[ReneAZ]

Bought New Renegade Latitude last weekend and have to say wish I would have spent more time listening to the sound system because it's downright awful. I have tried numerous settings (lower mids/increase mids, higher/lower treble, Surround on/off) to no avail.

The overall sound is very bassy with harsh, brittle, hollow mids and highs. I have already consulted a car stereo expert who indicated it would cost $$$$ to upgrade / bypass factory system to clean up the sound.

There seems to be no specific details on the internet to what the sound system actually is....not a good sign.
I would be interested to hear what other owners think of the sound system and if they have tried any aftermarket upgrades. It's very disappointing.

 

[B440]

Your very first post.... sounds a lot like trolling.

Sound is subjective, and different to each person. I find the system much better than what I had in a 2002 Honda.

 

[ReneAZ]

What do you mean by trolling?
It's a legitimate question.
I can't imagine that others have not found the sound system inadequate.

 

[CWeb]

Yes it sounds bad, especially sat radio. I find that using high bit MP3's helps I rip at 320 bit rate and it sounds much better, if you have a Portable CD player plugged into the aux it will sound even better.
Also replace the dash speakers for a good sound upgrade
Also the equalizer is useless

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[syzygy]

What do you mean by trolling?
It's a legitimate question.
I can't imagine that others have not found the sound system inadequate.

How is the car in general?

 

[ReneAZ]

Thanks CWeb. I have tried higher quality Mp3 via USB and it still sounds bad.
Will try the portable CD option.
But carrying around a bunch of CDs and a player negates the modern connection options (bluetooth & sirius).

I know Sirius audio stream is lossy / low-quality (I get that) but even higher res files sound bad.

 

[ReneAZ]

Other than the Sound System, the car is top notch.
Could not be happier.
Smooth, nimble & agile.
Nice touches on the interior....rivals my boss's new Audi for half the price (except sound of-course)

 

[Malcolm02]

Which speaker system did you get? I have the UConnect 5.0 with the 9 speaker package and I would say that I am quite satisfied (though not blown away) with the sound, given that it is a stock system. I have a high end audio system in my home so I know what good sound is, though I am less demanding in the car.

I find the best sound is had from a good sounding CD ripped to high bit rate mp3 played from a USB drive. You should do that to test the system. Radio (XM or FM) doesn't sound so good. You might also give it a few hours of break in, playing bass heavy music at good volume. You can try adjusting the equalizer settings, though I left mine flat.

But yes, to get a proper high end music system in your car is going to cost money.

 

[ReneAZ]

Malcolm02...I have the 9 speaker / amplified system.
I hope there is a break in period to improve sound...but thinking the harsh mids & highs are not going away.
Also wondering what the brand of the stock system is Alpine, Harmon/Kardon or Beats.

 

[The Drifter]

Malcolm02...I have the 9 speaker / amplified system.
I hope there is a break in period to improve sound...but thinking the harsh mids & highs are not going away.
Also wondering what the brand of the stock system is Alpine, Harmon/Kardon or Beats.

The stock system in a renegade? Proabably Jensen, JVC, Dual, Toshiba, Emerson or something cheap. No way Harmon Kardon system would make it into a Jeep, LOL...but Beats Audio is availabe as an audio upgrade in 2016 Models. I opted for it, we will see how it sounds. I usually upgrade speakers in a car with aftermarket speakers, but I didn't really want to mess with anything in this Renegade since it seems a little more complicated to upgrade the audio with an aftermarket system than my older cars.

 

[Malcolm02]

Malcolm02...I have the 9 speaker / amplified system.
I hope there is a break in period to improve sound...but thinking the harsh mids & highs are not going away.
Also wondering what the brand of the stock system is Alpine, Harmon/Kardon or Beats.

I'd be interested in the brand as well, but nobody seems to know.

I was suggesting you listen to a good quality source so you are testing the system not the music, but from your responses above (that I didn't read properly the first time) you are already doing that. So I'm not sure what else to suggest. To my ears it sounds good, not great, which I'm ok with for what it is. Let us know if it gets better with break in. My home speakers had a long and noticeable break in period, but I didn't notice it so much with the car.

 

[logan5]

I have the Uconnect 6.5 6-speaker and I replaced the front dash speakers (very easy) with Polk Audio speakers. Made a HUGE improvement for me. Warmed up mid-tones and vocals and gives clearer highs.

 

[bwbike]

Maybe I'm not as picky with the sound system, but I think my 9 speaker system sounds just fine for what it costs. I'm not planning to upgrade it.

 

[raz-0]

I've got the 9 speaker with 5"

The biggest problem is that the speakers are set up as components and there is a gap between what the dash speakers can produce and what the tweeter free door speakers can. Then the 3.5" tweeter free dash speakers have a peaky band that gets downright painful with a lot of music at higher volumes.

Putting decent 2-way 3.5" speakers in the dash is a huge bang for the buck. That and eq tweaking gets you pretty far.

I just did the front doors with some jbl 6x9s. The results are mixed and ranges from sounding really good to sounding bad on some recordings.

I'd say stock sounds good only with heavily compressed stuff that doesn't have a mix that is peaky for guitar and vocals. I boost all bass, take out a lot of mid and all treble. Classic rock and 80s punk sound like dookie. Classical and jazz are pretty bad as well.

I'd say dash only replacement plays most things decently. Some things well. It still won't fix certain things. Classic rock gets a lot better. Live recordings still have some issues. Classical and big band sound kind of thin.

Did the front doors and a lot of upper mids come back. You lose A lot of the bass punch. In part, I believe, because you can't get 2ohm speakers. The jbls are 2 ohm in the specs and "true 4 ohm" in the ads. Poking around I found that they are something like 3.5 ohms. In this config they produce pretty low frequencies, but not enough to become really punchy except at high volume (I believe the head unit rolls off the upper frequencies a bit at very high volumes). The rear door speakers act as fill though for the bass. This makes a lot of stuff sound good. Examples of such are credence Clearwater revival chronicle volume one. Sounded tinny as heck until this. Remastered Louis Armstrong got a nice fleshing out as well.

 

[arvindnc]

Bought New Renegade Latitude last weekend and have to say wish I would have spent more time listening to the sound system because it's downright awful. I have tried numerous settings (lower mids/increase mids, higher/lower treble, Surround on/off) to no avail.

The overall sound is very bassy with harsh, brittle, hollow mids and highs. I have already consulted a car stereo expert who indicated it would cost $$$$ to upgrade / bypass factory system to clean up the sound.

There seems to be no specific details on the internet to what the sound system actually is....not a good sign.
I would be interested to hear what other owners think of the sound system and if they have tried any aftermarket upgrades. It's very disappointing.

The sound system in Uconnect 5.0 without the Nav is quite adequate. Its not as good as the higher end audio and its better tan the basic sound system. Sound appreciation is subjective. If you find that the treble is missing check the tweeters that is located near the front corners of the dash. If they are working well, get your ears checked for frequency damage which can happen at certain age or due to noise pollution. In this case upgrading to a expensive sound system will not be useful.

 

[ketoom]

Your very first post.... sounds a lot like trolling.

Sound is subjective, and different to each person. I find the system much better than what I had in a 2002 Honda.

And your post sounds more like a troll than his! All this means is the 2002 Honda system was worse - doesn't prove any point other than that.
I'm a lifelong musician and audiophile and have rarely found ANY factory audio system in a vehicle up to snuff (even the pricey, high-end "upgraded" systems the dealerships hawk) The only real answer to true "high fidelity" sound in your auto is, unfortunately, and expensive, "makeover" from an reputable car audio business (beware, there are a TON of hacks out theater - do your research/homework BEFORE laying out the big bucks!! Peace!!

 

[ketoom]

How is the car in general?

Well, I'm the proud owner of a 2018 Jeep Renegade (Latitude edition, I suppose, though it's unbadged) and I love the car, but like the original poster, wish I had spent more time listening critically to the sound system (which is the "upgraded "BEATS Audio system", and so far, I've replaced all the doors speakers, the factory sub and added outboard amps for all the above, and the sound is STIL barely passable - after around 8 grand investment in aftermarket equipment I'm loathe to replace the factory head/tuner, although I suspect that's where the trouble lies......

 

[arvindnc]

Bought New Renegade Latitude last weekend and have to say wish I would have spent more time listening to the sound system because it's downright awful. I have tried numerous settings (lower mids/increase mids, higher/lower treble, Surround on/off) to no avail.

The overall sound is very bassy with harsh, brittle, hollow mids and highs. I have already consulted a car stereo expert who indicated it would cost $$$$ to upgrade / bypass factory system to clean up the sound.

There seems to be no specific details on the internet to what the sound system actually is....not a good sign.
I would be interested to hear what other owners think of the sound system and if they have tried any aftermarket upgrades. It's very disappointing.

The sound system in Latitude model is mediocre. You have to remember this is the middle of the road model, hence a mediocre sound system. It has a large woofer on the doors, and a smaller tweeter in the corners of the dashboard. The HU is either an off brand Italian or an eastern Europe made which has a fairly flat frequency response. Its an adequate unit when paired speakers that have high sensitivity. It wont give you a thumping bass or the clarity of a premium sound. Its just mediocre and adequate for listening to top 20 countdowns. If you need an upgrade you will have to tear it down completely and spend several thousand dollars replacing everything from HU all the way to the speakers and add subs and amplifiers (Not worth it, and you lose uconnect!) A better option is to shop for a new vehicle with Audio as a priority. Jeep Renegade is definitely not for audiophiles. Jeep Grand Cherokee has better options but only in the above 50 grand models. I would seriously be looking at a Genesis GV 70 or a similar vehicle if Audio is a top priority.