Base System Speaker Upgrade

[Jebiruph]

My speaker upgrade journey started right after taking possession of my new 2018 JLU with the 5" base system. My goal was to get a quality sounding system without adding an amp or sub woofer. I avoided modifying the sound bar as long as possible, but success was finally achieved with Infinity Kappa 62ix 6.5" speakers in the sound bar and JL Audio C1-075ct tweeters in the upper dash. Following is some of what I learned along the way.

Unlike the amplified system that powers each speaker individually, the base system powers each corner's 3.5" and 4" speakers as a pair, in parallel. Changing one of the pair can affect the other. For example, Infinity 3032s have lower impedance than the factory 4" speakers and when paired, a larger percentage of their shared power will go to the 3032s. But with the 3032's base blocking capacitors blocking the lower frequencies, all the low frequency power will go to the factory 4" speakers.

I found that with all four 3.5" speakers replaced with base blocked 3032's, there is a noticeable lower frequency contribution from the factory 4" speakers. But the system still needed more bass. After running this setup for a couple years, I finally did the 6.5" speaker sound bar modification using Infinity Kappa 62ix 6.5" speakers. The 62ix sound great, especially after adjusting the fader +2 to the rear to get more sound out of them.

With 62ixs in the sound bar now providing the majority of the sound output, the last change was to swap out the dash 3032s that tend to over power the lower dash 4" speakers. I replaced them with JL Audio C1-075ct tweeters. The tweeter's higher impedance and higher frequency range allow more lower frequency power to get to the factory 4" speakers and there is a very good balance between the pair, and this front pair is well balanced with the sound bar.

Some additional tips are;
Swap the Metra adapter wires so they don't reverse the polarity of the speakers.
When the upper dash speakers are upgraded, they will very likely overpower the rest of the system and setting the fader +2 to the rear helps rebalance the system.
Stuffing poly fill under the upper dash speaker improves sound and helps with left - right speaker isolation.

Edit 2/15/2023
Highlight Posts
Speakers are negative polarity from the factory
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/base-system-speaker-upgrade.75015/post-2165887
Tweeter switch out with technical explanation
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/base-system-speaker-upgrade.75015/post-2205995

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[Jebiruph]

Wanted to add that the 5" base system has plenty of power for the JL Audio C1-075ct tweeters paired with the lower dash factory 4" and the sound bar Infinity Kappa 62ix 6.5" speakers. I would say normal conversation friendly volume is around 15 with I can't hear what you're saying volume in the low 20s. The system will crank all the way to max volume with not distortion from any of the speakers.

 

[daveprice7]

I had some old Alpine 4ohm 3.5" speakers that I ran across in a storage tub (old like the '90s). I put these into a few vehicles I owned years ago. I kept pulling them out before I traded the car in, like they were something special (I'm sure I didn't spend much on them).

Anyhoo, I swapped them out with the factory dash speakers other day (they're two-way speakers with rubber surrounds and a big magnet, so, they have to be better than stock, right?). I also have the 5" radio. They sound good, but like you mentioned, they overpower the other speakers.

That being said, with the windows down (or doors off) and the top open, it did make a big difference being able to actually hear the radio. I thought the factory setup was pretty good, but, now that I've heard what decent speakers can do (if you can even call these decent), I'm a bit more motivated to upgrade to a balanced setup. Thanks for your recommendations. I don't want to run an amp or anything like that as well, just better speakers.

 

[Jebiruph]

What model speakers? Set your fader +2 towards the rear to counter the increased volume from the dashboard. And some base blocking capacitors on the new speakers would increase the base from the factory lower dash speakers. The Infinity 3032s come with 270uF caps, I'm not sure what's available, but I'd probably go with a smaller cap to get more base to the factory speakers.

 

[daveprice7]

What model speakers? Set your fader +2 towards the rear to counter the increased volume from the dashboard. And some base blocking capacitors on the new speakers would increase the base from the factory lower dash speakers. The Infinity 3032s come with 270uF caps, I'm not sure what's available, but I'd probably go with a smaller cap to get more base to the factory speakers.

Well, since you asked, I popped one out and took some photos so you can bask in the vintage glory. I'll try the fader trick and poke around on Amazon for a cap; but I'll be honest, I've never used hardware frequency filters unless they came with the speakers... so I might be out of my depth.

 

[Jebiruph]

Well, since you asked, I popped one out and took some photos so you can bask in the vintage glory. I'll try the fader trick and poke around on Amazon for a cap; but I'll be honest, I've never used hardware frequency filters unless they came with the speakers... so I might be out of my depth.

Definitely vintage, Google doesn't even know about them.

There's nothing special about the caps that came with my Infinity 3032s, they're just 270uF blocking caps (bi-polar) soldered in line.

Are you hearing much out of the lower dash speakers? I've never experimented with blocking caps either, I think these are the first speakers I've bought that have them. But based on my experience between the 3032s and the C1-075ct tweeters, there was an over all benefit from the higher frequency cutoff of the tweeter's allowing more lower frequency power to go to the lower dash speakers. But, in the end you may not get nay improvement, so I don't know how much experimenting you are up for.

 

[Jebiruph]

Are you hearing much out of the lower dash speakers? I've never experimented with blocking caps either, I think these are the first speakers I've bought that have them. But based on my experience between the 3032s and the C1-075ct tweeters, there was an over all benefit from the higher frequency cutoff of the tweeter's allowing more lower frequency power to go to the lower dash speakers. But, in the end you may not get nay improvement, so I don't know how much experimenting you are up for.

Here's a better idea based on my experience. Spend the money now for tweeters in the upper dash and move your Alpines to the speaker bar. This sets up each side as a three way speaker with highs from the upper dash, lows from the lower dash and midrange from the sound bar, using the fader adjustment to balance the speaker bar midrange with the highs/lows from the dash.

 

[Chupacabra]

I put the Infinity Reference 3032CFX speakers in my 7" system (upper dash) and find them incredibly bright and annoying. I added bass blockers so they don't clip anymore, but the treble is just annoyingly bright. I've set the Treble to -2 or -4, and set fader to +2 towards the back but they are still annoying.

I saw one guy added some 4 ohm resistors inline to quiet them down relative to the rest of the system, not sure that would help or not? Kind getting tired of tearing my dash apart and screwing with these.

Not sure if there's any other 3.5" speakers that will work well in this application that aren't as bright as the Infinitys?

 

[Jebiruph]

I put the Infinity Reference 3032CFX speakers in my 7" system (upper dash) and find them incredibly bright and annoying. I added bass blockers so they don't clip anymore, but the treble is just annoyingly bright. I've set the Treble to -2 or -4, and set fader to +2 towards the back but they are still annoying.

I saw one guy added some 4 ohm resistors inline to quiet them down relative to the rest of the system, not sure that would help or not? Kind getting tired of tearing my dash apart and screwing with these.

Not sure if there's any other 3.5" speakers that will work well in this application that aren't as bright as the Infinitys?

If you are using Metra adapters, did you reverse the wires? Mine 3032s sounded harsh when I first installed them, then I found that the Metra adapters reversed the polarity. Once I fixed the adapters and with treble -2 and bass +2, they sounded great, but it took Infinity Kappa 62ix 6.5" speakers in the sound bar to finally get enough base.

 

[Chupacabra]

If you are using Metra adapters, did you reverse the wires? Mine 3032s sounded harsh when I first installed them, then I found that the Metra adapters reversed the polarity. Once I fixed the adapters and with treble -2 and bass +2, they sounded great, but it took Infinity Kappa 62ix 6.5" speakers in the sound bar to finally get enough base.

I'm using the Red Wolf ones. I checked the polarity with a battery of the original speakers and the Infinity and they seem to be correct. In other words, the wiring that makes the stock speakers suck the cone in, also makes the Infinity suck the cone in.

I might try that SpeakerPop app on my phone and see what it says too.

 

[Jebiruph]

I'm using the Red Wolf ones. I checked the polarity with a battery of the original speakers and the Infinity and they seem to be correct. In other words, the wiring that makes the stock speakers suck the cone in, also makes the Infinity suck the cone in.

I might try that SpeakerPop app on my phone and see what it says too.

It looks like you should be wired correctly, maybe my personal taste tolerates the sound of 3032s more than yours. The JL Audio C1-075ct tweeters with their included harness (or probably any tweeters) in the dash are not over powering and allow for more base out of the lower dash speakers. With that combination, maybe you could try your 3032s in the sound bar.

 

[Jebiruph]

I put the Infinity Reference 3032CFX speakers in my 7" system (upper dash) and find them incredibly bright and annoying. I added bass blockers so they don't clip anymore, but the treble is just annoyingly bright. I've set the Treble to -2 or -4, and set fader to +2 towards the back but they are still annoying.

I saw one guy added some 4 ohm resistors inline to quiet them down relative to the rest of the system, not sure that would help or not? Kind getting tired of tearing my dash apart and screwing with these.

Not sure if there's any other 3.5" speakers that will work well in this application that aren't as bright as the Infinitys?

Did you stuff some poly fill behind the dash speakers? That seems to help tone down some of the treble and improve left - right separation.

I had been running with 4 3032s in my JL for 2 years when I got my JT and installed 4 3032s in it. But the JT never sounded as good as the JL, the JT had some of that annoying brightness. I was always suspicious that the JT's 3032s from Amazon were cheap knock offs while the JL's 3032s from Crutchfield were the real deal.

After my next round of upgrades on the JL freed up a pair of it's 3032s, I went to swap them into the JT's dash. That's when I found that I hadn't poly filled the JT's dash like I did the JL, and that was the difference. It turns out that echoing around the interior of the dash is not a sound improver.

 

[Chupacabra]

Did you stuff some poly fill behind the dash speakers? That seems to help tone down some of the treble and improve left - right separation.

No I haven't tried that. I also ordered some of the Kicker speakers with the silk dome tweeter hoping maybe they won't be so bright. I can give the poly fill a try while I have it open the next time I guess and see what that does too.

Thanks!

 

[Jebiruph]

@Chupacabra, I'm afraid you're going to end up like me, I've got 4 pairs of 3032s sitting in the basement, experimenting is expensive. In the end, I found dedicated tweeters in the upper dash was the best solution as they make use of the lower dash speakers for the lower frequencies while providing the high frequency detail. I did not like the dedicated tweeters in the dash and the sound bar, there wasn't enough mid range and I went back to all 3032s. It never occurred to me run a mix of tweeters in the dash and 3032s in the sound bar, but now I think that would have been a good combination.

 

[Chupacabra]

@Chupacabra, I'm afraid you're going to end up like me, I've got 4 pairs of 3032s sitting in the basement, experimenting is expensive.

Yes it is. My Kicker's came today and one of the tweeters is completely busted loose So it'll be a few more days before I can try them. If these don't help then I will just give up.

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