I have a 2012 JKU with a soft top.
I had the factor speakers replaced with some 6.5 Polk DXI 6501 for the front and the DXI650 rears.
They sounded OK, but the tweeters were horribly loud and ear piercing, so I had to crank down on the treble to get it at a listenable level. I know there is a way to change the frequency on the cross over, but not ready to tear the dash apart at the moment to look for where they put them.
I then decided to add an Alpine KTP-445U, hoping it would clean up some of the sound. The Alpine was making the speakers in the soundbar rattle pretty bad so I stuffed that full of polyfil.
That seemed to take care of the rattling, however the system still sounds really muddy. Something is just not right with the way it sounds.
My question is, should I dump the stock head unit and get an aftermarket (I have a stock 130 system -Non Infinity), or is it simply because of the soft top, bad acoustics and speaker placement?
I was also thinking about adding a sub as well, but don't want to spend the money on a new head unit and sub if the sound will only get marginally better.
Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

head unit has alot to do with it, i run topless and doorless alot and i still get good sound quality. ive never heard the polks but if you had trouble with the tweeters and turned down the treble i can see why its muddy sounding. if you dont want to drop the cash on a hu i suggest playing with the treble till you find a happy medium.

 

I've played around with all the settings. Muddy might not be a good word...flat maybe?
I can get it loud, just not as clean as I want, I guess.

I had the same speakers installed in my father's car and they sound great so I know the speakers have some potential.

 

yeah sounds like you have a good hear so your best best will be a hu with some good eq adjustments. i wouldnt get one that has less than a 8band setup, you can really adjust those missed areas with a 8band but a 16band is even better

 

Yeah head unit for sure. Not sure how you wired the power pack into the stock one but the 445 with an alpine head unit sounds great. The power pack eliminates the muddy sound and gives your component speakers enough power to be clear with the top off. I combined that with a couple of type r 12 subs and now I have great sounding loud music with top down/doors off. It all starts with the head unit and the ability to finer tune the eq

 

the word- flat- to me, points to pos - neg at the speakers being reversed ?

 

There is a power reduction built into the factory stereo wiring for the softtops. The stereo electrical is controlled theough tje compiter like everything else so In order to get the best sound out of your stereo you will need a new HU and bypass all factory wiring.

 

What is the gain set to on the amp?

 

This could be something to look at. It's very easy to do

 

Thanks for the replies. I didn't install the speakers or amp myself. Just had Best Buy do it but I'll check the wiring. The gain was cranked to about halfway according to the installer when I asked about it. Thinking of a new HU anyway since I never really trusted stock stuff.