I would not buy any electronics on ebay. If you buy from an authorized dealer, it will come with a warranty.

1. Go listen to speakers at best buy or other car audio place and find some you like.
2. That sub is no longer available. Keep in mind more power is more money. What are you looking to spend?
3. I also wouldn't buy pioneer, my recommendations are alpine, clarion and eclipse.

 

I know you may just be using Crutchfield as a research source, but I don't recommend buying from them. There are better options with more selection and better prices. Best Buy's selection flat out sucks, and they put pressure on their suppliers to "value engineer" the products so that they cost Best Buy less money. You may notice that there will be some model numbers sold in BB that you don't find anywhere else. Usually a bad sign.

Couple of considerations for your 99:

1) I can confirm that the Polks that I used will fit and allow you to install them without having to butcher the door panels. I'm not a fan of aftermarket speaker grills. They don't improve sound quality, they may require a hole in the panel that doesn't fit the next set of speakers you buy (leaving ugly gaps or costing bucks for new panels), and they advertize you've got something to steal. I try to keep mine hidden behind the stock panels and keep things clean looking. Your front doors will accept 6.5" speakers, and I would strongly suggest getting that size over 5.25". Save that size for the rear headliner. What you want to watch out for on the doors is installation depth or mounting depth (get some that are the same or less than the Polks I used. Look it up.) and also make sure that the tweeter doesn't stick too far out above the lip of the woofer cone, or it will not allow you to use the stock door panel without cutting a hole in it.

2) Stay away from DP Audio / DP Video. Colossal pieces of garbage. Tried my luck with two different units on some older cars and had nothing but problems. Can't really say I'm a fan of Power Acoustik / Boss / Pyle / Lanzar either. Mostly Chinese/Taiwanese bargain basement junk.

3) Not sure why so many people are recommending staying away from Pioneer. Granted, I haven't used one in over a decade, but I always had good luck with them. It was that Sony crap that always failed on me. People say I'm nuts for using a Dual head unit. But it has every feature I wanted, and has worked great for two years. I get lots of compliments on how good my system sounds. The Dual sub amp has also performed flawlessly.

4) Like another poster, I would also recommend NOT buying stuff from Ebay. Amazon on the other hand is awesome! I'm an IT Consultant, and I bet I spend well over $20,000 a year on Amazon. They have a great return policy if you get a DOA or damaged item, or just decide it wasn't what you thought it was going to be. Membership is free, and they often offer free shipping on orders over $25.

5) While a quality head unit is an important consideration, there is a balance to be had between that and your speakers. Guys that have been in the business for awhile will all tell you that the weak link in many systems is the speakers, not the source signal. Many (but not all) of the car stereos out there today share a lot of their internal components with other brands (much like the TV and computer industries). Many have the same exact internals with just a different face on them. So, it can be 6 of one, half dozen of the other on many head units. However, even if you drop big bucks on an upper tier Alpine/Kenwood/etc., you won't be happy if it is sending its signal through a set of crappy $30 speakers. No amount of awesome, clean, powerful signal can overcome crappy speakers. So don't drop $200 on a stereo and scrimp on the speakers. Compromise if you have to. Get a decent head unit in the $100-$150 range, and make sure you spend (in general) about $50-$80 for each pair of speakers. Most in that range will provide quality sound.

6) That being said, Cherokees are acoustically TERRIBLE!! Even with quality door and rear speakers like Polks or what have you, you're going to want a sub in the back to take the load off the door speakers and fill in the bottom end nicely. It doesn't have to be a big sub. I'm more than happy with a 6.5" Kicker CompVT ($65) for my typical tastes of classic rock and alternative. An 8" sub will be perfectly fine for most users (they have an 8" version of mine). Go for a 10" if you like lots of heavy bass on rap,hip/hop,techno music. In no (sane) instance is it really necessary to go with an amp putting out more than 500 watts max. Read my other posts on power vs, sound output for more details. The only difference between 500 watts and 1000 to a speaker is 3.1 decibels of output, In other words, not enough difference to warrant all the extra bucks on the bigger amp and larger gauge wiring, not to mention the added strain on your battery and charging system.

7) Receiver. Head Unit. Car Stereo. They're all the same thing in common discussion.

Good luck!!

 

Im quite happy with my Power Acoustic amp and 20 dollar 6.5" speakers they put out very well. My two 10s are perfect for all kinds of music with the 150watt amp Im using just makes it sound like live music IMO. I do agree with you on amp size tho. Also a Rockford shallow mount 10 can be had for less then $60 usually.

 

If anyone has any audio questions feel free to PM me. I will answer anything I can, and if I can't I can find out for you.

 

Hey there--

Usually I'm on these forums asking for help, but in this instance I can probably help you out.

First and foremost, it's important to note that most aftermarket parts, whether head units, speakers, amplifiers, wires or subs are probably better than what comes stock in the Jeep. Stock parts are designed to be reliable--which is good--but it comes with a few limitations, such as...

• The stock speakers are pretty bad in most XJs. They look like they're made of iron, cloth and paper.
• The quality of the wiring is usually okay, but don't be surprised if you get some interference due to the lack of shielding.
• The acoustics of the cabin are terrible. Expect to do a lot of fiddling with fading and balance.
• Subs certainly make the biggest difference right off the bat (relative to a stock system) but there's a fair amount of work involved in setting it up. If you are 100% certain you won't want to upgrade any other components, then that's what you should install. However, if you DO want to install other components, wait until you have them all before installing. That will save you a lot of time since the wiring and trimming is fairly redundant.
• A new head unit (receiver, deck) adds versatility and functionality to a sound system, but it won't make much of a difference in the quality of sound if you're only using stock speakers.
• Stand alone tweeters are cheap, easy to install and add a world of difference to the sound quality.

In my setup I use Alpine and Pioneer parts. Not sure why people in this thread dislike Pioneer--if you look around you'll see that they're a reputable company with a good track record.

Regarding your sub...

When I first considered putting a sub into my Jeep, I thought along the same lines you did; that little pocket in the rear seemed like a great idea. That said, I took the idea one step further. Instead of putting the sub in the wall, put a jack in the wall. It's cheaper, easier, more accessible, more upgrade-able, and the best part is...you can pull it out when you don't want to use it.


What is your end goal anyhow? Do you just want to play MP3s from your cell phone? Or do you just want a decent sub?

 

Well, sound is subjective, so if you're happy, that's all that matters. Same will hold true for the OP. There are plenty of people happy with the stock squawk box and paper-coned factory speakers with whizzer cones. Some like lots of bass, other don't care.

I should have been more specific and said I'm not a fan of Power Acoustik head units. I have no opinion of their amps. Never used one or heard a system that I was aware had one. If yours work great for you, rock on!

Personally, I go for more quality on the midbass through highs, and less focus on lots of low end. I've found the Polks to be reliable, well-made, and about as musically accurate as I've been able to find for my Jeep (within a reasonable "I have a mortgage to pay" budget). The fact that they are marine rated for moisture exposure is a plus as well, given how much moisture finds its way inside the doors periodically. I had a set in my 02' wrangler for over 8 years and they never failed me, even after lots of top-off rain storms, construction site dust, and intense Texas heat. They still sounded great when I sold it.

I suppose I like my sound more balanced, which is why I typically find that a single smaller sub, properly installed and in an enclosure properly designed for it, is plenty of bass and transitions well with my other speakers. I will say I've been pleasantly surprised by the Kicker CompVT 6.5. I originally got it for size considerations since I wanted to build an enclosure that fit completely inside the cubby and didn't cause me to lose any cargo space. It's not going to shake the mirrors on the car in front of me (it does shake mine easily), but it does a much better job than I hoped, and is very musical for a sub. It fills everything out very smoothly, and has a nice tight hit. It's not "boomy". It's not ever going to give my Athena Technologies home theater speakers any competatition, but my XJ sounds better than the new Grand Cherokee's 560 watt 9 speaker Uconnect system. I know someone that got one recently and while good, I think what I've put together sounds better.

I do still feel that, for example, I'd rather use one sub instead of two, and shift the money saved there toward better quality door speakers. To each his own...

 

Also, some good points made by riftshighway above.

I like his idea of installing a connector block in the cubby, but since I haul computers and networking equipment around for work frequently, and my 140 pound Mastiff around on my personal time, I didn't want to have to be constantly taking the box out to free up space and lose my low end. That's why I just made a permanent install. But if the jack idea fits your lifestyle, I think it's a great one! While you're at it, run some 10-12 gauge wire back there and wire in an auxiliary 12 volt power outlet, or use that wire to power a 120 volt inverter and install the power ports for that in the cubby. Just don't pull more than about 350 watts for extended periods on the 10 gauge wire.

 

I got the subs and big a$$ box for free so I cant complain a single 10 would sound better and be smaller for sure. I want to upgrade my front speakers to the kicker 6.5" speakers

 

This looks really great! I will probably go with a 10" because I do listen to lots of rap/electronic music as well as other genres. What can you tell me about the process involved in making this? Any help is much appreciated.

 

Also, one thing I did not mention, is that I would like to be able to control music from my iPod. I know a lot of head units disable the iPods controls and make you use the HU's controls. How can I tell before hand whether the stereo will let me do this?

 

Most of these head units will allow u to change the settings to control it from the iPod or the head unit

 

Alternatively, if you do not have the option as mentioned above, to combat this issue you could just use the AUX input. My Alpine HU allows me to play music through the auxiliary cable and still charge my device with the USB port, even when it is not switched to the "USB" source. More cables and a little less clean looking, but it definitely get's the job done. I have heard that quality will often be lower with the auxiliary input, however for most listeners I am sure a difference wouldn't be noticed.

 

I don't understand how you guys are satisfied with the bass setups ya'll have.

I have a 500 watt Alpine mono block powering a 12 in. sub in a ported 1.5 sq. ft. enclosure, it sets on the back seat right behind my seat so I can hear and FEEL the bass.

When I put the box in the cargo area I'm so disappointed, I feel like there's no bass.

Also I can't wait till I have a head on and that 50 pound sub box goes flying into the back of my skull.

 

I've got a dedicated 400 watt amp driving a 10 inch subwoofer in a 13x10x6.5 inch enclosure. When it's in the back, I worry that the rear window is going to explode.

 

I must be doing something wrong, I've got 300 RMS at 4 ohms and the review mirror shakes a little, but NO worries I'm going to break glass, you must be wired at 2 ohms for a full 400 RMS?