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How's the upgraded sound system on the 13's?

10K views 81 replies 30 participants last post by  jeepedjeep 
#1 ·
Anyone get the upgraded system with connectivity package? Is it worth it or is it better to go aftermarket for headunit/speakers and get as close to stock as possible?
 
#8 ·
I'm waiting for someone to actually hack the amp software so that the user can change the settings. Simply put....adjust the EQ curve and increase the gain on the rear speakers and sub. Maybe even adjust the crossover frequencies.
 
#10 ·
I got another question? Is the Kicker speaker upgrade worth the 140.00 or does it still boil down to the amp denutting the system? Has anyone tried to replace the stock amp? I know I put a Alpine marine amp in my jetboat and it makes 6.5's in it slam. I'm very impressed with it.
 
#11 ·
I thought with the 2013 rubicon and the 730n with an alpine system , 384 watts and 7 speakers and 1800 in added cost for the mess the stereo would be decent. Boy was I wrong, No highs , no punch just good ol 1970's style muddy sound with zero clarity. The biggest problem is that the navi and touch screen are great. I dont want to get rid of the head unit but damn do I need some better sound.
 
#12 ·
After adding Alpine speakers and just a amp to my stock Nav head unit in my 2012 JK I was very diappointed in the sound. My installer then added a JL Audio clean sweep and now it sounds solid. The frequency response in the head unit is terrible and that was very apperant after putting in good speakers. The Clean Sweep flattened out the frequency response.
 
#17 ·
This is the first time I've heard someone mention something like this thats a step(what appears to be) in the right direction. I'd like to just switch out the speakers and add a Alpine PDX-5 keeping the stock head unit. Theres a thread on JK-Owners about a guy redoing the harness making it work, but thats slightly above my knowledge. I definitely don't want to lose the HU
 
#13 ·
Just stop and think about the speakers that are included in the Alpine/Infinity system.

If it were a home system, you would throw it out.

A 7 speaker system that only has two tweeters?
It has 4 cheap paper cone 6.5's and an underpowered, undersized 8" sub.

Given those particular speakers.....it is easy to see why there is WAY too much upper mid base (no clarity, no deep base...just low mid tones which equal mud).

Given the "raw material" (four 6.5's plus room for separate tweeters and a sub)...there is actually a lot that could be done. But Jeep is making it really hard to do. This could be a killer 9 speaker system if set up correctly. And yes, I'm talking components in the soundbar.
 
#15 ·
I guess I have the upgraded system in my 2012 Rubicon. I think it's standard? I'm not sure, but it's an okay stereo. It's nothing great, but it doesn't suck, either. It's plenty loud for me. I don't need people to hear it from 1/2 mile away.
 
#16 ·
I test drove a 12 and 13 Rubicon yesterday. Both with the Navi unit. I was not impressed with either stereo. They both sounded the same to me. I wont say they suck but for 35k vehicle they could have done alot better. I didnt really mess with the controls but with the stock setup I couldnt hear the sound bar or the rear sub at all. They unit itself was nice to use and I liked the touch screen Navi and the display of the SAT radio stations was cool but the sound just wasnt there. Now I kind of past the point of booming stereos it just is not a deal breaker for me anymore so I dont think I would mess with the head unit unless there was some easy fix to make it sound considerbly better.
 
#20 ·
Not good. Just took delivery of a 13'. In summary, subwoofer is horrible. No real deep bass, limited output. Front dash speakers and tweeters are ok, but muddy sounding and no real definition or high end. Soundbar speakers are what they are... On a positive note, the Uconnect system works well. The voice recognition and bluetooth interface works well.
 
#22 ·
en1ma said:
So if I buy the Sahara is comes with the 430n headunit right? Is that ok to keep? Is it possible to replace speakers while keeping the head unit?
The Sahara comes with the 130N regular old radio standard. If you want 430N or 730N Nav, you have to add them as an option.
 
#23 ·
So is it possible to aftermarket all the speakers with the 430N headunit so all the connectivity stays in tact?

What are you guys planning to do strategy wise for sound? I'm not sure what my options are.

All I know is that I want good sound, and I want good connectivity with my iPhone and I possibly want a backup camera.
 
#25 ·
en1ma said:
So is it possible to aftermarket all the speakers with the 430N headunit so all the connectivity stays in tact?

What are you guys planning to do strategy wise for sound? I'm not sure what my options are.

All I know is that I want good sound, and I want good connectivity with my iPhone and I possibly want a backup camera.
Speakers can be replaced fairly easily, amp is a different story since it's integrated with the vehicle's can bus.

My strategy is to keep the stock system that I think is fine. I have the 730N with Alpine in my Sahara. Connectivity with iPhone 5 is great, and with the Lockpick I have fully unlocked Nav system and backup camera. I'm all set now.
 
#26 ·
The 430N is functionally awesome...especially when paired with the connectivity option...but the sound pales next to the OEM 5 speaker setup in my 2001 TJ with updated head unit. It's not even close. I miss the TJ's sound a lot...but I like the UConnect features, text messages read to me, etc.
 
#29 ·
en1ma said:
What's the diff between the 430 and 730? So the issue is the amp? I asked earlier in reply to another person, why can't you bypass the amp?

Also how did you get a backup camera? What process did you go through for that?
You may be able to bypass the amp, not 100% sure. I personally haven't had any need to, so I've never investigated it.

Here's a post I made explaining differences in 430 and 730:

jwilson2598 said:
There are 2 different Nav systems.

The 730N is made my Harmon Becker and uses the same Nav as the RER in the older JK. It also has UConnect Bluetooth built in, and does dead reckoning if you lose signal. If you add connectivity package to it, the cost is less because you already have the Bluetooth in the radio, so it only adds the USB in the console, EVIC, and steering wheel controls.

The 430N is made by Mitsubishi and uses Garmin navigation. If you've ever owned or used a Garmin Nuvi, then it's exactly like that. The 430N doesn't have dead reckoning, but it does show your speed on the screen as well as speed limits, and you can use the Garmin POI loader to add stuff to it, neither of which are on the 730N. The 430N does not include Bluetooth, so you have to add connectivity if you want that. Connectivity for the 430N is more, because it gives you everything it does on the 730N, as well as add Bluetooth and voice control. It is worth noting you can't voice control the nav on the 430N, only the 730N.

As for costs, when I ordered mine, the 430N was $1015, connectivity for it was $485. The 730N was $1800, connectivity was $160.
Hopefully that helps a bit.

For the backup camera, I used the Coastaletech Lockpick. It's a small box and harness that plugs in between your radio and Jeep. It unlocks all if the things that are locked out while in motion including nav keyboard input and video on the screen. It also allows you the ability to add a backup camera as well as 2 other cameras for front, side, or baby monitoring. They sell it for $289, but there are multiple reputable resellers that sell it on eBay and other places for $200. I used one of the $25 keyhole cameras on eBay and flush mounted it in the rear bumper.
 
#30 ·
The "premium" system flat out sucks. I was excited to check it out, but was quickly disappointed. Had I known this, I would have put serious thought into not getting the 730, but sticking with the 130 and going all aftermarket....and that's the last thing I wanted to do with the HU. Please, please, please....someone figure out a good way to keep the HU and upgrade this abomination and keep an all around stock appearance.
 
#31 ·
What's a clean sweep?
From JL Audio website

Aftermarket sound with a factory head unit? You bet!

Unlike primitive line-output converters that only reduce the level of factory audio signals, the CleanSweep® CL441dsp employs a powerful DSP (Digital Signal Processor) to automatically analyze the frequency response of a full-range factory audio signal and then applies 30 bands of powerful equalization to each channel. This counteracts any factory equalization and provides a clean, flat signal for your aftermarket amplifiers and speaker systems to sound their best.
 
#33 ·
Hey guys I have a '12 Altitude with the seven speaker Infinity system and I was very disappointed in it as well. I started playing around with the EQ and finally hit on something that helped quite a bit.

If you haven't already tried it, put in a good CD or plug in your I-pod and set the Lows and highs up to about 75-80% and back off the mids to about 20-25%. You can tweak it to your taste from there. Scooping out the mid-range frequencies really woke mine up and cleaned up a lot of the muddiness. It's not awesome but it sounds decent this way especially at moderate to louder volumes. The mid-range adjustment just seems to make it muddy and washed out.

If you haven't already, give it a try, don't cost anything. Hope this helps some of you.
 
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