Front Door Panels

The ATF are already familiar with me. The barrel is 17.7" without the flash hider.

 

Good info.

FWIW I've had both Rockford Fosgate and now Infinity Reference speakers in the doors. Both can be turned up just as loud as the OEs with the benefit of sounding much better. The DS18 tweeters have a good quality crossover and are louder than the OE tweeters. So the non-JBL OE head unit is perfectly capable of driving most any 4 ohm speaker as long as you're not expecting a big improvement in overall range dynamics (more bass, higher highs, etc.) because it is what it is (10w front and 7w rear). As you found, adding an amp, sub and other parts and pieces can improve everything of course. However as mentioned, I'd just spend that kind of money on a new head unit with more features and of course, power. That's just me though.

 

i just installed the DS-18 tweeters and now looking at the Infinity Reference 9630C. Question. Do i need to use the crossovers that come with the IR? Or do the DS-18 have crossovers that already manage the highs for the 6x9s. If that is the case, could i use a 2-way or 3-way 6x9 since the crossovers are reducing the highs sent to the 6x9s or should i just stick to a component 6x9?

 

That's a lot of "what ifs"!

Had to do a little digging for the

Infinity Reference 9630C- 6 x 9 Two-way component system w/crossover (Renewed)

The Infinity Reference 9630c. Looks like they're no longer made, but I found them! The kit includes a crossover designed to support the 6x9 speakers and tweeters. I think if you kept the DS18s and installed the Infinity 6x9s and tweeters and use the supplied crossover to adjust the tweeter's output (probably +0 db) you could get a decent component result. OR you could just keep the DS18s, skip using the Infinity tweeters and crossovers and install the Infinity 6x9s in the door and see how it sounds first.

Otherwise, you could keep the DS18s and simply install a "normal" set of 1 or 2 way speakers in the doors, relying on the OE stereo to continue to do its thing and tweak the built-in equalizer to taste. That's basically what I did. It's not the best car stereo I've ever had by any measure, but hey, it actually puts out some pretty decent sound IMHO.

Hoping others will chime in with some thoughts.
Looking forward to hearing what you end up doing and how it all sounds!

EDIT: After some more digging into the The Infinity Reference 9630c refurbs Amazon is selling and the updated Infinity Reference 9630cx Crutchfield is selling I made some corrections to my original post to answer the OP's questions a little more clearly.

 

I replaced my access cab speakers with Subaru tweeters and Kicker speakers. I really think the most bang for the buck was the tweeters.

 

I don't think they do. From the specs page:

"When optimally tuned to the recommended hi-pass crossover of 4KHz the

$91 PRO-ST OEM Subaru/Toyota Upgrade Bullet Compression Tweeters with Crossovers 1.9" - Car OEM Tweeter Upgrade Kit for Many Subaru/Toyota Models - Replacement for H631SFJ101 and H631SFJ100 (Pair)

PRO-ST works with the speakers in your system to create a tangible and immersive soundstage."

That being said, doesn't the OEM head unit have the dash speakers crossed over for highs and the front doors are crossed over to eliminate the highs in the dash? Or are the crossovers for the OEM dash speakers built on to the speakers/wiring?

 

By gosh, I believe you're right! Unless they've changed them from when I bought them back in March I either mis-read their spec sheet or I was relying on

$91 DS18 PRO-ST OEM Subaru/Toyota Upgrade Bullet Compression Tweeters with Crossovers 1.9" - Car OEM Tweeter Upgrade Kit for Many Subaru/Toyota Models - Replacement for H631SFJ101 and H631SFJ100 (Pair)

the description on Amazon:

"DS18 PRO-ST 1.9" Replacement Upgrade Bullet Compression Tweeters with Crossovers..."

Based on DS18's spec page I stand corrected... although we all know that the product descriptions on Amazon are always right.

I'd assume that the OE stereo's crossover setup is in the head unit, but I could be wrong, again.

In any case, the DS18 tweeters are a terrific and super easy upgrade IMHO.

 

I'll reach out to them. The conflicting descriptions are both written by DS-18 so that alone is sort of concerning. If the head unit has a crossover built in, I would want to remove an unnecessary crossover also installed on the tweeter.

Thanks for the screenshot, that helps (and gives me ammo when I reach out to them).

 

Cool. Will be curious to hear what they have to say.

 

Confirmed. No crossover. The Twitter pic above was a mistake. From the manual, they recommend a 4KHz crossover:

"Recommended Hi Pass Crossover / Crossover de Paso Alto Recomendado............................ 4 KHz"

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/917SV27Tb6L.pdf

 

Just a few hours ago I was on the phone with Crutchfield. I ended up buying...
A JVC KW-M560BT head unit, it puts out 21 watts per channel. Plus all the mounting and wiring stuff, and 2 Kicker 47KSC6904 6x9 speakers. Also ordered a set of trim removal tools from Amazon. Crutchfield said with the wiring kit, I won't have to splice any wires.

I bought 2

$91 DS18 PRO-ST OEM Subaru/Toyota Upgrade Bullet Compression Tweeters with Crossovers 1.9" - Car OEM Tweeter Upgrade Kit for Many Subaru/Toyota Models - Replacement for H631SFJ101 and H631SFJ100 (Pair)

DS18 PRO-ST 1.9 tweeters off Amazon that I got today. I'm not messing with the back speakers now. Maybe down the road.
I hope when I get everything in, there will be a noticeable difference from my stock tunes!

What kind of sound deadening stuff should I put in the doors? Anyone make any peel and stick? Does the stuff make any real difference.

 

Good to know! That probably accounts for why the DS18s are slightly louder and brighter than the OE tweeters. I think they sound fine myself (after tweaking the settings in the head unit a bit) but it would be interesting to hear how they would sound with a crossover.

Thanks for that!

 

My truck arrived at the dealership today and I'm hoping it's available for pick up on Saturday. It'll give me 2.5 hours to listen to the OEM speakers on the way home. DS18 tweeters will be ordered by Saturday night.

 

Well, congrats! Enjoy the ride and try to keep two wheels on the ground.

 

Thanks! It's my first Tacoma. Here's a picture of my new baby. Took many months, lots of phone calls, and I'll have to drive a couple states away to pick it up but it's worth it.

 

i was thinking since they have builtin crossovers and are first in line from the HeadUnit, maybe they crossout the highs for the door speakers.

sorry, but what does that mean? the tweeters are receiving a full sound signal?

 

The OEM "tweeters" don't have built in crossovers either so replacing them with DS18 or the Subaru tweeters is fine. I *BELIEVE* the head unit does the crossover work. I won't know until tomorrow what frequencies are hitting the dash, front doors, and rear doors.

 

Per @McHale's discussion with the manufacturer, the DS18s do not have a built-in crossover (contrary to the initial description on Amazon). The crossover they recommend would push them a little more towards mid-range. Without a crossover the DS18s have more high-end and are a bit louder than the OE tweeters. I adjusted the highs down a bit to my liking with the equalizer in the head unit. We're not talking audiophile sound here... just a nice improvement over stock.

 

Beeeeeyewteeefull!

 

So outta curiosity I went ahead and ordered that

Infinity Reference 9630C- 6 x 9 Two-way component system w/crossover (Renewed)

Infinity Reference 9630C component set @Biggidyslick mentioned earlier. $100 bucks? What-the-heck. I was curious how they'd compare to the Infinity Reference EF-9632ix two-ways I have since the 6x9s in the 9630C kit are strictly woofers. I likes me a little more base.

They showed up today and I installed one of the 6x9s 9630C woofers in the driver's door. Cranked it up with the DS18 tweeters still in place and tested it all against the Infinity Reference EF-9632ix still in the passenger door. The 9630c woofer wasn't bad, but unfortunately there's nowhere near as much low-end as the EF-9632ix, which was unexpected. The 9630c crossovers are just for the Infinity tweeters in the kit, so I didn't unpack any of that as it wouldn't have made any difference for low-end. So they're going back. Again, not bad speakers, but not as good as the 2-way Infinity Reference EF-9632ix.

One of the things I always have to remind myself is that I listen to a lot of music from the 60's through some of the 90's, a good deal of which never had a lot of base. I tested these speakers with "Today's Hits" on Pandora and holy cow... LOTS of base!

So the setup I have,

$91 DS18 PRO-ST OEM Subaru/Toyota Upgrade Bullet Compression Tweeters with Crossovers 1.9" - Car OEM Tweeter Upgrade Kit for Many Subaru/Toyota Models - Replacement for H631SFJ101 and H631SFJ100 (Pair)

DS18 tweeters, Infinity Reference EF-9632ix 6x9" in the front doors and Infinity Reference REF-6532ex 6.5" in the rear doors running off of the OE (non-JBL) head unit actually sounds better than I though it would when it gets fed some new/current music. Who woulda thunk?! I'll still probably add a mini amp to boost everything a bit, but overall I'm pretty happy. First vehicle in years where I haven't replaced the head unit.

Anyway @Biggidyslick, I'd keep the DS18s and spend a little more money for the Infinity two-way door speakers (or maybe Kicker or whatever) and skip the Infinity refurbs from Amazon. If you're not planning on adding an amp, I'd skip replacing the rear speakers, just not worth it.

I'm amazed at how quickly I can remove and reinstall the door cards now. Although all three of the little white clips in the top triangle trim fell into the door this time. Lucky I ordered

$6 Rexka 20pcs Door Garnish Moulding Retainer Clip Compatible with Toyota Lexus 67771-58010 Tundra Tacoma Sequoia RAV4 Land Cruiser Highlander C-HR Yaris Scion xD

extras.

My $.02

Oh, remembered to take a couple of photos... one showing the

$30 Noico 80 mil 10 sqft car Sound deadening mat, Butyl Automotive Sound Deadener, Audio Noise Insulation and dampening

Noico sound deadener on the inner door skin and one of the two-way Infinity speakers I'm running. If you look closely you can see a little button at the bottom of the tweeter that when pushed gives the tweeter +3db. I tried it both ways. Since the DS18s do an excellent job on the highs, no need. Makes it a little more mid-range at +0db.