2nd Gen Head Unit Recommendations

My Pioneer used an outboard speaker that I slipped under the headliner and mounted near the rearview mirror.

FYI I have come to the conclusion that the stock head unit sounded better with these stock speakers than the NEW Pioneer! Wow. Not to worry because I'll be adding an amp and speakers soon. I think the internal amps just aren't a good match for the existing speakers. I don't use the phone much, but I'm loving all this automation and quality sound.

 

2022 bump, I'm tempted to start another HU thread but I'll just bump this one.

I'd sure be curious to know anyone's recommendation are on a non-android Tacoma compatible HU that plays flac and has finger gesture volume control (or an actual knob). What would happen if I attached stock headliner speakers to an after market HU (I assume bad things).

 

Crutchfield has 17
https://www.crutchfield.com/g_46235...7&fa=1#&avf=Y&nvpair=FFVolume_Knob|[rank1]Yes
Most, if not all, play FLAC on USB. Some have AA/CarPlay in wired and wireless flavors. There hasn’t been much change in the market the last couple years, microchip supply shortages.

 

And a random question from one of the few members in Europe... If I buy a head unit over here and import the required install kit from Crutchfield, can you see any compatibility issues? Mainly thinking about the power source, but guess that's standard? My other option is to import the whole lot but then I'll pay some heavy import taxes and the dollar to euro exchange isn't looking to good atm. Curious if anyone has any advice on this US / Europe crossover?

 

As I understand it, the radio stations might be an issue. I believe Europe uses slightly different frequency ranges.

For those looking for a good head unit, I highly recommend the Kenwood DNX997XR. Apple carplay, plays CD's, has built in GPS, finger gestures, etc. I'll have to post a build thread of my setup

 

Thanks - I have the JBL install that came with the truck (DC TRD) and the radio works like normal. I don't get Sirius but I wasn't that into it anyway and the maps stopped working, hence why I'd like to upgrade to Sony / Pioneer / etc.

 

Was thinking about buying the same one. I see you ordered it in 2020. Has it been a good radio in your opinion?

 

Been there done that...my advice is save the box until the return period has expired, you'll likely need it when common sense kicks in and you realize your stock HU is better in every way other than sound quality (like having a volume knob for Pete's sake!).

The reason choosing a HU for 2nd gens (or any auto these days) is so difficult is there really are no good options for <$1K, just a lot of marketing to get you excited but you'll soon realize some important detail that you took for granted does not work like you would expect (i.e., being able to load USB files to an internal memory flat file, or using steering wheel controls to quickly scroll artists and songs on USB which the stock HU does nicely) .

Then there's the maestro interface, ugs! It WILL NOT keep your factory features like you imagine them and on 2nd gen you have to have the OBD plugged in for it to work (which is wonky as all get out...OBD to make the stereo work? I don't think so), also your pioneer remote control will not work with maestro (!?!?).

Personally I think Adnroid Auto is WAY overrated and prefer a dedicated USB. I say use the phone as a phone and the stereo as a stereo...getting a call on your GPS/Stereo/Phone a block away from your next turn is a major distraction vs simpler dedicated devices - not to mention unlike all things Android your stock HU does not spy on everything your doing (at least the 2nd Gen doesn't). If you do go the Android Auto route you will in fact want wireless, plugging you're phone in as part of making your stereo work is more of a drag then you probably imagine, but again, I think android auto just sucks all around.

I could go on and on, but I'd say "at the end of the day" the best you can do on a 2nd gen Tacoma is keep the stock HU (and the volume control!) and go the DSP route. After you factor in the price the HU with the required additional maestro harness (which stinks on 2nd gens anyway since most features you're paying for like climate control etc. don't apply) it costs about the same if not more then a DSP.

After trying out several head units (including the Pioneer which was probably the best of the ones I tried) you'd be making a huge mistake to replace the incredibly reliable and durable factory HU (with volume knob) with any after market HU that costs less then $1K. The maestro alone ended up being a deal breaker for me once I actually got my hands on it and set it up...just keep it simple!

I went overboard and got a Helix DSP...it's nice but honestly I bet the cheapish Dayton DSP for less then $200 would've worked out fine (perhaps even better in some ways).

Two big advantages of a DSP:
(1) endlessly adjustable - sure the DSP takes a while to figure out and dial in but playing around with the DSP is free (after the initial purchase) - instead of impulse buying some new piece of gear you can fiddle with the DSP when you get the urge to take things to the "next level" - you'll get to play around with the EQ, figure out how time alignment works, set up "active crossover" etc. etc. You'll get at least a years worth of prepaid car audio tweeking without having to install anything new.

(2) By far the best part about a DSP (and rarely mentioned) is that once you figure out active crossovers (you will eventually...that's really the key here) you can very easily plug in different speakers without having to rewire anything (except the speaker itself obviously). Quality speakers (e.g. just tweeters - not a comp set) are really where you get the most bang for the buck and get the sound YOU want in YOUR set up.

So, IMHO here's the REAL BEST solution for 2nd Gen Tacomas stereo upgrade: stock HU with speaker level inputs to a DSP and RCA cables from the DSP to the AMP(s). Starting out just use the passive crossovers that come with a component speaker set (I went with rockford comps - no regrets there). Once you are comfortable with the DSP software your mind will joyfully explode with the reality of what it truly means to use the DSP as a crossover/EQ/time alignment device. Finally, with active crossovers figured out (and it may take awhile to grasp it but a DSP is the key unlocking the secret solution to 80% of the car audio mystery) you can circle back to where you started and consider easily upgrading individual speakers.

Finally shout out to Crtuchfield, they truly saved my arse a time or two while I was installing and figuring this all out and were very patient with my HU returns.

This is like $300 worth of advice so...
YOU'RE WELCOME!

 

yeah I hear you. Everything you said makes sense. I used to be into stereos a lot but as I’ve gotten older, it’s not that big of a deal I just want the screen and idc about CarPlay because I have an iPhone, it’s more for just GPS and stuff like that. I’ll probably check out the one you mentioned. Now when you say they won’t work with The steering wheel controls are you talking about that specific model because I noticed a lot of them come with the option to get the controls for the steering wheel and channel select. Or are you just saying they don’t work as good as you would think? But from what it sounds like you’ve probably been through or have seen somebody who has had experiences and the radio isn’t but it would be nice to listen to music without my FM receiver, which is pretty good I might add. I don’t really care about playlists and all that stuff. And final question you prefer a double den or one of those screen type receivers which is probably what you meant with DCP I’m on my way to work so I read it quick. And if this truck wasn’t mainly for work, and it was newer or a little nicer than I would probably invest the money for a good head unit I miss the old days when you could just buy nice namebrand and be all set but like your post is explaining, and like the same goes by once cry once

 

CarPlay works with your iPhone, using maps (Apple/Google) to give you GPS turn-by-turn directions. A Maestro RR2 is a must for vehicles with a center cluster display and wanting to continue using volume controls on the steering wheel. Crutchfield can program the Maestro for your needs and provide a pre-connected wire harness for plug-n-play for a small fee. To get that you have to CALL them, not offered through the website.

 

If your stereo is "not that big of a deal" then just stick with stock (duh).

If you want a GPS with a big screen - buy a dedicated GPS with a large screen. You'll be able to do things like simultaneously take a call while keeping and eye on your gps.

I found the marestro RR2 to be very disappointing on a 2nd gen. Think about it this way...with the maestro RR2 you have to add an entirely new system (potentially unreliable weak link...what if it brakes 6 months down the road? Is there even a warranty on these?) to interact with your highly engineered entertainment system with no guarantees that the RR2 will let you program the steering wheel control to actually do what you want for any given HU model (absolutely will not on 2nd gens, you're very limited in how you can program them) OR you can simply take the speaker level outputs from stock and plug them into a DSP and get loads of control over the audio with lots of options for future upgrades. I tried it and all I can say is do yourself and the crutchfileds return center a favor and go the DSP route.

Also having a car stereo with a volume knob is better (and safer) than a larger screen in your car.

 

Wouldn’t a DSP on speaker leads be a weak link as well? Just saying, no matter what you do to your truck as a mod, it is potentially a “weak link”. I didn’t notice until now the person asking has a bsse ‘08, not unlike my ‘06. The Maestro would be useless in his case. You have to be willing to live with the compromise, that’s all. Personally, I’m not willing to live with the compromise of the stock HU in my ‘06, you’re not willing to live with same compromise is your truck. All in how you look at it, as is everything in life.

 

Umm...when was the last time speaker wires broke? Call crutchfield tech support (if you made a purchase from them, their tech support is for customers) or ask any installer how many time speaker leads broke (be prepared for dumbfounded looks). Then ask how many times people have had problems with the maestro. I've never heard of speaker leads breaking, so no...not a weak link.

DSPs are not a jack of all trades like a maestro - they are the master of one (sound in / sound out). Unlike a maestro you do not have to connect to the internet to program the DSP to work for a specific truck and HU model combo, DSPs do not integrate climate control; you do not need to connect a DSP to the OBD port. DSPs do the same thing regardless of what truck you put them into, if a DSP resets itself you do not have to remove the entire HU to troubleshoot or reprogram it. DPSs generally come with a warranty. So no I would not consider a DSP built with decent "solid-state" components to be a weak link in the same way.

 

On the other hand, if steering wheel controls are not an issue then yeah you can skip the maestro (and the additional expense), and go with a single DIN because you get a volume control with most single DINs (and preamp outs of course). In my case I have 2.5 gen and the backup camera is displayed on the double DIN HU and I did not want to give that up so I was kind of stuck with a double DIN. If it were not for the backup camera I would have gone with an ~$300 after market single DIN no question.

Touch screens running GPS/Phone/Stereo/climate control on the dash and driving is just as bad of a combination as texting and driving. Having textile controls is way better in terms of avoiding distracting driving then an "all in one" touch screen...it's just one of many bad decisions the went into modern cars that the customer was never consulted on (along with sharing the road with Teslas and dirverless semi trucks).

Another thing to consider (but not a deal breaker by any means) is that if you have an access cab with headliner speakers another advantage of keeping the stock HU is you can keep the headliner speakers and use the front speaker outputs through a DSP to drive front comps and a subwoofer. People poo-poo those headliner speakers but they do a good job of raising the "sound stage."

It's worth mentioning that after messing around with a DSP they really do offer a lot - active crossovers (which makes it easy to switch out speakers) and time alignment really take things to the next level - DSPs are the ultimate toy for people who can't stop f@&king around with their stereo - but for the money if you can make a single DIN work that's the way to go without breaking the bank.



Hope that helps.

 

can you better explain what you mean? because i have no idea what you're getting at here.

 

I’m thinking the DSP would “become” the weak link, simply by adding a piece of aftermarket kit in the truck. Anything added after what the manufacturer put in COULD cause problems. I agree the DSP and the Maestro are different tools for different functions, but both are still “aftermarket” and can add unforeseen complications to their use. I am NOT advocating for the ceasing of use of anything, nor am I saying you have to buy this, just giving options for further research by the poster asking questions. By no means do I think my opinions are the be-all-end-all, I just post as my convoluted mind sees things.

*edit* And if that doesn’t make sense, I’m in Jamaica right now

 

that's just modifications in general. the quality of any modification is entirely dependent on the quality of the installation. adding a dsp, amp, or even aftermarket speakers all have the same amount of risks, but also, none, properly installed, will definitively serve as a common problem point.

 

Turns out RF woofers take a nose dive at 625HZ, I still like them tho, if I had a DSP when I brought the Infinity comps I may have kept them. Purple line is after adjusting the crossovers. If you're going to get new speakers DSP is required for any access cab where your head is between a tweeter and the rear glass - just makes for a bright truck.