CreepinDeth
TJ Addict
Any and all options to benefit improving the 1/3rd blocked speakers up front will help
Last edited:
Looking into upgrading my TJ speakers
- Thread starter txbemis69
- Start date
The soundstream 640d is a good setup IMHO. I have two, both in 05 TJ's under the dash. One of them has polks and the other has kicker. They both work well.
I looked on Amazon - can't seem to find any for 5.25" there, they're all for 6 or 6.5. With that said, buy those and cut a small chunk out of them. I actually cut mine for ease of installation, rejoining them behind the metal brace - if that makes sense...
A 1 dB difference won't make an audible difference. The minimum difference the ear can detect is 3dB. And pretty much all automotive speakers made now are either mylar or polypropylene cones which means they are waterproof. Only paper cones are not. Whether or not they say "marine certified" which just makes them more expensive.
CreepinDeth
TJ Addict
I hear ya on the 3db difference
As far as woofer material = “Marine” tho, I wish it was that simple, but it is not.
The woofer cone is but one of several aspects that make a speaker “Marine” certified. The wiring itself is also sealed, and non-Marine it isnt. The internal electrical components are also sealed (like a washing machines PCB) but non Marine is not
https://thewiredshopper.com/marine-speakers-vs-car-speakers/
I also own a bagger cruiser with a few thousand into a custom stereo. Ive seen what happens to speakers that are poly woofers but not Marine certified when we are on rides and people get caught in the rain. The tweeters esp get killed, and blow , and crackle
People in the bike scene that often gamble with regular poly speakers are usually ok…..until they get caught in a rain storm
Its an expensive lesson to learn the hard way
With that all being said, I dont EXPECT to be caught in the rain with my top down….but shiiiit happens
Even morning high humidity dew can fry non Marine grade if left exposed
Last edited:
We'll have to agree to disagree, I spent years working in the technical side of the electronic/audio industry. The speakers we're talking about come sans wiring other than the short 1-2" length of bare wire between the speaker's connector lugs and its voice coil, insulated wiring to the speaker is provided by the installer.
I’m using these with the kickers
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_237XT52/XTC-5-1-4-Speaker-Baffles-Slim-line-2-1-2-depth.html
CreepinDeth
TJ Addict
If anyone wants to try a test to see what is truly Marine grade VS non-Marine……
Grab a non Marine grade coaxial, and LIGHTLY depress the woofer cone up and down. In the center is a solid base for the tweeter to attach to, and the woofer moves freely around it
In a non Marine speaker there is no seal there, and water goes right into that center and into the base of ur speaker (besides the tweeter itself)
On a quality Marine grade theres a seal usually at the base of the coaxial to prevent water ingress
FWIW I tried those in my motorcycle batwing
They did nothing and may have even muffled the sound. I think theyre too small, but perhaps your luck is different
Grab a non Marine grade coaxial, and LIGHTLY depress the woofer cone up and down. In the center is a solid base for the tweeter to attach to, and the woofer moves freely around it
In a non Marine speaker there is no seal there, and water goes right into that center and into the base of ur speaker (besides the tweeter itself)
On a quality Marine grade theres a seal usually at the base of the coaxial to prevent water ingress
FWIW I tried those in my motorcycle batwing
They did nothing and may have even muffled the sound. I think theyre too small, but perhaps your luck is different
Last edited:
I agree, those baffles do nothing. Lots of people on here have bought them, but I've never seen a need. Just set your stereo parameters up correctly and you can get a balance between the ill placed front dash speakers and the rear soundbar speakers plus your sub.
@Jerry Bransford
the kicker replacement sub i’m looking at comes in either a 2 ohm dual voice coil or a 4 ohm dual voice coil. which one do i need if running the 4ohm polks front and rear? here’s the amp specs that i plan on running. should the sub be wired parallel or in series? trying to get this figured out as it’s been a way long time since i’ve installed a decent sound systems.
the kicker replacement sub i’m looking at comes in either a 2 ohm dual voice coil or a 4 ohm dual voice coil. which one do i need if running the 4ohm polks front and rear? here’s the amp specs that i plan on running. should the sub be wired parallel or in series? trying to get this figured out as it’s been a way long time since i’ve installed a decent sound systems.
For some brands, yes, but not all. So, ask here first or look up their measurements.
FWIW, my speaker setup is described in the "audio" post in the TOC of my build thread, in my signature. I went with Rockford Fosgates all around, and a Soundstream amp under the steering column.
I'm pretty confident you need the dual voice coil 4ohm so you can bridge your amp to 2 ohm and get the 300w to the sub.
The Kicker sub will come with a small book that shows you the different ways to wire the sub. You want to wire in parallel. Here's a video on how to do it.
That is an entirely different product for an entirely different issue. I'm using those as well - but honestly don't know what they do if anything. They supposedly close the back off so the sound doesn't escape as readily in that direction, the foam rings pipe it out the front - this latter I can attest to. Still, I cut a hole in those back shells to let the speaker breathe. I figure the back shells are 90% of the $90 "pods" at 10% the cost.
I also did this to the soundbar enclosures, in addition to some boom mat and polyfill inside:
With a significant improvement in sound quality therefrom.
And I'm in complete agreement about the Marine Grade speakers - if you need them, you need them. Those who have never had to contend with a marine environment will learn quickly that its not the same as an airplane.
CreepinDeth
TJ Addict
AdelaideTJ
TJ Enthusiast
What build did you end up deciding to go with?
Another possible option if you have cheapish access to it, is 3D printing. I found a file online that had 5.25" speakers pods for a TJ. I managed to get these printed up cheaply and it has made a significant difference. Can find the files and post a pic of the output if you are interested.
Another possible option if you have cheapish access to it, is 3D printing. I found a file online that had 5.25" speakers pods for a TJ. I managed to get these printed up cheaply and it has made a significant difference. Can find the files and post a pic of the output if you are interested.
CreepinDeth
TJ Addict
AdelaideTJ
TJ Enthusiast
Here are the files I used (I will need to take some new pics to show the output, don't seem to have them after all):
Tweeter pods
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2894802
5.25" sound pods
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2947831
6.5" adapter ring:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3354506
The front sound pods worked beautifully, which was the main thing. It comes out in four separate pieces, basically a faceplate and pod for both left and right sides. I used plastic cement to seal the two halves of each pod together and drilled a narrow hole in the back for wires. I filled the pod itself with polyfill.
I had a bit of trouble with the adapter rings for the rear stock sound pods, but that was because of my particular speaker. They would be good in general, but I think everyone's experience with these may vary. In my case, I used Alpine Type R 6.5" component speakers (R-S65C.2). The issue with these was that they are hefty and the metal housing which holds the magnet protrudes almost perpendicular to the front of the cone (left), whereas most speakers have sharper angles (right):
I had to dremel a decent chunk of material off of my adapter rings in order to get the speaker to go through. So really depends what speakers you have. I think some people have dropped 6.5" speakers straight into the stock hole and screwed the speakers and grilles directly to the sound pod. I wanted to keep mine somewhat reversible and not mangle any stock parts more than necessary:
Can see the printed adapter rings and pods here (I will post another pic of them installed when I get a chance to take one). I had the 5.25" kicker speakers a lot of people use up front, but am about to replace with better Alpine component ones and tweeters (plan is to use the tweeter pods linked above)
Tweeter pods
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2894802
5.25" sound pods
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2947831
6.5" adapter ring:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3354506
The front sound pods worked beautifully, which was the main thing. It comes out in four separate pieces, basically a faceplate and pod for both left and right sides. I used plastic cement to seal the two halves of each pod together and drilled a narrow hole in the back for wires. I filled the pod itself with polyfill.
I had a bit of trouble with the adapter rings for the rear stock sound pods, but that was because of my particular speaker. They would be good in general, but I think everyone's experience with these may vary. In my case, I used Alpine Type R 6.5" component speakers (R-S65C.2). The issue with these was that they are hefty and the metal housing which holds the magnet protrudes almost perpendicular to the front of the cone (left), whereas most speakers have sharper angles (right):
I had to dremel a decent chunk of material off of my adapter rings in order to get the speaker to go through. So really depends what speakers you have. I think some people have dropped 6.5" speakers straight into the stock hole and screwed the speakers and grilles directly to the sound pod. I wanted to keep mine somewhat reversible and not mangle any stock parts more than necessary:
Can see the printed adapter rings and pods here (I will post another pic of them installed when I get a chance to take one). I had the 5.25" kicker speakers a lot of people use up front, but am about to replace with better Alpine component ones and tweeters (plan is to use the tweeter pods linked above)
What purpose does that serve? I know next to nothing about car audio but am interested in upgrading my system.
Similar threads
