Need help doing a full system in a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee

[jaycboy]

Hello everyone

I am wanting to do a full system in my Jeep 2000 Grand Cherokee but I'm not sure how I should do it. I've installed my fair share of low end head unit's, subs, amps, and speakers for friends and my own car but I'm starting to get into the more advanced part of car audio systems and I'm just not sure what I should do. My budget is $2,500 at the most. I only have a DEH 80-PRS but I will need all new everything. My dad has a small shop so I do have the ability to use a router and a CNC machine and I'm hoping to do everything myself.

What I'm wanting out of this system is just to get a loud, high quality system. I play drums and so personally I'm hoping to get some more mid-bass. It would be awesome to have my car sound and feel like a studio. Oh and I like my music very, very loud.

I'm really just not sure what I should run. I've been interested in getting a Crescendo UN-8" Loudspeaker and I had a 6.5" in my car before and liked it. I've heard of doing 6.5", 8" and tweets but I'm not sure If I want to do a 2 way active or 3 way active front stage. Is it really worth the extra money to try and do a 6.5", 8", and tweets? Or would it be better to just do 8" drivers and tweets? I'm also not sure what size of sub or how many and how many amps or what amps or even where to put the amps. I've also never done any door treatment before but I'm interested in the process.

What are the steps in the process of doing a fully system build? What should I start with doing first?

Thanks

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[BOOMINGRANDPA 5,000+ posts]

u have to think bout deadening the doors., this is great stuff 250mils thick *GP STFU V2 250mil 20 SQFT (5 sheets) - gp car audio then if u gonna run couple amps with over 1krms total u need 0ga ofc wire (or 2ga wielding wire) u will probably need to do big 3 wires under hood (search utube many videos on it) so maybe best to get 50ft of wire to start with so u can do whole truck with it.. if u gonna use big box and sub/s u may want more mat in back of suv..

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Hello everyone
I am wanting to do a full system in my Jeep 2000 Grand Cherokee but I'm not sure how I should do it. I've installed my fair share of low end head unit's, subs, amps, and speakers for friends and my own car but I'm starting to get into the more advanced part of car audio systems and I'm just not sure what I should do. My budget is $2,500 at the most. I only have a DEH 80-PRS but I will need all new everything. My dad has a small shop so I do have the ability to use a router and a CNC machine and I'm hoping to do everything myself.

What I'm wanting out of this system is just to get a loud, high quality system. I play drums and so personally I'm hoping to get some more mid-bass. It would be awesome to have my car sound and feel like a studio. Oh and I like my music very, very loud.

I'm really just not sure what I should run. I've been interested in getting a Crescendo UN-8" Loudspeaker and I had a 6.5" in my car before and liked it. I've heard of doing 6.5", 8" and tweets but I'm not sure If I want to do a 2 way active or 3 way active front stage. Is it really worth the extra money to try and do a 6.5", 8", and tweets? Or would it be better to just do 8" drivers and tweets? I'm also not sure what size of sub or how many and how many amps or what amps or even where to put the amps. I've also never done any door treatment before but I'm interested in the process.

What are the steps in the process of doing a fully system build? What should I start with doing first?

Thanks

I'd recommend two 8 ohm pwx 8 per door on a ppi 900.4 or soundstream 900.4 bridged, one crescendo UN 6.5 and either some silk dome tweeters (crescendo sts-1, massive ct-2, image dynamics xs 28) or if you like the highs on the stronger side, some alphard DB super tweeters (smoothest super tweet i've heard so far that gets loud as balls) Both on another 900.4 so basically two 900.4 amps running a 3 way active setup. You'll use the amp crossover for the midbass and midrange to split the job between them and use the 80 prs active mode to split the tweeter and mids to do their own job.

Deadening will be important because if done right, you'll have a fk ton of midbass search the forum for "keep hope alive's" builds it goes in detail of whats needed for deadening. The PWX is extremely midbass heavy compared to the UN which is very light on the midbass

thats about 600 for the front stage all taken care of.

I'd go with a single 15 or 18 depending on how much room you have and upgrade electricals along with wiring, It should be well under your budget. Jeep stock alts are pretty strong, you might just need a 2ndary back battery or two for your setup.

I would not deaden the roof at all, i'd go straight in with some 1/2 inch plywood and some PL 3x or 8x and brace the roof instead. Cheaper and 100x for efficient.

 

[jaycboy]

u have to think bout deadening the doors., this is great stuff 250mils thick *GP STFU V2 250mil 20 SQFT (5 sheets) - gp car audio then if u gonna run couple amps with over 1krms total u need 0ga ofc wire (or 2ga wielding wire) u will probably need to do big 3 wires under hood (search utube many videos on it) so maybe best to get 50ft of wire to start with so u can do whole truck with it.. if u gonna use big box and sub/s u may want more mat in back of suv..

How many sheets of deadening do you think I'll need and what specific spots should I put it all? I've heard of the big 3 but never actually done it, thanks for mentioning that. Any suggestion on how to build my sound stage? (speakers, sub, amps)?

 

[jaycboy]

I'd recommend two 8 ohm pwx 8 per door on a ppi 900.4 or soundstream 900.4 bridged, one crescendo UN 6.5 and either some silk dome tweeters (crescendo sts-1, massive ct-2, image dynamics xs 28) or if you like the highs on the stronger side, some alphard DB super tweeters (smoothest super tweet i've heard so far that gets loud as balls) Both on another 900.4 so basically two 900.4 amps running a 3 way active setup. You'll use the amp crossover for the midbass and midrange to split the job between them and use the 80 prs active mode to split the tweeter and mids to do their own job.
Deadening will be important because if done right, you'll have a fk ton of midbass search the forum for "keep hope alive's" builds it goes in detail of whats needed for deadening. The PWX is extremely midbass heavy compared to the UN which is very light on the midbass

thats about 600 for the front stage all taken care of.

To clarify when you say you'd recommend two PWX 8" per door are you saying (4) total? and then you said one 6.5" so (2) Total? and then a pair of tweets? OR are you saying (2) PWX 8" total, (2) 6.5" total, and a pair of tweets? Then two 900.4 amps to deal with the 6 total speakers? (Tweets, UN, PWX)? I've tried super tweets before and absolutely hated them but then again I didn't really know what I was doing. I'd probably prefer to run with something smoother.

I'm very interested in a single 15" rather than an 18" it just seems like overkill with the 18". What's the big difference between a 15" and an 18" other than overall loudness? I want to get loud but I don't need to bend my windshield. I would like my trunk to look very clean and just have the sub. I can send my dad dimensions on a box and he can cut them out with the CNC machine and ship them to me so I'm assuming I'll get dimensions after I pick a sub? What brand of sub would you recommend me looking at for a 15" and what amp?

Jeep stock alts are pretty strong, you might just need a 2ndary back battery or two for your setup.

Are you suggesting another battery in my trunk to help power everything? I'm a little confused here.

I would not deaden the roof at all, i'd go straight in with some 1/2 inch plywood and some PL 3x or 8x and brace the roof instead. Cheaper and 100x for efficient.

Ok this one I'm a little confused with. Think you could send some pictures? I'm really not sure what you mean.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

To clarify when you say you'd recommend two PWX 8" per door are you saying (4) total? and then you said one 6.5" so (2) Total? and then a pair of tweets? OR are you saying (2) PWX 8" total, (2) 6.5" total, and a pair of tweets? Then two 900.4 amps to deal with the 6 total speakers? (Tweets, UN, PWX)? I've tried super tweets before and absolutely hated them but then again I didn't really know what I was doing. I'd probably prefer to run with something smoother.
I'm very interested in a single 15" rather than an 18" it just seems like overkill with the 18". What's the big difference between a 15" and an 18" other than overall loudness? I want to get loud but I don't need to bend my windshield. I would like my trunk to look very clean and just have the sub. I can send my dad dimensions on a box and he can cut them out with the CNC machine and ship them to me so I'm assuming I'll get dimensions after I pick a sub? What brand of sub would you recommend me looking at for a 15" and what amp?

Are you suggesting another battery in my trunk to help power everything? I'm a little confused here.

Ok this one I'm a little confused with. Think you could send some pictures? I'm really not sure what you mean.

yikes You have a lot to learn then....

yes two 8s per door just cut some holes to mount them. One 6.5 per side sealed in its own pod(fiberglass or whatever in either the door or kick panel. It has to be sealed off from the 8s to prevent cancellation issues. Also with super tweeters, most have ZERO clue on how to run them properly. They have to be off axis, aka not facing you and they need to be put on a 8khz to 12.5khz high pass crossover to tame them or else they just sound like sh*t. If done right they will sound every bit as smooth as a silk dome tweeter. you dont just throw tweeters on an amp and call it good, the main reason why they sounded terrible is because of user error and lack of proper tuning knowledge.

Yes you'll want a 2nd battery in the cargo area Assuming you want a legit big boy system However i feel thats not the case now from how you are speaking There's no other difference than loudness aka cone area between a 15 and 18. You said you like it really loud but now you say you dont want to bend windshield and dont want overkill... that really contradicts your first post.

 

[jaycboy]

yikes You have a lot to learn then....
yes two 8s per door just cut some holes to mount them. One 6.5 per side sealed in its own pod(fiberglass or whatever in either the door or kick panel. It has to be sealed off from the 8s to prevent cancellation issues. Also with super tweeters, most have ZERO clue on how to run them properly. They have to be off axis, aka not facing you and they need to be put on a 8khz to 12.5khz high pass crossover to tame them or else they just sound like sh*t. If done right they will sound every bit as smooth as a silk dome tweeter. you dont just throw tweeters on an amp and call it good, the main reason why they sounded terrible is because of user error and lack of proper tuning knowledge.

Yes you'll want a 2nd battery in the cargo area Assuming you want a legit big boy system However i feel thats not the case now from how you are speaking There's no other difference than loudness aka cone area between a 15 and 18. You said you like it really loud but now you say you dont want to bend windshield and dont want overkill... that really contradicts your first post.

Ok I'm starting to understand now. Thanks

Maybe I do want a "big boy system" because I just figured an 18" was wayyyyy overkill from what I wanted but now I'm starting to think It's right on point with what I want based on what you're saying. I want it to be loud and sound super clear but I'm not into the bass heavy stuff where people try and have like 4 18" subs or 8 12" and do competitions and what not. I'm not opposed to a single 18" I just thought it was way out of the range of what I described. I'm open to it for sure though.

I'm open to super tweets but I've ran with two crescendo's before and I just didn't know what I was doing and it sounded like super cheap tweeters that were screeching. I totally agree with you but If you're able to walk me through how to properly set up super tweeters then I'm very open to trying it out.

What would you recommend me getting as far as an 18" and a mono amp to power it?

Also where would I be able to put the amps and keep it all cleaned up? I want to make this very professional and keep everything tucked away. I'm just a little worried about amps over heating and other issues with wiring. This is going to be a TON of wiring and I'm not very good at wiring.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Ok I'm starting to understand now. Thanks
Maybe I do want a "big boy system" because I just figured an 18" was wayyyyy overkill from what I wanted but now I'm starting to think It's right on point with what I want based on what you're saying. I want it to be loud and sound super clear but I'm not into the bass heavy stuff where people try and have like 4 18" subs or 8 12" and do competitions and what not. I'm not opposed to a single 18" I just thought it was way out of the range of what I described. I'm open to it for sure though.

I'm open to super tweets but I've ran with two crescendo's before and I just didn't know what I was doing and it sounded like super cheap tweeters that were screeching. I totally agree with you but If you're able to walk me through how to properly set up super tweeters then I'm very open to trying it out.

What would you recommend me getting as far as an 18" and a mono amp to power it?

Also where would I be able to put the amps and keep it all cleaned up? I want to make this very professional and keep everything tucked away. I'm just a little worried about amps over heating and other issues with wiring. This is going to be a TON of wiring and I'm not very good at wiring.

taramps hd 3000 and SSA Xcon 18. The amp has a built in push pull fan configuration and is small footprint with a lot of power(full rail technology hence its small form factor) and is efficient. You might want to measure length x width x height if you dont have enough space then you'll want to go down to an Xcon 15.

As for the tweeters the FT-1s need a 10khz at -12 or -18 db slope to cut off the excess 5 to 8khz screech they are notorious for. Your 80 prs will do that just fine. After that will just need some slight EQ and you should be fine however if you just use a silk dome it should be fine as well without needing to do a big slope. Either way will work because the end sound signature will be pretty much identical. It should get loud and clean without sounding offensive at all volumes with good soundstage and midbass. You will have the capability to blend the subs with the midbass via adjusting sub level on the head unit and also have the ability to just go hard when you need to show off or have that bass itch.

The 80 prs will work miracles but you need to spend plenty of hours to tune it.

 

[jaycboy]

taramps hd 3000 and SSA Xcon 18. The amp has a built in push pull fan configuration and is small footprint with a lot of power(full rail technology hence its small form factor) and is efficient. You might want to measure length x width x height if you dont have enough space then you'll want to go down to an Xcon 15.

As for the tweeters the FT-1s need a 10khz at -12 or -18 db slope to cut off the excess 5 to 8khz screech they are notorious for. Your 80 prs will do that just fine. After that will just need some slight EQ and you should be fine however if you just use a silk dome it should be fine as well without needing to do a big slope. Either way will work because the end sound signature will be pretty much identical. It should get loud and clean without sounding offensive at all volumes with good soundstage and midbass. You will have the capability to blend the subs with the midbass via adjusting sub level on the head unit and also have the ability to just go hard when you need to show off or have that bass itch.

The 80 prs will work miracles but you need to spend plenty of hours to tune it.

I don't know if I have space for an 18" so I might go with the 15".

A few questions...

With having 3 amps, that's 5 sets of RCA's and obviously the 80-prs only has 3 sets for RCA's how do I get them all connected?

How do I install the PWX 8" straight into the door panel? Do I need to fiberglass them?

Where should the tweets be placed?

Also with your sub suggestion, why exactly that sub? And what are the other options out there? Would it fire down or inward or just like normal outward facing?

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I don't know if I have space for an 18" so I might go with the 15".
A few questions...

With having 3 amps, that's 5 sets of RCA's and obviously the 80-prs only has 3 sets for RCA's how do I get them all connected?

How do I install the PWX 8" straight into the door panel? Do I need to fiberglass them?

Where should the tweets be placed?

Also with your sub suggestion, why exactly that sub? And what are the other options out there? Would it fire down or inward or just like normal outward facing?

In the 80 prs's network mode it splits off to high, mid and low. You need RCA y splitters for the mid rca outputs In 2 channel mode on the 900.4 amp you only need one pair of rcas for that one amp and no it doesnt weaken the signal. So from the 80 prs, the mid signal gets split into two so no you have 4 pairs of rca outs. One for subwoofer, One for the bridged 900.4 in 2 channel for the 8 inch midbass. For the other 900.4 you have one going to the un 6.5 midrange. The other for the tweeter.

Cut open a circle and screw the mid right on to the door panel if you doesnt take much more than a little knife action. You can do a wooden baffle ring if you want as well. As long as you deaden the door panel and door sheet metals it should be solid. For the 6.5 you'll want to fiberglass a doorpod(google or youtube it plz) Or a kick panel set up on axis(firing towards your ear)

Use double sided tape for the tweeter and see what position sounds best. Usually upper door panel, sail panel or A pillar (if you dont know those locations you can google...) It should point right at you if its a soft dome tweeter, if its a bullet tweeter it should fire away from you.

 

[Jeffro83]

He recommended that sub in particular because it is known to have killer sound quality yet still get nasty loud for the rest of your questions you will have to wait until the smarter guys get back to you

 

[macsdad 10+ year member]

Ok I'm starting to understand now. Thanks
Maybe I do want a "big boy system" because I just figured an 18" was wayyyyy overkill from what I wanted but now I'm starting to think It's right on point with what I want based on what you're saying. I want it to be loud and sound super clear but I'm not into the bass heavy stuff where people try and have like 4 18" subs or 8 12" and do competitions and what not. I'm not opposed to a single 18" I just thought it was way out of the range of what I described. I'm open to it for sure though.

I'm open to super tweets but I've ran with two crescendo's before and I just didn't know what I was doing and it sounded like super cheap tweeters that were screeching. I totally agree with you but If you're able to walk me through how to properly set up super tweeters then I'm very open to trying it out.

What would you recommend me getting as far as an 18" and a mono amp to power it?

Also where would I be able to put the amps and keep it all cleaned up? I want to make this very professional and keep everything tucked away. I'm just a little worried about amps over heating and other issues with wiring. This is going to be a TON of wiring and I'm not very good at wiring.

If you are set on an 18, I was really impressed with my stereo integrity hst18mkll, it can be ran sealed or ported. A decent 2k mono block amp would do well with it, the only mono amps that I can speak on are crescendo, sundown, rockford fosgate, and incriminator audio 2ks. All of these did well in the applications that I used them in.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

That sub is very suited for sound quality playing both low notes and high notes easily with low distortion. The sub has an aluminium shorting ring which allows upper bass output so it can blend with the midbass easier. Not to mention its a loud monster. Its USA made hand built quality as well Top tier sub. Just takes a loooooong asss build time. literally 2-4 months build time. Its not a cheap off the shelf rockford or kicker china cr@p.

You want to have the box ported sub facing up, port facing back. Downfire is garbage, Sealed is a definite no because the sub was not engineered for that.

If you are set on an 18, I was really impressed with my stereo integrity hst18mkll, it can be ran sealed or ported. A decent 2k mono block amp would do well with it, the only mono amps that I can speak on are crescendo, sundown, rockford fosgate, and incriminator audio 2ks. All of these did well in the applications that I used them in.

way over his budget.

 

[jaycboy]

In the 80 prs's network mode it splits off to high, mid and low. You need RCA y splitters for the mid rca outputs In 2 channel mode on the 900.4 amp you only need one pair of rcas for that one amp and no it doesnt weaken the signal. So from the 80 prs, the mid signal gets split into two so no you have 4 pairs of rca outs. One for subwoofer, One for the bridged 900.4 in 2 channel for the 8 inch midbass. For the other 900.4 you have one going to the un 6.5 midrange. The other for the tweeter.
Cut open a circle and screw the mid right on to the door panel if you doesnt take much more than a little knife action. You can do a wooden baffle ring if you want as well. As long as you deaden the door panel and door sheet metals it should be solid. For the 6.5 you'll want to fiberglass a doorpod(google or youtube it plz) Or a kick panel set up on axis(firing towards your ear)

Use double sided tape for the tweeter and see what position sounds best. Usually upper door panel, sail panel or A pillar (if you dont know those locations you can google...) It should point right at you if its a soft dome tweeter, if its a bullet tweeter it should fire away from you.

Ok that makes sense.

Thanks

 

[jaycboy]

taramps hd 3000 and SSA Xcon 18. The amp has a built in push pull fan configuration and is small footprint with a lot of power(full rail technology hence its small form factor) and is efficient. You might want to measure length x width x height if you dont have enough space then you'll want to go down to an Xcon 15.

As for the tweeters the FT-1s need a 10khz at -12 or -18 db slope to cut off the excess 5 to 8khz screech they are notorious for. Your 80 prs will do that just fine. After that will just need some slight EQ and you should be fine however if you just use a silk dome it should be fine as well without needing to do a big slope. Either way will work because the end sound signature will be pretty much identical. It should get loud and clean without sounding offensive at all volumes with good soundstage and midbass. You will have the capability to blend the subs with the midbass via adjusting sub level on the head unit and also have the ability to just go hard when you need to show off or have that bass itch.

The 80 prs will work miracles but you need to spend plenty of hours to tune it.

[EDIT] Decided to just buy what I can now and then spend the money later on my sub setup.

I think I might go with the XS-28 since I've had such bad luck with super tweeters and I'm not super experienced with them.