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Factory Alpine Stereo Upgrade - Speaker Issue?

troy_brady

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Hello everyone!

My new Gladiator came with the Alpine stereo upgrade - which sounds great compared to the standard factory set up, until last week... Last week was one of the first times we took the top off the Gladiator so naturally we turned the stereo up louder to compensate for the wind noise as it's harder to hear the music with the windows down and top off at higher speeds so we turned the volume to 22-24. (I'll also note that I have not altered any of the sound settings on the head-unit, Bass, Treble, and Mid are all at 0.) After a little while on certain songs it was apparent something wasn't performing correctly from the rear of the Gladiator, most likely in the soundbar. I could describe the sound as a vibration, crackling, distortion coming from the soundbar at moments in songs where more base was being utilized. Since then I've heard this noise at lesser volume levels, as low as 16 but it's definitely more infrequent at those lesser volume levels. At first I figured a blown or damaged speaker just based on the sound. Strangely enough it's not a consistent sound, it doesn't happen ALL the time, but the noise has not gone away. I would assume if it was truly blown or damaged you'd hear the noise at any volume level or is it something that would only truly be recognized only on higher volume levels? Does anyone have any experience with their Alpine speakers doing the same? Is this just simply a performance issue where the system is peaking out at higher levels? I would assume at higher levels this would be the case but I felt that 22-24 wasn't in that range that would cause this yes it's loud, but not pounding loud. I feel those volume levels are acceptable for roof/door off driving. Any advice or comments are appreciated.
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sass JT

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It’s either a blown speaker... and yes they can sound fine at a lower level... or it can be a bad power section.
I run my eq with bass up mid flat and treble up and have turned it up around those levels and have had no issues so far.

either take it to a pro shop or take your vehicle into the dealership and get it listened to with the same music that causes the issue.
Good luck sir.
 

JeepCares

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Hello everyone!

My new Gladiator came with the Alpine stereo upgrade - which sounds great compared to the standard factory set up, until last week... Last week was one of the first times we took the top off the Gladiator so naturally we turned the stereo up louder to compensate for the wind noise as it's harder to hear the music with the windows down and top off at higher speeds so we turned the volume to 22-24. (I'll also note that I have not altered any of the sound settings on the head-unit, Bass, Treble, and Mid are all at 0.) After a little while on certain songs it was apparent something wasn't performing correctly from the rear of the Gladiator, most likely in the soundbar. I could describe the sound as a vibration, crackling, distortion coming from the soundbar at moments in songs where more base was being utilized. Since then I've heard this noise at lesser volume levels, as low as 16 but it's definitely more infrequent at those lesser volume levels. At first I figured a blown or damaged speaker just based on the sound. Strangely enough it's not a consistent sound, it doesn't happen ALL the time, but the noise has not gone away. I would assume if it was truly blown or damaged you'd hear the noise at any volume level or is it something that would only truly be recognized only on higher volume levels? Does anyone have any experience with their Alpine speakers doing the same? Is this just simply a performance issue where the system is peaking out at higher levels? I would assume at higher levels this would be the case but I felt that 22-24 wasn't in that range that would cause this yes it's loud, but not pounding loud. I feel those volume levels are acceptable for roof/door off driving. Any advice or comments are appreciated.
Hi there Troy,
We are sorry to hear that you are unsatisfied with the performance of your sound system. If you continue to have these concerns, we recommend bringing this to the attention of your dealer. Feel free to send our team a private message with any additional questions.

Kathryn
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coachump4

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It’s either a blown speaker... and yes they can sound fine at a lower level... or it can be a bad power section.
I run my eq with bass up mid flat and treble up and have turned it up around those levels and have had no issues so far.

either take it to a pro shop or take your vehicle into the dealership and get it listened to with the same music that causes the issue.
Good luck sir.
Did you ever figure out what was going on? I am having the same issues
 

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am1978

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Same issue here. Next oil change, this will be reported. Also my right front dash speaker cover is warped, has been since day one.
 

Onimojave

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Same issue from the same speaker (2022 Mojave). Plan to have it addressed at the first oil change interval.
 

JeepCares

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I had the same issue twice and it was a blown speaker.
Same issue here. Next oil change, this will be reported. Also my right front dash speaker cover is warped, has been since day one.
Same issue from the same speaker (2022 Mojave). Plan to have it addressed at the first oil change interval.
Hi everyone,

If you are interested in additional support with the speaker, feel welcome to PM us your VIN and any additional details about your vehicle and we'll be happy to help to assist further.

Steph
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Onimojave

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Hi everyone,

If you are interested in additional support with the speaker, feel welcome to PM us your VIN and any additional details about your vehicle and we'll be happy to help to assist further.

Steph
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Definitely appreciate the great costumer service! I will report back after giving the dealer a chance to make this right, thank you.
 

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RickF

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Spending about $600 to upgrade the speakers makes an incredible difference. The dash corners and soundbar are extremely easy to replace. The knee panels are much harder, but many of us have done them. I went with Infinity 3032 in the dash corners, Kicker 6.5"s using the Metra pods in the knee panels (stock are only 4" and that's where most of your distortion comes from), and 6.5" MTX components using JTJL pods in the soundbar. I left the subwoofer stock. The system absolutely rocks now.

There are MANY threads about speaker upgrades in this forum.
 

3girthunits

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Spending about $600 to upgrade the speakers makes an incredible difference. The dash corners and soundbar are extremely easy to replace. The knee panels are much harder, but many of us have done them. I went with Infinity 3032 in the dash corners, Kicker 6.5"s using the Metra pods in the knee panels (stock are only 4" and that's where most of your distortion comes from), and 6.5" MTX components using JTJL pods in the soundbar. I left the subwoofer stock. The system absolutely rocks now.

There are MANY threads about speaker upgrades in this forum.
my metra pods sounded awful! I tried Kickers and Infinity6.5s but they just rattled annoyingly. Did you do anything special or did I get a bad batch of pods? I even tried them with the back plug open to let some airflow out but the front still rattled. Just ended up putting the OEM ones back in because I was so frustrated.
 

NotSo Bright White

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Thank you for posting this! I have been experiencing the same issue from the sound bar on the passenger side. I thought I was imagining it but it is exactly like you described. I experience it more when I have a news channel on versus loud music (thankfully)! I will report it to my dealer when I go in for my next oil change. Thanks again!
 
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Jeep Gladiator Factory Alpine Stereo Upgrade - Speaker Issue? 20221230_155119


I listen to a lot of live recordings at 26-29 volume and have this obnoxious vibration issue when the bass is coming out of the upper rear speakers. Everything sounds great and then it's complete shit when it hits certain tones.

I think I narrowed it down to this peg that extends into the roll cage. I'm not sure if something used to secure it from above, or if it's just a cheap design to brace the sound bar in place, but I'm almost certain that this plastic flap rattles with certain bass resonance.

I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to secure this weekend, so I'm open to suggestions
 

bd100

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Try removing the overhead speakers, then shove some pillow stuffing in there. Put some everywhere behind the speakers, perhaps leaving a channel for sound to go through the ports. But fill everything else to a medium density. This took care of much of the rattle/buzz for my truck. I can crank the Apline to max w/o problems. Upgrade the 3.5" speakers while you are in there.
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