A client from Westminster, Maryland came to WSS Westminster Speed & Sound with a very nice 1981 Jeep CJ5. But This particular Jeep CJ5 was in need of an audio upgrade. Our client had a few requirements:
- He wanted it to be able to jam as the wind noise was loud at highway speeds.
- He wanted to be able to stream music wirelessly to the stereo and he wanted a USB port.
- And one last thing: “It may get wet on occasion” he said.
We love working on Jeeps and are accustomed to hearing those lines, so we went out to the vehicle, scoped it out, got to know our client better, and offered him what we felt was the best solution for his needs. He liked the idea, so we ordered any needed equipment and then an installation appointment was set.
Pioneer MVHX560BT Supplies The Signal
In the dash we installed a Pioneer MVHX560BT unit. This unit is a lot like many mid priced CD Players with Bluetooth, except it does not have a CD Drive. This made the unit much shallower, and allowed it to fit in the dash where a normal CD player would have run into depth issues. This unit gave him music streaming capability and a USB port so he could play music from a flash drive, iPod, iPhone, or Android phone. This unit could do Bluetooth for hands free calling but we knew it was not going to work in a vehicle with this much road noise so we did not even install the microphone for that feature.
Powerbass XL220M Amplifier: Perfect Power Solution
From there the musical signal fed into a Powerbass XL220M amplifier. This amp is unique in a number of ways. It is very small, so we were able to hide it up high in the passenger side of the dash where it is hidden pretty well from the elements. The amp has a coating on the circuit board to protect it from corroding when exposed to moisture, so again, it is good for Jeeps. It also has great output for its size, putting out over 200 watts of clean power. That is more than enough to light up the four Hertz speakers we installed.
Hertz Speakers Complete This Jeep CJ5 Audio Upgrade
After the amplifier, we go to a set of Hertz ECX130.5 speakers in the factory dash locations and Hertz ECX690.5 speakers in enclosures above the rear wheel wells. From the pictures you may notice that we had the speaker enclosures covered in a spray in bedliner coating to make them water resistant and to continue the theme of the Jeep as the interior tub of the Jeep was sprayed in the same thing. All of our exposed wiring was covered in split loom and secured with mounts along their paths to keep them safe from harm when he uses the Jeep as…well…a Jeep.
The customer was very pleased with the final product, and that brought a smile to our face. We love working on Jeeps, and if you own one and would like a sound system upgrade, stop by or contact us here. We would be happy to help you make your Jeep as much fun to listen to as it is to drive.
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