JBL system with after market speakers

I will start with I have already used the search function and read everything out there on this or another Tacoma forum. Usually, the treads go to new speaker replacement without the JBL system.
My question is for those who have the JBL have you tried replacing your door speakers with after market, more specifically either after market JBL or Infinity since they seem to have the lowest Ohm ratings and if so what was the out come.

Thanks
AG

 

Also interested in this to see if the difference is worth the time. Eventually I want to add an additional sub for some serious bass. Would need to be removable though for the times I put 4 kids in the back of the truck. So my idea was to have a molex connector that just plugs in when I want to put the sub in there.

 

Not sure what the factory amp is stable at. But I would just run speakers that are the same impedance. I wanna say the old infinity stuff on must OEM was ran at 2 ohms. Bose I think was 4. Don’t remember what JBL was.

As for connectors for removing subs, they make banana clips that will plug into the jacks used in sub enclosure. They make single and duel ones.

 

I used a JL Audio Fix86 to get line level outs so I could run whatever I want.

 

Actually that’s a good idea, I was gonna mount the amp to the sub box and have it all remove in one. But I might just mount the amp behind the seat and use that to connect. And make a dummy one so it doesn’t short out when not in use.

 

Could just use the nylon covers for like bolts and such to cover the leads. Or put a switch on the remote wire if not using an aftermarket radio to cut power to the amp so the leads are live.

Thread protector/vacuum cap

 

I have the JBL system in my '17 Limited and haven't heard a need to upgrade the door speakers. It's a truck, not my living room.

 

I am also interested in this because I have been left wanting more from the JBL system. I like to drive with the windows down on the highway and hearing the radio at 70 can be a struggle.

 

I'm with you here... The JBL speakers are still inferior to most aftermarket speakers. They are thin paper cone and tiny (neodymium) magnets. Less than 3k miles in, I had to do something about it.

Went ahead with the following replacement setup:

Typically I buy speakers through crutchfield but here are some Amazon links for ya'll. Also - I found mixed documentation on how many ohms the factory JBL system is. Some say 2 some say 4. I took a chance based off the research I did.

Front Door Replacement: 4ohm 6x9" Kicker 43CSC6934 front door speakers. No longer available but

$120 Kicker DSC6930 6x9" (160x230mm) 3-Way Speakers, 4-Ohm (Pair)

Kicker 43DSC69304 looks to be about the same spec.

Rear Door Replacement: 4ohm 6.75" Kicker 43CSC674 rear door speakers. No longer available but

$85 KICKER DSC670 6.75" (165mm) Coaxial Speakers, 4-Ohm (Pair)

Kicker 43DSC6704 looks to be about the same spec.

Sub: I also replaced the factory 8" sub with a

$200 Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8 8" Dual 2-Ohm Punch Series Shallow Mount Car Subwoofer

Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8 dual 2ohm 8" sub.

Tweeters: I did the subaru/kicker tweeter swap (all over these forms) and just made my own harness to fit the factory wiring.

Results: Huge overall improvement!! It's not the loudest setup in the world (with only a 440w amp to drive all 7 speakers - sub probably gets ~120w) but SO MUCH BETTER than the crap they pass as "JBL".

I should add... I also added as much sound deadener as I could (

Noico Black 80 Mil 36 Sq Ft Car Sound Deadening, Butyl Automotive Deadener Restoration mat and Noise dampening Insulation

noico)... covered probably 80% of the front doors (all sides) and 60% of the rear doors. The combo of the speaker upgrade plus sound deadener is well worth it.

Annoying rattling is gone and instead I've got fuller mids, clearer highs, and deeper lows! For a few hundred dollars it's a significant step above what comes as part of the JBL package. I definitely didn’t lose any volume. I’d say gained some and increased in overall quality/clarity as well.

In all my previous vehicles I've installed aftermaket everything. And, my last Taco had a 5 channel amp and a big 12" sub so I'm definitely accustomed to a more powerful sound... but for now this'll work just fine. Allows me to continue saving up for suspension/lift!

I took some very sporadic photos..

After door speaker and deadener is in on passenger side


I’ve since gone back and covered more exposed metal (closest to the speakers) with what sound deadener I had left once I got the rear doors how I wanted.

Aftermarket Kicker vs stock “JBL” rear door speaker


Stock sub vs aftermarket




Plus, with all the deadener, the truck is quieter on the road.

 

So the Subaru mod works with JBL package? And its better? This might have to be my next mod. For some reason I though it wouldnt work right, but i dont know jack about ohms and what not, lol. Thanks for the pics and update

 

Yeah the Subaru mod does work with the JBL system. Checkout #3 from this post https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-jbl-subaru-tweeter-upgrade.528541/#post-16918192

I modified the regular Toyota speaker adapter harness that Crutchfield sends with the door speakers (that fit these tweeters) and tapped into the factory wiring. No problems.

 

Post #31 seems to have some good info. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/upgrade-3rd-gen-jbl-speakers.517420/page-2 I have it saved because I too want to get better/louder sound out of my JBL system.

 

Thank you so much for posting this!!! Was the sub plug and play? Did it fit into the OEM enclosure? Do you have any info about the JBL amp? I'd really like to know if it's designed for 2 or 4 ohm. The only thing I've been able to find says the stock JBL speakers are 2ohm. Since you have yours out, is it labeled on the speaker??

 

Well, that logic can be applied to anything about the truck. It’s like saying, “I have the sr5 trim and there is no need of the Limited’s fancy leather seats, heated seats, etc. It’s a truck not my living room.”

 

To upgrade an upgrade that one paid extra money for seems a bit over the top, but hey, its only money and not mine.

 

Unfortunately I paid for that same upgrade and found it to be less then I hoped for. Really a bit underwhelmed with the performance versus cost of the upgrade so I completely understand this point of view. Now some people are willing to spend more to get what they should have already received.

 

Yeah the sub did fit into the OEM enclosure but the mounting holes didn't line up, so I drilled new ones. To be frank... ~110watts is not enough to really give the P3 sub the energy it needs. But it's deeper and tighter than the stock JBL woofer. Eventually, I'll get a LC2i to send a signal to a mono amp to drive a different sub in a new box (keeping the stock JBL amp to drive the other 6 speakers). But for now, this upgrade is keeping me happy.

Unfortunately, resistance (or any specs for that matter) are not listed anywhere on the physical speaker.

Regarding the specs of the JBL system - the best I've been able to dig up is some testing another user did on a 2nd gen taco with JBL. My thoughts is the system is fairly similar. Here are his results (posted on another tacoma site):

*(AC Voltage and AC Amperage were taken to find the power and impedance (resistance) for the speakers)*

Tweeter 2.5" Speakers:
Speaker Specs:
--Resistance: 2 ohms
--Average Power from amp over a 1100hz range: 11.87 Watts
--Max Power from amp achieved at any hertz: 12.5 Watts at 600hz and 533hz
--Amp is outputting roughly 12 watts RMS at 2 ohms to these speakers.
Crossover Characteristics
--These speakers play down to about 250hz before cutting out and go up to 15khz+
--The crossover with the 6x9's start at 550hz. (6x9's start playing at 500hz, while the 2.5" pick up around 250hz. Both play between 250-550hz)

Front Door 6x9's Speakers
Speaker Specs:
--Resistance: 2 ohms
--Average Power from amp over a 500hz range: 26.75 Watts
--Max Power from amp achieved at any hertz: 30.81 Watts at 158.7hz
--Amp is outputting roughly 25 watts RMS at 2 ohm to these speakers
Crossover Characteristics
--Like above, 6x9's play from 20hz-550'ish hz while the 2.5 play 250hz - 15khz+.
--Both play between 250hz-550hz

Rear Door 6.5" Speakers
Speaker Specs
--Resistance: 4 ohms
--Average Power from amp over a 500hz range: 21.27 Watts
--Max Power from amp achieved at any hertz: 24.32 Watts at 267hz
--Amp is outputting roughly 21 watts RMS at 4 ohms to these speakers
Crossover Characteristics
--None, these are full range speakers, they get 20hz-20khz.

Tailgate 8" DVC Sub
Speaker Specs
--According to Toyota documents this sub is powered by 2 channels. Each one operates at 2 ohms
--Amp supplies a total of 110 watts (according to JBL's website) to both channels so 55 watts RMS at 2 ohms per channel
--I coudn't test this speaker as i have blown mine (pretty sure) during some "testing " in the past
​

So - it seems 2ohms for tweeter, front door and sub. 4ohms for the rear doors. However these aftermarket speakers are a lot more efficient than the stock speakers so I didn't notice any volume loss at 4ohm. I figure if I spent the extra cash to get 2ohm or 2.7ohm (like Infinity Kappa) it'd be a bit louder. But really though, 4ohms in the front doors has had no negative volume difference (for me). I didn't measure a before and after decibel so this is all anecdotal... though I do have years of experience installing car audio.

 

Yeah, or if you're like me - you were fully aware how much the "JBL" system sucked but were stuck paying for it if you wanted leather heated seats and moonroof. The stock jbl system in my 2nd gen access cab was garbage too. Wasn't expecting much, thus not disappointed. And adding an extra $300 to a 40k truck is small change comparatively.

 

The CSCs are available at Best Buy, free 2 day shipping, and cheaper than Amazon.

 

Thanks!!! I've been going off the same info.

I've seen a few infinity speakers, I'm unfamiliar with the product as well as with all this audio upgrade stuff, lol.

I ordered the same sub yesterday. Got it for $50 less! It didn't occur to me to run a separate amp for the sub. I have an LC7i and a 4ch amp from when I started upgrading my stock system on my '17.
I also still have my 6x9 kickers as well as 6.5 rear kicker subs and subaru tweeters

Before I begin purchasing the Infinity 6x9 and matching infinity 6.5's (since you have much more experience that I do with this) what's my best option here? Install the speakers I already have and add an amp for the sub? Or purchase the infinity 2/3 way speakers and add a 5 channel amp?

Why the Infinity Kappa? Is it because of the amount of power they can handle? For my purpose of better quality and a little louder, would the infinity primus (not the component system) or infinity reference give me what I'm looking for?

I'm sure I can sell the kickers here and probably the JBLs.