Any audio gurus/installers?

I’m getting my 22 Tacoma soon and have a list of upgrades I’m doing that includes upgrading speakers. I want to minimize the amount of times I’ll be removing the door panels.

I think the best option is to add an amp and replace speakers and tweeters. I don’t need a sub.

Is anyone local that can help with the harness and wiring and helping me choose the right stuff? I’m in East Whittier

I will pay in cash and beer haha. A couple of shops I went to quoted me over a grand… no thanks.

 

it all depends on what type of sound effect your looking for, but i would go to crutchfield and look at options or you can get a setup made for it - look up ********* or OEM audio plus

 

Thanks! I've actually made the decision to DIY on this and started another thread for my hardware selection through Crutchfield - https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rate-my-audio-before-i-buy.765547/#post-27317722

my biggest issue was the harness and I did not want to cut into the OE cables, but I've found a fitting harness I can modify. The installation is cake for me, it's the help of the good people of TW I'm leaning on for the hardware selection.

 

Your choice from that tread looks good. Since your doing an additional 4 ch amp. Your speakers and music will be much louder and crisp.
I also recommend getting some sticky Velcro use the soft side or get automotive felt wire tape and foam tape from when you open the panels. Add cushion to things you see might rub or rattle.

Currently my door panels rattle when the roads bumpy and or some loud music. I'm attempting to fix the rattle tomorrow. Your going to have some problems with rattle noises in a few months it's bound to happen even on fully stock.
I've fixed a few in the past but this one is a new rattle noise

 

That is excellent advice. If I remember correctly from my 17' TT there were some metal brackets or something like that on the rear door.

I've always used killmatt and see a lot of people praise soundskins, but I'm not sure the higher cost makes that much of a difference.

I stumbled on this video today about the foam tape so I will definitely add that to my list. I've got plenty of felt tape that I used extensively in my 04 Ranger. I got really good at pin-pointing rattles and squeaks.

 

the Kicker key amps are really impressive for how small they are, but I'd spend a little more and get something better than kicker speakers. Destin knows his stuff and like he said, your ears will definitely be ringing after a long drive.
Sound deadening might be the best thing I've done to the truck so definitely don't half-ass it there. Noico is fine if you want to save a few bucks, but proper coverage is key to getting rid of all those rattles.

What exactly do you need help with install wise? I go to the chiro school SCU up the street if you need an extra hand or want to hear what I've installed

 

I’m right by Parnel Park. I’d def like to hear what you have installed.

Install wise, i think I’m missing a part. Looking at pictures of the amp and the wiring kit, I don’t see where wire from the battery wires into the amp.

I’ll update my list later to include some foam. I think I’m good on the connectors i have on my list.

 

If you don't mind the blue advertisement this has pretty good reviews...

$63 Amazon Basics Car Sound Deadener, 18″ x 32″ (9-Piece)

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Sound-Deadener-Bulk-Installation/dp/B07XMF3KK5?th=1

 

Send some pics when completed! I'd like to see how it all turns out

 

I made the custom harness to retain the factory headunit, LC7i, did a 4 channel amp, all new speakers and 2 8" subs and was pretty disappointed.
Do yourself a favor and replace the headunit.
Your investment will not be worth it if you don't.

 

Here are some photos of the harness I did and that someone else did for your reference though:

 

what year is your TT?

I thought 21+ got updated wiring and all the speaker wires were now fed from one harness?

edit: Also, I don't think there are any aftermarket HU available right now that would retain all functions/features from the OE unit.

 

The problem is the headunit will always have low volume on the rear speakers which makes achieving quality sound impossible with the factory unit.
I could have sworn I read it was still an issue on the new models but I could be wrong.
I wanted to retain all the factory features which was why I did the custom harness but in the end I realized the features I would lose were not more valuable than quality sound.
Everyone has different priorities though.
Just wanted to mention it in case you were expecting stellar results from the factory HU.
Also just want to say again I could be totally wrong about the rear speakers being underpowered on the newer models and Toyota fixed it.

 

I thought the amp powered the speakers instead of the HU.

 

It amplifies the power from the head unit but the volume being sent to the rear speakers is extremely low on the factory HU.
If you increase the gain on your amp for your rear channels to match the front you end up with clipping and if you decrease the front to match the rear your overall volume is too low.
You could feed both front and rear speakers from the front outputs but you will lose your front to rear fader control.
Some people would be fine with that but it doesn't fly for me.
Again, maybe they resolved it on the newer models but I doubt there was enough people complaining about it for Toyota to resolve it.
Not sure why they turned the factory HU this way other than maybe to protect children from louder volumes while riding in the rear?

 

Is there a way to tell? I'm not sure if it'll be something obvious.

 

Yes there is.
Turn set your volume to where you would normally listen to it and then adjust your fader to the rear.
If you notice the sound coming from the rear is drastically lower then when you had your fader set to the center it is because Toyota has not resolved it.

 

Fade your head unit all the way to the rear speakers and turn up the volume then fade back all the way to the front. If the volume is lower in the rear than the front Toyota hasn't changed anything. Just run the kicker key amp. It's the best solution short of yanking the head unit. Stuff adds up quick though.

 

Thanks guys. I’ll consider a HU replacement when there’s better support for full compatibility and harness kits.