Premium Audio Upgrade for less than $250

Sub’d

 

Oops
You know what I meant lol

 

Just giving you a hard time. Any of the Kicker speakers would be an upgrade in the Tacoma.

 

Yeah I had the DS in my Jeep pushing 75Wx4 to them and they SCREAMED. They could bring the volume and ha doe the power all day. But in a Jeep with the top down and doors off, I wouldn’t notice sound quality much so I put my money towards a bigger amp and cheaper speakers. No regrets with them. The KS are my sweet spot. Love them in my truck, and have put them in at least a hundred cars so far.

 

I decide to do a custom install of Bose tweeters I had kicking around looking for a home.

 

I installed Infinity Reference series all around. Liked them so much I got a set and installed in boxes for portability. I have them hanging under the slide out beds of my pop-up camper. They do like power and I found it took a few months before they were worked in and created more bass. I will solve that shortly with my 50w x 4 Alpine amp though.

 

I just finished my install today. WOW!

kicker key amp, KSC6705 for the rear doors, KSS6705 components for front doors and dash tweeters and Sound Ordnance 8" powered sub. I put sound deadening on all the doors too. Sounds awesome. Only thing left is to turn the gain on the amp down so I can get more precise audio level control. I'll do that when it cools down this evening. It is was too pound for me the way it is set now.

Thanks for all the input making this project workout like this Destin. I appreciate your input and I am so glad I went with the KSS series. Way better sounding than the KSCs.

 

How much of a difference would an amp make in my truck? I installed an Alpine ILX-W650 for carplay and all new Kicker speakers + tweeters. The Alpine Head Unit has the option to add an amp to the back of it. Never had an amp before but thinking about it.

 

Makes a ton of difference. And having the 650 head unit makes it even easier! That

$220 alpine kta-450 4-channel power pack amplifier with dynamic peak power 45W RMS x 4, at 2 or 4 ohms

alpine kta-450 amp is awesome. I’ve done probably 10 of them so far since it came out and it’s one of my favorite add-on’s. I’ve been selling the radio you bought like crazy specifically for that amp to mount on the back.

 

Wow this place is such a resource when it comes to getting advice for stuff. So what I am trying to understand is what adding an amp is going to provide... Like is it just for volume? is it going to be more clear? Improvement to the bass? Or just better all around?

 

volume, more power in the different freq ranges, overall better, fuller sound imo

 

Okay, but overall you would say that it is worth the ~$190 price tag when paired with the Alpine Unit and new speakers?

 

Better all around for sure.

 

Absolutely. Amps are by far the best addition in my opinion. And that’s a great price. Speakers need power to sound their best. No way around it. Pull the trigger and thank us later

 

Thank you so much! I'll probably get one around Christmas so I will report back with the results... But it sounds like you already know what the answer will be

 

can't say compared to the alpine HU, but the amp i added made a huge difference with the oem hu

 

Looking at amps right now, also adding a 10" kicker sub. What are peoples recommendations -- a 4 channel amp + dedicated sub amp, or a 5 channel amp for everything?

 

depends on your price range and how easy you want the install to be. I'm running a 5-channel myself. Very easy install. Takes up minimal space.
However, doing 2 separate amps has benefits as well. Larger sub power if you ever want more than a single 10”
Potential for quality upgrades (primarily on the 4 channel) without needed a bigger sub amp.
Easier fixes. If the sub channel goes out on your 5-channel amp, you’re buying a new 5-channel amp, compared to just a mono amp.

2 amps also means distribution blocks or extra wire runs from the battery, which add extra costs, and take up even more space.

 

I keep thinking I want to upgrade speakers but the kickers sound fine to me so I don't want to go down the rabbit hole. This current kit + the 10" will be fine for me I think.

I have an android HU with RCA/SPDIF-out as well as the regular speaker-level...any recommendations on a 5-channel amp?

 

Can someone provide the links for the KS line for 3rd gen Tacoma double cab. I found the front 6x9’s on crutchfield, but can’t find the speakers for the rear that fit? Thanks