Yup, you are right. Here is pic of stock speakers etc. you can see what it would take to cut everything out. I actually think if I took my time I could gut it and mount 6.5” components
The resistors are required. UConnect is shutting each channel down without them. Installed them right before the JL Fix86.
It's hard to say because I haven't had a chance to try anything in the base models yet. The only speakers I have used and confirmed work well in the factory ported enclosures are the Morel Hybrid series and Virtus series, but they are very inefficient speakers. They need decent power (like minimum 50, ideally 70-100 watts RMS to perform). As Steve noted, the enclosure makes a difference and although the quality of the stock speakers are pretty poor, they're designed to give you the best output it can in that specific size enclosure.
Excellent post! Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I did read your detailed blog post, and it was excellent as well. I have a few questions. I've gone back and forth about a gazillion times about what I want to do. I thought I had my mind made up, until I had a chance to listen to a morel setup (in a non-Jeep SUV) at Jeep Beach, and that made me question my decisions. Now your post about the 4" morels sends me back to square 1.
On your first point -- I had the same concern. Although I don't have experience with them, Alpine does have a couple of weather-resistant amps in their power pack series. The KTA-30FW provides 4 channels @75W(4 ohms), and for the sub, the KTA-30MW provides 300W (2 ohms). Both are IP66-rated (spraying, spashing, water jets OK, but not protected for total immersion), and both are rather compact, at 7 inches by just under 4 inches, so there ought to be some flexibility in placement/mounting options.
Unless they've updated it, the LSA-4 doesn't work with UConnect in our Jeeps. If anyone's had luck getting it to work, feel free to share.
As a former HAT guy, I loved my widebander L3SE's in the dash, and I *think* they can work in the JL. Also to the point about the resistor trick, I'd be curious what she's had to do at the shop on premium alpine stock setups while using the CH4 adapter
The L3SE's could work with some custom fabrication, though just remember the kick panel speakers are angled downward slightly. You would probably want to seal the enclosures, removing the ports for the stock speakers. I'd be very interested in your results if you do it. Our Jeeps are screaming for good mid-bass.Bumping this to the top because I'm as interested her response to some of these questions too
Yea, the tricky part are the knee panels. My last midbass speaker matching/sound imaging exercise was with a pair of ml182s in the door and molding that midbass with the sundown in the rear. I'm really fighting the urge to have someone just modify the 2 knee enclosures to fit a 6.5. I know others have done it. What i want to hear though for myself is someone amping a quality 4" and eqing for midbass freqs only at the knee.
Yes - I've had both. The Hybrid's have better mid range response, well worth it.Excellent post! Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I did read your detailed blog post, and it was excellent as well. I have a few questions. I've gone back and forth about a gazillion times about what I want to do. I thought I had my mind made up, until I had a chance to listen to a morel setup (in a non-Jeep SUV) at Jeep Beach, and that made me question my decisions. Now your post about the 4" morels sends me back to square 1.
My latest decision was to modify the knee panel enclosures to take the Audiofrog GS60s, and put GS25s in the dash, just a pair of GS40s in the sound bar for filler. I've also gone back and forth on something like the HAT L3/4SE, or Unity U3s (for cost). I've read some recent news about dust caps falling off on the HATs. I've run Unities in previous builds and loved them, but this concerns me, so I think I'm sold on moving on from HAT. The Morels look like very nice wideband speakers like the HATs too, which is a bonus for something this size. Are the Hybrids that much better than the Virtus in this poor accoustic environment that we have?
So, my first question - Have you heard the Audiofrog stuff? It's a good $200 cheaper than the Morel Hybrids, so I think it might be worth investigating at least (though the setup I heard with Morel Tempos was /really/ good). The biggest advantage to the Morels is not having to chop up the knee panel enclosures.
My second question is around the PAC pre-amp adapter. It has been my understanding that the alpine amp in the Jeep controls things like which speakers receive the phone call and navigation audio. If you use the PAC adapter and bypass the factory amp, do those things go to all of the speakers? Or, am I wrong about this, and the headunit is controlling this?
The PDXV9 looks like the perfect amp to run this system (passively anyway), except that I worry about water. We run our Jeep without top and doors as often as possible, and have been known to get more than a little wet. I've even removed the carpet, and raptor lined the entire interior, and enjoy hosing it out when it gets dirty.
Finally, in reading all of your responses here, it sounds like you haven't had to use resistors to trick the 8.4" uConnect headunit into seeing a load to turn on specific channels in all of your installs with the premium alpine system. Did I interpret that correctly?
Thanks again for your time, and expertise here!
All you have to do is read the specs on the 4's. Even the high-end 4's have significant mid-bass limitations. 5.25's get closer, but as you know 6.5's are about as close as we can get. The enclosures can be modified to accommodate 6.5's, but you'll pretty much have to chop the entire top off of the enclosure, seal it and fabricate a fiberglass (or similar) custom mount. Sure do wish there were room in the doors, but...
I'm telling y'all it's not necessary with the right equipment. I will post on Monday RTA results with pink noise in our green machine with the Morel Hybrids
we can compare it to the RTA curve I posted earlier from the Hellcat which had the 6.5" 3-ways and a 12" sub. Hubby says mid bass response is a product of having the right crossover point of your subwoofer, having it time aligned (or phase corrected) and also having the right high pass filter on the 4". He says phasing/time correction is one of the most important aspects which is why a DSP is so necessary. Without it, it can sound like the woofer is far away in the trunk somewhere disconnected. Once the two wavelengths are connected and aligned between the woofer and whatever size mid bass driver you have (4", 5.25" or 6.5") you will not be able to tell where the woofer is coming from.Hi! I have a JL with 7” Uconnect. Tried to have Focal ICU100 speakers put in without an amp/additional modifications however when they were connected, no sound came out.
