I have some questions. I'm looking at aftermarket speakers. I see that they come in two-way, three-way, and four-way. What exactly does those terms mean? Also, how does stereo wattage work? For example, if I have a 50 watt stereo, is it 50 watts to each speaker or is it 50 divided by the number of speakers you have? Thanks in advance.

 

2 way vs. 3 way vs. 4 way simply refers the the amount of drivers in each Speaker. That is, a 2 way speaker has the main speaker and a tweeter built in. 3 ways up the ante with another driver (speaker) built in... and so on.

In my experience, 3 way speakers are just gimmicks and really have no sound value that you can really hear. But, they're your ears, you may hear things differently



As far as wattage goes, there's no easy answer. The power output of head units is typically a rating you don't want anyways. There are two types of power ratings. RMS and maximum. Most aftermarket makers will give you their Maximum wattage rating, which is really just the peak power that stereo will put out. This means nothing

you're interested in RMS wattage. RMS is basically the amount of power the stereo puts out on average listening.

If a head unit says 50 watts RMS x4, that means that each of the 4 channels are getting 30 watts RMS.


Something to keep in mind: Most people underpower a speaker thinking it's okay. However, you really want to be within 70% of the RMS power rating of a speaker. Going under 70% of the speaker's RMS rating can lead to some damage and decreased performance. So, if you have a speaker that's rated for 100watts RMS, you want an amplifier that will give at least 70 watts RMS to that one speaker.

 

Wayland is right on here. You'll see most of the mid to high end speakers are two way. Some are "Component" systems that are a two way speaker and a separate tweeter. 3 way speakers are usually not so good when it comes to quality sound.

I would even go further. You are far more likely to damage you speakers through under powering them and invoking the dreaded clipping than too much power. And, the more bass you want the more power you need. Too much bass and not enough power is what kills you every time with clipping and your tweeters will bear the brunt of the damage.

In my opinion you should always have at least two amps in a system. One specifically for a subwoofer, and the other to power your regular speakers. Splitting the standard speakers into front and rear amps is even better.

Just keep in mind you'll need a lot more wattage on the subwoofer amp than you will need with your standard speakers.


Now that I have confused the heck out of you I'll give you the good news.

Even if you don't have the Infinity factory radio, you can still get a good sound out of the Jeep system without spending a fortune. The first thing you want to do is get rid of the crappy stock speakers. I chose Polk Audio 651S speakers for mine. But, the are lots of quality 6 1/2" speakers that you can replace them with. That will help the quality immensely, but you'll notice that it's pretty weak in the bass department. Now it's time to look at a subwoofer. Lot's of options here. There are 4 really good ways to get better bass in a JK.

1. Infinity Basslink (Very popular choice among the Project-JK crowd)
2. Stealth Pod (You can find these at Quadratec)
3. Buy a stock Jeep sub from someone upgrading their system
4. Kenwood KSC-SW1 150W Powered Sub (My personal choice)

I like #4 because it was just the right amount of bass for me. And, it is completely hidden under the driver's seat. I leave my top off year round unless it is raining, so a stealth pod or a Basslink would be stolen pretty easily. The Kenwood can still be stolen I guess, but they have to find it first

In my case between upgrading the speakers ($160 from Crutchfield) and the sub ($170 from Amazon) I have a system that I can hear with the top off on the freeway for less than $400

Good luck in your stereo adventures!