Speaker upgrade Kicker....

[Tim_JLU]

Back in the day Kicker was a cheapo brand. Anyone have these? Better than OEM?

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[Midwestjeepguy]

Back in the day Kicker was a cheapo brand. Anyone have these? Better than OEM?

I have this exact kit and had the same thought as you did about Kicker still being a cheapo brand. It’s the KS series which is their ‘best’ line and I did some research. Reviews came back positive so I rolled the dice. I had the upgraded Alpine system and this sounds way better. It is plug and play but we warned the knee panel speakers are a chore to replace if you go with that kit. Some say it’s not worth the hassle but I’m glad I did it. Everything sounds fantastic with the stock 8” radio, Alpine amp and subwoofer. No clipping or audio issues of any kind - no matter the volume.

Can’t speak for how they do with an aftermarket amp though if you’re looking into that.

 

[JINO]

Kicker is not known for quality sound, even now.
It will be slightly louder, but not better.
If factory amp isn't replaced, I wouldn't waste my money.

 

[Bittercreek Kid]

I have the exact kit also. I did not opt for the knee panel speakers because of the PITA it is to install them. I think it sounds great although I'm no audiophile. It was an easy install, plug and play as they say. I believe that it sounds better than the Alpine system that we installed in my wife's JK.

 

[autotragic]

Back in the day Kicker was a cheapo brand. Anyone have these? Better than OEM?

Kicker jumped the shark when they started selling at Walmart.

 

[Midwestjeepguy]

Should have led with this in my initial reply. What you should get depends on your budget and what you're trying to accomplish. If you have the base factory audio system with no amp then I'd say it's not worth getting new speakers. You need amplification to take advantage of aftermarket speakers.

If you have the factory amp and want as little hassle as possible with an upgrade over stock in a fair price range, then Trail Seven offers multiple plug and play kits from various brands. They acquire all the harnesses, speakers, pods, etc. for you and wire them up so all you have to do is swap them out with factory. I have no affiliation with Trail Seven, there could be other vendors who do the same.

If you want true audiophile control and quality then be prepared to open your check book to source an aftermarket amp, highs, mids, sub, and a better EQ solution (new head unit or controller of some kind).

Something to consider with Wranglers is that speaker positioning is not optimal for a truly great audio experience. You have top dash speakers aimed up at a nearly vertical windshield and a speaker bar with speakers aimed straight down at the rear seat or cargo area. Because of this I decided it wasn't worth spending thousands to overhaul the entire system. I would have gladly returned the Kicker kit from Trail Seven and given an honest review of their crap quality if I felt that way. I have no loyalty to Kicker or Trail Seven. But I was pleasantly surprised at how much of a step up they are from the factory speakers. Vocals are clear and the mids round it all out well. Are there better speaker options? Yes. Are there better amp options? Yes. Just comes down to how much time and money you want to invest.

I lump speaker posts with oil, tires, and other divisive topics. A million opinions and approaches to it. Do your research outside of this forum as well and decide for yourself.

 

[bd100]

I'll argue that updating the dash and maybe the speaker bar 3.5" speakers is an improvement even with the base system. Better highs even if you don't need the power. I found that upgrading the sound bar 4" speakers was much less of an improvement.

 

[ScottishWillys]

I have the Alpine upgraded system but replaced the upper dash & soundbar with Infinity speakers. Used the JLJT pods to add in 6.5" components. Have left the lower dash speakers for now but I plan on replacing them to match the rest at some point.

 

[Upnarms]

I dont have the alpine system. I added a kicker 10" hideaway powered sub, put 3.5 cs kicker coax speakers in the dash. And o have the 6.5s on order for the sound bar. Way better than the factory stuff but i know without an amp for the dash and bar it isn't going to be great. These are 4ohm so they are a lot louder for sure. Honestly, i wouldn't go crazy with too high end speakers in a jeep, cause the vehicle isn't the greatest platform for acoustics. I dont think you will achieve a sound stage like you can in other vehicles just because of the hard top/ soft top, speaker placement, etc. Just my opinion but in my son's xj the sound system is way better with the same speaker setup

 

[au176]

I have the OEM Alpine premium system, whose biggest improvement over the base OEM speaker system is the amplifier and subwoofer. If you have the premium Alpine OEM system, this kit is a BIG improvement over the stock speakers. (You keep the existing amp and sub.) Looks like a Trail Seven "KS" kit? T-7 kits are nicely preassembled, with soldered connections, crossovers, and Tesa-taped harnesses- truly plug-n-play. I have the same thing, but Kicker's slightly lower "CS" line. DEFINITELY better than the Alpine speakers, but NOT as good as the Infiniti's or Polk's that I would normally use in vehicles. Alpine's "premium" speakers are all full-range, and the biggest ones are only 4" rounds.

When I was a young'un, Kicker's were meant to play loud music loudly- the sound quality came second. As a brand, I think they've improved somewhat, but their core strength of playing loudly is why I chose them for my Jeep. HiFi sound and a Jeep- especially with the top down- are not compatible. The better sound of better speakers will be lost in the wind.

TrailSeven's install videos are pretty good, especially for taking the dash apart to do the knee speakers. That job is not difficult, just tedious as there's like 50 clips and 30 screws! Instead of just having snap-on grills over the knee speakers, they are molded-in, so you pretty much have to take the dash apart to get at the speakers. You will spend that whole 2-3 hours cursing Jeep for NOT using separate grills. The other 4 speakers? A little over half hour total, including gathering tools. I DO think it's worth it to do the knee speakers, if you have time to kill.

If I had to change anything about my set-up:

• I should have optioned to do the 6.5" knees, instead of the 4". It was about a $200 upgrade because it also comes with new knee pods. The OEM/Alpine sub and 6.5" speakers in the soundbar do a nice job with the bass, but the sound "in front" of me could use a little more bass. (NOT worth taking the dash apart again! LOL!!!)
• If the KS line had been available when I bought mine, I would have paid the extra coin. I think they were just out of stock. The install videos were KS, and KS are back on their site, but they weren't there when I ordered mine. I don't know if the assumed increase in quality would justify the higher cost, but the upgrade would've only been about a $100 more, so worth the risk IMHO.

 

[JINO]

Should have led with this in my initial reply. What you should get depends on your budget and what you're trying to accomplish. If you have the base factory audio system with no amp then I'd say it's not worth getting new speakers. You need amplification to take advantage of aftermarket speakers.

If you have the factory amp and want as little hassle as possible with an upgrade over stock in a fair price range, then Trail Seven offers multiple plug and play kits from various brands. They acquire all the harnesses, speakers, pods, etc. for you and wire them up so all you have to do is swap them out with factory. I have no affiliation with Trail Seven, there could be other vendors who do the same.

If you want true audiophile control and quality then be prepared to open your check book to source an aftermarket amp, highs, mids, sub, and a better EQ solution (new head unit or controller of some kind).

Something to consider with Wranglers is that speaker positioning is not optimal for a truly great audio experience. You have top dash speakers aimed up at a nearly vertical windshield and a speaker bar with speakers aimed straight down at the rear seat or cargo area. Because of this I decided it wasn't worth spending thousands to overhaul the entire system. I would have gladly returned the Kicker kit from Trail Seven and given an honest review of their crap quality if I felt that way. I have no loyalty to Kicker or Trail Seven. But I was pleasantly surprised at how much of a step up they are from the factory speakers. Vocals are clear and the mids round it all out well. Are there better speaker options? Yes. Are there better amp options? Yes. Just comes down to how much time and money you want to invest.

I lump speaker posts with oil, tires, and other divisive topics. A million opinions and approaches to it. Do your research outside of this forum as well and decide for yourself.

I have seen pods that direct the highs and mids at you, though they take up the corners of your dash, and look unsightly IMO.

When i talked with these guys who sell Audiofrog, they said that with some heavy tuning, could really improve the stage, but when I saw the price, I said 'oh hail no'.
But, audiofrog was the closest I've heard to quality home stereo setups.

 

[Tim_JLU]

I am just looking for decent up grade over the oem speakers. I do not have the premium system, no sub.
I like the easy plug and play.
Quadratech sells the same type of kit with JBL's, maybe a tad better.
Looking at Crutchfield next.

 

[Deleted User 38384]

Back in the day Kicker was a cheapo brand. Anyone have these? Better than OEM?

If you paid the extra money for the premium audio system upgrade, I would just save your money. There's better ways to throw away your money. Unless of course you really have your heart set on flushing your money, you can always wire it to me and all put it into my next stupid modification.

But real talk, if you're a cheap OEM speaker guy like me, the kicker is a decent upgrade at low cost. I installed the sound bar speakers and the dash speakers, mostly to get rid of the vibrating and bad sound quality when I'm driving around at highway speeds with the windows down and the volume all the way up. Though these kickers are cheap, they do plenty good at max volume and definitely improve the quality of the base level speakers that come on Wranglers. They aren't high-end by any stretch, but they are better than the cheapo factory ones.

I do plan on upgrading those speakers to a better sound system at some point, but for now $150 for four speakers is good for me.

 

[virkdoc]

I am just looking for decent up grade over the oem speakers. I do not have the premium system, no sub.
I like the easy plug and play.
Quadratech sells the same type of kit with JBL's, maybe a tad better.
Looking at Crutchfield next.

Crutchfield has so many options...looking at Infinity Kappa for the upper dashboard

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