Parts list for new Stereo

don't have the truck yet, but I want to start getting a good idea of what I'm going to put in her when I do start the project. I have had this crappy truck for years I wanted to upgrade but held off because I knew I'd have a taco one day I'd keep forever. I was a car audiophile back in the 80's, haven't touched one since!

Tacoma Access Cab:

A question about the sub. The SI BM MK IV is available, should I grab that now? Or are they typically available without too much of a backorder?

Nothing is set in stone, this is just my first pass. I know speakers are like a religion and I will just deal with what they sound like or swap them out later. You don't really know what you're getting until they're installed anyway.

Is the DSP required only of you keep stock H/U or is it nice to have even with after market?

Here's the initial pass:

Alpine iLX-007 H/U $600
or
Pioneer NEX 8000 H/U $900

I'm mainly after NAV and Appleplay. (although I will have stock nav to start out with)

Alpine PDX-V9 5 Ch Amp $454 ( Always been an Alpine fan from when I was a kid. Not married to them though)

BM mk IV 12″ Subwoofer $299 (saw a few posts on TW and was impressed)

Alpine SPR-60C 6.5" $150 (front w/tweeter)
Alpine SPR-60 6.5" $110 (rear w/o tweeter)

Audio Control DQDX $294 (I believe this is what the taco tunes recurve is )


Anything glaringly wrong here?

 

I would get the 4000nex over the alpine ilx007. The 4000nex gives you hd radio, bluetooth, DVD player, 7 inch resistive screen, 4v preamp outputs, sd card slot, detachable face plate, and two USB inputs! No contest.

If within budget the 8000nex is ideal choice because it adds the capacitive touch screen and has built in nav.

The alpine pdx v9 is the best 5 channel amp on the market IMAO.

You don't need that audio control unit with an aftermarket head.

As for subs I don't know enough about the one you picked to make an effective comment but, I would never only run one sub. Given the same wattage two subs double the sound output over one sub. In order to achieve the same effect with a bigger amp would require 10x more power. I recommend two 10 inch subs in a Supercrew Sounds Tacoma specific enclosure.

listen to the front speakers you buy and try to budget as much as possible since they play the biggest role in the system. Use coaxial speakers for the rear and it ok that the rear speakers have a tweeter, the stock rear mounting location won't affect the front soundstage.

I highly recommend sound dampening like dynamat or other brand on at least the doors and the area around the sub enclosure. If possible the whole interior.

 

id go 2 high powered 8s in a ported box tuned to ur liking.
Also the alpine isn't the only 5 channel worth mentioning.

 

The first thing that stands out as a red flag to me is the Alpine speakers. I've worked with Alpine products for quite a few years and I can say that the one thing of theirs that I would never recommend is their speakers. Alpine's sub woofers are good, amps are usually great.

I would recommend looking into Hertz speakers. Hertz is a brand that you really cannot go wrong with in my opinion. I had a very high end system in my last truck with their top shelf drivers which I cannot say enough good things about. I'm currently in the process of aqcuiring the necessary parts for my new system in my new truck, so in the mean time I'm using a pair of their cheapest component speakers just to have something in the mean time. Even for a cheap pair of components that don't even need an amplifier, they are pretty impressive. That being said, I can recommend their Energy or Hi-Energy series for an amplified setup. If you can find an authorized dealer, I would also recommend looking into their 5 channel amps. I took a blind comparison test between theirs, JL Audios 700/5, and alpines current PDX 5 channel at the time. Hertz took the gold on that one.

Aside from brand preference, I would recommend cutting rear speakers out of your budget and using the money toward your front speakers, especially in an Access cab. I'm building my new system in a four door and still not using rear speakers.

As for DSP, if you're using an aftermarket head unit, there are only a few out there really worth spending money on. Audio control does make great products, but if you can find room in your budget, nothing compares to the Audison Bit processors. You can find an Audison Bit Ten for around $400 and any audiophile can take one look at this processors capabilities and tell you that it's worth its weight in gold.

Do consider that if you choose to use an Audison piece, the head unit will be your most limiting factor for signal clarity. This is one, among many, reasons that I chose to use an iPad for my audio source. I'm getting a digital optical signal to the audison processor and I have a multimedia receiver that has many more functions than any head unit on the market.

Just some advice from one audiophile to another

 

A double blind, three way, level matched, amplifier comparison test sounds like fun but hard to accomplish. I wish I had the ability to infer a difference between the three amps and be able to discern which "sounded" better.

I would not rule out any speakers until you listen to them. Choose the one that sounds best for you even if they cheaper.

As for DSP the 8000nex has a lot of the functionality of Bit Ten built in like: Equalizer, adjustable crossover, time alignment, and auto calibration microphone setup.

 

That's the benefit of working at a high end stereo shop for several years. Things like "blind, three way, level matched, amplifier comparison test"s are easy to do for us.

The 8000nex may offer similar functions, but it does not compare to the Bit processors. Comparing the equalizer depth, crossover options, and complexity of time alignment between those two units is truly apples to oranges. The internal electronics used in the Bit processors alone make a huge difference. And auto calibration microphone setup has never been a good thing in car audio, in my opinion.