OEM Audio Plus Reviews

Thanks for bringing this question/confusion to our attention. The OEM Audio Plus Winter Line-Up features our NEW Power Amplifier with state-of-the-art Digital Signal Processor. You can expect our same seamless installation and signature sound the moment you plug your O+ solution in. Only our Tacoma solution shipping in January will feature our Next Generation Processing.

Regarding pricing (again, sorry for ANY confusion) because the technology, cost and bill of materials is more substantial with the upgrades we've made, we will be increasing the price of the product. Therefore we have extended our previous year model pricing for the first 100 orders (in respect to those who have been waiting).

Keep the questions coming. It is of the utmost importance to us that you are able to make an informed decision and that the end results exceed your expectations. We also encourage you to call our team directly if helpful.

 

I just ordered the Reference 450Q for my 2013 access cab today. I was told by one of your guys that I should have my system before Xmas. I let him know in advance (we've been exchanging emails for a couple of months) that I planned to do the installation during the last two weeks of December, and he said that this would not be a problem. Does this mean that I am getting the previous generation of amplifier, and not the NEW Power Amplifier with state-of-the-art Digital Digital Processor? If so, how do I delay/cancel my order to ensure that I do get the new amp?

 

Hey @PaulK Thanks for choosing O+! Please follow up with your contact within our team (or send us your order information via direct message) and we'll ensure you receive our latest and greatest. We'll ensure you're taken care of. Your satisfaction is our TOP priority!!

 

PM Inbound, thanks.

 

Glad to assist!!

 

I was wondering if you guys have a showroom or somewhere in Anaheim that I can come by and hear one of these systems in person? I’m in Long Beach...

 

Does this work with JBL system. I mean I know it replaces the JBL but would it still be plug and play?

 

Our Anaheim location is primarily an Research and Development HQ. However we have several Tacoma in Southern California that we can set you up with to audition our sound. Please send us a direct message through TacomaWorld or email experience@oemaudioplus.com and we'll figure out an opportunity for you locally. Thanks!

 

We are actively pursuing an upgrade pathway for owners with the JBL system. We are scheduled to evaluate a local Tacoma mid-February to begin development. We plan to have a solution before the end of February for owners such as yourself.

Our team will be identifying the root cause of the sound quality issues with the JBL system and implementing corrective measures within the framework of your network JBL system to deliver our signature sound.

Please send us a direct message through TacomaWorld or email experience@oemaudioplus.com and we'll ensure you're included in the details regarding this upgrade as it is developed. Thanks!

 

Just installed the System 500Q to go along with my previously upgraded door speakers. Sounds awesome. Thanks @oemaudioplus.

 

Anyone tried removing the rear seat plastic cover on the back of the seat? Thinking about popping mine off to allow the sub to "breath".

 

I just completed the installation of a Reference 500Q in my 2013 access cab. I really feel like the oddball here, as almost every other review that I could find was for a 3rd gen with four doors. In addition, all of the installation videos on the OEM+ website are of 3rd gens, even when clicking though the 2nd generation products page. They did provide a link via email to a 2nd gen-specific PDF instruction guide, and I’ll get more into that in a bit. The bottom line is that although 2nd gen guys might feel a little left out, the system fits perfectly. Also, even though all the videos show 3rd gens, I watched them several times just to understand the scope of the project and how the main steps would go, and I would recommend this to anyone else contemplating an installation. The differences are real, but minor.

The first step was to contact OEM+ and discuss the configuration of my system. I have to say that perhaps the best part of the whole experience was the consistently excellent customer service. They were patient and responsive as I described what I had from the factory and what I wanted from them. Specifically, I did not want to add rear speakers – 2013s don’t come with them and I didn’t want to have to source older door panels or cut up my factory ones and add obviously aftermarket speaker grills. Since I was not going with rear speakers, I also did not want to lose the functionality of the factory headliner exciters. I exchanged several emails with OEM+ and they were able to configure my system to do what I want. I’m very particular when it comes to this kind of stuff, and I appreciate their patience dealing with me – my wife can confirm that this isn’t always easy. It should also be noted that deleting the rear speakers resulted in a $100 credit, and that’s appreciated as these are not inexpensive systems.

So, after confirming my choices in October, I waited until November to place my order. My plan was to receive the system in mid-December and use some of my two-week holiday time off to put it in. Then I saw a post that indicated that they were upgrading the amp/processor units soon. I called and asked if I was getting the old stuff or the new-and-improved unit and was given a choice. I could have the old stuff for December or wait until mid-to-late-January and get the upgraded system. I went with the latter and planned another week off in early-February. Unfortunately, there were several delays and I didn’t receive the system until mid-February which meant I missed my second vacation window. OEM+ was nice enough to refund the shipping charges in return for the delays, so I’m good with it.

When I finally received my package, it was delivered on its side. UPS always ignores the “this end up” arrows. One internal box had some damage to it but the stuff inside was fine. Speaking of the stuff inside, OEM+ mistakenly included rear speakers. This caused a mini panic attack as I assumed that all of the configuration work had been missed and I had instead been sent a unit set up to drive rear speakers. After a couple of emails and a phone call I was assured that it was just a picking error and that my system was correct, and the inclusion of the rear speakers was the only error. I was provided with a return label to send them back.

This past weekend was the installation, and I started on Friday after work. The timing was not ideal because I assumed that the tech support guys don’t work weekends. I ended up needing them twice, but just got voicemail. Not good, but both of the emails sent received prompt responses (one on Friday, one on Saturday). The main issue was the tweeter wiring. Unlike everything else in the kit, and contrary to everything on the website, the tweeters did not have factory plugs installed. I found this on Friday night while trying to install them, and the PDF only said that “for steps on swapping your factory dash speaker connector with your O+ tweeter (If applicable). See included addendum.” Well, 2nd gens don’t have dash speakers, and I never received the addendum. I received an email response within an hour with a link to said addendum, and it simply showed how to disassemble the factory connector – remove the factory tweeter’s pins – and push the OEM+ tweeter’s pins into it. Sounded straight forward in principle, but it didn’t work.

Rather than solder in a “Y” for the positive and negative factory connections – there are two of each per plug – the OEM+ tweeters had a pin crimped to the end of the tweeters single positive and negative connections, and a jumper wire from each of these to a second pin. The problem is that the pin crimped on two wires (tweeter and jumper) were now too fat to fully enter the factory plug assembly.



The jumpers were also very short. So, after an hour of trying to force the new pins in, I got one plug finished. The second tweeter came out of the box with the jumper disconnected.



I ended up cutting off the pins with an inch of wire and soldering them on in a “Y” configuration myself. This worked fine, but then the first door’s speakers didn’t work when I tried a quick test – the one where I forced the OEM+ pins in. It turns out that forcing the pins in broke a ground connection, so I cut everything away and again made new Y’s using the pins from one of the factory tweeters. This worked, but I just spent maybe four hours on tweeter connectors. I had emailed OEM+ again as soon as the door speakers failed to work but had finished troubleshooting and fixing everything before I looked at my phone again and saw their response. They offered new tweeters, and to swap my factory plugs over in their shop if I sent them in. Both offers are appreciated, particularly on a Saturday afternoon, but I had moved on. The reason given for the lack of installed connectors was that they “have never been able to source the factory connector on its own but we continue our effort to find a solution”. Fair enough.

Next came attaching the amp/processor to the underside of the driver’s seat. This worked out okay, but the bracket was a little too short. It hooks over a spring rod in the back and is bolted to the seat frame in the front via some included speed clips. Every time I got a bolt started, the hook would pop off the spring rod. After trying several times, I ended up having to bend the bracket to move the hook out a half inch or so. Unlike in all of the videos, the new processor's plug faces the driver side, not the passenger side. I received a short video link in the same email that included the main PDF, so this was not a surprise. The new video also showed how to attach the new plug, as it has a lever that needs to be thrown to engage a clamping mechanism. The new plug is in the shape of a “L”, and what the video doesn’t demonstrate is that the wires coming out of the “L” will point towards the rear of the truck, not towards the hole in the carpet where it comes through as you would expect. It’s tight under there, and when I tried to engage the plug lever with the wires pointing toward the front of the truck, the clamping system broke. Fuck! I removed the amp/processor from the truck so I could get a better look at things, and that’s when I figured out that the “L” should point towards the rear. I put it back in, snapped the plug parts back together as best as I could, and finally got the plug connected successfully. However, this lead to another problem.

The fact that the “L” points the wires to the rear means that the harness uses up an addition six or so inches of length. OEM+ apparently did not make any length adjustment, because once the seat was bolted back down it would not go all the way back with the ground wire connected to the floor under the carpet, and the wires at the plug outlet were being pulled really hard.



The subwoofer connection was also now too short. I had no choice but to slit open the carpet nearly to the edge of the seat to make everything work. Not a positive.

The sub installation proceeded with no issues, and considering that this required the most disassembly and re-installation of parts, it was a relief. It fits very well and looks like it belongs there. Very stealthy and high quality.



Running the head unit harness under the dash was very unpleasant, but that’s to be expected and it went fine. The length was fine after the extra carpet cut was made. I did have to modify the harness slightly though. The yellow power wire terminates at the end of the harness where the head unit plugs into it.



This makes sense for a 3rd gen because the wiring grommet used to get it through the firewall is on the passenger side. However, it’s on the driver side in 2nd gens, and it made no sense to route it to the head unit, then right back to the kick panel to then go through to the firewall. I put a one-inch slit in the harness covering near the kick panel and pulled the yellow wire out of this hole where it then passes through the firewall about six inches away.



Speaking of the battery connection, I did not like the idea of an inline fuse holder just hanging from the battery as the instructions describe. Nothing wrong with it, but I wanted things to be a bit cleaner looking. Instead of connecting the provided connector to the positive battery terminal, I attached it the positive lug inside of the main under-hood fuse box and found a place to neatly wedge the fuse holder in there too. I fed the other wire from the fuse holder out of the box with the rest of the fuse box harness, soldered it to the wire from the OEM+ harness, sealed it up with some marine shrink tubing, and covered the whole thing with the provided wire loom from the box to the firewall.



The fuse is now protected and won’t bang around, and the wire is invisible. Oh, and OEM+ did not include a fuse, but luckily, I had one.



As with the sub, the connections at the head unit went perfectly, and everything went back together fine. So, I was finally ready to hear this thing, and my efforts were rewarded with great sound. I haven’t really had much chance to play with it, but my initial impressions are positive. It’s plenty loud for an adult and should be more than enough for open window cruising in the summer. It’s hard to estimate just how much louder it is – three to four times maybe – but it’s more than sufficient. The sound quality is good for a system limited to two doors, a sub, and some tiny factory exciters in the headliner. I have the standard radio in my 2013, so adjustability is limited to sliders for treble, mid-range, and bass. I have noticed that cranking up the bass to get the sub to hit hard results in the 6-by-9s sounding less than perfect, so a separate gain control for the sub would have been a nice addition. This is not to say that there is not enough bass overall. It’s a really well-balanced set-up. I think I just need to take a long road trip and play with the adjustments until I find the sweet spot.

So, to summarize, the sound quality is great, the customer service was great, but the installation was much harder than it needed to be.

 

I have been using the system now for a few days, and I continue to be happy with its performance when listening to music. However, I have noticed a slight distortion or echo when listening to news channels and others just talking. It's most noticeable with women speakers or men with higher pitched voices, and sounds like its coming from the driverside 6x9". It's subtle and hard to describe, but I'll try - it's kind of like an owl quietly hooting along with each syllable when people are talking. Its impossible to tell if it's coming from both doors when driving, so I'll need to do a driveway test soon. I don’t notice it at all with music, but there's much more going on then. I tried some quiet classical and acustic blue grass, but still didn't hear it. It's only when folks are talking. Weird.

Any thoughts from @oemaudioplus would be appreciated.

 

I just installed the reference 500Q in my 2018 Tacoma TRD Sport and it seems that the volume on level 10 is about the same loudness as the volume 10 of my stock system but much clearer. Is that what everyone is experiencing? I thought it would be louder according to some of the reviews I've read of the reference 450Q from other members. Also, after listening for about 3 hrs after my install I began to hear a loud constant clicking sound from my back woofer and then no sound while listening to the radio and also from listening through my Bluetooth. I shut the engine off and turned the radio off completely for it to stop. I then turned on the accessory to listen to the radio without the engine on and it worked fine for about 5 mins and then the volume went silent followed by a loud clicking sound from my back speakers. I shut the ignition switch off again and it stopped. It was late so I decide to go to bed and deal with it the next morning. I also noticed the loud clicking even after I shut the door and everything completely off! Do you guys think I have a defective amp or a bad ground? The truck is less than a month old. I thought this new system would be louder. Thoughts, ideas? Much appreciated.

 

I just got my 500Q installed also in a 2018 and have to turn it up to 40 to get a decent level of audio. I think I used to be below 20 on the stock system. It sounds a bit muddy and not really better than stock other than a bit more bass. All speakers including the sub are working, but not sure if there's something wrong with this new amp design.

Edit: All good now and I'm happy with the system. See message below.

 

My system 500Q is Definitely louder than stock. However I do have to crank it up. Both before and after I found anything less than 30 pretty much useless. Also previous to installing OEM audio I had switched the 4 door speakers for aftermarket JBL, that’s why I went with the system 500q not reference 500q. Not sure what effect that may have made. Overall audio quality is much better after installing OEM Audio plus’ tweeters, amp and sub.

 

Has anyone compared the 450Q loudness to the new 500Q? I live across the country so it's not like I can go and demo one in California. I have to rely on forums like this one to make an informed decision. ☹️

 

I spoke with Daniel this morning and they are going to send me a replacement since I am no longer getting any audio from my amp. Hopefully the replacement will make a difference in regards to loudness.

 

Changing the treble to +2 mid to -2 and bass to +3 really helped out and now I'm really happy with the system. Esp knowing that it's normal for the volume to need to be higher.

 

I finally got a chance for a long solo road trip this past weekend, and I had a chance to fuss with the factory tone adjustments at all volume levels and with all types of music. @DaMaDo is correct about the midrange. The 6x9" front door speakers - and remember that I have an access cab - do not handle increasing the factory midrange setting well. I too was experiencing a "muddy" sound and overall loss of resolution until I put the midrange back to zero. I moved the treble up to about 3 or 4, and the base to 2 or 3 depending on the type of music, and the system came alive. Plenty loud for highway driving, but it does need to be cranked all the way up for classical music and quieter acoustic stuff. 35 to 45 on the volume is more than enough for me when listening to rock while driving at highway speeds with the windows up. I haven't checked again for the distortion I was getting with talk radio.