Sound System Installation Questions - Page 7

usurp · 01-30-2008, 07:48 AM

NCJEEPFAN I think SirGcal was talking to BlueJ not me. 40watts speakers with a 250watt sub should balance out well (I hope).

**SirGCal** · 01-30-2008, 07:52 AM

Yes, I was. Thought with 40W, it is still possible your fill could be overbearing for a simple Basslink. But I think you'll be fine. Basslinks are pretty strong for their size and power.

NCJEEPFAN · 01-30-2008, 12:29 PM

ok. like i said i have no experience with the Basslink and i didn't realize it has a 10" sub, i took for granted it was like all the other powered sub out there, like a 6" or so.

i can't wait to get your review on how everything goes. take alot of pics along the way too.

**SirGCal** · 01-30-2008, 02:28 PM

It is a 10" sub with a 10" passive radiator (non-powered speaker basically; no magnet/coil). It's not very shy... Won't wake the dead but it's respectively clean, especially for a boom in a box type of deal.

usurp · 01-30-2008, 02:35 PM

I had a Bazooka before and that was pretty impressive so as long as the BassLink can match or top that then I am more than satified. If I didn't have a dog I would have definitly went all out with a JL Audio setup in the rear but I am hoping the BassLink is the best solution for my situation.

usurp · 01-31-2008, 05:07 AM

Ok just got the last cables I need. I got the stinger 5meter 4channel rca plugs. I got extra 8gauge cables (3.5meters) and i got 20 meters of speaker cable for $69.

Problem is I am really not comfortable with my speaker cables. He had ran out of 16gauge stinger speaker cables and only had generic 20gauge speaker cables or stinger like 12 (or was it 14?) gauge speaker cables. The stinger was like $2.25 a meter while the generic was like 75 cents. Went with the generic but feeling icky about it. He assuremed its what he uses all the time but that didn't make me feel any better.

If after installing everything I find the sound system sounding like **** I will replace the wires again but for now i guess it will do. Tomorrow morning will start my install so wish me luck. I've never attempted at anything like this before.

NCJEEPFAN · 01-31-2008, 07:26 AM

20ga is awful light. are there any other places around that you could buy speaker wire? hardware store, walmart.......

usurp · 01-31-2008, 07:35 AM

urgh i was hoping someone would tell me that 20gauge should be fine since its for the wrangler.

does regular home speaker wire work? I can pass by Ace Hardware and pickup better cable i guess :S

NCJEEPFAN · 01-31-2008, 07:41 AM

yes IMO the 20 ga is too light. especially since your installing an amp. i would use 14 ga (16 ga minimum). and yes IMO home speaker wire will work just fine. just don't run the speaker wire or rca's side by side with any power wires.

after all you have spent a ton of $ on quality cables already, so you should'nt skimp (on the gauage not the price) on the speaker wire.

usurp · 01-31-2008, 12:48 PM

ok i returned my 20 gauge speaker cable and got stinger 12 gauage. 56 feet for $66. Expensive but at least psychologically I am happy.

usurp · 01-31-2008, 01:51 PM

btw, here is a picture of the best sound system store in Kuwait. Its depressing.

**bman9089** · 01-31-2008, 05:57 PM

doesn't look too bad. Looks bigger than most places actually, except maybe specialized stores (no nation wide stores).

Good thing you swapped those wires out. I would have never used them myself.

usurp · 01-31-2008, 11:45 PM

problem with 12guage cables is that its more difficult to hide the cables so a quick last minute decision, i will be mounting the amp under the seat. that way while the rear seat is down the amp is hidden. i hope it doesn't effect the performance of the amp.

NCJEEPFAN · 02-01-2008, 08:13 AM

it will be fine, i temporarily have mine under the rear. (by temporarily i mean they have been there for a year and a half) but i have a instatrunk and i plan on mounting them in there once i "try" and build SirG's inseat sub box. the amp(s) will fine under there, just becareful about having the top down and getting rain inside the Jeep. my wife drove our TJ to work last summer with the top down. left the windows at home and we literally had the hardest rain and thunderstorm of the entire summer.

when she got home none of the stereo worked, i freaked out! i took out the amps, opened the amp casings to let them dry. they didn't seem wet on the inside but...i left them there to dry for a day or so. i believe the problem was the rain got in behind the dash and for a couple of weeks i had some weird noises in the stereo coming from the trun signals, and when hitting the brakes.

it was crazy!

usurp · 02-01-2008, 12:25 PM

ok I am done with the installation. it was a really long day, started at 10am finished at 5pm. Non stop without a break, lunch or anything. I though installing the power lines was going to be the hardest job but that turned out to be easy. I just used a good scissor to cut the 4 gauge cable and I just cut a tiny hole in a already used grommet and that was really all there was to it. Very easy.

Now the hard part was rewiring the jeep with new speaker cables. My advice, don't use a 12 gauge cable, its extremely difficult to control and
manouver. I also had trouble with my rear speaker. The Boston SX55 fit in the sound pod but the grill that came with it wouldn't fit into the opening. So I had to use the original factory drill but because of the plastic thing sticking out from the middle of the speaker, the speaker grill wouldn't fit with it also. I had to drill them both into place and the speaker grill now is over it but its slightly bent because the plastic thing is pushing the middle of the grill out. I wouldn't recommend the Boston SX55 for that reason.

I have an issue still with the sound but I will post it as a new post in this forum. Here are some pictures with my comments.

This is a picture of my setup before I started work.

This is how the original factory speaker looked like.

This is the grommet I used for the main 4gauge power line.

This is the grommet from the outside. Its right behind the engine.

This is how my power line looks like from the engine compartment.

I removed the two speaker grills, the cover under the steering wheel, the center dashboard and the glove compartment door so I could have easy access to the area behind.

This was one of the toughest parts. I couldn't remove the rubber tube that has the light and factory speaker cable going through it so I drilled a large hole next to it and using a screwdriver I managed to force the rubber tube out of the socket. This created a large enough hole to run the speaker cable through. I then ran it through the opening in the material covering the rollcage and ran the cable through that and down the right side. Turned out really nice, you can't see any sign of the cable.

That little opening on the top right is where I brought in all the speaker cables. There is another hole on the bottom right which you can't see in the picture, thats where I brought the RCA cable through.

Here I was soldering the remote line to the wiring harness.

One of the speakers installed.

Anyway tomorrow I am opening up the two front speaker grills again. There is something vibrating from behind the speakers thats really annoying the hell out of me. I was expecting there to be a lot more vibration in the back but all the vibration sounds are coming from the front.