How to upgrade the speakers in your sound bar.

[Dirty Dog]

On todays episode of Getting Dirty with the Dog, we're going to upgrade the soundbar speakers in a 2013 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon..

I'm your host, Rowdy, the Worlds Most Enthusiastic Dog. And this is my assistant, Peyton.


The Wrangler soundbar is a wonderful thing. From the factory, they are equipped with a pair of 4 Ohm 6.75" full range speakers. Full range speakers are ok, but let's be honest. They are never going to sound as good as dedicated woofer, mid range, and tweeter combinations. Fortunately, the aftermarket is bursting at the seams with options for upgrades. I went with the Rockford Fosgate P1675. It is a 6.75", 3-way speaker rated for 60W RMS and cost about $100 for a pair. The headunit I am using puts out 45W, so we're good.


The box includes the speakers, grills, mounting hardware, and adapters for several different mounting options. Tools needed were a T15 torx bit, a 3mm hex bit, wire strippers, crimpers, and a couple pairs of spade connectors.


I started by removing the OEM stuff. The grill and speaker are held in place by three T15 torx screws. Remove them, and the whole assembly drops right out. The OEM speaker uses a specific connector. The R/F speakers are regular spade connectors. You could splice in, if you think you might ever want to go back. I will not, so I just cut the connector off.


Speakers aren't much to look at, generally speaking, but the R/F just looks like a better speaker.


I stripped the wires and put spade connectors on them. Make sure you pay attention to positive and negative when you hook them up.


You will need to drill new mounting holes. A 1/8" bit is perfect. I used the speaker as a template. Bolt the new speaker into place. I chose to re-install the OEM grills, because they fill the space properly.


There is a notable improvement in sound reproduction even after replacing just these two. I'm sure replacing the others will yield equally good results.

 

[Speartip]

Good instructions . I'll be replacing speakers up there
eventually . It's good to see how it's done .
Thanks Dog

 

[Dirty Dog]

Small update to this post.

As I said, I just used the new speaker as a template and drilled new mounting holes. Not everybody wants to drill holes in their Jeep. @Anybodyhome had an alternative. You can get THIS pair of adapters, with or without a harness. The adapter bolts to your speaker and will mate to the OEM mounting holes. The optional harness plugs into your existing connection and has spade connectors on the other end. This is a good option if you think you might want to go back to the stock speakers at some point. I can't imagine why you would, but it's an option.

 

[Anybodyhome]

Small update to this post.

As I said, I just used the new speaker as a template and drilled new mounting holes. Not everybody wants to drill holes in their Jeep. @Anybodyhome had an alternative. You can get THIS pair of adapters, with or without a harness. The adapter bolts to your speaker and will mate to the OEM mounting holes. The optional harness plugs into your existing connection and has spade connectors on the other end. This is a good option if you think you might want to go back to the stock speakers at some point. I can't imagine why you would, but it's an option.

I used the adapters as an alternative to drilling new holes because I didn't like the idea of the thin layer of soundbar plastic being the only support for the new speaker. I actually screwed the speakers to the adapter and screwed the adapter to the plastic soundbar using the original screw clips. Made for a much more secure attachment point.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Rockford Fosgate includes some of those clips in the package.