Sound system question

[cpliberty04]

Hello! I find that the volume on my stock sound system is not loud enough when I'm riding with all the windows down and sunroof open/vent. I turn up the volume almost to max and it just isn't quiet enough to make it above the wind noises. Not that I want a super loud system, I was wondering if adding the mopar sub would help increase the volume or should I replace the head unit and/or speakers to get a bit more sound? Of course the volume is even worse when I'm listening to my Sirius radio which I have wired to the back of the head unit.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Can I beef up the stock system or should I go with a full aftermarket system. I currently have the system with the in-deck 6 CD changer. Not sure what model that is.

Thanks!

 

[MoladoGuy]

Replace the head unit. The stock speakers can handle the added wattage as long as you are not maxing out the volume.

 

[hyde]

non-infinity sound is standard on sports. Replacing HU won't do much on those.. You need better speakers. If you are still dissatisfied (after new sp's) then go get a new HU. I loved my RBQ (6-cd changer) + Infinity, never had problem w/vol.

 

[06Liberty]

non-infinity sound is standard on sports. Replacing HU won't do much on those.. You need better speakers. If you are still dissatisfied (after new sp's) then go get a new HU. I loved my RBQ (6-cd changer) + Infinity, never had problem w/vol.

That's what I did at first and it didn't make a huge difference. I have the sport with the "regular" speakers, which by the way look ALOT better than the factory Infinity's on my mother's Limited. Maybe it's because I'm used to mine, but hers sounds really muddy like all the sounds just run together. Anyway, I replaced my speakers with (4) Infinity ref6012i's before I replaced the HU and it did sound better, but the bass response sucked...hence the Basslink I have now. If it were me, I would replace the HU first and then the speakers...if you still want to.

 

[hyde]

I would replace speakers first and see if you could score a cheap set of Stock Premium speakers.

 

[06Liberty]

i wish i had kept my stock "regular" speakers, they were actually very good quality for stock speakers. they just aren't a true 2-way speaker(neither are the factory Infinity's), so that's probably why you're not getting the volume you want, because most of the mids and highs are coming through the tweeter/speaker in the dash. new 2 or 3 way speakers would be a little louder simply because they would be able to reproduce the mids and highs alot better, meaning more volume basically. I would've liked to have heard mine with the new HU and the factory speakers, I bet I wouldn't have bought new speakers.

 

[hyde]

I agree with mids and highs mixing in those tweeters, but HU also makes the difference. Our Stock HUs don't come with MID levels, they consist of Treble and Bass, only. However New HU will let you adjust mids or anything in between (depending on bands).
I was planning to get new speakers, but to be honest, the stock speakers are just enough for me. Yes they are not as loud as they are supposed to be, but who wants a headache!? They are just great and my Kenwood makes them sound pretty good, sometimes it even sounds like I got a small subwoofer (woofers on doors are actually doing a good job with bass)

 

[MoladoGuy]

I replaced my HU first and had the stock speakers. I did have an increase in volume while the windows were down (that was my complaint to). However, after some time I killed the front right speaker because of the volume levels being high all the time. At that point I replaced my speakers.

The stock non-premium speakers will work fine with a new HU. If it still does not get loud enough go out and buy some new speakers. Not sure what your planning on listening to or how much bass you want.

 

[Prest989]

I replaced my HU with a Sony 52x4 head unit. It pumped more volume to the speakers, but the distortion was just too much for me. Replace the HU first, then replace the speakers. I went w/ 4 Kicker KS60s, and 2 Lightning Audio 10 inch subs.

 

[chezck]

dont replace your factory radio, as i said it before, aftermarket radios skip and go bad eventually, what you can do is add amp to your speakers and get betterones.... i am working on the cable right now for wich i could mount the amp under the seats... all i need is a factory plug that goes behind the radio so i dont have to cut any cables... reverse harness i think it is called

 

[MoladoGuy]

dont replace your factory radio, as i said it before, aftermarket radios skip and go bad eventually

?????? Anything can skip and eventually go bad. I have never had a problem with my 2 Pioneer aftermarket HU's that I have used in my Jeeps over the past 6 years. No skipping of CD's...and now with iPod I don't need to worry about that.

 

[06Liberty]

not to mention that if you keep the factory radio, you have no ability to play mp3's, it has less power than an aftermarket HU, and you have to go through alot more crap to be able to hook up an external amp if you choose to. With an aftermarket HU, you get more power, ability to play pretty much any thing you want (wma, mp3, aac, etc.....), and to hook up an amp all you do is PLUG IT IN. Everybody has different needs, so in the end it's up to you.

 

[hyde]

?????? Anything can skip and eventually go bad. I have never had a problem with my 2 Pioneer aftermarket HU's that I have used in my Jeeps over the past 6 years. No skipping of CD's...and now with iPod I don't need to worry about that.

No issues with my aftermarket HU, either.

 

[chezck]

sorry well that was my experiencewith aftermarket radios