Feel ripped off

I agree. If youre not happy with the sound I would look into putting that sticky aluminum type film on the inside of the body panels to cut down the road noise. After a recent rainstorm started the truck sounded like a tin can when the rain started falling. Obviously Toyota never used any sound deadener on the body. Far cry from my Lexus and Infiniti. Buts thats how they target marketed these trucks.

 

Stock speakers will typically have smaller magnets and be less beefy. They are going for high efficiency which is needed with a low power system.

 

Rant over?

Not sure why your complaining, of course they use the cheapest they can get. Most people never see the speakers anyway. In newer vehicles they the use the smallest magnets possible, to reduce weight. Not that the magnet makes the speaker sound any better, that's for controlling the driver. Bottom line if your unhappy you can get a set of pioneer or alpines coaxles or whatever for dirt cheap that will sound better for as little as $50 a pair. Or you can spend a little more and run a component set or something. Lots of options

 

Put a little amp on those cheap stock speakers and they might surprise you.

wee

 

Disagree... typically the stronger the magnet the more power needed to drive them. Its part of what makes up "efficiency".

 

That is also true I won't argue that point. They can use a lower powered unit and get same and better results. But that also ties in with the weight aspect. You won't be able to put 50 watts Rms to those factory speakers and they handle the load. Especially if there is a little distortion

 

Can you give some details on what you did and what components you used? My 2016 should be coming in about a month and if I sell my 2104 sport privately I will have a little extra cash to burn.

 

JBL System. Would have passed on the truck if it did not have the $700 JBL system. No issue with the sound and I know good audio, I did it for a living (and while retired, still take some jobs)........112dbs of 30HZ Bass is not a good system.

Major Studios don't have the monitoring system competition Stereos on vehicles have. Nor are they mixed with a SUB woofer. Studio monitors are designed with the opposite goal, of providing a perfectly FLAT frequency response, so a mix can be heard as it truly is, flaws and all…so it can be adjust accordingly.

Usually on 8" drivers and a tweeter. Of course they are then played back on all kinds of systems to check the mix. Easiest mixes are those that use pre recorded Loops which is most of today's rap and hip hop. Just tweak 30HZ and good to go.
My work area


A Pro Studio (using 8" drivers to mix and a pair of Rockets)

 

Don't feel bad.. You should see the crap they call the upgrade sound systems in Mercedes. It's absolutely crap. Think of it as a blank canvas.

 

Static ? I agree it needs upgraded but static ? Maybe you should have tuned into a station that wasn't a thousand miles away. hahaha

 

Yeah, i don't think it's all that bad. I have owned tons of vehicles with stock systems and some with the upgraded systems and I would put the Tacoma's stock system toward the higher end in that group. I find it to be reasonably clear but sure lacks power.

 

I don't think I've ever purchased a vehicle based on the quality of the stereo. Even during the test drives, I usually turn the radio off.

I guess I have the ears of a troglodyte.

 

Agreed. I had a V10 BMW M5 with the 12 or so speakers and 10" factory woofer, and I can't say that Tacoma sounds any worse.

 

Regarding sound in the Taco. I'm a BIG sound guy with a home studio for analog listening so I also know good sound. The problem with sound in this truck is the noise floor. The truck and most trucks for that matter have a very high noise floor. Meaning while driving there's a lot of back round noise mainly from the tires, add larger AT tires and its even worse. There's nothing a "upgraded" stereo system will do to change the noise floor which you the listener will always hear no matter what speakers/amps you add in.

First thing for good sound in this vehicle "for me" would be insulation to lower that noise floor. Its a truck so I'm not too worried about getting better sound since the interior noise is so loud and its even worse with the windows down or even one window part way down. You get the idea.

It is what it is, I doubt better speakers is going to make much difference. Lipstick on a pig in the audio department IMHO. I of course did not buy this truck for the audio... my only beef is it doesn't have a multi-disc CD player. I'm not real big on digital formats (even CDs) so its all a compromise, for me.
I'd rather throw some money at a suspension...FTW.

 

I don't find the '16 to be so noisy in the cabin. And even if it was, I can't believe a better sound system wouldn't improve the listening experience.

 

I was not that impressed when I saw this in my second gen. lol

 

that's because you're looking at a OEM speaker that uses a Neodymium magnet - which is actually much stronger than a standard ferrite magnet, so it doesn't need the mass that you are accustomed to seeing. Lighter is better in today's MPG-hungry marketplace, so anywhere they can lose some weight, the better.

And I have stock 6x9's in my '07, running on a slightly higher power head unit than the old stock head unit and they sound amazingly better. Are they perfect, no but they are completely fine as long as you're not trying to wake up the neighbors.

 

Looking at the speakers it just isn't the size of the magnet that is the issue. Everything about the factory speakers is generic. If you think they put in smaller magnets to save weight on a 4,000+ truck then you are fooling yourself. They saved how many ounces of weight going to smaller magnets? I have done a fair amount of research on upper end quality speakers and none of them are using smaller magnets for a better sound.

 

As someone that has spent years as a car audio installer for shops, built numerous SQ and SPL vehicles, trust me I fully understand the ins and outs of speaker design and what makes a quality speaker. I've worked with the range from Focal Utopias, to bottom of the barrel Audiovox.

Smaller motor structures also take up less space in doors, where it is already cramped. I'm not here to debate anyone - was just pointing out that the stockers actually don't sound half bad with a little more power to them, doesn't matter what they look like, it matters how they sound when set up properly. .

 

I agree. But something built like an Audiovox isn't going to sound as good as a Focal, regardless of how much power you have behind them. Factory Tacoma speakers are built closer to an Audiovox than Focal components.