Just got my new Kenwood

Finally tossed the OEM Toyota radio from my 03 Taco and installed a Kenwood DPX-530. Sounds great, set up is kind of a bitch.. But that’s what the manual is for.

The next thing to change out are the door speakers. Anybody change out the door speakers?

What brands did you recommend?

 

I have Focal 165 KR for the front and Focal 165 CVX for the rear. Not installed because Ihave been deadening my truck for the past week. Looks like Wed everything will be installed. I have a DNX9960 Ijust pulled out but it was 10X better than stock even with factory speakers.

For cheap speakers I like Infinity.

 

OMGWTFBBQCHIKEN I has Alpine/Kicker/JL/blahwhatever an they RAWK!!

Buy something good, don't go with Alpine/JL just because everybody else does... Take a sneak peek at slightly higher end stuff first at least. Focal (is it FOcal or FocAL? I hear it both ways) or Hertz Audio. Since you have a 1st Gen, be careful about mounting depth though.

 

People go with JL, Alpine, etc.. because that's usually the best stuff around at the local retailers. I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars on any name brand that I've never heard before.

I've read where people are happy with their Hertz speakers, but I'd like to hear them before I purchase.

 

Do you need to buy a vehicle specific wiring harness to connect Kenwood HU to toyota factory speakers and power supply?

 

yes Keith I got the wiring harness for tacoma, so I didnt have to cut any wires. just plug it into the factory plugs.

 

crutchfield is by far the easiest way to go ordering audio for your car. comes with dummy plugs, vehicle specific. a tard could install a stereo, speakers, sub/amp, etc when ordered from crutchfield.com. great customer service as well and hassle free returns if you're not satisfied with the product.

I prefer all ALPINE equipment.

 

Yea crutchfield is good, but for something small like a wiring harness it's not worth paying the shipping so I got it locally.
I looked at the Alpine and Kenwood, I got more for my money going with the Kenwood, plus I was looking for a double din and the Alpine pricing is crazy on those.

I did go with an Alpine CDA-105 for my daughters civic.

 

Crutchfield = full retail = no thanks

Amazon, bitches!

 

I originally went bought a kenwood unit for the tacoma and returned it after about a week. the unit was CD/MP3/Bluetooth and i had nothing but failures using the MP3 and bluetooth. every time i started my truck the unit would re-load my entire phone book of contacts and take almost 5 minutes to access audio. Also, making phone calls, I could hear whoever was on the other end, but no one could ever hear me and my mic was right in front of my face. I was also unhappy with the display on the kenwood as i could never see it due to extreme glare with even the littlest amount of light. I have always used Alpine units in the past and opted to go with the ALPINEiDA-x305s digital media receiver and i love it. I was unsure about how i would like the single din in the double din slot with the litle compartment but i actually like it a lot! In my experience i have been able to watch sales on crutchfield and actually get some really good deals. just my experience

 

if you're not planning on adding an amp any time soon, i guarantee that the cheapest speakers that hertz makes will sound 10x better than most of the "OMGWTFBBQCHIKEN" you find. every car that i've put hertz speakers in has ROCKED (provided they recieve the right wattage, of course." running off of a head unit, try the deici 6.5" components for your front doors. should be able to get them for ~$100.

 

Hey man,
Do you have any pics of the installed unit? I'm looking into replacing my stock unit with a Kenwood DNX 6960. But trying to determine how/if it will fit.

Thanks.
Jamie

 

Quick Question(s):

- Let me know how the 165's fit. I have an '04 and have been eying a pair of Focals for my truck but mounting depth is supposedly an issue. According to specs on Crutchfield, they don't fit in stock locations. According to Mr. Marv, there is barely enough space.

- Secondly, who/what did you use for deadening? I'm planning on tearing truck apart over a weekend in the spring/summer and going whole hog with raammat.

Thanks.