2022 Component questions

2022 (non-JBL)

I went to an audio shop and listened to some of their systems. I finally decided to go with some component 6x9s and probably coaxial 6.5s in the rear and a Joying HU.

Should I just try to build a subwoofer box or are any of the prefab worth the price? I saw the Stealthbox, but I am not sure how good/dated the sub is that comes with it or if it's worth a grand.

Also, who makes a nice 5ch Amp?

When I install Tweeters and the Front Door speakers and put them on separate leads, will I have to run separate wires to the dash or to the door?

I assume they will be on the same leads.

I really don't want to pay for an expensive 6ch LOC. I would rather use crossovers for the tweeters or even just let the HU push the tweeters.

I am trying my best to stay around 1500 - 2k.

Does anyone know if the HU is what controls the remote Start Engine feature?

 

lots of guy's running a similar setup. you should be able to find a number of 'road maps' with similar equipment in this section

this is really a personal preference thing.

truth be told, after accounting for one's own time, i'm not convinced that building a box is any cheaper, with any significant advantage other than component selection, and space it takes up. you'd need to decide for yourself which method is worthwhile. many guy's use that box, and all but the extreme bassheads are plenty happy with it. could also consider the taco-tunes box as well.

the better question is 'who makes a 5 channel amp i don't want?' alpine, jbl, jl, rockford fosgate, kenwood, kicker, pioneer, infinity-- pick your poison. they'll all function properly. it's really going to come down to the price point you're working within. i tend to like alpine amps-- i loved the discontinued pdx series, but i've also recently been liking rf's prime series amps, though they are somewhat down on power comparatively.

you're installing component speakers, as well as an amp. you'll need to run new speaker wiring from the amp location to the crossover location, and from the crossover location to each speaker. i would not suggest maintaining any of the factory speaker wiring.

you indicated you'll be using the joying head unit, which will have low level outputs. these should connect directly to the amp. an LOC would only be needed when maintaining the oem head unit.

assuming all costs, i really think you're going to blow that number away. you haven't given a lot of details on speaker selection, or specific joying head unit, but some assumptions:

head unit: $400-500
amp: $350-1,000
speakers: $150-$500
sub box + sub: $300-1,000
wiring(amp wiring, rca's, speaker wiring, adapters, steering wheel adapter, camera adapter/power adapter): $500

total: $1700-3500

this doesn't include shop installation time-- i'm assuming you're doing it yourself?

i want to say it does, but really don't know...

 

Yep, I used to do my own back in high school, 22 years ago.

I have considered it. Is it a decent box?

I have owned some crap before, usually from pawn shops.
I started to go with kicker for everything, but I was not impressed when I heard one of their systems with coaxial and the small square sub.
I will probably go with Alpine / JL amp and I was thinking a JL sub.

How hard is it to route wire up to the tweeters and to the doors? Can you tie string to the existing wire and pull it out, then pull the original wire back into position with the new wire also taped to the string?

I found out from a guy on YouTube that said the remote start/stop/lock phone app doesn't use the HU to function.



Thanks for the Help!

 

those that have used the t-tunes box say that it works just as well as any other box. biggest difference is that it fits on the drivers side behind the small 1/3 fold down, where the jl stealth box you were considering fits behind the 2/3's rear seat.

i haven't heard either, so i can't really say which one is definitively better, but i will say, in the past i've been consistently disappointed anytime i forget the first rule of subwoofers: "there's no replacement for displacement" generally, the box that takes up the most amount of space is going to be loudest. i have some serious doubts that the t-tunes 12" box is anywhere near as loud as the t-tunes 10" box, as it's the same airspace sizing, but offers less 'air spring' for the cone once the larger physical size of a 12" woofer is accounted for, which physics tends to demand that ought to cut spl...

kickers square subs always came off to me as a spl/gimmick. i never heard a set hit clean. but they were loud.

so JL generally has a premium audio tax. i will be running an alpine pdx v9 specifically because the JL 900/5 is about $500-1,000 more depending on purchase location--official msrp's puts the 900/5 $500 more than the v9, JL tends to maintain better control over the final consumer pricing than alpine seems to, for better or worse. the amps are pretty much identical spec-wise though. the pdx v9 is getting really hard to find, i thought it was discontinued, per the note on crutchfields site, but it's still on alpine's website like they're still making it...

the v9's successor appears to be the x-series x-a90v, which maintains much of the same form factor but drops the regulated power supply of the v9, JL calls the tech R.I.P.S.. so the x-a90v 'only' does 75x4/300x1 at 4 ohms, or 100x4/500x1 at 2 ohms, where the v9 did 100x4/500x1 regardless of speaker impedance. i'm stubborn, and insist on 100x4 at 4 ohms just because i can.

generally speaking i suggest looking for amps that are CEA rated. it's not a perfect system, but it's a uniform system that at least maintains test parameters and output ratings to identical standards so you're comparing apples to apples in terms of output wattages across different amp categories and brands--without that, many brands fudge the numbers to make their product appear superior to competitors, which results in less than stellar results.

the idea behind looking through the amps that have been rated to the CEA standard is that it's all the same, but also that the companies are willing to stand behind the output numbers enough to get the amp rated to someone else's standard. generally speaking, few are going to submit crap to someone else's standard, so it removes some of the lower-tier amp issues that you've experienced before.

at that point, it really just comes down to how much money and install space you're willing to commit to the cause, and that ultimately determines what kind of power is available for the price/space.

i haven't replaced the door wiring just yet, life getting in the way.. but i have re-wired the tweeters, and replaced the door speakers. tweeters are identical to any other vehicle. there's ample space under the dash, and there's plenty of nooks and crannies to fish from the open under-dash space up to the tweeter locations.

the oem wiring is part of the factory vehicle wiring harness, so there's never going to be a chance to use any oem speaker wire as a pull wire anywhere in the vehicle. there's been some other posts in this section on guy's untaping the loom going through the door boots and fishing new wire through using either a coat hanger, stiff wire, or HVAC ziptie, then re-taping the ends of the boots, but i haven't attempted it yet--i used to do this on non-toyota vehicles every time however, on my brz(more of toyota's technique in that case) i ran the speaker cables on the exterior of the boots because they wouldn't fit through, though i was running some much thicker wire that time, more of my stubbornness

 

The stock head unit will be the limiting factor of the whole system. Also, I wouldn't go without DSP after having it. At least not with the factory radio.

I too debated between the taco tunes box and the JL Stealthbox. I chose the JL stealthbox so I wouldn't have to remove the bins and find a place to store them. Yeah it's expensive and overpriced, but after having it for a while I don't regret it. The powered and ported JL 8" would fit in the cubby bin too.

An aftermarket Pioneer or Kenwood head unit with a proper 75w-100w dsp amp would be nice. However, I think my setup sounds phenomenal for what I spent. Only thing I'm missing and still wanting is Apple CarPlay.

I have the following:
Factory non JBL head unit with nav
Focal RSE-165 front
Focal RCX-165 rear
JL Stealthbox
Kicker Key 200.4 and Kicker Key 500.1 w/ remote bass knob
Second Skin 2mm on inner doors and back cab wall

The Focal Auditor's with the Kicker Key's DSP sound really incredible. They sound more expensive than they are. The lows, mids and highs all have their place and the vocals are definitely lifted above the mids and lows. The Focal's are bright, but the more I've listened to the more I've gotten used to it and now they don't sound as bright as they did when I first installed them. Maybe they've tamed down after breaking in?

Some sound clips here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mgmdeserttacos-audio-build.766274/page-10#post-27470663
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mgmdeserttacos-audio-build.766274/page-10#post-27470667

Taco tunes box pictured here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mgmdeserttacos-audio-build.766274/page-4#post-27395331

Have fun and plan to spend a little more than you anticipated.