Stereo upgrade

BuckeyeJeep

Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2021
Messages
37
Location
Lancaster, Ohio
Hi guys,
I'm looking to upgrade my audio in my 95 Wrangler. Currently have the 2 front factory speakers (4x6) and 2 (4") speakers in my sound bar. I'm not sure if either of the speakers have been upgraded over the years. Only had the Jeep for a few months now. The stereo is aftermarket and I'd call it a middle of the road unit (at work now and cant remember the specs on it) with decent power.
I'm looking for any thoughts, advice, experience with doing this. I have a few ideas and wanted to see what y'all thought
1) Keep current speakers and stereo and just add an amplifier
2) Just add 6x9 speaker boxes (between rear wheel well and roll bar) to current system
3) add speaker boxes and amp

This is all assuming the actual stereo is decent and capable, which if I remember right it is. If it's not, I'll start by replacing it.

Thanks in advance
 
I would pretty much never run speakers straight off the head unit, high level just never sounds that great esp when you turn it up loud enough to hear in a Jeep.

When I got my YJ I did a decent pioneer unit, 4x6 dash replacements, 6x9s in pods that go between the wheel wells and roll bar B pillars, and then 2 10’s, all driven by a cheap Boss 5 channel amp (poor high schooler). Back then I didn’t know much about balance, the 2 10s were way too much. I also didn’t know about component speakers then.

This time the plan is Kicker component 5.25” speakers up front, tweeters mounted to the door strap peg. Crossovers to power those. A set of good quality 6x9s in the pods again, abs then 1 10” sub in a sonopod behind the back seat. Using 2 miniature class D amps (4 channel and 1 channel) mounted to top of sonopod and hidden under a Tuffy trunk enclosure. Should sound considerably better, and hopefully more balanced than last time with better results and more quality components.
 
I would pretty much never run speakers straight off the head unit, high level just never sounds that great esp when you turn it up loud enough to hear in a Jeep.

When I got my YJ I did a decent pioneer unit, 4x6 dash replacements, 6x9s in pods that go between the wheel wells and roll bar B pillars, and then 2 10’s, all driven by a cheap Boss 5 channel amp (poor high schooler). Back then I didn’t know much about balance, the 2 10s were way too much. I also didn’t know about component speakers then.

This time the plan is Kicker component 5.25” speakers up front, tweeters mounted to the door strap peg. Crossovers to power those. A set of good quality 6x9s in the pods again, abs then 1 10” sub in a sonopod behind the back seat. Using 2 miniature class D amps (4 channel and 1 channel) mounted to top of sonopod and hidden under a Tuffy trunk enclosure. Should sound considerably better, and hopefully more balanced than last time with better results and more quality components.
I think that I will just listen to the tires howl.
 
I’m running a decent pioneer head unit, upgraded front speakers (which still aren’t that good in my opinion), good 6” rounds in my sound bar, and probably the most important thing is a mini four channel amp fromAlpine that is small enough that it’s mounted behind my glove box. This set up isn’t close to sounding as good as my truck but it was a fraction of the price and still sounds darn good rolling down the road with the top off. If I were to make any changes it would only be the addition of some better pod speakes up front. That said, the current set up sounds good enough that I don’t care enough to make changes. If I were starting from scratch I’d bypass the front stock speaker locations entirely. They’re a pain to get to and I don’t think that size speaker ever sounds that good.
 
If I were starting from scratch I’d bypass the front stock speaker locations entirely. They’re a pain to get to and I don’t think that size speaker ever sounds that good.

That is key. The 4x6's blow and there is no way around it. And yes definitely a pain in the ass to get to. It's to the point where I will spend extra time to pull the entire dash to make life easy rather than trying to get up in there with the dash panel on. Especially on driver side where the parking brake is completely in the way. Lots of ways you can go with audio in a Jeep from too expensive to cheap but effective. I'm not necessarily trying to save money but I also won't waste money on extra amazing speakers that won't sound any better in an open top vehicle.

Main reason I'm doing components is so I can actually hear something on the highway. Even with an amp I could barely ever hear my dash 4x6's going down the freeway if the doors and or top were missing.

I want to do a dash from Double D, and I'm really tempted to see if he can alter his dash shape just a tad to allow me to put a 5.25 and tweeter in the location where the 4x6 once was. Would have to move his dash design inwards just a tad to fit the speaker between the tub edge/end of dash panel and the dash protrusions. But maybe it could be done. I've also wondered if maybe moving the speakers to the middle of the dash might be a decent idea, assuming there's still room to work the gauges and heater control around them. That would probably be tough though.
 
Boat wake board tower cans with 6.5" 2-way marine grade speakers or 6x9" 2 or 3-way marine grades in them. Waterproof, firmly mounted behind the passengers in the back seats or off to the sides over the wheel wells depending on what roll bar you have in the YJ or CJ since they are virtually the same design. A marine sub if you want big bass......

Get and use a marine grade stereo.
Now I use high end units that use NMEA2000 ( marine CAN bus network system) and have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.x and LAN network connectivity. This way you can control the stereo with your Android/Apple phone, tablet or PC easily at camp without even getting up out of your camp chair. The FUSION has something called "party bus" which allows other FUSION stereos on the wireless network to control programming from each other when joined on the same network. This makes it possible for other Jeeps to control the sound from ALL the stereos on the network. Especially if you have a broadcast transmitter like I have that can send FM Stereo to everyone around you. Very cool in a campsite with a dozen Jeeps all synced up simulcasting together!

Wi-Fi will produce the best audio quality in streaming mode off the cell network or an internet connection to your devices. Bluetooth is never very good if you are a critical listener as it is just too lossy and compressed sounding to the critical ear. Also, Wi-Fi will have increased range and can be shared with anyone if you install an on-board networked router which is best of all for camping and networking. Your tunes and movie library can update when you pull into the garage or car park automatically at your home network anytime. Think how newer vehicles have a built in Wi-Fi internet router connections for their entertainment systems and maps to work in your garage or going down the road.

Any really good high end marine head unit will be IP67 rated and take direct spray or rain water without issue. Boards are epoxy coated to help reduce or eliminate corrosion and a Jeep is a harsh environment like a boat or UTV so they work great for this application. They can also take wired or wireless remotes that can be mounted near the back seat for rear passengers or the camp cook working from the tailgate to control the entertainment.

I usually mount waterproof tweeters in the dash where the original YJ or CJ speakers were. I have YJ half doors on my CJ-7 and someone cut the panels for 6x9's to fit in them years ago. They sound great because of their relatively large size compared to the wimpy dash speakers but if you have virgin door panels, don't cut, just use the wake board cans on the roll bar or a sound bar above your head instead of hacking up your stuff.

I still have a 5.5 Gen Burr-Brown iPod classic with 512Gb of Micro SD storage conversion kit installed in it. I like the interface and it works well with the USB port on the marine stereo I use. It holds thousands of songs and videos to boot. My 5G Galaxy Note phone has 2Tb of storage and I also have Sirius-XM satellite radio for even more program choices. There are also USB ports to play thumb flash drives directly from the head unit so no issues with quantity or quality of program content ever.

Marine amplifiers are a must as well mounted high up under the dash where they can't get wet unless the Jeep was completely drowned and then you would have much bigger problems to worry about....

RR
 
Thanks everyone. Getting lots of good ideas
My head unit is pioneer mvh-s501bs. Seems to be fine for what I want. 50 watts x 4 channels and rca outputs on the rear for an amp
Thinking of just upgrading my dash and sound bar speakers, adding good 6x9 in the roll bar/wheel well enclosures and a decent small amp
 
  • Like
Reactions: ytradio
Just an update..... ended up sticking with front speakers and 4" speakers in sound bar. Installed a Rockville 10" sub amp combo and it sounds great. Would highly recommend if someone wanted to upgrade their sound
 
Just an update..... ended up sticking with front speakers and 4" speakers in sound bar. Installed a Rockville 10" sub amp combo and it sounds great. Would highly recommend if someone wanted to upgrade their sound
Do you think those will stay put rock crawling?
 
I would pretty much never run speakers straight off the head unit, high level just never sounds that great esp when you turn it up loud enough to hear in a Jeep.

When I got my YJ I did a decent pioneer unit, 4x6 dash replacements, 6x9s in pods that go between the wheel wells and roll bar B pillars, and then 2 10’s, all driven by a cheap Boss 5 channel amp (poor high schooler). Back then I didn’t know much about balance, the 2 10s were way too much. I also didn’t know about component speakers then.

This time the plan is Kicker component 5.25” speakers up front, tweeters mounted to the door strap peg. Crossovers to power those. A set of good quality 6x9s in the pods again, abs then 1 10” sub in a sonopod behind the back seat. Using 2 miniature class D amps (4 channel and 1 channel) mounted to top of sonopod and hidden under a Tuffy trunk enclosure. Should sound considerably better, and hopefully more balanced than last time with better results and more quality components.
I have found marine grade anything in a Jeep is a good choice, albeit more $.
 
  • Like
Reactions: machoheadgames
I have found marine grade anything in a Jeep is a good choice, albeit more $.
Yeah, I agree. I don’t bother on the speakers because they are basically good as is in my experience. For the radio and amp for sure a good idea. On mine I’m thinking the amps will be stuck under a Tuffy trunk enclosure, so probably protected from water. My radio is a marine Sony unit and it’s in the Tuffy console anyways so it will be isolated from water as soon as I flip the lid.

My problem with marine grade amps is it severely limit Choice. I want to use some super small class D amps that put out good power for their size. I’d love a 5 channel but they’re all too big. Either way if I choose marine then I definitely can’t ever find anything small in any channel. There is one amp by clarion that is waterproof, 5 channel, and tiny, but it doesn’t have remote turn on, it turns on by the RCA signal which I’m not a real fan of. I’d rather the dedicated wire. So my plan is two tiny kickers (4ch + 1ch), mounted on top of my sub under the trunk, which keeps them out of rain/sun.