Upgrading my 2012 JKUR Audio System (Pics of progress)

thedrod · Apr 27, 2015

Hello everybody.

Just wanting to share some info and pics as I go.
I started photographing a bit late but better late than never. I'll post more pics as I go.

I had a blown speaker in my dash and I decided to take my tax refund and upgrade the sound system.

I didn't want anything that'd make me cry if it got stolen, so I tried to keep it relatively simple and affordable.

Parts ordered:

Alpine CDE-HD149BT CD Receiver (Single DIN)
This is a simple looking head unit but its packed with good features.
Didn't want a big NAV unit.

Kicker 40CSS654 6-1/2" Component Speakers
To replace the dash woofers and tweeters

Kicker 40CS654 6-1/2" 2-way Speakers
To replace the soundbar speakers in the rear

Alpine PDX-V9 Amp
4 x 100w rms + 500w rms x 1 for sub channel.

1st thing I'd like to mention is that these components come with tweeters that fit in the factory pods without modification whatsover.
See pics below.

Also the 6.5 woofers for the dash seem to be much beefier. (photo attached)

I purchased an underseat JK seat mount for my amp and mounted the alpine amplifier there. (photo attached)

Pics of progress will be added as I get more done.

H8ROADS · Apr 27, 2015

Nice, do keep this updated. Would love to see the finished product and hear your feedback on the components.

thedrod · May 5, 2015

Got everything wired up and put back together.

I have to say that I am extremely impressed. I will post more pictures tonight.

So complete set up is as follows:

Alpine CDE-HD149BT CD Receiver $299
Single DIN unit - did not want a flashy screen receiver, just pure function. Features time correction, 4v pre-outs, Bluetooth, etc

Kicker 40CSS654 6-1/2" Component Speakers $149
Modest priced components with tweeters. Fit perfectly in tweeter pods.

Kicker 40CS654 6-1/2" 2-way Speakers $69
Just something simple to fill the soundbar with.

iDatalink Maestro ADS-MRR Universal Radio Replacement & SWI $74.99
Little black box to retain steering wheel controls.

iDatalink HRN-RR-CH1 Install Harness for select Chrysler Products $19.99
Integrates aftermarket radio with the Maestro unit

JL Audio Stealthbox Single 13" 2007-Up Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Black $949
I think we all know what this is.

Alpine PDX-V9 5-channel car amplifier — 100 watts RMS x 4 + 500 watts RMS x 1 $479
This might be the single best all around amp I've ever used...hands down.
For the power received, the size of the amp, and the simplicity of connections and configuration....unless you are a bass junky and need more than 500W RMS this amp is a one stop shop.
This fits perfectly under the seat with the famous JK underseat amp bracket you can find on ebay.

I also had to order two interior trim pieces for the trunk because I was removing my factory subwoofer. ($110)

So all in, start to finish I spent about $2200

In retrospect, I wish I would not have spent the $1800 to add the "premium" sound option to my Rubicon from the factory. What a f***ing joke.

I wish a video recording of the system would do it justice, but this setup is clear and smooth. No harshness. Very full sounding. I still need to tweak the settings of the amp (gains, crossover) but even at flat settings, its night and day.

H8ROADS · May 5, 2015

Kicker makes a good product. I'm interested in seeing someone take on the redesigned 2015 speaker pods.

thedrod · May 5, 2015

H8ROADS said:
Kicker makes a good product. I'm interested in seeing someone take on the redesigned 2015 speaker pods.

A friend of mine picked up a 2015. I have to say I'm not fond of an upwards firing tweeter. I'd be interested to see what people do with them as well.

HoosierWolf · May 5, 2015

I have a set of speakers for my dash that I've not installed yet. How much of a pain was it to install yours? Most of the videos and writes up I've found are for the 07-10 dashboards and I have a '13

toxicwaste29 · May 6, 2015

Did you have the alpine system? I typically run mine above 30 with the it completely naked (no doors or top) on the highway and I haven't blown a speaker yet.

JK_Dave · May 6, 2015

thedrod said:
JL Audio Stealthbox Single 13" 2007-Up Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Black $949
I think we all know what this is.

Can we see some pics of this?

Sithwindu · May 6, 2015

I wish I could find a legit option for the soundbar! That seems to be the biggest problem!! That and volume, how is volume with doors and top off (I usually compare to street glides that sound 10x louder than my damn setup lol)

big dr · May 6, 2015

Rod,, Did you use any foam fill or hush mat in the sound bar? I did this( with 6.5" speakers) and the sound difference is incredible. Just a suggestion if you didnt do it already.

n3tfury · May 6, 2015

The 2015's have tweeters that aim vertically? LOL, wow.

Nhfd01 · May 6, 2015

What are your thoughts of the stealth box? I was looking at adding it just haven't heard one. Would it compare to two 10's?

n3tfury · May 6, 2015

Nhfd01 said:
What are your thoughts of the stealth box? I was looking at adding it just haven't heard one. Would it compare to two 10's?

Compare how? Tonally? Hz ratings? db? Power efficiency/consumption? Lots of variables here. Also, if space is a huge deal to you, you'd be hard pressed to do better than the stealthbox. However, I can assure you that you can get better performance from two 10's in an optimized box.

clownman · May 6, 2015

Here's an option if you wanna replace the sound bar. 6" PVC pipe caps with an MDF ring glued and screwed flush with the surface. Paint to match interior, weld .5" X 1.5" bolt to roll cage, drill .5" hole in pipe cap, mount to cage, fill with fiberfill (stuffed animal guts), mount speaker to MDF, run new wires. Sounds awesome in the new position and you can get rid of the crap sound bar.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1430948543.598886.jpg

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1430948654.392952.jpg

DMF · May 7, 2015

Before my Jeep, I had a Sierra and was running the PDX-5. The older version than the V9's that you have. I also had PDX-M6 also and yes, they were by far the best amp I've ever ran. Thing always ran super cool and it's a size of a book. Freakin amazing. Love Alpine products.

thedrod · May 7, 2015

HoosierWolf said:
I have a set of speakers for my dash that I've not installed yet. How much of a pain was it to install yours? Most of the videos and writes up I've found are for the 07-10 dashboards and I have a '13

Here is a link to the instructions to replace the head unit and speakers that explains it all. It's not hard, just time consuming. Get the tools together before hand and keep a ziplock handy to keep track of the screws.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qgd3t1a1z64hklc/CrutchfieldPDF-0000270020.pdf?dl=0

toxicwaste29 said:
Did you have the alpine system? I typically run mine above 30 with the it completely naked (no doors or top) on the highway and I haven't blown a speaker yet.

I have a 2012, and it had the Infinity system. It was ok, but somewhat worthless with the top and doors off.

JK_Dave said:
Can we see some pics of this?

I promise I will take some more today.

Sithwindu said:
I wish I could find a legit option for the soundbar! That seems to be the biggest problem!! That and volume, how is volume with doors and top off (I usually compare to street glides that sound 10x louder than my damn setup lol)

I have yet to drive yet doorless and topless as there is impending weather around here. But I will say that it gets louder than I can comfortably stand. I mean we are talking about 100W RMS to each of the four corners vs the factory 20W RMS (that's just a guess)

big dr said:
Rod,, Did you use any foam fill or hush mat in the sound bar? I did this( with 6.5" speakers) and the sound difference is incredible. Just a suggestion if you didnt do it already.

I have some I picked up yesterday but have not yet put it in. I am anxious to hear the difference.

Nhfd01 said:
What are your thoughts of the stealth box? I was looking at adding it just haven't heard one. Would it compare to two 10's?

I have to say that this single 13.5" sub in the stealthbox is nothing short of amazing. I am only giving it 500W RMS and it sounds incredibly good. You'd be good to put an 800W RMS amp on this sub, it can handle 600....have a little extra head room. JL is a top notch company and this enclosure is optimized for this thing.

n3tfury said:
Compare how? Tonally? Hz ratings? db? Power efficiency/consumption? Lots of variables here. Also, if space is a huge deal to you, you'd be hard pressed to do better than the stealthbox. However, I can assure you that you can get better performance from two 10's in an optimized box.

I'd agree with this, but they'd have to be some stout 10s...at least 400W RMS a piece in my opinion.

clownman said:
Here's an option if you wanna replace the sound bar. 6" PVC pipe caps with an MDF ring glued and screwed flush with the surface. Paint to match interior, weld .5" X 1.5" bolt to roll cage, drill .5" hole in pipe cap, mount to cage, fill with fiberfill (stuffed animal guts), mount speaker to MDF, run new wires. Sounds awesome in the new position and you can get rid of the crap sound bar.

Jesus! Thats incredible.

DMF said:
Before my Jeep, I had a Sierra and was running the PDX-5. The older version than the V9's that you have. I also had PDX-M6 also and yes, they were by far the best amp I've ever ran. Thing always ran super cool and it's a size of a book. Freakin amazing. Love Alpine products.

I'd have to agree. And you can stack them. I bet if I wanted to I could fit the matching mono alpine under the seat stacked on top of the 4 channel if I went that route.

thedrod · May 7, 2015

n3tfury said:
The 2015's have tweeters that aim vertically? LOL, wow.

Here is a pic taken from the internet.

H8ROADS · May 7, 2015

n3tfury said:
The 2015's have tweeters that aim vertically? LOL, wow.

Say what you want, but it sounds a hell of a lot better than my 2007 did. Don't know if it has anything to do with the mounts or not, but I don't mind it at all. The glass reflects the sound so it hasn't been an issue so far.

n3tfury · May 7, 2015

H8ROADS said:
Say what you want, but it sounds a hell of a lot better than my 2007 did. Don't know if it has anything to do with the mounts or not, but I don't mind it at all. The glass reflects the sound so it hasn't been an issue so far.

Reflecting tweeters off of the glass will not present a solid sound stage, so that's not just "saying what I want". That's fact. However, I also know that the current set up sucks, but that's mostly because the tweeters themselves are shit, not necessarily the positioning.

H8ROADS · May 7, 2015

n3tfury said:
Reflecting tweeters off of the glass will not present a solid sound stage, so that's not just "saying what I want". That's fact. However, I also know that the current set up sucks, but that's mostly because the tweeters themselves are shit, not necessarily the positioning.

Ha.. Ok good luck with any sound stage in a jeep.

Upgrading my 2012 JKUR Audio System (Pics of progress)

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