Speaker selection for $500 upgrade

[gt5426c]

I want to upgrade the sound of my JLUR but am trying to work within a $500 budget. I have the standard 8 speaker system (did not get the Alpine upgrade). At this point I think my best option is to replace top dash and sound bar speakers now. I'll save the amp/dsp, lower dash speakers, and possibly a sub for the future.

My leading candidate is the JL C2-350X in the dash with the JL C2-650 in the soundbar. My hope is that this will provide a much cleaner soundstage by improving clarity of mids and highs from the front and then a little bit of roundness with the larger speaker in the soundbar. Would love feedback from anyone who has gone this route or maybe went with a different solution at a similar price point.

I'd rather spend a bit more on fewer components that I'll be happy with down the road then do everything cheaply. Thanks for your help!

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[1Evil55]

I have exactly those same 3.5's in the dash and 6.5's in the bar. You will notice an improvement with just the speakers. It won't be enough to block wind noise if you're highway driving with windows down however. I ended up adding an amp after all partly because I stumbled across a stealthbox for cheap. I love my mini system now that it is amplified. Be careful going down this road as it can snowball..

 

[TimC]

I was missing the highs.
I got a set of dash speakers from Terra Accoustics and couldn’t believe the difference by adding the tweeters. (Not cheap) Worth it for me.

 

[gt5426c]

I was missing the highs.
I got a set of dash speakers from Terra Accoustics and couldn’t believe the difference by adding the tweeters. (Not cheap) Worth it for me.

Those were definitely on my list and I like the idea of the Terra Acoustics, just hate the wait! Glad it's working well for you.

 

[gt5426c]

I have exactly those same 3.5's in the dash and 6.5's in the bar. You will notice an improvement with just the speakers. It won't be enough to block wind noise if you're highway driving with windows down however. I ended up adding an amp after all partly because I stumbled across a stealthbox for cheap. I love my mini system now that it is amplified. Be careful going down this road as it can snowball..

Which amp did you wind up putting in? It does look like they have some reasonable items as well. I don't have any illusions of making this an audiophile type system, but I am hoping to make some significant improvements on what is there at the moment.

 

[1Evil55]

Which amp did you wind up putting in? It does look like they have some reasonable items as well. I don't have any illusions of making this an audiophile type system, but I am hoping to make some significant improvements on what is there at the moment.

Kenwood XR901-5
I'm a JL fanboy since the 90's with my cars filled with 3 W6's. I skimped on the amp though. This is a $500 amp all day. 5 channels to power the dash, sound bar, and sub. I'm not convinced I need to replace and power the knee speakers yet.

 

[Jebiruph]

Here's what I did. https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/base-system-speaker-upgrade.75015/post-1562924

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