So, I had the Factory Boston acoustics MyGIG Media Center 430 CD/DVD/MP3/HDD Premium Sound System with the 276 watt factory amplifier in my '08 Commander when I bought it - and while the system was adequate, I wanted to make it better.
So, I did several modifications.
First and foremost, I got rid of the factory head unit after replacing it twice (2nd time didn't cost me anything but still). FCA dealerships only have reconditioned head units to sell - you can't get them made new anymore, yet they still charge you "New Unit" Prices $950.00 or so as I recall and I've found that the reconditioned head units just do not last, so, I opted for the reliability of a new Pioneer AVH-X490BS CD/DVD RDS AV head unit with Sirius XM Receiver.
Even with the extra $100.00 I had to spend for the Sirius XM Receiver, the entire job (parts & labor) was still $170.00 cheaper then just the price of a new Factory reconditioned head unit.
This was one of the best moves I made, it took me a little while to learn how to navigate it and find out where all the key audio option sub-menus are (and there are quite a few) but, it was well worth it for the reliability of a NEW head unit - plus I have Blue Tooth now, which I did not have previously with my factory unit which didn't come with U-Connect.
Second thing, I upgraded most of the factory speakers and the factory amp with the "MOPAR Kicker Upgrade package" which included the following components:
77KICK18AB 8 Channel, 368 Watt amplifier.
77KICK11AB Front 6x9 mid-bass speakers and 3.5" 2-way dash tweeters.
Additionally, I changed out the only remaining factory speakers, which were the rear door speakers, with Kicker 77KICK10 6.5" 2-way rear door speakers, which were NOT included in the "MOPAR Kicker upgrade package".
Lastly, I added a 10 inch self-amplified Bazooka Tube (PART # BTA10100) which has it's own self-contained 100 watt amplifier; this was the icing on the cake. This gave my sound system the nice rich bass that it was missing.
It's a pretty impressive sound system that's far superior to the factory Premium Sound System.
Here are some pics:
So, I did several modifications.
First and foremost, I got rid of the factory head unit after replacing it twice (2nd time didn't cost me anything but still). FCA dealerships only have reconditioned head units to sell - you can't get them made new anymore, yet they still charge you "New Unit" Prices $950.00 or so as I recall and I've found that the reconditioned head units just do not last, so, I opted for the reliability of a new Pioneer AVH-X490BS CD/DVD RDS AV head unit with Sirius XM Receiver.
Even with the extra $100.00 I had to spend for the Sirius XM Receiver, the entire job (parts & labor) was still $170.00 cheaper then just the price of a new Factory reconditioned head unit.
This was one of the best moves I made, it took me a little while to learn how to navigate it and find out where all the key audio option sub-menus are (and there are quite a few) but, it was well worth it for the reliability of a NEW head unit - plus I have Blue Tooth now, which I did not have previously with my factory unit which didn't come with U-Connect.
Second thing, I upgraded most of the factory speakers and the factory amp with the "MOPAR Kicker Upgrade package" which included the following components:
77KICK18AB 8 Channel, 368 Watt amplifier.
77KICK11AB Front 6x9 mid-bass speakers and 3.5" 2-way dash tweeters.
Additionally, I changed out the only remaining factory speakers, which were the rear door speakers, with Kicker 77KICK10 6.5" 2-way rear door speakers, which were NOT included in the "MOPAR Kicker upgrade package".
Lastly, I added a 10 inch self-amplified Bazooka Tube (PART # BTA10100) which has it's own self-contained 100 watt amplifier; this was the icing on the cake. This gave my sound system the nice rich bass that it was missing.
It's a pretty impressive sound system that's far superior to the factory Premium Sound System.
Here are some pics: