I have the same exact head unit in mine. I'm running an alpine PDX-V9 amp which is a 5 channel 900 RMS watt amp (4x100 and 1x500). Running Polk MM components up front and Alpine type R's in the soundbar, with an Alpine 10" Type R sub. Excellent sound!! I had a "heavier" system and was running an Alpine Type X, but it was too much!
When I first got the jeep I completely chopped up my system and used a PDLC81 line converter from the factory amp (so I could keep the factory headunit) to my aftermarket amp. But I since changed that when I got the AVIC 8100 NEX headunit. If your aftermarket amp(s) will be powering your speakers and sub, all you need is RCAs running from the headunit to your new amp(s).
There are many different opinions on what is good and what is bad. I have always been a fan of Pioneer headunits (back in the day when they had their "Premier" line), but not any of their other stuff. Alpine, Kicker, Rockford Fosgate, Infinity, and JL Audio are some good brands to look at when it comes to amps. The Alpine PDX line is the most compact I could find, which is why I chose it. Good luck.
Sounds much like the setup i want, did you fit the 10" sub in the stock plastic case of the jeep with som modifications?
Did you use all of your rca outputs on the headunit? Rear/front + subwoofer?, its to wiring from the headunit to the amp iam still a bit worrying about :nerd:
Nope. I'm using a PAC C2R-CHY4 to mate the stock wiring to the back of the aftermarket head unit. Pretty much the exact same thing but it doesn't have to be programmed before installation (the idatalink maestro may have some additional features since it has to be programmed... not sure).
No, you can only fit a 8" sub in the factory enclosure (at least the older models with the sub on the side not the floorboard). I started out with an 8" RocfordFosgate P3 to try and utilize the factory sub box... was not impressed at all. Which is why I made the other mistake of installing the 10" Alpine Type X. Before finally hitting the sweet spot with the 10" Type R. Its just in a normal box that you get from any stereo shop sitting in the back of the jeep.
Did you use all of your rca outputs on the headunit? Rear/front + subwoofer?, its to wiring from the headunit to the amp iam still a bit worrying about :nerd
Yes, all of the RCAs plug into the back of the head unit. Here is what you need to plan for. 1 set of 4 channel RCA cables running from the back of your head unit to the aftermarket amp that powers your speakers. 1 set of 2 channel RCA cables running from your head unit to the aftermarket amp that powers your sub. Then you gotta run the speaker wire from each of the speakers all the way to your amp(s). So you need to make sure you have plenty of speaker wire. The soundbar is a bit of a pain because there is a plug that allows you to disconnect and remove the soundbar without having to cut any wiring. If you want you can just keep the stock wiring in the sound bar and splice your new speaker wire up to the stock plug that connects to the sound bar. That way you can connect and disconnect the soundbar just as if it still had all factory wiring. You will need enough power wire to run from your battery (Don't forget the in-line fuse) to the amps and ground wire to run from the amps to a good grounding point. I'm using 4 gauge OFC (oxygen free copper) wire, but you may be able to use 8 gauge depending on the power rating of your amp(s). I would stay away from CCA (copper clad aluminum) wire as it is less effective that OFC (which is why it is cheaper). And you will need a small gauge wire to run from the blue/white wire on the back of the head unit to your amp(s) as the 'remote' (aka: turn on) wire. After its all set up you will need to properly set your gain on the amp. Don't just turn the friggin' gain all the way up because you think it will make things louder... like some idiots do!!! Do it right (that's a whole other topic). If you've never wired up stereo equipment I highly suggest watching a ton of youtube videos before hand... and have a friend help you sort through any issues you come across. I learned to wire stereos up all on my own just by watching videos and trying it. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but that's how you learn.
i just got the Sony XAV-AX100, and it is cool, it made my Kickers sound a lot better. I got the Kicker VSS sub, but it has its own amp. I just have the Mopar Kicker replacements powered by the head unit
With the amp you bought, I assume you want something better than middle of the road. Based on personal experience, here are my suggestions.
-Alpine "Type R" (I think this is marked as 'SPR'). I've personally had great experiences with many different sizes of this speaker.
-Polk Audio "Mobile Monitor" (MM) - They have an updated line called MM1, which I have never tried out. But the MM line is legit.
-JL Audio "C5"
I ran Boston Acoustics speakers in another vehicle about 8 years ago and absolutely loved them... but I think they got out of the mobile audio business.
If you really have deep pockets look into the brand "FOCUL". Very expensive for their mid-high end stuff, but they are supposed to be the best (I would stay away from their lower end stuff).
Not trying to hijack this thread, but I too am wanting to upgrade my system. I basically want to keep my factory radio (it's the 130 radio w/o blue tooth), upgrade my speakers and possibly do some kind of a sub and/or amp to all the speakers including the sub. I'm toying with just upgrading the speakers only. (Mainly because I don't really want to spend 600-1000 upgrading the system). I changed the speakers in the sound bar last weekend and noticed a major difference in the base. But it's still not quite as good as I would like. I'm planning on changing the front dash speakers out in the next week.
If I like the sound of the speakers after I have replaced them and want to make the stereo a bit louder....could I just add an amp to my existing head unit and if so....what kind? Also, do I need some kind of a processor with the amp? I was told that I needed to add the processor because of the factory amp in my stock radio and the processor is what makes the speakers go through the new amp and not the existing amp in the head unit. I was also told that the apline and kicker amps have a built in processor and won't need a separate processor. Then one guy told me that they make a cheaper processor (like $30) to run with other amps or I can go with a more expensive processor and get better sound. This was all so mind blowing to me. Amps and processors.... Those things are pretty pricey. Yikes.
What I would like to do is do the cheapest thing possible to get decent sound quality. I'm not into having theatre sound in the jeep. Just want to be able to hear the base and treble without distortion in the speakers. What are some reasonably priced amps, subs, and processors? And if I decide not to add a sub, but just add an amp to the speakers with the stock head unit...will that work? I'm asking because once I replaced the speakers just in the sound bar, it sounded pretty decent. It just sounded like I needed to turn the volume up more to hear it better but when I turned it up, it sounded like it was too much for the speakers. So would just adding an amp to the speakers basically make the sound louder but not distort the speakers when I turn them up? Also does adding an amp, make the speakers sound more clear and crisp?
If I add the amp and like it and feel I need just a little more base, then I would add a sub. Would a 6 or 8 inch sub work fine in the 2 door jeep? Like I said, I'm not into super base that really has a humming boom boom boom sound that everyone and his brother hears outside the jeep. Just some nice sounding base that isn't distorted. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and hope the original poster doesn't mind me asking some questions on his thread.
If I like the sound of the speakers after I have replaced them and want to make the stereo a bit louder....could I just add an amp to my existing head unit and if so....what kind? Also, do I need some kind of a processor with the amp? I was told that I needed to add the processor because of the factory amp in my stock radio and the processor is what makes the speakers go through the new amp and not the existing amp in the head unit. I was also told that the apline and kicker amps have a built in processor and won't need a separate processor. Then one guy told me that they make a cheaper processor (like $30) to run with other amps or I can go with a more expensive processor and get better sound. This was all so mind blowing to me. Amps and processors.... Those things are pretty pricey. Yikes. .
You don't need a 'sound processor'. You need one of two things:
1. A line out converter (LOC), which converts the wires going to the factory speakers into RCA outputs. This gives you a way to connect the signal from your head unit to your amp if your amp only accepts RCA inputs.
2. An amp that accepts speaker wires as inputs (I assume this would be what the person you spoke with was referring to as an amp with a 'built in' processor). Some amps only accept RCA inputs. Others accept both regular speaker wire inputs as well as RCAs. This basically allows you to skip the line out converter... The output wires going to the factory speakers would be routed directly to the aftermarket amp.
What I would like to do is do the cheapest thing possible to get decent sound quality. I'm not into having theatre sound in the jeep. Just want to be able to hear the base and treble without distortion in the speakers. What are some reasonably priced amps, subs, and processors? And if I decide not to add a sub, but just add an amp to the speakers with the stock head unit...will that work?
For your system you only need a low output amp. You want something compact that only really needs to put out 40-50 watts RMS. I suggest one of the following amps, or ask your car audio guy about something similar:
Alpine KTP-445U
Pioneer GM-D1004
Kicker 42PXA3004
Sony XMS400D
Clarion XC1410
So would just adding an amp to the speakers basically make the sound louder but not distort the speakers when I turn them up? Also does adding an amp, make the speakers sound more clear and crisp?
If I add the amp and like it and feel I need just a little more base, then I would add a sub. Would a 6 or 8 inch sub work fine in the 2 door jeep? Like I said, I'm not into super base that really has a humming boom boom boom sound that everyone and his brother hears outside the jeep. Just some nice sounding base that isn't distorted. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and hope the original poster doesn't mind me asking some questions on his thread.
I see you live in Houston. I have a 8" Rockford Fosgate P3 sub that has been sitting in my garage for two years. I think it sells for around 100 bucks. You can have it for 20 bucks if you want. No pressure. But remember, you will need something to power the sub as well. This may require an additional amp.
I'm sure you CAN get better sound with a new head unit, new amp, new sub, and all that goes with it. Trouble is.....I'm not wanting to spend thousands of dollars to accomplish that. And in my experience with replacing the head unit and everything else I will need.....improving the existing head unit is much cheaper. And as long as I like it, that's all that matters. (wink) I'm guessing, since you didn't answer my questions as to how to improve the factory radio....you may not know what would actually improve it.
Sorry for the long post on someone else's thread. I actually posted a question in the Audio Forum last week and have yet to have anyone respond. My apologies to the original poster.
Like Mike-Mike said, the 130 is not a great HU (It does suck, how I lived with mine for as long as I did is a mystery). I had one and was never happy with it. Throwing money at speakers and an amp won't overcome it's shortcomings. You might get it so you are happy and if you do, great. By the time you are done, you could have replaced it with a better unit for less or the same cost.
You can get a Sony XAV-XA100 for about $400, it will offer excellent sound along with CarPlay and Android Auto. Throw-in another 80 bucks for a PAC harness.
You dont need thousands of dollars to improve the sound. But if you actually read through the hundreds of forum posts on a similar subject, they almost universally agree you have to replace the head unit to get quality sound
The amp in a quality head unit would be enough to power the regular speakers, you would only need an additional amp if you added a sub
But if you actually read through the hundreds of forum posts on a similar subject, they almost universally agree you have to replace the head unit to get quality sound
FINALY i did order a set of speakers, it you search to much and to long, you feel like you want to give up.. then i sumble upon Cerwin-Vega, and just becouse they look awesome has their brand, i went with the
v465c and v465, saved 150$ by importing it from the states to:grin2:
So the setup will be
JL audio HD900/5 amp
Cerwin-vega vega V465 & V465C
Kicker 12" vr comp
some say, you should have taken this, you should have bought this, but eeehh.
Will ofcorse show the finaly results here
Oh and for Cindi, do what you feel and want, you will get far by doing that
BUT when i changed the HU it felt like a new car, more crisp sound, clearer. but i understand you want to keep the stock look.
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