Dash speakers. Tweeter vs 2 way speaker?

[Pig-Pen]

i see people running either one. any input on why one over the other?

i plan to replace all the factory speakers. 6.5" at the knees and 6x9" on the soundbar. no amp for now. maybe later but we'll see....

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[Zandcwhite]

The current speaker is a full range, replacing it with just a tweeter will cause the front sound stage to sound terrible in my opinion. A 2 way 3.5" is the way to go.

 

[Jebiruph]

I've tried both. Tweeters in the dash paired with 6.5s in the sound bar sound better than 3.5s in the dash paired with 6.5s in the sound bar.

 

[lashlee]

Depending on everything else, it could go either way. I've built a few Jeeps using a wideband/tweeter coax on top of the dash with the 6.5 midbass in the lower dash for a true three way up front and midbass in the soundbar. I used a processor and two five channel amps so it was more than a standard setup.

 

[Midwestjeepguy]

i see people running either one. any input on why one over the other?

i plan to replace all the factory speakers. 6.5" at the knees and 6x9" on the soundbar. no amp for now. maybe later but we'll see....

Quick answer, I like the balance of a two way speaker in the upper dash.

Earlier this year I replaced all speakers, except the subwoofer, in my JLUR. I kept the factory amp, went for plug and play as much as possible. I don't need anything crazy loud, just better than stock. Went with Kicker KS speakers (their best of the lineup). Their lower end stuff gets inconsistent reviews, KS seemed consistently good so I went with those.

3.5" two way (.75" tweeter) in upper dash, 6.5" two way (.75" tweeter) in knee panel, and 6.5" midbass with separate .75" tweeter in the sound bar. Learned after install that the knee panel isn't wired for two way speakers from the factory amp. The 6.5" two way still puts out good midbass, but I would have gone with a dedicated midbass had I caught that earlier.

Looks like you're not installing an amp with your speaker upgrade, so you'll be limited by the head unit power. Upper dash and sound bar are easy to upgrade speakers in the future if you do install an amp, but the knee panel speakers are a pain if you go 6.5" or 6.75". The entire speaker pod needs to get replaced. I'd go with a decent set of 6.5" or 6.75" speakers now in the knee panel so you don't have to take apart most of your dash again to upgrade them later. If you know for sure you won't install an amp at some point, then it's a moot point.

FWIW - I spent around $700 for all the speakers, new pods, wire kits, sound deadening tape, and polyfil. Sound is perfect for me, loud enough for top down driving while maintaining nice mids and highs. Nothing gets distorted or clips.

 

[DWS44]

Went with Kicker KS speakers (their best of the lineup). Their lower end stuff gets inconsistent reviews, KS seemed consistently good so I went with those.

Have you ever tried the Infinity Reference 3032 dash speakers that are often discussed on the forum? (Can't recall the model # offhand). Reason I ask is that I had a set of those in my old 2018, which was a nice improvement to me, but still trying to decide what I want to do with my 2022 and wondered how you might compare the Infinitys to the Kicker models you mentioned.

 

[Midwestjeepguy]

Have you ever tried the Infinity Reference 3032 dash speakers that are often discussed on the forum? (Can't recall the model # offhand). Reason I ask is that I had a set of those in my old 2018, which was a nice improvement to me, but still trying to decide what I want to do with my 2022 and wondered how you might compare the Infinitys to the Kicker models you mentioned.

I have not tried those. What I found in my research comparing the Infinity Ref to the Kicker KS is that the Infinity's do better with lower power (no amp) and that they sound brighter than the KS - too bright in some critical reviews. Take that as you will. I did want my system brighter than stock, as well as having more control with a two way speaker, but I did not want a super bright audio experience. I prefer it to be well balanced across high, mid, and low. KS reviews describe them as clearer and more well-rounded...they don't lean too high or mid.

I wasn't originally seeking out Kicker, but after I came across a bundle deal they caught my interest. Looked into their quality/performance and everything came back positive for the KS series. I wanted to keep the speakers all the same for audio control/experience and warranty exchanges if needed. So I jumped on them and am very happy.

Here's a comparison video of the two:



On Amazon, those Infinity's are $50 for the upper dash pair and the Kicker KS are $80 for the upper dash pair. So that's something else to consider.

https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-REF...sprefix=infinity+reference+3032,aps,97&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Kicker-47KSC...5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840#customerReviews

 

[DWS44]

I have not tried those. What I found in my research comparing the Infinity Ref to the Kicker KS is that the Infinity's do better with lower power (no amp) and that they sound brighter than the KS - too bright in some critical reviews. Take that as you will. I did want my system brighter than stock, as well as having more control with a two way speaker, but I did not want a super bright audio experience. I prefer it to be well balanced across high, mid, and low. KS reviews describe them as clearer and more well-rounded...they don't lean too high or mid.

I wasn't originally seeking out Kicker, but after I came across a bundle deal they caught my interest. Looked into their quality/performance and everything came back positive for the KS series. I wanted to keep the speakers all the same for audio control/experience and warranty exchanges if needed. So I jumped on them and am very happy.

Here's a comparison video of the two:



On Amazon, those Infinity's are $50 for the upper dash pair and the Kicker KS are $80 for the upper dash pair. So that's something else to consider.

https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-REF3022CFX-Reference-Speakers-Edge-driven/dp/B01E4JWG6I/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3BGU8TGN4LKO4&keywords=infinity+reference+3032&qid=1701290678&sprefix=infinity+reference+3032,aps,97&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Kicker-47KSC3504-Coaxial-Speakers-KSC3504/dp/B084HL6DWG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3FCL1L2U1O8RT&keywords=kicker+3.5+speakers+ks+series&qid=1701285013&sprefix=kicker+3.5+speakers+ks+series,aps,323&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840#customerReviews

Thanks for the detailed reply and video link! Still tying to decide what all I want to do with mine.

 

[Deleted User 38384]

The current speaker is a full range, replacing it with just a tweeter will cause the front sound stage to sound terrible in my opinion. A 2 way 3.5" is the way to go.

Yeah I'm with this guy. I replaced my front speakers on the dash with tweeters. And they do really well overall, but the high range is just too sharp sometimes. Like almost ear piercing. Also too when I have the bass turned up to Max, I can't really enjoy it because The tweeters in the front vibrate. It might be a bit of a quality issue. I did go for the $60 tweeters instead of the $150 tweeters, but I was actually planning at some point in the future swapping the tweeters into the sound bar and putting two ways in the front dash instead.

The problem is the Tweeter in the dash with the window how it is, reflects back a whole lot of high pitch noise, and while in general the quality of the speaker is better than the factory speakers were, just the amount of ear splitting sound bouncing back in your face is not ideal.

I would go with a two-way speaker in the dash.

 

[Mx5red]

I’m not sure the stock stereo is similar to the alpine but it sounds like it also doesn’t send full channels to all speakers. Replacing the knee speakers for me way a waste of time.
Unless you’re getting complicated enough to throw an amp in there it probably won’t be effective enough to be worth the expense and hassle of pulling those knee pods.
I’d just swap out some 3.5”s (I have the infinitys) and wire in a sub to one of the full signal speaker lines that run by the passenger B pillar.
Simple and effective.

 

[MonsterTorch]

I went with Terra Acoustics JL front upgrade, not inexpensive, but I like the results and looks factory

 

[Jebiruph]

Here's my write up of trying various speaker combinations, follow along and save some money by avoiding mistakes and jumping straight to the best cost effective solution. https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/base-system-speaker-upgrade.75015/post-1562924

 

[Warped]

I went with Terra Acoustics JL front upgrade, not inexpensive, but I like the results and looks factory

If you don't mind, what is your opinion of the Terra Accoustics? I purchased a pair for my new JT, but haven't had the time to install them yet.

 

[Mdrums]

Have any of you seen or installed these Terra Acoustic front speakers? Found these on Instagram...here is there website. Thanks!

https://terraacoustics.com/products/jeep-front-soundstage-upgrade-jl-jt

 

[DWS44]

Have any of you seen or installed these Terra Acoustic front speakers? Found these on Instagram...here is there website. Thanks!

https://terraacoustics.com/products/jeep-front-soundstage-upgrade-jl-jt

Look back three posts before yours.

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