JBL worth the extra $$ or not

For those that have the JBL system, does it really rock or not, & does the DSP amp make a good soundfield? Or would I be better off with the normal Etune on a TRD Sport & upgrade/add speakers, amp, sub?

Thanks!

 

imho it depends on what you want out of it. It works great for me. I used to be one that was into nice aftermarket stuff but I'm happy with it. But when I bought mine it included the bluetooth package that I really wanted that is becoming pretty standard now days. It does seem to have a much better sound than w/o but people on here bash it. I think it is mainly the hardcore stereo guys though. I can't speak for the entune part of it though, I have no experience with that.

 

I ordered, waited, and paid extra for the exact truck which included JBL. My 05 didnt have JBL. After listening to one with and without, I think its worth it. Sounds great for a factory stereo. Great imaging & decent bass. If you drive at all with your windows down and want any chance of listening to music, then get the JBL.

 

I'm not positive but I think the upgrade is like a grand or two, no? I had the JBL in my 07 and I was not impressed. Took about 2 grand to put a bitchin system in...sooooo much better! Granted, I have not heard the systems on any other trucks but I'd be willing to bet for the cost of the upgrade you could put in a much better system with aftermarket components. If you are way into sound systems I'm guessing you will be unimpressed, if you've been stock on all your other vehicles you will probably love it. Just my thoughts...

 

I enjoy it. I had subs that would knock pictures off the wall in my parents house in high school. The jbl I have now is perfect for me. I can crank it up and still have good sound quality without having to cut the wiring apart for aftermarket stuff that I would want to keep upgrading anyway. Just my 2 cents. I'd rather spend the money on mods to make it more capable off road

 

I would (professionally) advise against it for three reasons;

1. It is way overpriced. You would be MUCH better off not spending the money on JBL, and allocating those funds toward a QUALITY aftermarket setup. My current audio setup cost me less than $1000 and sounds 10x better than a factory amplified stereo, and can actually get loud (JBL is not loud, and the JBL sub is WEAK).

2. The factory JBL speakers are nothing like JBL brand speakers. They are specifically made for Toyota's specifications and, more importantly, budget. They are making a killing off of selling you a "brand name" product which is nothing like JBL's consumer or professional grade speakers or amplifiers. This stuff is not engineered to their normal standards and, more often than not, eventually blows up. Did I mention that the sub is weak? This will likely be the first thing to blow.

3. All components are proprietary to one another. This means, that when your sub or drivers side tweeter blows up two years from now, and you decide that you want to put some money into the stereo and beef it up a bit, you can't! Well, you can, but it becomes a lot more complicated than it would be if you just went with a factory system. Even replacing the factory components that blew up will leave a bitter taste in your mouth because of reason number 1. To change to aftermarket equipment you have to worry about matching up odd speaker impedance, what the factory crossovers are doing, and you can't just replace the JBL amp because it now has a data interface with the head unit instead of a simple analog one. For the same reason, you can't just replace the head unit without adding in a $100 data integration piece that barely works half of the time.

 

I'm very happy with my JBL system and its way better sounding then just the stock. I actually played the music I like to listen to in a non JBL Tacoma compared to the one I got. I had 09 TRD Sport that came stock and I drop $2000 in a sound system which this time around I'd rather use for mods. Sure I'm not going to win any competition with this JBL but it sounds good enough for me and when my 17 year old son is playing his music with his friends they crank it up and enjoy the BASS!!!

 

Not worth it,
For the money it costs to have a stock JBL system you can build a really really nice setup that will be 10x better. Installs are easy, integration is easy. If you know what your doing or know where to get equipment for good prices you can save on the costs by not going w the jbl and put the remainder towards other mods

 

For a factory stereo i'm very pleased with the JBL system.The quality/performance is still producing 3yrs later since i bought my Tacoma brand new in 2012.If you decide to pay for the JBL upgraded package and decide to change it out sooner than later than your probably better of to not invest the money.

 

Thanks everyone for the reply's! Sounds like I need to take a listen for myself. One main advantage for me in getting the better factory system is it's there & done. If I get the lower system & go and upgrade it my wife will have a cow. She always gripes when I go that route. So I'd have to do it in secret to have any peace, lol. However I've priced a red TRD Sport DC for just over 31k, and the blue truck I've found with the JBL etc... is over 33k. So... 2k more is a lot to consider, and I prefer the red.

 

For 2k you could have a shop put in a wayyy better stereo than the jbl. If it's a good shop everything will be warrantied and you won't even be able to tell it's aftermarket until you hear it.

 

Happy Wife Happy Life...
I hear it all the time what are you doing to your truck now!!!

 

+1

 

This. The JBL system is total crap.

 

X2,

 

The JBL system is very flat and has very shitty response for how much it costs. I get people want a better sounding stereo but for 2k you are getting ripped off.

 

My jbl is ok for stock. Not trying to be noticed. My rearview and side mirrors vibrate to where i caint see out of them when the bass is up,so i dont think it's flat. i also have the sub to though. Not a big one, but enough.
But not for 2k, no way!

 

Agreed.

 

The truck without the JBL is looking better all the time, they just dropped it another $500, so Lord willing it's the One! I really hope so anyway

 

For 200 bucks I installed all new pioneer speakers, new harnesses and adapters as well as sound deadening pads. All that with no amplifier and wired to the stock non Entune unit and it sounds better than the JBL and it still has more bass than the amplified stock unit as well. If you're only looking at the TRD for the sound then I would advise against it.