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clearer info on upgrading stereo

Discussion in 'Audio & Video' started by roccowolf, Dec 14, 2014.

  1. Dec 14, 2014 at 6:34 PM
    #1
    roccowolf

    roccowolf [OP] Member

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    I have a 2015 Limited, Crew 4 door, 4x4, with the JBL 'high end' stereo. The sound is very hollow sounding, kind of like putting a radio in a box. It definitely needs upgraded. I keep reading threads and get more and more confused. I was going to add amps and new speakers to stock head unit. Some threads say the head unit will not allow more power and sound. Other treads say there is a fix, but then the volume on the steering wheel won't work.
    Can someone please clarify if I add 2 amps (one for standard speakers, second for the subwoofer) and add better speakers, what else do I need? And is there a problem with the power, volume, anything else? And does anyone actually know the stock size of the speakers in the truck? I keep seeing different sizes.
    Thank you in advance for any help.
     
  2. Dec 15, 2014 at 4:45 PM
    #2
    shaneckc

    shaneckc Fyntünd Designs Vendor

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    Congrats on the new truck!

    If you want better sound, there are a few ways to go about it depending on your budget. I can appreciate why you wouldn't want to change the head unit since it is a touch screen with lots of nice bells and whistles to begin with, so I'll give you my professional recommendation based on you wanting to stick with the factory radio.

    Since you have the factory JBL system, you are slightly limited to what you can do. One of your biggest obstacles will be the proprietary audio signal interface between the JBL head unit and amplifier. This means that you will most likely have to make modifications on the post-amplified end of your stereo. The good news is that there are still plenty of good ways to do this, and it will not affect the functionality of your radio or steering wheel controls. The bad news is that without a DSP that does signal summing, you will still have the JBL DSP in your sound signal, which is not the best thing when you're trying to change the sound to your liking. Check out the PAC PCH 8 for an affordable signal summing solution.

    Next item on the list will be selecting an amplifier that will suit your needs. This is where your budget really comes into play. If you are amplifying every speaker in the truck, you will need at least a 4 channel amplifier. 5 channel if you will be amplifying the sub woofer (which will be discussed further). One way to cut some of the cost out of the amplifier part of the system is to not change your rear speakers at all. It is much more beneficial to spend your money on the front speakers, since that is where the primary sound stage is. Rear speakers should only produce enough sound so that it's there, but you can't really tell that it's there. If you only want to run one amplifier, then check out some of the 5 channel amps from JL Audio, Alpine, or other quality brands. Amplifiers are not where you want to skimp out for a cheap brand like kicker or boss or some other ebay crap.

    Now we come to selecting some speakers. Assuming that you will be considering my advice thus far, you will want to pick out some speakers that are reputable and match up well with the power ratings for your amplifier. Let's assume that you chose a 4 channel amp that will put out 150-200w per channel in bridged mode. Match up a pair of speakers that are rated for 100-150w RMS. Pick from whichever specialty brand you prefer or have heard good things about. Brands that I can recommend based off of personal experience are Hertz, Audison, and Hybrid Audio. All of these brands have several different product lines to choose from to help match up with your budget and application. The factory speakers in our front doors are 6x9's, but you will want to go with a conventional 6.5" component set and purchase or build the necessary adapters to fit them in our doors. Some of these brands come with tweeter cups which allow you to mount the tweeters in different locations. I recommend putting them on the sail panels if possible (the little triangle panel directly on the inside of the side-view mirror mount, under the "oh shit" handle). This greatly improves the sound imaging in comparison to the factory tweeter location.

    Your sub woofer is a crucial part to your aftermarket system. With your upgraded front stage, you will absolutely want to upgrade your sub woofer to compliment those nice new speakers up front. Use a similar rule of thumb to what we did for the front speakers and amplifier in matching power ratings. If you have a 300w amplifier, pick a sub woofer that is rated for ~200w. You will want at least a 10" sub woofer in a custom enclosure that will fit behind the rear seats. Choose from any of the brands mentioned before. The JL Audio W1 series are amazing subs for the money, and even the 12" will fit behind the seats in our truck. Check out ZMan2k2's thread for box ideas and recommendations on how to improve bass response from that location in the truck.

    Finally, we come to sound deadening. This is no area to skimp out on. Sound deadening is just as important (or more important) than any of the improvements previously discussed. Use a reputable brand. On this site, raam audio is popular, I've heard good things about it, but have not had any experience on it. There are countless threads on here about sound deadening, so do your research. The most important areas to focus on are the doors, the rear wall, the doors, areas in the immediate vicinity of your sub woofer, the doors, and the doors. Also, make sure you get a good amount of sound deadening in the doors. If you're willing to spend the time and money after covering those areas, other beneficial places to sound deaden are the floor, the roof, and to spend a good amount of time targeting specific areas that you notice rattles or vibrations coming from. You'll have to get creative in remedying some of these. I've used 1mm thick and 4mm thick felt tape from findtape.com to quiet down some pretty annoying rattles.

    I hope this was a pretty straight forward and conclusive answer to your questions, and I wish you the best of luck in your audio improvement endeavor!
     
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  3. Dec 15, 2014 at 5:01 PM
    #3
    manethon

    manethon TTAS

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    Many
    well said,
    Tons of good info here. There is allot of good people and good advice on here. Myself and others will always be willing to help
     
  4. Dec 21, 2014 at 11:39 PM
    #4
    NotRed

    NotRed Well-Known Member

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    I sent ean email to Crutchfield asking when they would be updating their site to inlcude the 2015 Tacomas - they couldn't tell me.
    Does anyone know if the 2014 kits will work on the 2015's without issue/fit problems?
     
  5. Dec 22, 2014 at 5:45 PM
    #5
    shaneckc

    shaneckc Fyntünd Designs Vendor

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    They did not make any significant changes to the 2015. Just use the application guide for the 2014.
     
  6. Dec 22, 2014 at 8:02 PM
    #6
    Doc Jr 8156

    Doc Jr 8156 Well-Known Member

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    Your in good hands when Shaneckc and Manethon lend their wisdom as far as car audio is concern. Sometimes, Aw9d will chime in too. All helpful members. Take their advice! Godspeed.
     
  7. Dec 22, 2014 at 10:54 PM
    #7
    NotRed

    NotRed Well-Known Member

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    Thanks all for the replies, much appreciated.
     
  8. Dec 31, 2014 at 4:31 PM
    #8
    NotRed

    NotRed Well-Known Member

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    Just ordered my new HU from Crutchfield, but I see that their install kits use the Metra dash kit. Are these bad and should I order the Scoche (sp?) kit up front before I do the install, or if I take my time and am careful will the Metra kit be okay?
    Thanks
     
  9. Dec 31, 2014 at 4:57 PM
    #9
    shaneckc

    shaneckc Fyntünd Designs Vendor

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    No, the Metra kits actually seem to be better than the Scosche kits for 2012+ models. I use the Metra kits all the time for my iPad kits.
     
  10. Dec 31, 2014 at 7:54 PM
    #10
    NotRed

    NotRed Well-Known Member

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    :thumbsup:Thanks, you just eased a troubled mind!
     
  11. Feb 4, 2015 at 12:02 PM
    #11
    TimberLandTaco

    TimberLandTaco Well-Known Member

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  12. Feb 16, 2015 at 4:49 AM
    #12
    PeteyP

    PeteyP Member

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    ARE Fiberglass Tonneau * JL Stealthbox * Pioneer * Diamond Audio * JL Audio * Maestro * Flyzeye
    Just had a local shop install the following in my 2013 double cab. Pioneer 7" DVD no NAV 2015 model AVH-X5700BHS, older Diamond Hex series components (woofers in custom enclosures with baffles), Rockford Fosgate 3 way rear speakers running as RAF from the crossovers, JL Stealthbox 10" with 2x75 1x300 3 channel amp, Maestro steering wheel conversion module, Metra dash kit, 1 sheet Hushmat in all doors and rear panel.

    Mine had the subwoofer, not the JBL system, however.

    Issues right now; the phone controls do nothing on the steering wheel. Not sure if they flashed the Maestro unit correctly.

    Possibly may go with AppleTV powered by a discrete inverter, with an HDMI adapter.
     
  13. Mar 1, 2015 at 11:40 AM
    #13
    roccowolf

    roccowolf [OP] Member

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    I hope I have it now. wires go from stock head unit, to stock amp, to the PCH8, then to the new amps, then to the speakers. Sound right?
     
  14. Mar 1, 2015 at 6:50 PM
    #14
    NotRed

    NotRed Well-Known Member

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    Well . . . tried to install yesterday, no joy. The Metra adapter kit leaves a gap of about 1/4" total top to bottom. If I install the trim plate, it sits too far back into the faceplate adapter and obstructs about 1/2 of the volume control knob's height. Called Crutchfield and they were at a loss, think the new Kenwood unit may have different dimensions perhaps but that seems strange - double DIN should have a standard height I would think.

    That and there was the statement from Crutchfield that my kit would have everything needed to install; guess they forgot about having to construct an interconnect cable to go from RCA to split into the factory harness for the backup camera.

    What a drag. The main reason I went with them was they said it would all be plug-and-play which is what I wanted. Didn't want to have to cut into the factory wiring. Now I learn it can't be avoided.

    P1000944.jpg
    P1000947.jpg
    P1000950.jpg
     
  15. Mar 1, 2015 at 7:39 PM
    #15
    gearcruncher

    gearcruncher Well-Known Member

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  16. Mar 1, 2015 at 7:46 PM
    #16
    shaneckc

    shaneckc Fyntünd Designs Vendor

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    Don't get too discouraged. You can mess with how the radio brackets are seated when you bolt them in and split the difference between that gap and you'll never notice it once it's in the dash. If it's really a problem for you, I can pick up an extra metra kit for you next time I go buy a batch for my iPad kits, and modify it a bit with some parts i can make on my 3d printer, so the gap will be filled.

    Also, for the backup camera wiring, I believe that the CRUX wiring interface found on crutchfields website has the correct harness to get a video RCA output from the camera wiring. It's pretty pricey, but if you don't want to alter the factory wiring, it's the way to go. You should be able to get it for 1/2 price if you talk to customer support and tell them you need it for the order that you already placed.
     
  17. Mar 1, 2015 at 7:48 PM
    #17
    TXpro4X4

    TXpro4X4 Fuck Cancer!

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    You opened a can of worms my friend.
    Other than subs speakers and abox you need a lot more. Depending on what amps and watts you want to push? When you have a better idea of how (loud) you want to be post.
     
  18. Mar 1, 2015 at 7:51 PM
    #18
    tacozord

    tacozord Well-Known Member

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  19. Mar 2, 2015 at 6:10 PM
    #19
    Mybigtaco

    Mybigtaco Well-Known Member

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    NotRed, give this guy a shot he says he can make a plug and play adapter for the 14 backup camera. Search his username on E-bay ckremernimrod1 and message him. I agree the Metra kit looks like crap even when I attempted to split the difference it still looks like shit.

    image (16).jpg
     
  20. Mar 3, 2015 at 12:12 AM
    #20
    NotRed

    NotRed Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the input guys. Crutchfield is sending me 2 different trim ring kits from other car models to see if one will work as a filler for the gaps, and doing it on their dime, so props to them for the effort. If that doesn't work I will probably come up with some sort of filler to stick on and fill it up, maybe a piece of the trim ring cut to size and glued in place.

    Found a post on wiring in the camera by using an RCA cable split on one end to tap into the stock wiring, and got one on the way from Radioshack for $7. They have some great deals going now with their downsizing by the way. Might have to check on the adapter from ebay though, thanks Mybigtaco.

    Will keep you all posted as this progresses. [​IMG]
     
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