Signal Processor. In my day job I design and tune sound systems for nightclubs, churches, stadiums, auditoriums, and other large commercial projects, so it was important for me to have a similar level of control over the sound and to use tools that I'm familiar with. MiniDSP offers several 12v DSP units aimed at the mobile audio world, and I'm familiar with their products because they make several well respected professional DSP units. I settled on the MiniDSP C-DSP 8x12 DL which at $899 may be overkill for some, but I felt it was worth the extra cost.

Right now I'm about $2500 into this project but I'm still waiting on the subwoofer and DSP to arrive before I begin. I'm hoping I can find some time next weekend to knock everything out, and once I do I will be sure to post some results as well as some objective before & after measurements of magnitude and phase response as well as max SPL if I can find an open space to do it in.

I realize there are probably better amplifiers and better speakers that I could purchase, but I really don't want to hack a brand new $60k vehicle to pieces. I work a lot of hours during the week and spend most weekends wrangling 3 kids, so I wanted something that would be as close to plug & play as possible. The extra amp and subwoofer should drop right in, and the DSP should be a very simple patch between the PAC Amp Pro and the 3 amplifiers.

 

[Flapilot]

For these mid priced upgrades you guys have going on, If your missing the subwoofer sound and don’t mind an underseat, get the kicker HS10.

It fits under the drivers seat pretty well, and for an underseat preforms great. Filled in a lot of the sound I felt was missing when I replaced the fronts and backs with alpine 6.5 components.

 

[Daffydnbugs]

For these mid priced upgrades you guys have going on, If your missing the subwoofer sound and don’t mind an underseat, get the kicker HS10.

It fits under the drivers seat pretty well, and for an underseat preforms great. Filled in a lot of the sound I felt was missing when I replaced the fronts and backs with alpine 6.5 components.

Did you have to remove the seat to get the sub in?

 

[AmarilloJLU]

So finally got amps and front speakers tied up.

Now I fit the 6x9’s in this sound bar. Got to put some rubber where the sound bar touches the sport bar to keep it from vibrating while I’m at it.

Looking great @Krondor, I am in the middle of my install and holy crap there is a lot to remove. The system is definitely plug and play but you have to remove a lot of screws, trim pieces and the passenger seat. Quick question @Krondor. Where did you mount the ground wire for the three amps? I also bought the subwoofer amp as it was $100 and it mounts and plugs right in with the other wires that are already run in the harness from MB Quart. It will be interesting to see how everything sounds. Another question, if we have the premium alpine system do we plug the two harnesses together when installing the wiring harness for the PAC AMP unit? One has a sticker that says only use in amplified systems. I went ahead and plugged those together before screwing the screen back in (very tight fit with those huge harnesses behind it.)

 

[Krondor]

Looking great @Krondor, I am in the middle of my install and holy crap there is a lot to remove. The system is definitely plug and play but you have to remove a lot of screws, trim pieces and the passenger seat. Quick question @Krondor. Where did you mount the ground wire for the three amps? I also bought the subwoofer amp as it was $100 and it mounts and plugs right in with the other wires that are already run in the harness from MB Quart. It will be interesting to see how everything sounds. Another question, if we have the premium alpine system do we plug the two harnesses together when installing the worrying harness for the PAC AMP unit? One has a sticker that says only use in amplified systems. I went ahead and plugged those together before screwing the screen back in (very tight fit with those huge harnesses behind it.)

I used this ground right under the seatbelt latch/explosive tensioner?

I didn’t see the blurb on that connection so I’ll circle back when I get home. But I thought I read that it wasn’t needed?

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