wesleys1990xj

Im looking to buy a new head unit. The last head unit i had was a dual 240 watt. When i turned it up to like 36 out of 45 it would go into protect mode and shut the speakers off. So i took that one back and I'm looking to buy one that i can turn it up loud without it messing up. What brand? What size? How many watts do i need? Help me out. I have 2 6 by 9s in the rear and then 2 tweeters and 2 little door speakers.

ss427ci

Stay away from Dual, they are cheap crap as you have found out. Quality head units come from Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, JVC to name a few. Not a big fan of Sony, but that's just my opinion.

Now keep in mind, the 50w x 4 channels advertised is MAX peak power, the RMS or constant supplied power is around 20w. Which can power 8ohm factory speakers just fine.

But when you replace OEM with better 4ohm speakers, you will need more power to make it sound louder. That's why most people complain about the lack of sound with new speakers powered only by the head unit.

I have a Kenwood and like it.

Lowrange2

I agree.

Alpine or Kenwood. Both are awesome headunits.

I'd also suggest a small 4 channel amplifier for your mids. The difference in sound will amaze you.

PocketsEmpty

I'm not so much knowledgeable into amps and all that good stuff, but I just put a Pioneer DEH-6400BT in my XJ, and I love it. 24 different colors to choose from, Bluetooth which allows me to stream music from my phone and that is my favorite feature. You can also answer calls with it--it comes with a nice microphone that you can mount in or around your dash for hands-free calls. I think I paid around $130 for it on Amazon. My factory original 5.25" speakers still sound pretty good so I haven't replaced them yet.

Lowrange2

lol, Sounds like you care more about the fancy crap it does than how it sounds.

That's why I like Alpine. Minimum frills, great sound.

ss427ci

Nice. Factory speakers powered by an aftermarket head unit does usually sound plenty good for those not wanting a full range sound.

ss427ci

I agree, an amp is definitely the way to go with aftermarket speakers for the best sound.

PocketsEmpty

I know an amp would make a world's difference, I'm just lazy I do care about my sound but I don't need a subwoofer or anything crazy like that..I'm just a good old rocker and all this crap that's around nowadays is well....crap to me. I will probably upgrade to 6.5" someday, and I really would like to find the factory tweeter door mounts someday. When that happens I will probably get an amp and wire it all up and jam out.

Oh, and the color-changing thing is important for my OCD. I must be able to match the display and buttons with the rest of the instrument cluster lights.

ss427ci

LMAO! I was just looking over threads on what LED bulbs to swap into my center console and dash to match my blue Kenwood LEDs. It bugs me too.

wesleys1990xj

Ya dual sucks. I have 2 dual 6x9s tho:/ but the 6 by 9s are 200 watts. And i have stock size speakers in front. If i get a good head unit can i get away without a amp and all the bull**** lol cuz my dual head unit was 240 watts tho! But for some reason it wouldn't power up my stuff? Do u think its because its a dual brand it didn't power everything. Because when i turned it up it sounded great until it started bumping and then it skipped and then no sound at all. I had to reset the head unit to turn it back on. Does that sound like the head unit or my jeep?

PocketsEmpty

You have to look at the RMS or output per channel. Most head units don't go over 50 per channel, and even that might be an exaggeration.

Turbo X_J

The specifications you are quoting are known as "white van / parking lot specials", your equipment also probably came with a "full lifetime or end or the driveway, whichever comes first warranty". I don't know how you were able to sit in the thing at any volume over a whisper, but no fear, there is hope. Make sure any audio equipment has the name Kenwood on it, start with the headunit, then component speakers, and finally the amp. As with anything, don't be afraid to save up then spend some coin to get what you want.

pmondo

Eclipse is what I have been buying since 95.....never had a problem

And as others said, dont go by the watts on head unit. It basically means nothing. Get a good 4 channel amp for your mids.

macgyver35

Wow! All this talk of needing a separate amp just for your door speakers. Um... It certainly won't hurt, but in many cases it's going to be overkill. Remember, the only difference between 25 watts to a speaker and 50 watts to a speaker is 3.1 decibels. In other words, not very noticeable. You'd have to push 200 watts to a speaker for it to play twice as loud as it will at 25 watts. Each time you double the power, you get that 3.1 db increase, and you have to have an increase of 10 decibels for it to sound twice as loud. Most people don't realize that when you are listening to your radio and it is about as loud as a vacuum cleaner, you're only putting between 1-5 watts nominally into the speakers.

I have a Dual (yes, Dual) 40 watt per channel head unit pushing 2 Polk db651's in the front doors and 2 Polk db521's in the rear headliner. They sound great. The Dual was the only unit I could find at the time that had Bluetooth with remote mic and SD card capability. It's done just fine for the last year and a half, and I don't regret the purchase. Admittedly, my wish is that SOMEONE would make a decent 1.5 DIN unit with a color touchscreen. But I can wish in one hand and crap in the other...

You have to know how to set up a system. I'm not relying on sending huge amounts of power to the door speakers in order to get low notes. I have a Kicker 6.5" sub with it's own 400 watt amp for that. It handles the lion's share of everything from 80 Hz on down. This frees me up to lower the bass output to the door speakers so they handle the mids and high in a clear fashion without being over-driven to the point of distortion. The system plays very loud and very clear. Enough to feel it in your back and shake the mirrors. If you want bass and don't want a sub, then amp your door speakers. Just understand that in doing so you're going to get it louder in general and produce more bass, but that bass and lower mids will become increasingly distorted and you'll likely shorten the life of your door speakers. The doors are the main problem, and they weren't designed to help small speakers produce bass. You can compensate with more power, but only to a point. Some have luck with putting 6x9's in the doors, and that larger cone does help. But Cherokee doors and headliners are inherently acoustic nightmares, and a sub in the back and any decent quality speakers in the doors is your best bet.


If you want moire info of a similar fashion, check out this other thread from today:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/dec...2/#post2380132

Or check out some of my past threads related to car audio. If have some write-ups on the technical aspects of car audio. Electrical math, acoustic math, wiring guidelines, etc.

wesleys1990xj

Ok. So your saying i don't really need to buy a amp for my door speakers? Because im going to get a sub and amp soon. Can a good head unit power the door speakers fine?4 way 6 by 9s in the back with little speakers in the front with tweeters. I know i keep repeating myself you know what your talking about. So can i get away without a amp for the door speakers ?