'23 Pro W/ JBL audio system

Bought a used pro, I've heard that the jbl audio is not that good, anyone replace the system and the rear speaker in back??? What's a decent system to go with?, I'm not sure about changing the stock head unit, maybe later, but the speakers yeah, I'm not an audio guru but does the head unit also help as well???

 

I don’t hate mine.

 

I kept the head unit, but added an amp, alpine speakers all around, and a JL stealth box to replace the sub in the back. All in all it does sound much better than the factory JBL system, but whether or not it was worth what I paid... debatable.

 

What was the amp you got and power you wanted/needed?

 

Replaced all the speakers and the sub in mine. You will be surprised what just that one change will do for you and it’s really not expensive nor requires much work installing comparatively with other options.

Everything is replaced with some mid $ range kicker speakers and a shallow mount Pioneer sub in the factory box.

The “premium” JBL speakers are ridiculously cheap. They are paper with foam surrounds that have some bright orange color so you can see them through the speaker grills and think you actually have something and I have stuff on my refrigerator hanging on bigger magnets than the ones driving those speakers.

If you want to go a little further, get some basic sound deadener and line the doors while you are changing them out.

 

It's a Kenwood excelon x803-5. My only goal was that I wanted a louder and better sounding system than the JBL and I wanted to pay less than 3k for it. Went with the shop owner's recommendations and I've been happy with it.

 

That's what I'm looking for, thanks

 

Contrary to what the thread title implies. I believe that the PRO was never produced with the JBL audio option. (I hope someone on TW will confirm this...)

Do you have a JBL audio system in your PRO?

I believe that re-badging a truck is much easier than retrofitting the JBL audio. (There would be little incentive to do that retrofit as the JBL is not great).

Have you confirmed your VIN with Toyota?

Sorry to go there - but if you were sold a PRO, you might have a discount coming. (If it turns out it is not that...)

Maybe I am misreading your title/thread?

 

Re-badging by who?, I bought this truck from a Toyota dealership, its certified, VIN confirms it's a Pro even the Toyota app confirms it which I downloaded a week after buying it, front doors and head unit confirm JBL audio, I'm just not liking the way it sounds to me, I'm no audio guru, but I know more could be done with just an amp alone or maybe upgrade all speakers to a better quality

 

I actually thought it was the opposite of this? At least for the last few years of the 3rd gen, every TRD Pro with an automatic transmission has the factory JBL system. As far as I know, the manual trucks did not get JBL, but this probably varies by region/country.

 

When I was in the market for a TRD Pro everyone I looked at had the JBL system in it. Toyota thinks its an upgrade but that's debatable.

 

Ah. This may be it. It was the 'Manual' that drives the exclusion of the JBL - and not the case for all PRO tacos.
This is why I had the caveat in my initial response. Sorry! - My bad.

I'll let myself out...

 

I would spend some time listening to the factory JBL system with different sources before you gut it. Your phone connected via USB while using a high quality streaming service can sound decent (it still won't compete with other high end OEM/factory systems). I believe different years of the 3rd gen had slightly different JBL tunes from the factory. For example, many members here complain about lack of bass from the factory subwoofer in earlier 3rd gen years... However, my 2023 with factory JBL actually produces a decent amount of bass - you just need the right, high quality content. I would never say my truck is light on bass from the factory. Unfortunately, it is very muddy sounding all-around...and the subwoofer doesn't reach down into the low frequencies well.

If you want a quick plug & play improvement, check out the BeatSonic Encore amp (model: ENA-2T3 for the 3rd gen). I'm not affiliated with them in any way, but I'm a fan. On non-JBL trucks, it functions like an amp...However, on trucks with factory JBL, it functions as a line-driver to send a better/cleaner signal to the factory JBL amp. I installed the BeatSonic amp behind my factory headunit in ~30min and it made a very noticeable difference in volume and quality. All speakers, including the subwoofer, play louder with a more crisp sound throughout the lows, mids, and highs.

For stage 2 of my audio upgrade, I will be installing a set of Alpine S2 speakers from Trail Grid Pro (trying to keep things as plug & play as possible) along with some basic sound deadening around the speaker openings. I'm hoping this helps clean up the sound even more and I can avoid having to add an amp integration device (PAC AmpPro or similar) and full-blown aftermarket amps.

For stage 3, I'll be replacing the factory JBL subwoofer with the common Rockford Fosgate P3 shallow sub...But I'm going to wait until after I have the speakers in for a while.

In the end, if you don't mind spending the money or don't care about keeping things plug & play, then just skip ahead straight to an amp integration interface and add full amps, speakers, and subs

 

LOL
I’ll show myself the door too. I have the automatic Pro.
I believe Toyota clearly states in the respective model year brochures that the Pro manual tranny does not come with the Premium JBL and is standard equipment with the Auto's …certainly with the 21,22 and 23 model years.

oh, and I find the Premium JBL to be more than adequate …I use a usb stick

 

Appreciate the info!

 

To anyone:
So what audio does the manual Pros (and Premium equipped TRD Sport and Offroads with manuals) actually come with, and how does it differ from the Premium JBLs?

 

A 6-speaker setup with no external amp or subwoofer. Two speakers in the front doors, two tweeters on top of the dash and two speakers in the rear doors that have barely any audio coming out of them. HU isn't powerful enough to drive good components, you have to use speaker-level inputs on amps (or use line-level adapters), then overdrive the shit out of the rears to get them to match the fronts. I started looking at the head units from other Toyota vehicles that may fit, but wasn't willing to sacrifice $300 - $1k on an experiment.

 

Thanks!

 

Also, is there no amplifier to power up the doors and the tweeters in the dash???

 

If you’re asking about the BeatSonic amp, yes it improves the sound from all factory speakers. The dash, front door, and factory JBL subwoofer seem to benefit more than the rear door speakers. Just keep in mind the front-rear gain control dial on the BeatSonic device doesn’t appear to do anything when installed on a truck with JBL because the factory JBL amp is still applying its own tuning (the fade and balance controls will still work normally on your factory headunit).

If you want more control over your system and have the money, you’ll want to add true amplifiers and bypass the JBL amp. To reiterate, the BeatSonic amp won’t compete with an aftermarket amplified system, but it does make a noticeable difference for those of us who don’t want to bypass or gut the JBL system.

I’ll post an update once I have the new Alpine S2 speakers installed within the next couple weeks.