Thanks for the feedback. :thumbsup:

Great write up BTW..... Does anyone happen to know how many watts these will handle?

I actually have no idea. :thinking:

I would say not very much look at bostons aftermarket speakers, the lower models only handle like 35 watts rms. I wouldn't amp them unless using the low power factory amps from like the infinity system.

Exactly the point. Increase the sound and quality without needing aftermarket amps and wiring.

So did we come to the conclusion that this isn't much of an upgrade from the infinty factory system?

Lol! Be prepared to be attacked. Lol!

The last guy that did it said the improvement was there but not worth the money.

If you want an upgrade that is cheap and easy, just get the cheapest set from Crutchfield that fits. they will give you everything else you'll need free of charge including very detailed instructions. Just make sure they are very efficient so they make the most of the couple watts of rms power avail. From the factory head. I think they have some kenwoods for about 40.00 a set. It's that easy to upgrade the stock junk and any will be an improvement over the plastic and paper stock speakers. Again any brand aftermarket will be an improvement and not all will break the bank!

I think you should do your homework on "plastic and paper stock speakers". The Boston's use a metal framing(no plastic) and a cloth/paper cone. "Paper" cones have been proven to provide better sound quality accross all sound range when compared to poly, alluminum, or composite cones. That's why your higher end stereo systems like Harman Kardon are using a cloth/paper cone with fiberglass stiffing process. Poly and metallic cones are very useful in subwoofer applications where alot of power is desired(to minimize distortion) but are not functional in midrange or tweeter applications where clarity is desired. The biggest problem when comparing most aftermarket speakers to these is that most of them are coaxial speakers that divide the sound poorly and cause alot of distortion. The Bostons is a single cone speaker that carries a broad range that allows alot of clarity and volume with a lower RMS. Hence why it can put out the sound it puts out without needing an amp to limit dropoff. If you do decide to go aftermarket you should atleast know what your getting and try to make sure of two things:

1. Cone quality-cloth/paper cones will always sound better and use less power than a poly or metal cone.
2. A great coaxial speaker will never keep up with an ok component set. The Jeep is set up for a wide range component type system. Tweets on the dash, mids up front and behind, and a subwoofer in the back(infinity). It is a good idea, just poorly executed by those at chrysler.

Woah there... I'm thinking he meant plastic/paper stock speakers that come with our JKs... not these Boston replacements that people are buying. "I think you should do your homework on" chilling out a little bit. ;) :beer:

Side note - most any aftermarket speaker is an 'upgrade' when you look at specifications and power handling... even compared to this Boston Acoustic that everyone is talking about. The problem is the stock head unit and amp from the factory can't push much wattage so it's a waste (could actually hurt the speakers pushing less wattage, causes more distortion at higher volumes, etc) and wouldn't sound as good *with the stock head unit/amp* as the "lower spec" Bostons.

I, personally, would rather buy a "better" speaker for the same or less money from Crutchfield than getting a replacement from a dealership - but that also means I'm looking at changing out my head unit, amp, etc, etc, etc if I want to get the same *quality of sound* that the lower power Bostons will produce with the stock setup. This is all just my opinion, of course - it's your money, spend it however you want. :rock:

I am not an audiophile, but I think the factory Infinity sounds very very good for a stock Jeep stereo. When I take the top off obviously the bass isn't as good.

Any of you ever listen to a TJ stereo? how about he "premium" TJ stereo with the sub in the center console.

sounds like absolute garbage.



I may upgrade someday, but for now it's good.

For better bass when the top is off...
 

Hey puddles - check this out: https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-w...emoved-201223/

I agree with you though, the stock Infinity system sounds pretty good, depending on what you're listening to (sounds better when I'm listening to a CD or my iPod vs a USB stick or radio/satellite). Hope that thread helps you revive some bass with the top off! :rock:

thank you sir!

It would be great to swap the speakers only and have a significant improvement.

I am about to pull the trigger on this and am wondering if anyone who has done this mod to the Challenger OEM speakers had the Infinity premium speakers to start with (and if so, what do you think of the sound difference?).

Just ordered (4) of these speakers. I'll do a non-scientific study when I get them to try to quantify what the gain is...will repost after installed...

FIRST, Kudos to Blade for the idea, the initial how to post and for defending it for 3+ months. (...that gave me the confidence to do the upgrade). Keep the ideas coming…

Now here are my disclaimers:

First, I am not an Audiophile, acoustics expert, sound technician...and I'm not pretending to be. I am also not as versed on the technical side as many others posting on this thread and in this forum. What I do claim is that I do have 20/20 hearing.

Second, I am not claiming this to be a true "sound test" or scientific experiment.
-------
With all that out of the way...I just installed the speakers in my Jeep…it is a 2012 JKU with hard top. Stereo is factory BASE model stereo (not infinity) no sub, amp, etc (crappiest factory stereo available). Here is what i did to try to help the other "Non-Audio experts" out there looking for a cost efficient upgrade (this is based on the Boston Acoustics upgrade noted in the original thread). I downloaded a decible meter app for my phone (see...already not scientific). This app graphs the dbA levels and tracks the min & max reading...(the numbers below are the MAX level it charted). It does not give levels across all octave bands so there is alot that is not going to show in this demo.

I placed the phone on the console, played a song from a CD at volume levels 12, 20 & 30 (all other settings...i.e. base, treble, mid, etc all stayed the same). I did this with all stock speakers, then just the two in sound bar replaced, then with all four replaced. I also took readings at even fade to all speakers, Front speakers only and then rear only.

Here are my observations “by the numbers”:
At Volume 12...........EVEN FADE.......FRONT ONLY.........REAR ONLY
Stock in all........................80.7.................79 .3....................72.8
2 new in sound bar.............80.7.................79.3......... ..........73.2
all four replace...................81.0.................79. 4...................73.2

At Volume 20...........EVEN FADE.......FRONT ONLY.........REAR ONLY
Stock in all........................93.9.................93 .0....................87.3
2 new in sound bar.............94.0.................93.0......... ..........88.9
all four replace...................94.1.................93. 3...................88.9

At Volume 30...........EVEN FADE
Stock in all........................96.9
2 new in sound bar.............97.1
all four replace...................97.1

My observations "by the ear".
At at low volume (12), the decibel readings were nearly identical. There was not a noticable difference in sound level. However, IMO, the fullness of sound was better but I just figured that was just me wanting it to be better). As I moved up the volume level, the fullness and clarity began to become more noticable. The sound in the cabin was much better and fuller. At around 31-32 the stock speakers started breaking up sounding distorted. The BA’s held on to 36-37 before I noticed any clarity fade.

SUMMARY: The overall sound with these is fantastic. It is an improvement and was a very good economical upgrade (which is exactly what I was looking for). I would recommend this to anyone looking for a simple upgrade to the stock sound system…my next add will be a sub. Eventually maybe an aftermarket system but I have way too many other costly mods I want before that as my JK is still mostly stock.

Sorry for waffeling on this (but it is an election year) but after thinking about the test & numbers, they make sense but may not be all that helpful. They are dba levels which is an overall combined and corrected sound level which doesn’t demonstrate where the gains are with respect to the various octave bands. That is why the differences don't show the fullness in sound quality. The “test” numbers may or may not be useful but it was just a barnyard attempt to try to quantify the improvements for those who are on the fence on this....it may be flawed but it is all i could do.

Sorry for the long post but hopefully it helps someone. That’s it…I’m going for a ride, crank it up and enjoy my new sound. :rock:

I'm sold -- will it work for on '07 i just picked up? Please say yes

My guess would be that it would but i really can't say for sure. Don't really know enough about what (if anything) changed from the 07 to the 12 models.

Yes. It is also alot easier to intall the ones in the dash.

I really appreciate your support. At least I know I'm not going crazy. :crazyeyes:

These are out of a challenger right so is there a sub we can upgrade with as well from this system?

I have been semi-satisfied with the sound quality in my '12 Rubi, so this is really perking my ears up! Other than these factory speakers, has anyone found any after market replacements that perform well and won't break the bank, as an alternative?

My question is as I did not see it answered, has anyone replaced the factory speakers in a JK that DOES HAVE the infinity upgrade with the Boston Acoustics that were originally mentioned in the post? If so, is there an improvement?

I havn't personally, but a guy earlier said there was a small difference but he was in Canada and they were alot of money for such a small difference.


https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-w...-221486/page5/

He said on post 41.:thumbsup:

As I didn't have the infinity system to start, I havn't had a chance to mess with the factory subs. I would love to have a guinea pig though. If anyone is close I would definatly be down for swapping in either a harmon kardon woofer or a boston woofer.:rock:

I have the 430 head with Infinity system and bit the bullet and ordered four Challenger speakers today. As soon as I have experience with them I'll post it.

Definatly wanna hear how this turns out. I believe the last guy to try it with the infinity said it was an upgrade but not worth it because he lived in Canada and they were expensive up there.

Great Mod
 

I would like to say thank you for starters here!
I started with 2 and WOW what a diferance ordered the 2nd set same day as install!
I now have replaced the head unit and they still sound amazing!
I recomend this to anyone with a JK looking for an inexpencive sound upgrade

Thanks man. :thumbsup:

I picked up the Jeep in July and was unimpressed with the audio from the get go. I would stream or play a CD and while I could turn it up without distortion, it actually became painful to listen to for more than one song. While I am not an audio freak, I do have Bose in the house and in my other vehicle. The Jeep sound was muddled and not crisp, just blah. I had already done the polyfill modification to the sound bar but not the front speakers and yes, this helped some. While I wanted to get better sound, I had little interest in changing the 430 head unit or adding an amp. Couldn't different speakers get the job done?

OK, so the 2010 Challenger Boston Acoustic OEM speakers arrived and I installed them. My first impression was: since these are made to be OEM and simply installed at a car factory and not designed to be pretty on the shelf at Best Buy, I sure hope they sound better than they look. They look like the OEM Infinity speakers.

I went with the simplest first to check them out; one in the soundbar. Not too impressive. As I played around with the input source, I could hear a noticeable difference. This is probably common sense, but the better the input source the more niticeable the difference. At this point, I was seriously considering returning them. I called Steve White Motors, where I bought them and they said I could return them with a 15% restocking fee. This seemed quite reasonable since these were both "special order" and "electrical", which are clearly stated as non-returnable on the paperwork.

Upon further thought, I decided that there was an improvement and I wanted to be done with this so I forged on, full speed ahead. Except for some minimal mounting tab modification for the sound bar speakers, this was a plug and play install. By searching the three JK forums I troll, I had already printed out instructions for the front speaker installation.

The fronts: :clap::thumbsup::ya: Here we go!! Once again, let me be clear, I am not an audio freak but holy crap goodbye to the muddled sound and hello to clear, crisp audio. It was just not so apparent in the soundbar. It can go loud and it is clear and I am happy as sh!t.

I'm not sure what else to say. Is this better than Polk or Kicker or...? I have absolutely no idea but would I recommend this mod to a Jeeper with the premium Infinity system? Yes, yes.

Thank you for finally answering the Infinity vs. Boston question. :thumbsup:

Going down to the local Stealership to order today.
Boston Accoustic Speakers out of a 2010 Challenger(5081670AB)
Looking forward to the difference as soon as these come in.

$32 @ and there were 2 of them in the Los Angeles parts warehouse, I'll have them tomorrow.

Who knew there would be such an aftermarket for stock speakers?? lol!

$26ea at my dealer. Gonna pick em up and give em a try.

So I picked up the Boston Acoustics speakers at the dealer, $72 for the pair with Gov. Moonbeam tax, and removed my old speakers only to discover that they were Infinity Speakers!
Well, well, I had no idea I had Infinity stuff, but changed them out anyway, packing the sound bar with a bunch of polyfill and my wife was astonished at the difference in sound. She said it made a huge difference, and so do I.
$72 well spent, now I'm going to wait a month or so before I order the BA speakers for the front dash.

Anyone know how these compare to the kicker upgrade and is it really worth it don't want to buy them then be stuck with them

Much better clarity and range than the Kickers.

Might have to try it out thanks