Speaker upgrades: couple questions

[tbburg]

'00 XJ: I have the stock, base sound system(4-speaker), factory radio/CD/tape head unit. RF speaker went dead(a long time ago)and now the LR is acting up. Looking at replacing them with std/good quality aftermarket, possibly Pioneer or Alpine. (Don't need really high-end stuff, damaged my ears long ago and can't tell the difference between good and high quality any more.)
I won't be installing a base or amp. Yeah, I know that will involve some loss of sound quality, see above.

Question: Do the component speakers with the separate tweeter make a big difference in sound quality? would it be worth putting component speakers in all 4 positions(front and rear)? To the people who have done the upgrade: How and where did you mount your tweeters?

 

[iwannadie]

I recently did a speaker over haul on the ole ladies lexus and used infinity(oops not pioneer) component speakers with separate tweeters and cross overs in the front and coaxial speakers in the back. The rear speakers I don't think need the separate tweeter, you won't notice it. The point of the tweeter being separate is to allow directional placement. In the rear you can't place it in a way that would make a difference.

I am still undecided if I want to just go component in the front or just coaxial all around. Sitting in the lexus with the new setup is really sweet though, the quality stands out for sure.

 

[Kiefer316]

I have components in the front of my xj. They are awesome! Can definitely tell a difference from your leg being in the way of normal speakers. Mine are infinity btw. If tour not looking for anything fancy just grab some decent speakers with higher wattage. Pioneer and alpine will both do the job.

 

[urban yan]

Question: Do the component speakers with the separate tweeter make a big difference in sound quality? would it be worth putting component speakers in all 4 positions(front and rear)? To the people who have done the upgrade: How and where did you mount your tweeters?

Considering you're not amplifying the new speakers and your hearing's shot, I think you'll be fine with a simple 2-way swap. If you decide to buy components than don't bother getting a set for the rear; the finer frequencies will get drowned out by the fronts. Tweeters should be directed towards your head. Most tweeters are located near/around the a-pillar. I had mine installed here:

 

[Keithmania]

Considering you're not amplifying the new speakers and your hearing's shot, I think you'll be fine with a simple 2-way swap. If you decide to buy components than don't bother getting a set for the rear; the finer frequencies will get drowned out by the fronts. Tweeters should be directed towards your head. Most tweeters are located near/around the a-pillar. I had mine installed here:

Aww your just showin' off the suede headliner again... Looks nice

 

[urban yan]

Guilty as charged.

 

[dave92cherokee]

When I replaced the worn/blown factory speakers and head unit, I got a set of pioneer 3 way speakers and they sounded pretty good for a cheap replacement.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

When I upgraded, I got some used Boston Acoustic S55 (I think) in the front. Wiring to the hatch speakers were Fubar'd do not really need them tho.

I may have a pair or 2 of some Kenwood 2-way 5.25's in the garage for a low price.

 

[wheeling365]

Nobody mentioned this yet so I'll chime in. The factory wiring in the front doors is prone to break at a splice inside the weather boot that runs to the doors. I had to repair both sides on my 00XJ.

You may want to make sure that the RF is actually getting a signal from the head unit before you start upgrading things only to find out you have a different issue.

 

[aparke4]

I also was ok with a good two way front and rear in my 99... the rear soundbar made up for the speakers being so low in the front... i always replaced the factory wire with a good oxygen free speaker wire like monster, RCA, etc... at first i ran them off a 50x5 Panasonic deck then opted for a 4 way amp which gives you more power and more audio control... if you are replacing stock i would reccomend getting a new head unit or an aftermarket unit - the stock hu just does power aftermarket speakers as well as the stock ones

i went with 6.5 front and rear btw

 

[iwannadie]

Any cutting in the front with 6.5 to fit or any depth clearance issues? I plan on doing front door speakers soon on my 97 4 door and would like to go 6.5".

 

[urban yan]

I have infinity perfect 6.1s in my front doors and they fit fine.

 

[No4x4Yet]

Guilty as charged.

Speaking of, where did u get the suede? That looks sweet and I have an overhead console in the mail that needs to be wrapped.

 

[urban yan]

I don't want to hijack this thread so check my suede headliner thread. I posted all the links there.

 

[tbburg]

Thanks for the info and tips guys.

Sticking with the factory HU for now. Pretty sure it's the speaker and not the wire, but I'll confirm before doing the speakers.

 

[chasdb]

I changed the speakers and head unit on my '00 because I thought my speaker was in-op. Ended up being broken wires too. There is a plug in the front left kick panel to the driver's door. You can unplug it and pull the harness back thru the door jam and thru the door so you can splice wires and not have the butt connectors where they will get fatigued in the door jam area. The door speakers are 6.5", on Crutchfield they had them at 5.25 which are smaller than the originals.

 

[tbburg]

Well, I can cap this off with my results.

After doing a little research, I spoke with a friend who put component speakers in his Wrangler. He used Polk Audio, which I added to my list of "to check out".
Turns out all Polk Audio speakers are marine rated, which bumped them up on my list. I've never submerged the Jeep yet, but moisture does work it's way in.

Decided to go with the Polk Audio. Called Crutchfield, as they seem to have a great rep with everyone who deals with them. The sales rep I talked to surprised me by recommending I don't use the component speakers with the stock system. (especially surprising as a comparable speaker without the component tweeters is half as much,.. they must not work on commission,..)
Anyway, I ended up going with Polk DXI650 slim-lines for the front and DXi 525s in back. One really nice thing about Crutchfield, they included make/mod specific adapter leads for the speakers, making the speaker upgrade plug&play.
As mentioned earlier in the thread, the front door speaker holes easily fit a 6.5" speaker. I have a hunch the 6.5s would also fit the rear upper enclosures, but I did the front doors first, so didn't have one of the 6.5s to check the fit when I took the back apart.
The size discrepancy up front seems to originate from how the speakers are measured. The OEM speakers are 5.25" across, but that only measures the speaker itself. The mounting tabs stick out well past the speaker body and aren't included in the size measurement. Aftermarket speakers are measured across the grill/cover, which covers the screw mounts, etc, and are substantially larger then the actual speaker.
For the record, the Polk DXi650 is slightly smaller then the factory 5.25. I think a similar 6.75" speaker would probably fit the stock screw holes.(the 6.5"s have slightly smaller mount hole circle then the factory ones)

Thanks to everyone who chimed in!