another speaker thread

Hey all i just wanted to give my .02 to help anyone looking for speaker upgrades in the future

like everyone else i was super disappointed with the stock sound system in the tacoma

i originally purchased the c1 series JL speakers for front and rear.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13699045/JL-Audio-C1-690x.html

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13699042/JL-Audio-C1-650x.html

to my disappointment these sounded not one iota better than the speakers that came with the truck, i couldn’t raise the volume past 45 without crazy distortion, these JL’s had zero bass and not the greatest highs in my opinion

rode around with them for about 3 weeks and decided to return them because i felt they weren’t worth the price i paid.

when i installed these i had also installed kicker 3.5 for my dash tweeters, the JL’s were completely overshadowed by the tweeters

$80 KICKER 47KSC3504 KS Series 3.5" Coaxial Speakers with 1/2" Tweeters, 4-ohm

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084HL6DWG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_irL6Mps1TJgpP



i reached back out to crutchfield and setup an exchange for some kicker CS speakers

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20646CC693/Kicker-46CSC6934.html

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20646CC654/Kicker-46CSC654.html

the difference in my opinion is crazy
i thought that JL was supposed to be the superior brand but this test really showed me the difference and for me Kicker won 100%
superior in the bass and the highs will definitely recommend these kickers over those particular JL’s any day

 

My wife made a comment today that my speakers sound like sh*t and said I should just upgrade them asap, or go to the dealer and complain (waste of time).
So, I'm ordering these Kickers tomorrow.

 

you won’t notice a difference with the rear until you get them amped unfortunately from everything i’ve read they’re underpowered by design,

but should def see a difference in the front stage

 

This was my experience as well. I upgraded all my speakers (Tweeter, front and rear) and they sounded great but i needed to turn up the volume to 45+ to be able to hear at decent volume. So I added a Kicker Key 200 Amp and everything changed for the better after that.

 

Is this with the JBL setup?

 

Sounds like you were looking for more bass, the JL door speakers are midrange woofers, they are designed to use with a subwoofer so they won't produce a ton of bass. The kickers being a more budget target speaker are designed for stand alone use without a sub. So they will produce more bass on their own.

Also, without a amplifier, the JL speakers will not be working at their best.

 

I just installed the Subaru tweeters in the dash and 2-channel Kickers in the rear. The front 3-channel Kickers will be installed next week. Any recommendations on a plug and play adapter and amp that can be used with the stock head? Thanks!