Help with audio system please

[DanXJ97]

I have a 1997 Cherokee 4.0 and it has a power amp under the driver's seat and I would to know the output wattage on it. Anybody have any specs on it?
Thanks, Dan :confused:

[Mudderoy]

I have a 1997 Cherokee 4.0 and it has a power amp under the driver's seat and I would to know the output wattage on it. Anybody have any specs on it?
Thanks, Dan :confused:

Infinity system? I think it's 100 watts.

[DanXJ97]

Thanks Mudderoy, I figure it can't be to high because it has 5.25 inch speakers. Dan ;)

[NW99XJ]

Speaker size really doesnt have much to do with relative wattage of an amplifier.
Really it comes down to the components sensitivity rating.
Sensitivity is not about sound quality, but about how high the volume on your amplifier needs to be in order to make your speakers work their best.
Therefore, sensitivity refers to a measure of how loudly the speaker will play given a certain electrical input level.

Speaker sensitivity is measured in decibels per 1 watt per 1 meter, but is usually referred to as just decibels...as this is how the output of any given speaker is measured by a special microphone sitting 1 meter away, in a special room, with one watt of power supplied to the speaker....
A smaller speaker with a better sensitivity rating can actually have better/more output that a larger speaker with a lesser rating.

We also need to take into consideration the difference between RMS and MAX power ratings of both amps and speakers.
RMS (Root Mean Square) The square root of the mean of the square. RMS is (to engineers anyway) is a meaningful way of calculating the average of values over a period of time.
With audio, the signal value (amplitude) is squared, then averaged over a period of time, then the square root of the result is calculated.
That's why you typically see the RMS rating nearly half of what the MAX value is.
...lesser brand audio components will tout their MAX output/handling level to make their product seem better than it really is. Hence why you see a 1000 watt amp in a swap meet for sale at a price point of only $40.
A good rule of thumb is that for good amplification, you'll be spending at least $1 /per watt.

OK, so now that we've gone back to school for a little bit, lets go ahead and answer your question shall we? :D

There were two different styles of Infinity Amplifiers used in Jeep vehicles from 1997-2001... the 120 watt 4ch, and the 180 watt 6ch.
http://www.wjjeeps.com/radio_amp2.jpg

The 120 watt amp is found in XJ's & ZJ's, while the 180 watt amp is in the WJ's.
In the case of your particular set up.... the amp would be providing 120w peak (max) divided by 4 (the number of speakers) which is 30 watts peak per channel.
The rule of thumb is that RMS power is typically around half of the peak (max) power, which would mean the amp is supplying about 15 watts per channel RMS.

The reason the stock amp works so well (relatively speaking) is the speakers only have 4 ohms of impedance, (measurement of resistance across the voice coil) which means it takes less power to move the voice coil. There is a certain logic in using lower power systems in that less power creates less heat, which normally leads to a longer service life. Of course, having less heat to deal with also means the manufacturer can use lower quality components which leads to a less durable product. It's a vicious cycle of cost versus performance....

The speakers used in many of the XJ and ZJ Infinity Gold Premium Audio Systems were The Infinity Gold Series, which were very basic foam surround, paper cone speakers with a slightly higher sensitivity rating than the more common Jensen AccuSound which were used across most Jeep platforms (as well as many others.)

I hope this helps....
So now I have a question for you Dan..... why do you ask?

[DanXJ97]

Now that is the best answer I could ever ask for, thank you so much. Since I was going into my dash to change my evap and heater coil I was told by my wife that I should upgrade the stereo system. So I thought about it for 30 seconds and said sure that is a great idea and I wanted to know the specs on the amp so I could plan on new speakers since the rears sound shot. Great writeup you gave me and again I thank you. Dan :thumbsup:

[DanXJ97]

OK, who wants to help me spend some money on a new sound system. Anyone want to make any suggestions go for it but I would like to keep the same size speakers (5.25) if at all possible. The amount I would like to spend is around $500.00. Dan :rolleyes:

[DanXJ97]

I have been looking at Kenwood and Pioneer units and for speakers Pioneer A-series and Kicker. :bacondance:

[NW99XJ]

Glad to help out Dan,
You can EASILY get some good high quality gear for that price range Dan.
Maybe even a new head unit too depending on your needs.....
I would say go for some Infinity, Alpine, Focal, or MB Quart.
Pioneer has some good stuff too, and so does Sony or Kenwood. Although I have found the above brands to have better sound quality.
Stay away from Rockwood, (not to be confused with Rockford Fosgate) Boss, Thump, and other lesser brand names.
Ultimately I can go thru every brand I have ever worked with, and it wont mean a hill of beans difference to YOU...as you're going to have to go with what sounds good to YOU.
So with that being said, go down and spend the afternoon visiting some mobile electronics places (for gods sake dont buy your car audio speakers from Walmart) and listen to as many different sets as you can, have the people demo them with YOUR music (bring a CD or a jump drive, etc...) that way you get a feel fro what they sound like with the music that you like.
As always, post up back here with your own findings and I'll be happy to advise you further if you'd like.
- Good luck and happy shopping!

[bluedragon436]

I love my Alpine setup.. I have a full Alpine setup in my Ram, well minus the door speakers so far.. but have an Alpine head unit, with an Alpine plug N Play amp for stock speaker locations, Alpine 1200w amp for 2 Alpine Type R 12's.. and love the sound quality and and price of the Alpine products.. In my XJ I had Alpine head unit w/ alpine plug and play amp for Alpine 6.5" speakers front and rear, and a Type R 12 on Alpine 500w amp.. (in case you haven't figured it out yet.. I really have come to like the Alpine sound and quality.. I've had Pioneer head units and speakers over the years too, and loved them too.. just wanted to go up a bit in quality of product, and love Alpine products and their customer service

[4.3LXJ]

If you want to stay cheap, we have the infinity unit set up for 4 5X7 speakers and front tweeters (180 watt I believe) Could probably throw in the speakers on the cheap too. My understanding is that the 5X7 speakers were for the base and the tweeters in the front handled the rest. We do not however have the head unit for it

[Mudderoy]

I love my Alpine setup.. I have a full Alpine setup in my Ram, well minus the door speakers so far.. but have an Alpine head unit, with an Alpine plug N Play amp for stock speaker locations, Alpine 1200w amp for 2 Alpine Type R 12's.. and love the sound quality and and price of the Alpine products.. In my XJ I had Alpine head unit w/ alpine plug and play amp for Alpine 6.5" speakers front and rear, and a Type R 12 on Alpine 500w amp.. (in case you haven't figured it out yet.. I really have come to like the Alpine sound and quality.. I've had Pioneer head units and speakers over the years too, and loved them too.. just wanted to go up a bit in quality of product, and love Alpine products and their customer service

What head unit do you have? The prior owner of the TJ put an Alpine and sub in it. Sounds good, and I was surprised the Alpine head units aren't really that expensive. I was thinking of upgrading the one in the TJ that has built in Bluetooth.

[JHagerman]

I was also able to put some Kicker 6.5" speakers in both doors and in the rear roof with no modifications.

I went with a Pioneer radio that has Bluetooth built in. I think it was a simple upgrade with a great result.


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[DanXJ97]

Thanks JHagerman, I have 5.25 speakers front and rear, so you got the rears to fit with no mods or did you have bigger speakers to begin with.??? :confused:

[JHagerman]

I also had 5.25's. I wish I would've taken a photo but no, there's no width modification needed. Mine is a 2001 sport model. The new speaker bold/screw holes aligned fine.


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[JHagerman]

I confirmed it with Crutchfield before I attempted it. They have a great and free call in customer service line. I didn't order through them either


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[DanXJ97]

What was the model number of the pioneer? I was leaning toward kenwood unit and bigger kickers now that you gave me some information on them.
Thanks, Dan

[JHagerman]

I'll double check the model but I think it was something like deh-65bt. I'll confirm it tonight. Also, you can check on Crutchfield to make sure that the radio you want will fit


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[JHagerman]

It's a deh-x66bt.

The kickers I got sound good with this radio.


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[DanXJ97]

Right on, I'm looking at the pioneer deh-x7600 hd with cd player with the kicker speakers. Thanks for your input on this. Dan

[JHagerman]

Very cool. Looks good, but no Bluetooth (an essential for me). Let me know how your install goes. I think it was pretty straight forward.

Though I did have to reword the drivers side door speaker as the wires crimped in the tube between the door and A post

[Mudderoy]

You people are going to make me upgrade my stock Jeep radio to listen to podcasts on. Yeah I know I don't need anything more than what I have now, but...

I don't like the idea of putting a 1 din in the spot where there's a 1.5 din. I keep watching videos about installing a 2 din receiver. I think it would be fun to have a touch screen with cameras mounted fore and aft.

[DanXJ97]

I know what you mean, my wife has to have Bluetooth so I had to change my plans and get a Kenwood. :rolleyes:

[slvmart]

Sony makes Bluetooth, standard mini jack and USB front input head units also.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158BT31PW/Sony-MEX-BT31PW.html?tp=5684

[DanXJ97]

Thanks slvmart but I already ordered it.

[slvmart]

It was more for information.

[DanXJ97]

I got my kenwwood and new speakers in and all I can say is WOW.

[NW99XJ]

I got my kenwwood and new speakers in and all I can say is WOW.

Glad to hear it Dan! :thumbsup:

[denverd1]

You people are going to make me upgrade my stock Jeep radio to listen to podcasts on. Yeah I know I don't need anything more than what I have now, but...

I don't like the idea of putting a 1 din in the spot where there's a 1.5 din. I keep watching videos about installing a 2 din receiver. I think it would be fun to have a touch screen with cameras mounted fore and aft.

I LOVE this idea!!! why haven't wheelers done this before??? spot from your driver's seat!!

How do we make it work, Tony? I'm thinking we could shift to 1 on the trans to activate front camera and backup cameras have been done for ages. lets set this up.