Rewiring stock Alpine sub

[Eddiechi]

Are you aware of any direct aftermarket replacements for the Tang Band W8Q-1071F ?? I know I did a search a long while back during my initial install and found nothing but rumours of future direct fit upgrades......

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[GATORB8]

Are you aware of any direct aftermarket replacements for the Tang Band W8Q-1071F ?? I know I did a search a long while back during my initial install and found nothing but rumours of future direct fit upgrades......

Have you checked Parts Express?

 

[AnnDee4444]

Are you aware of any direct aftermarket replacements for the Tang Band W8Q-1071F ?? I know I did a search a long while back during my initial install and found nothing but rumours of future direct fit upgrades......

I can't even find it for sale. It appears to have been discontinued a few years ago, and possibly never sold in the United States.

More OEM amplifier information for reference

I've also noticed the 2-door's magnet is significantly larger than the 4-door, and looks closer to something aftermarket sized. I would bet it's rating is more than 200W.

4-Door:

 

[AnnDee4444]

You could always power the sub with a small 4-channel amp like the JL MX280/4 (70W RMS x 4 @ 2Ω). I assume the OEM amplifier ratings are peak values (46W x 4 = 184W), so the MX280/4 would be roughly 3x more power than OEM.

https://www.jlaudio.com/products/mx280-4-car-audio-mx-amplifiers-98405

 

[GATORB8]

You could always power the sub with a small 4-channel amp like the JL MX280/4 (70W RMS x 4 @ 2Ω). I assume the OEM amplifier ratings are peak values (46W x 4 = 184W), so the MX280/4 would be roughly 3x more power than OEM.

https://www.jlaudio.com/products/mx280-4-car-audio-mx-amplifiers-98405

As another option. The MBQ system uses a combination of their similar powersports amps. The Alpine replacement sub is powered with the NA2-400.1
https://mbquart.com/shop/marine/marine-amplifiers/na2-400-1-nautic-400-watt-amplifier/

Would need a LOC, though.

 

[Eddiechi]

I can't even find it for sale. It appears to have been discontinued a few years ago, and possibly never sold in the United States.

More OEM amplifier information for reference

I've also noticed the 2-door's magnet is significantly larger than the 4-door, and looks closer to something aftermarket sized. I would bet it's rating is more than 200W.

4-Door:

Yeah I noticed right away it was a pretty hefty magnet for oem - dont think Ive seen an oem sub with magnet that size since Lexus used to use Nakamchi subs as oem as they are usually pretty dinky/generic magnets. Once I rewire the 4 coils and add some poloyfill and dynamat I will push the oem sub quite a bit and test its range w/DSP on the Jl Audio vx1000/5i and use its TuN app too see what it can handle....

back when I did the first install a couple yrs ago I read about some companies like JLAudio and maybe mbquart or another company looking into designing/producing replacements subs for 2dr that are efficient in .5 cubic ft space but havent stayed up on the topic

 

[Eddiechi]

Just gunna drop this 30 second video I found for reference for anyone else searching for info on wiring oem sub in future...........

 

[AnnDee4444]

As another option. The MBQ system uses a combination of their similar powersports amps. The Alpine replacement sub is powered with the NA2-400.1
https://mbquart.com/shop/marine/marine-amplifiers/na2-400-1-nautic-400-watt-amplifier/

Would need a LOC, though.

I thought about that too but liked how the JL MX280/4 has high-level inputs, and being 4-channel you could keep the wiring to the subwoofer unchanged. It might even be possible to build a plug-n-play harness with the amplifier mounted near the factory one.

Yeah I noticed right away it was a pretty hefty magnet for oem - dont think Ive seen an oem sub with magnet that size since Lexus used to use Nakamchi subs as oem as they are usually pretty dinky/generic magnets. Once I rewire the 4 coils and add some poloyfill and dynamat I will push the oem sub quite a bit and test its range w/DSP on the Jl Audio vx1000/5i and use its TuN app too see what it can handle....

Looks like this subwoofer was originally used in the 2016 JK (in a different 15-liter box), and they likely didn't change drivers for the JL (2-door). The 4-door's sub is probably sized appropriately to the amplifier power, for cost savings.

back when I did the first install a couple yrs ago I read about some companies like JLAudio and maybe mbquart or another company looking into designing/producing replacements subs for 2dr that are efficient in .5 cubic ft space but havent stayed up on the topic

I've seen that JL Audio's 4-door subwoofers will fit the 2-door, but never any 2-door specific replacement/upgrades. It's like an armrest... https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...to-your-2dr-today.81248/page-251#post-2750451

 

[AnnDee4444]

Couple of interesting things about the JK's subwoofer in this video at 12:40 & 27:09. Since they were attempting performance of two 8" subwoofers, I can see how the subwoofer was possibly over-built.

 

[AnnDee4444]

From another forum that I probably can't mention here.

"I think Jim Walter (who designed the upgraded '15 and newer 9 speaker Alpine system) was really on to something with the speakers, sub and OEM amplifier provided in this package, but FCA cut him off at the knees and insisted on using head units already in the parts bin somewhere near the end of the design team's deadline (too late to be addressed by proper equalization in the amp itself). It seems a little too convenient that Alpine's aftermarket Wrangler re-style head units address some of the system's biggest issues...they aren't cheap, but would be a worthy upgrade path."​

​

I found his LinkedIn, but can't message him without paying for premium. If someone else can get through, it sure would be nice to know more about the subwoofer wattage.

 

[AnnDee4444]

Sorry to keep spamming this thread, but I thought of something else that could hurt the 2-door JL's subwoofer performance vs. the original JK design: the cubby is stamped metal in the JK, while the JL is a plastic tub. In the first video above (@13:25), there's reference to the foam padding on the underside of the enclosure and how important connection between the enclosure & body is... which the JL doesn't really get.


JK - continuous metal body:

JL with cubby removed to show (lack of) structure

JL foam padding (with my added sound deadening). The foam is apparently designed to compress against the body for a more rigid connection.

 

[Eddiechi]

Couple of interesting things about the JK's subwoofer in this video at 12:40 & 27:09. Since they were attempting performance of two 8" subwoofers, I can see how the subwoofer was possibly over-built.

Well I didnt have watching a 40min alpine video on my checklist of things to do today or this week but it was interesting.... seeing the investment spent on design and technology with isolating speakers and reinforcement from the bottom up my first inclination was they had to kneecap the head unit or amp for some reason because it seems they created all these expensive design changes but seemed not to take advantage of them and wonder if the headunit/amp was purposely limited to cut costs in the end product and the potential of the system never fully reached

 

[AnnDee4444]

Well I didnt have watching a 40min alpine video on my checklist of things to do today or this week but it was interesting.... seeing the investment spent on design and technology with isolating speakers and reinforcement from the bottom up my first inclination was they had to kneecap the head unit or amp for some reason because it seems they created all these expensive design changes but seemed not to take advantage of them and wonder if the headunit/amp was purposely limited to cut costs in the end product and the potential of the system never fully reached

It does seem odd that there's twelve channels of 46 watts, rather than eight x 46W and one or two appropriately sized for the sub. It must be easier to just keep adding channels of the same wattage and change the speaker windings, or it's some shared component with another vehicle.

I haven't checked the JL's soundbar chambers, but I'd bet it's not built as well as the JK's. Also couldn't help but notice the mid-bass speakers were 6" in the JK and 4" in the JL...

All this is kind of adding up to me thinking the 2016 JK had everything dialed in, and Jim Walter leaving Alpine in 2017 means that they just kind of "modified" everything to fit the JL without actually knowing the intent of the original design. Customers complained about the in-floor sub which is why the 4-door JL moved to the side, and FCA had to design a new subwoofer that only needed to handle 4 x 46W. The 2-door didn't have room for the side-mount, so they barely modified the JK subwoofer box to fit and kept the massively oversized subwoofer instead of designing a new strange-sized speaker.

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