Adding an Aftermarket Amp(s)

[Sting_NC_USA]

There are too many smart people in this thread, and I am hoping one or more of you can give me some advice. I have the 7” non-alpine, and added the alpine pss sub and amp (used, great price, and plug and play were the main reasons). But, as weird as it sounds, it’s too loud. Turning the volume up to 7-8 is ridiculous, and I actually like things loud. I am trying to find options to modulate this a bit. I have Rockford fosgate dsr that I planned to install. It isn’t necessarily as easy as I thought it may be, so before I take this on, I had a couple questions:
1. Will it help me tone this down a little?
2. Is it the right thing to accomplish this?
3. Any hints/suggestions regarding install?
Thanks in advance.

Before you install anything else, I'd recommend you check to see if the alpine sub has a gain control. I've installed several powered subwoofers and they all seemed to have a gain control. The image below shows what it should look like. Just turn the gain down, then tweak from there.

Good luck!

Sponsored

 

[Molson123123]

Thanks. I will confirm those settings. When I installed it a couple months ago, that’s the image that I used for settings. I will pull seat out this weekend and check. I believe that’s what I will find.

 

[Du0377]

Hello everyone, So I have been reading through this thread and have a couple questions. I have a sport s with the base uconnect 3 and factory speakers. I upgraded my head unit to the 7 inch uconnect 4. I then installed the alpine upgraded speakers on the dash and roll bar. For the knee panel I go the metra 6.5 inch speaker pods and installed the JL audio C2 650x’s. I was then going to take my jeep to a local car audio shop to have the amplifier and the JL stealthbox subwoofer installed. One shop says I am unable to do this and need the 8.4 inch head unit but another shop says they can install it with my 7 inch unit. So I am wondering why this is. Also I am not knowledgeable at all when it comes to car audio.

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Hello everyone, So I have been reading through this thread and have a couple questions. I have a sport s with the base uconnect 3 and factory speakers. I upgraded my head unit to the 7 inch uconnect 4. I then installed the alpine upgraded speakers on the dash and roll bar. For the knee panel I go the metra 6.5 inch speaker pods and installed the JL audio C2 650x’s. I was then going to take my jeep to a local car audio shop to have the amplifier and the JL stealthbox subwoofer installed. One shop says I am unable to do this and need the 8.4 inch head unit but another shop says they can install it with my 7 inch unit. So I am wondering why this is. Also I am not knowledgeable at all when it comes to car audio.

I'm guessing the shop that said you need the 8.4 inch head unit doesn't want to research the work-around options, or simply hasn't had experience with overriding the uConnect system.

You absolutely can add amplifiers and the subwoofers you want to your current setup. If you're only adding an amp for the subwoofer(s), your shop will simply install a Line Out Converter, something like the LC2i or equivalent. They'll tap into the two twisted pair wire sets that are at the base of your Jeep's B-pillar. They will also need to run a 12V wire to your battery, and will likely pull a 12V trigger/remote wire (that turns your amp on/off when the ignition's on) from your accessory circuit (i.e. Cigarette Lighter). That's where the bulk of your installation costs will come from.

If you're wanting to amplify your 6.5's and your subs, which I highly recommend, your install will be a little different. The shop will either use the resistor approach described in the original post or the PAC device that plugs directly into the back of your radio (which is much more expensive). If you go the route of the PAC device, they'll simply send that signal to your amps. I tend to recommend the resistor approach and run a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) like the JL Fix86, that conditions the signal (flattening it) before it's sent your your amps. That said, I'd recommend the DSP approach for the PAC device as well.

I'm happy to expand on any of this, if it will help. Just know that it can be done and you'll have awesome sound soon.

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Thanks. I will confirm those settings. When I installed it a couple months ago, that’s the image that I used for settings. I will pull seat out this weekend and check. I believe that’s what I will find.

Are you all set? Hope everything worked!

 

[Du0377]

I'm guessing the shop that said you need the 8.4 inch head unit doesn't want to research the work-around options, or simply hasn't had experience with overriding the uConnect system.

You absolutely can add amplifiers and the subwoofers you want to your current setup. If you're only adding an amp for the subwoofer(s), your shop will simply install a Line Out Converter, something like the LC2i or equivalent. They'll tap into the two twisted pair wire sets that are at the base of your Jeep's B-pillar. They will also need to run a 12V wire to your battery, and will likely pull a 12V trigger/remote wire (that turns your amp on/off when the ignition's on) from your accessory circuit (i.e. Cigarette Lighter). That's where the bulk of your installation costs will come from.

If you're wanting to amplify your 6.5's and your subs, which I highly recommend, your install will be a little different. The shop will either use the resistor approach described in the original post or the PAC device that plugs directly into the back of your radio (which is much more expensive). If you go the route of the PAC device, they'll simply send that signal to your amps. I tend to recommend the resistor approach and run a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) like the JL Fix86, that conditions the signal (flattening it) before it's sent your your amps. That said, I'd recommend the DSP approach for the PAC device as well.

I'm happy to expand on any of this, if it will help. Just know that it can be done and you'll have awesome sound soon.

Thank you, this is what I was hoping to hear. I will be at the car audio shop to talk to these guys next weekend and will definitely reach out if I run into any issues, thanks!

 

[Molson123123]

Are you all set? Hope everything worked!

Yes. Pulled everything out. Everything set correct on sub. But looked at amp gain and I set those upside down. Corrected and all is good. I see you are in Charlotte area. Me too. I owe you a beer sometime. I still plan on trying the R-F maestro unit since I had already purchased it. Thanks again!!

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Yes. Pulled everything out. Everything set correct on sub. But looked at amp gain and I set those upside down. Corrected and all is good. I see you are in Charlotte area. Me too. I owe you a beer sometime. I still plan on trying the R-F maestro unit since I had already purchased it. Thanks again!!

Excellent, glad it worked, and keep an eye open for this thing!

 

[Boogerburns]

I'm in need of a little assistance. Two weekends ago, I installed a Alpine MRV-M500 to run my Alpine Type S 12 sub, and I followed this guide to help identify the wires to tap into for the source. I tapped into the twisted pair running up to the sport bar speakers, and since the Alpine MRV-M500 has line level input, I used that instead of the Scosche LOC I had to save me from the headache of having to also tap into a 12V accessory for the remote wire. This solution turns the amp on, and it gets signal, however, with the volume on the head until below 21, the input level seems to be very very low, but past 21, its what I would expect. If I turn it above 21, and then back below, after a little bit, it will turn the input level down again. I haven't checked my connections on the twisted pair yet, but I suspect their fine, and I have checked that the wiring on the Amplifier is fine too. Any ideas to what could be going on here? Maybe something with the Uconnect weirdness?

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

I'm in need of a little assistance. Two weekends ago, I installed a Alpine MRV-M500 to run my Alpine Type S 12 sub, and I followed this guide to help identify the wires to tap into for the source. I tapped into the twisted pair running up to the sport bar speakers, and since the Alpine MRV-M500 has line level input, I used that instead of the Scosche LOC I had to save me from the headache of having to also tap into a 12V accessory for the remote wire. This solution turns the amp on, and it gets signal, however, with the volume on the head until below 21, the input level seems to be very very low, but past 21, its what I would expect. If I turn it above 21, and then back below, after a little bit, it will turn the input level down again. I haven't checked my connections on the twisted pair yet, but I suspect their fine, and I have checked that the wiring on the Amplifier is fine too. Any ideas to what could be going on here? Maybe something with the Uconnect weirdness?

Best guess, and that's all it is, is that the internal processing and tolerance needs of the line level inputs on your amp aren't in alignment with what the uConnect radio is sending. I think a dedicated LOC would be the solution, something like the LC2i or equivalent. You can pull power from the 12V socket in front of your shifter pretty easily. Of course, test it before doing a full install. Good luck!

 

[CrimsonGhost138]

Hey guys, I have a 2019 JLUS with the 7inch. I have a sub and mini amp from my last car that I never got around to installing. I’m not looking for crazy improvements as my car is a lease and don’t wanna go crazy with it. But if I’m gonna live with the car for the next 4 years I’d like to have a little better sound quality. My question is can I use this amp https://www.crutchfield.com/p_500KT...fj9IPT6CdQFgOEC_NdMV0l3VIs8LIWZcaArk2EALw_wcB
To power just the speakers and then have a powered sub in the trunk? Do I still need a line converter or the need to “trick” the UConnect? I don’t know much about car audio, but I have done some sub installs in the past.

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

Hey guys, I have a 2019 JLUS with the 7inch. I have a sub and mini amp from my last car that I never got around to installing. I’m not looking for crazy improvements as my car is a lease and don’t wanna go crazy with it. But if I’m gonna live with the car for the next 4 years I’d like to have a little better sound quality. My question is can I use this amp https://www.crutchfield.com/p_500KT...fj9IPT6CdQFgOEC_NdMV0l3VIs8LIWZcaArk2EALw_wcB
To power just the speakers and then have a powered sub in the trunk? Do I still need a line converter or the need to “trick” the UConnect? I don’t know much about car audio, but I have done some sub installs in the past.

Adding your sub would be pretty straight-forward and wouldn't require too much. You would still need an LOC, though you wouldn't need to trick the uConnect system. You'd just need to run your 12V fused source to the battery, run a 12V switched source to the 12V Adapter, Ground the amp on one of the Jeep's internal grounding posts and tap the twisted pair wires in the B-Pillar behind the passenger rear seat.

Amplifying the stock speakers would indeed be intrusive, and a bit more complicated. If you used the PAC AMP Pro module, you could avoid cutting wires. That device plugs directly into the back of your radio and provides wiring to feed your amp. The PAC AMP Pro handles the resistance check issue, and (as I continue to learn) does a decent job of flattening out the stock system's equalization. You'd need to run new speaker wires from your new amp to each corner of your Jeep (all speaker locations) so that you leave the stock wires untouched. When you turn the Jeep in, you'd simply reverse the process, removing the PAC Amp Pro, plugging in the original harness, replacing the stock speakers and removing the wiring that you'd added.

That should give a bit of insight on the levels you'd like to pursue. Good luck and let us know what route you choose!

 

[CrimsonGhost138]

Adding your sub would be pretty straight-forward and wouldn't require too much. You would still need an LOC, though you wouldn't need to trick the uConnect system. You'd just need to run your 12V fused source to the battery, run a 12V switched source to the 12V Adapter, Ground the amp on one of the Jeep's internal grounding posts and tap the twisted pair wires in the B-Pillar behind the passenger rear seat.

Amplifying the stock speakers would indeed be intrusive, and a bit more complicated. If you used the PAC AMP Pro module, you could avoid cutting wires. That device plugs directly into the back of your radio and provides wiring to feed your amp. The PAC AMP Pro handles the resistance check issue, and (as I continue to learn) does a decent job of flattening out the stock system's equalization. You'd need to run new speaker wires from your new amp to each corner of your Jeep (all speaker locations) so that you leave the stock wires untouched. When you turn the Jeep in, you'd simply reverse the process, removing the PAC Amp Pro, plugging in the original harness, replacing the stock speakers and removing the wiring that you'd added.

That should give a bit of insight on the levels you'd like to pursue. Good luck and let us know what route you choose!

ok so my powered sub actually has both Pre Amp and speaker level inputs. So does that mean I don’t need the LOC? Also if I were to use that mini amp and replace the speakers would I still need the PAC Amp pro? Just trying to keep this simple and cheap. Or should I just replace the front dash ones for a little better quality and not hook them up to the amp? Thanks again!

 

[Sting_NC_USA]

ok so my powered sub actually has both Pre Amp and speaker level inputs. So does that mean I don’t need the LOC? Also if I were to use that mini amp and replace the speakers would I still need the PAC Amp pro? Just trying to keep this simple and cheap. Or should I just replace the front dash ones for a little better quality and not hook them up to the amp? Thanks again!

You could try your speaker level inputs, but I'm not confident the uConnect signal's voltage send is compliant with older "built-in" LOC's. Of course, if it doesn't work, you could just add one, though I might recommend buying one (like the LC2i or equivalent), returning it if you don't need it.

And yes, you'll need the PAC Amp Pro, otherwise it will get much more complicated. You want to pull all channels (Front-left, Front-right, Rear-left, Rear-right)) to get a full-range signal from your stock radio into your amp. The Pac Amp Pro is the only way to do it without cutting factory wires, which is something you might not want to risk on a leased vehicle.

 

[CrimsonGhost138]

You could try your speaker level inputs, but I'm not confident the uConnect signal's voltage send is compliant with older "built-in" LOC's. Of course, if it doesn't work, you could just add one, though I might recommend buying one (like the LC2i or equivalent), returning it if you don't need it.

And yes, you'll need the PAC Amp Pro, otherwise it will get much more complicated. You want to pull all channels (Front-left, Front-right, Rear-left, Rear-right)) to get a full-range signal from your stock radio into your amp. The Pac Amp Pro is the only way to do it without cutting factory wires, which is something you might not want to risk on a leased vehicle.

Awesome thanks! I’ll start with the sub and see how that goes. So does tapping into the rear speaker wires eliminate the need to tap into the head unit like I’ve done in the past?

Sponsored