Premium Entune vs Premium with JBL?

I've been pretty happy with my regular entune premium setup. It's more than enough for my needs. A few of the loaners I drove had the JBL, and I'm not sure I noticed a vast difference (at least the way I listen to music).

I think it's a good sound system for the truck.

 

Another vote for JBL here. I am not an audiophile or anything but these are the best speakers I have had in any vehicle by a long shot--even my untrained ears can tell a huge difference. The sound system is one of my favorite things about this truck. I am so glad I splurged on it because JBL definitely makes the drive a lot more enjoyable. I had passengers in my truck yesterday and they asked me if there was a sub mounted somewhere.

 

I went w/ JBL GT7-96 & GT7-6. Relatively inexpensive, but very efficient. Look at my post over in this thread:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/easy-tweeter-upgrade-3rd-gen-non-jbl.478318/page-8

I think you were in that thread at some point, but my post was a bit out of place since that was thread was about the tweeters.

 

Considering how junk the stock speakers are, I would guess they did not put a lot of money into the "upgraded" JBL system. I would guess that the speakers in the JBL upgrade are bottom of the barrel in terms of what JBL sells. Believe me, you change out the speakers, you'll quickly see what you have been missing.

 

I just got one with with JBLs and I don't regret it. Sounds perfect.

 

If I had the option I'd order it w/o the factory system and just leave me a big hole in the dash to put a full featured Android head unit and my own amp/speaker system in it's place.

The stock head unit of any trim is a crippled disaster with mediocre nav - locked down so you can't install things and no way for the passenger to use anything while the truck is moving as if the driver was the only one interested in using the system. Even the top trim JBL sounds just OK (it's fine... it's not going to rock you out of your socks though) and you do pay a hefty premium for it. It's so easy to do better for less in the aftermarket these days. I'm not really a huge audiophile so the sound is fine - but but but - why can't I install different music apps, waze, or skype again? Why doesn't Android mirroring work? Fruck you Toyota.

Unless someone finds a way to hack the bootloader so I can change the ROM in the next 2 years ... when my warranty is up I expect you will find all my stock stuff on fleabay.

 

Consider skipping the JBL and going with the OEM Audio + kit.. it sounds incredible.. install was a piece of cake, very easy to do.

 

JBL "upgrade" package is more like a dressing a pig with a bacon skirt. It's only adding insult to injury to you as a customer. You are paying twice the price for twice the junk.

Seriously. I bought the JBL package, within a year a rear speaker stopped working and within about a year and a half a tweeter blew out only to find out that if you want to upgrade stuff it is not as easy as a simple speaker swap out. The headunit and amp are both connected so if you lose the amp at any point the headunit loses critical functions like volume control AT THE HEADUNIT, and the amp regulates volumes that only those speakers can handle. If you put in aftermarkets, you will likely blow them in short order.

Bottom line, the system is a waste of time and money and as much as I hate to say you will have to mod the stereo system for decent sound, you will have to mod it for decent sound if you expect to get any. Get the basic speaker and headunit package and enjoy simplicity at it's finest. If you don't want to mod anything let a stereo shop install a new set of speakers and a headunit for you. Never get your hands dirty.

 

Does anyone know if all the 2019 trd pros come with JBL I don’t want call dealer to ask lol

 

Yes... standard equipment for the Pros. My Limited has the JBL system also, it’s “just ok”... nowhere near worthy of the premium nomenclature as compared to high end Bose or Harman Kardon systems. But then again, it’s just a Toyota truck, and slightly better than standard sound output.

 

This guy doesn't know the JBL system @2:35 min he states the sub is buried in/under the dash... Wrong it's behind rear seat passage side.

 

Eh I upgraded mine to a JBL system myself for about $40.



Haha, kidding. I haven't heard the JBL, but I did upgrade my base system with cheap Kicker speakers, and there is a huge difference. I would imagine the JBL setup would sound even better.

With that being said, I don't think it is a huge deal if you go either way because you can still upgrade the base system, but I definitely do think the price to get the JBL system is worth it considering you get an amp and crossover, and you don't have to do all the install work.

 

The factory JBL is not all that great, I did the Subaru Tweeters and the kicker door speakers too and think it sounds just as good if not better.

 

I just traded my 2018 for a 2019. I wanted to get the JBL(there is a big diffence in bass and clarity), Sunroof, 2.5 inch fox shocks and Voodoo Blue. It was worth it. There is a noticeable difference in ride from the different tires. Blue one has Offroad tires upgrade.

 

JBL as standard in my Limited. All I can say is that listening to XM, it is more than satisfactory. Very impressed from what I had stock in my '03 Tundra.

 

Isn't the bitrate on XM radio pretty terrible? It's probably the worst thing to test these speakers out with.

 

Kind of random but is the JBL logo on the head unit, a sticker? and if so - what are the dimensions?

I have the non-JBL, and am thinking of swapping out my speakers (with JBLs), and adding a kicker hideaway either under the front driver's seat, or in the little cubby behind the rear passenger seats. If I do that, I'd like to add the JBL logo to go with the theme.

 

I have an 18 Off-road with JBL package. Originally when I test drove, the JBLs sounded nice, the bass is booming and perfect for my driving experience. But honestly, after driving for a few thousand miles, one thing I realized is that the JBL upgrades are only good with the bass, but when it comes to the trebles and highs, it’s very flat and there are very little separations.

I don’t regret my decision one bit because the sound is still very nice, but if I could do it again, I’d get the normal package and upgrade the sound system myself for a much better system.

Simply put, if you enjoy EDM style music with lots of bass, it’s perfect. But if you want some better clarity for music like Metallica or Sound Garden, you’ll be disappointed.

 

I just watched your video, and I completely agree with your critique of the system. Maybe I’m deaf but I don’t think the system is that loud even at max volume for being premium. The bass definitely sounds amazing, but the highs stays flat the higher the volume is. I’m by no means an audiophile but I’ve listened to enough good audio systems to know I was a little disappointed in the JBLs.

Looking ahead, I’d like to upgrade to get some better clarity in my music while keeping with the bass of the JBLs. What are your thoughts on what I should upgrade?

 

I haven't heard the JBL system, but the OEM AudioPlus system is a big improvement over the stock non JBL system. You really feel the punch of having speaker motors with real magnets and there seems to be greater stereo separation, weirdly enough. The biggest surprise was just how cheap and low end the stock speakers really are. It almost seems like there is no mass at all to the magnet structures of the stock with the cheap paper cones. It's amazing that they sound as good as they do being as cheap as they are. The OEM system seems pretty flat down to around 40 hz, which approximately the low E on an electric bass. Quite punchy. Whatever system you put in, be sure to play it for some time before making any final judgement. Bass speakers especially need to be broken in and will sound better after a few weeks of playing.