Need Audio Upgrade Ideas

I'm not very experienced with audio, but I know that the speakers in my '08 tacoma are terrible soundin by now, should i just get a pair of subs with an amp for behind the seats, or do i also need new speakers in the doors; what do yall recommend?

 

You will get 5 million different responses to this.
Mine is, sound deaden the interior. Doing so quiets the interior down and improves the sound of any system.
Just my 2 cents.

 

I have a 07 I agree the audio sucks. I went to crutchfield and installed the audio myself. It all depends what your looking for I would just go to the website so you can see what's out there. The speakers and plug and play. For what a audio shop is gonna change you. You can do it yourself. There are plenty of options to choose from.

 

If the speakers themselves have deteriorated and now sound very bad (which is a strong possibility in an older vehicle that has many many hours of speakers BLARING), OR if they just aren't of high enough quality for your taste, you will need to replace them. A sub will NOT replace a door speaker, since they will only produce strong sounds under about 100-250 Hz (the approximate cutoff depends on that sub and the cutoff circuitry you use), which means that all of the sound from about there up to the limit of your hearing (around 44 kHz) will continue to sound very bad.

My "sub" days are long past. I just don't have any more interest in liquefying my brain. A good quality door speaker will do a great job of producing quality sound across the audible spectrum, and it will do so without wasting all that space in the back seat.

 

Put a decent set of component speakers in your front doors, and cheaper ones in the back. If you have the money, Add a single sub behind the back seat, and power them all with a 5 channel amp.

 

I agree with this. Also check Crutchfield and Slickdeals for clearance/closeout kind of stuff. Sometimes you can get a great deal on components when new year models come out.

 

I kept the stock head unit because I like the layout. I had all Alpine stuff put in, not top of the line, but good. The installer noticed that the head unit on my 15 is made by Alpine. Anyways I spent a lot more than I intended,but it sounds great and loud especially with the sub. Components will definitely be a huge upgrade.

 

This. Get good mids and highs, sound deaden the doors and go from there. If you want more bass then add a sub/amp.


Your best bet is to go into your local area thread here on TW and ask who has systems and if you can hear them. Pick and choose what you like about each one, then build your own.

 

You can find good under the seat powered subs, but I'd stay away from some brands like Boss, SSL, and such. I have the SSL under my seat and it's starting make some terrible rattle noises. therefore, I ordered a JL Microsub from Crutchfield this week. I should have done this the first time around.

 

Start with speakers. You'll need to buy or make adapter rings. If you decide to upgrade the head unit down the road, you can always use it to power the speakers. Most of the good quality HUs are 50 watts or so per channel. Adding an amp and a sub later on will round out your bass. If you want to go crazy, your wallet is your only limitation.

 

Do your self a favor and talk to Mr. Marv about getting him to build you sub box and amp board He can hook you up with Hybrid audio speakers. They kick ass. Get rid of the factory headunit. This is just my opinion about the headunit. I don't like the factory head. Do all sound deadening and also put the foam rings in for the speakers. I just had my install just done and I love it. 4 channel JL amp and a Kicker amp to run the sub.

 

And the back with all the goodies.

 

If you dont want to do it all, at the very least get new doors and an amp to power them or at least an HU. I wouldnt do JUST an amp/sub though, start with cleaning up mids/highs.

Not quite as clean as some here but here is mine, kept OEM headunit:

Taco-tunes: about $530 with Screws/harnesses
Front Image Dynamics 6.5 components w/mount adapters (tweeters jumped @0db)
Rear Image Dynamics 6.5 coaxials w/mount adapters
10 inch naked box, line-x sprayed myself

Car-Toys: $420
Amp install
Active LOC install
Carpeted Amp wall fit to OEM cargo bin
Misc wires/hardware
(I installed the sub box and door speakers myself)

Amazon: $650
Pioneer GM-D9605 5 channel
Alpine 10 inch shallow subwoofer
AudioControl LCi7
Audio Control Epicenter
Stinger 4000 4ga kit
4x Stinger 6000 rcas

Pushing the 100w rms doors with 75x4@4ohms, pushing the 350w rms sub at 350x1@4ohms

Pic before the epicenter and alpine sub

 

Another option for powered speakers is a class D amp. They're really small, pretty inexpensive, and will give the stock head unit the power it needs to power aftermarket speakers.

Something along the lines of this:

Clarion XC1410 300W XC Series Micro 4-Channel Class-D Compact Design Car Amplifier

https://www.amazon.com/Clarion-XC14...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

 

left stock receiver in mine, put new fosgate speakers in front and rear doors, disconnected factory tweeters (mine shut off above 60% or so volume anyway), amplified kicker 11pt8 8" sub, and sound deadened everything but the roof, including inside the doors. made a world of difference. as for the sub it did not require the removal of any panels and fits snuggly on back psgr side of the dble cab.

 

stock receiver, AC LCi6, Alpine Power Pack, Pioneer underseat sub, MQ Quarts all the way around. Installed myself, looks stock and sounds great for about $600.