JBL Upgrade w/o Amp

[treadmark]

I was not fully pleased with the JBL system in my LC LC. I've had worse, but I've had much better, such as in my 17 Golf R. Considering this LC is my first venture into what I consider luxury territory, I was expecting much more. Aside from the sound quality being muddy and lackluster, I was really surprised how much the doors rattled even at neutral bass. So, I decided to upgrade the speakers and add sound-deadening. I also was not really interested in adding amps and thankfully now I won't need to do so. Here is what I used:

• JL Audio C2-350x 3.5" in the dash corners
• Kenwood Excelon KFC-X3C 3.5" in the dash center (there wasn't enough depth for another C2 and I had the Kenwood on hand from a previous Jeep project)
• Front doors
  • JL Audio C2-690tx 6"x9"
  • Metra 82-8246 mounting brackets (they work by drilling two new holes to match the OEM locations)
  • Stinger Roadkill RKFR69 FAST Rings (baffles)
  • I had tried a mid/woofer at first, but then realized a full signal is going to the door. Aside from how much sound was lost with that first attempt, one of the forum members had posted a document from Toyota Japan that showed a full signal to the doors. The JL Audio speakers I ultimately used, really help improve the overall sound quality when combined with the new dash speakers.
• Back doors
  • JL Audio C2-650x 6.5"
  • Metra 82-8148 mounting brackets
  • Stinger Roadkill RKFR6 FAST Rings (baffles)
• Metra 72-8109 speaker wiring adapters for all locations
• Dynamat Xtreme
• Dynamat Dynaliner 1/4"

I'm not an audio expert, but I selected the JL Audio speakers based on:

• Previous experience
• Warm sound and great sound quality
• High sensitivity for working off the stock amp

I took my time over a few weekends and I'm really impressed with the results. It was my first foray in using sound deadening to this extent. I would estimate around up to 25% coverage with the Xtreme and around 30-40 with the Dynaliner. I did not want to remove the vapor liner (in the back doors) or go crazy inside the doors. Here are my key subjective results:

• Significantly clearer sound played with a reduced need for volume. Prior to the upgrade, I listened in the range of 35 to 55. Now I can listen easily from 25 to 45.
• The bass is impressive. I'm still not sure how much the subwoofer in the hatch is doing, but the new speakers in the front doors throw appreciable and solid bass.
• Much quieter while cruising, such that I mainly hear wind noise by the A-pillars.
• I use the surround function enabled now. It sounded harsh/irritating with the OEM speakers, but really fills the space with the improved speakers.

Some other random notes:

• I listen to a wide range of music, including alternative, indie, rock, electronic, industrial, etc. and it all sounds great.
• I bought Kicker 3.5" speakers for the hatch, but there is remarkably little depth for aftermarket speakers and reinstalled the OEM ones. I added sound deadening, while I was in there.
• Taking off door panels in new vehicles always freaks me out the first time. The front and rear doors were fine. The hatch, however, made me feel as though I was going to break something in some areas.
• I didn't bother doing anything with the subwoofer in the hatch. I'm not sure it's doing much, so it wasn't worth upgrading at the moment.
• I did not touch the small tweeters in the pillar or upper back door.
• The OEM speakers look weird (except for the back door ones that seem fairly normal). The front door and dash speakers have a lot of plastic framing in front of the cones. I suppose it keeps them rigid, but seems as though they would block the emission of sound.

All items were purchased from www.crutchfield.com

 

[treadmark]

If interested, here are the resulting equalizer settings that worked for me.

 

[ekkoville]

Just used those same JL Audio in the dash of my 1958. Big big improvement over the feather lite stock speakers. Glad you had luck with the JL Audio in the doors also, that was my thought on selection also as a next move.

 

[ekkoville]

I was not fully pleased with the JBL system in my LC LC. I've had worse, but I've had much better, such as in my 17 Golf R. Considering this LC is my first venture into what I consider luxury territory, I was expecting much more. Aside from the sound quality being muddy and lackluster, I was really surprised how much the doors rattled even at neutral bass. So, I decided to upgrade the speakers and add sound-deadening. I also was not really interested in adding amps and thankfully now I won't need to do so. Here is what I used:

• JL Audio C2-350x 3.5" in the dash corners
• Kenwood Excelon KFC-X3C 3.5" in the dash center (there wasn't enough depth for another C2 and I had the Kenwood on hand from a previous Jeep project)
• Front doors
  • JL Audio C2-690tx 6"x9"
  • Metra 82-8246 mounting brackets (they work by drilling two new holes to match the OEM locations)
  • Stinger Roadkill RKFR69 FAST Rings (baffles)
  • I had tried a mid/woofer at first, but then realized a full signal is going to the door. Aside from how much sound was lost with that first attempt, one of the forum members had posted a document from Toyota Japan that showed a full signal to the doors. The JL Audio speakers I ultimately used, really help improve the overall sound quality when combined with the new dash speakers.
• Back doors
  • JL Audio C2-650x 6.5"
  • Metra 82-8148 mounting brackets
  • Stinger Roadkill RKFR6 FAST Rings (baffles)
• Metra 72-8109 speaker wiring adapters for all locations
• Dynamat Xtreme
• Dynamat Dynaliner 1/4"

I'm not an audio expert, but I selected the JL Audio speakers based on:

• Previous experience
• Warm sound and great sound quality
• High sensitivity for working off the stock amp

I took my time over a few weekends and I'm really impressed with the results. It was my first foray in using sound deadening to this extent. I would estimate around up to 25% coverage with the Xtreme and around 30-40 with the Dynaliner. I did not want to remove the vapor liner (in the back doors) or go crazy inside the doors. Here are my key subjective results:

• Significantly clearer sound played with a reduced need for volume. Prior to the upgrade, I listened in the range of 35 to 55. Now I can listen easily from 25 to 45.
• The bass is impressive. I'm still not sure how much the subwoofer in the hatch is doing, but the new speakers in the front doors throw appreciable and solid bass.
• Much quieter while cruising, such that I mainly hear wind noise by the A-pillars.
• I use the surround function enabled now. It sounded harsh/irritating with the OEM speakers, but really fills the space with the improved speakers.

Some other random notes:

• I listen to a wide range of music, including alternative, indie, rock, electronic, industrial, etc. and it all sounds great.
• I bought Kicker 3.5" speakers for the hatch, but there is remarkably little depth for aftermarket speakers and reinstalled the OEM ones. I added sound deadening, while I was in there.
• Taking off door panels in new vehicles always freaks me out the first time. The front and rear doors were fine. The hatch, however, made me feel as though I was going to break something in some areas.
• I didn't bother doing anything with the subwoofer in the hatch. I'm not sure it's doing much, so it wasn't worth upgrading at the moment.
• I did not touch the small tweeters in the pillar or upper back door.
• The OEM speakers look weird (except for the back door ones that seem fairly normal). The front door and dash speakers have a lot of plastic framing in front of the cones. I suppose it keeps them rigid, but seems as though they would block the emission of sound.

All items were purchased from www.crutchfield.com

Did you run into any issue in the back door with the C2-650x and it fitting properly with the door panel back on? Crutchfield is telling me I may need to shave some off the back of the grill, but high I took to mean the door panel.

 

[treadmark]

Did you run into any issue in the back door with the C2-650x and it fitting properly with the door panel back on? Crutchfield is telling me I may need to shave some off the back of the grill, but high I took to mean the door panel.

I know they had a warning regarding the height of the speaker, but it wasn’t an issue for me. It didn’t appear to have the tweeter in contact with the back of the grill (that is molded into the door panel).

 

[jptruck]

I'm taking the leap and upgrading the JBL system on my FE. I like music, and getting better sound is a priority. The real reason is to add sound dampening to the doors and under my floor mat. Not that the vehicle is loud, but it'll definitely improve the interior quality, noise-wise. I'm trying to make it more like the Lexus without having to buy that god-awful looking vehicle.

I had printed out your list of JL speakers. Got talked into Focal 165AS3 (front) and Focal 165AS (back). I'm not touching the center speaker for now. Curious as to whether they have issues with the dash speaker. I've seen reports the Focal isn't a straight drop-in.

Might mess with the sub in the future. Adding an amp pretty much doubled the cost of the project, so I nixed that idea.

Getting it professionally done. Not that I couldn't do it, but it's peace of mind.

 

[ekkoville]

Can’t speak for that model of Focal’s, but my try with the Focal ACX100 would not fit the dash on the driver side. It was just too tall and sat about 3/8” proud and couldn’t be screwed in placed and have the dash grill installed on top of it.

 

[Skidaddl]

I was not fully pleased with the JBL system in my LC LC. I've had worse, but I've had much better, such as in my 17 Golf R. Considering this LC is my first venture into what I consider luxury territory, I was expecting much more. Aside from the sound quality being muddy and lackluster, I was really surprised how much the doors rattled even at neutral bass. So, I decided to upgrade the speakers and add sound-deadening. I also was not really interested in adding amps and thankfully now I won't need to do so. Here is what I used:

• JL Audio C2-350x 3.5" in the dash corners
• Kenwood Excelon KFC-X3C 3.5" in the dash center (there wasn't enough depth for another C2 and I had the Kenwood on hand from a previous Jeep project)
• Front doors
  • JL Audio C2-690tx 6"x9"
  • Metra 82-8246 mounting brackets (they work by drilling two new holes to match the OEM locations)
  • Stinger Roadkill RKFR69 FAST Rings (baffles)
  • I had tried a mid/woofer at first, but then realized a full signal is going to the door. Aside from how much sound was lost with that first attempt, one of the forum members had posted a document from Toyota Japan that showed a full signal to the doors. The JL Audio speakers I ultimately used, really help improve the overall sound quality when combined with the new dash speakers.
• Back doors
  • JL Audio C2-650x 6.5"
  • Metra 82-8148 mounting brackets
  • Stinger Roadkill RKFR6 FAST Rings (baffles)
• Metra 72-8109 speaker wiring adapters for all locations
• Dynamat Xtreme
• Dynamat Dynaliner 1/4"

I'm not an audio expert, but I selected the JL Audio speakers based on:

• Previous experience
• Warm sound and great sound quality
• High sensitivity for working off the stock amp

I took my time over a few weekends and I'm really impressed with the results. It was my first foray in using sound deadening to this extent. I would estimate around up to 25% coverage with the Xtreme and around 30-40 with the Dynaliner. I did not want to remove the vapor liner (in the back doors) or go crazy inside the doors. Here are my key subjective results:

• Significantly clearer sound played with a reduced need for volume. Prior to the upgrade, I listened in the range of 35 to 55. Now I can listen easily from 25 to 45.
• The bass is impressive. I'm still not sure how much the subwoofer in the hatch is doing, but the new speakers in the front doors throw appreciable and solid bass.
• Much quieter while cruising, such that I mainly hear wind noise by the A-pillars.
• I use the surround function enabled now. It sounded harsh/irritating with the OEM speakers, but really fills the space with the improved speakers.

Some other random notes:

• I listen to a wide range of music, including alternative, indie, rock, electronic, industrial, etc. and it all sounds great.
• I bought Kicker 3.5" speakers for the hatch, but there is remarkably little depth for aftermarket speakers and reinstalled the OEM ones. I added sound deadening, while I was in there.
• Taking off door panels in new vehicles always freaks me out the first time. The front and rear doors were fine. The hatch, however, made me feel as though I was going to break something in some areas.
• I didn't bother doing anything with the subwoofer in the hatch. I'm not sure it's doing much, so it wasn't worth upgrading at the moment.
• I did not touch the small tweeters in the pillar or upper back door.
• The OEM speakers look weird (except for the back door ones that seem fairly normal). The front door and dash speakers have a lot of plastic framing in front of the cones. I suppose it keeps them rigid, but seems as though they would block the emission of sound.

All items were purchased from www.crutchfield.com

Thanks for taking the time to post that. Will serve as a great reference.

 

[fatsocells]

I was not fully pleased with the JBL system in my LC LC. I've had worse, but I've had much better, such as in my 17 Golf R. Considering this LC is my first venture into what I consider luxury territory, I was expecting much more. Aside from the sound quality being muddy and lackluster, I was really surprised how much the doors rattled even at neutral bass. So, I decided to upgrade the speakers and add sound-deadening. I also was not really interested in adding amps and thankfully now I won't need to do so. Here is what I used:

• JL Audio C2-350x 3.5" in the dash corners
• Kenwood Excelon KFC-X3C 3.5" in the dash center (there wasn't enough depth for another C2 and I had the Kenwood on hand from a previous Jeep project)
• Front doors
  • JL Audio C2-690tx 6"x9"
  • Metra 82-8246 mounting brackets (they work by drilling two new holes to match the OEM locations)
  • Stinger Roadkill RKFR69 FAST Rings (baffles)
  • I had tried a mid/woofer at first, but then realized a full signal is going to the door. Aside from how much sound was lost with that first attempt, one of the forum members had posted a document from Toyota Japan that showed a full signal to the doors. The JL Audio speakers I ultimately used, really help improve the overall sound quality when combined with the new dash speakers.
• Back doors
  • JL Audio C2-650x 6.5"
  • Metra 82-8148 mounting brackets
  • Stinger Roadkill RKFR6 FAST Rings (baffles)
• Metra 72-8109 speaker wiring adapters for all locations
• Dynamat Xtreme
• Dynamat Dynaliner 1/4"

I'm not an audio expert, but I selected the JL Audio speakers based on:

• Previous experience
• Warm sound and great sound quality
• High sensitivity for working off the stock amp

I took my time over a few weekends and I'm really impressed with the results. It was my first foray in using sound deadening to this extent. I would estimate around up to 25% coverage with the Xtreme and around 30-40 with the Dynaliner. I did not want to remove the vapor liner (in the back doors) or go crazy inside the doors. Here are my key subjective results:

• Significantly clearer sound played with a reduced need for volume. Prior to the upgrade, I listened in the range of 35 to 55. Now I can listen easily from 25 to 45.
• The bass is impressive. I'm still not sure how much the subwoofer in the hatch is doing, but the new speakers in the front doors throw appreciable and solid bass.
• Much quieter while cruising, such that I mainly hear wind noise by the A-pillars.
• I use the surround function enabled now. It sounded harsh/irritating with the OEM speakers, but really fills the space with the improved speakers.

Some other random notes:

• I listen to a wide range of music, including alternative, indie, rock, electronic, industrial, etc. and it all sounds great.
• I bought Kicker 3.5" speakers for the hatch, but there is remarkably little depth for aftermarket speakers and reinstalled the OEM ones. I added sound deadening, while I was in there.
• Taking off door panels in new vehicles always freaks me out the first time. The front and rear doors were fine. The hatch, however, made me feel as though I was going to break something in some areas.
• I didn't bother doing anything with the subwoofer in the hatch. I'm not sure it's doing much, so it wasn't worth upgrading at the moment.
• I did not touch the small tweeters in the pillar or upper back door.
• The OEM speakers look weird (except for the back door ones that seem fairly normal). The front door and dash speakers have a lot of plastic framing in front of the cones. I suppose it keeps them rigid, but seems as though they would block the emission of sound.

All items were purchased from www.crutchfield.com

Thanks for sharing! A few questions came up as I began my research...

1. On Crutchfield they suggest 6.5 for the doors but you installed 6x9s?
2. I can't seem to find Metra 82-8246 - i'm assuming these allow you to use a 6x9 in a 6.5 hole?
   1. Where did you find the Metra adapter?
3. I really want to run a JL Audio C2-350x 3.5" how tight was the fitment? Is it worth ordering to see if I can make it work?

 

[ERROR504]

Just used those same JL Audio in the dash of my 1958. Big big improvement over the feather lite stock speakers. Glad you had luck with the JL Audio in the doors also, that was my thought on selection also as a next move.

I got a 1958 as well. Did you need to wire it or was it plug and play?

 

[fatsocells]

I got a 1958 as well. Did you need to wire it or was it plug and play?

Metra 72-8109 speaker wiring adapters for all locations

you'll need these ^ wiring adapters to work (convert OEM harness to aftermarket style plugs).

 

[ekkoville]

I got a 1958 as well. Did you need to wire it or was it plug and play?

What @fatsocells directed to is exactly what I used. Easy install.

 

[Rubicon15]

Thanks for sharing! Are the C2 350, 3.5 inch dash speakers plug and play. I have a 1958 with a standard 6 speaker system. Crutchfield doesn’t have these listed.

 

[Thx_1158]

Thanks for sharing! Are the C2 350, 3.5 inch dash speakers plug and play. Crutchfield doesn’t have these listed.

I just put these in last night and I am quite pleased. I have the 6.5" C-650's waiting to go in my doors. With the Crutchfield Metra adapters...they are almost plug and play. The issue is that the speaker frame is not large enough to fit the existing bolt holes. For now, I attached them with one bolt each, used polypill in the enclosure and I'm looking for a solution. I think they may be fine as is, but I'd like to find a better solution. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any.
With High Resolution sources, the sound seems tighter. Bass seems a bit deeper and overall the sound is crisp and seems more well defined with a bit of expanded sound stage.

 

[Rubicon15]

Just used those same JL Audio in the dash of my 1958. Big big improvement over the feather lite stock speakers. Glad you had luck with the JL Audio in the doors also, that was my thought on selection also as a next move.

Did you install the 350’s on the dashboard of your 1958 with the standard system? If so, were they plug n play? It looks like the center tweeter sits too high to fit under the flat grill.

 

[Rubicon15]

Just used those same JL Audio in the dash of my 1958. Big big improvement over the feather lite stock speakers. Glad you had luck with the JL Audio in the doors also, that was my thought on selection also as a next move.

Did you install the JL 350’s 3.5 inch on the dashboard of your stock 1958? If so, did you have to modify anything? The tweeter projects 1/2 inch.

 

[Thx_1158]

Did you install the JL 350’s 3.5 inch on the dashboard of your stock 1958? If so, did you have to modify anything? The tweeter projects 1/2 inch.

Here is what my JBL system looked like when I replaced the speakers with JL's I expect the non JBL's are similar. Second picture is with a quickly fabricated bracket. The white material is Polyfill loosely placed in the opening.

 

[Rubicon15]

So no issues with the 1.5 inch depth of the 350? Someone posted the depth needed to be less than 1.5 inches. The 350’s twitter looks like it would hit the grille. Any problems? I agree, the pillars are different but the dash should be the same. Maybe someone else will chime in.

 

[Thx_1158]

So no issues with the 1.5 inch depth of the 350? Someone posted the depth needed to be less than 1.5 inches. I agree, the pillars are different but the dash should be the same. Maybe someone else will chime in.

I had no issues whatsoever with the depth, only the bracket fab. If not for that, it's a 10 min process if that.

 

[Rubicon15]

I had no issues whatsoever with the depth, only the bracket fab. If not for that, it's a 10 min process if that.

Great! I think the JL’s are better than Hertz. Any concerns about the dbs to drive the speakers?