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Wow Awesome sound

9.2K views 36 replies 13 participants last post by  rlefig  
#1 ·
What a difference a good pair of Dash speakers make. I have the 6 speaker set up in my Trail Hawk. I decided to swap the Dash speakers out first after reading a few threads. So I went with a set of these JBL's JBL Club 322F. They sound fantastic.
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Took me about a Half hour to install both . Took me a little bit figuring out how to disconect the speaker connector . Think the second speaker took about 10 minutes to change. Here is a picture of the old speakers for comparison.
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Now to decide what speakers I want to put in the doors. I can't imagine how the jeep is going to sound once I replace the other 4 speakers.
 
#2 ·
Have the older model of the JBL club speakers put them in a few years back and they are awesome. I have the 9 speaker system so did the dash speakers and rear pillars with the 3.5's and then did JBL 6x9's in the doors. Made a huge difference in overall sound and clarity. I like that they are 3 ohm as well since the 9 speaker system are 2 ohm speakers from the factory so a close match. Most other speakers are 4 ohms so you lose some volume. They have handled baking sun and hot days well. No signs of deterioration on the surrounds. You will have a great system when you are done. Even better if you add a 6 channel amp later on down the road for a little extra punch.
 
#24 ·
Hey @jcool001985 do you have the model numbers of the JBL's? I will be replacing my speakers in my 9-speaker system soon, once I actually get the car. I upgraded my 2011 GC speakers to Infinity reference and it was easy and a not expensive and sounded awesome.

Thanks
 
#5 ·
Eh JVC is kinda like modern Kenwood. Not that great overall. Nothing like they used to be in the 80's and 90's. Back then they were much better than today. Infinity and JBL are a step or two above for sure. Ideally with speakers you want to match the same brands and same models for the best sound all around. Those JVC look to have cloth surrounds so will not be as long lasting as rubber like JBL/Infinity use. Also your doors can take a 6x9. You will lose lots of bass and mid bass by dropping to 6 1/2.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Actually, with a decent head unit and amp, which the 9 speaker Alpine system has, you can craft the sound by what speakers you place where. Going to a 6 1/2 in the doors is not a bad idea if you place the rights speakers in the dash and pillars… as a matter of fact, the Infinity 6 1/2’s are much clearer and cleaner than many 6x9 speakers out there and are work very well in the doors. JVC is a decent speaker and should be an excellent choice teamed with the JBLs. It really depends on what sound your looking to design. However, it is important to consider what you are replacing. The stock speakers in a Trailhawk 9 speaker system are not horrid speakers, they are just not really good especially when it comes to clarity. I’m not entirely sure a JVC door speaker is a really “improvement”. Personally I’d wait but the heart wants what it wants. 😎
 
#11 ·
What a difference a good pair of Dash speakers make. I have the 6 speaker set up in my Trail Hawk. I decided to swap the Dash speakers out first after reading a few threads. So I went with a set of these JBL's JBL Club 322F. They sound fantastic.
View attachment 217140

Took me about a Half hour to install both . Took me a little bit figuring out how to disconect the speaker connector . Think the second speaker took about 10 minutes to change. Here is a picture of the old speakers for comparison.
View attachment 217141

Now to decide what speakers I want to put in the doors. I can't imagine how the jeep is going to sound once I replace the other 4 speakers.
After reading your Post, I ordered the same ones from Crutchfield. Took about 25 minutes to change out the factory junk.'
All I can say is the sound quality is amazing. I don't think I will ever mess with the door speakers,
 
#12 ·
All I can say is the sound quality is amazing. I don't think I will ever mess with the door speakers,
Don't stop with the dash - the biggest overall gain in audio quality would include all four door speakers. They can be changed out in 1-2 hours, so the difficulty level is low.
 
#17 ·
Remember the six speaker connection configuration: Two channels dedicated to right and left rear, with two channels dedicated to right dash and door and left dash and door. The front door and dash are connected in parallel.

It's important to consider speaker impedance and why I went with one manufacturer for all six. I have the gain on my amplifier set to about 10:00 or 1/3.
 
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#18 ·
Remember the six speaker connection configuration: Two channels dedicated to right and left rear, with two channels dedicated to right dash and door and left dash and door. The front door and dash are connected in parallel.

It's important to consider speaker impedance and why I went with one manufacturer for all six. I have the gain on my amplifier set to about 10:00 or 1/3.
I agree with you to match all the replacement speakers impedance. I will match all the speakers..
 
#20 ·
it is essentially impossible to find quality automotive 3.5" speakers in 8ohm. I've spent HOURS looking...
 
#21 ·
Don't even bother with 8Ω speakers. The 6 speaker system is totally happy with 4Ω speakers. :cool:
Keep in mind, to keep the system in balance, you'll want 4Ω speakers in the doors, otherwise 4Ω speakers in the dash will easily overpower the factory door speakers.
 
#27 ·
Hi all,

Question, I have an all-stock 6 speaker system in my 2014 TH. After reading the threads here on the forum (including this one), I think I'll probably try replacing the speakers (even though the benefit for me personally will probably be marginal. I was born with a tin ear :-( AM radio sounds ok to me! 😂 )

  1. I've seen a lot of good recommendations from members regarding replacement speakers for the dash but for the doors, I've seen mentions of the limitation of the depth of the 6x9's due to the frame behind the speaker protecting the window when rolled down. Question... does anyone have any measurement of the maximum depth that the 6x9's can be and if different in the front and/or rear? Yes, I can just go pull the door card but if anyone has it written down anywhere, it would save me pulling the card and measuring the depth.
  2. Has anyone put in a cheap powered subwoofer into the 6 speaker system and done so easily? Can one of the existing speakers be 'tapped' and then wires run to a powered sub or must it be done from the UCONNECT 8.4 head? (if even possible). Note, I'm really not looking to get into putting in a separate amp etc. I'm not a big audio listener... just something to make a basic-level improvement. Note, running wires (e.g. running a power line through the f/w to the battery, soldering etc.) is not an issue for me. I'm comfortable doing that type of work.
Thanks for any advice!

ps: Re #1 above, alternatively, if anyone can confirm the model of 6x9's they used during their replacement that fit depth-wise, I can just look it up the specs on the internet. Again, I'm not an audiophile so I'm looking for reasonable cost speakers in as easy a plug & play solution as possible. Thx!
 
#29 ·
ps: Re #1 above, alternatively, if anyone can confirm the model of 6x9's they used during their replacement that fit depth-wise, I can just look it up the specs on the internet. Again, I'm not an audiophile so I'm looking for reasonable cost speakers in as easy a plug & play solution as possible. Thx!
The 6x9s I used are...

F Doors - Morel Maximo Coax
R Doors - Rockford Fosgate R169X2
 
#28 ·
Upgrading speakers in damn near any system will vastly Improve the sound. Personally, I would replace The speakers, see what you got and then move from there. Head units would be last thing replaced, but amps are nice and can change so much. Get the best speakers you can afford. 6x9’s don’t necessarily sound much better than smaller, better speakers. The dash speakers will make a vast improvement because that’s what you hear first. Have fun! 😎
 
#30 ·
i am going to take the chance of infinity reference 9632ix 6x9's in the front and rear doors and infinity reference 3032cfx in the dash and rear pillar. i liked these in my GC and we will see how they sound in the cherokee
 
#31 ·
There's just a tad over 3 inches available in the Cherokee door speaker cavities. Try to not exceed that for the 'top mount' description.

For the dash, the RF's were a bit too tall so I cut 2' holes in the speaker grills to accommodate the tweeters. I then added aftermarket mesh covers and liked the sound so much, I cut openings in all four door grills and added aftermarket covers there as well. The clarity improvement was very apparent. The factory grills are like cheap motel room walls - you can hear everything next store, but not very well. ;)
 
#32 ·
thanks @Leems its going to be close these Infinity's are supposedly 3 1/16 deep, the Alpine R series look to be 2 7/8 deep hopefully the 3/16 won't do me in. Since the speakers are from Amazon easy return so I figured lets give it a try
 
#33 ·
You should be good either way. 👍
 
#36 ·
@rlefig Where did you find 5/16" foam spacers?