What Sound system to get?

I am planning on doing a full stereo system upgrade to my double cab Tacoma pretty soon. I plan on putting in a head unit, speakers, and two 10" subs. I wanted some suggestions on what maybe some of you guys have tried and like. I think I would probably like a touch screen head unit with blue tooth. I'm thinking about putting to component sets of speakers in it since its a double cab but I would like to know what some of you have done. I know I'm going to buy a sub box off of ebay that fits two 10" subs but I don't know what kind of subs or what amp I want to buy. I mostly listen to country or rock. Just give me some suggestions of what you guys think I should do.

 

Well it really depends on your budget and what your ears tell you is the best. But here's some general info. (Sorry, but I'm long-winded.)

For the head unit, a lot of guys on here seem to like Pioneers and Kenwoods. I have a dual din Sony XAV-601bt and I really like it. It has all the features I want and need, even a detachable faceplate. I've talked with several installers at local car audio shops around town about my Sony and they all really like the sound quality, interface, and usability it. One of the installers at one shop and a shop owner at another shop even have it themselves. If you want navigation built in to the head unit, they start at $500 or $600, but plan on more if you want a decent one. If you have an iPhone, check out the Pioneer AppRadio. I've heard mixed reviews about it, but more positive than negative. Its still worth checking out though.

For the speakers, I would just stick components in the front doors and either just do woofers or coaxials in the rear doors. I don't know if you'd notice a big difference between coaxials and components in the rear. Well, at least not a big enough difference to make it worth the extra work of drilling holes in the rear doors for the tweeters. Unless you don't mind the extra work, then go for it! Pioneer, Kenwood, Polk Audio, Alpine, and Infinity all make good speakers. There are other good brands, but those are the ones that most people seem to be saying good things about. They all make budget friendly speakers as well as budget-stretching speakers. If you're willing to spend a little more, JL Audio are better on average in my opinion. But after listening to some JL Audios, you may disagree. If you want to spend a little more, Focal makes very good speakers. And if you really want to go all out, check out Hertz.

For subs, the brands listed above all make decent or really good subs. I have one 10" JL Audio in my double cab and I'm really happy with it.

For your amps, stores seem to have a smallish selection (compared to speakers) so it just depends on where you shop. A Car Toys out by me only carries four brands. Make sure the amp you buy has an RMS that matches the subs you buy. You'll get better performance and a longer life out of both.

I bought a box from SuperCrewSound.com and I'm happy with it. If you buy from them, you'd need this one if you have a 2004 or earlier. Or this one if you have a 2005-2013. A lot of guys on TacomaWorld have boxes made by another member named MrMarv. Although I've never worked with him, everyone that has delt with him thinks highly of him and his work. You might want to read up on ported vs. sealed boxes. But seeing as you listen to mostly listen to country and rock, I'd go with sealed. But again, after hearing the differences, you might disagree. So go around to the stores in your area and listen to everything. Buy what you like, not what someone else tells you is better.

 

I have a kenwood 7" touchscreen hu...focal components front n back..jl audio stealthbox (2-10" subs) and an arc audio amp powering the entire system. I spent roughly 4k on the system with install. I love it.
Kinda depends on your price range I guess.

 

I did my audio upgrade piece by piece....kenwood headunit then sat radio upgrade then pioneer doors then dvd players then one jl 8 in sub and sony amp. Audio upgrade depend on wallet size and music listening preference.

 

diymobile.com

read read read and read some more.

throwing out names does nothing for helping someone with a purchase

a few key questions

whats your budget.

how deep are your doors. how much modification do you want to do to make front speakers fit.

sound dampening?

how much space do you have for subs?

how much power do you want? to run how much power do you have on tap to run a "system"

also make sure to amplify your front speakers a well as the subwoofer

headunits only put out about 18-20 watts rms at 4 ohms/channel this works great with high sensitivty drivers like they install from the manufacturer but if you upgrade speakers you wont get any more dbs. maybe a small improvement in SQ to make front components worth it you need an amp

the amp i have in my truck puts out 120watts at 4 ohms/channel for the front components. this give me a roughly 9 db boost in spl from my front components

all something to consider

if you want, you can throw a bunch of money at it and get decent sound. but if you do work and a ton of research you can build something amazing and learn about the shit too

please, don't be another tool bumping down the road with nothing but a single bass tone and nothing else

search :
time alignment
winisd
sound quality showdown
t/s parameters (learn this!!!)
rms ratings wattage and equivlent amps
the big 3

if your looking for a starter package
components
hybrid audio imagines
jbl ms 62c
massive audio ckx

for an amplifier check out
ppi 900.4 (components)
pp1000.1 (subwoofer)

subwoofer will depend on how much room you have to work with.

once you know how many cft you want and what sort of configuration you can run with the ppi 1000.1 you'll have roughly 600 watts at 4 ohms to work with

you can power one nice 12 a nice 10 or two lower rms rated 10s or 8s
Dayton audio is a great for subwoofers cheap and good gets good reviews.


build the system to your vehicle and needs. make the music you listen too sound like music