2018 Toyota Tacoma DCLB BBP Audio Build

I tuned using the method above. It did sound fantastic...for that song. Thats the problem for me. Depending on what type of music, what era it was recorded ie. What kind of file, makes a HUGE difference in how good it sounds. I wish I had a Bluetooth tuner and could adjust multiple settings all at once. I guess I’ll just pick a neutral spot and stick with it.

 

Good stuff. Glad that was easy. Tracking down noise can be maddening!

 

Yea there's no reason to go under the truck for that ground. The bolt is right between your feet in the support crossmember under the driver seat.

 

Next time I know!

 

Ultimately I have the amp tuned to
How I like it. Not sure I did it “right” but it’s in a spot where I am happy with country then rap then Adele all back to back without changes.

 

Ideally I’m driving my Taco 2 days a week and my Honda 3-4 days a week. I drove the Taco all 5. Can’t beat a rocking system.

 

I did get the JL Audio bass knob. This is a must have. I am adjusting it each song. Makes a huge difference when listening to random/multiple styles of music back to back.

 

Any idea what diameter that bolt is? Im trying to order terminal connectors and not sure what size to order. I don't have the truck apart yet

 

I don’t know specifics. It was pretty large. 1/4” or so. You’ll need a large term connector.

 

The only thing you need to tweak on a properly tuned sound system is the volume knob. If you're making on the fly adjustments to anything your source material is bad or your tune isn't accurate.

 

I don’t disagree. It’s more for listening preference. Sometimes I want more bass. On a long drive I might want to cool it a bit. Sometimes my mom riding in the car with me would prefer not to have her head rattled. Even at low volume the bass can be overwhelming even when set at “proper levels.”

 

I have a 2018 Tacoma DCSB Off Road that my wife insisted on the JBL upgraded stereo and I absolutely hate it. I am not a big audio guy and a complete beginner when it comes to understanding all this stuff. I enjoyed reading about your build, but it may be obvious and I just did not understand that part, but did your truck have the JBL upgraded stereo? It does not look like you installed a new head unit from reading the thread. You just replaced everything else.

I want to do the reverse almost because of how the mic performs for hands free calling. I want to replace our head unit because the bluetooth mic is so horrible that to hear the phone call when driving you need to turn up the volume so high that the person on the phone hears themselves talking in an echo. I know that doing the sound deadening and vibration isolation would improve that, but if I am going to rip the truck interior apart to do that it feels silly not to replace the stereo. There are a lot of great posts I have been reading in the forum on doing the isolation and sound deadening and the threads have such great folks posting for help it has inspired me to want to do this.

I went and got a few quotes from people and they range from 8-10k to get a system (hu, amp, sub, front and rear doors) and a sound deadening treatment. Morel was one of the speaker options on the higher end quote. I am glad to see you using them here. The ones I was quoted were for the front the Morel Hybrid 602s and Morel Hybrid Integra 502s for the rear.

Anyway, I am rambling and I want to make my own thread and not hijack yours. I just wanted clarity on if you were replacing the JBL upgraded stereo or just had the non-JBL and replaced everything but the headunit? Which I am guessing is why you have the custom wiring harness to interface with whatever HU is in your truck.

Look forward to the updates

 

Non JBL. I had the stock stereo. I did not touch the head unit functionality that came with the truck. Yes. I replaced output speaker wires back. I use factory Bluetooth, etc.

I did basic sound deadening. There are a few who go all out and would be better guides to follow for full “seats out” sound deadening. Do your research. Message people. Most will help you out. You can do it. $8-10k a lot of coin. Like insane.

 

I think an Oscilloscope is the best way to find the upper limits of the system, but I think you probably need to listen too. Most Oscilloscopes use an Earth ground which means you need to be careful when you attach the ground of your oscilloscope probe to a circuit. If you don't know enough about scopes & circuits I would say an oscilloscope might not be the best choice. In a car most anybody can use a volt meter, less can use an amp meter & fewer can use an oscilloscope. The oscilloscope can have consequences if you don't ground the probes correctly in many applications!

I think these cars are pretty much just spot welded together. If you're grounding to the sheet you need to make sure it's fully welded into the body. I have a hard time figuring out which panels are fully welded and which are spot welded. From your description I can't tell if the wire is grounded under the truck or inside the truck.

It's hard to make big improvements to the JBL system without replacing the damn thing. I had it in my truck, but I just decided to rip it all out.

 

Another finding from using my system over time is I get a clean signal with Bluetooth. When my usb charger is plugged in with apple lightning cord I get feedback through the speakers. For optimal listening experience, I can’t have my phone plugged in all the time.

 

Maybe there's still an issue with your grounding. How big are the grounds between the battery and the chassis/frame?

 

True 4 gauge. It’s a thick wire. I’m clean without the usb plugged in. I was thinking more of an interference issue.

 

USB shouldn't have any noise b/c it's a digital signal.. What happens if you use the Aux?

 

Never have.

 

It might be interesting to see if it sounds good.