Ok, first off I want to say that I'm looking for the simplest subwoofer solution possible. I know, it's easy to install amps, amp wiring and all that fun stuff, I've been doing that since I was a teenager. However hat's just not the route I would like to go with in this install.

I'm a little confused as to what this "Infinity System" is actually all about. I've tried reading through the posts to clear this up for myself but I'm still confused. What I've gathered so far is that the infinity system consists of an added sub and external amp. So does this external amp just power the sub leaving the speakers to be powered by the HU or does it power the speakers too? I'm also confused as to what exactly it is I have. I don't have the sub so I'm guessing it's not the Infinity system. I don't see any Infinity badging and I didn't see anything about Infinity on the window sticker when it was on the dealership lot. I do however have the upgraded HU that has the 6 disc CD/DVD changer. As for the speakers, although still not high end sounding, I was still impressed and think they sound better than most OEM sound systems which made me wonder if maybe there's a small external amp installed for my dash and sound bar speakers (I doubt it but just wondering). What I'm also wondering is if my HU is capable of simply accepting the factory subwoofer enclosure (the one I didn't get)as a plug and play install? Or would I have to install it just like I would install an aftermarket sub and amp? Because if that's the case then I guess I'd chose a different sub and amp over that factory Infinity one. Another reason as to why I'm considering installing the OEM sub is because I would like to keep the stock HU and I really don't want to splice my rear speaker wires to install an amp "speaker-level input" style, unless this HU has RCA line outputs which I highly doubt.

Am I making any sense? Anyone have any answers or advice? As you can tell, I just don't want to do the whole install thing anymore... I always end up spending a lot and upgrading everything and all I really want in this JK is a little bit more bass to fill in what's missing. Not a lot, just enough.

 

The Infinity system is seven speaker system with a built in amp/mixer that the head unit controls and it goes to all your speakers. It is not like an aftermarket amp, and is controled by the can buss comunication protocol. In a word, I would go to the parts dept, and find out if infinity and non infinity system use the same amp (probably not though).
If by some chance it did, you could probably, maybe, install the factory sub without to much trouble.
BTW, the new infinity system really kicks ass over the old system in my '03

 

I'm guessing the non-Infinity head unit is a "receiver" & has internal power. The infinity hu is a "tuner" & has no internal power.

Adding a sub to your system can be done, but it ain't easy & it isn't gonna sound good under the stock deck power and isn't a good idea, IMHO.

 

I'll take a stab at this....

The infinity system consists of upgraded speakers, and amp, and sub for your Wrangler. It replaces all the speakers and adds an 8" sub, with an amplifier to power them all under your steering column. The amp is ~365w, so nothing to write home about...and is using the CANbus system (the cars computer) to operate..so its not swappable to another car like a regular amp.

Correct.

The HU is seperate from the infinity system, and is not simply a tuner. It's like any other radio and powers the speakers of a non-infinity system. When you have the infinity system, they power is just switched to the amp.

As you suspected - No, there is not unless you have the infinity system.

There have been a few people who have bought the infinity system from someone who is getting rid of it, and it sounds like it worked fine. I can't answer this question with 100% certainty. The HU is definately capable of hooking up to the amp though. The HU never hooks up directly to the subwoofer as you implied. The biggest difference in HU's you'll see is that some are capable of SAT/Sirius and others are not.

The HU does not have line outs, and you would have to splice, but there are solutions to make the sound not so bad. It can be done and still achieve relatively "good" sound. Though theres no question that pre-out rca outputs is the best way to go..and you're not going to get that with the stock HU.

Yes, you are making sense..just asking a lot of questions in one post - nothing wrong with that. Probably some other people who had the same questions.... I hope I answered them all.

Welcome to the forum

 

Wow... you guys answered all my questions! Sorry, I just wasn't expecting such good feedback. In the past, I tried going to a car audio message board to get some answers and all I got was a bunch of kids fighting with each other and giving me crap for the questions I asked.

Thanks for the welcome! I can already tell, I'll probably end up hanging around here more than I have time for.

I guess I'm just gonna do my own install. I have a Clarion HU that I bought last year for my XJ that I can use and I have tons of wiring so I'll just have to pick up a sub and amp. That's not so bad I guess. It looks like amp wiring the JK will be pretty easy too since the carpet is cut into sections.

Thanks for all the help, you guys are awesome.

 

No problem...welcome and once you're an addict and all your money is gone, be sure to check in here

If you have your own Clarion HU and no infinity system, the install should be pretty straight forward and like most vehicles..get yourself the dash kit, harness and you're ready to rock...replace speakers and add amps as you see fit....

 

for the most part there are some awesome folks here, willing to help with a variety of things, what some dont know, others do. This is an amazing resource. Welcome aboard!

 

Are you calling me awesome HC? Stop with the madness now!

Oh wait, you did say "for the most part..."