Car stereophiles help needed and a suggestion

[Grizzley]

Just running a stock Jeep AM/FM cass. stereo with 4 door speakers. Replacing the headliner as it's lost it's battle with gravity. Was wondering if I can bring any two rear speaker wires (+ and -) down from the top to power a small bass speaker in the back. I have some Jensen dual 5 1/4's in the rear now that I picked up but they HATE the lows and you can see that they do when you watch them. Is there anything that I can add to the rear speaker lines to stop the bass from getting through after I add a rear bass speaker?

Since I know that there are a bunch of XJer's out there that have killer systems in their rigs. How about someone doing a write up on improving the base stereo system or upgrading what is usually offered. I don't mean running down to Wally World and buying a new head and 4 speakers and calling it good. Why is an amplifier needed and will it clean up the music? Why are some speakers wired in series and others wired in parellel? I don't think that electrical theory needs to be discussed, just a good base guide line on what needs to be done to get good tunes. Ya, I'm a little deaf and I love to crank up a good song. Thanks!

 

[asatxj]

Yes you can run a pair of wires down to provide a signal for an amp to run a sub. You will need an amp that accepts speaker level inputs or a speaker to line level convertor(I have one let me know if you need ) if your amp requires a line level signal.
Why do you need an amp? Bass frequencies require large amounts of energy to produce and your stock (or aftermarket) head unit cannot generate that kind of current.
Now what kind of gear can you use to get your bass fix? here's some choices
1) separate amp and a sub can be done fairly inexpensive- buy used gear from people- I have a 10" sub and box you can get reasonable PM me-

2) All in one simple box Infinity Basslink, Bazooka and a few others sell the whole thing as a package. More costly but easier to install.

Series wiring and parallel wiring are methods of connecting multiple speakers to an amplifier without overloading it. Lots of electrical theorey stuff here. Chances are you won't need to worry about it with what you're planning.

If this is your first foray into the deep waters of car audio I'd get an assistant who knows what he's doing, not just bubba who put an 8 track in his chevy pickup once. Someone who's done what you want to do or even more exotic. it's not hard but there are right ways and wrong ways. Wrong generally = :firedevil and $$$$$$$$$ wasted.
Drop me a pm if you want more info. BTW I've been installing for about 24 years now. Man I'm old! :confused1

 

[xjhm]

i am guessing you have the speakers mounted in the rear of the head liner, like my '99 has... the easiest way would be to ditch the jensens and the factory speakers in the back, and pickup a pair of mid-bass speakers that will fit the stock location. add some cheap in-line crossovers(coils) and be done.
unless you want to add an amp and do some type of enclosure, this will be the best way.

 

[Boris T]

There is a product called "Bass blockers" that crutchfield sells (I know they are high priced but have good service) which filters off frequencies below a given point. I have a pair I am going to install in the rear of my 98.

Side note: I installed Polk EX352's all around in the Jeep on Wednesday night and they sound good but lack any bass. Fading to front helps but still the back will distort. I am also considering a small sub or bass tube to boost low end. I am using the factory CD/cassette/AM/FM head unit.

I will try to help if you have any other questions!

Travis

 

[Grizzley]

Really good info, thanks to all.

The 84 has the rear speakers mounted in the rear hatch but the wires enter through the top.

I guess I need to do some poking around and figure out what I have in there for speakers. I know they're jensen's as I just put them in but they may be a mid-range and tweeter as they sound good as long as I run the bass in a really low setting, but you've gotta have bass. Will have to run the numbers and see what they are.

Running an amp back there is going to mean running some power back. Not a problem once I have the liner out.

Is it really important to have a bass speaker in an enclosure? I'm not looking to rattle the next car, just more bass and an extra box in the back isn't really the way I'd want to go. From what I understand, from googling other sites, the bass is omni directional and will fill no matter which way it's pointing as opposed to tweeters, which are directional, and need to be pointed in the correct listening direction.

Thanks again for all the info.

 

[Boris T]

You are right... bass is omni.....

A crossover of any type will send proper frequencies to the speakers that can handle them.

T

 

[Atl XJ]

I agree with everything said, but I just wanted to add that I was looking for more bass in my '95 without running a sub so I replaced the front door speakers with 6.5s. They fit pretty easily. you just have to drill new holes. I chose the Infiniti 6002s because they have pretty good low end response. I do miss having a sub, but they do go much lower than my 5.25" Polk Audios in my rear sound bar. I'm running everything with the 50x4 amp in my Pioneer DEH-P5500 CD/MP3 player. Its XJ ready too, but I haven't gotten around to that yet. I miss having a sub, but it sounds pretty good now that I've got all the audio adjustments figured out and I didn't have to give up any cargo room in the back. I am seriously thinking about running a sub again though.

 

[SouthernXJ]

I just run the stock components, infinity 6X9s in the rear hatch (1991) and a Kenwood CD/MP3 player. I want to say it's 40xX4? With the output of just the head unit, the system sounds pretty good. Nothing that's going to turn heads, but sounds good enough in the driver's seat.

MP3 players are the way to go. I can get about 250 songs on one CD

 

[the_chief]

Running an amp back there is going to mean running some power back. Not a problem once I have the liner out.
QUOTE]


Hmmm. Where are you planning on mounting your amp? I would't run power through the headliner. Do yourself a favor, go get a little 75x2 amp and install it under the back seat. I'll take some pics of my setup in a minute here for you.

 

[Atl XJ]

Do yourself a favor, go get a little 75x2 amp and install it under the back seat. I'll take some pics of my setup in a minute here for you.

I've thought about running an amp there, but do you have trouble with it overheating due to lack of airflow? Thats my concern about mounting in that location.

 

[SOOLONG]

Well that is where the factory mounts their infinity amps on the ZJ, WJ, and XJ. Lets just say those ampilifiers don't create much heat. I Mounted my Audio control amplifier under there and it worked fine but....... After about 1 year it went pop. This was a $1000.00 amplifier when I bought it eight years ago. Can I blame it on the heat bulid up? Or was it just the age. I served me well in four differnt vehicles. Lets just say it will not be going back there again.

Joe

 

[xjhm]

i was looking around in my '99 for space... well what about a small enclosure(for an 8" sub) under the front seats, use a small low power amp with a good crossover, should be able to stuff it under the front seats also.

or just tear the back seats out and throw a couple of bass cannons back there and let 'er rip...

 

[Grizzley]

Not sure 6.5's would work in an 84 unless I did a lot of metal trimming on top of that I have power windows so I'd think that would rule that out. Forget the rear hatch also. Barely enough room in there for the 5.25's.

What I have in the back is TS-A1387 Pioneer Co-axials. They have a 100w maximum and I'm sure not hitting that. Funny that they sound like they can't take the power or maybe I'm under powering them since they need 35w nominal. Not sure how that plays out.

I was going to run power up over the top and down the B pillar to the rear seat area. Daughter wants a 12 plug back there for her cd player. She's not real fond of my era music. Figured a small amp would work under the rear seat.

I was thinking of running a bass in the rear spare. Plenty of room in there and I, like AtlXJ, really don't want the extra box back there.

 

[Tekrat]

BTW: Bass Blockers are available at any car audio shop, and I believe Best Buy and Circuit City as well...

 

[NinjaPlumber]

I have an 84 2 door, I ripped out all the stock speakers, back ones including. Picked up a couple MB Quart seperates, mounted them in the doors, (had to use the tin snips a little bit to fit them in, but it worked). Mounted them as one unit (as opposed to installing the mid-range speaker in one location and then the tweeter in a different). Installed the crossovers for them back in the very back of the jeep, on the opposite wall that the spare tire mounts to. (well used to mount too, running 31 x12 thornbirds now, so dont have one there) anyway there is that little area just under the window that is indented in, I dont know the exact term for it, but I mounted the crossovers back there. Installed a MTX 4204 4ch amp in one of those plastic storage thingys, you know, thay have the carpet on top, they are sold at GI Joes for about 20 bucks, it has 2 compartments in it, about 30 inches long, and 16 inches wide and about 4 inches deep, they are supposed to make you have more storage in the car, you put stuff in it and then you can close the lid on it, and stack more stuff......any you get the picture, I hope. Anyway, mounted that container with the amp in the back right on the deck, ran a 4 gauge power wire directly from the battery back to it. Also a couple of interconnects off of the head unit, then ran speaker wires (14 gauge lightning audio) from the amp to the crossovers, and then the crossovers to the speakers.

Then I Installed a Audio Control 2xs crossover to filter out the low frequencies, ran high pass to the mtx, and then installed a Rockford Punch 60i 2 channel amp (old, but effective) and ran a couple of 10's off of that. mounted that amp in the other side of that plastic thingy, and whamo. had a decent stereo in no time at all!

Hope that help, or I was probably just rambing again.

Later

 

[OT]

Just run your power and other wiring along the rocker panel with all the factory wiring.

There's no need to go up high.

 

[Grizzley]

Just run your power and other wiring along the rocker panel with all the factory wiring.

There's no need to go up high.

Normally I'd agree with you Terry. But considering that the headliner will be out and there's a lot of room up over the side for the wires to run, thought I'd do it that way. Being an 84 the heads of the screws in the plate that covers the bottom of the door sill are probably worn and filled with junk. It'd just be easier this way.

Googled for the model number and found that these rears aren't known for handling lows. Guess the $10 for the crossovers would be worth it and then put a bass somewhere.

Interesting responses and ideas. Thanks for all the ideas and input.

Maybe I could wedge a 12" bass speaker under the wife's seat. . .

 

[Atl XJ]

Not sure 6.5's would work in an 84 unless I did a lot of metal trimming on top of that I have power windows so I'd think that would rule that out. Forget the rear hatch also. Barely enough room in there for the 5.25's.

I was thinking of running a bass in the rear spare. Plenty of room in there and I, like AtlXJ, really don't want the extra box back there.

Unless there is something that I'm not aware of, your doors should be pretty much the same as on my 95. I have the Country edition so its power everything. The only issue I have with mine is that if you look closely at the grills, the tweeters push the grills out a little bit. I'm the only one thats ever noticed it and one day if I feel really inspired I could shave the plastic down a little bit from the inside and problem solved. Maybe something is a little different on yours, mine had 5.25s stock, but I'm pretty sure the interior is basically the same.

A few companies make sub enclosures where you can mount a sub in a full sized spare. I've never heard one though, so I can't comment on how it sounds.

 

[Grizzley]

Unless there is something that I'm not aware of, your doors should be pretty much the same as on my 95. I have the Country edition so its power everything. The only issue I have with mine is that if you look closely at the grills, the tweeters push the grills out a little bit. I'm the only one thats ever noticed it and one day if I feel really inspired I could shave the plastic down a little bit from the inside and problem solved. Maybe something is a little different on yours, mine had 5.25s stock, but I'm pretty sure the interior is basically the same.

A few companies make sub enclosures where you can mount a sub in a full sized spare. I've never heard one though, so I can't comment on how it sounds.

Well, I'm going back over and getting the other set for the fronts and when I put them in I'll have to take a real close look. On my blue 84 I replaced the fronts and really don't remember that much room. If you've done it though then I should be able to. Three ways would definatly cure the no bass problem. I do have a full size spare in the back and if I flip it around there's a lot of space there. 3/8's or 1/2 inch plywood disc with J-bolts to the rim should hold.

 

[Atl XJ]

Yeah, I just had to mess with it a little bit and turn the speakers around till everything cleared and there was a place to drill 4 holes. It wasn't really a big deal and didn't take very long. The hardest part by far was getting the door panels off and on around the power window switch on the drivers' side. I'm running a 50x4 watts to mine and they don't really vibrate too much, but I do wish I would have put dynamat or something like that in there to kill the vibrations, but I only notice it sometimes and it only when I'm playing it really loud and listening to something with a lot of bass in it. It probably wouldn't be a problem for you with the musical tastes you described, lol.