Anyone upgrading their 2016 Tacoma's speakers?

You don't need a line converter to wire in an amp and new speakers of the stock HU. Talk to @Mr Marv about speed wire. I just did that from the factory HU to an amp, then wired in some hybrid audio speakers (which are amazing). Pretty easy. There is a wiring diagram on here somewhere as well.

 

Speedwire? news to me.... subbed for more info

 

It's nothing fancy, just wire all bundled into one strand. http://www.darvex.com/store/pc/Stinger-Speaker-Wire-9-Conductor-Speedwire-20-Feet-67p999.htm That should link you to it. You just wire that into the stock HU wiring and run it to your amp. My system sounds amazing and I wanted to keep the factory HU.

 

Wouldn't this require and amp with Line Output converter built in? There are many amps out there that don't have this feature that would require a separate output converter. If I'm off base on this I'd really like to see how this is wired up to a traditional amp that uses only RCAs as inputs.

 

I have the kicker hideaway. It's not that great. I would rec a seperate amp and sub in a proper but slim box.

If you End up getting the hideaway Anyways. Just kno that it does take speaker level input but consider using a low level line out converter. It may make it sound better or it may make it sound worse. But atleast you'll know.

 

Don't know about all that. I just got a simple 4 channel Alpine amp. I think this is the model number here. Nothing fancy about that amp, that's for sure. I just soldered the speed wire directly to the wires coming out of the factory jack that plugs into the back of the HU, ran those to the amp and secured them. Then ran new speaker wire to the speakers. I also sound deadened all the doors, which helps in creating the best sound for your speakers. But no fancy $200-$400 line inverter used.

I'm telling you, just contact @Mr Marv. He's the one who created the tutorial for installation on TW and builds a lot of the systems for guys on here. He will give you the nuts and bolts and not up-sell you on stuff. Plus, if you live nearby, he usually will help install (don't know if that still applies). Either way, you can't go wrong with his stuff. Just check his thread out and how many guys rave about him and his work.

 

Would only work if there was a speaker lvl input on your amp to my knowledge or am i missing something. Many people go DSP vs regular LOC because of the signal issues associated with the Head unit besides the obvious benefit of a processor

 

Which model hybrid audio speakers did you go with? Were they a direct (same size) replacement for the stock speakers?

 

The amp I linked has gain inputs on two channels each (1&2) and (3&4). I wired it 1&2 as front and 3&4 as rear. That was it.

Not sure. I'd have to check my invoice. Marv gets them cheaper I believe. I ordered through him because he makes custom baffles for them.

 

Hey guys,
I was pointed to this thread and asked to comment so I'll throw in my 2 cents worth however I just skimmed through it so my apologies in advance if what I say is redundant!

Today I finished installing a "simple" system in a 2015 Access cab using the factory headunit which I am a fan of using without an LOC whenever possible unless there is some specific feature(s) in an aftermarket headunit you just gotta have. The key is to use great sounding speakers that don't need a bunch of processing to start with, install them solidly/properly (ie solid mounting surface, sound deadening and sealing the back wave from the front wave) and use a good quality amp that accepts speaker level inputs.

For this system I used Hybrid Audio Technologies Clarus 6.5" components, minimal sound deadening around/behind the mids as the owner did not want to go crazy, FastRings as seen below to seal the front wave from the back wave and an Imagine I10SW 10" sub all powered by an ARC Audio xdi450.4 4 channel amp (2 channels to the front and the other 2 bridged to the sub). To connect the amp to the headunit I used Stinger SpeedWire as mentioned along with Scosche standard and reverse headunit wiring harnesses (Metra and others make these also ) as shown below so there are NO wires cut behind the dash.

Any decent amp these days will have HP/LP crossovers and there are some "mechanical" tuning tricks you can use to help tune for the fact that you are in a vehicle with far from ideal speaker locations (a given for ANY mobile audio system if you want to get the "most" from it) ie polarity changes and level setting. You will not get a "perfect" soundstage or imaging however done correctly you can get very clean sound/great impact without an LOC or processor and if soundstage/imaging or "tweaking to your hearts desire" are important to you there are some fine add on processors available on the market.

As usual I cannot hear what you can hear and you cannot hear what I can hear so our results may differ however I will ask the owner of this truck to chime in to let you know how his system sounds with the factory headunit and no processor!

 

Strange, the place I'm talking to has one of the best reps around for car audio and they speak highly of this
sub and recommend it over others. I'm trying to see if they have some kind of "test" area setup where I
can hear a system with and without it on.

 

For a space saving design it works good. But you can easily also get a setup that has an 8 inch sub in an actual enclosure and seperate amp. That set up will obviously sound better then the hideaway.

But if you have no choice but to use hideaway. By all means. Use it. But if you can buy an 8 inch sub in a box that's dimension are larger then thr hideaway. There's no question it will sound better. And that's the setup I'm suggesting.

 

cool. Hoping to take a ride over this weekend to check it out. Money is a big concern( still want bigger tires )
so we'll see what they have to offer but I would expect a standard sub + amp is going to head up near a grand.

 

I've seen 8 inch sub with box for about $200 online and buy a $250 amp to power it. So about $600 if someone else is installing it for you.

15 years ago I ran an 8 inch ported tube by ken wood at 50 watts rms. that sounded way better then the hideaway. ofcourse there would be no space to put that tube in the truck.

Proper enclosure matters more then power. That's actuslly half of what makes bose decent sound.

 

I'm going to try and find out today if they install equipment you bring in, I would assume so but who knows.

Can you recommend a sub & amp for the taco that till fit well, sounds good and at $400-$450 for both?

 

If you can be at 4500 yes that's a good deal. Lol no but in all honesty ya 400-450 is a good range for product only hard part is the box. If they custom build you a box that can run up to 100 or more easy. Does anyone have a slim line enclosure with or without sub that fits without removing plastic behind? Unless your ok with removing it. That does give you additional space.

 

LMAO!! Just noticed that, yeah $4500 would be a decent setup!

The storage area? I don't care if that's removed for a sub box. I've never used
that area in any Taco, nor will I in this one.

 

Awesome write up and explanation! You 3rd genners should check in with Marv. The pics above are not mine, but I have the same speakers, different amp, and I sound deadened everything and used those baffles to mount. My system is amazing and just as @Mr Marv told me, I don't need a sub. The 6x9s hit so hard, every one asks if I have a sub and they can't believe it when I say no.

Granted, I'm getting older and don't want to hear a sub as much as I used to, so to each his own. But Marv will survey you to find out what you're after and recommend the best set up to meet your demands. Can't say enough about this guy and his knowledge and customer service!

 

Originally I was gonna go with something basic like alpine type r 6x9 and pair it with a good sub (8 or 10" seperate amp) And blast the music and I know it'll sound good.

But you guys got me thinking and now I'm considering getting a good 6x9 set but I still wanna do a sub becuase it doesn't feel right not putting one in.

 

Like bass? and I mean, heavy bass... then a sub would fit right in...