IMPORTANT: about the shipping arrival date "guarantee". Sometimes kits go Priority Mail, sometimes I send them UPS Ground, depending on cost. That's how I keep my price as low as I can. But I can only enter one method of shipping, so I enter Priority Mail which is more often how the kits ship. UPS Ground can take longer depending on where you're located, so the kit may take longer to get to you than the "guarantee".
FREE SHIPPING IS TO THE LOWER 48 STATES ONLY.
Shipping is usually via Priority Mail but sometimes UPS Ground as well.
This kit works in sound bars (and can work in the dash) for all 2 and 4 door Jeep Wrangler JK from 2007-2014.
Regarding 2015-2018 JK Wranglers:
The 2015-2018 sound bars are a little different than previous years. These kits can work in them, but with some minor adjustments such as trimming the acoustic foam pieces a bit, facing the adapter plates toward the rear, and unplugging the smaller speaker in the bar since it's not needed after installing these Kicker speakers. The wire colors are reversed in the sound bar for some reason. The black wires in the sound bar are the pos+ for the speakers. The included plugs will fit, the wire colors will be reversed, but the polarity will be correct (pos+ to pos+, etc.).
This is a comprehensive and well thought out kit that doesn't disappoint nor cause headaches!
These adapter plates are custom made for this particular application - using them in the sound bar, you don't have to cut tabs, deal with screw holes not lining up...ugh, air escaping, and whatever else can annoy when using 'universal' adapters made to fit a variety of vehicles.They also include foam gaskets for an airtight seal.
I can't answer as to why some other kits include 5.25" speakers for the dash when the factory speakers are roughly 6.5" just like the factory sound bar speakers. All I can derive is that the adapters compensate for space, and likely without an air-tight seal. Why in the world would you want to go smaller? If you choose to get an additional set for your dash speakers, let me know if you'd rather I include poly-fil for the dash instead of the pre-cut appropriate pieces of acoustic foam used for the sound bar.
Photos show the passenger side of the sound bar and they show the sound bar on a white table instead of in a Jeep for better quality illustrations. You certainly don’t need to remove your sound bar to install the kit.
(Kit can/will also work in your dash if your desire is to replace your dash speakers in your '07-'14 JK Wrangler. The Kicker speakers will work, adapter plates (you shave down the long tab a bit on each plate) and plugs will work. And you can use the foam pieces (or poly-fil if requested) inside the factory enclosures your dash speakers currently utilize for better sound too! If you want to do both the sound bar and the dash, you'd need two kits).
Photo #1 – Everything included in the kit:
· Kicker® 6.75” speakers rated at 60w rms.
· Matching Kicker® grilles (though most people will probably choose to reuse their factory grilles.)
· T-15 torx insert bit for easy removal of the torx screws holding your factory grilles and speakers in place.
· Customized adapter plates that mate perfectly with your factory mounting points (seen in photo #6).
· 7/16” 8-32 machine screws for attaching the speakers to the plates.
· Adhesive-backed 1/8” thick closed cell gasket strips to adhere to the adapters for an airtight seal between the adapters and the sound bar.
· Custom cut acoustic foam pieces for an accurate fit inside the sound bar.
· Direct-Fit wire harnesses that plug into the factory wiring in the sound bar (one is seen in photo #6).
· And then there are some other parts that come with the speakers such as butt connectors and wiring that aren’t pictured since they’re not used for this install, but they’re in the box and you’ll have them for other projects.
Photo #2 – Appearance with factory grille reused.
You can simply reuse your current grilles and torx screws, a great way to keep your upgrade looking factory and deter thieves.
Photo #3 – Appearance with Kicker grille used instead of factory grille.
The included Kicker® grilles can be used in lieu of the factory ones if you choose. The mounting screws that come with the speakers (not pictured anywhere) would then be used to mount the grilles. The adapter plates are pre-drilled to accept these grilles too. You can see this with a close look at the plates in the first image, and imagine where the mounting screws would create new holes in the sound bar plastic with a look at photo #6.
Photo #4 – Appearance prior to attaching either grille.
Photo #5 – A look at the inside (passenger side) of sound bar and acoustic foam included (for passenger side) in this kit.
The pre-cut pieces will absorb the back waves the speakers create and will remove rattling and vibrations from the sound bar. The end result is richer sound, plain and simple.
Photo #6 – Another look at this, but with the acoustic foam installed.
The larger piece is placed under the factory wiring. The long slim section then routes around the curved back half and the result is an encapsulated speaker.
Photo #7 – A visual comparison between the Infinity® premium sound speaker and the Kicker speaker.
Yes, that’s the paper-coned Infinity® speaker in the sound bar, and it’s from the ‘premium’ sound system option. The speaker found in the basic systems wasn’t available for comment and didn’t want to be photographed.
Photo #8 – Additional (backside) look at the factory Infinity® premium speaker.
Photo #9 – Side by side look at a Kicker® 6.5” (left) and our Kicker® 6.75” (right)
The factory speakers are roughly 6.5”. If the Kicker 6.75” fits without modifications, going with anything smaller wouldn't make much sense.
Photo #10 and #11 - Installation Instructions.
A copy will come with the kit, but here's a look at just how easy the install really is.
The nitty gritty:
Workbench sound tests show a significant improvement in sound quality with the Kicker® speakers when compared to the factory speakers, Infinity, Alpine, or base model.
As tested: with the Kicker® in one side of the sound bar and the factory speaker in the other side, the aftermarket radio on the bench sends the full spectrum of sound to each speaker, but the factory speaker still sounds subpar, like a boom-box, kind of hollow and missing the high end of the spectrum. The Kicker® sounds much better in comparison. (Both sides have the acoustic foam pieces inserted during this test giving the factory speaker an even better chance at sounding good).
Testing of the factory speakers on a bench with an aftermarket radio shows they still don’t capture and replicate the full audio spectrum, even if it’s sent to them. The Kicker® speakers can and do. Plus, the 4-ohm Kickers are more efficient than the factory speakers. The Kickers operate at a point between 3 and 4 ohm when they’re run in a 12 DC volt system like your Jeep. They run closer to 3 ohm than they do 4 ohm. Your factory speakers supposedly run at 2 ohm (later models may even run at 4 ohm) however the difference in sensitivity (SPL) in either case is at least 3 db in favor of the more efficient Kickers which are rated at 90 dB. As a general rule of thumb, doubling of impedance needs an increase of 3 dB to even the playing field. Here the worst-case scenario still isn’t a doubling of impedance, yet you’re improving efficiency by at least 3 dB anyway. It’s a win-win situation and that’s why the improvement in sound exists.