[kbarwall]

Well my factory sub is blown and I want to replace, I would like to upgrade if it isnt to much of a hassle. Also i have polk audio speakers in the dash and sound bar which I would like to upgrade and replace they are sounding some what questionable because of their age and wear. I am not trying to make a sounds competition capable jeep, just something that has a good sound also, most likely going to replace the headunit as well but that isnt a must at this point. For you gurus of the audio world I would like your input, I am on some what of a budget, I would like to get the most bang for my buck obviously, but Like i said early I DONT need a rediculous monster of a sound system, just something that is reliable and able to withstand the conditions of the jeep lifestyle as well as put out a nice clean sound. First priority is to replace the sub then I will go from there. Also my sub is only working when i am on the tuner function, so radio only, it does not work when listening to a CD or IPOD, The reciever is a Sony Xplod, nothing to speacial, about mid-range on their lineup, any ideas on what is wrong?

[rubibluejay]

The problem with your sub only working when the radio is the source is due to the wrong wire being hooked up. You need to use the power control wire and not the antenna control wire. What model is your receiver?

Jay

[kbarwall]

not for certain, it was in the jeep when I got it, ill take a pic and see what you think. I took care of the stock subwoofer deal and went with the cheapy pyramid reciever for 12 bucks.

[rubibluejay]

The model # should be on the faceplate of the receiver.

Jay

[PBNJTJ]

your sub on/off problem is in the reviever or before the reciever. Go with an after market speaker and power it with a matched amp. Install it yourself. Being a jeep owner, I'm going to assume you can do this. Again being a jeep owner you're probably fighting tons of wind noise and are looking for loud. I run the six speaker VDP soundbar, infinity 4X6's in the dash 500W amp and a 10" sub. I'm still unhappy hahaha.

[gily25]

Originally Posted by PBNJTJ

your sub on/off problem is in the reviever or before the reciever. Go with an after market speaker and power it with a matched amp. Install it yourself. Being a jeep owner, I'm going to assume you can do this. Again being a jeep owner you're probably fighting tons of wind noise and are looking for loud. I run the six speaker VDP soundbar, infinity 4X6's in the dash 500W amp and a 10" sub. I'm still unhappy hahaha.

You're still unhappy because you have a lot of speakers competing against each other and cancelling out any benefit of your upgrade.

4 good speakers (factory soundbar and dash with adapter bracket) are all that are needed to upgrade a TJ system. 2 possible options for sizing and neither includes a 4x6 speaker. 4 5.25's or 2 5.25's (dash) and 2 6.5's (soundbar) if no sub will be used. Decision to power dash speakers or all 4 is up to how much space the driver wants to give up; powering the speakers makes a huge difference in hearing clearly over wind, mud tires, engine, wife...

Either you build a new insert for the center console to hold an 8" sub, do the in-seat or behind the seat box enclosure. Replacing the center console sub speaker is only for functionality and to reduce some of the distortion of the factory sub it doesn't add much of any extra bass to the system.

For the op's needs getting a fresh set of speakers and investigating the factory sub will get him slightly above the factory set-up and it should make the average driver happy. Note to the op check that blue and blue and white (remote wire, power antennae wire) situation before installing the pyramid speaker. The pyramid will actually reduce your bass response so if you don't need the upgrade yet just put the pyramid on the shelf and wait.

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[kbarwall]

im not a big audio guy i just want to make the sub work all the time whether im listening to the radio, cd, etc, and fix the blown racketty sound, as far as the rest of my speakers, they are plently loud for me, i just want to freshin them up as you said. Like i said before im not a big audio guy i just want something i can hear on the highway with the top down. It doesnt have to be hardcore, thats why i went witht he pyramid sub, its cheap and effective and i can put the money that matters in other places like making my jeep more capable off road and what not, but i def appreciates your all advice, i dont know much of anything about audio, i can solder up the wiring harness and get it working and thats about it...

[rubibluejay]

Originally Posted by kbarwall

im not a big audio guy i just want to make the sub work all the time whether im listening to the radio, cd, etc, and fix the blown racketty sound, as far as the rest of my speakers, they are plently loud for me, i just want to freshin them up as you said. Like i said before im not a big audio guy i just want something i can hear on the highway with the top down. It doesnt have to be hardcore, thats why i went witht he pyramid sub, its cheap and effective and i can put the money that matters in other places like making my jeep more capable off road and what not, but i def appreciates your all advice, i dont know much of anything about audio, i can solder up the wiring harness and get it working and thats about it...

To get the sub to work all the time, you need to hook up the remote (power control) turn on lead (usually blue/white...but could be different for your head unit) instead of the power antenna control lead (usually blue). This is why I asked what model the head unit was. Some radios have dual use wires, and some even use a different color (pink) for the power control wire.

Jay

[kbarwall]

ill get you that model number sorry, i started school this week, its been nuts around here and i can keep everything straight

[kbarwall]

the number for the reciever is CDX-GT420IP , this is a sony explode reciever, not my personal favorite brand but....when i do replace i want something comparable that has Satellite Radio capability, along with ipod connections aka aux in. For now i just want to rewire it so that the sub works all the time

[edsoto]

i got a sony xplod h/u with ipod cable. i run the factory setup with a 10" CV sub powered by an older soundstream amp. i love the sounds

[rubibluejay]

Originally Posted by kbarwall

the number for the reciever is CDX-GT420IP , this is a sony explode reciever, not my personal favorite brand but....when i do replace i want something comparable that has Satellite Radio capability, along with ipod connections aka aux in. For now i just want to rewire it so that the sub works all the time

The wire you need to hook up is a blue wire with a white tracer (blue/white). Here is the owner's manual for your head unit.

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/Manuals/158/158GT420IP.PDF


Jay

[kbarwall]

ok cool, i traced back and found that wire, i think it was labled amp power, so basically what I need to do is hook it into the red wire? If i understand it correctly the red wire only is charged when the key is in the on or acc position as oposed to the yellow wire witch is hot all the time to maintain memory? COrrect?

[Fhajad]

NO. DO NOT PUT IN ON THE RED.

On your amp should be a power, ground, and a third. The third (usually middle) is sometimes "signal". This means that that wire will send a stream of power to the amp saying, "Hay, time to turn on" any time the head unit is on.

[kbarwall]

so, how should i hook the amp up then, remember this all the factory hardware as far as the sub is concerned.