Focal IS 690TOY & IC 165TOY Install

First mod done on my 2018 Tacoma TRD OR. Installed a set of direct fit Focal IS 690TOY and IC 165TOY that I had purchased last summer for my 5th gen 4Runner which I sold earlier this year.

I couldn't find too much information on installing these specific speakers in a 3rd Gen. I know some members have installed them. Crutchfield's website indicates that these will not fit a 2018 double cab non JBL, but the sizes were right and these are designed to fit in several Toyota products.

People speak very highly of these speakers when used in the 4Runner, so I expected decent results in the Tacoma. At about $550.00 CDN for the two sets, I was hoping for no less.

This is what I used:

• Focal IS 690TOY (Front door and dash tweeter) https://www.crutchfield.com/S-M2VjqTGYr4Q/p_091IS690TY/Focal-IS-690TOY.html
• Focal IC 165TOY (Rear door) https://www.crutchfield.com/S-7kF3e3G80Z1/p_091IC165TY/Focal-IC-165-TOY.html
• B-Quiet Ultimate (Sound deadening product from an Alberta company) https://www.b-quiet.com/products/b-quiet-ultimate-50sqft
• Various tools and wiring supplies

This is what I did:

Removal of the door panels was straight forward. Lots of videos and threads on this so no point showing photos. I had no issues with clips and everything went together very well.

After I removed the stock speakers, I put sound deadening materials behind the speakers and in a few other places on the front doors. I didn't go too crazy, but I think I covered what was needed. This is the first time I have installed sound deadening material but the process went very smoothly. Photos are terrible, but you can see some of the area's covered. I also put a sheet near the top of the inside panel of the front doors. I wasn't too worried about the rear doors, so I only installed sound deadening behind the speakers. If I want better results, I will go in there again and add some more. No pictures of the back door sound deadening, only the front.

Fitting the speakers was very easy, speakers fit perfectly and were secured using the factory bolts. Since these are designed specifically for Toyota vehicles, they came built into mounts that fit the existing speaker holes.

The factory wiring and plugs were used for all speakers, but the front door speakers required adding some additional wire so it would reach the plugs on the speakers. Wiring was all taped to match the stock wiring. Toyota uses a huge amount of electrical tape on the cable runs in the door.

Unfortunately I did not take any pictures of the dash tweeter install, but it was very simple! The kit came with wiring adapters to match factory plugs, and came with brackets to fit in the factory spots.

The Result:

Overall the sound quality is a massive improvement over stock. The high end is incredibly clear with no distortion, as are the mid and low ranges. The Focal speakers are a touch quieter than the stock speakers, but I assume that is because they have proper sized magnets.

The sound deadening seems to have improved the mid and low range response and there is no rattling anywhere even at higher volumes. The stock speakers sounded very tinny.

I am very happy with the result! I highly recommend these speakers to anyone looking to improve the sound quality of their Tacoma. They appear to be very good quality and I am sure they are going to last. I would definitely suggest putting in some sound deadening while you have the doors opened up.

I may look into installing a decent quality amp and sub-woofer in the future, but for the time being, I am happy with what I have.

 

Nice review. I have the IS690TOY installed in my 2018 which sound significantly better and have been debating on whether or not to change out the rear speakers and complete the kit. If I do that, I would probably add an amp as well.

 

Thanks! I can only imagine that changing out the rears would make some difference for you especially in the bass department. The stock speaker is a 6.5 inch full range driver I believe as there is no tweeter. The back doors sound much better on their own now than with the stock speakers. Amp would only make them better!

 

I have seen Five Star Car Stereo install these on YouTube, and they gave them great reviews as well.

 

The magnets are to control the driver. Factory speakers aren’t rated at a very high RMS and they are designed to be as efficient as possible and as light as possible. The reason the Focals are quieter are because they are being underpowered. To get the true sound out of them you should install an amplifier.

 

Any recommendations on an amp?

 

This is what has been recommended to me. http://www.hertzaudiovideo.com/car-audio-amplifiers-hdp5/

 

I'm going to be doing the same install in a week with a Alpine 4x 75 Amp with an Active Line Out Converter with the ability to add a Sub down the road. If I do go with a sub it will probably be a JL W3v3 8 inch behind the rear passenger back seat.

 

Yeah, these speakers really need an amp. I am noticing some mid level distortion at higher volumes from the tweeters which I believe would be solved by an amp. Let me know how the install goes. I think I’ll be installing an amp within a month.

 

I put the same speakers in my truck and only added a little Alpine power pack that puts out 45watts rms to each speaker and they sound really good. You don’t much power to them to make them sound like they should. I also added a kicker hideaway sub under the drivers seat to fill it all in.
Not very expensive to keep everything looking stock and for a system that sounds loud and clean but not obnoxious.

 

What Kicker sub did you install? I am going to add the

$290 Alpine KTP-445U Universal Power Pack

Alpine KTP-445U amp and was thinking about installing a sub at the same time.

 

Yeah that’s the same amp I used and it’s installed right behind the HU in the dash.
For the sub I just put this under the seat.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20611HS8/Kicker-11HS8.html
I didn’t really want to get into anything crazy, and keep everything stock looking.
It surprisingly hits hard on some tracks, but if you’re looking for some real shaking bass, then I’d go with a traditional sub box behind the rear seats with an amp.
I’m happy with the kicker though. People always comment on how clean everything sounds.
The one thing I didn’t do that I’m going to do soon, is get an Audio Control center to take care of the bass roll off at high volumes with the factory HU signal.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_161LC7IB/AudioControl-LC7i-Black.html

If I think it sounds really good for me, adding this will definitely make it sound better.

 

That looks like a good sub option and will check it out. I am not looking for anything crazy either and really don't want to add a sub box.

 

Then that’s the sub you want. I did a lot of research and it seems this one is the best, and it fits almost perfect under the front seat. The only thing is, the rear floor mat has to stick up a bit, but not really noticeable.

 

Finally replaced the terrible tweeter mounting bracket that came with the

$350 Focal IS 690TOY Integration Series 2-Way 6" x 9" Component Speaker Kit for Toyota

Focal IS 690TOY. It was designed in such a way that is aimed the tweeters towards to windshield an dropped it lower into the dash. I had a suspicion that his was causing some odd amplification of the tweeters which was causing some less than desirable sound quality.

I designed mounting brackets specifically for the tweeters I have and used a 3D printer to fabricate them.

This is what the old mounting bracket looked like installed and removed from the truck:


And here is the new mounting bracket:

The bracket isn't as pretty as a CNC machined bracket would look but it was cheap and easy to do!

I am pretty happy with how this turned out. I also think that having is higher up, and pointing straight up has improved the overall sound quality.

 

Exactly. The best bang for buck sound I have ever had was with Focal K2 Power separates 6.5 ". ~$850.
JL amp. Bridged 200W X2. The car (and the speakers) were totalled.
Get an amp OP, to bring out the greatness of the Focals.
The detail of the sound is really something, isn't it ?

 

Since I’ve put Focals components in my Taco, I don’t think I can ever buy any other brand.
I’ve got a 4Runner as well that I’m going to focal out, but it has the jbl system and am wondering if I should replace everything since I’ve heard it’s tricky trying to upgrade that system.

 

I installed the Focal IC690TOY, Focal RCX-165 & Subaru tweets in my AC. Retained the Entune head unit with no amp. Did a four month camping trip this summer and loved driving the truck simply to listen to tunes. Very pleased with the upgrades.

 

For the back door, I am also looking at the IC165TOYs as I am just in the process of installing the IS690TOYs in the front door and dash. So far only installed the tweeters which are great. I already had the subaru kicker tweeters installed but since the IS came with likely better tweeters I'll sell those ones once I fully decide I am happy with the focal ones.

With the back door remaining I am wondering if going with a component speaker is a good way to go. obviously if I get the IS165TOY I will have another set of tweeters that I just plain don't need.

What are your thoughts on the sound from the back door speakers with a combined tweeter?