Stock Amp
12-10-2014, 04:58 PM
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Stock Amp
Has anybody replaced just the stock amp? If so, did it help liven the speakers up? Did it help the sub hit a littler harder?
Just trying to figure out if I should spend money on getting an amp and subs or just replace the stock amp.
Just trying to figure out if I should spend money on getting an amp and subs or just replace the stock amp.
12-10-2014, 06:48 PM
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You can't just replace the amp.. the head unit depends on it for most of the function. Like tone control, balance and uconnect... so you can't actually replace it.. you can however put another multi channel amp In line behind the factory one.. this will give you more power but honestly it will only turn up an already crappie sounding system...
What are you actually trying to achieve? That's a better place to start...
What are you actually trying to achieve? That's a better place to start...
12-11-2014, 01:05 PM
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You can't just replace the amp.. the head unit depends on it for most of the function. Like tone control, balance and uconnect... so you can't actually replace it.. you can however put another multi channel amp In line behind the factory one.. this will give you more power but honestly it will only turn up an already crappie sounding system... What are you actually trying to achieve? That's a better place to start...
12-11-2014, 04:43 PM
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If its just Bass your after then a monoblock amp and sub will get you there.. I have not heard good think about the kicker replacement speakers. could be a disappointment. you might get a little better sound but not much more volume. I'd start with the amp and sub and go from there. there are two channels for the factory amp to the factorty sub. you will need to tie into those. the factory AMP is located on the driver side left kick panel under the dash.
12-11-2014, 04:47 PM
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Just trying to get a little more bass out of it. Make it a little louder. But if this is the case and I can't just replace just the amp I was thinking about ordering the kicker upgrade speakers. I hope there is some improvement with those. I also ordered an alpine amp and sub. (MRV-M500 & SWS-10d2)
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01-24-2015, 09:17 AM
#8
JK Newbie
Ok, I have seen a lot of people say that the amp is located behind the panel right under the steering column attached to the plate there. On some this may be true, but I can honestly tell you that this is not the case on mine! It is under the dash on the drivers side, but it is located up and behind the speaker pod, not easily accessible. To remove this, I had to remove the speaker pod and then I could access the bolts holding it in place.
So now to the sound quality and what you should do or could do.
As for the Amp, YES, with out a doubt, if you want better sound, it needs to go. it only pushes out about 18 watts per channel max, and that is simply not enough! (more power means better efficiency and sound at a lower output). (Also, the factory amp is set up to give you a full range of sound in the front, and is then set to give you only a mid range of sound for the rears, which means less quality sound). You can actually swap the amp from a Nitro or Cherokee and get a better full range sound, but still not what you will be looking for. As for the head unit, if you have the 430 or the 730, these are actually very good units and do a great job as a head unit. you have all the hands free function, the DVD, the Hard drive, and Navigation. (Not to mention that some of the vehicle diagnostics run through the head unit. I have head that some people have actually had their check engine lights go on and off periodically after removing the factory unit). So instead of spending several hundreds of dollars trying to replace these, the only gain you get is a 4 volt pre-out and have to buy amps and all kinds of extra parts. Save this money for speakers.
Fronts: You can go with a nice component set with inline crossover for tweeter (which saves on space), or a crossover interface (which takes a little more time and space) all about preference.
Rears: You can go with a nice 2 way or 3 way speaker with built in crossover and get a much better sound.
Sub: You can use the factory sub box if you go with a JL which is a very efficient sub with minimal space, just throw in a little poly fill and it sounds 10 times better than the factory Infinity. ( Now you will have to make a spacer ring, to give you an extra inch to clear the magnet, but it looks and sounds great!
Amp: Here is where you can get creative. Rockford makes these nice little amps that are actually a little smaller than the factory amp, one is a 4 channel, and one is a 1 channel, and they push out 3 times the power RMS, and the nice thing is, they have built in speaker level inputs. So if you want, you can use the factory amp outputs and go directly in to these and get essentially a higher input for a cleaner sound, or you can just use the speaker outputs from the stereo. all in preference. There are many 5 channel amps out there, but remember, if you want to keep it simple, find a small one that can be fit behind the glove box or back under the dash where the factory one was. I have seen some talk about how if you bypass the factory amp, you get no sound control. This is true, as the bass, treble, and mid are controlled in the amplifier and not the deck. The deck sends the signal to the amp. So think of the factory amp as a part of the system, a sound processor essentially.
I can tell you that just in changing the amp and going with the 2 RF amps the sound was 3 times better with factory speakers and sub. I used the outputs from the factory amp to the high inputs on the RF amps.
There are so many options and things you can do, you can get plugs and harnesses so there is no cutting of wires and just go plug and play.
Here are some links to speaker removal and install and other options:
Front Speakers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF9yrus9kYA Rear Speakers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-qytOIkmBY Amp:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHHG8nURwA0 Wiring:
http://www.modifiedlife.com/2010-jee...-wiring-guide/
Whatever you do, DO NOT REMOVE THE DASH TO GET TO THE FRONT SPEAKERS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO!!! The second link, the guy went way too far and had no clue what he was doing.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me or reply. I have done so much with wranglers from building engines to lift kits to complete stereos.
I want to give an update, Mattk11 brought to my attention, I did mention it, but wasn't clear. If you are going to upgrade your system and add new speakers and go with new amp or amps, but keep the factory HU, you should find a factory amp from a Nitro or a Cherokee, this will give you full range sound out of the rears allowing for a better sound. Now this is not a competition vehicle sound, but for a lot less expense, you get a lot better sound for your buck.
So now to the sound quality and what you should do or could do.
As for the Amp, YES, with out a doubt, if you want better sound, it needs to go. it only pushes out about 18 watts per channel max, and that is simply not enough! (more power means better efficiency and sound at a lower output). (Also, the factory amp is set up to give you a full range of sound in the front, and is then set to give you only a mid range of sound for the rears, which means less quality sound). You can actually swap the amp from a Nitro or Cherokee and get a better full range sound, but still not what you will be looking for. As for the head unit, if you have the 430 or the 730, these are actually very good units and do a great job as a head unit. you have all the hands free function, the DVD, the Hard drive, and Navigation. (Not to mention that some of the vehicle diagnostics run through the head unit. I have head that some people have actually had their check engine lights go on and off periodically after removing the factory unit). So instead of spending several hundreds of dollars trying to replace these, the only gain you get is a 4 volt pre-out and have to buy amps and all kinds of extra parts. Save this money for speakers.
Fronts: You can go with a nice component set with inline crossover for tweeter (which saves on space), or a crossover interface (which takes a little more time and space) all about preference.
Rears: You can go with a nice 2 way or 3 way speaker with built in crossover and get a much better sound.
Sub: You can use the factory sub box if you go with a JL which is a very efficient sub with minimal space, just throw in a little poly fill and it sounds 10 times better than the factory Infinity. ( Now you will have to make a spacer ring, to give you an extra inch to clear the magnet, but it looks and sounds great!
Amp: Here is where you can get creative. Rockford makes these nice little amps that are actually a little smaller than the factory amp, one is a 4 channel, and one is a 1 channel, and they push out 3 times the power RMS, and the nice thing is, they have built in speaker level inputs. So if you want, you can use the factory amp outputs and go directly in to these and get essentially a higher input for a cleaner sound, or you can just use the speaker outputs from the stereo. all in preference. There are many 5 channel amps out there, but remember, if you want to keep it simple, find a small one that can be fit behind the glove box or back under the dash where the factory one was. I have seen some talk about how if you bypass the factory amp, you get no sound control. This is true, as the bass, treble, and mid are controlled in the amplifier and not the deck. The deck sends the signal to the amp. So think of the factory amp as a part of the system, a sound processor essentially.
I can tell you that just in changing the amp and going with the 2 RF amps the sound was 3 times better with factory speakers and sub. I used the outputs from the factory amp to the high inputs on the RF amps.
There are so many options and things you can do, you can get plugs and harnesses so there is no cutting of wires and just go plug and play.
Here are some links to speaker removal and install and other options:
Front Speakers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF9yrus9kYA Rear Speakers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-qytOIkmBY Amp:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHHG8nURwA0 Wiring:
http://www.modifiedlife.com/2010-jee...-wiring-guide/
Whatever you do, DO NOT REMOVE THE DASH TO GET TO THE FRONT SPEAKERS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO!!! The second link, the guy went way too far and had no clue what he was doing.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me or reply. I have done so much with wranglers from building engines to lift kits to complete stereos.
I want to give an update, Mattk11 brought to my attention, I did mention it, but wasn't clear. If you are going to upgrade your system and add new speakers and go with new amp or amps, but keep the factory HU, you should find a factory amp from a Nitro or a Cherokee, this will give you full range sound out of the rears allowing for a better sound. Now this is not a competition vehicle sound, but for a lot less expense, you get a lot better sound for your buck.
Last edited by bhodizafa; 01-24-2015 at 07:41 PM.
The following 2 users liked this post by bhodizafa:
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01-24-2015, 02:32 PM
#9
Bhodisafa, nice write-up. A couple things to note having gone through this myself a couple of times.
There is only one screw holding the amp in place. It can be removed without pulling the speaker pod but it's tricky.
If you keep the factory HU and factory amp and add additional amplification and new speakers, You will get better volume but you are still amplifying garbage. To get a full range signal out of the factory system, you will need to add a summing device like a JL Cleansweep or similar between the stock amp and after market amp. If you don't, your rear speakers will still be only midrange with the bass scooped out. A summing device can be upwards of $400 - $1000. You can easily pull your factory HU, sell it and buy the latest aftermarket unit with better features, MUCH better sound quality, better control and a removable face for security at a wash. If you do that, you don't need the stock amp or summing device and it cleans up your wiring a ton. Gives you something to think about.
Also remember that the stock tweeters are not amplified by the factory amp, they are powered by the head unit. Kind of a strange arrangement but there is no crossover in the stock system, only a cap on the tweeter.
The bass box in the back is really flimsy and flexible. You can add a little pop by putting in a new woofer and a new amp but you lose the bass when the roof comes off. The internal volume is around .2 cu ft so choose your woofer wisely. You may want something more substantial for real bass.
Also, with the factory system, if you take off your hard top, there is a volume limiting circuit that actually cuts the volume when you unplug your rear electrical connection. There are threads that show how to make a jumper to fool the system when you go soft top or topless.
There is only one screw holding the amp in place. It can be removed without pulling the speaker pod but it's tricky.
If you keep the factory HU and factory amp and add additional amplification and new speakers, You will get better volume but you are still amplifying garbage. To get a full range signal out of the factory system, you will need to add a summing device like a JL Cleansweep or similar between the stock amp and after market amp. If you don't, your rear speakers will still be only midrange with the bass scooped out. A summing device can be upwards of $400 - $1000. You can easily pull your factory HU, sell it and buy the latest aftermarket unit with better features, MUCH better sound quality, better control and a removable face for security at a wash. If you do that, you don't need the stock amp or summing device and it cleans up your wiring a ton. Gives you something to think about.
Also remember that the stock tweeters are not amplified by the factory amp, they are powered by the head unit. Kind of a strange arrangement but there is no crossover in the stock system, only a cap on the tweeter.
The bass box in the back is really flimsy and flexible. You can add a little pop by putting in a new woofer and a new amp but you lose the bass when the roof comes off. The internal volume is around .2 cu ft so choose your woofer wisely. You may want something more substantial for real bass.
Also, with the factory system, if you take off your hard top, there is a volume limiting circuit that actually cuts the volume when you unplug your rear electrical connection. There are threads that show how to make a jumper to fool the system when you go soft top or topless.
01-24-2015, 04:31 PM
#10
JK Newbie
Great advice, and yes it is true that you would only have mid range in the middle, sorry I should have clarified this. normally a system goes from sub in the back, mids in the middle and full range or mid to high up in front, depending on preference.
And I wish there was a way to get better sound with the factory deck and amp, other than swapping the factory wrangler amp for the factory Nitro or Cherokee amp, which gives you full range sound in the rear like in the front. I like my 430, and supposedly, I have seen it once and have been trying to find it again, there is a way to unlock the 430 and 730 to get to what was called a service menu that would allow for changes to be made above and beyond what we normally see, like sub level output, activating the rear camera, activating the secondary outputs for optional headrest screens, and several other options not normally available.
I miss my 99 Sahara, I had one awesome sounding system with the minimalist of components, even with the top off.
Do you have a link to the thread for making the jumper for when the top is removed? I would like see that as I never thought about that, but makes sense.
And I wish there was a way to get better sound with the factory deck and amp, other than swapping the factory wrangler amp for the factory Nitro or Cherokee amp, which gives you full range sound in the rear like in the front. I like my 430, and supposedly, I have seen it once and have been trying to find it again, there is a way to unlock the 430 and 730 to get to what was called a service menu that would allow for changes to be made above and beyond what we normally see, like sub level output, activating the rear camera, activating the secondary outputs for optional headrest screens, and several other options not normally available.
I miss my 99 Sahara, I had one awesome sounding system with the minimalist of components, even with the top off.
Do you have a link to the thread for making the jumper for when the top is removed? I would like see that as I never thought about that, but makes sense.