Sound System Upgrade

Hey folks. I know this subject has been beaten to death but I want some honest/no BS opinions on my next upgrade and I like to hear others thoughts. My almost totally rebuilt 2010 is my pride and joy. It’s got 70k miles so I’ll probably have it forever. Been wanting to upgrade my sound system with a new sub box and possible amp. I have a Pioneer Avic 7200 NEX (MOSFET 50W x 4 amp) installed with the factory JBL system which is in my opinion not great. In a nutshell I want more bass and sound quality. My questions are “How hard would this upgrade be for a guy who is mildly handy at best as compared to dropping it off at Car Toys?” They quoted me $2000-$3200 which seemed a bit high to say the least. And “ What are some good options on the best approach to doing this setup?” I’ve seen the prebuilt sub boxes on Amazon for $220. Is this a solid option and what type of amp would I need ?

Any opinions would be appreciated. I know I can do a forum search but it seems like a rabbit hole. Thanks in advance

 

There's many great combinations to choose from. You're fortunate enough to have a DC so there are off the rack options for sub boxes. Matching what you want to spend is the hard part.

 

I completed a replacement of all the speakers in my 2011 Tacoma a couple of days ago and it could not have gone better. Purchased all door speakers from crutchfield because of the free brackets and wire adapters included. spent about $500 for all door speakers and dual sub package off Amazon. Went into the process with very little wiring experience and through youtube videos found the process very easy. $2000-$3200 is ridiculous. Sound quality is amazing and the subs hit hard if you install yourself you will not feel ripped off. These are the speakers I purchased -
Speakers:

Rear Door Speakers: Kenwood KFC-1666S - $39.99

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_1131666S/Kenwood-KFC-1666S.html

Front Lower Door Speakers: Pioneer TS-G650 - $34.99

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_130TSG650/Pioneer-TS-G650.html

Front Door Tweeters: Kicker 43CST20 - $34.49

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_206CST20/Kicker-43CST20.html

All speakers come with brackets and wiring harness for free from Crutchfield as well as instructions to install

Total Cart: $109.47

Subs, Wires, and Amp: $296.97

$290 American Sound Connection Kicker Bundle Compatible with 2005-2012 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 43C104 Comp C10 Dual 10" Loaded Sub Box Enclosure

https://www.amazon.com/Package-Toyo...00KJ10D3O/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

 

Depends on what you want? And what they are offering for that.

 

Great Great info folks. Keep it coming !!

 

Uhmmmmm.... Absolutely not! There is nothing 'off the rack' worth buying!

They use shallow boxes, MAYBE 6" deep that only fit muduq crappy subs!

A box with MAYBE, MAYBE, MAYBE, 2 cubic ft air space???????

Sorry but I take audio as serious as suspension!

One of those 'off the rack' boxes is the equivalent to a $50 spacer/block lift! But you pay several hundred for it!

Just like with suspensions, you get what you pay for.

I know alot of you guys are like me. I'll miss work to go with my Tacoma to a shop to have work done I can't do in my shop to learn. I do that with audio to!

Just like suspensions, being there, with the audio engineer, taking measurements, building CAD designs, running simulations, etc...

You learn alot.

OP... I'll quit ranting, lol!

Short answer...

To get the best of the best without having to physically mod your truck...

Parts price, do the work yourself...

$100 Replace the big 3 cables with 1/0 AWG OFC copper
$250 Skar Audio RL-1500 Amp
$50 ANL fusing
$50 1/0 OFC power/ground wire to Skar amp
$600 4 DD (Digital Designs) 6.5" subs

Purchase custom made 1.4 cubic ft ported box $900 plus shipping. (I only say plus ship, as an assumption because I can drive to where they are designed and made, you have to take that up with them)

If your willing to start modding your truck, stay tuned... SoundLab DC build underway

 

I have the alpine pdx-v9 amp and one 12" memphis BRX subwoofer in a shallow downfire box strapped to the child seat mounts in my access cab. If you just want more bass one of those all in one amp sub box should do it. If you want lots of deep bass not below 12 inches or you won't hear any deep notes. 10 inch subs and smaller IN MY OPINION don't provide the deeper notes and sound off because they hit the mid to high range bass so well and not lows. Since you already have an amp for the door speakers just get a mono amp with a crossover or it may get distorted. You don't need a crossover but i suggest one if you don't replace that one. In that case a 4 channel + one mono amplifier. For a DC I would suggest a downfire enclosure with subwoofer grills under the rear seats if possible. Behind the seat enclosures point the subwoofer forward and directly into the rear seats causing deadening. Pointing them down will reverberate waves back into the cab. Texastaco19 has a great head unit (pioneer MVH? thats what I have) but the subs not so much. Sorry bro. Kickers are ok but you might as well spend the money and get something good. MTX, Memphis, alpine. Basically the bigger the magnet the better. Stay above 350 watts and get your moneys worth. Only 2 ohms or less. 4 ohms just wastes power. Lastly, two subs only distributes the vibrations in your vehicle more evenly and gives a more surround sound feeling, in my opinion again, one fairly sized well placed sub will be plenty and save space. Absolutely DIY. The only part I would suggest taking to a shop is the wiring harness if you get a head unit. Just tell them to solder that up and the rest is running wires, drilling some screws, and plug and play.

 

Keep in mind that there's a law of diminishing returns on car audio. Depending on the end point a guys is looking for you can spend 20% of the money and get 80% of the sound. Going full bore can lead to a great system with fine detail and impact, but some of that is lost the minute you start the engine and get the tires rolling. IMO...a good 5 channel amp and quality speakers (branch out...try something else besides the Kicker, MTX Memphis, Alpine. You can get Morel very reasonable and IMO they will be a step up from the afore mentioned.

 

I found a number of threads on this and similar topics when looking to upgrade the sound in my AC. The Audio & Video forum is a good place to start. Crutchfield is a good place to get an idea of what's available/suitable. Armed with that info, visit a (couple of) local shop(s) to listen to various combos. (In the end, it's about what sounds good to you, rather than what anyone else used.) Narrow your choices and buy from where you get the best "bang for your buck." FWIW, I went with the following, which I think sounds great...
- AudioControl LC2i Line Out Converter
- JL Audio XD200/2v2 Amp
- Focal PS165V1 Speakers
- Sound Ordnance B-8PTD Sub
-

$237 10501 Bulk Kit - (30) 12" x 23" Silver ULTRA Sheets - 58 Square Feet

Hushmat &

NOICO Liner 157 Mil 37.5 Sqft Car Heat Insulation Pad, Foam Self-Adhesive Sound Deadening and Automotive Dampening Mat for Cars (1/6'' Sound Deadener)

Noico Liner Sound Insulation

Unless money is burning a hole in your pocket, comparison shop! I got all my stuff for an average of 40% off MSRP.

 

Look into installing dynamats or a similar sound deadener. In my opinion it increases sound quality almost as much as swapping speakers in these tin cans.

 

Do Tell, Joseph. Please go on....

 

I appreciate all the thoughtful replies. This definitely is going to steer me in the right direction. Excited to get this done by the summer.

 

Pics from first fitment of first ever 3.2 cu. ft. ported box in a Tacoma with back seats in. Yes I know seat backs are not installed, only first coat of bed liner on the box, it's not prettied up yet, it's just a fitment. This project is not near done! With modded seat brackets, everything fits the backs of the rear seats do sit a couple inches higher than OEM. THIS IS JUST FIRST FITMENT.

 

I'm very interested in how you did this. I'm looking to put in 4 memphis mojo 8s this summer and I thought I would be forced in having to build a sealed box since there wasn't enough space to have a ported box. The mojo 8s need 1cft^3 per sub ported and now that I see you were able to make a 3.2cft^3 box, I could instead do 3 of the 8s to have a ported box. If its too much to explain here in the replies, can you shoot me a PM? Also, do you have a build page for this? Thanks bro.