Car Stereos: subs, stock speakers, factory speakers


Question
QUESTION: hi i got a 2002 jeep liberty limited edition its ok but the system in it isn't. i would like more bass but with the factory system is that possible? i know that u can by input and out put box and wire the left side speakers and right sides and it converts it in to a aux for a amp for the input audio or aux. for the subs. but befor i do all this i wanted to know if it would be easyer to just replace everything.. and i read that if i do replace everything in it i would lose my tweeters in the dash if i put a new deck in is that true wouldnt i be able to wire it to the new deck? also i do think my right fron door speaker is blown. so what would be best. i dont like after market deck looks. but i do want the subs. so.. can u help me??

ANSWER: First off, I apologize for my late answer. Life's been pretty busy out here. =]


That's a well thought out question, Marcus. I can show you a few options that you have.

1. Keep the stock head unit, stock speakers, and set up an amp, subs and box. How would you do this? Just like you said. Get a high-level converter and use the rear speaker wires for the auxiliary conversion. You will need the color codes for your speakers so you don't wire them out of phase also (backwards). After hooking those up, run a short pair of RCAs from the converter into an amp to power your subs. This way, it's the most cost effective and you may get the bass you are looking for.

DRAWBACK: The input signal into the amp will be weak and the stock head unit pushes little power also so you won't be pushing it to it's full potential.

2. Keep the stock head unit and replace the factory speakers. Rears will be replaced with a pair of coaxial speakers, and the fronts will be replaced with components running "active". Active means you will leave out the crossover since the head unit is set up with designated channels. You can also do the procedure in #1 to add more bass as well, but the components will cover a very wide range of bass too. Try them out first, then add subs later if you are not satisfied.

DRAWBACK: By running active components off a stock head unit, you will not be getting the clarity or power they need to really shine, but you will notice a VERY significant difference. Stock speakers sometimes have a lower impedance as well, so you could potentially halve the amount of power going to them. With newer cars, however, this usually doesn't apply.

3. Replace the head unit, leave the stock speakers. You will notice a huge difference in the quality of your music. You can run RCAs directly off the new head unit to your amp for the subs. As far as the tweeters go, you can either buy a custom crossover or wire them in series so they both function.

--3a. Passive means they will run with a crossover, and get the appropriate filtration of frequencies. Since aftermarket head units use only four channels, you can run the front two through a crossover to solve this. Buy them at www.partsexpress.com

--3b. In order to wire in series, you can do this behind the head unit making sure to use the correct colors.
      +HU-->+DOOR; -DOOR-->+TWEET; -TWEET-->-HU

DRAWBACK: You have a possibly blown right speaker. This may pose a problem when wiring them in series since the coil may be damaged or shorted and it may end not not working.


4. Replace head unit and speakers. This is by far the least cost effective, but best option for sound quality and power distribution. You can run the RCAs to a sub amp, and have aftermarket speakers to keep up. The fronts will have to be passive components and the rears will be coax as listed before.

DRAWBACK: It's expensive and there's more work involved.



It sounds like you have a good idea of what's going on and what you want. These are all the possibilities you have for right now. If you need any more help with anything, send me a follow-up. I'm back in town and I can give quicker answers. Best of luck! Let me know how it turns out! =]

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i got new problem. its said that the front door speakers. have a amp attacted in each door correct.. is that witht the speaker its self? cuz i orederd two new infinity speakers but there just speakers no amp.. or is it built in to every speaker for that type of car.i mean when u order the speaker for the 2002 jeep liberty? or what see i am lost.. on that. are the back and front speakers the same in the jeep but just the front doors have built in amps or am i wrong?

Answer
Yes, on those models there are stock amps for the doors. My recommendation is always to avoid stock amps when upgrading to aftermarket speakers. They don't achieve the same level of quality that an aftermarket head unit will. IF you're sticking with the stock head unit, you will lose a bit of power on the flip side either way you do it.

All you'd have to do to bypass the amp is run a speaker wire through the door grommet to the HU if you upgrade. However, you can still hook them up in the stock position on the existing wires. Either way, the upgraded speaker will make a difference in your quality.

Hopefully that helps. If you need any more info, I'm available. Thanks for the questions! =]


And one more thing I didn't mention before...the tweeters are very hard to match with an exact replacement. You will need to get a custom adapter if you wanted to replace those, or find a new position to flush mount them. I can explain how to do this as well.