Is Alpine Sound System worth the $$

[friedenfels]

Or can you do better going aftermarket for the same amount of money?

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[aldo98229]

I guess it depends. On Sahara and Rubicon, you now get automatically upgraded to the 8.4” Screen & Alpine Sound Group.

I have it in my Sahara; I’m happy with it.

 

[multicam]

yes, the base system is garbage.

 

[TX_Ovrlnd]

Or can you do better going aftermarket for the same amount of money?

Ha, I read this as the aftermarket system they carry, not the factory. The factory Alpine sounds way better over the standard, it is worth it.

Alpine USA is releasing an updated version of the Alpine stereo with wireless CarPlay and a reduced price tag if you're looking for an aftermarket solution.

 

[AcesandEights]

I purposely ordered two options on my 2021, tow package and Alpine stereo. It's worth it to me. I ordered a 2022 and it's standard, so I'm happy.

 

[JeepinJason33]

Or can you do better going aftermarket for the same amount of money?

I custom ordered my 2021 Rubicon with non of the safety options so it was bare bones as possible. I ordered the cold weather package, tow package, the accessory switches, LED lights, and the 8.4 radio upgrade. If I had to do it over again, I would order the leather seats instead of the radio. I would also order the proximity locks as I did not know how much I actually used those. I ended up adding the locks myself for almost the same cost as ordering them from the factory. The LED lights are nice, but not as cool as I thought. The cloth seats soaked up the Moab dirt and were tough to clean so I swapped them out for leather on my own.

Back to the radio, the best part of the radio is the larger screen and that is it. The speakers were not great and I swapped them out with the MB Quart speakers. The system needs more power than the factory puts out to hear while the top is down so an amp is necessary.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

I had a rental Sahara withOUT the Alpine system when I was in California.

I missed it bad.

Definitely buy the Alpine system.

 

[X-Treme]

Yes, it is worth it. I had a Sport S with the base radio and sound and my new Rubicon has the Alpine system and it is leaps and bounds better! It may be garbage to some but for me, it is so much better!

 

[Martial Fartist]

Drove a rubi with and without the alpine before making my purchase. The base system was bad. Like... BAD. Imagine a rental car in the mid 90's that only had dash speakers because someone blew out the rears. Yeah it was bad. The difference was night and day with the alpine upgrade.

People complain that the alpine isn't that great for the $$$ and maybe they are right but I don't believe (besides being able to adjust the crossover) that any other aftermarket system will provide audiophile sound.

 

[viper88]

Or can you do better going aftermarket for the same amount of money?

Which model and engine are you considering? You get Electronic Active Noise Cancelling with the 8.4" Alpine on the 2.0T Rubicon and Sahara. I'd check to see if the 2.0T Sport models with the 8.4" Alpine has it if your considering a 2.0T.

I like it. The steering wheel controls and dash integration works nicely with the factory radio. Personally I would get it just to avoid any warranty issues from ignorant dealers.

 

[Xcoaste]

It is better than the base system, but not amazing. Not sure for the same amount of money you can get a professional install. If you are a DIY type of person, maybe you can do better. The nice thing about the Alpine is the factory sub enclosure built into the rear wheel well.

In my JKU I had the base system, and for about $1k I replaced the head unit, speakers, and added a sub. Sounded better than my Alpine in the JLU, but the install of the sub was less desirable.

 

[viper88]

Drove a rubi with and without the alpine before making my purchase. The base system was bad. Like... BAD. Imagine a rental car in the mid 90's that only had dash speakers because someone blew out the rears. Yeah it was bad. The difference was night and day with the alpine upgrade.

People complain that the alpine isn't that great for the $$$ and maybe they are right but I don't believe (besides being able to adjust the crossover) that any other aftermarket system will provide audiophile sound.

Wranglers are known to be noisy. Audiophile and Wrangler probably don't belong in the same sentence.

I agree the Alpine is a LOT better than the base radio. I think it's actually pretty good for a Wrangler.

 

[Terpsmandan]

Like they said, the 8.4" and Alpine are standard. If I could have I would have skipped the 8.4. I will be pulling the 8.4" on my 2022 for a Pioneer 4660NEX. My wife has a '21 with this kit and though it sounds ok, I am positive that the amp can take more input. I did a similar upgrade on my JK and the Pioneer HU's fed the amp more voltage than the factory HU and also did not attenuate the highs and lows like the 730N. Also the Pioneer has a 13 band EQ compared to the three band in the factory HU. I expect similar results with this swap and also swapping the dash and soundbar with Infinity speakers as well. In conclusion, I think the amp and wiring is what I see value in compared to building from scratch.

 

[DaltonGang]

It was the one, must have, option on my JL.

 

[Hogdreamer]

With the Alpine stereo in a 2021 Sahara with the One Touch Sky Top I never have any problems hearing the sound, even when going over 70 mph on the freeway. I would definitely order this option again.

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