The 6532ix is fine, there really isn't a speaker that fits the specs we desired as well as the 6032si did. I have tried the CDT and it was decent, it's got the 2ohm impedence, but it's also got a lower efficiency which slightly reduces the output. The JBL CLUB6520 is another decent option. The Powerbass is only 88db efficiency, I haven't heard it, but I'd say its not enough output.

You've already got the Infinity and while the ex would be the normal recommendation, the ix works fine. I'd use what you have.

The Pioneer sub has been changed since the PRS was put together too. I personally haven't heard the new one. And the efficiency is a bit lower on the new one, but everything else is the same. I would expect it to perform similarly, but it might need an amp to really shine.

Good luck.

 

I’m so stoked you responded! Thank you!

After seeing your suggestion about the JBL, I went down the JBL rabbit hole and I really like it, and then I found the JBL GTO629 which looks almost perfect. It has the better tweeter tech and better materials (cone, surrounds, etc.) too.

JBL Club 6520 is 3Ohm, 92 Sensitivity, $50
JBL GTO629 is 3Ohm, 93 Sensitivity, $67

So unless you have some reason to prefer the Club over the GTO, I think I just talked myself into the JBL GTO629!

I’m not gonna lie, I want to send those IX back just because it was a clear bait and switch and I don’t care if that’s petty 😆

I am starting to worry about firmament. I did watch this about ripping open the stock speakers and using them as an adapter which seems super smart:

If you don’t mind answering one (hopefully last) question:

I’d love to know which sub you’d pair in this system.

I had seen something about the Pioneer TS-SW2002D2, but I was just about to pull the trigger on the original suggestion of the Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8, and now it looks like you said there’s an even newer Pioneer sub recommended?

The big thing for me is I don’t want to get into upgrading the amp. I know myself and if I go down that route I’ll end up ripping out all the wiring and rewiring every damn thing, which will turn into wanting to spend more, etc.

I could maybe be swayed to grab a mono amp, attach to my head unit’s sub-out, and just run that to the sub leaving the factory amp for everything else, but I’d rather not until I have to.

So, here’s where I’ve ended up I think:

Head unit: Sony AX4000
Amp: Factory Alpine
Dash woofers: Factory Alpine
Dash tweeters: Factory Alpine w/Mod
Roll Bar Speakers: JBL GTO629
Sub: ??? Either the Rockford or one of the Pioneers ???

I truly appreciate your help. My ADD+OCD mind would have had me searching and second guessing forever. Thank you!

 

I've not used those or heard them, but the specs are right there with the Infinity's. The Infinity and the JBL are my 2 favorites for this application.

The link to the new Pioneer is below... I think it was specifically updated to handle more power. Which also means it performs better with more power. The old one was 86db and the new one is 83db. Which means it needs double the power to produce the same output. The Rockford is 82db and even worse than the new Pioneer.

TS-A2000LD2

8” Shallow-Mount Subwoofer - 700 W Max Power (250 W Nominal) - Glass Fiber and Mica Reinforced IMPP™ cone, Double reinforced Spider, 8-AWG Push Terminals Rubber Surround

www.pioneerelectronics.com

On paper, the new Audiofrog GS8ND2 would be the driver of choice. It's got dual 2ohm voice coils and a stellar 91db efficiency if the specs are true. But it's expensive... And I've never heard it, so I can't verify that it works as good as it should in our application. The tests and reviews I found on it say it works very well in small sealed enclosures, that's us. If building today, I would probably try it.

Audiofrog GS8ND2

GS Series 8" subwoofer/mid-bass speaker with dual 2-ohm voice coils

www.crutchfield.com

Nerdy shit here:

AudioFrog GS8ND2 8-Inch Woofer Review

AudioFrog GS8ND2 8-Inch Woofer Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

Lastly, and I know it's contrary to normal sub install practices... The Pioneer for sure works best driven in stereo. When put on a mono amp, everyone that tried it said the sub lost clarity and control and was worse than when driven with a 2 channel amp.

Edit to add: @jobiegermano That was one of the great things about the original 6032si, they came with the mounting ring for our application in the box. You will probably need the Scosche SAC656 to mount the JBL's.

 

Okay, I’ve seen that other Pioneer around and had dismissed it for the sensitivity. I’m trying to remember why I was planning to choose the Rockford over the Pioneer and I think I had gotten in my head that you wrote somewhere it passed the “ear test” better even when the specs weren’t as good, but now I realize I might have misread or misunderstood something. Sounds like you prefer the Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 over both the new Pioneer and the Rockford. That AudiFrog does look enticing, but that’s more than I planned to spend at this point, maybe a later upgrade after my wallet recovers from the rest of this!

I admit I don’t understand dual coils and Ohms. All of these subs are dual 2 Ohm, but are we supposed to be wiring them in series or parallel?

I ask because the Polk Audio DB 842 DVC says:
“Dual 4Ω Voice Coils: This woofer features dual 4Ω voice coils, for wiring flexibility. When the voice coils are wired in parallel, the woofer presents a 2Ω load. When wired in series, the woofer presents an 8Ω load”

So, couldn’t use that and get to 2 Ohms if wired in parallel? It’s shallow mount and 84 dB at 1 watt.

I guess what I’m missing is how the Pioneer is expected to be wired. If it’s wired in parallel then you’re down to a 1 Ohm load, right?

Pioneer DVC in parallel = 1 Ohm, 86dB
Pioneer DVC in series = 2 Ohm, 86dB
Polk DVC in parallel = 2 Ohm, 84dB

If I’m understanding correctly 🤷🏻‍♂️

And thanks for the tip on the Scosche SAC656 mounting adapters! I’ve already got some 72-6514 laying around and dampening liner and poly fill. I think that’s it for the extra stuff.

 

That's where my comment on the "contrary to" comes in. We don't wire the sub voice coils in parallel or series. The factory amp is designed for a 2ohm load to 2 seperate voice coils and that's what we give it. We wire direct to the sub, 1 channel of a 2 channel amp to each voice coil. I refer to it as a stereo connection.

If you wire the voice coils in either parallel or series, you need a mono amp for supply... It would then only take 1 signal, we have 2 signals with the stock amp.

Yes, if the older Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 can be found and it looks like it can, that's my preference, just for the efficiency. I'm sure you also read that it isn't a noticible increase in bass, just more clarity and less muddy. My wife said it sounds less bass'y and a little more punchy. If you need more bass, it's going to take an amp. And in that case, the Pioneer is a good choice.

 

Got it!

See, I knew I didn’t know things I thought I knew lol

Well, I’m set, here’s my version of the PRS Mod in 2023 for my 2013 JKU w/Alpine:

Head Unit: Sony XAV-AX4000 (+Crutchfield Wiring)

https://a.co/d/0lSqgaG

Amp(s): Factory Alpine
N/A

Dash Woofers: Factory Alpine
N/A

Dash Tweeters: Factory Alpine w/Mod

https://a.co/d/dljn0sS

Roll Bar Speakers: JBL GTO629

https://a.co/d/6K4gQJF

Speaker Mounting Ring: Scosche SAC656

https://a.co/d/2Bnrb1D

Speaker Wiring Adapter: 72-6514

https://a.co/d/28ZppU4

Sub: PioneerTS-SW2002D2

https://a.co/d/2CXKZKn

Sound Dampening Liner: Amazon Basics

https://a.co/d/7KkrUQ5

Poly Fill: Fairfield Poly Fil Premium Fiber

https://a.co/d/9fhFF7k

**Also trying to add generic USB harnesses from Amazon in an attempt to get my iPhone directly connected to the USB C port on the back of the head unit and maybe even retain the USB in the center console too.

Future considerations:
AudioControl LC2i and a separate amp for the sub… or replace all the factory amp(s) and wiring completely 💁🏻‍♂️

 

Got it!

See, I knew I didn’t know things I thought I knew lol

Well, I’m set, here’s my version of the PRS Mod in 2023 for my 2013 JKU w/Alpine:

Head Unit: Sony XAV-AX4000 (+Crutchfield Wiring)

https://a.co/d/0lSqgaG

Amp(s): Factory Alpine
N/A

Dash Woofers: Factory Alpine
N/A

Dash Tweeters: Factory Alpine w/Mod

https://a.co/d/1eKwELA

Roll Bar Speakers: JBL GTO629

https://a.co/d/6K4gQJF

Speaker Mounting Ring: Scosche SAC656

https://a.co/d/2Bnrb1D

Speaker Wiring Adapter: 72-6514

https://a.co/d/28ZppU4

Sub: PioneerTS-SW2002D2

https://a.co/d/2CXKZKn

Sound Dampening Liner: Amazon Basics

https://a.co/d/7KkrUQ5

Poly Fill: Fairfield Poly Fil Premium Fiber

https://a.co/d/9fhFF7k

**Also trying to add generic USB harnesses from Amazon in an attempt to get my iPhone directly connected to the USB C port on the back of the head unit and maybe even retain the USB in the center console too.

Future considerations:
AudioControl LC2i and a separate amp for the sub… or replace all the factory amp(s) and wiring completely 💁🏻‍♂️

Make sure your capacitors are NP or non polar. That description doesn't say that they are.

4.7uF 100V Capacitor,10 PCS Non-Polarized Electrolytic Capacitor 100V 4.7uF 10mm x 17mm NP Capacitor: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

4.7uF 100V Capacitor,10 PCS Non-Polarized Electrolytic Capacitor 100V 4.7uF 10mm x 17mm NP Capacitor: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

 

I could have sworn I had verified all the specs, but I just ordered the ones you linked and canceled the others. Thanks again, you’ve been such a huge help! Hopefully I got the wiring adapter for the JBLs to go in the sound bar correct at least!

 

Just wondering... How did it go??

 

I got a little swamped by life, family visiting, events I’ve been attending, etc., but I finally received all of my parts for the first wave: head unit, capacitors, Crutchfield wiring, JBLs for the soundbar, adapters, poly fill, and dynamat stuff.

I also got sidetracked trying to build my own solution to the USB issue. The rear of the head unit has a USB-C connection that outputs 3.0A of current for charging, but there’s no adapter to connect it to the factory charging port in the console (head units that have a USB A output use the AX-USB-MINIB adapter) so I started by grabbing a USB-C to USB-A adapter from Amazon, and then I decided I wanted to add some extra functionality too.

So now I’ve built a slightly (extremely) ridiculous solution that first splits the USB-C into 3 charging connections (one fast charging and two slow) with the fast charging port going straight to my Apple wireless MagSafe charger on my dash. Then the first slow charge off the split will go to the factory USB mini (male) extension that runs to the center console. And finally the third connection of the split has another split that is USB micro and an AUX port. The plan is to use it for the Alexa Auto I have in there now, but really that’s just silly and I know it, but now I have to see if it all works. If it does, great, if not I’ll lose the last part for the Alexa which I likely will never use now that I have CarPlay.

I’m going to try and see if I’ll have time to get started with the holiday tomorrow, but I honestly don’t know with so much else going on ☹

Hopefully I don’t have to worry about my cheap Amazon USB cables catching fire, but I might run it all on a extension cable for a little while where I can see it and touch it until I’m confident I can stuff it behind the dash for good. Either way, I’m going to test, test, and more test before putting the dash back together. I have multiple different adapters and combinations I can try if these aren’t the exact right ones. I have tried it out in the house connected to a wall charger, so there’s some reason for hope!

The only thing I haven’t pulled the trigger on still is the sub. I know you attempted to explain the wiring to me, but it just hasn’t clicked yet. I’m trying to figure out what drives the factory sub; is it a single 2-channel amp or two mono amps, something bridged, etc.?

The best I can tell so far is that the factory amp is two channels, but not bridged?? Which would be very risky wiring each channel to a separate coil. There’s two connections to the dual voice coil sub, each with a positive and negative. So, that should mean that there’s two channels wired in parallel to the DVC sub… I’m just completely unable to find the answer. I know the factory sub is 2Ohm DVC. I know each coil gets its own wire cluster consisting of one positive and one negative. I think each coil is wired to its own channel which would mean changing the wiring to bridged and parallel would be better… but maybe these amp channels can’t be bridged, so maybe just terminate one set of +/- and use the other set as parallel, or get a second sub for that other channel… or 😞 this is why I haven’t pulled this trigger yet. I simply cannot find a reliable diagram/description of the amp(s) powering that 2Ohm DVC with those four wires.

 

The factory sub amp is effectively 2 mono amps, each supplying power to one of the 2 voice coils. It cannot be bridged. But the voice coils are seperate in the woofer so the amp thinks it is powering 2 different speakers. So yes, you could get 2 single voice coil subs and put one in the factory location and another somewhere else like under the rear seat. But you cannot bridge them or change the wiring configuration unless you bypass the factory amp or use a line converter and install an aftermarket mono amp.

 

That’s wild. I wonder why that decision was made. I’ve been searching and searching for thoughts on running the separate VCs with different amps and the information out there is super convoluted.

I have heard:

1) Don’t do it, you will DAMAGE the woofer!

2) Possible if done correctly.. although you may lower the sound quality if the signals are not EXACT.

And a bunch of misinformation from anecdotal accounts.

So, I’ve got two identical mono amps that are stable with 2Ohm loads sending identical signals independently to one of two voice coils of a dual 2Ohm voice coil sub.

I guess that’s all the info I could hope to get, thanks again!

I’ll post results as soon as I get them up.

 

Mainly because 2 seperate amps are at risk of not being tuned and can provide different signals which is a bad thing. For example, if the gain on one amp is up higher than the other, they are telling the woofer to do different things, the voice coils are literally working against each other. That creates heat and likely to burn something up.

 

Gotcha, this made sense to me:

 

4. Next I flipped the soundbar over and loosely traced the shape to the back of my sound dampening material:

5. I made that cut, then I flipped the soundbar again keeping the material in place under it so I could get a more exact shape traced:

6. Made final cuts and checked fit:

7. At this point I paused and traced a mirror image to a second sheet of material that I will use for behind the other speaker:

8. Time to install the sound dampening material:

9. Followed by the Poly Fil:

 

10. Install speaker and grill:

I’m not going to win any competitions for looks either, but just didn’t want to spend the time getting the stock grill back on 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

@jobiegermano a couple of other things to consider when doing to the soundbar. One solution is to secure the speaker mounting surface some dowels. The speaker moves the enclosure, not want you want for clean sound. The other thing to do is using closed cell foam stuff some between the the speaker pods to separate the right and left speaker.

 

I’m not sure I understand what you mean about the dowels and the speakers moving, everything feels pretty secure. As for the separation, I used my daughter’s long, skinny arms to push the Poly Fil as far down that tube as possible. It might not be perfectly stuffed tight, but it’s not bad.

 

Here is a picture. The dowels, I use 3 per speaker pod, it stiffen the mounting surface and does not allow it to flex.

 

Oh! I see, that makes sense. Wow, you wrapped the entire outside in dampener too; and here in thought I was going extra with both mat and fil 😅
The adapter rings that came with the speakers are almost identical to the Scosche adapters listed above so I used them. They came with strips of thin foam that’s has adhesive on one side. I put a layer between the adapter and the soundbar and another layer between the speaker and the adapter. It all seemed to fit really snug, but I’m going to let it break in for a bit and double check. Thanks for the tip!

 

There not covered an longer, dampener won't handle the heat of summer.

 

1 note... The soundbar doesn't produce much bass, but if you over stuff the polyfil, it makes it worse. The polyfil needs to be a very light fill behind the speaker.

 

Hmmm… I didn’t even try listening to them without adding the dampening material and poly fil first. They sound good, but I guess I don’t have a baseline to compare them to. I could pull some out relatively easily. I didn’t pack it too hard though, well, I tried to pack the center tube between the sides as much as possible. Does the picture already look like I packed in too much?

Also, I’m moving to the subwoofer box next, should I pack it light or dense?

 

Hey, just curious, how do you like the Sony 4000 ?
I'm about to pull the trigger on a new head unit and have been considering that one.
Also, fwiw, I think there is a way to connect the USB output to the center console USB. Saw it on the install video from TrailSeven,

 

How do you like the Sony 4000 ?

Well, I haven’t installed yet, I’m hoping that’s today’s project. I searched and researched for what seemed like years, honestly it was about a year of on and off really digging in and taking a break and on pure features I’m super excited and certain this is the one for me. I took an Apple MagSafe charger (the one that is just a wireless charging magnet) and glued it to a phone holder. When I get in my Jeep I simply slap my phone onto the magnet and it holds it and charges it. MagSafe has no data transmission capabilities, so I knew if I wanted Wired CarPlay I would have to change that setup, that’s why I decided I wanted Wireless CarPlay. I know I can always add wireless with a third party device, but then you worry about startup and connection time. The Sony has a separate wireless protocol that is supposed to make it super seemless and considering Sony invented Bluetooth (for all intents and purposes) I’m expecting their wireless CarPlay implementation to be top notch.

Outside of that, I live in Florida and the glare from the sun with the top down made me think that Sony’s anti-glare screen on this model will be a good choice too. It’s not capacitive (swipe-able) touchscreen, but I realized I don’t actually need that and it brings the price down, which I like.

Sony’s big thing is always UI, and they are in the top 5 sonically, but I’m using the stock amp, so I’m happy to get Sony’s UI experience and put that above being the “absolute best” sound wise.

I’ll take pics and detail my experience as I install, but on paper, this was the choice for me hands down.

 

The factory head unit only gets an OEM harness with 4 speaker wires
When the oem head unit detects a oem amp on the can ihs bus it shifts to constant volume output just on rear speaker outputs and no output on front speaker output (which are even wired to oem vehicle harness if vehicle had oem amp)

if no amp oem vehicle harness to head unit has 8 speaker wires and output amplitude to each pair controlled controlled by oem head unit volume balance and fade

with oem amp head unit sends digital requests to oem amp over can IHS bus to control speaker volume balance and fade as head unit puts out constant volume output to rear speaker pair outputs only which go straight to oem amp input

 

I don’t appreciate having my thread taken over by your marketing and sales pitch.

For anyone reading this, remember the point of this mod is to get great sound for less cost.

My build includes the Sony AX4000 that I picked up from Crutchfield as a “scratch and dent” with all the harnesses and their wiring harness connecting service for about $590 delivered. The scratch and dent unit looks pristine because even as a scratch and dent the screen has to be perfect and the thing is basically all screen. I can tell someone opened it, installed it, and uninstalled it, but that’s it. So the Sony was $425 by itself and $165 for the harnesses, wiring service, and taxes.

After that the speaker upgrade was $223 in total. That includes the tweeter capacitors for $8, the soundbar speakers for $68, the subwoofer for $135, and some speaker wiring harnesses for $12.

I added on some sound dampening material and poly fill too, but that’s up to you.

Current setup:

Head Unit: Sony XAV-AX4000 (+Crutchfield Wiring)
https://a.co/d/0lSqgaG

Amp(s): Factory Alpine
N/A

Dash Woofers: Factory Alpine
N/A

Dash Tweeters: Factory Alpine w/Mod

https://a.co/d/0STWtjt

Roll Bar Speakers: JBL GTO629
https://a.co/d/6K4gQJF

Speaker Mounting Ring: Came with JBLs
N/A

Speaker Wiring Adapter: 72-6514
https://a.co/d/28ZppU4

Sub: PioneerTS-SW2002D2
https://a.co/d/2CXKZKn

Sound Dampening Liner: Amazon Basics
https://a.co/d/7KkrUQ5

Poly Fill: Fairfield Poly Fil Premium Fiber
https://a.co/d/9fhFF7k

 

Great build and information. My intent was not to hijack and sell on your thread either, so I apologize if you felt that way. I was asked, and I answered the question. My original comment was to inform you that you'll be pleased with your Sony XAV4000.

Question/ comment though, I don't see a Maestro module in your build which you will need as an interface between the head unit and the jeep. The Maestro is compatible with the Sony XAV4000 so you'll want to pick one up if you haven't already.

 

I did not try to sell anything just a free way to get an aux power wire for your new head unit

 

Not you, I’m talking about the trail 7 vendor spamming some speaker bundle they are yet to launch.

 

i specifically choose the model that did not include keeping the steering wheel controls. I hate them and always bump them messing up my music. I also will lose front to back fade capability and not have an OBD II connection to see my gauges, but 🤷🏻‍♂️ if that ends up mattering I’ll upgrade; I didn’t think an extra $100 was worth it.

I used the PAC RP4-CH11 instead of the iDatalink ADS-MRR + iDatalink HRN-HRR-CH1 in case anyone else wants to keep those things.

 

@Pressurized
Check this out, with the AudioFrogs on back order I keep searching. I got into some home audiophile subreddit and was pointed to a website called loudspeakerdatabase . com and I ended up looking around there. That site produced one seemingly great match called “MATCH MW 8BMW-D” which is a 2-Ohm DVC 8” sub with a 90 Sensitivity and neodymium magnets, paper cone, with rubber surrounds. Crutchfield never even recommended this sub to me even though it has it in its database because is only sold as a pair of two speakers and my Jeep only “fits” a single sub 🤦🏻‍♂️

I linked the specs below, but I’m going to try it out. I found a pair of pre-owned for $250 shipped. If it sounds as good as its potential (per specs) then I’ll have a second one laying around… just sayin’ lol

These things were built to go under the seats of BMWs and are super slim. If you have any idea of an adapter ring I might need, please let me know, I don’t really know how to search that myself.

Oh, I also saw a thread on here where someone adapted the stock Alpine box I have to fit a 10” sub. That would open up an entirely new set of possibilities. If I don’t love these Match 8s then I might consider that. Have you seen that thread? Any thoughts?

MATCH MW 8BMW-D - 8″ Shallow Subwoofer 2x2Ω

Technical parameters and comparison of the MATCH MW8BMW-D 8″ Shallow Subwoofer 2x2Ω · Resonance frequency 46Hz · Power handling 400W · Sensitivity 86dB · Xmax 4mm

www.loudspeakerdatabase.com

 

Specs look pretty good... Certainly worth consideration. It appears that maybe it's designed to be an under mount? The only thing that looks a little odd is the location of the speaker terminals. I'm not sure how you will easily and cleanly terminate those speaker leads and still be able to have a grill on it. Or, not sure that it will drop in to the cabinet with that terminal mount on the side like that. Only 4 screw mounts means you will have to drill new screw holes.

We'll be watching for your report out on how it goes together for sure!