Plug and Play amp upgrade to basic system

[JeepKindaGuy]

So I read this whole thread and still have some questions. Will replacing the knee speakers and the large sound bar speakers to better speakers but the same size (not to 6.5” speakers) along with the two dash speakers and the two sound bar speakers to the kicker upgrade require the amp mentioned in post #1?



I am coming from a JKU which required me to just drop in four new kicker speakers same size as stock for the large speakers and I was more than happy with the sound. No sub or amp. If you are familiar with the kicker upgrade for the JK’s you will know what I mean and am looking for in the JL.



I also don’t want to get 6.5” speakers if I don’t have to. I’d love to just get better stock size speakers and drop them in and move on, but not sure if I would need an amp, as in the JK I didn’t need an amp.



Thanks!

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[Liberty0rDeath]

So I read this whole thread and still have some questions. Will replacing the knee speakers and the large sound bar speakers to better speakers but the same size (not to 6.5” speakers) along with the two dash speakers and the two sound bar speakers to the kicker upgrade require the amp mentioned in post #1?



I am coming from a JKU which required me to just drop in four new kicker speakers same size as stock for the large speakers and I was more than happy with the sound. No sub or amp. If you are familiar with the kicker upgrade for the JK’s you will know what I mean and am looking for in the JL.



I also don’t want to get 6.5” speakers if I don’t have to. I’d love to just get better stock size speakers and drop them in and move on, but not sure if I would need an amp, as in the JK I didn’t need an amp.



Thanks!

The only speakers I switched that I did not upgrade in size were the kicker upgraded dash speakers and it sounded amazing without adding an amp or switching the others.

I would imagine these would also be plug and play elsewhere (soundbar and knee) and make a difference but I can’t say that I’ve heard that set up specifically.

The problem people run into are that there are limited replacements that are the same size and have a three point versus four point attachment, which is why people (myself included) just went ahead and got the bigger speaker sizes.

 

[JeepKindaGuy]

The only speakers I switched that I did not upgrade in size were the kicker upgraded dash speakers and it sounded amazing without adding an amp or switching the others.

I would imagine these would also be plug and play elsewhere (soundbar and knee) and make a difference but I can’t say that I’ve heard that set up specifically.

The problem people run into are that there are limited replacements that are the same size and have a three point versus four point attachment, which is why people (myself included) just went ahead and got the bigger speaker sizes.

I used to own your average sedan back in the day and it came with 6.5" speakers in the read deck of the car as well as I think ~5" speakers in the door with an upgraded single din radio and the car was in my opinion loud and clear. Just looking for that kind of duplication in sound with the JLU.

The 4 hole 4" speakers are not intimidating as drilling an extra hole is pretty straight forward, but just not sure If I would need an amp for replacing those.

How is your base with what you did?

 

[Liberty0rDeath]

I used to own your average sedan back in the day and it came with 6.5" speakers in the read deck of the car as well as I think ~5" speakers in the door with an upgraded single din radio and the car was in my opinion loud and clear. Just looking for that kind of duplication in sound with the JLU.

The 4 hole 4" speakers are not intimidating as drilling an extra hole is pretty straight forward, but just not sure If I would need an amp for replacing those.

How is your base with what you did?

I don’t have a powered subwoofer like the other members so it’s definitely lacking in that regard. I think a sub is a wise upgrade.

 

[Goosed]

So I read this whole thread and still have some questions. Will replacing the knee speakers and the large sound bar speakers to better speakers but the same size (not to 6.5” speakers) along with the two dash speakers and the two sound bar speakers to the kicker upgrade require the amp mentioned in post #1?



I am coming from a JKU which required me to just drop in four new kicker speakers same size as stock for the large speakers and I was more than happy with the sound. No sub or amp. If you are familiar with the kicker upgrade for the JK’s you will know what I mean and am looking for in the JL.



I also don’t want to get 6.5” speakers if I don’t have to. I’d love to just get better stock size speakers and drop them in and move on, but not sure if I would need an amp, as in the JK I didn’t need an amp.



Thanks!

If you are replacing the kick panel speakers,do it right the first time and go big and good. After you rip apart the dash to access them, you won’t want to do it again. I got mid level JL Audio components, and now wish I would have done focal 3 way component speakers. However, becauseof the semi PITA process it took to replace them, I’m stuck with them.

 

[JeepKindaGuy]

If you are replacing the kick panel speakers,do it right the first time and go big and good. After you rip apart the dash to access them, you won’t want to do it again. I got mid level JL Audio components, and now wish I would have done focal 3 way component speakers. However, becauseof the semi PITA process it took to replace them, I’m stuck with them.

I installed them in my JKU and it wasn't that bad. I did use the 77kick10's in my knee and sound bar and unplugged the dash tweeters and sound bar tweeters and that level of sound was just what I was looking for. Was planning on doing the same but it appears the JLU's are different and upgrading the stock size speakers with the same size but better quality speakers would not be powered enough. Or is this not true. Don't want 6.5" speakers, nor want a sub, but the tiny amp would work well since its so simple, but not sure if I would need an amp for same size speaker upgrade. Might just have to give it a shot and then report back. Every conversation I have read on this forum seems to just jump right into subs and amps and am looking for someone who didn't use a sub.

 

[Varilux]

So I read this whole thread and still have some questions. Will replacing the knee speakers and the large sound bar speakers to better speakers but the same size (not to 6.5” speakers) along with the two dash speakers and the two sound bar speakers to the kicker upgrade require the amp mentioned in post #1?

The very first upgrade I made to my base 7" system was replacing the top dash speakers with the Mopar 77KICK25AB speakers (there's a link to them in the first post). These are 4" speakers that drop right in the exact same spot as your current speaker, and they work just fine with the stock head unit with absolutely no amplification. The 77KICK25AB speakers created an immediate improvement to the sound, and I later replaced the 4" soundbar speakers with them as well (although changing out the soundbar speakers didn't make nearly as much difference as swapping out the dash speakers). I later upped the speaker size in the soundbar to 6.5", and that really improved things a lot IMO.

Nevertheless, if the only thing you do is upgrade the dash speakers to the 4" 77KICK25AB speakers, this alone will create a marked improvement.

 

[JeepKindaGuy]

The very first upgrade I made to my base 7" system was replacing the top dash speakers with the Mopar 77KICK25AB speakers (there's a link to them in the first post). These are 4" speakers that drop right in the exact same spot as your current speaker, and they work just fine with the stock head unit with absolutely no amplification. The 77KICK25AB speakers created an immediate improvement to the sound, and I later replaced the 4" soundbar speakers with them as well (although changing out the soundbar speakers didn't make nearly as much difference as swapping out the dash speakers). I later upped the speaker size in the soundbar to 6.5", and that really improved things a lot IMO.

Nevertheless, if the only thing you do is upgrade the dash speakers to the 4" 77KICK25AB speakers, this alone will create a marked improvement.

I have read a lot of long paged threads and people seem to say that these speakers you mentioned seem to fix highs and mids but leave the lows lacking. I might have to go one row of speakers at a time and experiment. I am more than happy with well powered ~4" speakers and the sound they give off. I wonder if there is a place that describes the JK vs JL audio configurations for stock systems. I'll just plug the speakers in and turn the radio on without installing them completely and if things don't sound good, can always return. My reading makes me think that the JKU stock radio is more powerful and capable than the JLU when it comes to powering same size speaker upgrades.

 

[Varilux]

For sure, if you want to hear the bass foundation of your tunes, a sub is almost necessary with the base system (but it doesn't have to be very big- the little 8" 125W sub I have under the seat delivers plenty of thump). If you really don't want to add a sub, you might be able to get away with swapping to 6.5" speakers in the soundbar and bridging the speaker feeds (but I get you don't want to go that route either).

I was actually pretty darn impressed by how those little 4" KICKER speakers handled mid/low tones. If you put your hand on them, you can feel them doing their best to thump away up there in the dash. Honestly, if there hadn't been such an easy / relatively inexpensive way to add the Alpine amp, I probably wouldn't have done it, but now that I have it is clear that the speakers are a lot happier seeing some power.

Good luck with your build!

 

[TJJL19]

I'm going to add a sub and do the 445u at the same time. I don't know how any of you went through the firewall, I was looking for sugestion,I ran across these on you tube.

 

[Goosed]

I installed them in my JKU and it wasn't that bad. I did use the 77kick10's in my knee and sound bar and unplugged the dash tweeters and sound bar tweeters and that level of sound was just what I was looking for. Was planning on doing the same but it appears the JLU's are different and upgrading the stock size speakers with the same size but better quality speakers would not be powered enough. Or is this not true. Don't want 6.5" speakers, nor want a sub, but the tiny amp would work well since its so simple, but not sure if I would need an amp for same size speaker upgrade. Might just have to give it a shot and then report back. Every conversation I have read on this forum seems to just jump right into subs and amps and am looking for someone who didn't use a sub.

I agree the JK install was easy. But not the JL. Totally different beast. Just forewarning. And for what it’s worth, nothing for speaker replacement will give you much bass. Everything you’re dropping speakers into is plastic. Nothing stout enough to get richness out of speakers.

 

[JeepKindaGuy]

The very first upgrade I made to my base 7" system was replacing the top dash speakers with the Mopar 77KICK25AB speakers (there's a link to them in the first post). These are 4" speakers that drop right in the exact same spot as your current speaker, and they work just fine with the stock head unit with absolutely no amplification. The 77KICK25AB speakers created an immediate improvement to the sound, and I later replaced the 4" soundbar speakers with them as well (although changing out the soundbar speakers didn't make nearly as much difference as swapping out the dash speakers). I later upped the speaker size in the soundbar to 6.5", and that really improved things a lot IMO.

Nevertheless, if the only thing you do is upgrade the dash speakers to the 4" 77KICK25AB speakers, this alone will create a marked improvement.

In your original post you mentioned a specific 4 channel amp, if I upgraded all 8 of my speakers, how would they all receive from this 4 channel amp? Sorry if it is a bad question, really have no background in this area. Thanks

 

[Varilux]

I'm going to add a sub and do the 445u at the same time. I don't know how any of you went through the firewall, I was looking for sugestion,I ran across these on you tube.

That second video demonstrated every step really well (wish I had seen it before wiring my sub). In the end I didn't go through the firewall at all. Instead, I went from the same battery post as the guy in the video, and then went underneath. If you look behind the passenger wheel well, there is a boxed rail that runs back the Jeep. I routed the sub power through that rail- which passes right by the rear drain plug (at least in the two door, there is a rubber drain plug under the carpet right behind the front seat). I ran the power cable back to that plug, drilled a hole in the plug (like he did with the grommet at the firewall), ran the power cable through the plug then a short distance under the carpet to come out under the seat. Everything is still waterproof, because the hole in the rubber plug is slightly less diameter than the power cable. I like this route better because if you're putting the sub under the passenger seat, it just doesn't make sense to me to run the power cable the whole way across the back of the engine bay, through the firewall, and then back across the Jeep to the passenger side (plus, to be honest, I didn't know about that factory hole in the firewall until I watched the video you posted ). Anyway, the route I used is completely protected- there's no way the cable is ever getting pinched or snagged (unless I crush the boxed rail, in which case I'll have bigger issues).

In your original post you mentioned a specific 4 channel amp, if I upgraded all 8 of my speakers, how would they all receive from this 4 channel amp? Sorry if it is a bad question, really have no background in this area. Thanks

It's a good question, and one I wondered about as well. From what I can tell, although there are 8 speakers, there are only four channels. The upper dash and knee panel speakers all feed off the two front channels and the four speakers in the sound bar all feed off the two rear channels. When I went to the 6.5" speakers in the sound bar, I connected both speaker feeds to each speaker. I'm told this is called "bridging," and it really seemed to make the 6.5" speakers sound full- this makes me suspect there is a crossover somewhere in the rear channel wiring that directs different frequencies to each speaker in the back, but I could be wrong. Since my 6.5" speakers have both a woofer and tweeter cone, it would make sense they would sound better when they receive the full frequency range. Either way, the head unit only produces four channels of sound.

The KTP amps all four channels, and allows you to set filters on them as well (so you can limit the signal going to the front speakers to mostly high frequencies, and put most of the bass in the back- even if you aren't installing a sub).

 

[JeepKindaGuy]

That second video demonstrated every step really well (wish I had seen it before wiring my sub). In the end I didn't go through the firewall at all. Instead, I went from the same battery post as the guy in the video, and then went underneath. If you look behind the passenger wheel well, there is a boxed rail that runs back the Jeep. I routed the sub power through that rail- which passes right by the rear drain plug (at least in the two door, there is a rubber drain plug under the carpet right behind the front seat). I ran the power cable back to that plug, drilled a hole in the plug (like he did with the grommet at the firewall), ran the power cable through the plug then a short distance under the carpet to come out under the seat. Everything is still waterproof, because the hole in the rubber plug is slightly less diameter than the power cable. I like this route better because if you're putting the sub under the passenger seat, it just doesn't make sense to me to run the power cable the whole way across the back of the engine bay, through the firewall, and then back across the Jeep to the passenger side (plus, to be honest, I didn't know about that factory hole in the firewall until I watched the video you posted ). Anyway, the route I used is completely protected- there's no way the cable is ever getting pinched or snagged (unless I crush the boxed rail, in which case I'll have bigger issues).

It's a good question, and one I wondered about as well. From what I can tell, although there are 8 speakers, there are only four channels. The upper dash and knee panel speakers all feed off the two front channels and the four speakers in the sound bar all feed off the two rear channels. When I went to the 6.5" speakers in the sound bar, I connected both speaker feeds to each speaker. I'm told this is called "bridging," and it really seemed to make the 6.5" speakers sound full- this makes me suspect there is a crossover somewhere in the rear channel wiring that directs different frequencies to each speaker in the back, but I could be wrong. Since my 6.5" speakers have both a woofer and tweeter cone, it would make sense they would sound better when they receive the full frequency range. Either way, the head unit only produces four channels of sound.

The KTP amps all four channels, and allows you to set filters on them as well (so you can limit the signal going to the front speakers to mostly high frequencies, and put most of the bass in the back- even if you aren't installing a sub).

So of these two harnesses - which one would I buy if I don't have a sub? I am assuming the T-harness but I could find no info on that. Thanks
Alpine 820SVV90ZUD-PQKUQV Main Harness ($42.86)
Alpine 820SVV90ZUD-WKUQV T-Harness ($42.86)

 

[Liberty0rDeath]

So of these two harnesses - which one would I buy if I don't have a sub? I am assuming the T-harness but I could find no info on that. Thanks
Alpine 820SVV90ZUD-PQKUQV Main Harness ($42.86)
Alpine 820SVV90ZUD-WKUQV T-Harness ($42.86)

You want both (I don’t have a sub yet). The main harness ties into the t-harness which runs to the KTP.

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