Can we talk about the Alpine premium audio system….

Onehotmess · 2021-10-05T01:39:48-0400

I previously owned a 2018 Rubicon JL which had the premium Alpine system and it.sounded.amazing.

Getting my Sahara 4xE with the (a big assumption by me I am now guessing) Alpine premium system sounds completely different. It is more flat, tinny and dated sounding. The Rubicon was so robust and immersive. It felt premium, The Sahara I feel like I need to find the base boost button on the dual deck cassette player…. Anyone else gone from one to other and notice a difference?

Sjbiss · 2021-10-05T07:44:49-0400

I had a JK and have the Alpine system installed aftermarket. The only difference I notice is the bass is not as powerful and you don’t “feel” it as much.

triace99 · 2021-10-05T13:30:09-0400

Based on what I can see, I'm assuming that every 4xe (sahara, rubicon, and high altitude) come with the same "Alpine premium sound system"?

Bradland · 2021-10-05T16:02:10-0400

Agree it sounds terrible. Would love an easy fix, but doesn't feel like aftermarket plug and play really exists yet for 4xe?

michail · 2021-10-05T18:49:46-0400

The SiriusXM audio quality is terrible, make sure to not judge against that source. It holds the sound back, which becomes "okay" quality. I've found it too base biased when the eq is flat. It also lacks some crisp highs. Some people do tweeter upgrades to fix that.

My previous vehicle had comparable audio but sounded much better on SiriusXM. I'm not exactly sure why that would be the case - Sirius module, DSP corrections?

Bradland · 2021-10-05T20:34:45-0400

No, I'm running Tidal Master quality through it or FLAC lossless and it sounds worse than standard HD FM. The speakers pop on somethings... but always sound tinny in small up front. It's a terrible audio system. The only upgrade I saw was MB Quartz but it didn't say that was for the 4xe...

Chubba · 2021-10-05T20:41:54-0400

Idk words like terrible don't seem accurate. Wonder if there's different levels of audio. My Sierra sounds great - also understanding it's a Jeep with speakers hanging off the roll bar and with a thin roof, etc. Sounds comparable to other car premium sound systems. But I certainly wouldn't call it bad or terrible.

Bradland · 2021-10-05T21:27:48-0400

Chubba said:
Idk words like terrible don't seem accurate. Wonder if there's different levels of audio. My Sierra sounds great - also understanding it's a Jeep with speakers hanging off the roll bar and with a thin roof, etc. Sounds comparable to other car premium sound systems. But I certainly wouldn't call it bad or terrible.

You have to consider the context. Terrible is in regard to the claim as a premium upgraded sound system. When you run lossless audio into it-- the speakers literally pop and hiss because they can't handle the frequency. If you run tidal master quality into it, it's just thin and the bass is either non existent or boomy and muddy depending on the music. I'm not angry about it. I LOVE my 4xe. But eager for an upgrade when somebody is aware of one.

Avocado · 2021-10-05T22:10:27-0400

I would be keen on an upgrade when something reasonably plug and play is available.

The sound is good, I’m fine with it but I do feel something is missing.

On the flip side, and it’s not just keep, I’ve never understood why car manufacturers cheap out on premium audio systems. If customers want to pay more than give the people what they want!

I am not an audiophile but I do love cranking out the tunes, especially in this Jeep - life at its best!

Shakes · 2021-10-05T23:30:10-0400

I think it sounds great. Pretty much only play music off my phone but XM sounds fine to me too. Sounds better than many new cars I’ve been in. I get that some of you are into the car audio thing, and that’s cool, but for 99% of the people considering buying a new Jeep… The Alpine System is great. Really, it sounds great.

Onehotmess · 2021-10-06T08:39:20-0400

michail said:
The SiriusXM audio quality is terrible, make sure to not judge against that source. It holds the sound back, which becomes "okay" quality. I've found it too base biased when the eq is flat. It also lacks some crisp highs. Some people do tweeter upgrades to fix that.

My previous vehicle had comparable audio but sounded much better on SiriusXM. I'm not exactly sure why that would be the case - Sirius module, DSP corrections?

It’s not just XM for me. I listen to the same rotation of music (I’m old) on my iPhone over and over. I know what it did sound like and what it does sound like now. It isn’t the worst ever but just bummed it isn’t as good as my JL for whatever reason.

Onehotmess · 2021-10-06T08:41:28-0400

triace99 said:
Based on what I can see, I'm assuming that every 4xe (sahara, rubicon, and high altitude) come with the same "Alpine premium sound system"?

I thought so as well but there is definitely a difference from my Jeep’s. It may be wiring or something but it’s definitely not the same.

DustDevl340 · 2021-10-06T10:15:14-0400

Seems fine to me. Much better than the Compass. Mississippi Queen never sounded better.

tSvi88 · 2021-10-06T10:50:32-0400

This group is launching some JL specific speakers to upgrade the quality with a plug and play option. https://terraacoustics.com/pages/first-access-jl

triace99 · 2021-10-06T10:52:31-0400

tSvi88 said:
This group is launching some JL specific speakers to upgrade the quality with a plug and play option. https://terraacoustics.com/pages/first-access-jl

Nice, I just signed up to get notified when they actually launch

tSvi88 · 2021-10-06T10:55:00-0400

triace99 said:
Nice, I just signed up to get notified when they actually launch

I’m very curious as well. Waiting for my 4xe to be built, but coming from my 2015 Rubicon I upgraded the radio and speakers. I’m prepared to be disappointed and will need to upgrade eventually. Hope this is a good option.

S2kChris · 2021-10-06T10:59:03-0400

I have had Alpine in my 2018 JL Sport (7” screen) and now in my 2021 Rubicon 4xe. Both sound good to great to me. No difference between systems except the gain seems lower on the Rubi (used to not listen over 15 in the Sport, in the Rubi max is like 22 for me). I listen only to wired Spotify on my iPhone.

My other references are my S2000 with an Alpine deck, JBL amp and Polk components, and my wife’s 2022 MDX with the high-end ELS system. The ELS is other worldly, but the Alpine Premium isn’t too far behind.

michail · 2021-10-06T15:18:27-0400

Only factory audio I've ever heard that blew me away was in a Porsche.

For some reason manufacturers love crazy speaker counts. Couldn't they just go with 4 good ones and be way better?

michail · 2021-10-06T15:25:41-0400

Onehotmess said:
It’s not just XM for me. I listen to the same rotation of music (I’m old) on my iPhone over and over. I know what it did sound like and what it does sound like now. It isn’t the worst ever but just bummed it isn’t as good as my JL for whatever reason.

Could it be the BT connection? Perhaps it's not using the higher quality protocols. I'm not sure how to check on an iPhone.

I haven't been using mine for music too much since I like to listen to the silence of electric driving.

Bradland · 2021-10-06T16:09:01-0400

None of the people saying it sounds great are using a high quality signal. Spotify is going in at 96kbps, etc. The higher CD quality / 1500kbps sources like Tidal hi-fi, etc. seem to expose the problem. It's gets really shrill and tinny sounding and the speakers occasionally pop, etc. It's not the end of the world, but hoping one of the aftermarket options works out

Can we talk about the Alpine premium audio system….

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